Chapter 72: First Encounter with Lou Bancheng

Entering the study, Liu Rusi lit a cigarette. Amidst the swirling smoke, she looked at He Yuzhu: "Speak, what business do you have with me?"

"Sister, I originally wanted to kill Zheng De, but after thinking about it at home, I felt it was inappropriate. If a commoner like me kills a 'reception' official, wouldn't the Party and State kill my whole family?"

Liu Rusi felt a trace of disappointment in her heart, because she had already prepared to use He Yuzhu as a pawn to get rid of Zheng De without taking the blame herself. On second thought, He Yuzhu was a valuable pawn; pushing him out this early was a bit of a waste.

"Tell me your plan!" Liu Rusi said indifferently.

He Yuzhu leaned forward, "I went to scout it out early this morning. Zheng De is colluding with someone called Zheng Datou, and they currently have many casinos. I want to get the money out of his casinos."

Liu Rusi was stunned for a moment, then raised her eyebrows: "Are you sure?"

"I have a way. But I want to investigate someone!"

"Who do you want to investigate!"

"That anti-Japanese hero, Zhao Datou."

Liu Rusi walked to the bookcase, opened the safe, took out a report, and threw it to He Yuzhu, saying: "Can you read all the characters? Do you need me to read it for you?"

He Yuzhu shook his head and said: "Sister, you look down on me!"

Liu Rusi smiled faintly, patted He Yuzhu's head, and said: My younger brother is a genius; he didn't finish primary school, yet he can sing English songs. Remarkable.

He Yuzhu giggled. He picked up the report, flipped to the first page, and was greatly shocked, "Sister, is this resume real?"

"What's wrong?"

"I know this person. He used to be a killer. I've seen him kill people, and his methods were very high-level. I didn't expect Zhao Datou to be him; that makes things easier." He Yuzhu's nervous expression relaxed quite a bit.

"What do you want to do?" Liu Rusi's expression was a bit tense.

"He has an old lover in Yanzhi Hutong. He often goes there. It won't be hard for me to kill him. Killing him is equivalent to cutting off Zheng De's two arms."

"Let me give you a reminder: the current Zhao Datou is different from before. He has many people following him," Liu Rusi said.

"Sister, can you do me a favor?"

"Don't be fake and polite!" Liu Rusi said.

"Can you have those people continue to look after my home, my Siqiang's home, and the restaurant? I'm afraid that if Zhao Datou dies, Zheng De will be desperate and use the military to retaliate against my family."

"No problem. I'll send a platoon to each place. As long as there's money, those soldiers will be more than happy to do it!" Liu Rusi agreed immediately.

"Sister, I'll give you half of the money I get."

"Good, then I'll wait at home to count the money!" Liu Rusi joked.

After leaving Liugongguan, He Yuzhu went to the grocery store at Dian'anmen.

Just as he arrived at the shop entrance, he saw Lao Zhou squatting under the old locust tree outside the threshold, smoking a dry pipe, his brow furrowed enough to crush a fly, his face full of gloom.

Shen Wenqing was holding a broom, silently sweeping the fallen leaves at the shop entrance.

He Yuzhu deliberately raised his voice: "Boss, do you have firecrackers for sale?"

Lao Zhou turned his head, and seeing it was him, immediately laughed and scolded: "You little brat, you scared me! What do you want to buy firecrackers for?"

"This year is a year of victory! It's almost New Year's, and there will definitely be many people setting off firecrackers. If you stock up on some, you're guaranteed to make a fortune!"

Lao Zhou's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "That's right! Why didn't I think of that! Xiao Shen, did you hear that? Go stock up on some firecrackers tomorrow!"

Shen Wenqing stopped what he was doing and nodded with a smile: "Alright, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

After entering the grocery store, Lao Zhou grabbed He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, I know now. I heard you blew up a set of telecommunications reconnaissance vehicles and killed over 10 people from the Military Statistics Bureau. You've really avenged our comrades this time. I must celebrate your achievement."

"No need, just keep my contribution in your heart. However, blowing up another vehicle will be a bit more difficult; they already know my routine."

"No rush! No rush!" Lao Zhou said: "You came today for something else, right?"

He Yuzhu nodded, his voice lowering: "There's someone named Zheng De who is making things difficult for me and even wants to kill me to silence me. In case I kill him one day, you should be aware of it. Don't get implicated."

"Zheng De?" Lao Zhou's brows instantly knitted into a knot, "I've heard of this person; his reputation is rotten to the core! He colludes with the underworld and has swallowed up the businesses of many innocent families. How did you get involved with him?"

"It's a long story." He Yuzhu shook his head, "You two don't worry about it, I can solve it myself."

Lao Zhou sighed heavily: "Alright, I'm aware of it now. You be careful yourself too."

At this moment, Shen Wenqing brought over a cup of hot water, handed it to He Yuzhu, and suddenly asked: "Zhuzi, you mentioned last time that you met a rich young lady. What does she do?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Uncle, are you looking for a wife for yourself?"

"You have no respect!" Shen Wenqing blushed and laughed, swatting him.

"She is a proper socialite in Beijing, and her family has very strong connections. When my Siqiang had trouble before, it was she who helped get him out. Do you have something you need her help with?"

Shen Wenqing hesitated for a moment before whispering: "Help me inquire about someone. Is there a Doctor named Liu Xiaohua in Beijing?"

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat; the uncle had indeed received the mission to recruit Liu Xiaohua.

He remained calm on the surface, pretending to be ignorant: "Liu Xiaohua? Never heard of him. I'll ask for you. What do you want with him?"

"We want him too," Shen Wenqing said simply.

He Yuzhu calculated in his heart, and replied: "Alright, recently, the Beijing Drama Club wants to recruit me. If I join, I'll know many people, and maybe I'll run into him."

Coming out of the grocery store, He Yuzhu wrapped his cotton-padded jacket tightly around himself, but his heart was churning violently—the uncle wanted to recruit Liu Xiaohua, and Liu Rusi's side was also eyeing Liu Xiaohua. He absolutely could not go and persuade him to join the Communist Party. If Liu Xiaohua chose Nanjing, his whole family could be implicated. This matter had to be handled with extreme caution.

He Yuzhu returned home and found that He Daqing had cooked several dishes and was already eating.

Shen Guizhi said: "Waited for you for a long time, thought you weren't coming back. Have you eaten?"

"Actually, I haven't. What day is it today? My dad made four dishes."

He Daqing downed a cup of wine and said excitedly: "Got paid, what else could it be? Your Siqiang was quite generous and gave 60 Big Ocean."

"Not bad!"

The next day, business at He Ji Restaurant finally showed signs of improvement, and there were quite a few guests sitting in the main hall.

He Yuzhu carried a tray, weaving between the tables, his footsteps light.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a group of people entering the door—the leader was a middle-aged man whose brows were always furrowed, looking a bit serious, and beside him followed a woman wearing a qipao with a graceful temperament.

Isn't this Lou Zhenhua? He looks quite like the one on television.

Following behind them was a couple, both looking to be in their forties.

Behind them followed two little girls.

Leading them was a little girl of seven or eight, her chubby little face very cute; this should be Lou Xiaoe, and she was holding the hand of a girl around fourteen who looked very beautiful, like a porcelain doll.

Seeing the girl behind, He Yuzhu hurriedly lowered his head; it was truly a small world, how did he run into her again? She was the girl lying on the bed receiving an IV drip when He Yuzhu robbed the Japan pharmacy.

He kept his head down and stepped forward quickly to greet them: "Everyone, would you prefer the main hall or a private room?"

"A private room," Lou Zhenhua said in a steady voice.

He Yuzhu led the six of them into a private room, instructed the waiter A Long to take their order, and then slipped away to the back kitchen.

A Long came in with the menu, and He Daqing took one look and immediately clicked his tongue: "How many people are ordering this much food?"

"Six people, it seems like Lou Bancheng is celebrating his daughter's birthday," He Yuzhu whispered in his ear, "Dad, cook it well, this is a big client, we can't afford any slip-ups."

"Got it," He Daqing nodded, then suddenly looked at him, "Boiled Fish is your specialty, why don't you make it yourself?"

"No, I only make it for Miss Liu," He Yuzhu shook his head.

He Daqing laughed and scolded: "You little brat, have you taken a liking to her?"

"Dad, don't let your imagination run wild," He Yuzhu curled his lip, "We're just a family of cooks, how could we dare to climb the social ladder to a socialite? I just want to repay her for saving Siqiang."

"I didn't say she would look at you, I was just asking if you had taken a liking to her," He Daqing teased.