Chapter 61: A Nine, Or Even a Ten Out of Ten

After Bang Geng spat out the peanut that had been stuck in his throat, his complexion gradually recovered, and looking at Qin Huairu before him, he immediately began to wail.

"Sob sob sob, Mom, I'm scared, you scared me to death, sob sob sob..."

Bang Geng and his mother Qin Huairu held each other and wept bitterly.

When Shazhu saw that peanut, his expression became visibly flustered; realizing something was wrong, he quickly retreated behind the crowd.

"Bang Geng, what is going on with you? Where did this peanut come from?" Yan Bugui asked.

After crying for a good while, Bang Geng finally stopped and said aggrievedly, "Uncle Shazhu fed it to me. He said he would trade that peanut for my brick..."

"Hm? A brick?"

Yi Zhonghai could no longer sit still.

Holding that large bluestone brick in his hand, he walked over tremblingly and asked, "Geng, is the brick you're talking about this one?"

"Yes, that's the one, sob sob sob..."

Bang Geng replied, baring his teeth.

Upon hearing Bang Geng's answer, Yi Zhonghai nearly shattered his old teeth from clenching them so hard.

"Unfilial son!"

Yi Zhonghai let out a long howl toward the sky.

Never would he have thought the culprit was none other than that brat Shazhu; he had been acting so decent just a moment ago, yet it turned out he wanted to assassinate me!

Only then did the crowd notice the filth all over Yi Zhonghai; his entire body emitted a foul stench, and his face and hair were covered in yellow-black grime.

The group covered their noses and retreated frantically, while Third Uncle gloated, "I say, Old Yi, you didn't fall into the latrine, did you?"

"If you don't have the diamond drill, don't take on the porcelain work..."

Yan Bugui's sarcasm was automatically filtered out by Yi Zhonghai; all he could think about now was finding that dog of a man—to think he would dare harm his own godfather!

There was also Qin Huairu on the ground nearby, her face filled with fury at this moment.

That single peanut of Shazhu's had almost killed her only son; she would absolutely not spare him!

He must pay money, and he had to provide mental compensation for her Bang Geng!

But looking around, she couldn't find a trace of Shazhu at all; he had clearly been right here just a moment ago.

"He Yuzhu! You brat, don't you ever let me catch you, or I will definitely make you regret it!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were bloodshot, and holding a manure fork, he searched the Siheyuan frantically for Shazhu.

Besides First Uncle, Qin Huairu was also like a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on; since her family was struggling to make ends meet again, she had to make Shazhu pay.

But Shazhu had already fled; his legs moving like a spinning rattle, he had run two miles away in no time.

Damn it...

Who could have guessed that Yi Zhonghai would suddenly run into Zhao Gangzi's latrine?

And as for this business with Bang Geng, it definitely wasn't intentional; after all, I, Shazhu, have always treated Bang Geng like my own son, so how could I harm him?

But I definitely wouldn't dare go home for these next two days.

My godfather Yi Zhonghai just lost his wife a few days ago, and today he took a brick to the head from me; if I'm not careful, he'll make me support him in his old age early. That's a huge burden, and that absolutely won't do.

By the dead of night, Shazhu was still wandering aimlessly alone on the streets of Sijiucheng.

He had left in such a hurry that he hadn't brought a single cent, nor did he have a place to stay, save for the space under the bridge.

With the start of winter approaching, the weather was getting colder and colder; Shazhu was now cold and hungry, his fingernails shivering.

"Sigh, why the hell am I so unlucky?"

Shazhu had a snot bubble forming.

Just then, a sleazy face poked out from the mouth of an alley and shouted at Shazhu, "Hey, comrade, it's the middle of the night, why are you still wandering the streets alone?"

"Are you lost? Why not come to my place and sit for a bit? I just finished cooking!"

Hearing this, Shazhu's eyes lit up; he had been worrying about where to eat, and here it was delivered to his doorstep. Besides, he was a big, strong young man, so he wasn't afraid of meeting bad people.

Especially after smelling the fragrance of the food, the gluttonous worm in Shazhu's stomach kept churning, and he followed the man home involuntarily.

The man was unusually hospitable; the house was no smaller than the main room Shazhu lived in, and he lived there all alone.

Looking at the furnishings and decor, it was clearly a wealthy household from the past, still retaining quite a few assets.

"Big Brother, thank you so much today. If you need anything in the future, just come to me; I, Zhuzi, will definitely handle it for you properly," Shazhu said, sitting by the table and watching the food, tears of shame flowing from the corners of his mouth.

"My name is Wang Jie; you can just call me Jie Ge from now on!"

"Comrade, you have a nice build, quite sturdy," the man called Jie Ge said with a sleazy smile, then hurriedly and enthusiastically added more food and dishes for Shazhu.

"Jie Ge, you really are a good person, better to me than my own godfather."

Shazhu was moved to the extreme; he never expected there to be such a kind person in this world, and he had happened to run into him.

Especially this food—it was truly a nine, or even a ten out of ten!

As one of the successors to Tan Family Cuisine, Shazhu had never admired anyone when it came to cooking, but this Jie Ge had made him change his mind.

This level of craftsmanship had to be at least that of a Level 9 Chef.

"If you like it, eat more; we have plenty at home," Jie Ge said, a sinister smile appearing on his face.

But in Shazhu's eyes, this smile was pure.

Before long, Shazhu was wined and dined; he insisted on washing the dishes himself, otherwise, he wouldn't feel right.

But Jie Ge hurriedly waved his hand.

And he insisted on inviting Shazhu to the inner room to hang out for a while.

"Brother Zhuzi, I have something good in my room; do you want to see it?" Jie Ge said very mysteriously.

Shazhu became interested as well.

He nodded hurriedly and replied, "What kind of thing is so mysterious that it's kept in the inner room?"

"Could it be..."

Shazhu's face instantly flushed red, as he wondered if it was something like a comic book, which he usually loved to read at night.

But it was a pity that this sort of thing was a banned book and couldn't be bought normally; he only had that one copy, which he read over and over every day.

He had long since grown tired of it.

"Hehe, you'll know once you see it. Come on, I won't harm you," Jie Ge licked his dry, cracked lips, and without further ado, he pulled Shazhu straight inside.

By the side of the bed in the inner room, sure enough, there really were a few conspicuous comic books, and soon Shazhu was immersed in the world of the books, just as Shazhu was reading with great enthusiasm.

Jie Ge pulled a wooden club from behind the door and, aiming at the unsuspecting Shazhu, struck him directly on the head!

Clang!

Shazhu fainted instantly, sprawling across the bed in a spread-eagled position.

"Brother Zhuzi, I've also studied Medical Skills for a few years; let me help you check if your development is normal or not, hehe..."

"............"

Very quickly, Shazhu was thoroughly examined by the kind-hearted Jie Ge.

That night, the stars were twinkling, and the entire Sijiucheng was peaceful.

Shazhu never expected that in this backward era, there would actually be a talented person who knew the technique of performing a nucleic acid test.