Chapter 29: Xu Fugui Has Met With Trouble

He Yuzhu reacted extremely quickly, jumping directly from the kang to the floor with a "whoosh."

He Daqing's swinging hand missed its mark, but he wasn't angry; he took the opportunity to sit on the edge of the kang, picked up a strip of beef to chew twice, and, putting on the airs of a head chef, commented: "The beef strips aren't bad, the fat is thick and the meat is tender, and the texture is alright too. It's just that after reheating it, the gamey smell has come out, and the meat has become old and stringy."

Shen Guizhi walked in carrying a basket of freshly steamed buns and happened to hear this. She curled her lip in annoyance and said: "Yo! A man who gnaws on cornmeal buns every day is actually complaining that the meat doesn't taste good? The pittance you earn, I think it's not even as good as our son's ability!"

He Daqing was so choked up by his wife that he rolled his eyes and stiffened his neck: "Can I compare to him? He's so capable, daring to go right under the noses of the little devils to pick up money!"

"Dad! You're just jealous!" He Yuzhu didn't miss the opportunity to twist the knife in He Daqing.

He Daqing glared at his son, fire practically erupting from his eyes.

Just then, a burst of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly rang out in the quiet courtyard, mixed with Yan Bugui's startled and erratic voice.

Something happened!

How sharp were He Yuzhu's ears? He immediately discerned the anxiety in the footsteps of those few people.

"Mom, I'm going out to take a look!" Before his words had even faded, he had already jumped off the kang and rushed out of the room in two or three strides.

He Yuzhu followed behind those people and slipped into the Houyuan.

Yan Bugui pointed at the Xu Family's door, "It's this house, you go in yourselves!"

He Yuzhu held his breath, flashed into the shadows at the doorway of the old lady's house, and poked his head out to look.

Not long after, the Xu Family suddenly erupted with the heart-wrenching wails of Xu Fugui's wife, Cui Xiu, followed immediately by Xu Damao's tearful questioning: "What exactly happened to my dad? Is he in danger!"

A strange voice spoke up: "The person has already been sent to the hospital, and we don't know the specific situation either. Boss sent us to notify the family members to see who can hurry over to look after him..."

The crying from the Xu Family was like a pot exploding, alarming the entire courtyard.

The doors of every household opened one after another, and many people draped clothes over themselves and crowded over to inquire.

Li Yong in the Houyuan was considered Xu Damao's closest friend; he leaned against the Xu Family's doorway and asked: "Damao, what happened to your dad?"

Xu Damao shouted irritably: "My dad's car flipped! How would I know the specifics!"

He Yuzhu looked at Xu Damao, who was walking at the very front with a livid face, and said loudly: "Your dad is suffering divine retribution! Kidnapping other people's children, doing all kinds of wicked things—Heaven is coming to collect him!"

These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the neighbors' love for gossip, and strange gazes shot toward He Yuzhu in unison.

Once Xu Damao heard this, his eyes turned red; he pointed at He Yuzhu and cursed with eyes splitting from rage: "He Yuzhu, I'll fuck your grandfather! You're gloating over my misfortune, right? You just wait, when I get my hands free, see if I don't kill you!"

"Your dad spends all day thinking about killing this person and that person; look, now he's gone and gotten himself caught up in it!" He Yuzhu did not show any weakness.

Xu Damao still wanted to pounce over to argue, but his sister, Xu Xiaoyun, grabbed his arm tightly and dragged him away. Just as he was about to leave the Houyuan, he didn't forget to look back, his gaze fixed firmly on He Yuzhu, as if they shared a blood feud.

Watching the Xu Family members walk away, the sound of discussion in the courtyard rose with a "buzz."

Yan Bugui stepped forward and asked: "Zhuzi, what did you mean by what you said?"

"You're a teacher, you can't understand such simple words?" After He Yuzhu said this, he left without saying much more, because he didn't need to take action himself; Lou Feng and the Boss wouldn't let him off either. If he said too much, he would expose too many things about himself.

Yan Bugui shook his head, completely confused.

Jia Zhangshi rolled her triangular eyes, curled her lip, and muttered in a low voice with gloating satisfaction: "Serves him right! The Xu Family has done too many wicked things; Heaven has opened its eyes and is cleaning them up."

Yan Bugui pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked at Yi Zhonghai with a probing gaze: "Lao Yi, did you hear what Zhuzi said? I feel like there's some trick to this. Hasn't Xu Fugui always been driving the sedan for the big Boss? How come..."

Yi Zhonghai tucked his hands into his sleeves and shook his head: "Don't know, not clear."

Liu Haizhong puffed out his belly and took over the conversation: "I heard the people from the Security Team gossiping, saying that Xu Fugui offended the Boss and was sent to the factory. According to what Zhuzi said, could it be that this Xu Fugui really was involved in kidnapping?"

Seeing the Xu Family members walk far away, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Yan Bugui's small eyes darted around; seeing Yi Zhonghai return home, he left as well.

Yang Ruihua passed by the He Family's door, sniffed hard, and said sourly: "This Siheyuan is impossible to live in; the smell of meat wafts out every day, making even the cornmeal buns taste bland and flavorless!"

Jia Zhangshi passed by the He Family's door and also sniffed hard for a long time. Once she returned to her own room and caught sight of that plate of cornmeal buns and salted vegetable chunks on the table, she suddenly felt they weren't fragrant anymore. She complained sourly: "He Daqing is just a lousy cook, why does he bring meat home every day? This life he's living is even more comfortable than the landlords and rich people of the past!"

Jia Huaide sat cross-legged on the kang and hummed disdainfully: "Hmph, what kind of skill is that? It's just taking what the guests didn't finish."

"The leftovers smell better than cornmeal buns! I don't care!" Jia Zhangshi retorted.

"Good-for-nothing thing!" Jia Huaide cursed.

"Dad, what exactly happened at your factory? Why does something go wrong all day long!" Jia Dongxu couldn't help but ask.

"Why is a little brat asking about these things!" Jia Huaide waved his hand impatiently, looking full of bad luck.

At Yi Zhonghai's house.

Yi Dama sat on the edge of the kang, mending a shoe sole by the dim light of a kerosene lamp, her face clouded with worry: "Lao Yi, from now on when you go to work, you must, must be careful! Something happened at the Rolling Mill during the day, and tonight Xu Fugui... why don't you take a few days off?"

"Don't scare yourself!" Yi Zhonghai said in a deep voice.

"I'm just worried about you!" Yi Dama's voice was tight.

"The factory hasn't been peaceful lately; two things happened in one day. It's likely the Boss offended some ruthless person outside, and someone is intentionally trying to fix him!" Yi Zhonghai sighed.

"But that shouldn't implicate the innocent!" Yi Dama said, full of worry.

Yi Zhonghai's tone was flat: "Rest assured, what kind of person is the Boss? His reach covers the sky! He has at least two or three hundred bodyguards with guns under him! This little bit of trouble will be suppressed soon; it won't be able to stir up any big waves."

"That may be so, but in your factory of several hundred people, several are dead or injured in a single day. Thinking about it makes my heart thump... why don't you... take a few days off? Just hide at home and avoid the limelight?"

"Not necessary! Really not necessary!" Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, "I'll just be a little more careful."

Yi Dama was agitated; the needle and thread in her hand failed to pass through the eye of the needle several times, and she was so angry she pushed the sewing basket aside.

"Yesterday at the street corner, I saw the old lady buying meat at the braised meat stall! She even told me it was money Zhuzi gave her! You say this kid... where did he get the money?" Yi Zhonghai seemed to suddenly remember.

"Yan Bugui muttered to me, saying that this kid has just been checking in at school lately, then his shadow disappears, and he's out running wild! You say... he wouldn't be doing that kind of thieving and dog-stealing business, would he?" Yi Dama lowered her voice.

Yi Zhonghai put down the half-eaten cornmeal bun, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "Shouldn't... be, right? That child Zhuzi, his temper is a bit impulsive, but his roots aren't bad, unlike Xu Damao, who is full of bad water at only eight years old!"

"How old is he? Is it necessary to talk about someone else's child like that?" Yi Dama felt her husband was being a bit harsh.

"Hmph! You can see a person's future from childhood, and their old age from the age of three!" Yi Zhonghai said decisively, "This character is crooked from the root!"

"If Xu Fugui really has some mishap, his wife will be left dragging three children; life will be hard to endure," Yi Dama sighed.

"The good don't live long, the wicked live for a thousand years! Xu Fugui won't die!" Yi Zhonghai took a sip of wine and reached his conclusion.