Chapter 390: Small Tavern, Big World

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu's heart softened, and he said, "Xueru, it's not that I don't understand what you mean... it's that Liu Rusi and I..."

"Don't say any more, I don't want to hear it." Chen Xueru suddenly raised her hands to cover her ears, tears falling like beads from a broken string.

He Yuzhu reached out to pat her shoulder gently and said, "Xueru, you are a good woman. I'm the one who isn't good enough for you. Find a good man to marry; don't waste your youth on me!"

Chen Xueru, however, suddenly lifted her teary eyes and asked, "Tell me, can Liu Rusi still come back to live with you?"

She was currently doing down jacket business with Zhao Ying, so she knew a thing or two about Liu Rusi.

"Within thirty years... it's unlikely she'll be able to return." He Yuzhu sighed.

"In other words, you're going to wait thirty years for her? By the time she comes back, she'll be an old woman. Are you really going to wait like a fool?" Chen Xueru bit her lower lip, her voice trembling slightly.

"I'll be seeing her, too!" He Yuzhu took out a cigarette and toyed with it in his hand.

Neither of them spoke for a while; they could only hear the faint sounds of bicycle bells and hawking from the street outside the window.

Chen Xueru bit her lip, but her mental abacus was clicking away—what rich man didn't have a wife and concubines? Even if they were monogamous on the surface, were there really few who visited "secret brothels" in private? This He Yuzhu had talent, connections, and could design clothes. Xu Huizhen wasn't any better looking than her, yet didn't she marry the old and ugly Cai Quanwu? Why couldn't I, Chen Xueru, be with him? Since Liu Rusi wasn't coming back, didn't that mean for these thirty years, He Yuzhu would essentially...

She suddenly raised her head, smoothed her hair, and her tone turned calm: "Zhuzi, even without a title, I am willing to spend these thirty years with you!"

He Yuzhu was a bit moved upon hearing this; Chen Xueru had both looks and money, and yet she could still say such things.

He lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "Liu Rusi once told me something I didn't understand. She said that in Si Jiu Cheng, if I want to take a wife, I can only marry Tian Dan."

Chen Xueru laughed after hearing this. "What she meant was that she allows you to find a woman, but it must be a good one! How long have we known each other? Ever since you robbed that Japanese pharmacy! Am I not good? If you stay a bachelor for thirty years, can you get past your mother? What will others say about you behind your back?"

He Yuzhu exhaled a long cloud of smoke and didn't answer.

Chen Xueru looked him straight in the eye, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth: "Forget it, I won't force you. If you ask me, all these things you say are just excuses. You're just worried about my background and afraid I'll implicate you, right?"

"There's no point in saying that." He Yuzhu stubbed out his cigarette. "I don't want to be an official, so what can they do to me? Even if the worst comes to the worst, with my skills, if I'm pushed into a corner, I'll just take my whole family to Hong Kong and come back after the Reform and Opening-up..."

"What is Reform and Opening-up?" Chen Xueru stared at He Yuzhu with a strange look in her eyes.

"It means the world will open its doors to us again!" He Yuzhu said.

Chen Xueru said huffily, "Since you aren't afraid, then don't reject me! I'm even willing to be your concubine; if you keep being so wishy-washy, I'll look down on you!" Chen Xueru looked at He Yuzhu with burning intensity.

Only then did He Yuzhu realize how formidable this Chen Xueru was; she was truly a businesswoman, knowing when to be soft and when to be hard.

Just then, the door was knocked on with a "thump-thump," and He Yushui shouted from outside: "Brother, we've picked out the clothes, come pay!"

He Yuzhu felt as if he had been granted a reprieve and smiled: "About this... let's discuss it at length later, alright?"

"No." Chen Xueru suddenly turned and grabbed him in a hug.

"Brother! We're starving, we want to go eat!" He Yushui was still being relentless outside the door.

Only then did Chen Xueru let go and tidy her hair.

He Yuzhu opened the door to find his younger sister He Yushui and Ding Li standing outside.

Ding Li had sharp eyes; her face turned red, and she whispered, "Brother Zhuzi, there is... a lipstick mark on your lip."

He Yuzhu hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face vigorously.

He Yushui pointed to the mountain of clothes piled up in the room: "We only bought these today. The one we bought for Mom was the most expensive, over 2 million, and the cotton jackets we bought were over 200,000 each. That's all!"

He Yuzhu called the attendant over: "Check out."

The attendant smiled and said, "The Boss gave instructions; you don't need to pay this time."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "No, I cannot accept a reward for no merit."

Chen Xueru walked over and asked softly, "Do you really want to be so clear-cut with me?"

He Yuzhu pulled her aside and lowered his voice: "I'm afraid my sisters will laugh at me for being a kept man. Besides, I... made a little money recently."

Chen Xueru nodded then. "Then you must come often, otherwise... if I meet a 'female spy,' I'll call Tian Dan..."

He Yuzhu was stunned, then immediately said, "I had a phone installed at home, the number is 5-6783. Call this number if there's an emergency."

"I knew you weren't short on money." Chen Xueru curled the corners of her mouth.

"Brother, I'm starving! What are we eating for lunch?" He Yushui squeezed over to ask.

He Yuzhu looked at Chen Xueru: "Let's go to the Small Tavern together and meet your future second aunt by the way."

"Alright," Chen Xueru's mood clearly improved, "Let's buy some deli meat on the way; she doesn't have hot dishes there!"

The three of them left the shop, He Yuzhu carrying big and small bags, his heart still in a chaotic mess.

At the Qianmen Small Tavern, a customer with a gray beard approached the counter and said to Xu Huizhen inside with a smile: "Boss, please, pour four taels of Erguotou, and slice a plate of garlic sausage, a plate of braised pork knuckle, and a plate of braised beef."

Seeing that it was a big spender, Xu Huizhen's face immediately broke into a smile: "Coming right up! You go sit at the table by the honeycomb coal stove, the wine and food will be ready in a moment."

The gray-bearded man wasn't in a hurry to leave, however, and inquired: "Boss, there's a vacant shop next to you; can you find the landlord?"

As soon as Xu Huizhen heard this, she immediately perked up: "You've asked the right person! That shop used to be for clothes, but the 'Xueru Clothing Store' nearby is doing such booming business that they poached all the local tailors at high prices. And so, the shop closed down. Why, do you want to rent it?"

"What a coincidence," the gray-bearded man stroked his beard, "I have a friend who specializes in Western-style suits and studied in Germany; he has his eye on this place. Can you act as a go-between?"

Xu Huizhen deftly placed the side dishes on a tray while saying, "I can, but the price isn't cheap—six million a year. I'll give you a heads-up: that Xueru Clothing Store is not easy to deal with. They have everything from cheap clothes to the most expensive ones. The cheap ones are practically free, but the expensive ones can cost as much as half a year's rent here! Isn't that scary?"

The gray-bearded man chuckled: "They certainly know how to do business. However, my friend isn't a pushover either."

"Deal!" Xu Huizhen said readily. "If you're set on it, just sign the contract with me. The landlord went back to his hometown for the New Year, and the contract and property deed are with me."

"That's great! Once I've had my fill, I'll find you to handle this." The gray-bearded man then walked contentedly toward the seat by the stove.