Courtyard House: Ten-year-old Master Zhu reorganizes the entire courtyard

He Daqing collapsed to the ground.

He wasn't scared; he was drained of his strength by despair.

He looked at his own hands. These hands could transform the most ordinary cabbage into exquisite nectar. They could also care for the most precious sea cucumber with utmost tenderness. These were the foundation of his livelihood, the very essence of his dignity as a man.

Now, those hands have become a death warrant.

"It's over..." he muttered to himself, his eyes vacant. "It's all over now..."

Chen Lanxiang held her child, tears streaming silently down her face. She didn't speak, but the fear she felt was heavier than any cry.

Inside the dilapidated temple, the air seemed to freeze.

Only He Yuzhu stood there calmly.

His face showed no panic that a ten-year-old child should have, only an almost cold calmness.

He walked up to He Daqing.

"Father, get up first."

He Daqing didn't move, like a lump of mud.

"Get up!" He Yuzhu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force.

He Daqing jolted awake, instinctively bracing himself on the ground as he slowly got to his feet. He looked at his son, his lips trembling, "Zhuzi... Dad... Dad's caused you trouble..."

"There's no point in saying all this now," He Yuzhu interrupted him. "When is Boss Hong coming tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow night, when we close."

How many men did he bring?

"Seven or eight, each one like a vicious wolf."

Where does he usually hang out?

He Daqing shook his head blankly. He only knew that Master Hong was the local tyrant of Taiping Town, and nothing else.

He Yuzhu stopped asking him questions.

He turned to Chen Lanxiang and said, "Mother, you and your sister go to sleep first. The sky won't fall."

Looking at her son's composed profile, Chen Lanxiang's heart, which had been gripped by fear, surprisingly relaxed slightly. She nodded, picked up He Yushui, and lay down on the haystack.

He Yuzhu pulled He Daqing to the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

A cold wind blew in.

"Dad, we have three choices." He Yuzhu held up one finger. "First, you agree to be his cook. The result is that our whole family becomes subservient to thugs and can never hold our heads high again. If he gets tired of the food one day, or if you make a mistake with one of the dishes, we'll be dead."

He Daqing's face paled slightly.

He Yuzhu held up a second finger: "Secondly, we'll run away tonight. Master Hong has a lot of influence in Taiping Town, so we can't go far. If we get caught, our fate will be even worse than the first one. Besides, we'll have to go back to our life of wandering, and my sister's body can't take it."

He Daqing's face paled even more.

"Then... what about the third one?" His voice trembled.

He Yuzhu looked at him and said, word by word, "Third, make him afraid to touch you."

He Daqing was stunned. "He won't dare touch me? Zhu Zi, don't talk nonsense. What do we have to stop him? He has knives, guns, and a bunch of brothers!"

"We have brains," He Yuzhu said calmly.

He stared at the night sky, his mind racing. A head-on confrontation would be suicide. Master Hong, this local tyrant, was a coward who only feared the strong. He wasn't afraid of someone stronger than him, but rather someone with a deeper background, stronger connections, and someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Since there's no background, let's create one.

A background that left him uncertain and hesitant to act rashly.

"Dad, listen to me," He Yuzhu said in a very low voice, "I need two people to help me with this."

"Who?"

"Uncle Xu, and the old ghost from the Ghost Market."

The next morning, He Yuzhu entered the city. He didn't go to find Xu Fugui, but went to the Ghost Market first.

Old Gui was at his stall, slowly wiping a copper pipe with a cloth.

He didn't even lift his eyelids when he saw He Yuzhu.

"What's up?"

"Let's do some business," He Yuzhu said.

He took five silver dollars out of his pocket and put them on the stall.

Old Gui stopped moving. He raised his head, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"explain."

"I need you to find me two people," He Yuzhu said. "They need to be unfamiliar faces, around forty years old, well-dressed, and look like the manager or steward of a big restaurant in the city. Most importantly, they need to be able to act."

What play are we performing?

"Tomorrow at noon, go to Liu's Restaurant in Taiping Town and find a chef surnamed He. When you see him, act very surprised and respectful. Then, in front of everyone, say a few words."

"What did you say?"

He Yuzhu leaned over and whispered a few words in Lao Gui's ear.

After listening, Lao Gui remained silent for a moment.

"This is... interesting." He chuckled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "But five silver dollars is only enough for one person."

"I'll add five more dollars after it's done," He Yuzhu said without hesitation.

"Deal." Old Gui put the five silver dollars into his sleeve. "He'll be here by noon tomorrow."

Having dealt with the old ghost, He Yuzhu immediately went to find Xu Fugui.

Xu Fugui was chopping firewood in his yard when he saw He Yuzhu. He immediately dropped his axe and rushed over to greet him, just like seeing his own father.

"Zhu Zi! What brings you here? Come inside and sit down, it's cold outside!"

"Uncle Xu, to make a long story short, I need your help with something urgent."

He Yuzhu briefly recounted He Daqing's encounter with Master Hong. Of course, he omitted how he planned to resolve the situation.

Upon hearing the name Master Hong, Xu Fugui turned pale with fright. "That living devil! Zhu Zi, we can't afford to mess with him! Maybe... you should tell your father to run!"

"I can't escape," He Yuzhu said. "I need you to help me spread the word."

"What news?"

"Tell the people you know in Taiping Town that Chef He, the new guy at Liu's Restaurant, is no ordinary person. His ancestors used to cook for the imperial court. After the Qing Dynasty fell, his family fell into poverty and he had to come out to make a living. He is also a descendant of a famous chef who is registered in the 'Beijing Catering Industry Association.' He came out to avoid trouble this time."

Xu Fugui was stunned. "The Beiping Catering Industry Association? Wasn't that already defunct in name only?"

"It's better if it exists in name only," He Yuzhu said. "This kind of thing sounds impressive to outsiders, but if you really investigate, you won't find anything. The mix of reality and illusion is what makes it most dangerous."

Xu Fugui smacked his lips for a moment, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" He slapped his thigh. "Zhu Zi, what's wrong with your brain? Fine! Leave this to me! I'll go to my cousin's house in town right now. He's a big mouth; the whole town will know in no time!"

Everything is arranged properly.

He Yuzhu returned to the dilapidated temple and only said one sentence to He Daqing: "Dad, no matter what happens tomorrow at noon, don't panic. Remember, you are the descendant of a famous chef, so act with the same style you had at Fengzeyuan."

He Daqing was filled with anxiety, but seeing his son's determined eyes, he had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

The atmosphere at Liu's Restaurant was unusually oppressive the next day.

Fatty Liu was restless all morning, trembling at the sight of anyone in black. He Daqing was in the kitchen, and even the spatula in his hand felt like it weighed a ton.

The news spread by Xu Fugui has already begun to take effect.

The diners who came to eat looked at He Daqing differently. They whispered among themselves and discussed the matter.

"Have you heard? Chef He's ancestors were imperial chefs!"

"Really? No wonder the food tastes so good!"

"Shh... Keep your voice down, they're here to avoid trouble, don't make a fuss."

Hearing these discussions, He Daqing felt even more uncertain.

At noon, the restaurant was busy.

Two men walked in through the door.

Both men were dressed in long gowns, one wearing a melon-shaped hat and the other carrying a cane. They had arrogant expressions and were clearly not from the town.

As soon as they entered, they glanced around and then went straight to the counter.

"Shopkeeper," the man in the melon-shaped hat spoke in perfect Beijing dialect, "I heard you have a new chef named Master He here?"

Fatty Liu quickly nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes, he's in the kitchen."

"Have him come out for a moment."

Hearing the commotion, He Daqing wiped his hands and came out from the kitchen.

The two men were stunned for a moment when they saw him, then their faces lit up with ecstatic joy.

The man wearing the melon-shaped hat rushed forward and excitedly grabbed He Daqing's hand.

"Master He! It really is you! We've finally found you!"

He Daqing was stunned.

"Who are you...?"

"Master He, don't you recognize us? I'm from Deshunlou!" said the man in the melon-shaped hat. "This is Manager Qian from Jufengde! We're all from the guild! We heard you were here last time, but we didn't believe it, so we came to see for ourselves today! What are you doing in a place like this? The old folks in the guild are all thinking of you!"

Another manager, surnamed Qian, stepped forward, his face full of respect: "Yes, Master He, your father was a pillar of the guild back in the day. With your departure, the entire catering industry in Beiping feels something is missing. If you'd like to go back, plenty of large restaurants would be vying for your services!"

These words were spoken with heartfelt sincerity and in a loud voice.

The entire restaurant's diners heard it.

Everyone stared at He Daqing in shock.

So the rumors were true! Not only is he a descendant of the imperial chefs, but he's also a big shot in some kind of "guild"!

He Daqing's mind went blank, but remembering his son's words, he forced himself to straighten his back, put on a profound and inscrutable look, and said calmly, "Let bygones be bygones. I'm tired and want to find a quiet place to rest."

"Yes, yes, we were rude," the man in the melon-shaped hat quickly apologized. "Then we won't bother you any longer. We'll bring a few senior members of the guild to give you a formal visit another day!"

After saying this, the two bowed to He Daqing again, turned around and left.

The restaurant was completely silent.

Fatty Liu stared at He Daqing, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg. My God! My little shabby restaurant actually harbors a true god!

He Daqing himself felt like he was dreaming.

It was evening, and the restaurant was about to close.

Hong Ye's men have arrived.

Only one came; it was the underling who stuck the dagger on the table yesterday.

The moment he walked in, the atmosphere in the restaurant instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Fatty Liu was so frightened that he hid behind the counter.

He Daqing's heart was in his throat.

The underling didn't cause any trouble. He walked up to He Daqing with a strange expression on his face, as if he was wary or disdainful.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice a little stiff: "Master He."

He Daqing didn't dare to speak.

"Our Master Hong said," the underling said, "that he heard about your situation today. He said that since you're a big shot from the city with connections, he won't force you. We're all in this together, we'll run into each other again. He'll come and patronize your business often from now on."

After saying that, he took out ten silver dollars from his pocket and slapped them on the table.

"This is Mr. Hong's treat for Master He. Farewell."

After saying that, he turned and left, decisively and cleanly.

He Daqing only came to his senses after the man's figure disappeared through the doorway.

He looked at the ten silver dollars on the table, and then at his own unharmed hands.

The crisis... is over just like that?

His legs went weak, and he had to hold onto the table to keep from falling.

Cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

He had only one thought in his mind.

What kind of monster is my son?

---