Chapter 324: The New Profiteer

"You wet-behind-the-ears brat, stop trying to scare me! I've run this shop for forty years, and even the Bald Party couldn't touch me. I don't believe the new government will seal my shop door!"

He Yuzhu's gaze turned cold, and he said, "Then you've misunderstood. Only the new China will deal with profiteers like you who disrupt the market. If you don't believe me, just wait!"

"Wait, I'll wait!" Manager He waved his hand violently and pointed at the door, "All of you, get out! Get out right now!"

These words made the previously noisy Small Tavern go quiet in an instant.

Cai Quanwu set his chopsticks down gently, his voice cold and detached: "Manager He, what you said is unreasonable. We paid for our wine, so why should we leave?"

"A stinking rickshaw puller actually thinks he's someone! You low-lifes, even after buying wine, you only deserve to squat by the wall to drink it!" Manager He spat.

Before the words had even faded, He Yuzhu had already grabbed a wine jar from his side and smashed it onto the counter with a "Bang!"

Porcelain shards flew everywhere, and the watered-down wine flowed along the counter; one could barely smell any fragrance of wine.

"Hey! You dare smash my things?" Manager He grabbed an axe and rushed out.

He Yuzhu stepped forward, staring fixedly at Manager He, and hummed lightly: "Try touching me and see what happens?"

Niu Ye hurriedly stepped forward to grab He Yuzhu's arm: "Little brother, calm your anger. This Manager He's son has gone missing, perhaps he's just feeling upset..."

"Even if his father died, I don't owe him anything! If you don't apologize to me today, I'll have your shop as a profiteer selling fake wine shut down. If you don't believe me, just try it!"

"Damn it!" Manager He cursed.

He Yuzhu turned and walked straight outside, heading for the phone booth at the corner of the street.

On the other end of the line, after hearing the situation, Tian Dan immediately stated she would bring people over at once.

She wasn't doing this purely to stand up for He Yuzhu.

The Qianmen area had been restless lately; there were always merchants raising prices without cause, passing off inferior goods as quality ones, and disrupting business order. It was clear that secret agents were causing trouble behind the scenes.

The city was looking to make an example of a few to properly rectify this crooked trend.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Tian Dan arrived at the Small Tavern with her men.

She first asked some regular customers about the situation, then inspected the wine vats, confirmed that the wine was heavily watered down, and immediately ordered Manager He to be taken away.

"You are shielding each other! I want to report you!" Manager He was still struggling and shouting.

Tian Dan turned to face the customers, her voice clear and bright: "Neighbors, recently many merchants have been deliberately raising prices and passing off inferior goods as quality ones. There are secret agents behind this disrupting the economic order. If you encounter such situations, report them to our Public Security Bureau immediately. We will investigate thoroughly to return a clear and bright world to everyone!"

"Good!" The patrons applauded and cheered one after another.

Tian Dan pulled Cai Quanwu aside and lowered her voice: "Master Cai, from now on you are one of us. However, you should continue your work, mainly keeping an eye on who exactly is inciting these merchants behind the scenes."

Cai Quanwu rubbed his hands and grinned: "Understood, you want me to be an undercover agent."

"Report to me at my place every night."

"Got it! I'm good at this."

He Yuzhu watched as Tian Dan's men took Manager He away, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Tian Dan seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "Don't go looking for this kind of trouble for me in the future. Although this Manager He is hateful, he is not our current target. Officer You has confessed that there are three groups of people targeting you and the Military Factory, and they don't know each other. Don't be too flashy, kid!"

"This damn thing is endless!" He Yuzhu cursed, "If they really push me too far, I'll go and crush the bald one's head!"

"Stop acting tough!" Tian Dan said, then left.

Chen Xueru looked at He Yuzhu and said, "Let's go, let's go eat at He Ji Restaurant!"

Cai Quanwu waved his hand: "You go ahead, I have to start working."

The Small Tavern was sealed, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Cai Quanwu pedaled his tricycle around two street corners and saw a pregnant woman waving on the side of the road.

He stopped the vehicle and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Peking Union Medical College Hospital, how much?"

"Two thousand."

The pregnant woman frowned: "One thousand five."

"No such price!" Cai Quanwu scratched his head.

"Just one thousand five!" the pregnant woman repeated.

Cai Quanwu nodded: "Fine, one thousand five it is, get on."

He helped the pregnant woman sit securely and pedaled toward the hospital.

After eating a simple meal, He Yuzhu drove home.

The night grew darker, and the streetlights cast dim, yellow halos on the bluestone road.

Not long after driving out, he saw three men surrounding a young woman.

The woman screamed in terror: "Help!"

A Daobalian cursed: "Stinking bitch, scream again and I'll kill you!"

He Yuzhu slammed on the brakes, leaned out, and shouted: "You lot, let that girl go, and I'll let you go!"

The reason He Yuzhu didn't get out of the car was that he didn't want to invite more trouble.

The three thugs were oblivious; they flashed their Daggers and cursed: "Mind your own business! Get lost! Or we'll kill you!"

He Yuzhu immediately pulled out his Mauser C96 and pointed it directly at the three: "Who's killing who?"

As soon as the three saw the gun, they immediately knelt and begged for mercy.

"Get lost!" He Yuzhu shouted angrily.

The three thugs scrambled away.

The frightened girl walked timidly to the front of the car and said in a trembling voice: "Thank you."

"It was no trouble at all. Is your home far? Do you need a ride?"

The girl's eyes lit up: "I live in Dian'anmen, if it's on your way..."

"Get in, I live over there too."

He Yuzhu pushed open the passenger door and let the girl in.

By the light inside the car, He Yuzhu took a look and saw that the young woman was truly quite beautiful, with a slender figure, an oval face, and features as delicate as a painting; at a glance, she was a Jiangnan beauty.

"You're not a local, are you?"

"I'm from Hangzhou, my name is Zhang Shuying, and I'm a music teacher at the 27th Middle School." After getting into the car, the young woman introduced herself, "May I ask what to call you?"

"He Yuzhu."

Zhang Shuying said in surprise: "You wouldn't happen to be that hero who shot down the United States plane, would you?"

He Yuzhu nodded slightly.

"I never expected that a blessing in disguise would allow me to meet a hero like you; I am so happy."

"It's so late, why are you walking outside alone?" He Yuzhu asked.

"My colleagues and I had a gathering, and it got late after we left." Zhang Shuying smoothed the corner of her clothes, her voice gradually calming down.

"How well does Teacher Zhang play the piano?" He Yuzhu changed the subject.

"Reasonably proficient."

"Would you be willing to teach a child? I have a seven-year-old younger sister who runs around like crazy all day, and I want her to learn the piano. If Teacher Zhang is willing, you could give her some guidance."

"I have no problem with that, it's just that I can only spare two afternoons a week," Zhang Shuying said.

"I don't expect my sister to become a musician, I just want her to have some artistic influence; how do you calculate the tuition?"

"Just pay whatever you think is appropriate."

"Then I will pay according to your salary standard."

"That's too much, half is enough."

"Deal."

He Yuzhu dropped Zhang Shuying off at her home, and just as he entered his own courtyard gate, he saw Secretary Liu waiting in the room.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," He Yuzhu apologized hurriedly.

Secretary Liu smiled: "It's no trouble, I just tasted the auntie's cooking, I haven't been waiting long."

He Yuzhu ushered Secretary Liu into the study: "Is there an urgent matter?"

Secretary Liu nodded with a grave expression: "After we occupied Hancheng in January, the United Nations Forces launched a counterattack. Our troops shifted to defense, and the fighting has been exceptionally fierce. The enemy relies on their air superiority, causing great difficulties for our supply lines. We are now in urgent need of supporting equipment for Anti-aircraft Guns; even if it's not the most advanced, it must be produced as quickly as possible."

"Give me three months, and I can build eight sets of equipment."

Secretary Liu shook his head: "Forty days; if you can get me eight sets of equipment, I will record a great merit for you."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said firmly: "Secretary Liu, I will do my best, but various problems may arise during the manufacturing of the Computer, so I really cannot fully guarantee it."

"I believe you will definitely complete the mission on time!" Secretary Liu patted his shoulder firmly.

"Looks like I'll be pulling all-nighters now," He Yuzhu said with a wry smile as he rubbed his temples.

As he saw Secretary Liu to the door, he suddenly turned back and said: "The chili sauce you gave me last time, do you have any more?"

He Yuzhu immediately brought over two boxes containing twenty-four jars of chili sauce: "This is all for now; another day I will leave some at the Military Factory with Liu Xiaohua, and you can go pick them up whenever you like."

Secretary Liu nodded: "My family loves this flavor."