Chapter 272: Military Control Commission

Just at that critical moment when the sniper was about to pull the trigger, a scream sounded exceptionally piercing: "He Yuzhu, someone at the two o'clock position is about to shoot at you!"

The one who shouted was none other than Chen Xueru.

She had been watching the city entry ceremony from the second floor of her clothing store, and after cheering along with everyone for a while, she felt a bit thirsty; after drinking a cup of tea, she suddenly discovered a person climbing onto the roof of the shop opposite like an ape, and she recognized at a glance that it was He Yuzhu.

Chen Xueru had long known that there was someone lying in ambush on that four-story building across the street.

She saw that after He Yuzhu climbed onto the roof, that gun barrel kept following He Yuzhu's movements; her heart suddenly jumped to her throat, and she finally couldn't help but issue a warning.

As for her ability to describe the enemy's position using the clock direction, it stemmed from a killer story He Yuzhu had once told her; she learned this method of description after hearing it.

He Yuzhu heard the shout and instantly understood what was happening—it must be that the snipers from the City Work Department had mistaken him for an enemy!

In a flash of lightning, He Yuzhu leaped down from the roof, grabbed an electric wire with one hand to buffer his momentum, and then landed lightly on someone's shoulder.

He ran forward, stepping on the dense crowd, and seeing that the distance was about right, he flicked his wrist, and a Flying Knife shot out through the air.

At this moment, the old man's fire starter was already close to the fuse of the explosive package.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck, and the old man realized his palm had been pierced.

"Ah!" he screamed, and the fire starter fell to the ground.

Murder!

A young man beside the old man discovered that he had been splattered with blood and shouted.

The crowd began to stir, but the soldiers entering the city remained unmoved, continuing to march at their own pace.

Three members of the City Work Department saw He Yuzhu speeding along the shoulders of the crowd, and seeing him point out the direction, they rushed toward the old man and pinned him down firmly.

When everyone saw the explosive package in the old man's basket, they all let out screams.

The backs of the three members were instantly soaked with cold sweat—if this had exploded in the sea of people, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He Yuzhu landed lightly, walked up to the three, and reprimanded them: "Did you forget what your duty is because you were watching the excitement? You almost caused a catastrophe!"

The three looked at each other, their faces showing expressions of shame.

One of them said in a low voice: "I'm sorry, Group Leader He, it was our negligence..."

He Yuzhu's gaze swept over the three, then looked toward the window in the distance where Chen Xueru was, keeping this favor in his heart.

After the city entry ceremony ended, He Yuzhu immediately reported the thrilling scene that had just occurred to Tian Dan.

Tian Dan felt a chill down her back upon hearing it; she didn't say a word, just patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder.

He Yuzhu knew that even if that sniper had fired, it might not have hit him, but he still showed a look of lingering fear, patting his chest and saying: "Sister, my life almost ended there today. If I had died, what would my mother and sister do? And my father is unreliable!"

"I'll give you a day off today; go back and have a good meal to calm your nerves," Tian Dan said.

"Thank you, Dan! Then I'm leaving!" He Yuzhu left happily.

He arrived at the private room of He Ji Restaurant and was immediately surrounded by several young girls.

These four young girls had seen He Yuzhu running on other people's shoulders and thought their brother was particularly amazing, having no sense of danger.

As soon as He Yushui saw her brother, she asked impatiently: "Brother, I want to learn your Kung Fu too, I want to fly over the crowd too!"

"Brother Zhuzi, did something happen?" Li Dahua was a bit older and vaguely felt that something had happened.

"A bad old man wanted to light an explosive package," He Yuzhu said dismissively.

"Damn old man! If it had exploded, many people would have died!" Wang Xiaomi stomped her feet in anger.

Xiaoqi was young, the same age as He Yushui, and also full of admiration: "Brother, you are truly amazing!"

He Yuzhu said with a smile: "This is nothing! Brother has even more amazing Kung Fu!"

"Brother, we want to learn Kung Fu from you too," He Yushui said.

"Didn't you all start learning from Sister Daya a long time ago? Why do you have to learn from me?"

He Yushui pouted and said: "We don't even see her a few times a month."

Chen Daya happened to push the door open and said: "Little Yushui, have you learned to speak ill of me behind my back?"

He Yushui immediately ran to Chen Daya and made a face.

"Sister Daya, I'm taking them out to buy some things!"

After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he took the four young girls to find Xueru Clothing Store: "Today, I'll take you to buy clothes; pick them out yourselves, whatever clothes you like, Brother will buy them for you!"

As soon as Chen Xueru saw He Yuzhu, she stroked her chest and said: "At that time, at that time when I saw the gun barrel aiming at you, I was scared to death!"

He Yuzhu said with a smile: "I owe you a favor this time. After the little ones finish buying clothes, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Good, I want you to make Boiled Fish and fried chicken for me yourself. By the way, I also want to drink cola."

"No problem," He Yuzhu readily agreed.

He Yuzhu watched the group of young girls picking out clothes and found it quite interesting.

None of them picked cotton-padded jackets, but instead, they all took a fancy to a dress.

When He Yuzhu wanted to pay, Chen Xueru refused to accept it no matter what, leaving him no choice but to promise to continue designing clothes for her.

The several young girls each had their own gains and were happily chattering away.

When the group arrived at He Ji Restaurant again, the people waiting to eat were already lining up.

He Yushui pouted: "Brother, our private room is gone, how long do we have to wait?"

"It doesn't matter, Brother will take you to the Manager's office. I will cook for you myself."

"Zhuzi, Boiled Fish, extra spicy!" Chen Xueru instructed.

"Brother, I want to eat the fried chicken wings you make!" He Yushui also shouted.

The other three young girls also cheered: "We want to eat fried chicken wings too!"

He Yuzhu arrived at the back kitchen and saw that it was bustling with activity inside.

Chen Daya was directing the serving of dishes, and as soon as she saw He Yuzhu, she asked in surprise: "Why are you in the back kitchen?"

"Your business is too good; I brought a few guests over and occupied your Manager's office, and I promised them I would cook for them myself. Does the shop have chicken wings and chicken legs?"

Chen Daya thought for a moment and said: "Yes, are you going to make fried chicken wings? But you have to make them yourself, I'm too busy here!"

"Got it, I didn't mean to trouble you all!" He Yuzhu tied on his apron and began to busy himself in front of the stove.

He deftly prepared the ingredients, sizzled them in hot oil, and quickly finished a spicy, fresh, and fragrant Boiled Fish and a plate of golden, crispy fried chicken wings.

When he carried the aromatic dishes into the Manager's lounge, the young girls cheered immediately.

After they were wined and dined, He Yuzhu brought the four young girls back to the Siheyuan, only to see several people in military uniforms gathering everyone for a meeting.

When He Yuzhu saw the faces of two of them clearly, he couldn't help but be stunned. It was actually Wang Jiazhi and Li Xiangxiu.

Wang Jiazhi stood in the center of the courtyard and said in a loud, clear voice, "My name is Wang Xia, the 'Xia' from 'glow of the sunset'. I am from the Military Control Commission in charge of this district." Her gaze swept over everyone present, and she announced methodically, "Today, I have a few things to say. First, we are about to conduct a census; we need to register how many people live in this courtyard, their ancestral homes, and what their occupations are..." She paused and continued, "Second, regarding the exchange of old currency for new, we will be phasing out the old currency gradually over the next year or so. Neighbors who still have old Bald Party currency on hand, please go and exchange it as soon as possible; it will be void after the deadline... Third, the courtyard will soon have electricity and running water... Fourth, from now on, if everyone discovers anyone with suspicious behavior, you must report it to our Military Control Commission immediately..."

He Yuzhu stood in the corridor, listening to Wang Jiazhi's speech, feeling a bit dazed. He never expected that the quite famous Wang Xia from time-travel novels would actually be Wang Jiazhi. He Yuzhu was lost in thought until he was pushed by Li Xiangxiu as the group was about to leave, and only then did he wake up as if from a dream.