Chapter 50: The Uncle Who Fell from the Sky

As soon as Lao Zhou saw He Yuzhu, he immediately waved enthusiastically: "Zhuzi, are you here to eat, or..."

"This shop is opened by my family!" He Yuzhu said straightforwardly.

He knew clearly in his heart that Lao Zhou must know the relationship between Shen Wenqing and Shen Guizhi, which meant he also knew the basic situation of the He Family; asking was just making conversation for the sake of it.

"Isn't your father a chef? Why did he open a shop himself?" Lao Zhou asked intentionally.

He Yuzhu took off his cotton hat, patted it, sighed, and said: "Wasn't Dongxing Lou burned down by someone? My father lost his job, and my Siqiang had nowhere to go, so everyone put their heads together and pooled money to open this little shop."

"What good food do you have here?" Shen Wenqing interrupted to ask.

"My father's Lu Cuisine is peerless; his specialties are Nine-Turn Intestines, Sautéed Fish Slices in Sauce, Scallion-Braised Sea Cucumber, Sweet and Sour Carp... It's a pity that everything is in short supply now, so today I can only treat you all to Twice Cooked Pork."

"You rattled off those dish names quite smoothly; do you often listen to crosstalk?" Shen Wenqing asked with a smile.

He Yuzhu understood as soon as he heard this—this cheap uncle had already investigated him thoroughly.

Lao Zhou joked from the side: "This kid is good at everything, except he doesn't like going to school. He goes to school every day just to check in, then slips out to listen to storytelling."

"The teacher's lectures are boring; listening to storytelling is more interesting," He Yuzhu pouted.

Lao Zhou and Shen Wenqing looked at each other and smiled.

At this moment, Shen Guizhi came out from the inner room holding He Yushui, and He Yuzhu specifically introduced Lao Zhou and Shen Wenqing to her.

Lao Zhou also took the opportunity to formally introduce Shen Wenqing to He Yuzhu and his mother.

This back-and-forth was a complete act; they were clearly old acquaintances, yet they were still putting on a show of exchanging pleasantries.

"May I take a look at this child?" Shen Wenqing asked.

Shen Guizhi handed her over with a smile. Shen Wenqing carefully examined He Yushui's little face and praised her repeatedly: "This little girl is truly lovable!"

"Mr. Shen, this is a boy!" He Yuzhu teased him on purpose.

Shen Wenqing shook his head: "Can't I even tell a boy from a girl?"

He Yushui opened her dark, round eyes and blew bubbles at Shen Wenqing, completely melting this tough-guy uncle.

"Too cute!" Shen Wenqing held the child and rocked her gently.

Lao Zhou also took her to hold for a while and even stuffed a Big Ocean into her hand as a gift for their first meeting.

Several people took turns holding the child, forgetting even to eat. He Daqing watched from the kitchen, looking puzzled.

Happy times are always short; the three of them finished their meal quickly. "The taste here is really not bad; we'll come again next time," Lao Zhou laughed.

"You are welcome anytime!" He Yuzhu replied.

He Daqing muttered while clearing the bowls and chopsticks: "Little brat, you usually don't recognize your own kin, but you sure know how to curry favor with outsiders."

"Lao Zhou is the gatekeeper at the school and has treated me well. Without him making things convenient, I wouldn't even be able to get out of the school gate," He Yuzhu said, wiping the table without looking up.

"So you're currying favor with him just to go to Qianmen to listen to crosstalk? You should stop going to school early; you aren't learning anything anyway," He Daqing said, slamming the rag onto the table.

"Those lessons are too simple; they're boring," He Yuzhu said indifferently.

"Hah! You've got a big mouth; aren't you afraid of biting your tongue in a strong wind?" He Daqing glared at him.

At this time, in a ward at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Xu Fugui leaned against the head of the bed, looking at his son's nose, which was frozen red: "Your mother said you insisted on seeing me; what is the matter?"

Xu Damao leaned into his father's ear and whispered: "Dad, I saw He Yuzhu yesterday. This kid is acting all mysterious. He was originally here to borrow money, and I wanted to embarrass him, but he said our house was covered by a mass of black energy and said you... said you wouldn't live past a month." He shivered as he spoke, "He also said he had a way to break it."

"What? What exactly did he say?" Xu Fugui sat up straight abruptly, the quilt sliding off his shoulders.

"He said your car accident had something to do with the death of Lou Feng, and if it isn't broken, he fears for your life. He also said the little Japanese devils are finished, and told us not to cozy up to them."

Xu Fugui pondered for a long time: "If you see He Yuzhu again, ask him how to break it. I'll pay fifty Big Ocean."

"Dad, do you really believe that little brat's nonsense?"

"What do you know!" Xu Fugui scolded, then softened his tone, "What else did he say?"

"That's all," Xu Damao muttered, "But He Yuzhu really seems like a different person. He used to be a fool, but now he's quite calculating. Last time he said I hit him, but I didn't even touch the corner of his clothes; he fell down himself, and he still managed to fool everyone."

"Do you think he's possessed? Sometimes I get the creeps just looking at him!" Xu Damao added.

Xu Fugui sighed: "Unlikely. But from now on, provoke him less."

"Got it, Dad. You get some rest; I'm heading back." Xu Damao fastened his cotton coat buttons, put on his felt hat, and left in a hurry.

In an ordinary courtyard in the First Division, Lao Zhou opened the door and welcomed the travel-worn Xiao Duizhang, Deputy Captain Qian, and the others inside.

Without exchanging pleasantries, the group gathered together to study a map.

Xiao Duizhang's finger traced across the map: "To set an ambush in the city, the brothers must be equipped with Box Cannons, with at least 150 rounds of ammunition for each gun. At the moment, we have 30 men inside, but we can't bring the guns in."

"I can get ten here, but we are still short of at least twenty," Lao Zhou said, rubbing his hands.

"Does Lou Laoban not have a way?" Xiao Duizhang pressed.

Lao Zhou shook his head: "The factory is being watched closely by the little Japanese devils. Every Security Team has Japanese people watching them; we can't move. We can scrape together some bullets, but there's really no way for the guns."

Shen Wenqing suddenly spoke up: "How about we try our luck at the black market?"

Lao Zhou's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea, but it's too risky. If it weren't for that 'Ouyang Feng' last time, we would have almost been wiped out."

"If there's no other way, I'll take the brothers and go separately; it'll be easier to look after each other if something happens," Xiao Duizhang stood up and tightened his belt.

"No time to lose; let's go tonight," Lao Zhou grabbed the old cotton coat on the kang and put it on.

In the He Ji restaurant by Shichahai, He Yuzhu was lazily putting up the door panels. "Dad, let's close at seven from now on. In this freezing weather, staying open is just a waste of lamp oil."

"Little brat, you only know how to be lazy! If we stay open a little longer, maybe a big customer will come?" He Daqing said this, but his hands didn't stop working.

"In this day and age, where would big customers come from?" He Yuzhu latched the last door panel and turned to go inside, "Let's sleep, let's sleep; it's freezing to death."

He Yuzhu fell asleep shortly after lying down, but he got up quietly in the middle of the night.

"Zhuzi, where are you going?" Chen Qingshan's groggy voice came from the kang.

"To relieve myself," He Yuzhu replied vaguely, closing the door gently.

Stepping out of the courtyard, he nimbly climbed over the wall. The cold wind instantly filled his clothes, but he didn't notice it at all; instead, he ran toward the black market like a Mustang that had broken its reins.

The night market at this time was already bustling with shadows; people were wrapped up tightly, trading in low voices in the dim light.

He Yuzhu wasn't here to buy things this time, but to sell the goods he had previously obtained from the foreign firm.

He found a corner away from the light, skillfully applied a fake beard and eyebrows, and finally put on a Great Sage Equaling Heaven mask—even if the mask fell off, the fake beard and eyebrows would still provide cover.

He crouched in the corner and pulled a small cloth bundle from his bosom, revealing a bit of brown sugar inside.

Before long, a middle-aged man with a hatchet-shaped face leaned in to strike up a conversation: "Friend, what's the price for this 'sweet sand'?"