Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 11 Following Liu Guangqi

Yan Bugui came home from get off work carrying a cloth bag of old newspapers, which he had taken from the school. He was pleased that he could practice his calligraphy and then use them to wallpaper the walls.

Yang Ruihua sat at her doorstep, her eyes red-rimmed. When she saw him return, her lips trembled and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Yan Bugui realized something was wrong.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Yang Ruihua burst into tears. "Our house was robbed, and all the money is gone."

Yan Bugui's face turned pale. He dropped the newspaper and rushed into the house. The floor tiles had been overturned, and empty iron and wooden boxes were placed nearby.

He held the empty wooden box, and his hands began to tremble.

"They're all...gone?"

"It's all gone, not a single penny left." Yang Ruihua leaned against the doorframe and cried. "I've saved up for half my life."

Yan Bugui's lips turned purple, and his eyes rolled upwards. He stood up as if to say something, but swayed twice, leaned back, and fell to the ground along with the box.

"Old Yan! Old Yan, what's wrong with you!" Yang Ruihua rushed over to help him, but her own limbs were too weak to support him, and she cried out anxiously.

The children in the family were terrified, and none of them offered to help.

The neighbors from the front yard ran over to help and carried him onto the kang (a heated brick bed). Yan Bugui lay there with his eyes half-open and half-closed, muttering "My money, my money" in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Someone slapped him twice, and he let out a long breath, recovering. But he lay motionless on the kang (a heated brick bed), like a lost soul, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

When Liu Haizhong returned from the backyard, Wang Caifeng recounted her story in tears. Liu Haizhong's face was ashen; he sat silently on the bench, smoking three cigarettes. Three hundred yuan—he couldn't save that much even after a year of work.

He gritted his teeth and muttered, "Stop crying. You can't cry it all out."

Wang Caifeng cried even louder.

When Jia Dongxu returned from work, he was dragged into the house by Jia Zhangshi as soon as he entered the courtyard, and the door was slammed shut.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Jia Dongxu put the lunchbox on the table.

Madam Jia lowered her voice, her face pale. "Dongxu, listen to your mother. Stay away from Shazhu from now on, and whatever you do, don't mess with him."

Jia Dongxu was taken aback. "What's wrong with him now?"

Madam Jia recounted what had happened that day. The old deaf woman called Sha Zhu her eldest grandson, and Sha Zhu cursed her as an old woman without descendants, broke her cane, and slapped her twice, leaving her mouth full of blood. Later, the military control committee came, but instead of arresting Sha Zhu, they took the old deaf woman away.

"You didn't see it, Sha Zhu was acting like a madman, completely lawless, he even dared to curse Officer Wang." Jia Zhangshi said, glancing out the window. "He'll hit anyone now, you absolutely mustn't offend him."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu's face turned pale. Yi Zhonghai was beaten, the old lady was beaten and taken away—Sha Zhu has gone mad.

"I...I understand."

As evening fell, workers gradually returned home. News of what had happened in the courtyard spread: the old deaf man had been taken away, the Yan and Liu families had been robbed—one incident after another sent chills down people's spines.

Several families called their children over and gave them countless instructions and advice.

"From now on, when you see He Yuzhu, call him Brother Zhu, never call him 'Silly Zhu.' Understand?"

"Why? Didn't they used to call him 'Silly Pillar'?"

"I told you not to yell, so don't yell! If you yell again, I'll sew your mouth shut."

Although the children didn't understand, they all nodded obediently because they could see how grim the adults' faces were.

Xu Damao was different from everyone else in the hospital. He had witnessed He Yuzhu beating Yi Zhonghai the day before yesterday, and today, upon learning that He Yuzhu had beaten the old deaf man, he was not afraid at all; instead, his eyes lit up.

"This guy Zhuzi is amazing." He muttered to himself as he walked from the front yard to the middle yard without even going home. He came to the He family's house with his schoolbag on his back.

He Yuzhu had just finished cleaning the house.

dong dong dong.

"Brother Zhu, open the door, it's me, Da Mao."

He Yuzhu stood up and opened the door. Xu Damao stood in the doorway, a smile on his face.

"Brother Zhu, you're amazing. You even dared to hit that old deaf man, and the military control commission couldn't do anything to you when they came."

He Yuzhu didn't reply, but stepped aside to let him in.

Xu Damao entered the house and looked around. The house was clean and tidy, the new quilts were neatly folded, and there was cooked meat and fish on the table.

"Brother Zhu, have you struck it rich?"

"Have a seat." He Yuzhu pointed to a chair, then went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water and handed it to him.

Xu Damao took the water, but didn't drink it. He put it on the table, leaned over, and lowered his voice.

"Brother Zhu, tell me, what exactly happened to the old deaf man?"

He Yuzhu sat down and glanced at him. In his past life, Xu Damao had collected his corpse, and now this kid was still calling him Brother Zhuzi. He didn't plan to hide too much.

"Yi Zhonghai and the old deaf man drove He Daqing away."

Xu Damao's eyes widened. "What? He didn't run off with the widow?"

"It was Yi Zhonghai who set up the trap. The White Widow's scheme was a honey trap, the old deaf man's idea. They even wrote threatening letters about He Daqing hosting banquets for the Japanese, scaring him away."

Xu Damao listened, completely stunned.

"Brother Zhu, how did you know?"

"I went to Baoding and found He Daqing. He confessed to the Military Control Commission there. He confessed to preparing banquets for the Japanese. The Military Control Commission said that as long as the facts are true, there will be no problem. They were forced into this situation; they called Beijing to investigate."

Xu Damao slapped his thigh. "These people are utterly despicable."

He Yuzhu stood up and brought out a plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar and steamed buns from the kitchen.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's eat something together."

Xu Damao didn't stand on ceremony and sat down to eat. The sweet and sour fish was delicious, the braised pork was tender, and the cabbage was finely chopped. Xu Damao ate with gusto, his mouth greasy, giving a thumbs-up as he ate.

"Brother Zhu, your cooking skills are amazing."

He Yuzhu picked up a piece of meat and chewed it slowly.

"Da Mao, I have something to tell you."

Xu Damao put down his chopsticks and listened attentively.

"Old Deaf Man and Yi Zhonghai, those two widows, want to control this courtyard. They want to drive away those they can't control, and He Daqing was their first target, forced out by them. Who's next? Think about it."

Xu Damao thought for a moment, then his expression changed.

"My dad?"

"Yes. Your father, Xu Fugui, is not someone to be trifled with. They will definitely find a way."

Xu Damao stopped eating and put down his bowl.

"Brother Zhu, what should we do?"

"Go back and tell your father to be careful. The old deaf man has been taken away by the military control commission, and Yi Zhonghai is in the hospital. They can't cause any trouble for the time being. But they will definitely sow discord and win over the people in the compound to isolate us."

Xu Damao nodded.

"And another thing," He Yuzhu looked at him, "don't let Yi Zhonghai stir things up. He'd love for everyone in the compound to fight each other so he can come out and play the good guy. From now on, listen to me and don't believe their nonsense."

Xu Damao patted his chest. "Brother Zhu, don't worry. I'll listen to you from now on."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything more, and put another piece of meat on his plate.

The next morning, He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle out the door.

Some people in the courtyard saw him and forced a smile, their lips twitching upwards as a greeting. But no one dared to speak; they all walked around him as he approached.

He Yuzhu didn't mind and rode his bike out of the alley.

He went to the market first. He bought a few chickens, ducks, and geese, half a sheep, and a pig. He carried them on the back of his bicycle and hung them on the handlebars.

Leaving the market and turning into a small alley, I activated my senses; there was no one around. With a thought, everything hanging on the car entered my spatial storage.

He bought two more large front doors and put them away.

When he got home, he went to the cellar and took some cabbage and radish. He then locked the cellar, ensuring that he would never be able to use the He family's cellar again.

I went home, locked the door, and started practicing Huaiyang cuisine.

To make Wensi tofu, the knife skills must be fine; the tofu strands should be thin enough to thread a needle. He spent the whole morning shredding cabbage, starting with some thick and some thin, gradually making them finer. After shredding, he put them in water, and the strands were distinct, like strands of hair.

Satisfied.

I made myself a bowl of plain noodles and fried an egg for lunch. After eating, I rested for half an hour.

In the afternoon, he practiced Xingyi Quan. He mastered the Five Elements Fist, and his Beng Quan (crushing fist) was incredibly powerful. He stood in stances indoors for more than ten minutes at a time; his childhood wrestling training had paid off.

At 3:30 p.m., He Yuzhu changed into some old clothes and went out with his bicycle.

Liu Guangqi's school was on the east side of the alley, a half-hour walk away. He Yuzhu arrived early, before school had let out. He went into an alley, put his bicycle into his spatial storage, and squatted in a sheltered corner, waiting for a while.

The school bell rang, and the children ran out with their schoolbags on their backs. He Yuzhu spotted Liu Guangqi at a glance. He was twelve years old, fair-skinned, and looked nothing like Liu Haizhong. He was walking alone, not with the other children.

He Yuzhu followed.

Liu Guangqi followed the same route He Yuzhu had anticipated. He left the school gate, headed west, passed through two alleys, and then turned into a narrow lane. This narrow lane was lined with high walls on both sides and had no residents. Walking through this section would lead to Nanluoguxiang.

Every day after school, he walks here alone; his classmates have all turned at the intersection ahead.

He Yuzhu followed behind, keeping a distance of thirty meters. When they reached the middle of the narrow alley, he stopped and used his spatial awareness to look around.

There's a bend ahead, this is the perfect spot.

I'll wait for him here tomorrow.