Chapter 505: Greed

He Yuzhu took Tian Dan, Man Yatou, and the driver Sun Shifu to a Yue cuisine restaurant called Beiyuan Restaurant.

As soon as they walked through the door, a wave of heat mixed with the sweet fragrance of roasted meats rushed toward them.

The tables and chairs in the shop were polished until they shone, and several paintings of Lingnan scenery hung on the walls.

He Yuzhu ordered roast duck, white-cut chicken, and honey-glazed barbecue pork, and added several steamer baskets of shrimp dumplings, barbecue pork buns, and other snacks.

"Zhuzi, you're spending too much!" Tian Dan said politely.

"What's this? Today I'm welcoming you and Man Yatou!" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

After the meal, He Yuzhu arranged a temporary place for the driver Sun Shifu to rest, while he took Tian Dan and Man Yatou back to his dormitory.

As soon as he pushed the door open, Tian Dan's footsteps halted.

She looked around the room, her eyes gradually widening, "Zhuzi, aren't you being too extravagant? Aren't you afraid of people saying you're engaging in special treatment!"

He Yuzhu laughed, "You're overthinking it. This isn't just my home; it's also a studio. My students have classes here too!" He Yuzhu said, not caring at all.

"You kid always has an excuse!" Tian Dan said helplessly.

Man Yatou didn't think much of it; she had already sat on the sofa, her whole body sinking into it. Her eyes were sparkling, and she looked up at He Yuzhu, asking with a grin, "Brother Zhuzi, what is this called?"

"This is called a sofa; you can also call it a soft chair."

He Yuzhu picked up a kettle to fetch water, placed it on the gas stove, and asked, "Dan, would you like tea or coffee?"

Tian Dan didn't answer; she walked over to the gas stove, stared at the United States Army logo on the stove for a long time, and asked in a low voice, "The matter on Ryukyu Island... was that your doing?"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "The black market here has everything. You don't know, the American soldiers dare to sell anything—guns, bullets, cars, they even dare to sell tanks, let alone these household items."

The water boiled quickly. He brewed three cups of coffee, handed one to Tian Dan, and placed another on the low table in front of Man Yatou.

Man Yatou picked it up curiously, mimicked Tian Dan by blowing on it, and took a big gulp. The bitter liquid rolled over her tongue, and her entire little face instantly scrunched up, revealing a pained expression.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu hurriedly took a few sugar cubes from the sugar jar and put them into her cup.

Man Yatou held the spoon and stirred slowly, watching the sugar cubes melt, then tried another small sip. Only then did her brow relax, and she nodded, "This tastes much better now."

Tian Dan took a sip of coffee and said, "I haven't had coffee in several years. My stomach hasn't been great from drinking tea lately. When I leave, get me some of this coffee too."

"No problem!" He Yuzhu readily agreed.

He saw the bruise on Man Yatou's forehead that hadn't faded yet and asked, "Yatou, your head... what happened? Tell me the truth."

Man Yatou's originally sparkling eyes dimmed a little. She bit her lower lip and said, "After the old woman found out my eldest sister went to work in town, she kept sending my second uncle and third uncle over to cause trouble. Whenever they saw something in my house, they would take it. When I wouldn't let them, they would push me... so I fought with them."

"Didn't the Town Mayor do anything?" He Yuzhu's brow furrowed.

When he left, he had entrusted Man Yatou's family to the Town Mayor, and the man had patted his chest and guaranteed he would look after them, but it turned out to be just empty talk. It seemed he wouldn't go there to collect mountain goods anymore; He Yuzhu was indeed a bit angry.

Man Yatou shook her head, her voice dropping, "I went to find him once. He sent someone to that old woman's house to give them a talking-to... but after that, it was the same as before."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, and in the end, he just sighed softly.

He understood in his heart that he and that Town Mayor were only acquaintances by chance, and expecting the man to take everything to heart was indeed unrealistic.

He made up his mind immediately and asked, "Man Yatou, if... I move your whole family out of the town to live near the factory, and I find your sisters jobs at the factory, would you be willing to come out?"

Man Yatou didn't answer immediately. She thought for a long while before looking up and asking, "Brother Zhuzi, will it be a lot of trouble for you?"

"Not a problem, that Bureau Chief Liu will help me handle it!" He Yuzhu said easily.

"Then I'm willing!" Man Yatou said firmly.

At this moment, Tian Dan suddenly put down her cup and asked, "Man Yatou, sister wants to ask you something. In your town, during this period... have there been any unfamiliar faces coming around to ask about He Yuzhu, or asking about the transport team?"

Man Yatou first shook her head, then seemed to recall something and said, "I'm not sure if anyone was specifically asking... but a few days ago, over a dozen bandits came to town, robbed several shops, and even beat up Accountant Feng..."

After hearing this, Tian Dan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she praised, "Your little brain is truly extraordinary!"

He Yuzhu wore a look of pride and said, "Man Yatou is amazing, right?"

Tian Dan immediately stated, "I'll go to Reshui Town with you in a bit."

"Perfect," He Yuzhu stood up, "I'll go too, and take the opportunity to bring Man Yatou's family out."

Meanwhile, Si Jiu Cheng, Qianmen Small Courtyard.

In the room, even though it was broad daylight, the curtains were drawn.

Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiefang, and Xu Damao sat around a paint-chipped kang table, which was piled with gold bars, paper money, jade ornaments, and some gold and silver items.

Just last night, Yan Jiefang had snuck into the home of an old man who lived alone.

The old gentleman was dead drunk and sleeping soundly.

Yan Jiefang rummaged through the room and finally discovered a hidden compartment behind an old New Year painting.

He opened it and almost cried out—inside were ten Small Yellow Fish neatly stacked, five thick bundles of paper money, several pieces of high-quality jade, as well as gold bracelets, gold necklaces, and more.

At that moment, Yan Jiefang's heart almost jumped out of his chest. He suppressed his excitement and took the items out.

The two found a dilapidated house and began their first round of splitting the loot.

The two tacitly pocketed two Small Yellow Fish each, took a bundle of money each, and then hid the remaining items as they were.

Today, they finally brought the remaining "harvest" to Xu Damao's place.

Xu Damao sat on the edge of the kang, chewing on a half-smoked cigarette, squinting his eyes as he stared fixedly at the two of them.

The room was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.

After a long while, Xu Damao darkened his face and cursed, "You two little brats, the first time we work together, you learn to hide private goods. Isn't that a bit too unprincipled?"

These words pierced them like needles. Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiefang's hearts shrank violently, and sweat instantly broke out on their backs.

Yan Jiefang rushed to defend himself, "D-Damao, heaven and earth as my witness, we only found this much! That old man looked fancy, but maybe he had already squandered it all..."

Liu Guangtian also chimed in, even swearing to the heavens.

Xu Damao sneered and stubbed out his cigarette on the edge of the kang: "Alright. The person who tipped you off knew the old man's financial status. As for me, I know it's your first time seeing real gold and silver, so it's only human nature to be greedy. How about this, I'll give you one last chance. Tell the truth, and we can still work together in the future; if you keep hiding things like this, this will be the last time!"

Yan Jiefang's lips moved, his eyes darting around, still wanting to hold out.

Liu Guangtian gritted his teeth and spoke up first: "Damao, it's that we two were spineless and blinded by greed. We... we each took two extra bars, but we really didn't touch anything else!"

Xu Damao stared at Liu Guangtian for a few seconds, then a smile appeared on his face: "The family style of the Yan family is still better than the Yan family. I happen to have another deal here, do you want to keep working?"

Upon hearing this, greed immediately flared in Liu Guangtian's eyes: "Do it! Of course I'll do it!"

Xu Damao lowered his voice and said: "In 1948, there was a Bureau Chief at the Nancheng police station whose surname I've forgotten. It's said he was the backer for Xiao Erduo's gang and had money to burn. The day the People's Liberation Army entered the city in '49, this old fox caught wind of it and slipped away, but his favorite Seventh Concubine didn't manage to leave. She still lives in a large mansion now... I heard that the money Bureau Chief Wang gave her is enough to fill an entire cellar!"

His gaze swept across both their faces: "How about it? Do you dare take this job?"

Liu Guangtian took a deep breath, a flash of ruthlessness and greed in his eyes, and nodded heavily: "I dare!"