Chapter 404: He Yuzhu is Pressured to Marry

Lin Wanning's shoulders slumped all at once; she knew that Siqiang reaching a dead end was only a matter of time.

"Lin Wanning, as long as you can help me catch those people of your Siqiang, even if the rules here are strict, I have a way to get you out. If you keep resisting, neither you nor your Siqiang will have a good outcome!"

Lin Wanning suddenly spoke up: "Many things... I haven't thought through yet. Give me some time. Today, what I promised you, I will say." She paused, "Give me a cigarette."

He Yuzhu tapped one out from his cigarette case, handed it over, and struck a match to help her light it.

Lin Wanning took it and inhaled deeply, but was choked into a coughing fit. Once she recovered, she said: "A few days ago, my Siqiang found a Han tomb over in Shijingshan and brought people to dig it up. The things they got out were sold off at the 'Hutong Yi' antique shop."

After listening, He Yuzhu nodded: "I'll come see you again in two days. Want to eat anything?"

"Roast duck," Lin Wanning said in a low voice without looking at him, "and add a few desserts."

"Sure, I'll definitely bring them next time." After saying this, He Yuzhu turned and left the interrogation room.

He Yuzhu knocked open Tian Dan's office door and sat down opposite her.

"Did you find out anything?" Tian Dan asked while brewing tea.

"A while back, they earned a sum of money from grave robbing. The items were sold to the 'Hutong Yi' antique shop; it's the branch over in Liulichang. The tomb is at Laoshan in Shijingshan," He Yuzhu said.

Tian Dan's gaze sharpened, and she said: "I need to hurry and set up surveillance around the antique shop!"

He Yuzhu joked: "Whatever you do, don't send someone like Zhou Hao!"

"I won't. I've already sent him home to reflect!" Tian Dan said.

"I have a feeling Hu Yongan will still be in contact with the antique shop. They won't sell everything they have in one go!" He Yuzhu said.

"I will set up surveillance at the tomb site, don't you worry!" Tian Dan said with a firm tone.

"Then I'll head back first. Call me if anything comes up." He Yuzhu stood up to take his leave.

"You go ahead and get busy. If there's anything, I'll call you!" Tian Dan said.

When He Yuzhu returned to the Siheyuan, the sky was already turning dark.

Third Master Yan Bugui came out of his house with one arm in a sling and said: "Zhuzi, I heard your second uncle is getting married? Is it lively?"

"Quite lively. Your arm... school is starting soon, can you still teach?"

"I'll manage," Yan Bugui lifted his right arm, "the injury is on the left, I can still write on the blackboard." Seeing He Yuzhu was about to leave, he lowered his voice and said: "Jia Zhangshi is back."

He Yuzhu paused his steps and asked: "Did Jia Dongxu go pick her up?"

"It was Jia Zhangshi's younger brother who sent her back. When he left, he even took quite a few things with him, and he seemed rather dissatisfied!" Yan Bugui said with a bit of schadenfreude.

He Yuzhu thought to himself that there would be more drama to watch in the courtyard. He didn't continue listening to Yan Bugui's chatter and went straight to the Zhongyuan.

"Pop-pop-crack" the sound of firecrackers rang out.

He Yushui was holding up a string of firecrackers, setting them off.

Xiaomi, Dahua, and Xiaoqi covered their ears, watching excitedly.

Once the string of firecrackers finished, several smaller children ran over, scrambling for the scattered small firecrackers that hadn't gone off.

"Brother!" He Yushui saw him, ran over holding an incense stick, and said happily: "Xiaomaisui just came by and said her younger brother has passed the danger period!"

"You're celebrating this?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Yes!"

"Then let's double the joy, give me a string of firecrackers too," He Yuzhu said.

Xiaoqi ran into the house and brought out another string of firecrackers to hand to He Yuzhu.

The sound of firecrackers "pop-pop-crackled" once again.

Jia Zhangshi leaned behind the window, watching and cursing: "Little bastards, what are you showing off for? Having a few stinking pennies makes you something special?"

Zhao Yingzi said: "Mother, it's the New Year, they're just hanging firecrackers, did that provoke you too?"

Jia Zhangshi muttered a few words, but ultimately didn't make a sound.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the house, he saw He Daqing still snoring on the kang.

"Mother, Dad is sleeping soundly; the firecrackers didn't even wake him up!"

"He's tired, and he's happy too! He's sleeping soundly!" Shen Guizhi was making a quilt, the cover a bright red satin with mandarin ducks playing in the water.

"Zhuzi, take a look at this quilt. Do you think I stuffed it too thick? It might be stifling to sleep under."

He Yuzhu laughed: "Mother, you really have endless worries. If my uncle finds it uncomfortable, can't he just go buy a thinner one himself?"

"I saw your aunt-in-law; she's pampered and spoiled, doesn't even know how to use a needle and thread. How will the two of them live their lives from now on..."

"Mother, you, at most you're just the sister. Don't worry about your own son's affairs, worrying blindly about your thirty-something-year-old brother's..." He realized he had misspoken and quickly stopped.

"You little ingrate, I'd like to worry, but my daughter-in-law has run off to the ends of the earth, how do you expect me to worry? Every time I think about this, I feel blocked up inside... What kind of situation is this? You're a good-for-nothing too, can't even keep a wife..."

"Mother, how did you turn into Jia Zhangshi too? Starting to be unreasonable. Liu Rusi left, what does that have to do with me?"

Shen Guizhi wiped away a tear and said: "After she gives birth, can she send the child back to me? I want to help raise it." Shen Guizhi kept shedding tears as she spoke.

"Mother, if I could control her, I wouldn't have let her leave! In my opinion, she won't be back for thirty years!" He Yuzhu said.

"Won't be back for thirty years? If she doesn't come back, are you going to stay a bachelor forever?" Shen Guizhi stopped crying and stared fixedly at He Yuzhu.

"What else can I do?" He Yuzhu spread his hands.

"No way, I'm going to find Matchmaker Wang tomorrow. You must find someone who can stay by your side!" Shen Guizhi immediately folded up the wedding quilt.

"What are you talking about?" He Daqing woke up groggily.

"His father, I'm going to scout for a wife for our son, what do you think?" Shen Guizhi asked.

"I think Cadre Tian is pretty good, she's good-looking and a good person too!" He Daqing said.

"Dad, what kind of eyes do you have? She's ten years older than me!"

"Is that so? I didn't notice!" He Daqing said, shaking his head.

"Mother, can we stop talking about my affairs for now?" He Yuzhu said.

"Once I finish handling your uncle's affairs, I'll get to yours!" Shen Guizhi pushed the folded quilt to the inner side of the kang.

Suddenly, in the East Wing, Zhao Yingzi and Jia Zhangshi began arguing again.

"Don't even think about making me quit my job!" Zhao Yingzi said loudly.

"If you keep working and something happens to the baby in your belly, what will you do?" Jia Zhangshi said.

"I can't worry about all that!" Zhao Yingzi said crossly.

Jia Zhangshi started wailing again, "Lao Jia, hurry up and come up to see this..."

Shen Guizhi sighed and said, "Jia Zhangshi really has a talent for trouble; she's only been back for half a day and the whole courtyard is already in an uproar. Tell me, Jia Dongxu and Yingzi were living a prosperous life, why does she have to come and stir things up?"

"What else could it be for? Money, of course!" He Yuzhu said.

"If it's about money, why wouldn't Jia Zhangshi want Yingzi to keep working?" Shen Guizhi shook her head.

"Who knows?" He Yuzhu said.

As if suddenly remembering something, Shen Guizhi looked up at He Yuzhu, "I've been thinking, I need to find time to go back to my hometown in the south this year to have a look. Do you have time to go with me?"

"Even if I didn't have time, I'd make it! But it'll have to be after April; now won't work. What about my dad? Is he coming with us?"

He Daqing shook his head and said, "I can't get time off."

Before the words had even faded, the lightbulb overhead suddenly went out.

The entire room was plunged into darkness.

"Oh! Why is the power out again?" Shen Guizhi exclaimed.

Almost at the same time, the courtyard erupted in chaos. The sounds of footsteps, doors opening, and voices clamoring all at once blended together.

"Why did the power go out at a time like this?"

"Did a fuse blow?"

In the darkness, various guesses and commotions drifted in through the doors and windows.

Not long after, the telephone in the room suddenly rang, "Ring-a-ling!"

He Yuzhu fumbled in the dark and grabbed the receiver: "Hello, who is this?"

Tian Dan's voice came from the other end of the line, having completely lost her usual composure: "He Yuzhu! Get over here quickly—the Thermal Power Plant has exploded! It's very likely... related to that group of people!"