Chapter 20: He Yuzhu is Followed

Xu Xiaoyun saw her father's poor complexion and dared not say much, hurriedly placing the steamed buns and a plate of scrambled eggs on the kang table, saying, "Dad, let's eat!"

Xu Fugui finished his meal without a word, then said to Xu Xiaoyun, "Tomorrow morning, Lou Laoban needs the car a little after four, so I have to spend the night at the driver's quarters. Xiaoyun, look after your younger brother. After I go out, remember to lock the house door tight! Don't open it for anyone who calls!"

Xu Damao felt a bit scared upon hearing that his father was leaving; he had to admit, that cursing from Jia Zhangshi was truly lethal. "Dad, where is Lou Laoban heading? Can you be back within the day tomorrow? I, my heart... is feeling a bit anxious."

"You useless thing!" Xu Fugui glared. "Where did that guts you usually have for causing trouble go? Don't let your imagination run wild. The whole courtyard is full of cowards; even if you lent them a few guts, they wouldn't dare touch a single hair on you!"

"Alright, then Dad, you take care of yourself," said Xu Damao.

A night of north wind blew many roof tiles off the Siheyuan.

"Damn it, what kind of year is this? Even the roof tiles get blown all over the ground by the wind," He Daqing cursed, holding up his two large, puffy eyes.

Taking advantage of the moment He Daqing was squatting on the ground brushing his teeth, He Yuzhu trotted out of the courtyard.

By the time He Daqing returned to the room, He Yuzhu was nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong with this little bastard today? Going to school so early?" asked He Daqing.

Shen Guizhi frowned, "He said he was going to the toilet; his schoolbag is still on the table!"

"Something's wrong," He Daqing's large eyeballs rolled, "I think this kid ran off to play again!"

"That can't be! It's so early, the teahouses aren't even open yet!"

Indeed, He Yuzhu had no intention of going to school today; he was headed for the pharmacy, wanting to get some arsenic for the little devils.

Just a few steps after He Yuzhu walked out of the alley entrance, he felt as if two tails were following him.

His heart sank: Could it be that the devils had found a lead? Otherwise, who would be bored enough to tail him?

He Yuzhu's eyes darted, and he suddenly changed his mind, no longer heading for Qianmen.

He exited Nanluoguxiang, made a turn, and got onto Di'anmen Street, sitting down at a breakfast stall.

"Shopkeeper, bring me a bowl of tofu pudding and two fried dough sticks!" he shouted loudly, fearing others wouldn't hear.

Once the steaming tofu pudding arrived, He Yuzhu held a small spoon and began to eat slowly.

His eyes, however, were not idle, darting around in all directions.

Sure enough, he saw two people at the alley entrance peeking toward this side.

After finishing the tofu pudding and fried dough sticks, He Yuzhu wiped his mouth and said loudly, "Shopkeeper, the tofu pudding portion was too small, not enough to eat. Bring me another bowl of wontons, and add plenty of garlic paste..."

After a bowl of wontons also went down his throat, He Yuzhu still didn't budge, ordering two more bowls of fried liver.

He used his chopsticks to stir the liver tips in the bowl, while the corner of his eye acted like two small hooks, firmly latching onto the movements at the distant street corner.

The two men following him couldn't stand it anymore; they were shivering and stamping their feet.

One of them, Mazilian, spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground in resentment and cursed under his breath: "What the hell, is this little bastard a glutton? Eating round after round! He's starving me to death; I'll definitely beat him up later."

The short one beside him shrank his neck and nodded repeatedly: "This kid is dressed like a beggar, but his family seems to have some savings; otherwise, he couldn't afford to spend like this."

He Yuzhu unhurriedly licked the last bit of fried liver in the bowl clean, then let out a loud, satisfied burp and strolled leisurely toward outside Deshengmen.

The two tails didn't dare make a move on the main street, so they could only follow along.

"Where is this kid going? Why is he walking outside the city?" said the short one.

"Probably visiting relatives; otherwise he wouldn't be going outside the city. This is a good thing, otherwise it wouldn't be easy for us to make a move!" said Mazilian.

At this time, the area outside Deshengmen was still very desolate, consisting of endless wild fields and sparse, low-lying civilian houses.

He Yuzhu stopped in front of a dilapidated earth house that had collapsed on one side, leaned his back against the cold earthen wall, crossed his arms, and waited with composure.

The two tails behind him saw the area becoming increasingly desolate, with not even a ghost in sight, so they stopped bothering to hide and simply swung their arms, following him openly.

He Yuzhu turned around, a half-smile on his face, and said: "Gentlemen, you've worked hard! Is this... specifically for me?"

Mazilian was stunned for a moment, then revealed a mouthful of yellowed teeth: "A straightforward person! A gentleman paid money and wants to invite you, little brother, to go out of town to 'enjoy some peace'."

He Yuzhu nodded, imitating the tone of a storyteller in a teahouse: "Which gentleman ordered this dish?"

Mazilian shook his head: "I don't do things that break the rules of the underworld."

"If you don't say it now, you'll spit it out sooner or later," He Yuzhu said in a calm voice, without a ripple. "How much did that person give you? I'll double it for you, and we'll treat today's events as if they never happened."

It wasn't that He Yuzhu was soft-hearted, but he truly didn't want to easily kill his own countrymen unless absolutely necessary. Without this bottom line, how would he be any different from those devils and the Bald Party?

Mazilian sneered: "Heh! I didn't see that coming, you little brat, you're quite arrogant, actually daring to bargain with me? How about this, you have your father cough up 200 Big Ocean, and once I receive it, I'll let you go."

The smile on He Yuzhu's face froze instantly: "Your appetite is too big, be careful not to burst your stomach!" Before the words even faded, two Box Cannons appeared in his hands.

Seeing the guns, the two men were terrified out of their wits, falling to their knees with a "thump," kowtowing like they were pounding garlic, their faces covered in snot and tears: "Little brother, spare our lives! Spare us! We have nursing infants at home waiting..."

The muzzle in He Yuzhu's hand remained rock steady: "Last time, speak! Who ordered this?"

Mazilian shook like a sieve: "It... it was entrusted by friends on the road..."

"You don't shed tears until you see the coffin! Today, you've wasted both of my good intentions; there are no more chances."

He Yuzhu's voice was icy. He tucked the gun into his waistband with his right hand, flipped his wrist, and a three-inch-long Flying Knife was gripped between his fingers, then his wrist gave a sharp flick.

"Puchi!" A dull sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.

The Flying Knife hit its mark, pinning itself squarely into Mazilian's shoulder.

"Ugh—!" Mazilian let out a scream that didn't sound human, clutching his shoulder as he curled up.

The short one beside him spotted the opening and turned to run!

He Yuzhu flicked his wrist again!

"Ah!" A miserable cry!

The Flying Knife pierced deeply into the short one's calf; he stumbled and fell to the ground, rolling in pain.

He Yuzhu stepped forward a few paces, raised his foot, and kicked Mazilian in the crotch, "Speak! Who is the mastermind behind this?"

Mazilian's face twisted and deformed from the pain, cold sweat rolling down like soybeans.

"If you play any more tricks, I'll slice you up piece by piece!"

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Scar-face Ma shrieked, "I am Ma Wu, under the command of Dengzhao in Nancheng... It was... it was the head steward Lou Feng from the mansion of Lou Bancheng who passed the word... saying... saying your family went too far, forcing them into a dead end, that's why... that's why they made a move..."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu immediately thought of Xu Fugui! This old guy, he really doesn't let a grudge last overnight! Since Head Steward Lou was also involved, this matter was getting interesting.

To be the head steward for Lou Bancheng, asking for ten Small Yellow Fish from him isn't too much, right! With this money, it's enough to upgrade the system once. And there's also that Lamp Shade...

The more He Yuzhu thought about it, the happier he became. He continued to press Ma Wu: "Where is Lamp Shade's lair? How many men does he have under him? You better spit it all out! If you dare to tell even half a lie, I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"

Ma Wu stared at He Yuzhu's face, which looked childish yet cold and ruthless, and he couldn't figure out where this little King of Hell had popped out from!

Seeing that this guy still wasn't being honest, He Yuzhu reached out and pulled the Flying Knife out of Ma Wu's body.

"Awoo!" Ma Wu wailed.

"Are you going to talk or not!"

"I'll talk," Ma Wu didn't dare to delay any longer, and like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube, he confessed everything, including where Lamp Shade lived, how many opium dens he ran, and how he trafficked opium.

After finishing the questioning, He Yuzhu didn't say another word; with a thought, he stowed the two guys who were paralyzed on the ground into his space.

Looking at the towering Deshengmen gate tower and the empty Bingjiaokou Street where only the north wind swirled, He Yuzhu smacked his lips and suddenly wanted to own a Camera. If he could capture the ugly deeds of the little devils and the faces of the traitorous scum, that would be quite interesting.

Thinking is doing! He Yuzhu set off at a run, left Bingjiaokou, and raised his hand to hail a rickshaw: "Head to Qianmen, to the Yamato Trading Company!"

Upon arriving at the trading company, he hardened his heart and took out one hundred and fifty Big Ocean, purchasing a German Zeiss Camera, several boxes of photographic paper, developing solution, fixing solution, a developing tank, and several large enamel trays. He had wanted to buy a red light for a darkroom, but then he realized there was no electricity at home at all, so he had to give up on that, pondering instead to get a flashlight later and cover it with red cloth to make do.

Thinking of his nearly shriveled money pouch, He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly.

After buying the things, He Yuzhu found a quiet place and stowed the items into his space.

By this time it was already noon, and He Yuzhu was a bit hungry, so he ate a bowl of stewed offal by the side of the street.

As he walked, he pondered: Should he wipe out Lamp Shade's gang today and then go find trouble with Lou Feng? Or should he go home first and plan things out carefully?

"Bang, bang, bang..." A series of gunshots suddenly rang out in the distance.