Chapter 79: The Scourge Lasts a Thousand Years

"I am not a man to begin with! I am still a child!" He Yuzhu replied, stiffening his neck. After he finished this sentence, he himself felt so disgusted he nearly vomited.

Seeing that the provocation was ineffective, Chen Xueru immediately lowered her voice and threatened, "If you don't help me, I will spill the beans about you robbing the Japanese pharmacy! I'll let everyone in this Siheyuan, young and old, know that you, He Yuzhu, are not a good person at all! You're a robber!"

"Go ahead and say it, see who believes you!" He Yuzhu curled his lip triumphantly. "With my build, saying I could rob a pharmacy? The neighbors will surely think you've gone mad!"

Seeing that the hard approach wouldn't work, Chen Xueru's eyes immediately turned red, and her voice took on a sobbing tone: "He Yuzhu... even Boss Lou has no way... you are the only capable person I know... if you don't care, my family's shop will really be gone, how are we supposed to live..." The more she spoke, the sadder she became, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.

He Yuzhu could not stand seeing a pretty young girl cry. His heart softened, and he hurriedly said, "It's not that I can't help... but I'm curious, I was disguised like that, how did you recognize me?"

Chen Xueru muttered while wiping her tears: "I recognize these eyes of yours! They're shifty! Even if you painted your face like charcoal, as long as you don't cover your eyes, I could catch you in an instant!"

He Yuzhu nodded helplessly: "Fine... saving your father won't be easy. The opponent is Zheng De, a guy who eats people without spitting out the bones; it will take a large sum of money to grease the wheels. Do you have money?"

Just as they were talking, Yan Bugui walked out from his room with his hands tucked in his sleeves, squinting as he sized them up: "Zhuzi, why is this girl crying like this? Did you bully her?"

He Yuzhu hurriedly waved his hands: "Teacher Yan, don't talk nonsense! Her family ran into trouble, and she came to me for help! If you don't believe me, ask her?"

He Yuzhu hadn't paid any attention to Yan Bugui for many days, and Yan Bugui seized the opportunity to put on his teacher's airs, saying to Chen Xueru: "Girl, don't be afraid! If you've been wronged, tell me, and I will uphold justice for you!"

Chen Xueru nodded while sobbing: "He Yuzhu isn't lying, I came to beg him for help."

Yan Bugui peered at them suspiciously for a long time before sheepishly returning to his room.

The two entered the He Family home and saw Lou Xiaoe teaching He Yushui to play knucklebones on the kang. Every time it was He Yushui's turn, she basically couldn't pick them up and would only giggle.

He Yuzhu waved at Lou Xiaoe: "Let's go, the sun is about to set, there's still light, let's go take pictures!"

Lou Xiaoe immediately perked up and jumped off the kang: "Going to take pictures! Going to take pictures!"

He Yuzhu carried the Camera and took the two girls into the courtyard to choose a spot.

Before long, the children in the courtyard who were watching the excitement gathered in a circle, and Xu Damao also tagged along behind, joining in the fun.

He Yuzhu simply took a group photo of this bunch of little rascals.

After taking the photo, he spread his hands: "The film is used up, let's stop here for today."

When the sky turned dark, He Yuzhu asked his mother to look after Lou Xiaoe, and he led Chen Xueru out of the courtyard gate.

As if clutching at the last straw, Chen Xueru took a small cloth bag out of her handbag, peeled back a corner, and revealed a golden glow: "Ten Small Yellow Fish! This is all I have... is it enough?"

He Yuzhu looked at her teary-eyed appearance and finally relented: "I can only try. But I'll point you in a direction—take out a twenty percent stake and gift it to someone with status and influence to back you; from now on, no one will dare to easily touch your family's shop."

Chen Xueru's eyes lit up, and she nodded immediately: "Okay! I agree!" He Yuzhu couldn't help but sigh that this young girl was quite decisive for her age; she was truly good material for doing business.

The Military Statistics Bureau patrol team flashed their flashlights, the beams sweeping back and forth in the alley outside Liu Xiaohua's courtyard.

Woodpiles were lit at both ends of the hutong, the firelight flickering, stretching the shadows of the patrol team long and thin, casting them onto the mottled walls, now bright, now dim.

He Yuzhu had been lying behind the roof ridge of the neighboring courtyard since midnight, the roof tiles biting cold.

The west wing was right before his eyes, but behind the wall was a bonfire, and several Military Statistics Bureau men were huddled there warming their hands and stomping their feet, whispering curses at the freezing weather. He Yuzhu had no way to get close.

The Military Statistics Bureau had really spent a fortune this time. For such a small two-courtyard compound, they had actually surrounded it with over a hundred people inside and out.

Patrol teams followed one after another, crossing and returning without the slightest gap; not even half a minute would pass before a team walked by.

He Yuzhu endured on the roof for half an hour, his limbs numb from the cold, and finally, unable to hold on any longer, he flashed into the space.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning, when the voices outside grew sparse, that he emerged again.

The first time he touched the base of the wall, a patrol team turned the corner, and he hurriedly hid back in the space.

The second time he just flashed out of the space, another team came head-on, and he had to shrink back again.

The third time was even more dangerous; he was actually spotted by a hidden sentry on the roof, and a low shout pierced the night sky: "Who's there?"

In an instant, whistles blew sharply, voices grew noisy, and flashlights swept everywhere.

He Yuzhu held his breath and focused, hiding in the space again, listening to the commotion outside gradually subside.

It wasn't until three in the morning, when the guards showed signs of fatigue, that he finally found an opportunity, leaping into Liu Xiaohua's courtyard like a night cat and sliding into the west wing without a sound.

With a thought, two heavy wooden chests appeared inside the room.

Appearing at the same time was a corpse—it was the assassin's body left behind from the shootout with Zhao Datou last time, whose build was extremely similar to Liu Xiaohua's.

After doing all this, He Yuzhu felt a chill in his heart: Liu Xiaohua had even prepared a body double; this courtyard was likely filled with traps at every step.

This person's depth of thought and ruthlessness were truly chilling.

The retreat was even more perilous; he moved along the shadows of the wall, and every flicker of light made his heart beat like a drum.

Only after climbing over the last courtyard wall did he let out a long breath of white mist, realizing that cold sweat had already soaked his inner clothes, sticking coldly to his back.

In the early morning, he drank a bowl of hot stir-fried liver and ate two steamed buns at a street stall before his body finally warmed up.

The door of Liugongguan creaked open a crack, and Pingping poked half her head out, bleary-eyed: "Why is it you again? Coming to disturb people's dreams early every morning!"

"Pingping, you've changed," He Yuzhu sighed deliberately, "now you're unmoved even when you see shiny Big Ocean."

Pingping curled her lip, noticing the two chests at his feet: "Is that Big Ocean inside?"

"Five thousand current Big Ocean as a tribute to your young lady," He Yuzhu patted the chests, "be gentle when moving them, don't wake her up," He Yuzhu said, imitating Pingping's tone.

Pingping reached out to test them, but couldn't lift them at all, and gave He Yuzhu a sharp look: "Move them yourself! Be gentle!" After saying that, she turned and walked inside.

"Should I wait for the young lady to wake up, or go back first?" He Yuzhu asked at her back.

"Wait in the living room!" Pingping threw back a sentence without looking back.

He Yuzhu moved the chests into the living room, collapsed into the sofa from exhaustion, and soon fell asleep with his head tilted.

I don't know how much time passed, but his ear hurt, and he woke up with a start. Liu Rusi was standing in front of him, her slender fingers pinching his ear: "Speak! Where did you go wild last night? Running here early in the morning to catch up on sleep?"

He Yuzhu rubbed his bright red ear and laughed sheepishly: "Someone asked me to handle something, and I couldn't find a way after thinking all night. So I had insomnia. But as soon as I got here, I don't know why, but a flash of inspiration hit me, and I had a way... my heart relaxed, and I just fell asleep."

Liu Rusi's eyes flickered, knowing full well what was going on, and she just said lightly: "What is it? For the sake of those five thousand Big Ocean, I'll do my best."

He Yuzhu hurriedly explained the trouble at the Qianmen Silk Store and took a small cloth bag from his bosom, revealing ten golden bars: "Sister, if you can get this done, there will be a twenty percent stake in this shop for you from now on."

The furnace fire flickered, making the gold bars look even more alluring.

Liu Rusi's gaze lingered on them for a moment, then she said slowly: "I'll try. But the Police Bureau might not necessarily give me that much face."

"Having your word is enough." He Yuzhu nodded.

Liu Rusi changed the subject, staring at him: "How did it go when you went to see Liu Xiaohua yesterday?"

"Hmm," He Yuzhu weighed his words, "he was very polite, but gave nothing away; whenever it came to key issues, he would always brush them off by saying he hadn't thought them through yet."

Liu Rusi gave a cold laugh: "I expected as much."

"Then... how should the subsequent operation be arranged?"

"I already reported to my superiors last night," Liu Rusi lowered her voice, "the plan is set: the Military Statistics Bureau Beiping Station will be responsible inside the city, and the military will take over once outside the city. You are responsible for Liu Xiaohua's close protection after leaving the city." She finished speaking, looking relieved.

He Yuzhu looked solemn: "I understand. It's just... after I leave, if I die, I will entrust my family to you."

"Stop putting on that pathetic act in front of me!" Liu Rusi scolded with a smile, though there was concern in her eyes, "Anyone could meet with an accident, but you? Hmph, the wicked live for a thousand years!"