Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 338 Family Mobilization

The He family was in complete chaos regarding the matter in Beijing.

The old lady and Mr. Chen were running around in circles, making preparations for this and that, as if they were about to move house.

When He Yuzhu returned home and saw this scene, he advised, "Madam, Grandpa, Beijing has everything. Why bring so much stuff? Just bring your personal clothes."

"You little rascal, you're always lying to this old woman. We've already asked Yuxin when he called, and he says they have plenty here but not there," the old lady said.

“I can have someone transport it over, why do I have to bring it myself?” He Yuzhu said helplessly.

"We're just used to using them," the old lady said.

“Then we don’t need to bring them ourselves. You guys make a list, and I’ll have someone deliver them to us,” He Yuzhu said.

"Hey, I'm getting senile. Daqing and Lanxiang, no need to bother with them. It's definitely inconvenient to carry these things on the road. Just pack your personal belongings."

Upon hearing this, the two breathed a sigh of relief. The person had already gone, but whether or not they would deliver the gifts was another matter. The things the old lady had specifically requested were really difficult to bring, such as a rocking chair, bedding, and even a TV series and a radio.

No matter how the two tried to persuade her, she wouldn't listen and insisted that she didn't need to spend the money twice. Judging from her attitude, the old lady had no intention of coming back.

What's even more upsetting is that Grandpa Chen also joined in the commotion, wanting to bring his own things, implying that he wanted to stay with his older sister indefinitely.

During this time, He Yuzhu's second uncle also came to visit. His martial arts school basically no longer accepts apprentices, and only the pharmacy is still operating. The second uncle also wanted to go back and take a look, but his aunt did not want to go back. Her relatives are all from Guangdong Province, and now they are mostly in Hong Kong.

Needless to say, the younger generation of the Chen family were unwilling to return.

After dissuading the old lady and Mr. Chen from their fussing, the He family held a family meeting and decided who would go back.

The old lady, Mr. Chen, He Daqing, Chen Lanxiang, He Yuzhu's second uncle, Xiaoman, He Yaozu, He Yaozong, and He Ningxue.

As for He Yushui, she's pregnant now and can stay home to look after the house without any objection from her. It seems like she doesn't have anyone in Beijing she cares about.

Wang Cuiping and her family also came over. They didn't want to go back. As for Wang Siyu, she was competing with He Yushui. She was also heavily pregnant and said she wanted to move over to watch the house with He Yushui.

He Yuyao was also brought back and asked to stay at home for a while, which he did not object to.

Then He Yuzhu convened a meeting with the group's senior management. This was the first time that both he and Xiaoman were absent at the same time, so he had to say something.

A Lang, Gu Yuanheng, Xian Xingyao, Wilson, and others were all present, along with Lou Xiao'e and some newly appointed high-ranking officials. Bai Yifeng and Shi Bin were attending the meeting again after a long hiatus, which put pressure on the others, as these two were in charge of military affairs.

Of course, others may not know this, and He Yuzhu will not explain.

At the meeting, everyone expressed their determination to do their jobs well. He Yuzhu simply nodded. Huang He's business in Hong Kong is very stable now and there is no way to break through for the time being. The only thing to guard against is those competitors. He Yuzhu also told the core members that if they encounter any problems, they can call He Yuxin, because he didn't know the phone number before.

Several days passed like this. The old lady counted the days on her fingers every day and asked He Yuzhu about it once a day, for fear that he was being lied to.

Finally, the night before departure arrived, and the old lady and Mr. Chen had insomnia. The lights in the He family's living room stayed on all night. At first, it was just the old lady and Mr. Chen, but later more people came, including He Daqing, Chen Lanxiang, and He Yuzhu's second uncle. When the servants saw that the master and mistress of the house were all up, they also started to get busy, boiling water, serving tea, preparing breakfast, and so on.

Xiaoman hadn't slept soundly either, but He Yuzhu didn't let her go down to join the fun. Xiaoman went down, and he had to go down too; his ears were practically calloused from hearing it so much these past few days.

The younger children hadn't slept well either, and since they'd never been on a long trip before, they were naturally very excited.

The He family villa started to get lively at six o'clock in the morning. Everyone came down, and a row of cars were parked outside.

The items were loaded onto the truck last night. After breakfast, the elders gave He Yushui and Wang Siyu a lot of advice, and then pulled He Yuyao over for another round of advice. Finally, Chen Lanxiang even called Wang Cuiping and asked her to move in. She was still worried, so what could Wang Cuiping say? Of course, she agreed.

The convoy was led and escorted by Bai Yifeng and went directly to the border crossing in the North New Territories, while He Yuzhu took a car in another direction and went to Tseung Kwan O.

This was all agreed upon beforehand, so my family didn't ask.

Crossing the border from Hong Kong is much simpler than crossing into the mainland; all you need is your Home Return Permit.

After crossing the border, Xu Damao naturally came to pick them up, along with a convoy. He was responsible for taking everyone to the train station. He Yuzhu had also asked him if he wanted to go back to Beijing. The kid wanted to go back and show off, but He Yuxin wasn't there, so he had to stay here.

"Da Mao, you've gotten so dark and thin," said the old lady upon seeing Xu Da Mao.

"Madam, I haven't lost weight, I've definitely gotten darker," Xu Damao said with a smile.

Are you tired here?

"Fortunately!"

Where are we going next?

"I'll put you on the train; the roads here aren't safe."

"Oh, aren't you going back with us?" He Daqing asked.

"I won't go back to Master this time. Maybe there will be another opportunity in the future," Xu Damao said.

"Okay, I'll take my parents, wife, and kids back to visit sometime when I have the chance."

"it is good."

When He Yuzhu arrived in Huacheng, his family was still on the train. He had already arranged for cars here; Lao Fang had someone borrow them. Otherwise, Liao Wei couldn't have gotten so many cars. He didn't want to trouble the people in Guangdong Province; it was too much trouble. Why make such a big fuss when he went home?

The family arrived in Huacheng in the afternoon. After picking everyone up, He Yuzhu took them out for a meal and then headed to the airport.

The plane tickets were booked in advance, and it took quite a bit of effort to get on the plane. Checking in all my luggage took a long time.

Except for He Yuzhu, everyone else was flying for the first time and had all sorts of worries until the plane took off.

It was already evening when the plane landed in Beijing. He Yuxin and Wang Hongxia were eagerly waiting in the airport's arrival hall.

Upon recognizing He Yuxin, Chen Lanxiang waved her arms repeatedly. When she saw Wang Hongxia, she ran a few steps quickly. The two sisters embraced and burst into tears. It had been almost twenty years.

"Aunt Xia, what brings you here?" He Yuzhu asked as he walked over.

"Why can't I come? I'm not here to pick you up, I'm here to pick up my older sister," Wang Hongxia said irritably.

"Come here and call everyone!" He Yuzhu waved to his children.

"Hello, Grandma Wang!" He Yaozu, He Yaozong, He Ningxue and the others stepped forward.

"Okay, okay, okay!"

"Hello, Director Wang!" He Daqing also came over to greet him.

“I’m not the director anymore!” Wang Hongxia said.

"Ahhh!"

"That's nonsense. Hongxia is the district head of Dongcheng District now," Chen Lanxiang said.

"Ah, Zhuzi didn't say anything either."

"I just didn't tell you," Chen Lanxiang said.

He Daqing glared at He Yuzhu, who shrugged, saying it wasn't his fault.

"Let's go, the restaurant is all booked, Quanjude, let's go eat first," Wang Hongxia said.

"How could I let you spend money?" Chen Lanxiang said.

“You’ve come all this way, what’s wrong with having a meal together?” Wang Hongxia said.

Chen Lanxiang looked at He Yuzhu, and He Yuzhu nodded.

"Let's go then, let's see if Quanjude has changed," Chen Lanxiang said.

“That’s right,” Wang Hongxia said with a smile.

There were several cars waiting outside the airport. Apart from He Yuxin's car, they were all borrowed from the Sijiucheng Automobile Factory, along with the drivers.

On the way from the airport into the city, the old lady kept looking out the car window, feeling a mix of trepidation and longing as she approached home.

Upon entering the city, the convoy did not go to Quanjude first, but instead drove to Nanluoguxiang. As soon as they entered the street, the old lady burst into tears, as did Chen Lanxiang.

He Daqing was alright, but Old Master Chen asked a few questions, "Where are we now?"

“Dad, you’ve forgotten, we used to live on this street,” He Daqing reminded him.

"This, this..." Old Master Chen recalled when he sent his daughter here, but so much time had passed that he really couldn't recognize her.

It wasn't until they passed the gate of No. 95 courtyard that the old man said, "Is this it?"

“Yes,” He Daqing said in a muffled voice.

Because the mother and daughter were still crying in each other's arms, there were too many memories here. He Yuxin, who was driving, just drove quietly. He didn't know how to comfort them. Of course, he wouldn't stop the car, because He Yuzhu had told him to just take a look and wait until they were settled before talking to them.

In another car, Xiaoman was introducing things to several children, but she didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

When the car arrived at the "He Residence", the old lady was helped out of the car by He Yuxin and put into a wheelchair. Looking at the grand gate with its bright red lanterns, the old lady was stunned at first, because it reminded her of when she first moved into the courtyard house. At that time, No. 95 Courtyard was a relatively new courtyard house, and the grand gate was just as impressive, with red lanterns hanging on it as well. Only then did a smile appear on her tear-streaked face.

"Yuxin, is this our home?"

"Yes, madam, this is our new home in Beijing. Let me push you inside to take a look."

"well!"

He Yuxin first opened the door, then moved the threshold aside, and turned back to push the old lady into the yard. The yard was brightly lit, probably because the lights hadn't been turned off when she left, and some colored lights had been put up, making it look even more festive.

"Dad, is this the courtyard house?" After getting out of the car, He Ningxue linked arms with He Yuzhu and pointed to the Guangliang gate with the other.

"Yes, a courtyard house."

"It looks really big in the photos."

"It's not small."

"Let's go in and take a look. I need to choose a room, otherwise the good rooms will be taken by my older brothers." He Ningxue pulled He Yuzhu and walked into the room.

The two sons got out of the car and went to help Grandpa Chen. He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Choose a room? Forget about it. There are rules about where you stay here." "Ah, then where can I stay?"

"You'll have to live in the backyard then," He Yuzhu said with a laugh.

"Why? Where will my brother and the others live?"

"They, in the central courtyard, each have their own private room."

"Am I also in a side room? What is a side room?"

“Look, this is the side room. You’ll stay in the back room, next to your wife,” He Yuzhu said, pointing to the side room in the first courtyard.

What is the rear enclosure?

"You'll know in a minute."

"."

He Ningxue kept asking questions the whole way, and He Yuzhu patiently explained.

To be honest, although the courtyard is not small, it would still be a bit cramped if the whole He family came back to live there.

The current head of the family is He Yuzhu, so the main house in the middle courtyard is definitely his. Each of his two sons has a side room, and the side rooms have been converted into studies.

As for He Yuxin, he is still staying in a hotel. There is no phone here. If he wants to stay, he can only stay in the front yard. This yard has one less row of back rooms than the No. 95 yard, so the others can only stay in the front yard and the passageway room.

As for the backyard, the old lady has a room in the back, He Ningxue also has a room, He Daqing and his wife have a room in the east wing, Old Master Chen lives in the west wing, and Chen's second uncle also temporarily lives in the west wing.

These were all arranged by the elders before they came back. He Yuzhu didn't even have a say in it, but the old lady insisted on dividing them according to old customs.

After walking around the courtyard, everyone was very satisfied. It was decorated in an antique style, with all the necessary furniture, bedding, and stoves, showing that the person who cleaned the house had put a lot of effort into it.

Of course, He Yuxin put his heart into it, but he didn't know how, so he had to ask someone for help. Fortunately, Manager Li was a knowledgeable person and arranged things quite well.

After putting down their luggage and leaving the courtyard, the group went to Quanjude, where Zhao Zhenhua and Zhao Shenglin were already waiting.

Inside the private room at Quanjude, the two large round tables were packed full.

The aroma of roast duck mingled with laughter, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.

Wang Hongxia, holding Chen Lanxiang's hand, said with a smile, "Sister Lanxiang, you should stay here for a while this time. It's been almost twenty years since you left. Come back and see how things have changed in Beijing."

“We older folks aren’t in a hurry to leave this time, but Yaozu and the others can’t; they need to go back to school,” Chen Lanxiang said.

"That's good. I usually have no one to chat with when I'm free, but now I have a place to go," Wang Hongxia said.

"I couldn't be happier. By the way, Yuxin has troubled you quite a bit since she came back, and there's also the matter of the house."

"Hey! Don't be so formal!" Wang Hongxia interrupted her.

At this moment, He Yuzhu raised his glass, "Come on, let's drink to our reunion and to our ever-improving lives!"

"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses, and even some children joined in with their sodas.

When He Daqing learned that Zhao Zhenhua had taken over the Sijiucheng Automobile Factory, he pulled Zhao Zhenhua up, since Old Zhao wasn't around.

"Zhenhua, I heard you're the factory manager now? Not bad, kid!" He Daqing patted Zhao Zhenhua on the shoulder.

"Uncle He, please don't be so modest. My brother Zhu is a former factory director," Zhao Zhenhua said with a smile.

“That’s all ancient history,” He Daqing said.

"Compared to Brother Yuzhu, I, a newcomer, am far inferior."

“Everyone has their own way!” He Daqing waved his hand.

Zhao Shenglin and Xiaoman were chatting enthusiastically. Since the Zhao family's children were all younger than He Yaozu and his family, He Yaozu was basically the one leading the conversation at that table.

Watching the children chattering away, the elderly people all wore smiles of contentment.

The old lady took a bite of the duck skin Xiaoman had rolled up and nodded: "It tastes the same, it hasn't changed."

As for the duck meat, she couldn't chew it, even with dentures it was difficult.

Grandpa Chen also tried it: "Hmm, it's quite good, it's just as good as Cantonese roast duck."

The meal lasted until the roast duck restaurant was about to close. All the adults, regardless of gender, were quite tipsy, except for He Yuzhu.

When it came time to pay the bill, Wang Hongxia asked Zhao Zhenhua to do it, but the receptionist told her that the bill had already been settled. Upon further inquiry, she learned that He Yuxin had left the table midway to pay the bill.

Wang Hongxia complained, but He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Aunt Xia, this meal is to thank you for your care and help. You can treat us again when you have the chance. It would be best if you could wait until my Uncle Zhao comes back and beat up his nouveau riche."

“Okay, it’s settled then. When your Uncle Zhao comes back, we’ll beat up Old Zhao’s rich guy.” Wang Hongxia said with a smile.

After another round of pleasantries, Wang Hongxia and her family said goodbye and left.

The He family members returned to their house in Nanluoguxiang by car.

Upon entering the courtyard, He Yuzhu first escorted the old lady back to the back room. The old lady had long since given up, but she was stubbornly holding on.

The others were also sent back to their rooms by the younger ones; as for taking a shower, they didn't have time for that now.

After escorting the elderly back to their room, He Yuzhu said to the younger children, "Alright, you've all had a long day, go to sleep early."

"Then let's go back inside, Dad."

"Ah."

"Yuxin, where do you live?"

"I was planning to go back to the hotel, but now I'm too lazy to go."

"Then go find a room in the front yard to sleep in. Anyway, you're the one who takes care of it, so you know which room is the best."

"They're pretty much the same," He Yuxin said with a smile.

"Go ahead, you'll probably be busy tomorrow."

"it is good."

After everyone returned to their rooms, He Yuzhu also entered the main room of the central courtyard.

Of course, everything used in the main house is the best for you. Xiaoman is currently inspecting her territory.

"How is it? Are you satisfied?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

"Of course I'm satisfied. Yuxin really went to great lengths." Xiaoman stroked the rosewood dressing table.

"I'm glad you're satisfied. You might be staying here for a while longer, so please take care of things at home."

"You don't live at home?"

"I'll stay here, but I need to go out and take care of some things."

"Is it dangerous?" Xiaoman asked with some concern.

"Don't worry, it's all business." He Yuzhu patted her hand reassuringly.

"Another big project?"

"It depends on the specifics. I'll let you know once it's decided."

"it is good."

"You've had a long day, go wash up and go to bed."

"Okay, I'll go get some water to wash my feet."

The next morning, the He family's new house became lively.

As expected, He Daqing went into the kitchen early in the morning, and Chen Lanxiang led the children to pack their luggage.

The old lady and Mr. Chen sat on the veranda, watching their children and grandchildren busy at work, their faces beaming with contentment.

After breakfast, He Yuzhu made an excuse to go out and run some errands, and left the house.

No one paid him any attention. They returned to Beijing and could go anywhere without him.

He Yuzhu first went to see the people under Lao Bai. They were arranged to stay in a guesthouse. Staying in a hotel would be too conspicuous, and besides, these people did not get in through proper channels.

He had barely arrived and hadn't even exchanged a few words with his subordinates when Old Fang arrived right after him.

"Uncle Fang." He Yuzhu greeted Old Fang, then his gaze swept over the unfamiliar middle-aged man behind Old Fang, and his brows furrowed.

"Zhu Zi, don't worry, this is the son of my old comrade-in-arms, Sun Jianguo from the Cultural Relics Bureau, one of the people in charge of this operation. Jianguo, this is Comrade He Yuzhu."

“Mr. He, I’ve long admired your name.” Sun Jianguo extended his hand.

"Comrade Sun, hello." He Yuzhu shook hands with him.

"Shall we just get straight to the mission?" Old Fang said.

“Sure, I need more detailed information, especially about the ‘patron’ and the target artifacts,” He Yuzhu said.

Sun Jianguo meticulously retrieved a folder from his briefcase: "This is all the information we have so far. The suspect's codename is 'Pixiu,' and he's believed to be a middleman in Hong Kong. According to procedure, we need to report the operation plan to our superiors first, and then..."

“Wait,” He Yuzhu interrupted him, “How much real information do you have about Pixiu right now? For example, his trading habits, his usual contacts, and his recent activity patterns?”

(End of this chapter)