Chapter 96: He Daqing Wants to Establish Authority

Wang Jiazhi sensed someone was following her, and her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

There was no need to guess; these two people were coming for her.

Although she carried a gun, her marksmanship was not accurate. She knew that if she failed to kill the opponent with one shot, then she would be the one to die. After all these years by Yi Xiansheng's side, she understood too well that when dealing with enemies, life and death hung in the balance of a single thought. Thus, she began to calculate a countermeasure.

Shanwa noticed her expression was off and asked in a low voice, "Sister, what's wrong?"

Wang Jiazhi lowered her voice: "Shanwa, I won't hide it from you, we've run into trouble. Don't look back yet; wait until we turn the mountain bend, then you can look back. Two people have followed us, and they should be coming for me."

Shanwa became alert at once.

When his family took in He Yuzhu and Wang Jiazhi, it wasn't that he hadn't thought about their identities, he just hadn't expected the danger to be so close.

Although he was only fifteen, children of poor families take on responsibilities early, and Shanwa already understood the gravity of the situation.

"Sister, who exactly are you people?"

"We aren't bad people! My brother and I killed a man who abused me. He has great influence, which is why we've been chased all the way here..." Wang Jiazhi explained in a low voice.

Shanwa furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then said decisively, "Sister, I believe you. Those two people must not be left alive. We'll set a trap on the mountain and catch them!"

Wang Jiazhi's eyes lit up: "Can you really do it?"

Shanwa nodded heavily. When they reached a turn, Shanwa didn't say a word and pulled two animal traps out of his satchel.

Wang Jiazhi was still a bit confused and asked hurriedly, "There are two of them, can they both step on them at the same time?"

"Sister, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Once one is caught, the others will definitely go to save him."

Wang Jiazhi nodded, having no choice but to choose to believe him.

Shanwa nimbly chose a spot, laid the traps, carefully camouflaged them, and then whispered, "Sister, we need to hide well." He pointed to a giant rock by the road, "You hide behind the rock first, I'll take care of the footprints."

Wang Jiazhi quickly hunched over and hid behind the rock.

Shanwa used a cloth bag filled with snow and, following her footprints, stepped backward step by step, meticulously using the snow to cover all traces.

By the time the two were hidden, the footprints by the big rock had vanished without a trace. It was as if no one had ever stepped there.

Wang Jiazhi couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "You're really good!"

Shanwa gave a shy smile: "It's nothing, all the hunters in the mountains have this skill." As he spoke, he had already placed his bow and arrows by his side.

Wang Jiazhi also took out her gun, ejected the bullets, and reloaded them into the chamber one by one.

Shanwa stared enviously at the gun in her hand. Wang Jiazhi understood and said softly, "If we can return safely this time, Sister will give this gun to you!"

"Really?" Shanwa's eyes lit up instantly. For a hunter, a gun was a rare treasure—the entire village only had two Type 38 Arisakas because they had once ambushed a lone Japanese soldier.

Just at this moment, the two pursuers appeared.

The short, fat man looked at the footprints and said as he walked, "One is a kid, one is a woman, that matches up. And I have to say, that little lady is quite a looker. If we catch her, can we have some fun first?"

The tall man warned cautiously: "No! They managed to escape from Nanjing, and it's said they've killed quite a few people; they definitely aren't simple characters. We'll just follow them, see where they settle down, and then go back to report."

Before he finished speaking, the short, fat man suddenly tripped and let out a miserable scream—an animal trap had clamped firmly onto his ankle.

The tall man hurried forward to check, but caught off guard, he also stepped into a trap.

In that very instant, a sharp arrow tore through the air and accurately pierced the short, fat man's heart.

The tall man was panicked and about to draw his gun when another arrow flashed over and pierced his throat.

In the blink of an eye, the two pursuers had been cleanly and efficiently dealt with by the youth.

Wang Jiazhi's hand holding the gun trembled slightly, her heart filled with indescribable shock. Are youths these days all this formidable? She herself hadn't even managed to kill Yi Xiansheng and had even implicated her classmates. She was truly useless.

"Sister, how should we handle these two?"

Wang Jiazhi snapped out of it and said offhandedly, "Can we bury them? In any case, we can't let anyone find them."

"A hundred paces ahead is Bai Changya. I'll throw them down, and they'll be eaten clean by wolves within two days."

"Good, let's do that." Wang Jiazhi nodded.

Shanwa then searched the two corpses, finding five Big Ocean coins, a watch, and two Box Cannons. Shanwa held these items and wanted to split them with Wang Jiazhi, but was refused by her.

Shanwa was reluctant to part with the two Box Cannons; he held one in each hand, gesturing at his surroundings, his mouth continuously mimicking the "bang-bang" sound of gunfire.

Wang Jiazhi was helpless; she continued to pull the Rope and trudge forward with difficulty.

Upon returning home, fearing their family would worry, the two didn't say a word about today's events.

Wang Jiazhi calmed her mind and began to clean He Yuzhu's wounds and change his dressings.

He Yuzhu still hadn't woken up. Wang Jiazhi was in a bad mood, didn't eat dinner, and lay down beside He Yuzhu to sleep.

It wasn't until the next day that He Yuzhu slowly woke up. His fever had broken, but he still felt a bit weak all over.

Seeing He Yuzhu wake up, Wang Jiazhi asked hurriedly, "Are you okay?"

He Yuzhu nodded, "Another day of rest should be about enough."

Wang Jiazhi hesitated over whether to tell him about yesterday's events.

He Yuzhu saw through her thoughts and asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Wang Jiazhi told him everything about yesterday's events from beginning to end. He Yuzhu listened intently, and after she finished, he said, "Today, have Shanwa go up the mountain to keep watch. If nothing happens today, we'll leave tomorrow. I estimate they are about to find this place."

At the same time, in the back kitchen of the Rolling Mill canteen.

He Daqing had been the Director of the Canteen for two weeks. He always smiled when seeing people, but in his heart, he kept a little notebook, secretly recording everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

Li Shifu and Liu Shifu, who were in charge of the large-pot dishes, clearly didn't respect him and would occasionally make sarcastic remarks, but He Daqing just pretended not to hear.

In this day and age, canteen chefs generally believed in "a little dirt doesn't hurt"; some would throw their large iron shovels on the ground right after cooking; some would cut vegetables without washing their hands after using the toilet; others would use the same cutting board for raw and cooked meat; and some would even spit on the side of the stove while stirring the pot.

Originally, He Daqing wasn't that particular either, but the set of kitchen management regulations that He Yuzhu had implemented while running He Ji Restaurant was shockingly strict.

He Daqing was extremely unaccustomed to it at first and had scolded his son for making a fuss over nothing, but as time went on, he gradually felt it made sense.

He was already planning to move that set of rules into the Rolling Mill canteen, but the timing wasn't right yet—he had to wait for this group's old habits to be fully exposed before taking action to punish one as a warning to a hundred. If Lao Li and Lao Liu still refused to follow orders then, he planned to have them pack up and leave directly.

He Daqing was secretly pondering when his shoulder was suddenly patted heavily. He turned around to see it was Liu Shifu. "Director He, with your build, is cooking large-pot dishes a bit much for you?"

He Daqing immediately smiled apologetically: "Liu Shifu is right, your arms are almost thicker than my thighs."

Liu Shifu was triumphant: "I've been cooking large-pot dishes for ten years, my experience isn't just talk! You don't know, if you don't stir this large-pot dish in time, the bottom of the pot will either stick or burn... you can't do it without some strength!"

He Daqing wore a grinning face, but in his heart, he was already cursing: "The food you stir-fry is about the same as pig slop, and you still have the nerve to brag!"

Li Shifu also leaned over and patted He Daqing: "Daqing, it's not that I'm lecturing you, but what's the use of cutting vegetables all the same size? It's just a waste of time! The point of canteen cooking is speed..."

He Daqing continued to offer a fawning smile, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Director Bai from the Locksmith Workshop walking in and looking around.

"Master He, my nephew's one-month celebration is next Sunday. Could I trouble you to take charge of the ladle?" Bai Jingli said as he handed over a menu.

He Daqing took it and looked, frowning slightly: "There are quite a few Tan Family Cuisine dishes here; the ingredients aren't easy to get..."

Director Bai gave a mysterious smile: "We have already prepared the ingredients. Do you think we should send the materials to you here, or should you find some time to go to my sister's house to discuss the preparation?"

"Tan Family Cuisine requires preparing the ingredients in advance. You'll have to find a day to accompany me there!"

"Done! Then it's settled!" Director Bai left, satisfied.

Li Shifu watched He Daqing's fawning manner and curled his lip, saying: "Master He, why not bring me along when you earn some extra money?"

He Daqing grinned and retorted: "Has Li Shifu studied Tan Family Cuisine?"

"No, but aren't all cooks about the same? As long as you put the ingredients together and give them a stir, how could it taste any different?" Li Shifu said dismissively.

He Daqing looked regretful: "Then I really can't bring you along. Tan Family Cuisine is proper official-style cuisine, and there are too many requirements! If you miss one step, the whole pot of food is ruined..."

"You're being unreasonable. Now that you're a director, you should be seeking some benefits for everyone!" Li Shifu's tone was aggressive.