Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Don't touch my parents!

"Heh, it's best if you don't say anything. If you dare to let it slip, don't come looking for me again. I can't afford to mess with you," He Yuzhu said coldly.

"Brother Zhu, I promise I won't tell! You absolutely can't leave me out of the game!" Xu Damao said, then pounced on He Yuzhu and hugged him.

The little head kept rubbing against him.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you out, okay? But once we're out, you have to do whatever I say and don't say a word."

"Otherwise, I'll send you home right now and never take you out to play again."

"I understand!" Seeing He Yuzhu's serious expression, Xu Damao nodded his head vigorously and agreed earnestly.

"Mom, give me some money to spend." Seeing Xu Damao obediently agree, He Yuzhu immediately put on a playful and ingratiating expression and said to Chen Shuxiang.

"Don't you know how much money you have?"

"Hehe, I've always known this."

"Alright, stop joking around. Here's five silver dollars." Chen Shuxiang said, reaching out and pulling out five silver dollars, which she handed to He Yuzhu.

Xu Damao stared wide-eyed at the sight—five silver dollars, that's a huge sum of money!

The New Year's money he usually saved up was only a small silver coin.

When he looked at He Yuzhu again, his eyes seemed to be sparkling, and his gaze was fixed on the spot where He Yuzhu put the money in his pocket.

That's enough to buy so many delicious snacks and trinkets...

He Yuzhu could tell what the kid was up to as soon as he saw his greedy look, so he reached out and gave him a sharp flick on the forehead.

"Hey, Brother Zhu, why are you flicking me for no reason?"

"Looking at you, you'd better just stay home—as if you're afraid no one will know I have money on me, huh?"

"I...I've never seen so much money before...I'm not looking anymore. After I leave, I'll do whatever Brother Zhu says." Xu Damao said with a hint of grievance.

"Alright, come with me." He Yuzhu reached out and pulled the bewildered Xu Damao, leading him straight into the kitchen.

He grabbed a handful of coal ash and smeared it on Xu Damao's face without saying a word.

Then he rubbed his hands haphazardly on his clothes and hat a few more times.

A dirty, disheveled little beggar immediately appeared before them.

After doing all that, He Yuzhu smeared a few streaks of coal ash on his face.

All that effort I just put into washing my face has been wasted.

When He Yuzhu led Xu Damao into the inner room.

Chen Shuxiang stared at Xu Damao for a long time, almost failing to recognize him.

"Zhu'er, how did you end up like this with Da Mao?" Chen Shuxiang couldn't help but ask.

"That way you won't attract attention when you go out. There are people fleeing famine everywhere these days," He Yuzhu explained casually.

"Are you really just going out to buy groceries?" Chen Shuxiang asked again, still not entirely convinced.

"I just went out for a casual stroll and wandered around." He Yuzhu wasn't embarrassed at all even though his thoughts had been exposed.

"You must be back before lunch. The family is waiting for you to cook." Chen Shuxiang knew that if the child really wanted to run away, she wouldn't be able to stop him.

If Xu Damao were to sneak out with him again, that would be a huge problem.

It would be better to let them go out openly and honestly, so that I can feel more at ease.

"Mother, we'll be going now," He Yuzhu said.

"Go on, go on, but don't go too far. Be sure to stay far away from places where Japanese devils roam," Chen Shuxiang instructed again and again.

"Okay, Mother, we're off now!"

"Goodbye, Auntie," Xu Damao said politely.

As soon as he finished speaking, he obediently followed behind He Yuzhu and walked towards the door together.

Zhang and Jia Dongxu were not guarding the door today.

The mother and son were wrapped in thick quilts, huddled on the kang (a heated brick bed), staring at each other blankly.

The two boys walked out of the gate smoothly and without any hindrance.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, Xu Damao couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Zhu, where are we going?"

He Yuzhu replied softly, "I'll take you to a good place. Just follow me."

"Just talk less on the road and pay close attention to your surroundings."

"Oh!" Xu Damao obediently replied, not daring to ask any more questions.

He simply gripped He Yuzhu's clothes tightly, following closely behind without leaving his side.

Immediately afterwards, the two boys strolled leisurely southward.

The further you walk, the more pedestrians there are on the road.

Xu Damao wanted to ask about the destination several times, but he swallowed his words back in the end.

His small hand, which had been clutching the hem of his clothes, was now being held tightly in He Yuzhu's hand.

Along the street, there were many other children of similar age to them.

Holding a tattered bowl, he begged for a living along the street.

Xu Damao lowered his head and glanced at his clothes.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Brother Zhu, aren't we still missing a broken bowl?"

"Hurry up and go, do you really want to be a beggar?" He Yuzhu said with a helpless laugh, pulling him along as they continued walking forward.

It took about half an hour to walk.

Xu Damao gently tugged at He Yuzhu's hand and whispered, "Brother Zhu, I feel like I've been here before."

"Isn't this Wangfujing?"

"You've been here before?" He Yuzhu asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, my dad brought me here once before, and we even ate half a roast duck from Quanjude here." As he said this, Xu Damao subconsciously swallowed.

"When I'm rich in the future, I'll bring you here to eat too, and we'll eat a whole one." He Yuzhu reached out and gently patted the top of his head.

"Really?" Xu Damao's eyes lit up instantly, full of anticipation.

"When have I ever lied to you? But there's a condition: you have to behave yourself first," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"I'll be good, I promise!" Xu Damao quickly promised.

"Brother Zhu, if you say go east, I will never go west; if you say catch a dog, I will never chase a chicken."

"You're quite the smooth talker, you have such a smooth tongue, who taught you all of that?" He Yuzhu couldn't help but tease.

"Hehe." Xu Damao just smiled sheepishly and didn't answer.

"Alright, there are too many people and too many eyes in front, so just keep quiet."

"We can't go into those big shops anyway. If you see any snacks you want to eat on the way, just gently hold my hand," He Yuzhu carefully instructed.

"Okay!" Xu Damao happily agreed.

The two teenagers stepped onto Wangfujing Street.

Xu Damao's eyes were immediately overwhelmed; he looked around so much he couldn't take it all in.

He's never traveled far from home in all his years.

Even if I had been here once before, it was when I was just old enough to remember, and I had long forgotten about it.

To be honest, even He Yuzhu himself was a little dazzled by what he saw.

The Dong'an Market area is mostly comprised of small stalls and vendors.

But here, all the shops are old-established businesses and foreign firms—proper and respectable establishments.

The people coming and going on the street are all different and diverse.

There were scholars dressed in long gowns and top hats.

A respectable person dressed in a suit and leather shoes.

There were also young people dressed in school uniforms, men and women in cheongsams and mandarin jackets, and all kinds of clothing.

Rickshaws weaved nimbly through the crowd.

The drivers, dressed in tattered clothes, ran forward with all their might.

The bus was filled with all sorts of passengers.

The sounds of horses' hooves, wheels rolling, vendors' shouts, and passersby's laughter mingled together.

They combined to form a unique and lively symphony of everyday life.

He Yuzhu quickly composed himself and subtly turned his gaze toward the "Mitsui & Co." building not far away.

He had noticed the foreign firm as soon as he entered from the intersection.

He pretended to be nonchalant and lingered for a few more seconds in front of the trading company.

Perhaps because it was still early, there weren't many people coming in or out of the trading company.

After observing for a moment, He Yuzhu took Xu Damao's hand and continued walking forward.

He Yuzhu glanced up and looked at the shop opposite "Mitsui & Co." and found that it was actually an elegant teahouse.

He secretly planned to first stroll through the entire street, and then, if he could find a teahouse on his way back, he would go in and sit for a while.

If it's really inconvenient to go in, just stay nearby for a while and take the opportunity to observe the surroundings.

The two walked a little further when He Yuzhu suddenly felt his hand being gripped tightly.

It turned out that Xu Damao suddenly stopped and wouldn't move forward another step.

The boy was staring longingly at a vendor selling candied hawthorns by the roadside, his mouth practically drooling.

"Want some candied hawthorns?" He Yuzhu asked softly, lowering his voice.

"Yes!" Xu Damao nodded vigorously, his eyes full of longing.

"Come on, I'll take you to buy it right away," He Yuzhu said with a smile, his tone very cheerful.

"Really?" Xu Damao asked in surprise, hardly believing his ears.

"How could it be fake? When have I ever lied to you?" He Yuzhu replied confidently.

The two brothers walked one after the other to the vendor's stall selling candied hawthorns.

The vendor looked them up and down, and when he saw Xu Damao, who was covered in dirt, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Do you two little ones have any money on you? I'm not giving away these candied hawthorns for free," the vendor said with a hint of disdain.

"How much is a skewer of candied hawthorns?" He Yuzhu asked neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Three coins a string, not a single coin less," the vendor announced the price crisply.

"Two skewers, please. Pick the biggest and plumpest ones." He Yuzhu pretended to be an expert as he rummaged through his clothes for a while.

He then took out a silver coin and handed it to the vendor.

"Alright! Please wait a moment, young guests!" No businessperson would turn away customers who come to them.