Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

"Police station? Can a police station handle this?" Chen Baoguo asked, even more surprised.

He Yuzhu then briefly recounted his experience of reporting the case to the police station that morning, and handed Chen Baoguo the letter of introduction written by Deputy Director Wang from his pocket.

After reading it, Chen Baoguo's gaze towards He Yuzhu completely changed.

Is this still the same silly Zhu Zi who only knows how to swing a ladle and act tough?

After hesitating for a while, Chen Baoguo finally said, "Well, you did the right thing. If you're in trouble, go to the organization. Your leave request is approved. What do you want me to do for you?"

He Yuzhu took a deep breath and said, "Master, I know this is against the rules, but I want to take Yushui with me to Baocheng to resolve this matter. Could you lend me some money? I'll pay you back when I get back, or you can deduct it from my future wages!"

As a modern soul with only a little money in his pocket and no system to rely on, he was honestly a bit insecure.

Although Master Chen Baoguo was strict with his apprentices, he was an upright man and treated all his apprentices who were genuinely interested in learning his craft well.

Right now, this is the only person he can think of who is willing to help him.

Chen Baoguo glanced at He Yuzhu, then at the pitiful He Yushui beside him, and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Outside the door, Zhao Bapi knocked and called out, "Master Chen, you really need to discipline your apprentice! He skipped work all day and is late again. If this continues, I'm going to tell my brother-in-law..."

Chen Baoguo frowned, stood up, opened the door, and coldly shouted at the outside, "What's all the noise about? Is the kitchen a place for you to yell like that? Zhu Zi asked me for leave, so go do what you're supposed to do!"

Chen Baoguo held immense prestige in the kitchen, and his rebuke, delivered with great force, silenced the entire kitchen.

Zhao Bapi suddenly felt as if he had been choked, his face turning red, but he dared not shout anymore. He glared resentfully in the direction of the lounge and slunk away.

Master Chen closed the door, sat down again, took out a cloth bag from the drawer, counted out ten 10,000 yuan bills, and pushed them in front of He Yuzhu.

"Take this money. When you're traveling, it's better to be frugal at home than frugal on the road. Take your sister with you and make sure she doesn't go hungry."

Chen Baoguo said with some shame, "Your family has had such a big incident, and as your chef, I should accompany you. However, Chef Zhao is away on a business trip with the boss and hasn't returned yet. I'm the only head chef in the shop, so I really can't leave."

"Fortunately, you seem to have matured a lot after this incident, which puts my mind at ease. But remember, no matter the outcome, you must stand tall and be a person of integrity. If anything happens, call the shop and ask your master for help; he will take care of it for you."

Looking at the money and banknotes on the table, and listening to his master's earnest words, He Yuzhu felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He nodded emphatically and said, "Master, I will remember your kindness! I will definitely come back soon and learn your craft from you!"

"Alright, stop with the nonsense." Chen Baoguo waved his hand. "Go quickly and come back quickly. Be careful on the road, and stay alert."

"Hey!" He Yuzhu put away the money and bowed again, then pulled He Yushui along and walked out amidst the varied gazes of the people in the kitchen.

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As soon as He Yuzhu left the Emei Restaurant, a gust of cold wind made him shiver, and his mind became even clearer.

"Brother, shall we go find Dad now?" He Yushui looked up, her big eyes full of anticipation.

"Yes, let's go find Dad now." He Yuzhu smiled and patted He Yushui's head.

The train stations in Beijing are always bustling with people.

The dusty crowd surged like a tide, carrying sacks, baskets, and with children in tow, all crammed into the huge ticket hall.

Looking at the seemingly endless queue in front of the ticket window, He Yuzhu frowned deeply. How long would it take to get through?

He tightened the bundle on his back, then bent down and picked He Yushui up, letting her sit in his arms.

"Rain, hold on tight to my neck, don't let go!" He Yuzhu instructed.

"Mmm!" He Yushui nodded vigorously, her little hands tightly wrapped around her brother's neck.

He Yuzhu took a deep breath, spotted a gap in the crowd, and squeezed in sideways.

Although he is young, he has developed great strength from working in the kitchen since childhood, with a stable lower body and strong arms.

"Hey, why are you pushing!"

"Watch out, kids, don't push them!"

"Who is it? Are you blind?!"

Complaints and rebukes rose from behind, but He Yuzhu ignored them, simply shielding his sister with his body, like a nimble fish struggling to move forward in the crowded throng.

After finally squeezing his way to the window, he shouted breathlessly, "Comrade, two tickets to Baocheng, the fastest one!"

The ticket seller glanced up at him, perhaps seeing how hard it was for him to squeeze through the crowd with his child, she didn't say much, and deftly tore off two tickets: "Departure in half an hour, platform three, hard seat, 40,000 yuan."

He Yuzhu quickly took out his money, received the ticket and change, and then, carrying the rainwater, he squeezed against the flow of people and headed straight for the platform.

He couldn't help but feel grateful: Luckily, I borrowed money from my master, otherwise I really wouldn't have had the money to pay for the ticket.

What he didn't know was that He Yushui didn't need to buy a ticket at all; the ticket seller thought there were still people there, so she sold him two tickets.

On the platform, a green train, like a long steel dragon, lay quietly on the tracks, with people crowding at the doors of each carriage.

He Yuzhu didn't dare to delay, so he squeezed his way up, holding the rainwater.

The carriages were packed with people, and the smells of sweat, smoke, and food mingled together, creating an indescribable odor.

After squeezing into the two aisle seats he had bought, He Yuzhu put down the rain and let her sit in the middle, while he sat on the outside, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The train sounded its whistle and slowly started moving.

He Yushui peeked out at the scenery outside that was gradually receding, a look of curiosity appearing on her little face.

However, this brief peace was soon shattered.

The carriage was too crowded; there weren't enough seats.

A middle-aged man wearing an old cotton-padded coat noticed that He Yushui was small and there seemed to be some empty space next to her, so he squeezed over with a grin and plopped down next to her.

"Little girl, move over a bit, make room for me." As the man spoke, a strong smell of smoke hit us.

He Yushui shrank back in fright and clung tightly to her brother.

He Yuzhu's anger flared up instantly. He grabbed the man's shoulder with such force that the man's body swayed and he couldn't sit down.

"Hey, can't you see there's someone here?" He Yuzhu said coldly.

The man, embarrassed by being stopped, glared and said, "Hey, you little brat, there are clearly empty seats here, how can you say they're occupied? Do you think this is your own private bed?"

"My sister is young, but we paid for these seats. If you want to sit here, go buy a ticket from the flight attendant yourself!" He Yuzhu said without backing down.

"I'm sitting here today, what are you going to do about it?" The man started acting tough and tried to force himself to sit down.