Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 110 If you buy a mule, you have to use it like livestock.

Once inside, He Yuzhu started collecting everything, regardless of whether it was useful or not. This was based on his experience: only by collecting everything could he more easily discover secret rooms and the like.

Sure enough, this experience worked every time. There were several hidden compartments in the room, and ordinary people would not have been able to find them. He opened a hidden compartment and took out a box. When he saw what was inside, He Yuzhu was a little disappointed. Silver notes, which added up to about 10,000 taels. What difference is there between these things and waste paper now? There is nowhere to exchange them. He didn't know why he hid these things.

When He Yuzhu opened the other boxes, his expression improved. Besides the large and small yellow croakers, there was also a box containing house deeds.

He Yuzhu opened them one by one and exclaimed, "Good heavens, this old eunuch really knows how to hoard houses! All five courtyards in this alley belong to him. I don't know what methods he used to acquire them. No wonder no one came out despite all the commotion before; they were all empty."

Although they are all single-courtyard houses, they add up to quite a lot.

After putting these away, He Yuzhu found a small secret room where he had previously stored the boxes. Upon opening it, he found five or six boxes inside. In addition to gold and silver dollars, there were also some porcelain and calligraphy and paintings. After a quick glance, He Yuzhu knew that they were from the palace. Over the years, he had acquired so many things that he had a good eye for them.

The room was empty, and he figured the old eunuch must have more than just that, so he started searching the yard. He searched everywhere but found nothing, until finally all that was left was the well in the yard.

He took out his flashlight and shone it inside; there was still water in one of the pools. He found a stone in the yard and threw it in, but the echo sounded strange.

He took a thick hemp rope from his spatial storage, tied it around his waist, wrapped the other end around the edge of the well several times, and then pushed off the well wall with both feet and went down.

Sure enough, about half a meter below the water's surface, there was a hole about half a person's height. He Yuzhu first took a flint and steel and lit it at the hole to test it; there was air inside.

Holding a flint and steel, He Yuzhu untied the ropes binding him, found something to weigh him down, and crouched down to crawl inside. The passage was only three or four meters long, and at the end was a secret room about five meters long, wide, and high, filled with boxes.

Judging from the size of the boxes, it was clear that the entrance couldn't have been entered through that hole. He Yuzhu opened a few boxes at random and looked them over. They were all similar, but there were also some gold, jade, and bronze artifacts inside, as well as some books. After collecting everything, He Yuzhu discovered the hole in the wall of the secret chamber. The hole was 1.5 meters square and had been blocked by the boxes, so it couldn't be seen before.

Following the cave entrance, there was a sloping staircase at the end. Climbing the staircase, there was a cover. He Yuzhu pushed it and it opened. He came out of the cave and looked around. He found that it was a woodshed. He listened for any sounds outside but there was no noise.

He closed the cover and went out of the woodshed to see a small courtyard about the same size as No. 5 courtyard.

After climbing over the wall and looking around, He Yuzhu thought to himself, "Isn't this Courtyard No. 1?"

After climbing down the wall, he looked around the yard but found nothing. Then he climbed over the wall into courtyard number three and made a haul. Grain, dried meat, canned goods, and other items filled one of the rooms. He Yuzhu thought about it and decided to take them.

I probably wouldn't come here unless something happened at home and I needed a place to stay.

He climbed over the wall into courtyard number five, retrieved the rope from the well, and checked his watch. It was getting late. He decided to check on the remaining few later when he had time. He then climbed over the wall out of the courtyard and rode his bicycle home.

Let's talk about Yi Zhonghai, who runs faster than a rabbit. This guy hailed a rickshaw as soon as he left Nanluoguxiang and went straight to Wei Yidao's place.

After arriving, he made up a reason that had offended the officials, shed a few tears, and managed to trick Wei Yidao into giving him a few large yellow croakers and a few silver dollars. Then he told Wei Yidao that he was going to hide in the south for a while before coming back.

After he came out, he hailed a rickshaw and headed straight for the South Gate. This time, he paid extra to have it take him out of the city.

Actually, he was only one step away from He Daqing. If He Daqing had chased him out of the city, he might have actually caught up with him.

However, it was getting late, and He Daqing was worried about the safety outside the city, so he didn't chase after them.

After leaving the city, Yi Zhonghai hitched a ride on a donkey cart and continued south. After walking less than twenty li, the donkey cart arrived at its destination. After asking for directions, he continued walking along the main road, intending to see if he could catch another ride.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out. He walked for two or three miles without seeing a soul, with no village or shop in sight. He was both hungry and thirsty.

Then he started walking towards the main road. After walking for about two miles, he saw a house by the moonlight and thought that at least there were people living there, so he ran over.

When he looked at it, it was just a dilapidated temple, not a house. But there was a fire inside and people talking. He wasn't a wandering swordsman, so he didn't know anything about the rule of not sleeping in a temple.

He was dumbfounded when he went inside. There were about a dozen men standing or sitting there, all holding long guns and short cannons.

He turned to leave, but someone pointed a gun at his head and ransacked him. The group thought he was a hostage because he was wealthy.

Before long, Yi Zhonghai had confessed everything clearly. As soon as they heard that he was a worker, they wanted to kill him.

In a moment of inspiration, Yi Zhonghai said he could repair guns, and the men threw him an old, worn-out Mauser pistol, which, of course, was out of ammunition.

After Yi Zhonghai fumbled to take it apart, looked at it, pointed out the problem, and said that it could be fixed as long as there were tools. Then he was spared his life.

The group gave him some water and dry food, then tied him up and took him back to the mountain. He only remembered that he had been walking westward for more than three days, but no one told him exactly where they arrived, and he didn't dare to ask.

Once they reached the mountain, Yi Zhonghai was thrown into a place resembling a blacksmith's workshop, which contained not only broken guns but also broadswords, spears, daggers, and the like.

After asking around the workshop, Yi Zhonghai learned that the people who had kidnapped him were bandits organized by the Kuomintang, and that he was currently on a mountain peak in the Fangshan Mountains.

His heart sank. He had no intention of becoming a bandit, much less following the Kuomintang.

During this time, he also realized in Beijing that the future belonged to the Communist Party, and following the Kuomintang now would be suicide.

Then he started thinking of ways to escape.

At first, he worked very hard and repaired some things properly in order to lull the bandits into a false sense of security. The bandits rewarded him with a few hearty meals with oil and fat.

He worked even harder so that he could save some of the rewards he received for his escape.

He also secretly built himself a gun using salvaged parts and his own construction. He secretly hid the bullets under the pretense of testing the gun; there were only two.

Before he could escape, the bandits arrived. In the chaos of the battle, he fired a shot, though it's unclear which side he hit. He dropped his gun and ran, but was shot in the thigh, breaking the bone. He didn't get far before rolling down a cliff.

Of course, this guy didn't die. After regaining consciousness, he somehow mustered up the strength to crawl forward a bit before passing out again.

When he woke up again, he found himself lying in a cramped and dimly lit wooden hut. His mouth was dry, and he called out in a hoarse voice, "Is anyone there? Can I have some water?"

Then the door of the cabin was opened, and he was so blinded by the bright light that he shielded his eyes with his hand. Then he felt the light being blocked, and a sound like a broken gong exploded in his ears.

"You're awake? Do you want some water?"

Yi Zhonghai looked up and nearly fainted from fright. Standing in front of him was a nine-foot-tall man with a face almost twice his size, a bulbous nose, triangular eyes, a gaping mouth, and protruding ears.

If it weren't for the fact that those two lumps of flesh on her chest were so large, Yi Zhonghai really wouldn't have been able to tell that this was a woman.

"I'm talking to you, are you stupid?"

"Young lady, did you save me?" Yi Zhonghai asked with difficulty.

"You have a nice way of speaking. It wasn't me who saved you, it was my dad. He went to gather herbs. I'm going to get you some water."

Once the nine-foot-tall 'giant' left, the oppressive feeling in the wooden house lessened, and Yi Zhonghai let out a long breath. It was just this moment of getting out of bed that caused him to hiss as soon as he moved, and the pain in his body made him gasp.

Not only his legs hurt, but his whole body ached. If he had a mirror to look in, he would know how miserable he was.

His face was covered in abrasions, his head was wrapped in a rag, and both his legs were in splints.

When the nine-foot-tall man brought over a bowl of water, Yi Zhonghai gulped it down.

"Young lady, where is this place?"

"Fangshan? Where else could it be? Did you fall and go crazy?" The nine-foot-tall 'man' raised his voice even louder in his anxiety, making Yi Zhonghai's ears ring. "So you're still in Fangshan."

"Yes, my dad found you in the Wild Boar Forest. You were lucky to survive rolling down such a high cliff. If it weren't for my dad, you would have been gored by wild boars long ago."

"What about your father? I want to thank him."

"I've gone out hunting. You lie down and rest. I'm going to chop wood."

When the man who rescued Yi Zhonghai returned, Yi Zhonghai saw that the man was only in his forties and quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, brother, for saving my life."

"You've got it wrong, you should call me Uncle."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback. In fact, he hadn't even noticed it himself. Ever since he was castrated, he had lost his beard, and his skin seemed to be in better condition, making him look younger.

But what was the meaning of calling him "uncle"? Yi Zhonghai was clueless, and since he still needed someone's help, he had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.

"Thank you for saving my life, sir. May I ask your surname?"

"My surname is Shi and my name is Shi Hu. The person who takes care of you during the day is my daughter, Shi Yan."

Yi Zhonghai almost vomited. That's the kind of person Shi Yan is; does she even deserve it?
Under the care of the hunter father and daughter, Yi Zhonghai began to recover from his injuries, enduring intense discomfort and chatting with Shi Yan every day.

About ten days later, Yi Zhonghai was almost stinking. In his extreme shame, Shi Yan stripped him down to his underwear and wiped him down.

After that, it was like this every ten days or so. Shi Hu didn't say anything, which made Yi Zhonghai even more puzzled. She was a woman, after all, and she didn't seem to be even twenty years old.

When Yi Zhonghai was able to get out of bed and walk around, he suddenly discovered that the largest house on the mountain was decorated with red candles and the character for "happiness" was pasted on the door.

Then he was forcibly dragged to change his clothes. Yi Zhonghai resisted desperately, saying that he had a wife, but he didn't mention that he had been castrated.

He was forced to kowtow and complete the wedding ceremony.

That night was... well, let's just say it was unspeakable. Anyway, everything that needed to be done was done.

Several months later, Shi Yan's belly showed no signs of pregnancy, so Shi Hu asked Shi Yan what was going on, and then Yi Zhonghai was forcibly pulled down in his pants for an examination.

"Yan'er, we've been fooled by this kid. He's a complete fraud."

"What mule?" Shi Yan didn't understand.

"Eunuch, eunuch, do you know?"

"Ah, waaaaaah."

Then that night, Yi Zhonghai was subjected to violent torture. This was just the beginning. Yi Zhonghai tried to escape several times but was caught and brought back. Then the torture became more and more severe.

In the end, they even chained him up like a dog. Yi Zhonghai was always thinking about how to kill the father and daughter. He was forced to go through the wedding ceremony, so why were they treated like this?

One day, when the father and daughter went out together, Yi Zhonghai managed to unlock the chains, but he got lost.

After being captured and brought back, the instruments of torture on his body were changed to shackles, and his living quarters were changed to a place made of tree branches that resembled a doghouse.

A few months later, Shi Yan's belly grew bigger, and Yi Zhonghai learned that the father and daughter had gone out to find a sperm donor.

He was furious and was beaten so badly that he couldn't stand up for several days. After he recovered, he suffered greatly again, serving Shi Yan until she gave birth to a boy.

Yi Zhonghai went from serving one person to serving two, just like a eunuch in the palace.

As for what happened next, we'll talk about that later, because the timeline is too long.

Alright, let's leave Yi Zhonghai aside for now and get back to Beijing. After He Yuzhu returned home that day, he went out again that night. Why? To find Bai Yanlang.

When Bai Yanlang's wife learned that he was so frightened that he wanted to flee Beijing, she immediately objected. She gathered her brothers and emptied the Bai family home. When Bai Yanlang tried to stop her, he was beaten up.

Then his cousin was no good either. While the doctor was examining his leg, she stole the fifty silver dollars that Yi Zhonghai had given him for doing favors, and ran away overnight.

Bai Yanlang cried. His wife had left with the children, and all his money was gone (not completely gone, but most of it had been stolen, so they couldn't have gone far). He couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

He knew he would lose his life if he didn't leave, and he didn't think He Yuzhu was joking with him. So he found a broken stick to lean on and walked towards the city gate, planning to leave the city at dawn, hide outside the city for a while until He Daqing and his son forgot about him, and then come back.

Then He Yuzhu found him, and the consequence was that he disappeared, completely vanished from the face of the earth.

As for Yi Zhonghai, He Yuzhu first found all of the old eunuch's contacts based on Wei Yidao's account book. He didn't let go of anyone who had been a traitor or was now a spy. He Yuzhu made another fortune, but no one saw Yi Zhonghai again.

He Yuzhu was still worried, so he also asked the Military Control Commission to help him investigate through Wang Cuiping's connections, on the grounds of framing and organizing retaliation. They still couldn't find him, and only then did He Yuzhu realize that the guy was really not in Beijing anymore.

If he knew about Yi Zhonghai's ordeal, he would probably bring his whole family to watch, and then send the Shi family a more secure set of handcuffs and shackles.

February arrived in the blink of an eye, and Xiaoman went to school, enrolling in the second grade. He Yuzhu helped her with tutoring, and she could only reach this level in the entrance exam.

In mid-April, Wang Cuiping gave birth to a girl, who took her surname and was named Wang Siyu.

Wang Cuiping didn't know many characters and was afraid of giving a bad name. She originally wanted He Yuzhu to name it, but because of their generational difference, she asked the old lady to help her. That's how she came up with this name. Of course, whether He Yuzhu had any ideas or not, only the two of them know.

Upon hearing the name, Wang Cuiping burst into tears. What a coincidence! She stared at the old lady with tears streaming down her face, while the old lady smiled back at her without a hint of surprise.

Then Wang Cuiping smiled, muttering "Siyu" repeatedly, but in her heart she was calling out "Siyu".

During this time, another incident occurred: Li Guihua learned that Yi Zhonghai had absconded, and she went out to look for him, but couldn't find him.

Then she suggested moving out of the east wing. The old lady didn't stop her and rented the east passageway to her directly. She wanted to keep the east wing for He Yuzhu, as it was the place where her eldest son should live.

After Li Guihua moved to the main room, He Daqing had someone tidy up the east wing. He Yuzhu brought a bunch of nice furniture and asked He Daqing to have it transported back.

He Daqing's eyes lit up after seeing the furniture, and as a result, the main house of the He family was completely replaced.

Then He Yuzhu moved to the east wing, and the east side room where he originally lived was given to He Yushui.

At He Yushui's insistence, a dressing table that also serves as a desk was added to the side room.

He Yuzhu didn't show favoritism. He played with him a lot, and in the end, he gave one to the old lady, Chen Lanxiang, Wang Cuiping, and even the Xu family. Of course, the wood was different.

Jia Zhangshi, who was in the front yard, was naturally envious of all this commotion. She even shamelessly went to the He family's house to ask for the things they didn't want.

Even the oldest furniture can be sold for money. He Daqing said he would burn it rather than give it to them, but in the end, Jia Laonian paid for it and bought it back.

Since the other party had already paid, He Daqing didn't say anything more unpleasant.

　Crushing this mule would have been easy, I could have done it from the beginning. He's not some chosen one anyway. I just wanted to make his life miserable. If you all insist that killing him is the only way to vent your anger, I have nothing to say. Anyway, I don't think death is the ultimate punishment. His adoptive father is dead, his money is gone, his wife remarried, he can't use his skills, and he'll be tormented by an ugly, shrewish woman and her bastard child for the rest of his life. Is that acceptable? (It's a pity he can't have children. Although it's a bit cruel, I think Xu Fugui's fate in "To Live" actually suits him quite well.)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)