Chapter 87: Encountering Wang Jiazhi

Not long after, the Liu family's large courtyard became lively; the sounds of chickens and sheep being slaughtered rose one after another as they busied themselves preparing a meal.

Battalion Commander Liu's younger brother was a round little chubby boy, fourteen or fifteen years old, with dark fuzz just beginning to grow on his lips and rosy cheeks, looking very cute.

Seeing that He Yuzhu was about his own age, he immediately leaned in to strike up a conversation: "Are you also a soldier under my brother?"

He Yuzhu shook his head and smiled: "I'm not your brother's soldier; I'm just catching a ride to Nanjing to take care of some business."

Battalion Commander Liu hurriedly introduced them: "This is my younger brother, Liu Jinguo. He doesn't like to study; he just likes to fight and raid bird nests."

Liu Jinguo pouted unconvinced: "Don't listen to my brother's nonsense, I'm actually not bad at my studies!"

The two hadn't chatted for long before Liu Jinguo grabbed He Yuzhu's arm and snuck out of the house, wanting to take him around the village.

The village was indeed prosperous, with large mansions covering several acres visible everywhere, looking quite imposing.

When they reached the edge of the village, Liu Jinguo pointed at an exceptionally exquisite mansion and lowered his voice: "See that? Isn't this house nice?"

He Yuzhu looked up and saw a courtyard with white walls and black tiles, covering at least five or six acres; inside, there were not only rockeries and gardens but also upturned eaves, exuding a sense of refined luxury.

"What does the owner of this house do? How are they so rich?" He Yuzhu asked.

"He's a dog of a secret agent!" Liu Jinguo lowered his voice even further. "He used to work for the little devils, and after the devils were defeated, he defected to become an assistant to a high-ranking official. The most infuriating thing is that he married an incredibly beautiful concubine, yet he rarely comes home, leaving her all alone in the courtyard."

"You wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to his concubine, would you?" He Yuzhu teased.

The little chubby boy was quite honest and nodded: "Even if I did, it would be useless. That woman is truly beautiful when she smiles; one smile could captivate a whole crowd. It's just that she doesn't seem quite right in the head," Liu Jinguo paused and added, "She rarely goes out, and even when she does, several people follow her, as if they're afraid she'll run away! Sometimes, it seems like she gets beaten, too."

"She gets beaten? How do you know that?"

"I knew a little maid who followed her; she was the one who said it. Later, that maid left," the little chubby boy said.

He Yuzhu became interested and teased him: "She's already someone else's concubine, so why don't you stop thinking about her? If you're craving a woman, just have your mother get you a wife!"

"I don't have any interest in those country girls; I really like that woman! You haven't seen her; she really is different from ordinary women!" The little chubby boy argued anxiously, his face turning red.

"What's so different about a woman?" He Yuzhu said this, but in his mind, the image of Liu Rusi emerged—in truth, he was much like the little chubby boy, both pining for a woman who was somewhat out of reach.

"Come on, I'll take you to see what that woman is like!" Liu Jinguo pulled him and walked to the side.

"No, no, going to someone else's place to look at their concubine, that's too inappropriate!" He Yuzhu tried to pull his hand away.

But Liu Jinguo had quite a bit of strength; he pulled him hard until they arrived under a large locust tree.

He Yuzhu was instantly dumbfounded.

"This woman usually comes out when the sun is out in the afternoon to sunbathe in the courtyard. It's about time for her to come out now; I'll take you to broaden your horizons." As he spoke, he climbed up with nimble hands and feet, reaching the top of the tree in a few movements.

He Yuzhu didn't hesitate either; he leaped up, grabbed the trunk, and moved nimbly through the branches like a Houzi, soon sitting side-by-side with Liu Jinguo at the top of the tree.

Looking down, he discovered that this position was a small space formed by the intersection of three large branches, and the bark on top was worn smooth—it was clear the little chubby boy came here to peek often.

Liu Jinguo was stunned: "Your Kung Fu is too amazing! You're like a hero in a martial arts novel!"

"Average, average, third in the world," He Yuzhu smiled modestly. "When I was little, I was just like you, loved climbing trees to raid bird nests; after a long time, I practiced this skill."

The little chubby boy chuckled. He clearly had never seen anyone praise themselves like that.

He Yuzhu lay on the branch, peering into the courtyard.

The courtyard was in the typical Jiangnan garden style, with a small lake winding beside an exquisite rockery, and withered lotus leaves swaying gently in the water, exuding a touch of elegance.

The little chubby boy suddenly pulled a Telescope from his chest and scanned every corner of the courtyard carefully. Soon, he lowered his voice and shouted excitedly: "Look at the Houyuan, she's here, she's here!"

He Yuzhu looked in the direction he pointed and saw a slender Jiangnan woman, wearing a thin cyan cotton robe, walking gracefully toward the lakeside.

Because the distance was too great, he couldn't see the woman's features clearly, only a gentle silhouette, like a faint ink wash painting.

"Look, look, isn't she a beauty!" The little chubby boy shoved the Telescope into He Yuzhu's hands.

He Yuzhu took the Telescope and slowly adjusted the focus.

Just then, the woman suddenly raised her head and looked toward the direction where he was.

He Yuzhu's eyes widened—why was this face so familiar? He examined it repeatedly, and his brain suddenly went "buzz": This was Wang Jiazhi! Shouldn't she have died long ago? How could she appear here? Was he dreaming? He bit his finger hard, and a sharp pain came through, proving this was not a dream.

Liu Jinguo suddenly slapped him hard, almost scaring him into falling from the tree.

"Give the Telescope back to me! I want to look closely; she changed her hairstyle today, and I like her hair in a bun the best." The little chubby boy snatched the Telescope back, looking at her over and over, unable to tear his eyes away.

He Yuzhu's heart was in turmoil: in his past life, he quite liked the characters she played, and he had even watched one scene many times. Now, seeing her, he felt her brows were full of sorrow, looking quite unhappy.

At this time, Liu Jinguo began to ramble on about his "encounters": "The security guards in their courtyard are so fierce! Once, I was so mesmerized that I was discovered by a guard. He chased me for several streets and even dragged me to find my father to complain, saying I was peeking at a woman bathing. I was clearly just watching her wash her hair, and I ended up getting a beating from my father. Your Kung Fu is so good, help me teach them a lesson!"

"That wouldn't be very appropriate, would it?" He Yuzhu hesitated. "I'm a guest at your house; if I beat them up, what if they come back to take revenge on you?"

"They wouldn't dare!" Liu Jinguo patted his chest with confidence. "The owner of this house used to be with the Wang Puppet Government and just defected over. My brother is from a 'red and expert' background and works in the Ministry of National Defense; they are busy trying to curry favor with us, how would they dare to take revenge on me?"

"Do you know exactly what the man of this house does?" He Yuzhu pressed.

"My big brother mentioned it once when he came back, saying he works for the Kong Family."

He Yuzhu's interest grew even stronger: should he sneak in at night to investigate the bottom of this courtyard?

The two observed for a while longer on the tree until the woman turned and went back into the house, then they carefully climbed down from the tree and returned to the Liu house.