Chapter 75: He Daqing Wants to Join the Rolling Mill

Inside the room, a Western-style table lamp emitted a warm yellow glow, softly spilling over Liu Rusi and outlining the delicate contours of her profile.

Her fingers toyed lightly with the collar of her silk robe, as if she felt somewhat uneasy.

"Have you thought about what to do if Zheng De finds out about this and takes crazy revenge on you?"

Liu Rusi still wanted to eliminate Zheng De; to her, Zhao Datou was merely a minor character.

He Yuzhu did not grasp her meaning. "As long as you can keep my family safe, Sister, I am not afraid of Zheng De. However, he is an official; if he doesn't make a move on me directly, I cannot kill him."

"Understood, you have great abilities! Hurry home! I am not keeping you overnight here." Liu Rusi stood up and walked out, her figure appearing and disappearing beneath the silk fabric.

"Sister, I am more worried about you. They already know Chuntao is your person. They wouldn't dare act openly, but they will surely trip you up in the shadows. Those hoodlums are most skilled at such tricks."

"You can barely protect yourself, yet you are still fretting over me?" The corners of Liu Rusi's lips lifted slightly.

He Yuzhu nodded, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "Who else but me is your sycophant!"

"What kind of dog did you say?" Liu Rusi turned around and reached out to hit He Yuzhu's head, but unexpectedly exposed her firm breasts. Seeing she had exposed herself, she quickly pulled her hand back.

"I said, I cannot stop worrying about you!" He Yuzhu darted out of the room, satisfied.

"It certainly wasn't anything nice!" Liu Rusi laughed and scolded.

When he walked out of Liugongguan, the night was already deep.

He Yuzhu wrapped his cotton-padded coat tight and stepped through the accumulated snow toward home.

Just as he reached the entrance of the alley, he saw two military trucks, one to the north and one to the south, blocking both ends of the Nanluoguxiang alley, with armed soldiers patrolling inside.

A warmth spread through He Yuzhu's heart; he immediately understood this was Liu Rusi's arrangement.

After a brief interrogation by the soldiers, He Yuzhu was allowed to enter the alley.

He pushed open his front door; his mother, Shen Guizhi, was doing needlework, and his father, He Daqing, had already turned in for the night.

"The alley is under martial law; has something happened?" Shen Guizhi put down her work and asked, filled with worry.

He Yuzhu shook his head and smiled: "You've stumped me there; I'm not a soldier, how would I know such things?"

"Where did you go today?" his mother pressed.

"Miss Liu had something to discuss with me!" He Yuzhu replied while washing his face.

Shen Guizhi sighed: "Why does she always look for you? Is she not using you?"

"She did a favor for my master; even if she is using me, I must do my best." He Yuzhu wiped his face dry and sat down across from his mother.

"Your father wants to go work at the Rolling Mill; what do you think?" Shen Guizhi changed the subject.

"I think it's quite good. It's a secure job regardless of the weather. If he can become a Director of the Canteen, he can even manage people." He Yuzhu agreed.

Thinking of all the tossing and turning he had done since transmigrating, He Daqing was going to the Rolling Mill after all, and he couldn't help but chuckle. Could it be that his own fate could not escape the destiny of being a cook?

Seeing him giggle, Shen Guizhi thought he was laughing at He Daqing and looked troubled: "Your father wants to go, but he feels embarrassed to bring it up with your master, after all, the restaurant only just opened."

"You don't need to worry about that. There are two junior masters sitting in the restaurant; their skills are no worse than my father's." He Yuzhu comforted her, "Tell Father tomorrow that I have approved it on behalf of my master."

"I am relieved now that you've said that; I'll tell your father tomorrow."

"Mother, get some rest early; don't wait up for me in the future."

The next day at noon, as soon as He Yuzhu arrived at the restaurant, he called Li Xiangxiu over: "Your father is fine. He owed someone three hundred Big Ocean and was sent to the Mentougou Coal Mine to work. I went to see him yesterday; his spirits are still okay. But now is not the time to bring him back; grinding away at the mine for a while might help him quit gambling."

Xiangxiu wept with joy: "It must have cost a lot of money, right? I owe you too much!"

"Don't worry about the money; just work hard!" He Yuzhu said gently.

"Zhuzi, don't worry, I will definitely work hard."

He Yuzhu handed the photos he had taken of Lou Xiao'e early that morning to Li Xiangxiu: "Wait a while, their driver will come to pick them up, just give them directly to him."

Li Xiangxiu glanced at the photos, an expression of envy appearing in her eyes.

"One day you should wear new clothes too, and I'll take a few photos of you," He Yuzhu said.

Li Xiangxiu immediately became happy and said: "I think wearing the restaurant's uniform is quite nice."

"Click!"

He Yuzhu keenly captured the moment Li Xiangxiu was happy.

"I'll give you the photos in two days."

Li Xiangxiu hopped and skipped away into the distance.

Business was exceptionally brisk today.

Jin Hai brought his younger sister Jin Ying and Xu Tian to dine as well.

Dayingzi was exceptionally happy to see He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu had delivered takeout to her three times in a row, and today she was returning the favor, pestering Jin Hai to bring her to the restaurant to eat.

Jin Hai had no choice but to call Xu Tian along as well.

"This meal today is on me," He Yuzhu said generously.

"Are you looking down on me?" Jin Hai said with a forced smile.

"We can't have a free meal, otherwise we'd be freeloaders!" Dayingzi waved her hands repeatedly.

"Fine, then I'll give you all a forty percent discount. You can't refuse this," He Yuzhu said.

The three of them then nodded and agreed.

"Brother Tian, I want to cooperate with your transport business..." He Yuzhu explained the takeout delivery and advertising matters in detail to Xu Tian.

Xu Tian thought the idea was fresh but did not agree immediately. He hesitated and said: "My father handles the affairs of the transport business; I cannot make the decision. I have to ask him. But if you are willing to spend the money, he will likely be happy to."

Jin Hai tasted the dishes and praised them endlessly: "The food you delivered was indeed good, but eating it here at the shop is even better. We will come often from now on."

"You are most welcome. If it's inconvenient to go out, ordering takeout is also fine," He Yuzhu laughed.

As they were parting, Jin Ying tugged on He Yuzhu's sleeve and said: "Zhuzi, Sister has been feeling empty lately and wants to find someone to talk to. When you have time, will you accompany me to Qianmen to listen to storytelling?"

He Yuzhu nodded and agreed: "I usually go to Qianmen to listen to storytelling around two o'clock in the afternoon. How about this, let's meet at the entrance of Quanjude at two o'clock the day after tomorrow."

Jin Ying agreed happily.

After sending off Jin Hai and his party, He Yuzhu saw Pingping walking over in a hurry.

"Zheng De has gone mad over there; you must be careful these few days," Pingping lowered her voice. "They sent people to harass the young lady's residence, and a group of thugs stayed at the entrance refusing to leave. In the end, it was only after the young lady called in the military that they were dispersed."

"Please convey to the young lady that I have no words to express my great gratitude, and please ask her to take care of herself," He Yuzhu said solemnly.

After nightfall, He Yuzhu settled his family and, after a slight disguise, went to find Ma Qian.

When Ma Qian saw him, it was as if he had seen the God of Wealth, and he immediately beamed with joy.

Because of the incident with Zhao Datou, Zheng De handed the casino over to Xiao Erduo to manage, and the place was still relatively stable.

He Yuzhu took out three hundred Big Ocean, and Ma Qian's eyes lit up, as he hurriedly invited Tie Guaili, who was the most skilled at cheating, to play against him.

Relying on the detection function of his space, no matter how hard Tie Guaili tried, it was all to no avail.

He consistently controlled the amount of money he won and would take a break from time to time, never becoming immersed in the gambling. This left Tie Guaili, who was skilled at cheating, with no way to handle him.

Taking the opportunity to go to the restroom, he came to the Houyuan and quickly detected the location of the vault. He quietly approached the vault, moved his mind slightly, and took all the money in the vault into his space.

When he was about to leave, Ma Qian hurriedly grabbed him and said obsequiously, "The sky has just turned dark, which is the best time for gambling. May I treat you to a simple meal, and then we can play a few more rounds afterward?"

He Yuzhu smiled without smiling: "Brother Ma Qian is so enthusiastic, is there some benefit for you?"

Ma Qian chuckled: "To tell you the truth, when you come to play, I can take a cut of the hard-earned money."

"How much can you get?"

"Less than one Big Ocean."

"Then let's make a deal," He Yuzhu lowered his voice. "I don't like this casino. You take me to another place, and I will give you five Big Ocean."

Ma Qian immediately beamed: "You should have said so earlier!"

He Yuzhu laughed: "Brother Ma Qian, one cannot stay in one place for too long. That Tie Guaili has too many tricks; if it weren't for my good luck, I would have lost everything. We must change places."

Ma Qian blushed; he naturally knew that Tie Guaili was a plant arranged by the casino.

That night, Ma Qian led He Yuzhu to visit four casinos in a row.

On the surface, He Yuzhu won four hundred Big Ocean, but in reality, he had looted the vaults of every house.

Ma Qian received a fifty Big Ocean tip and almost knelt down to kowtow in thanks.

The next afternoon, He Yuzhu arrived at Qianmen as promised, and from afar, he saw Dayingzi looking around anxiously. He stepped forward quickly and handed her the prepared candied Gourd and sugar-roasted chestnuts.

Dayingzi's face immediately blossomed into a smile.

The two walked into the Sihai Teahouse together, chose a quiet corner to sit down, and ordered a pot of jasmine tea.

Amidst the curling tea fragrance, the old gentleman was telling the segment about Feilai Peak from the Legend of Ji Gong, and Dayingzi was listening intently. He Yuzhu tried to talk to her, but she didn't have time to pay attention.

It wasn't until that segment was finished that Dayingzi breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What were you saying to me just now!"

"I was just asking if there is a young man named Shiqi under your brother's command?"

"Yes, that kid is actually quite good," Dayingzi said.

Afterwards, He Yuzhu asked about many other things, and Dayingzi did not hide anything, answering them one by one.

I have to say, chatting with Dayingzi, he got a lot of information about Jin Hai from her.

He should invite her out more often in the future; he could get a lot of useful intelligence.

Unknowingly, the snow outside the window had become denser.

After He Yuzhu sent Dayingzi home, he walked back alone.

When he reached Qianmen Street, he saw several thugs surrounding a Silk Store, threatening the shopkeeper with vicious words.

He walked closer and saw that the person being surrounded was actually Boss Chen, while Chen Xueru was protecting her father and scolding those thugs.