Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Zhu Zi..." Chen Xueru's eyes were slightly red, her voice as soft as water, "Now only you can help me. I've looked around, Xu Huizhen made excuses, Fan Jinyou pretended to be stupid... no one dared to get involved, so in the end... I could only come to you."

"Aren't you usually quite good at handling people?" He Yuzhu sighed softly, his eyes darkening. "Alright, I understand what you mean—get the money back quietly without involving the police, right? It's not difficult, but you have to clean up the mess first. Don't let him report you and get you arrested right after I get the money back."

"It's all taken care of!" she hurriedly replied. "I burned the account books before I came, cutting off all evidence of transactions. There's absolutely no problem!"

Upon hearing this, the heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart for two days finally lifted. These past few days she had been like a headless fly, bumping into walls everywhere, almost in despair. But He Yuzhu was different. He might be young, but he was ruthless and resourceful; even the troublemakers at the steel mill respected him to some extent.

"Tell me, what's Liao Yucheng's background?" He Yuzhu leaned against the doorframe, his tone indifferent. "Where his family lives, where his ex-wife and children are, you know it all. Tell me everything. Leave the rest to me."

Chen Xueru immediately spilled the beans, telling Liao Yucheng everything, even details like his ex-wife and son living at No. 67 Nanluoguxiang.

After listening, He Yuzhu took out a bottle of his homemade calming medicinal wine from the cabinet and handed it to him: "Go back and get some sleep. I'm heading out to run some errands now. Shall I give you a ride?"

"Then... then I'll have to trouble you." Chen Xueru said softly, a hint of shyness flashing across her face. Since entering the room, she had been the one asking for favors and causing trouble, and she really felt a little guilty, so she quickly added, "After this is all over, I'll make you a dress by hand, and you can choose the fabric yourself."

"You think you can fob me off with just a piece of clothing?" He Yuzhu glanced at her, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "If someone else were collecting debts, they'd take 30% if they were kind, 50% if they were ruthless, and even more ruthless would skin you dry at 60% or 70%—and you think you can just fob me off with a piece of clothing?"

"Then...you can have anything you want!" Chen Xueru laughed through her tears, her tone becoming lively. "As long as the money comes back, whatever you say goes!"

Seeing his confident demeanor, a corner of the gloom in her heart finally dissipated. This man always kept his word; if he nodded, it was almost certainly going to happen.

He Yuzhu turned around and gave He Yushui a few instructions, telling her to cook for herself. Then he pushed his bicycle, picked up Chen Xueru, and prepared to leave.

Just as I left the hospital, I bumped into Xu Damao.

The moment that guy saw Chen Xueru, his eyes widened. This woman was voluptuous, dressed in a cheongsam, and exuded an air of wealth and elegance, far surpassing the demure beauty of Chunhua.

He swallowed hard, then asked with a lecherous grin, "Zhu Zi, who's this? Your new lover?"

"It's none of your business." He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids before riding off.

Xu Damao choked, his face turning red. He stood there and spat, "Pah! What's so great about that! I'm the only projectionist at the steel mill. Anyone who wants to watch a movie has to put up with my attitude!"

Last time, the factory manager from the brother factory came over, and we watched a movie before dinner. Li Huaide saw that Xu Damao was good at showing movies and had a smooth tongue, so he casually asked him to accompany him for drinks.

This really boosted Xu Damao's reputation. Before, he wouldn't have dared to challenge Liu Haizhong. Now things are different; even the deputy factory director has to invite him to a banquet. Who does Liu Haizhong think he is?

"If you don't tell Master Mao, he'll be powerless against you? Master Mao will investigate the rest himself..."

Chen Xueru's face just now really made him uneasy. Xu Damao thought about it and realized that he was now a regular projectionist, a cultured person, with a monthly salary of more than thirty yuan, and he was also allocated a large brick house.

With these conditions, getting a wife is a piece of cake.

The woman was beautiful, but Xu Damao felt he wasn't bad-looking either. With his silver tongue, if he really put his mind to it, he might be able to win her over.

The thought immediately crossed his mind, and he planned to have his mother inquire about it. But he was about to go to the countryside to show a movie and simply couldn't find the time.

"Da Mao".

Just as he was pushing his cart and preparing to leave, Jia Dongxu returned to the courtyard house, spotted him, and immediately called out to him.

"Hey, Dongxu, what's up?" Xu Damao greeted him with a smile. The two were practically brothers, their relationship was always very close. Besides, since Xu Fugui was gone, he felt much more at ease without anyone to keep him in check.

"It's nothing serious... I was just asking, will you still go there for drinks next time?" Jia Dongxu rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed.

Having tasted the flavors of food outside, even the most delicious home-cooked meals lose their appeal. Qin Huairu is beautiful, but after several years of marriage, the house is small, and she has to keep an eye on her mother, Jia Zhangshi, coughing behind the curtain next door when she does things. She feels constrained and can't relax at all.

It's a different story outside. Last night's events were so varied that he's still reminiscing about them.

Xu Damao laughed as soon as he heard this: "Brother Dongxu, you're craving it? Okay, but not recently—I have to go to the countryside to show films tomorrow, it'll be at least five days."

His pockets were almost empty. If he really wanted to satisfy his craving, he could only go to the countryside to find some cheap young widows to make do with. Although they weren't very attractive, they could have sex with him several times a night.

"Then...when will you be back?" Jia Dongxu asked anxiously.

"About five days. I'll come find you when I get back, and you'll treat me to a drink then." Xu Damao grinned. Why not take a free drink? Besides, he'd spent a lot of money last night trying to shut Jia Dongxu up, almost emptying his savings. He'd have to go back to his mother's place and scrape some more before leaving.

"Dongxu, come in quickly since you're back!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Huairu came out of the house and called out to Jia Dongxu. She had just caught a glimpse of the two of them together through the window, and her heart skipped a beat—this Xu Damao was no good; she didn't want him to lead her man astray.

Others might not know, but she certainly did. Last night, Jia Dongxu reeked of cheap perfume and had scratches on his neck; it was obvious he had been to that kind of place.

If it weren't for her family's lack of support in the city, her rural background, and the burden of having two children, she would have already caused a huge uproar.

Xu Damao caught a glimpse of Qin Huairu and winked at Jia Dongxu: "Brother Dongxu, your wife is calling you. Go back quickly. I'm going to rest too."

Jia Dongxu was stopped in public and felt embarrassed. He gave a stiff "hmm" in front of Xu Damao.

After Xu Damao left, his face immediately darkened. He walked up to Qin Huairu and growled, "What are you shouting for! Don't call me that outside anymore. Don't you know any manners?!"

Qin Huairu said, looking aggrieved, "I was just worried you'd be corrupted by Xu Damao... Dongxu, please stop hanging out with him..."

"Who I associate with is none of your business! Just take care of your family! Don't you even think about who's earning money to support the family!"

After saying this, Jia Dongxu glared at her fiercely, then turned and went inside.

Qin Huairu stood there, her heart clenching, her eyes welling up with tears, but she still bit her lip and silently went back to her room to cook.

He Yuzhu escorted Chen Xueru home and turned to find someone to handle the matter. He had only taken a few steps when a soft call came from behind:

"Pillar, be careful, don't overdo it..."

"Alright, why are you still worrying about me? Go back and get some rest."

He Yuzhu uttered a harsh remark, jumped onto his car, and rode away after a couple of pedals.

He had connections and a knack for finding people. His first stop was Master Zhang—his mentor who had taught him martial arts years ago. In his early years, Master Zhang had many disciples, some of whom rose to prominence, while others fell into disgrace. The truly influential ones mostly operated in the gray areas of law and order, and were extremely well-informed. For getting things done in the shadows, they were the easiest and most discreet option, without getting his hands dirty.

Upon arriving at Master Zhang's residence, he took out a bottle of medicinal wine from his spatial storage, carried it with him, and explained his purpose.

After listening, Master Zhang sighed deeply and remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Zhu Zi, I haven't seen this apprentice for several years... If he's not easy to talk to, then forget it. I'll ask someone else for you."

He knew He Yuzhu's current status—the director of the steel mill's canteen, a respectable person. Compared to them, seasoned veterans, He Yuzhu was like precious porcelain, someone they wouldn't dare touch.

"Don't worry, Master, I won't force you," He Yuzhu replied with a smile.

He turned around, got on his bike, and headed straight for the address Master Zhang had given him. Before leaving, he picked up a few pounds of braised pork and two bottles of Xifeng liquor as a small gift.

The place was a traditional courtyard house, located on the outer edge of Beijing, in a less-than-ideal location, but with strict rules. After knocking on the door and announcing Master Zhang's name, someone immediately led him inside.

A feast was being held in the main house, with seven or eight men sitting around eating and drinking. A group of people stood outside, each with sharp eyes. The man at the head of the table looked up and asked directly, "You...were you introduced by my master?"

"Greetings, Senior Brother Li. I am He Yuzhu, who joined the sect two years ago. I am here today on Master's orders." He Yuzhu replied with a smile, casually placing the braised meat and wine on the table.

Li Wangcai glanced at it, a smile playing on his lips: "Junior brother, you're too kind. I've been so busy with work these past few years that I haven't had a chance to visit Master. I wonder if he's still in good health?"

"Still in good shape, I can down half a jin of baijiu without breaking a sweat." He Yuzhu smiled, then changed the subject, "Senior brother, to be honest, a friend of mine had some money stolen from him. I heard you have a wide network of contacts here, could you help me find the thief and make him return the money? My friend is willing to offer two hundred yuan as a reward."

Two hundred yuan, just to recover a lost sum of money, is an astronomical sum these days. Li Wangcai and his group usually run errands, collect goods, and maintain the pigeon market; they only earn that much at the end of the month. Now, they can get their entire month's income just by talking—it's practically free money.

But Li Wangcai, the fact that he changed his name from "Wangcai" to "Wangcai" shows how obsessed he is with money. Upon hearing this, my eyelids twitched and my heart immediately started racing.

He feigned seriousness, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Junior brother, according to the old rules of our line of work, we take 30% of the debt..."

"Alright, senior brother," He Yuzhu immediately smiled, stood up and clasped his hands in greeting, "Even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms and seek cooperation another day."