Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 189 Stealing a Big Radish
He Yuzhu nodded, turned around, and followed the middle-aged man.

The two went straight to the third floor. The middle-aged man walked to a room door and called out, "Father, I've brought the person back."

"come in."

The middle-aged man pushed open the door and entered. He Yuzhu followed him in. After entering, he looked around and realized that this should be the reception area, but it was the old-fashioned kind.

The old man we just saw was sitting in the main seat.

"Young friend, please have a seat!" The old man's Cantonese was only understandable.

He Yuzhu sat down, and the old man asked the middle-aged man to serve tea.

Then he started talking to He Yuzhu.

"Young friend, where are you from? How should I address you?"

“He Fei, from the capital city of Beijing,” He Yuzhu replied in Beijing dialect.

"The capital city of Beijing? Is it under the surname He? Hmm, I should ask him!" the old man muttered to himself.

The old man's voice was very soft, but He Yuzhu could hear it clearly, though he didn't show it.

"Young man, your Cantonese is quite good." The old man also switched to his hometown dialect, speaking in a thick Hebei accent.

"good."

"I apologize for inviting you here, young friend, but I mainly wanted to ask who your Tai Chi teacher is."

"It is a family tradition."

Who is your father?

"It was not taught by my father!"

"Oh? May I ask for your mother's name?"

"Chen Lanxiang!"

"What? Say it again." The old man suddenly stood up.

"Chen Lanxiang".

"Where do you live?"

No. 95, Luogu Lane, South of Beijing.

With a "thump," the old man lost his balance and plopped back down in his chair. "Bang!" "Crack!" came the sound of a door slamming shut and porcelain shattering.

"Father." The middle-aged man who had just arrived rushed in.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," the old man waved his hand.

"Father, is it really true?"

"Ask them first before you speak."

"it is good."

"Young friend, please forgive my rudeness; I lost my composure."

“It’s alright,” He Yuzhu said.

"I have a few more questions to ask."

"Please ask, sir."

"How old are you this year? Who else is in your family? Does your mother have any other elders?"

"I am 25 years old this year. There are 7 people in my family: my father, sister, younger brother, mother, and an elder relative whose name I do not know. She married into the Long family."

"Is she still alive?" the old man asked excitedly.

"living."

How are you feeling?

"You are in good health."

Did your mother ever say where her hometown was?

“Chenjiagou, Xuanhua Town, Zhangjiakou, Chahar Province,” He Yuzhu replied. He had never been to this place, but his mother had mentioned it a few times. His father had also gone there twice after Liberation, but both times it was when he wasn’t home, saying he couldn’t find anyone.

“Father, it really is my little sister, it really is my little sister.”

"Young friend, do you know what your grandfather's name is?" Two lines of tears streamed down the old man's face.

"Chen Jikai." He Yuzhu, who had been sitting still for a while, replied standing up.

"You, you're my grandson?" The old man pointed at He Yuzhu, his lips trembling.

"Sir, this is not enough."

"Yes, Haokun, go and get the family tree so that He Xiaoyou can take a look."

"Yes, Father." Chen Haokun gave He Yuzhu a deep look. This kid was a little too cautious. He Yuzhu returned an apologetic smile.

"He Fei, what's your father's name?"

"He Fei is my pseudonym. My real name is He Yuzhu, and my father is He Daqing."

"What are your younger brother and sister's names?"

"Second sister He Yushui, third brother He Yuxin, fourth brother He Yuyao, fifth brother He Yuyan."

"Why is this name so strange?"

"Well, I don't know either. All three of my younger brothers were born while I was away from home," He Yuzhu said.

How did you come to Hong Kong?

"I've come to take care of something."

"Business?"

"Ah."

Old Master Chen stopped asking about that topic and instead asked, "How long do you plan to stay?"

"It shouldn't be long."

"How are your mother and your great-aunt?"

"Everything is fine at home."

How old are your younger siblings?

Are you married?

"."

He Yuzhu was asked a series of questions, which he answered one by one.

When Chen Haokun brought the family genealogy, Old Master Chen turned to the page for the Long Chen family, which read: Chen Huixin, born in the eleventh year of the Guangxu reign (1885), married into the Long family in Beijing and changed her name to Long Chen.

Old Master Chen turned a few more pages to the page with Chen Lanxiang, which read: Chen Lanxiang, born in the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915). In the fourteenth year of the Republic of China, her family suffered a disaster and could not survive, so she was sent to the Long Chen family.

After reading the family genealogy, He Yuzhu was about to kneel down and kowtow to her maternal grandfather on behalf of her mother, but was stopped by Old Master Chen.

"Kneeling is no longer acceptable."

"Grandpa," He Yuzhu could only bow.

"Alright, alright, this is your second uncle, Chen Haokun." Old Master Chen pointed to the middle-aged man beside him.

"Hello, Second Uncle."

"Your eldest uncle isn't here. Have your second uncle go and call him back tomorrow."

Where is my grandma?

"He passed away many years ago. I'll have your second uncle take you to offer incense later," Old Master Chen said with a touch of sadness.

"Don't I have any cousins?" He Yuzhu asked Chen Haokun.

"Yes, they are all very ambitious and are out there making their own way in the world. None of them are willing to inherit the martial arts school."

"Where is my eldest uncle?"

"His kung fu skills have long since faded, and now he runs his own small factory," said Old Master Chen.

"Oh."

"So how did you get to Hong Kong?"

"That's a long story."

Grandpa Chen then began to recount that they came to the country in 1945. When the disaster struck, the whole family headed south to make a living. They eventually reached Foshan, Guangdong, where the old lady died.

When we arrived in Foshan, it turned out that the locals were fond of martial arts, so the family decided to settle down there. It wasn't easy, really, because they were xenophobic.

The old man fought many battles to gain a foothold in the family. When his eldest uncle, Chen Haoqian, saw that the family was struggling, he started a small business, which helped keep the family afloat.

Later, the old man gained some fame, and he opened a martial arts school.

Later, their life was defeated, and the Bald Party's exploitation was ruthless, so the family discussed it and decided to go directly to Hong Kong. Back then, there was no need to smuggle themselves in.

Arriving in Hong Kong was difficult at first. The old man was getting on in years, but fortunately, my second uncle was also quite skilled in martial arts, so the martial arts school was able to continue. This building was rented; if it weren't for the pharmacy downstairs, the martial arts school would have been unable to continue operating long ago.

However, the younger generation had their eyes opened when they arrived in Hong Kong, and they stopped practicing martial arts, some going to work and others going to school.

My eldest uncle is quite the troublemaker; he's lost money in business a few times, but he's doing alright now.

"Zhu Zi, you can stay here tonight."

"Have your second uncle call everyone back tomorrow so we can have a family meal together."

"Okay, I'll go down and tell my friend later."

"You stay and chat with your grandpa, I'll go."

"I'd better go by myself. I'm afraid he'll worry. It's getting late, let my grandpa rest."

"Alright."

“Go ahead,” said Old Master Chen.

"Dad, this kid is something else."

"Your sister's child looks just like her."

"Hey, I wonder how my sister is doing now."

"I just asked, and everything is fine. I just don't know if we'll be able to see each other again. We can't go back now, and it's difficult for them to come over."

"I think my nephew is quite capable. I'll ask him about it when the time comes."

"Row."

He Yuzhu went down and spoke to A Lang. He didn't mention that this was his maternal family home, but simply told A Lang that he wanted to learn Tai Chi here.

Ah Lang asked him if he wanted him to come pick him up tomorrow, and He Yuzhu told him that he didn't need to for the time being and that he could arrange the time himself.

I'll drive over the day after tomorrow. Ah Lang agreed and left.

When He Yuzhu returned, Grandpa Chen had gone to rest, but his second uncle, Chen Haokun, insisted on having a couple of drinks with him.

He Yuzhu drank with him, and after a few drinks, Chen Haokun started to complain about his mother's childhood.

She was the most pampered child in the family and had great talent. If she hadn't been unable to receive the true teachings, her eldest and second uncles would have been no match for her.

Of course, both older brothers doted on their sister. When the old man sent her to Beijing, the two brothers followed behind, and in the end, they were beaten up before they returned.

Unexpectedly, thirty-five years have passed in the blink of an eye. Second Uncle Chen Haokun wiped away a few tears as he drank.

Then Chen Haokun asked about the He family's situation, and He Yuzhu gave a brief explanation. "Well, your family isn't doing too well right now either."

"But now it's all about the same, our family is already very well off."

"Yes, it would have been better if we could have gotten in touch sooner."

"It's not too late."

"Yes, it's a pity that my mother is gone. She was still thinking about her youngest daughter before she passed away."

He Yuzhu couldn't respond to that; if her mother were here, she'd probably be crying her eyes out.

In the end, Chen Haokun got drunk and passed out. He Yuzhu called his second aunt and they took him home.

The guest rooms had been arranged in advance, and He Yuzhu found his own room to sleep in.

The next day, my second uncle went out early in the morning.

The old man pulled He Yuzhu aside to test his martial arts skills. After a series of tests, the old man realized that He Yuzhu had only learned a little bit of Tai Chi. He exclaimed that it was a pity. His daughter had learned it by stealing, so of course his grandson could not learn the authentic version. But other martial arts were very powerful, and Tai Chi elements were used in between.

After much deliberation, the old man asked He Yuzhu if he wanted to learn Tai Chi, but He Yuzhu said he didn't have time.

The old man tried to persuade He Yuzhu with great earnestness, and in the end he almost cried, saying that the tradition was about to be lost, before He Yuzhu reluctantly agreed.

If those who come to learn boxing saw this, they would be astonished.

Then the old man tossed him a booklet and told him to read it himself first, saying that with his level of skill, he didn't need to start practicing from scratch.

He Yuzhu asked if he could take the booklet with him, and the old man said, "It's up to you, just don't lose it. It wouldn't be good if someone with bad intentions picked it up."

After coming to Hong Kong, family background and the tradition of passing down the family business only to sons are no longer important; otherwise, the family line would really be broken.

The whole family ate at a restaurant that evening. Da San Yuan had booked a large private room for about twenty people.

His maternal uncle is six years older than his mother, and his older cousin Chen Runping is thirty years old this year. He is already married and has children, one 10 years old and the other 7 years old.

My maternal uncle's second cousin, Chen Run'an, is also 28 years old and has children, one 8 years old and the other 5 years old.

My second maternal uncle's third cousin, Chen Wanjun, is twenty-six years old and already has three children, the youngest of whom she is still holding in her arms.

Then there's the younger one, his second uncle's second son, his older cousin Chen Runzhong, who is twenty-four and has a two-year-old child.

My second uncle's third daughter, my little cousin Chen Wanru, is twenty years old and in college.

My maternal uncle's family actually has a youngest child, a girl named Chen Wanhua, born to my uncle's second wife. She is fifteen years old and in middle school.

During the meal, only his maternal grandfather, eldest uncle, and second uncle were present. The others were not exactly indifferent, but they weren't particularly enthusiastic either. He Yuzhu could understand; perhaps they treated him like a poor relative.

He didn't care; the family reunion was on behalf of his mother and the old lady in his family.

This also made him abandon the plan he had made last night. He had originally planned to buy the building where his grandfather now lived, but now he felt it was not appropriate, and he didn't know what kind of trouble it would cause in the future.

After staying another night at the old man's place, He Yuzhu left despite the old man and his second uncle's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay. When he left, he took a family photo of his maternal grandfather's family with him, and of course, he also wrote down the specific address of the place.

Although the old man didn't explicitly ask him to find a way to send his older sister and daughter to Hong Kong, He Yuzhu understood the meaning in his eyes: he couldn't make that decision on his own.

Ah Lang took him around for two more days, and He Yuzhu picked out several popular properties. The largest one, 5000 square feet (465 square meters), cost HK$350,000. The rest were smaller, costing a total of HK$1 million.

When he took out so much money to buy it, Ah Lang wasn't too surprised, after all, He Yuzhu had wiped out two gangs.

Then He Yuzhu entrusted him with a task: to recruit people to open the shop, and he also left him HK$500,000.

Ah Lang hesitated a bit, after all, he was still working for Mr. Huo. He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said that he would talk to Mr. Huo about it and see what he thought.

So they went to the Huo residence again. After He Yuzhu finished speaking, Mr. Huo considered it for a moment and agreed, and even asked Ah Feng to come and help.

He didn't even ask about the money. With He Yuzhu's great abilities, making some money was a piece of cake. As for where it came from, did it matter?

So He's shop started renovations and hiring. He Yuzhu couldn't interview the others, but he was very selective about the head chef. Those who couldn't find a suitable candidate naturally complained. He Yuzhu showed off his skills briefly and then slunk away.

It was only then that Ah Lang understood why He Yuzhu wanted to open a restaurant; he could manage the business himself.

In the midst of his busy schedule, another half month passed. He Yuzhu listened to the radio and read the newspaper every day, and he received a piece of news.

After the joint naval exercises with the British and other countries, the fleet will rest and refit in Hong Kong.

This news wasn't written directly from above; it was deduced by him. He even disguised himself and went to Victoria Harbour to investigate with binoculars. Indeed, a certain area was under martial law, which wasn't as strict as it used to be, even though there were troops stationed there.

When he went to look, he found something interesting, and he became interested in it.

When he got back, he looked through the newspaper ads to see where he could learn to scuba dive, and more importantly, where they sold diving equipment.

He actually found him, and then He Yuzhu told A Lang that he was going to take care of something and would be back in a few days, and then he disappeared.

Ah Lang didn't dare ask where he went, only saying that he would definitely do a good job of what He Yuzhu asked him to do.

He Yuzhu paid a hefty fee to a diving school, learned for three days, and graduated with a certificate.

Then he bought a diving suit and all the necessary equipment, and even bought several extra oxygen cylinders.

On a dark and stormy night, somewhere along the coast of Victoria Harbour, a daring man carrying an oxygen tank went into the sea. Not long after, two small cargo ships suddenly appeared on the surface of the water.

After diving for two kilometers in the sea, the guy surfaced and looked at the ships docked in the port with envy, but unfortunately his space was too small to hold them all.

After observing the surface of the sea for a while and confirming that there was no one on the target, He Yuzhu dived down again.

Upon reaching the target, He Yuzhu touched the colossal steel structure and mentally activated the command 'Collect'.

Unable to succeed, He surfaced, swam to shore, retrieved his diving gear, and, avoiding the lights and patrolling men, touched the large object he had been trying to retrieve.

As I climbed down the ladder, I heard someone below shout, "Who is there?"

"I"

Who are you?

With a "crack," the person who asked the question had their neck snapped.

"I am your ancestor!"

He continued searching the cabins, taking out five remaining guards along the way, collecting their bodies. After checking all the cabins and confirming they were empty, he quickly went out, put on his diving suit, and slid down the smooth outer shell into the sea. Once below, he touched the large vessel and silently said, "Collect."

The seawater surged, and he took advantage of the waves to dive down directly, heading back the way he came.

This time he swam even further, reaching a deserted shore before going ashore, taking out a bicycle, and pedaling away.

After dodging several patrol cars of police on the way, He Yuzhu finally returned to his residence, locked the door, took a hot shower, and lay on the bed to check the room.

The space is now completely full, with the big stuff we just stole taking up more than half of it.

The cigar-shaped steel structure exudes a metallic beauty.

He Yuzhu laughed silently. Now the British must be crying. They lost something like this and can't even tell anyone. It's too embarrassing. They can only hide at home and cry.

He Yuzhu tried to probe it with his consciousness, but he still couldn't figure out what kind of power this thing was. Anyway, the instruments were quite sophisticated, and the firepower system was quite powerful. Just by looking at the size of the torpedoes in the torpedo compartment, you could tell that they were quite powerful.

However, during a thorough search of the cabin, He Yuzhu made an unexpected discovery: the thing actually had an operating manual. After reading it, He Yuzhu was both excited and a little disappointed.

"It's actually powered by *power, we've hit the jackpot! But wait, there are no blueprints. With the current level of industrial development in China, it'll be difficult to reverse engineer this thing."

The next day, Hong Kong was under martial law, something that hadn't happened in many years. Ah Lang even went to check on things and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that He Yuzhu was safe and sound at home.

Going after gangsters is no big deal, but going after the British is a much bigger problem, one that can't be contained.

The martial law lasted for half a month, but the key point is that it was useless. Lost items could not be hidden in the city, and even getting them ashore was difficult.

The nearby waters have been searched countless times; they almost even brought in the biggest equipment.

Other countries asked the British, and the British said they were conducting exercises.

When asked what the exercise was about, the answer was that it was a maritime search and rescue exercise.

Then they asked, "Where are your big cigars?"

The answer was that they had gone to carry out a mission.

And then, that was it. The search continued, but to no avail.

He Yuzhu stayed in Hong Kong for over a month. His restaurant had already opened, and he had also opened a teahouse. He produced quite a lot of tea in his space, and he even hired a tea master to teach him how to make tea.

Then they started frantically turning fresh tea leaves into black tea, green tea, Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao, and Wuyi rock tea.

They also opened a gold shop, whose signboard featured a half-meter-tall gold Buddha. The rest of the jewelry consisted of the most fashionable pieces made by the goldsmiths they hired, who worked overtime to create them.

Ah Lang and Ah Feng even hired security guards, the kind who could be armed.

As for the fees that need to be paid, of course, they should be paid.

He Yuzhu doesn't have time to deal with those gangs now, because they have the police behind them, and even if he takes down one, another will grow back like leeks.

In addition, He Yuzhu also visited several banks, including Citibank, and visited their vaults under the pretext of storing valuables. However, he did not take any items because the time was too short.

However, he also figured it out himself. He couldn't even open that door that was several centimeters thick, let alone the fact that the walls were made of cement with steel plates sandwiched inside.

He didn't have time to wait for all the shops to open, so He Yuzhu left. He left behind 500,000 yuan and some gold as cash flow, and then boarded Mr. Huo's ship and returned to China with a bunch of property deeds, business licenses, and so on.

At his request, he boarded a ship bound for Tianjin and asked Mr. Huo to keep it a secret. Knowing that he was on a secret mission and that there must be other things going on, Mr. Huo immediately agreed.

The ship sailed north, and when it reached Shanghai, He Yuzhu disembarked. He took a moment to visit Mei Sheng's family and found that the mother and her children were barely making ends meet. He left two bags of cornmeal for Mei Sheng's wife to send to the Wu family elders.

After leaving the city, he rented a truck and drove north. When he arrived in Jiaozhou, he parked the truck and hitched a ride on a delivery truck bound for Qingdao.

After wandering around the north of the city, He Yuzhu threw a large cigar into a bay in Xiaogang one night. He didn't throw it directly to the navy for fear of scaring them. After all, doing something so big right under their noses would definitely get them in trouble later.

The next day, the big cigar was discovered by fishermen, who first reported it to the police, and then the bay was sealed off.

Bystanders were taken away for "education" and made to sign some kind of document.

He Yuzhu watched from a distance using binoculars, and left after he saw the large cigar being taken over.

Back in the city, he first went to Tuandao Island and bought a bunch of seafood, which was fresh and cheap. Then he bought a few pancakes and started his journey home.

We drove again, and the situation along the way was terrible. Shandong is a relatively suitable region for farming in the north, and if it's like this, you can imagine what it's like in other places.

Back outside Beijing, He Yuzhu parked his car, entered the city, took a bus to Jiaodaokou, and then leisurely returned to No. 95 Courtyard, carrying two backpacks.

The people in the courtyard had seen him come back carrying a big bag more than once or twice, and they were already used to it. However, they still couldn't hide the envy and jealousy in their eyes when they looked at He Yuzhu's backpack.

Upon entering the central courtyard, He Yuzhu first threw his bag into the east wing, then turned and went to the main room.

"Mom, I'm back."

"Zhu Zi, why are you back so late? Xiao Man has been back for a while now. Didn't you see her?"

"No, they had already left when I got there."

"Then why did you stay for so long?"

"I have other tasks."

"Oh."

"Big pot, did you bring any good food?"

"I brought it. Xiao Yan, have you been a good girl at home? If you're not, you won't get anything to eat."

"Big pot, I'm so pot, so pot."

"Okay, I understand. You'll be a good cook in the future."

"Big pot, what is a cook?"

"You'll know later."

"He's so young, and all you do is tease him," Chen Lanxiang said reproachfully.

"Madam, I have something I'd like to discuss with you both."

"Speaking to just the two of us? What's it about?"

　Thank you to readers Sangeng, Shu10096, and ***1505053 for their generous donations! Thank you for your support!

　　Regarding the update, I've tried my best. It's not that I don't want to update more frequently, but I don't have any drafts saved up. Writing 10,000 words a day often takes more than 8 hours, which is even more demanding than a regular job. Please understand!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)