Chapter 784: Return

Xu Damao flicked his cigarette butt and rolled his eyes: "I just heard that He Yuzhu is back. How about we go find him directly?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Bayi set down his teacup: "Good idea. Regardless of anything else, he's the one who helped us all make money. We should all thank him in person."

Wang Pangzi chimed in: "Hu, you really should thank him. Shirley Yang bought two million dollars worth of stocks; she made a fortune this time! I even prepared a gold watch for him."

"Let's go, what are we waiting for?" Xu Damao stood up. "Let's go find He Yuzhu and have him cook us a meal. That guy's cooking is insanely good!"

The group didn't dawdle; they squeezed into Xu Damao's Santana and headed straight for the 95 Siheyuan.

At this moment, the He Family in the Siheyuan was bustling with activity.

Shen Guizhi held Lin Wanning's hands tightly, as if she were seeing an old friend she hadn't met in years, not at all like meeting a younger generation.

He Daqing sat in the grand armchair, holding a teapot, occasionally interjecting.

Shen Guizhi's gratitude toward Lin Wanning came from the bottom of her heart. If it hadn't been for her back then, she would have lost her life long ago.

She patted the back of Lin Wanning's hand and sighed: "Wan Ning, why didn't you come back right when the Reform and Opening-up started?"

Lin Wanning lowered her eyes and sighed softly: "Things have reached this point, so I won't hide it from you anymore. Actually, my identity has always been problematic—I was originally a secret agent for the other side. And when I left here, I did it by faking my own death. I was always worried about causing trouble for Zhuzi. It wasn't until now, when Zhuzi asked the people above, that I dared to come back."

Shen Guizhi nodded, finally understanding the reason behind Lin Wanning's sudden departure.

She sighed and said: "Why didn't my grandson come back with you this time?"

Lin Wanning gave a bitter smile: "That kid has been stubborn since he was little. He always blamed Zhuzi for not visiting him often, and he's had a knot in his heart. It's only been in the last year or two that it's slowly started to untie. Let's wait another year or two. Or, why don't you and Dad go stay in Hong Kong for a while? Once you meet, everything will be fine."

Shen Guizhi waved her hand: "My health isn't that great anymore. The road is too long, and I wouldn't be able to handle the change in climate over there."

He Yuzhu happened to walk in carrying tea and replied: "Mom, one of these days I'll buy a plane, and we'll just fly over in our own plane."

Shen Guizhi glared at him and laughed, scolding: "You just keep bragging every single day."

Lin Wanning smiled to smooth things over: "Mom, he made a fortune on his trip to Japan this time."

Shen Guizhi quickly lowered her voice: "Don't talk about that in this Siheyuan. It's easy for people to start coveting it; that's not good."

Lin Wanning didn't take it seriously: "It's not that bad, is it?"

He Daqing set down his teapot and said irritably: "Hmph, the people in this courtyard are all the type who hate to see others have things and laugh at those who don't. That old thing Yan Bugui gets more unreliable the older he gets. Zhuzi said that as long as they tear down the makeshift shacks in the front, he'd pay to renovate them into two-story houses, but he refuses to tear them down. He's just deliberately trying to make things difficult for everyone."

Lin Wanning smiled and didn't continue the topic.

Just as they were talking, Yi Zhonghai walked in leaning on a cane.

As soon as he entered, the old man's eyes crinkled into slits with joy: "Yo! I knew it was Dr. Lin who had returned! I saw your back and recognized you immediately. You haven't changed a bit, still so young. You are the great benefactor of my Yi family! Without you, there would be no Yi Xiaotian, and without Xiaotian, there would be no great-grandson of mine! Lin, I'm treating tonight, let's go eat at Kaorouji!"

Lin Wanning hurriedly declined: "First Elder, please don't be so formal. I was just fulfilling my duty as a doctor."

Yi Zhonghai waved a hand: "Hmph, regardless of that, you have to let us show our appreciation."

"Looking at you, you don't seem like someone who needs a cane," Lin Wanning said.

"Dr. Lin is truly a divine physician. You saw at a glance that I don't have any major illness. I just sprained my foot walking at night the day before yesterday!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard: "He Yuzhu! He Yuzhu! Hu Bayi is here to see you!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu hurried outside.

In the courtyard, Hu Bayi, Wang Pangzi, Dajinya, and Xu Damao were filing in one after another.

He Yuzhu quickly stepped forward to shake their hands, smiling: "When did you all get back?"

Hu Bayi held his hand and shook it vigorously: "We've been back for a few days. We've been wanting to find you, but you were never home. As soon as we heard you were back, we came right over."

"Come on, let's go inside and sit!" He Yuzhu led them into the newly tidied living room in the East Cross Courtyard.

Seeing so many people in the courtyard, and with He Zheng, Bang Geng, and Yi Xiaotian all there too, He Yuzhu said readily: "How about we all go out to a restaurant together? It's dinner time anyway."

Xu Damao leaned in with a grin: "Zhuzi, why don't you show us your skills? I haven't tasted your cooking in nearly ten years."

He Yuzhu scolded him irritably: "There are over a dozen people here; are you trying to exhaust me?"

He Daqing took over: "Zhuzi, eating at home is also quite good. There are plenty of ingredients in the house; I'll go buy some vegetables right now."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "No need, I've already prepared everything over there. However, you'll have to give me a hand."

After saying this, he turned and went to the East Cross Courtyard, taking out various ingredients from the cellar—in reality, he had taken them from his space.

Before long, several authentic Sichuan Cuisine dishes were served on the table: Twice Cooked Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, and Boiled Fish, all complete with color, aroma, and taste.

Although He Daqing was getting on in years, he was still full of energy and also prepared a few of his signature Lu Cuisine dishes.

Xu Damao also brought out a few bottles of Moutai from his car, holding up a bottle and laughing: "We have to have a good drink today!"

Wang Pangzi sighed with emotion: "It's been so long since it's been this lively..."

Just then, He Jia walked in with a man of similar age.

Seeing so many people at home, her cheeks flushed slightly, but she still pulled her boyfriend over to He Yuzhu: "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Duan Hongtao. He is currently working as an actor at my aunt's company."

He Yuzhu reached out and gave Duan Hongtao a brief handshake: "I've seen a few of the movies you've acted in; your acting is decent. However, those films are too artistic; the box office probably wasn't very ideal, right? I suggest you learn more from Hong Kong and Taiwan in the future and shoot films with stronger entertainment value."

He Jia acted spoiled: "Dad, that's what I think too. You've written so many songs for Aunt Shuying, can't you help me too?"

He Yuzhu readily agreed: "No problem."

He Jia added: "Dad, I didn't lose the five million you gave me, but I didn't make any money either."

He Yuzhu laughed: "You're doing much better than your brother. Just tell me if you need money."

He Jia held He Yuzhu's hand, her eyes sparkling: "Dad, there's a director at our company who really wants to shoot a tomb-raiding themed film, just like *Eastern Tomb Thief*. A lot of people love watching that now. Do you have any story ideas like that?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said: "I do. Let me tell you a story."

He briefly retold the story of the later-generation tomb-raiding novel *Ghost Blows Out the Light*, and He Jia and Duan Hongtao listened with wide, fixed eyes.

He Jia was incredibly excited: "This is so interesting! You should write this story down!"