Chapter 44: The He Family is Being Watched

He Daqing chewed the beef in large mouthfuls, smacking his lips with dissatisfaction as he chewed: "These beef strips are too lean, a bit stringy, and they get stuck in my teeth! The heat on the roasted meat was also overdone; it's a chore to chew."

Shen Guizhi rolled her eyes at him and casually shoved little Yushui into his arms: "You're the one with all the talk! Watch your daughter; I'm going to eat a meal in peace."

He Daqing took his daughter and gently rocked little Yushui with his broad, thick hands.

Little Yushui was amused into giggling, her round eyes squinting into two little crescent moons.

Seeing this, Chen Daya hurriedly put down her chopsticks: "Auntie, I've eaten just about enough. Let me hold Yushui!"

He Yuzhu hurriedly stopped her: "Sister Daya, my dad doesn't mind these things; he's just used to being picky! It's perfect to let him watch Yushui." As he spoke, the corner of his eye remained locked on the few suspicious-looking diners at the neighboring table.

At this moment, Shopkeeper Li walked over with a large platter of shredded radish salad and said with a smile: "This platter is on the house for you all. It's not worth much, but it's a small token of my appreciation. Eat well and drink well!"

He Yuzhu thanked him quickly and took the opportunity to strike up a conversation: "Shopkeeper Li, business is really booming today!"

"You can say that again," Li Xinhua lowered his voice and leaned in closer, "Martial law has been declared over at Qianmen. Many people who originally came for roast duck have changed their route to eat roasted meat instead; you could call it a blessing in disguise!"

"Shopkeeper Li, you're well-informed. What exactly happened over at Qianmen?" He Yuzhu feigned ignorance.

Shopkeeper Li lowered his voice mysteriously: "I heard that sixty-five heads of puppet soldiers were displayed on the main street at Dashilan. It's truly terrifying! The whole street is sealed off now."

He Yuzhu widened his eyes and followed up: "I heard someone posted a notice. Do you know what it said?"

Li Xinhua nodded and whispered: "I heard it was left by Huang Daxian. I reckon this matter isn't credible!"

"I heard someone in the teahouse say: he went to the latrine in the middle of the night and saw yellow weasels scurrying all over the street. It's very eerie!" He Yuzhu said, shaking his head.

"With you saying that, I won't dare to get up at night anymore." Li Xinhua shrank his neck, "Still, it's better to be careful."

The family was full of food and wine, walking home while chatting and laughing.

He Yuzhu, however, quietly slipped behind a woodpile by the road, holding his breath to carefully observe if anyone was following them.

Sure enough, not long after, the man with the thick, bushy beard followed them out, trailing far behind the family.

He Yuzhu followed behind silently like a nimble cat.

Seeing the He Daqing family enter their courtyard gate, the man did not stop but turned and hurried away.

He Yuzhu did not give up and continued to pursue him closely.

The man passed through two alleys and met up with three men who were smoking by the side of the road.

The few of them spoke in low voices for a moment, then walked toward the main street together.

He Yuzhu followed them from a distance until they arrived in front of an exquisite small Western-style building.

The "Lou Residence" on the doorplate gave him a start—could this be the home of Lou Bancheng?

As soon as the four men reached the entrance, the red-lacquered gate was opened from the inside, welcoming them in before quickly closing again.

He Yuzhu stopped in his tracks, his heart filled with doubts: Why would the Lou Family be following his parents?

He circled the area and set his sights on an unoccupied old house nearby, climbed onto the roof in a few swift movements, and lay prone on the tiles to quietly monitor the movements of the Lou Residence.

Not long after he lay down, the gate opened again, and two of the men from before walked out, including the bearded man.

He Yuzhu followed them again, only to see the two of them winding through the streets until they reached the vicinity of the elementary school he attended, where they knocked on an inconspicuous wooden door.

The door opened a crack, and a familiar face poked out to look around—it was Lao Zhou!

As the two men slipped inside, He Yuzhu couldn't help but gasp: these two were actually people from "Eighth Master's" side! Fortunately, he hadn't acted rashly just now, or he would have ruined a major matter.

But why did the bearded man want to follow He Daqing? He couldn't figure it out at all.

Since he couldn't make sense of it, he simply stopped racking his brain. He Yuzhu turned and headed home; as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Chen Qingshan working intently on some carpentry.

"Siqiang, your craftsmanship is truly excellent. These tables and stools are built sturdier than the ones you buy," He Yuzhu praised.

Chen Qingshan patted his chest proudly: "More than that, I'm also a dab hand at blacksmithing!"

"You're truly amazing!" He Yuzhu gave a thumbs up.

Chen Daya was cleaning inside the house; after being busy for these past few days, the whole house had been tidied up until it was spotless.

The stove He Daqing had built was also finished, though it wasn't dry yet; he was using fire to bake the stove, and it was filled with thick smoke.

He Yuzhu walked in and was choked badly; he asked loudly: "Dad, do you think we can sell some stir-fried dishes in our shop besides steamed buns?"

"What are you thinking? At most, we can boil some porridge or make some tofu pudding," He Daqing said while wiping his sweat, "In this day and age, even buying white flour is restricted; we have to use mixed flour just to make buns. If you want to make meat dishes, where are you going to get the meat?"

"Check the black market! Can a living person really be stifled by a bit of urine?" He Yuzhu said.

"You don't know, at our Dongxing Lou, Boss Ma had to beg the Japanese to help with procurement. In the end, the bribes we paid were more than what we earned. Even if we wanted to do that, we don't have the connections," He Daqing frowned.

"Tonight, why don't Siqiang and I go check out the black market? We might be able to get some good things."

He Daqing shook his head at first, then hesitated and nodded: "Then I'll go with you."

"I'm worried about Mom and little Yushui at home. You and Sister Daya watch the house; Siqiang and I can handle it."

He Daqing had no choice but to agree.

Under the cover of darkness, around midnight, He Yuzhu and Chen Qingshan disguised themselves. He Yuzhu wore a Sun Wukong mask, while Chen Qingshan wore a Zhu Bajie mask.

The two slipped out of the small courtyard silently and headed straight for the black market.

The black market was hidden in a cluster of abandoned dwellings and was unexpectedly bustling.

It seems that no era can stop private transactions among the people.

The vendors lit kerosene lamps or candles, and under the dim light, all kinds of goods were on display: antiques, calligraphy and paintings, Western medicine, firearms, grain, cloth... everything one could imagine.

People spoke in low voices, silver and coins clinked, forming a small world of its own in this chaotic time.

He Yuzhu wandered for a long time before stopping in front of a stall selling watches.

Having transmigrated for so many days, he still had no sense of time; he had to get a watch.

His gaze was drawn to an Omega CK2129 watch; in his previous life, this watch was already quite expensive when he saw it.

"Boss, what's the price for this watch?" he asked in a low voice.

The stall owner sized up the young man wearing the Sun Wukong mask: "Two hundred Big Ocean, not a cent less."

He Yuzhu feigned hesitation, shook his head, and turned to leave: "Too expensive, I can't afford it."

"Wait!" The stall owner hurriedly pulled him back, "Brother, I'm in urgent need of money. I'll give you a discount, one hundred and sixty Big Ocean, no less than that!"

He Yuzhu stopped his footsteps, leaned into the other person's ear, and whispered: "I will give you one hundred and sixty Big Ocean, but I also want that pocket watch, how about it?"

The stall owner gritted his teeth: "It's not easy to run into someone who knows their stuff these days, alright! Deal!"

The transaction complete, He Yuzhu happily put the nearly brand-new wristwatch on his wrist, while fiddling with the pocket watch in his hand.

At this moment, Chen Qingshan found him, and seeing the pocket watch in his hand, couldn't help but ask: "How many Big Ocean did it cost?"

"The asking price was five, I bargained it down to three," He Yuzhu lied without changing his expression.

Chen Qingshan shook his head: "Not worth it."

"This pocket watch is a token of my filial piety to you; I've called you Siqiang for so many days, and I haven't even given you a master-disciple initiation gift, it's just not right!" He Yuzhu said.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qingshan gladly accepted the pocket watch.

The two strolled to the edge of the black market and saw a pork stall. On a table lay two sides of pork; upon asking, they found it weighed over two hundred jin.

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up and he said: "Siqiang, if we buy all the meat, can we carry it back if we each shoulder half?"

"No need for you, I'll carry it myself; walking ten miles is nothing," Chen Qingshan said, patting his chest confidently.

"Then we'll take it all." He Yuzhu had just finished buying the meat when he caught a glimpse of two familiar figures walking toward them.