Chapter 881: Returning Home in Glory

Elize shook his head desperately, his voice trembling: "Impossible! It is absolutely impossible for the Shadow Organization to have only one person, absolutely impossible!"

Before he could finish his sentence, He Yuzhu kicked him, sending him flying quite a distance.

Elize's head knocked right against a tree trunk, the pain causing him to curl up on the ground, looking just like a snail with its shell crushed.

He Yuzhu walked up slowly, looking down at him condescendingly: "Those dirty and exhausting jobs under Black Stone were all done by you, right? Can you even count how many lives you have on your hands? Today, I will collect some interest on behalf of those who died unjustly at your hands!"

Elize clutched his chest, forced himself to lift his head, and gritted his teeth: "The people we eliminated were all terrorists hindering the development of civilization! I killed them for the sake of world peace!"

"Heh, world peace?" He Yuzhu sneered, his eyes full of disdain. He had heard such high-sounding platitudes in later generations until his ears were calloused; he didn't believe a single word of it. He squatted down and slapped Elize across the face: "Stop gilding yourself. You are nothing but a bunch of robbers who pillage and plunder, committing every evil act, only to paint yourselves up afterward and pretend to be decent human beings."

He stood up and kicked the other man heavily again: "Killing you now would be letting you off too easily. I am going to keep you and make you use your own methods to help me reap benefits. I want to see if you can still feel that what you've done is so righteous then."

Elize's pupils contracted sharply.

He Yuzhu smiled with a languid expression: "In a while, I'll take you to Hong Kong. When the time comes, be obedient and use your skills to get all the money out for me; don't even think about keeping a cent."

The anger in Elize's eyes was gradually replaced by fear. He couldn't tell if the person in front of him was actually from the Shadow Organization, but he knew clearly in his heart—from this day forward, he would never have another good day.

"If you dare not to cooperate, I'll beat you every single day!" He Yuzhu landed another kick, the force even heavier than before.

Elize was kicked over onto the ground, yet he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound; he could be considered to have some backbone.

He Yuzhu couldn't be bothered to waste any more breath on him, so he struck him unconscious and put him into his Personal Space, planning to interrogate him the next day.

Early the next morning, everyone got up to have breakfast. Shen Guizhi was full of joy as she turned to look at He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, if I see relatives in the clan who are living difficult lives and want to help them out, do you think that's okay?"

He Yuzhu replied with a smile: "That is only right. It's just that so many years have passed, I'm afraid there aren't many people in the village who would recognize you."

Shen Guizhi nodded gently, her eye sockets slowly turning red, and tears rolled down involuntarily: "When I left back then, I was only ten or so..."

"Mother, this trip back is a happy occasion, don't shed tears." He Yuzhu quickly spoke up to comfort her.

He Duoduo leaned forward, took out a tissue to wipe the corners of Shen Guizhi's eyes, and comforted her in a milky voice: "Great-grandma, don't cry."

Looking at the child's innocent appearance, Shen Guizhi managed to force a smile: "Great-grandma isn't crying, I'm just happy in my heart."

He Yuzhu teased: "Mother, since you're in such a good mood on this trip, why not stay out for a few more days? You could also stop by Lin Wanning's place on the way; what do you think?"

Shen Guizhi shook her head quickly: "The journey is too far and too much of a hassle, I won't go."

He Daqing had been persuaded by Lin Wanning earlier that morning, and he chimed in: "Guizhi, the children mean well. Don't you always talk about wanting to see Hong Kong? Now that there's an opportunity, go and take a look; our family isn't short of the means."

Shen Guizhi pondered for a moment and said: "I'm just afraid of causing you trouble. Since everyone wants to go, I won't spoil the fun for everyone; I'll listen to your arrangements."

He Yuzhu smiled immediately: "That couldn't be better. Mother, we will set off in a few days; I'll go and get the relevant documents sorted out today."

He Yulu, who was on the side, leaned over and said: "Brother, I want to go along and play for a few days too, but my vacation isn't long enough. Can you send me back early when the time comes?"

"No problem." He Yuzhu agreed immediately.

He Yulu was instantly overjoyed: "Then I must have a good look around Hong Kong."

He Yuzhu reminded her with a smile: "That place is only interesting for shopping; the rest of the scenery is actually quite average. You should prepare yourself mentally in advance."

"Being able to go shopping is enough!" He Yulu said with great interest.

After breakfast, the group officially set off.

Shen Guizhi leaned back in the RV, looking at the fields passing by outside the window, her emotions surging, and tears slid down once more.

Four hours later, the motorcade drove into the territory of Zhouzhuang.

The group parked their vehicles in a simple parking lot at the entrance of the village, and soon an old man walked up to ask: "Are you all here for tourism? It's ten yuan per car for parking for the day, and fifteen yuan per person to enter the village for sightseeing."

Just as Shen Guizhi was about to step forward to explain, He Yuzhu reached out to stop her and counted out a thousand yuan to hand over.

He Daqing was a bit confused: "Why do we have to pay money to enter the village when returning to our own hometown?"

He Yuzhu explained with a smile: "The newspapers already said that the village has started tourism development, so we should support it."

Shen Guizhi also nodded: "That's right, just consider it as doing our part for the village."

As soon as the group stepped into Zhouzhuang, Shen Guizhi became full of energy, her eyes shining.

She had been slow in her movements before, but now her steps were light and nimble as she walked forward.

In the blink of an eye, the sun rose to the center of the sky; it was already noon, but she had no intention of stopping to rest or eat, walking hurriedly toward the depths of the village.

The group of over sixty people marched in a grand procession through the streets and alleys, and the shopkeepers doing business on the roadside calculated to themselves that the goods they had prepared for the day probably wouldn't be enough to sell.

Shen Guizhi walked at the very front, with He Yuzhu, Lin Wanning, He Yulu, and He Daqing following closely behind.

The group walked through streets and alleys, looking particularly conspicuous in the small ancient town.

At that time, Zhouzhuang had not yet been flooded with large numbers of tourists, and the old houses in the streets and alleys were all occupied by local residents.

The elderly in the village had never seen such a spectacle and walked out of their homes one after another, poking their heads out to size up the group.

The two little ones, Duoduo and Zhou Wei, followed closely behind Shen Guizhi, trotting along with their short legs.

After crossing a stone arch bridge, Shen Guizhi's steps stopped abruptly, her gaze landing on a residence by the river.

This residence covered a considerable area, but now it was dilapidated. The mottled white walls were pitted and bumpy, as if covered in ringworm, and most of the roof had long since collapsed, leaving only crooked beams and pillars barely supporting it. This was the home where she had lived as a child.

The residence had been abandoned for decades, and the weeds in the courtyard grew taller than a person.

Many ownerless old houses in the surrounding area had been occupied by others, but this residence alone remained undisturbed.

Everyone in the village knew clearly that the house was not without an owner; it was just that the owner had gone far away to Beijing to serve as an official and had not returned for many years.

Shen Wenqing had returned to his hometown to visit after the founding of the country, and the older generation of villagers remembered this, so no one had ever had designs on this large house.

The situation of another Shen Family mansion not far away was completely different; because the original owner, Shen Shichang, had served the Bald Party, that house was eventually carved up and occupied by the descendants of the Shen Family.

Shen Guizhi raised her hand to push open the courtyard gate.

"Mother, don't touch it." He Yuzhu hurried forward to stop her, "The house has been in disrepair for a long time, be careful of it falling on you. Let me."

He took a step forward, his palm just touching the rickety wooden gate—

"Bang!"

The entire gate collapsed with a crash, kicking up a sky full of dust.

He Yuzhu was choked and retreated repeatedly, covering his mouth and nose while coughing incessantly.

"Great-grandma, hurry and hide!" Duoduo shouted loudly, her childish voice carrying far into the deep, quiet alley.

Lin Wanning immediately pulled Duoduo behind her, shielding her nose and mouth: "Duoduo, don't get close; it's easy to get sick if you breathe in the dust."

He Yuzhu raised his hand to wave away the dust in front of him, turned his head, and shouted to the accompanying security personnel: "Brothers, lend a hand and clean up this courtyard a bit."