Chapter 47: He Yuzhu Tests the Hearts of Men

Zhao Datou had originally resigned himself to death, but when he pulled the trigger and saw the Type 11 Light Machine Gun spewing scorching tongues of fire, with bullets mowing down the Japanese soldiers like a sickle through wheat, a scalding hot current surged into his heart.

"Alive... as long as I'm alive, I can kill more Japanese soldiers!" This thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.

So the Japanese were not invincible—tonight, he had single-handedly gunned down dozens of enemies!

Thinking of this, he nimbly fired off the last magazine of ammunition, shouldered the hot machine gun, and turned to run deep into the factory area.

At this moment, the Japanese encirclement had not yet formed, and Zhao Datou relied on his agility to weave rapidly through the intricate steel mill facilities.

Blast furnaces, steel frames, and material yards cast looming black shadows in the night, providing him with excellent cover.

He sprinted all the way to a perimeter wall and was about to climb over when he caught a glimpse of two figures nimbly lifting a manhole cover and quickly slipping inside.

Hope was right before his eyes! Unexpectedly, at this very moment, four or five Japanese soldiers suddenly rushed out from around a corner, charging toward him while firing and roaring.

Bullets "whooshed" as they struck the brick wall beside Zhao Datou, splashing up a spray of debris.

Zhao Datou did not hesitate; he quickly mounted the machine gun, "clicked" a new magazine into place, and unleashed a wild spray of fire at the incoming men.

The machine gun vibrated violently in his hands, spitting out tongues of vengeful fire, and those few Japanese soldiers fell to the ground in response.

He immediately lifted the manhole cover and leaped into the pitch-black sewer.

Just as the manhole cover closed, over ten Japanese soldiers rushed to the scene.

"Baka! They escaped through the sewer!" a Japanese soldier roared in frustration after checking the spot.

Meanwhile, He Yuzhu had already returned safely to the shop.

As soon as He Daqing saw the two sides of pork on Chen Qingshan's shoulders, his face beamed with joy: "You guys are really something! That burst of gunfire earlier gave us quite a scare."

"I know the roads well; I dodged the patrols with a few turns," He Yuzhu said with no small amount of pride.

"Since we're all too awake to sleep, we might as well divide the meat and freeze it. It should be enough to last until the New Year!" He Daqing picked up a knife and began skillfully butchering the pork; with each stroke of the blade, the meat was neatly sliced apart.

The next morning, He Yuzhu deliberately changed into his most ragged clothes, intending to put on a good show at the Siheyuan to test the hearts of the people in the courtyard and to seek justice.

He first went to Yan Bugui's house, having dripped some eye drops into his eyes beforehand. As soon as he entered, he said with a sobbing tone: "Grandpa Yan, please save my mother! She was wounded by the Japanese and is dying in the hospital; could you lend me some money?"

Yan Bugui's eyes shifted, and he gave his wife a look, sighing: "Zhuzi, it's not that Grandpa won't help, it's just that I really don't have the means! Your Auntie doesn't have a job, and the two kids at home are still going hungry; I really can't scrape any money together!"

"I heard that your family used to be small business owners? Didn't you save any money? I'll definitely pay you back, and I can even pay interest," He Yuzhu feigned a pitiful appearance.

"Don't even mention it, it makes me angry just thinking about it!" Yan Bugui shook his head. "My grocery store used to be in Wangfujing. The year before last, when the Japanese wanted to open a trading firm, they forcibly requisitioned it and only gave me fifty Big Ocean! If you're talking about hating the little Japanese, I don't hate them any less than you do!"

He Yuzhu nodded.

At this moment, Yang Ruihua picked up three steamed buns from the stove and handed them over, saying: "Zhuzi, take these. We won't eat at noon; it's all for you."

"Teacher Yan," He Yuzhu juggled the three steamed buns as if performing a magic trick, "I heard people say that when the Japanese came to search, you sold my family out. These three buns aren't enough to settle that matter!"

"Absolutely not! Who is wagging their tongue?" Yan Bugui hurriedly defended himself. "The Japanese only asked a few questions; everything I said was what you told me. If I hadn't said anything, the little Japanese would have stabbed me for sure. I guarantee that those words were never meant to harm you!"

Yang Ruihua pointed toward the Zhongyuan and said: "Jia Zhangshi said your family eats meat often! That's what you call having ill intentions!"

He Yuzhu smiled: "As long as I know what's what, that's enough. Don't go sucking up to the little Japanese when they're about to be finished!"

"Understood, understood!" Yan Bugui replied repeatedly.

When he arrived at the Wang family's, he had just finished explaining the situation when Grandma Wang took two Big Ocean out from her bosom and shoved them over: "Take these, hurry to the hospital, don't delay the treatment."

The Jia family, however, was a different story.

After hearing He Yuzhu's story, Jia Zhangshi's face crinkled like a chrysanthemum: "Zhuzi, I could lend you twenty Big Ocean."

"Really?" He Yuzhu feigned surprise. "Then I must thank you!"

"But I have one condition," Jia Zhangshi said with a grin.

"What condition? As long as it's not a matter of principle, I'll agree to it. I'm really short on money!"

"Trade it for the two main rooms of your house," Jia Zhangshi said, wearing a savior-like smile.

"You really have some nerve!" He Yuzhu's face darkened immediately. "That house is worth at least one hundred and fifty; do you think I'm stupid? Are you trying to trick a child?"

"The little Japanese are hunting you everywhere; if you don't sell the house, it'll be confiscated sooner or later anyway!" Jia Zhangshi said with malicious intent.

"Keep dreaming. If the little Japanese dare to confiscate it, I'll burn it to the ground. And who knows, if the wind is strong, I might burn your house down too!" He Yuzhu retorted.

"You little brat, you dare to threaten me? Let me tell you! You've committed a crime, and the 20 Big Ocean I offered you was already too much. If you don't want it, get lost quickly, don't implicate my family!"

"Old woman, when the Japanese came, you were the only one in the whole courtyard who gave them information, saying my family always ate meat. At that time, had you already made up your mind to scheme for my house?" He Yuzhu retorted bluntly.

Jia Zhangshi, having had her true intentions exposed, immediately tore off her mask and began to curse loudly: "You little bastard! Who told you that? Was it Yang Ruihua? Let me tell you! The one who talked the most was Yan Laoxi!"

"You're all birds of a feather, not a single one of you is any good!" He Yuzhu sneered.

Jia Zhangshi became anxious and shrieked: "You little bastard, you uncultured thing! Your father was a scoundrel, he deserved to die! I don't think anyone in your family is long for this world..." She became more agitated as she cursed, picking up a broken bowl and hurling it at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu nimbly ducked to avoid it.

The broken bowl "clattered" against the door, shattering into pieces.

He took the opportunity to pull out his camera and "clicked," capturing Jia Zhangshi's ferocious face.

"You dead old hag, you've got it backward; it's Lao Jia and Little Jia who won't live long!" He laughed and ran out.

From inside the room, the sound of Jia Zhangshi's wailing and cursing immediately erupted.

At Yi Zhonghai's house, Auntie Yi had already been alarmed by the commotion and came out to meet him.

She held three Big Ocean in her hand and said gently: "Zhuzi, don't say any more, I heard it all. Your uncle isn't home today, but this is all I have on me; take it first to save a life."

He Yuzhu ran to the Houyuan, knocking on door after door, but only the old woman of the Li Family opened hers. After hearing his story, she tremblingly took out one Big Ocean.

He Yuzhu knew her family wasn't well-off; her son and daughter-in-law had both passed away, leaving only a four or five-year-old granddaughter, and the elderly couple relied on odd jobs to make ends meet.

Holding that one Big Ocean, a warm current surged in his heart—it seemed that no matter the time, there were always kind people.

The other houses remained tightly shut, and no matter how he knocked, they wouldn't open.

But He Yuzhu knew there were people inside; they were hiding behind the curtains, peering at his "helpless" figure. Perhaps some felt sympathy, but more likely, they were gloating over his misfortune.

Finally, he arrived at the Xu Family. After knocking, he saw only Xu Damao at home. He Yuzhu turned to leave but was called back.

"Borrowing money, are you?" Xu Damao said with a cheeky grin. "Kowtow to me, and I'll lend you one Big Ocean."

He Yuzhu shoved Xu Damao into the room and closed the door behind him. Xu Damao trembled in fear: "He Yuzhu, are you trying to rob me? That's a crime punishable by a bullet!"

He Yuzhu sat down carelessly behind the Eight Immortals table, poured himself a cup of water, and downed it in one gulp. "Damao! Today I have to educate you: leave a line for others in everything you do, so you can meet again in the future. Do you really think I don't have money to treat my mother's illness?"

"Isn't that nonsense! Just look at your pathetic, penniless appearance!"

He Yuzhu reached directly into his bosom and pulled out that Zeiss Camera, then with a "Click!", he took a photo of Xu Damao.

"Fuck! Is that a Camera you're holding?" Xu Damao widened his eyes in disbelief.

"If I sell this, it's worth two hundred Big Ocean!" He Yuzhu said nonchalantly.

"You actually have a Camera? It must be stolen! I knew it! Why else would the little devils come to the courtyard specifically to catch you? It must be that you stole something important from the little devils!" Xu Damao appeared very excited.

"If you have the ability, go ahead and report me!"

"You think I don't dare?"

"You really don't dare, not even your father dares. The little devils are finished soon; if you report me, aren't you afraid your family will be liquidated after the devils leave? Right now, even the Imperial Collaboration Army is looking for an exit route!"

"Fuck! He Yuzhu, you're pretty badass! You even dare to say things like that!"

"What do you think I listen to when I go to the teahouse every day? I'm listening to current events! The Russians will soon reach the Northeast, and the little devils can jump around for ten months at most. Tell me, is it stupid to cozy up to the devils at a time like this?"

Xu Damao suddenly felt that he was ill-informed. He said with a cheeky grin, "Did you really hear that from the teahouse? Come to think of it, you seem smarter than before."

"Go sit in the teahouse more often when you have nothing to do; there are plenty of experts there," He Yuzhu said.

"Then I'll go join in the fun another day!" Xu Damao said foolishly.

"Your father will definitely beat you!"

Xu Damao nodded, disappointment showing in his eyes. He rolled his eyes and asked, "If you aren't short on money, why did you borrow money?"

"That's a good question!" He Yuzhu gave a thumbs up. "I still have to live in this courtyard for many years, and I want to test people's hearts when things are at their worst at home. Life is like a monkey climbing a tree; when you look down, you see smiling faces, and when you look up, you see nothing but asses!"

"Fuck, you kid actually have some depth!" Xu Damao exclaimed.

"I didn't come to your house today to borrow money, either. It's because I saw a mass of black energy shrouding your house. I recently acknowledged a Siqiang who knows how to observe yin and yang and understands the Eight Trigrams. I've learned a bit of the basics and can see that your house is facing a calamity. If no one gives your father advice, he probably won't live past this month!"

"Fuck your uncle, stop trying to mystify things with me!" Xu Damao's face changed faster than flipping a book, as expected.

"If you don't believe me, go ask your father? Ask him if the death of Lou Bancheng's nephew and his car accident have any connection?"

Xu Damao suddenly felt his mind in chaos and decided to go to the hospital immediately to get to the bottom of it.