Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 106 The Report Letter, Go for it! (I revised it, but I couldn't stop, so I'll stop here to avoid being accused of ending the chapter abruptly.)

When he was almost home and looked around to make sure no one was there, he took out a large burlap sack, tied it to the back seat, and put a clock inside.

Then I found a small bag, put the rest of the things in it, hung it on the handlebars, and pushed the bike home.

He Yuzhu was spotted by Jia Zhangshi as he entered the courtyard. She approached him, and before she could speak, He Yuzhu had already pushed the cart through the hanging flower gate.

He Yuzhu didn't even bother to glance at Jia Zhangshi; that old woman was like a piece of chewing gum, sticky and persistent.

"You ill-mannered brat, I don't know where you've been stealing things, sneaking around like that!" Jia Zhangshi started cursing behind him, sniffing, though her voice wasn't loud; she could smell the delicious aroma.

As he entered the courtyard, Li Guihua was washing things outside. He called out, "Hello, Aunt Li!"

These words startled Li Guihua, but she forced a normal smile and replied, "Zhuzi is back!"

She had almost forgotten how to laugh. After saying that, she picked up the unwashed dishes and went back to her room, where low sobs could be heard.

"Zhu Zi, you got it all back so quickly? What's that up ahead?" Chen Lanxiang went out after hearing the noise outside and saw He Yuzhu parking the car. She knew what the big sack was when she saw it, but the one in front was clearly not what she was going to buy today.

"Mom, let's go inside and talk. Please take this in first." He Yuzhu took the bag off the handlebars and handed it to her.

"Okay, ouch, that's not light at all. Why does it smell like roast duck?"

"Hehe, you'll know once you go inside and open it yourself."

"This fish is really big, it must weigh over five pounds! You, you just know how to waste money!" Chen Lanxiang scolded as she took out the fish. Apart from the roast duck, she was used to the rest of the food. When He Yuzhu was home, these things were usually available, although they were mostly dried before.

"It weighs a little over seven pounds. I just happened to be selling it in town, so it didn't fetch much money," He Yuzhu replied, then unloaded the sack from the back seat and carried it inside.

"No one cares when you enter the city now? Put it down gently, put it down gently!" Chen Lanxiang was taking things out of her small bag when she saw him taking the clock and hurriedly said, afraid that the clock inside would be knocked or bumped.

"It should be okay to go in, but I didn't ask for specifics. Mom, this thing is sturdy, it won't get bumped or knocked over."

"Oh, then I'll ask around later. It's not that I'm not afraid, but it'll look good even if it gets bumped or bruised, since it's displayed for all to see," Chen Lanxiang said.

"I understand, I'll put it down gently!" He Yuzhu gently placed the sack in the corner, then turned to go wash his hands.

"After you finish washing the duck, slice it up. I'll go fetch the old lady. Don't you dare secretly feed the little ones. Look how fat your sister has become! She's such a little glutton."

"I know!" He Yuzhu chuckled to himself, thinking, "That's because you spoiled them, and now you regret it."

He Yushui, who had come over with Wang Cuiping, Xiaoman, Xu Damao, and Xu Xiaohui after hearing the commotion, overheard this and called out in dissatisfaction, "Mother!"

"Pillar." Chen Lanxiang ignored He Yushui and called out to He Yuzhu directly.

"I know, Mom, don't worry."

After Chen Lanxiang passed through the moon gate in the backyard, He Yushui ran home with her short legs.

"Brother, brother, what delicious food did you buy? Let me have some first."

"You'd better wait patiently for your meal; I wouldn't dare let you eat first," He Yuzhu said with a laugh.

He Yushui, affectionately nicknamed "Sister Xiaoman," hugged Xiaoman again.

"It's no use you coming to me; my word doesn't count."

"Aunt Wang." He Yushui could already smell the roast duck.

"You'd better just wait for dinner," Wang Cuiping said, gently pinching her nose.

"Okay!" He Yushui sat obediently on the kang with her head drooping and waited.

As for Xu Damao and Xu Xiaohui, since things are peaceful outside and Zhao Cuifeng has gone to work at the Lou family's house, the two siblings usually eat lunch at the He family's house now, and of course, Xu Fugui will pay for their meals.

The couple would also occasionally send some nice things to the He family, mostly rare items not commonly seen on the market. The origin, of course, was the Lou family.

When you're eating at someone else's house, you have to follow the rules. Xu Damao has learned this in the past two years and no longer pesters He Yuzhu for treats like he used to.

Xu Xiaohui initially tried to emulate He Yushui, but after being disciplined by Xu Damao several times and failing to get any results from her complaints, she became obedient.

Of course, He Yushui only acts like this at home. When she goes out, she is still very shy. As for whether she is faking it, that is unknown.

Chen Lanxiang had already prepared all the dishes, and they were just waiting to be cooked. After He Yuzhu finished slicing the duck, Chen Lanxiang helped the old lady over, and He Yuzhu started stir-frying the dishes and also made a soup from the duck carcass.

We haven't bought roast duck at home in a long time; it's too expensive, and the kids ate it with their mouths full of oil.

Wang Cuiping was actually a little embarrassed. She felt bad that she was eating at the He family's house without them asking for payment for her meals.

But if she didn't come, Chen Lanxiang could really get He Yuzhu to deliver the food to her, and she could only keep it in mind and slowly repay the favor later.

After dinner, He Yuzhu placed the clocks one by one on the octagonal table. Chen Lanxiang let Wang Cuiping choose first, and Wang Cuiping immediately took a liking to the clock that was exactly the same as the one in her home in Tianjin.

"Sister-in-law, this is the one I want." Wang Cuiping pointed.
"Why don't you look around some more? This one is the oldest, I can't let you suffer a loss."

"No need, I like this one."

"Okay, if you feel it's not suitable later, just come back and exchange it."

"That's fine, Zhu Zi can still fool us," Wang Cuiping laughed.
Little did she know that this was from her own home, and that He Yuzhu had done it on purpose.

Knowing that Yu Zecheng had left, He Yuzhu was worried that Wang Cuiping hadn't taken the small yellow croaker from the chicken coop, so he went to check on it. After confirming that the small yellow croaker had been taken, He Yuzhu, true to his nature of not leaving empty-handed, searched the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Of course, there didn't seem to be anything valuable in Yu Zecheng's house, except for this clock, which seemed like a souvenir, so He Yuzhu took it with him.

The remaining two styles were quite similar, so Chen Lanxiang decided to let Xu Fugui and his wife come back and choose for themselves, and they would keep the last one for themselves.

He Yuzhu set the clock to the correct time, wound it up, and then helped Wang Cuiping carry it over.

"Aunt Wang, do you know how to use this? I don't need to teach you, do I?" He Yuzhu asked after placing the clock down.

"Yes, I've used it." Wang Cuiping was clearly somewhat absent-minded.

"Okay, Aunt Wang, you look a bit tired. I'll head back now. Please take care of Xiaoman."

"Okay, Brother Zhu," Xiaoman replied.

"Okay, you can go back now. You've been busy all morning, you should go back and rest!"

After He Yuzhu left, Wang Cuiping found a cloth and carefully wiped the clock, as if it were a beloved object. As she wiped, her eyes even turned red.

This scene left Xiaoman a little confused. It's just a clock, why does Brother Zhu have so many of them? Is it that rare?

However, she didn't ask or offer to help. She just watched quietly. She knew that Wang Cuiping had experienced some bad things, although she didn't understand them very well.

She called her "Auntie," but in reality, Wang Cuiping was like both her older sister and her mother to her, and she didn't want to upset her.

He Yuzhu went back to the side room to rest at noon, but actually he went back to farm. He had stopped planting everything he had planted before.

He's going to replant, this time all chili peppers, all kinds of varieties, because he found that the chili pepper varieties in Beijing weren't complete, which wasn't quite right for making Sichuan cuisine.

After tending to the land in the ecological space, he said something to Chen Lanxiang, then rode his bicycle out again. He was going to the city gate to see what the requirements were for entering and leaving the city.

He guessed why his mother had mentioned that; she still couldn't let go of her hometown and wanted to go back to see it.

When I got to the city gate, I saw that no one was checking anything, but it's hard to say what will happen in a few months.

He didn't know where the old lady and her mother's hometown was; it seemed he would have to go back and ask. He would make a trip there if he had the chance.

On his way back, seeing that it was almost time to leave work, he made a detour to the steel rolling mill. As the mill was closing, he saw Yi Zhonghai leave the factory first, hurrying off in a direction that wasn't home.

He Yuzhu quietly followed on his bicycle, only to find that Yi Zhonghai had gone to the post office and was furtively dropping several letters into the mailbox.

He Yuzhu could tell from his expression that this was no ordinary letter. He thought to himself, "Has he made a move? I wonder if it's aimed at my father. Let's wait and see!"

Keep in mind that the army had only been in the city for about ten days.

After Yi Zhonghai left, he rode his bicycle to the steel mill. When he arrived, he found that almost everyone had left. He asked Master He from the gatehouse and kitchen if he had left.

He was told that they had already left, so he pedaled his bike and sped home.

Xu Fugui came to pick up the clock that evening, but he picked out a slightly older one and took it home. Actually, the two were pretty much the same; the older one probably had more dust on it and some marks.

After a few days passed without any further developments, He Yuzhu noticed that Yi Zhonghai seemed a bit anxious and would often wander around the main gate.

It wasn't until after the Lantern Festival that He Daqing didn't return home after get off work on the 18th day of the first lunar month. Chen Lanxiang thought He Daqing was working overtime again.

Let He Yuzhu go to the factory and ask if he needs a ride that evening.

Because He Daqing drank too much last time and came back unsteadily, I don't know what kind of wine a cook would drink at the table.

When they arrived at the factory gate, they learned that He Daqing had been taken away by soldiers when he got off work, and they had come in a car.

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "They're here!"

He thanked the man, then pedaled home, his bike streaking across the road and startling many passersby.

When he arrived at the gate of the compound, he saw a military vehicle parked there, but the vehicle looked somewhat familiar.

Pushing the cart into the courtyard and passing through the screen wall, we saw the entire Jia family peering through the hanging flower gate.

Madam Jia Zhang gloated, "The He family is really in trouble now. What did He Daqing do to deserve this? The soldiers have all come."

"How would I know? He's just a cook."

"Oh right, I remember now, could it be because he brought up the time he used to cook for the Japanese again?"

"That can't be right, nothing happened before."

"Who can say for sure?"

"Ring ring." He Yuzhu pressed the bicycle bell.

The family of three turned around, and Jia Laonian, who had just been caught gossiping about someone else's father, said somewhat awkwardly, "Zhuzi is back."

“You’re still talking to him? Even his father doesn’t know what’s going on. Stay away from him.” Madam Jia Zhang said with a look of disgust, pulling Jia Laonian and Jia Dongxu aside from He Yuzhu and keeping them far away from him, as if they wanted to avoid him at all costs.

He Yuzhu ignored the family and pushed the cart into the front yard, then into the middle yard.

Upon entering, they saw He Daqing being watched by two soldiers, his hands tied with rope, his head bowed, looking as if he were confessing his sins.

Chen Lanxiang and He Yushui were crying on the side, and although the old lady was also scared, she tried her best to comfort them.

Wang Cuiping was arguing with someone, while Xiaoman and Xu Damao glared angrily at the person in front of Wang Cuiping.

He Yuzhu glanced at the Yi family and saw that their door was ajar, and someone was looking outside from behind it.

He found it a bit strange; shouldn't the survey include all residents and their workplaces?

What's going on now?
"Brother Zhu, you're back! They're taking Master away!" Xu Damao was the first to see He Yuzhu. He always regarded He Yuzhu as his backbone, and now that he saw him, he shouted loudly.

Xu Damao's shout drew everyone's attention, and they all looked towards the Moon Gate.

The person opposite Wang Cuiping also turned around. He Yuzhu recognized him and waved, saying, "Busy, Comrade Meng!"

Meng Yutang was a little embarrassed. Could he tell He Yuzhu, "I'm busy arresting your father"?

Meng Yutang said, "It's just in time that He Yuzhu is back. Someone reported that your father is a traitor. Your mother and sister can't explain it clearly. I have some questions for you."

Upon hearing that no one was calling him "comrade," He Yuzhu kicked the car stand to park the car, walked over, and stood in front of Meng Yutang, saying calmly, "Go ahead and ask! Should I tie myself up too?"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hands.

"He Yuzhu, how dare you speak to our section chief like that? What kind of attitude is that?" A young soldier shouted at He Yuzhu.

"Is there something wrong with my attitude? My father was framed, and you kidnapped him without any investigation. How should I treat you?" He Yuzhu retorted. "You, he cooked for the Japanese commander, isn't that a traitor?"

"May I ask where you're from?"

"What's wrong with me being from Northeast China?"

"What year did you join the army? What did you do before joining the army?"

"For 46 years, I worked in a factory. Were there any problems?" the young soldier asked proudly.

"What factory?"

"arsenal."

"Then I'd call you a traitor."

"You, you motherfucker, how dare you frame me!" The young soldier exclaimed, raising his gun and pointing it at He Yuzhu.

Meng Yutang had just sensed that something was wrong, but it was too late to stop He Yuzhu from asking.

Seeing his men pointing guns at He Yuzhu, he hurriedly shouted, "Wang Shunzi, put down the gun, and He Yuzhu, don't say anything more."

“I won’t let him go, Section Chief! He’s wrongly accusing me of being a traitor!” Wang Shunzi shouted.

"I order you to put down your gun!" Meng Yutang said loudly with a stern face.

"Yes!" Wang Shunzi reluctantly lowered his gun and glared at He Yuzhu.

“He Yuzhu, my soldiers need an explanation, and I need an explanation too. You should know that framing a revolutionary soldier is no small crime.”

"Then framing ordinary people isn't a crime?" He Yuzhu stared directly at Meng Yutang.

"We have evidence."

"What evidence? It's just a whistleblower report. Where is the whistleblower? Why don't you bring them here for confrontation? Did you investigate the places where my father used to work? Did you investigate the factory he's currently in? And you just arrested people?"

"I have no whistleblower, only a letter." Meng Yutang's momentum weakened slightly.

He was actually here today to deliver a certificate of organizational affiliation to Wang Cuiping, but he had taken on a last-minute job to verify the authenticity of information in an anonymous letter.

As a result, he arrested the man, found out where he lived, and discovered that he was He Yuzhu's father and Wang Cuiping's neighbor.

That's why He Yuzhu saw the scene when he came in. Because the Japanese had already surrendered when Wang Cuiping came to the courtyard, she had no idea what had happened before.

Chen Lanxiang, well, she's never seen much of the world. She can handle most situations, but when someone comes to her doorstep with a gun, and no one listens to her, all she can do is cry.

"Hmph, you arrested people based on just a letter without any investigation. Now, please release my father, or I will report you to the Military Control Commission for disregarding the facts and abusing your power."

"You're talking nonsense. That letter is the evidence. You still haven't explained why you're framing me." Wang Shunzi raised his gun again.

"Is this the army you've led?" He Yuzhu asked Meng Yutang jokingly.

Meng Yutang really wanted to say no, that he wasn't from the Northeast, and that this soldier was assigned by his superiors.

Before Meng Yutang could answer, He Yuzhu turned to Wang Cuiping and said, "Aunt Wang, are your guerrillas also so disorganized and undisciplined?"

“He wouldn’t dare!” Wang Cuiping shouted sternly.

"Li Ergen, take Wang Shunzi's gun off." Meng Yutang was a little embarrassed.

"Yes, Section Chief!" Another soldier walked up to Wang Shunzi and reached for his gun.

Unexpectedly, Wang Shunzi got desperate and loaded the bullet directly. Meng Yutang was shocked, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. If the gun went off and missed, Wang Shunzi would be finished.

He never imagined that the gunshot would lead to a human tragedy, especially in front of someone's entire family.

Just then, everyone saw a blur before their eyes, and Wang Shunzi flew backward, the gun in his hand ending up in He Yuzhu's hands.

"He Yuzhu, hand over the gun," Meng Yutang shouted.

"Here you go, you piece of junk!"

He Yuzhu ejected the loaded Type 38 rifle bullet with two quick clicks, then casually tossed the gun to Li Ergen, who tossed the bullet up and down in his hand.

Meng Yutang's eyes followed the bullet up and down a few times, and his expression turned ugly. This kid in front of him was no ordinary person.

Not only was his kung fu impressive, but his verbal skills were also remarkable. He didn't even need to ask the previous questions anymore. Before joining the army, Wang Shunzi had indeed worked in a factory, specifically an arsenal, where he was a worker who reloaded bullets. He had been doing that for quite some time.

Being able to join the team proves that the person has passed the vetting process and there are no issues.

But according to He Yuzhu, if his father was a traitor for cooking for the Japanese, then it wouldn't be wrong to call him a traitor for making guns and cannons for the Japanese to use against the Chinese.

Meng Yutang knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully today. He turned to Wang Cuiping and said in a pleading tone, "Comrade Wang Cuiping, what do you think?"

Wang Cuiping had also figured things out by now, and said in a deep voice, "Release He Daqing first!"

Meng Yutang was a little unwilling. He originally thought it was a small achievement, but he didn't expect to offend such a person. Don't underestimate this person because of his young age. He seems to understand the policies. Not only this, but he should also know a lot about the Rabbit Party in the Red Zone.

If they were to release them, it would be an admission that they had made a mistake today, and this was the first case he had taken over in the investigation department.

"Then you can handle it yourself." Wang Cuiping threw the question back at him.

"Untie Comrade He," Meng Yutang said after hesitating for a long time.

"Yes, Section Chief!" After Li Ergen untied He Daqing, He Daqing hurriedly went to Chen Lanxiang's side and picked up He Yushui, who was still crying.

"Rain, don't cry, don't cry, Dad's alright, he's alright."

"Dad, I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Dad's alright now!"

"Is everything really alright now, Great Qing?" the old lady asked.

“There’s a pillar here!” He Daqing didn’t know where his confidence in his son came from.

"Dad, is Zhuzi alright? He just..."

"I think, I think, is he alright?" He Daqing wasn't sure either. He Yuzhu had just taken someone's gun and kicked the person away. This guy was a soldier.

What's the story behind the whistleblower letter?

"It's just that little thing. I have a pretty good idea about it. I'll tell you about it later."

"You're already tied up, what makes you think you can get away with this?" Chen Lanxiang said angrily.

"I'm not sure, but I have confidence in our son," He Daqing said shyly.

"You just wait, if anything happens to our son, I'll never forgive you."

"That's how I got released," He Daqing said dejectedly.

"Humph."

Meanwhile, Meng Yutang checked on Wang Shunzi's condition, then walked over to He Yuzhu with a stiff face and whispered.

"Comrade Xiao He, how do you plan to resolve this matter?"

"Now you've remembered to call me Comrade He? Are you sure I'm one of your comrades? You just said my dad was a traitor," He Yuzhu said sarcastically.

"We acted too rashly. I apologize for what happened to my men just now." Meng Yutang felt aggrieved.

"Apologize? Didn't you ever consider what if a shot went off?"

"I"

“I will talk to your superiors about this. If you handle cases like this, the whole city will be in chaos.”

"Could we not talk about the shooting?" Meng Yutang glanced back at Wang Shunzi's direction and said in a somewhat humble voice.

“No, we must learn from this. Let’s treat it as a warning to the foolish chicken. You should publicly clear my father’s name and then apologize.” He Yuzhu’s voice was not loud.

"Alright, this kid's unlucky. How are you going to make it public?" Meng Yutang turned and glared at Wang Shunzi.

"After the military control commission verifies the facts, they will give my father a certificate, and then you can bring the certificate to apologize."

“I can’t make that decision,” Meng Yutang said.

"Then find someone who can make the decision. There are plenty of people like my father in Beijing. You'll encounter them again in the future. If you hadn't met someone like me today, what were you planning to do?"

"We're taking your whole family with us back for questioning."

"And then what? A conviction? Then our whole family is finished." He Yuzhu said angrily.

"I don't know either." Meng Yutang didn't jump to conclusions and spoke the truth.

"Hmph, so you think you don't know? But you can't hide this from me today. Even if I don't go, my Aunt Wang will go and explain the situation. Do you know you might be punished for this?"

“I know,” Meng Yutang said in a deep voice.

"You want to protect your soldiers, but they don't even think before they act. Soldiers like that are not suitable to stay in Beijing, let alone be police officers. They'll get you killed," He Yuzhu said disdainfully.

"Hey, I was too naive. I guess I'll learn from this experience. They were all inexperienced. As for him, let's see what the higher-ups decide."

"You'd better be more careful next time you bring someone out. Otherwise, you'll regret it!"

"You little brat, do you really think you're my boss? Are you trying to lecture me?" Meng Yutang said, realizing what was going on.

“If I were your boss, haha!” He Yuzhu didn’t continue.

"Interested in joining us?"

"I'll only be 14 in a few days, so I can't go."

"You wait and see, I don't believe it. It would be our loss if we let someone like you go."

"No, I'm not good enough for you. I'm still waiting to go to school."

"Go to school? What kind of school? Elementary or junior high?"

"Who do you think you are? I graduated from junior high school a long time ago."

"Huh?" Meng Yutang felt his brain was a bit overwhelmed. As far as he knew, this kid went to Tianjin to learn cooking last year. He was only 12 years old then, and he had already graduated from junior high school. He himself hadn't even graduated from elementary school.

"Have you two made up your minds yet?" Wang Cuiping asked, watching the two of them whispering to each other.

"Um, Comrade Wang Cuiping, we'll need your help to go to the Military Control Commission with us later, otherwise this matter won't be clear," Meng Yutang said somewhat awkwardly.

"No problem, but what about that kid over there? Should we send him to the hospital?" Wang Cuiping asked He Yuzhu.

"It's alright, Aunt Wang. I'm holding back. That kid's just upset for a little while, he'll be fine in a bit."

"I'll deal with him when I get back. But speaking of which, Comrade Xiao He, wasn't it a bit much of a stretch to call him a traitor? That kid's stubborn; what if something happens to him?"

"It's not my fault. I don't know him or what he did before. He jumped out on his own. I was just comparing him to my dad. If he really came from the Red Zone and worked hard in the fields, I would have really been in trouble."

"You're awesome!" Meng Yutang squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth, and gave He Yuzhu a thumbs up.

(End of this chapter)