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

Chapter 6 New Functions of Space

The next morning, He Yuzhu went straight to Fengzeyuan.

Fengzeyuan is located outside the front gate, at the south entrance of Meishi Street. He Yuzhu entered through the back door. The kitchen was steaming, with more than a dozen people busy with their own tasks, the chopping and clanging of knives and stoves filling the air.

His master's surname was Luo. He was in his early fifties, plump, and stood in front of the stove like a general. When Master Luo saw He Yuzhu come in, he put down the spatula and his face fell.

"Zhu Zi, where the hell were you yesterday? You didn't come to work and didn't say a word. I thought you were beaten badly by He Daqing and couldn't get out of bed."

He Yuzhu smiled apologetically and recounted what had happened in the past two days.

After hearing this, Master Luo slammed his hand on the cutting board, making the scallions bounce up.

"That bastard He Daqing. He just threw away two children like that, is he even human? And that guy surnamed Yi, he even swallowed my apprentice's things, he's got guts."

Several senior brothers gathered around, each more furious than the last. The eldest brother, Liu Chun, rolled up his sleeves, cursing and swearing, saying he was going to settle accounts with Yi Zhonghai. The second brother, Zhang Degui, also said they'd gather a few men that night, go to the courtyard, block the door of that childless man, and beat him senseless.

He Yuzhu quickly stopped him.

"No, no, no, fellow disciples, I've already dealt with that childless one. If you intervene again, you might get into legal trouble."

He was afraid that if Yi Zhonghai was crippled, he wouldn't be able to sneak up on him and put him into his spatial storage at night.

Master Luo stared at He Yuzhu for a while, then sighed.

"Alright, alright, get back to work." He shooed his apprentices away, then turned to He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, starting today you'll be working alongside me in the kitchen."

He Yuzhu rubbed his hands together.

"Master, I want to graduate from my apprenticeship."

Master Luo paused for a moment, then reached out and touched He Yuzhu's forehead.

"No way." He withdrew his hand. "Zhu Zi, you've only been learning from me for a little over a year. In over a year, you haven't even properly set foot on the stove, or cooked a single dish? You think you're ready to graduate? How can I agree to that?"

He Yuzhu didn't panic. He had already prepared his explanation.

"Master, you'll find out if you test me. You give me a question, and I'll answer it. If I can't answer it, I'll go back and obediently chop vegetables, and I'll never mention it again."

Master Luo looked at him, his eyes darting around.

"Are you serious?"

"Seriously."

Master Luo walked to the stove, picked up the spatula, and tapped the side of the pot.

"Alright. Since you've put it that way, I'll test you. Eight dishes: twice-cooked pork, Kung Pao chicken, Mapo tofu, shredded pork with garlic sauce, boiled beef, sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce, sliced ​​pork belly with garlic sauce, and dan dan noodles. Make them in one hour and let me taste them. If you can't, don't bring this up again."

Without saying a word, He Yuzhu tied on an apron and picked up a kitchen knife.

He was a decent cook in his past life, and he had even practiced the Sichuan dishes he knew. He was confident that he wouldn't be much worse than his master.

He started by cutting the meat. The pork belly was sliced ​​thinly, the slices were even, even more even than what his senior colleagues usually cut. Liu Chun watched from the side, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Pillar, when...when did you start practicing this?"

He Yuzhu turned around and smiled, then focused on his work. The twice-cooked pork was stir-fried in the wok; the fermented black beans and broad bean paste added, and the aroma filled the air. The Kung Pao chicken, with its spicy and lychee flavor, had the perfect ratio of sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. The Mapo tofu was glistening with red oil.

He prepared eight dishes in less than fifty minutes.

There were quite a few young people in the kitchen, and they all gathered around to watch. Chef Luo stood at the very front, his mouth agape.

He Yuzhu arranged the dishes and stepped aside.

"Master, please try some."

Chef Luo picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of twice-cooked pork, and put it in his mouth. He chewed it twice and then stopped.

He picked up another piece of Kung Pao Chicken and tried it. He nodded.

He tasted all eight dishes one by one, put down his chopsticks, and looked at He Yuzhu with a complicated expression.

"Zhu Zi, tell me honestly, did you already know these dishes before you became an apprentice?"

"No. I just looked at it and remembered it, and I also thought about it when I got home and asked my dad."

This was the most reasonable explanation he could think of. It was true that He Daqing was a good cook, so it made sense.

Master Luo remained silent for a long while, then sighed.

"Your cooking skills are no worse than mine. In some dishes, you're even better than me."

Liu Chun gasped in shock. Zhang Degui dropped the spoon in his hand with a clatter.

Master Luo patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder.

"Alright. You want to graduate? I agree. But you'll have to wait until I throw you a graduation banquet so all the other apprentices can see that I, Lao Luo, have a good apprentice. It'll be in a week at Fengzeyuan. Don't come over these next few days; go back and prepare properly."

He Yuzhu's eyes welled up with tears. In his previous life, he had never mastered the art of cooking and could only present himself as a chef specializing in Tan Family Cuisine, serving Sichuan cuisine.

"Thank you, Master."

That evening, He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard house. It was already completely dark, and the courtyard was quiet, with only a few windows lit up.

He entered the room and activated his spatial awareness. Within thirty meters, everything was crystal clear.

Yi Zhonghai lay on the bed in the east room, his face contorted like a pig's head, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Tan Xiulan had her back to him; it was unclear whether she was asleep or not.

He Yuzhu waited for him to get up and go to the toilet.

Around 11 p.m., Yi Zhonghai moved. He got up in the dark and bent down to pull the chamber pot from under the bed.

With a thought, He Yuzhu's chamber pot disappeared.

Yi Zhonghai's hand reached for nothing and he froze. He knelt on the ground and reached out again, but there was nothing there. He muttered, "What the hell?", got up, opened the door, and went out.

He Yuzhu quietly followed him out the door.

The public toilet was at the corner of the alley. He Yuzhu waited on the side, a wooden stick appearing in his hand.

A few minutes later, footsteps approached. Yi Zhonghai emerged from the public restroom, pulling up his trousers, muttering, "Where did the chamber pot go?" as he slowly walked back.

When He Yuzhu got closer, he swung the wooden stick around and hit him on the back of the head.

With a soft thud, a muffled sound.

Yi Zhonghai didn't even utter a sound before falling forward.

He Yuzhu squatted down, placed his hand on the man's shoulder, and with a thought, the man was gone.

He followed them into the space.

The space was pitch black. But He Yuzhu could see that this was his own territory, and he was the god of this place.

Yi Zhonghai remained suspended in mid-air, the blood on the back of his head not flowing down, as if the clock had been pressed.

He Yuzhu looked at that face. That face that had pretended to be a good person for decades in its past life, that face that had deceived him for a lifetime.

His inner rage erupted, and he swung his fist down.

One punch. Two punches. Three punches.

He aimed specifically at Yi Zhonghai's face, smashing it to pieces. His nose bridge collapsed, his mouth split open, and his brow bone shattered.

When Yi Zhonghai was about to throw the sixth punch, he suddenly woke up.

He Yuzhu was startled and took a step back.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were open, his pupils darting around, and he was making a hoarse sound. His jaw was broken, and he couldn't speak coherently.

"Who...who hit me?" Yi Zhonghai's voice was muffled and choked with sobs. "Where am I?"

He Yuzhu was stunned. Wasn't he supposed to be unable to move while inside the spatial dimension? How come his eyes are still open and he can still talk? Could it be because I hit him?

He slowly lowered his fist and watched Yi Zhonghai speak, his eyes rolling in the air.

He can't see me.

The thought flashed through He Yuzhu's mind.

He tentatively took a step forward and waved to Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai did not respond.

Can he hear me?

He Yuzhu squatted down, leaned close to Yi Zhonghai's ear, and said in a high-pitched voice:

"Old Yi, guess who I am?"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes darted around, almost popping out of their sockets.

“Who…who are you?”

Guess!

"I can't tell... I can't tell..." Yi Zhonghai's voice began to tremble. "Please, let me go... How much money do you want? I have money..."

He Yuzhu stepped aside.

He watched as Yi Zhonghai howled, begged for mercy, and cried in the air, like a dog whose spine had been broken.

That was so awesome!

He changed his mind.

Kill him? That would be too easy on him.

He Yuzhu stepped forward again and patted Yi Zhonghai's face.

"Old Yi, I'll ask you a question, you answer it. If you answer wrong, I'll punch you. Understand?"

"Sir...please tell me, please tell me...I will answer honestly."

"First question. When did you find out you couldn't have children?"

"That's not true... It's just that my wife can't have children..."

A punch landed squarely on his stomach. Yi Zhonghai arched like a shrimp in mid-air.

"In 1945, in 1945, the year the Japanese devils fled, I was kicked in the groin by the Japanese devils..."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Second question. Who does the old deaf man in your backyard know?"

Yi Zhonghai froze.

"How...how would I know..."

Another punch landed on Juehu. "I ask, you answer."

"Yes... she knows a female officer from the Military Control Commission... surnamed Wang, and it seems she also knows leaders of the Fifth Inner District government..."

"District government leaders? What are their names?"

"I really don't know..."

He Yuzhu took a deep breath.

"Third question. Does your wife know you can't have children?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

He Yuzhu didn't hold back and punched him in the face.

Yi Zhonghai screamed, "I don't know...she doesn't know..."

"So you're just putting the blame on her? Making her a hen that can't lay eggs?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

"Old Yi, live well, I'll find you again later."

He stretched out his hand, and the wooden stick in the space appeared in his hand. He struck it twice more. Then he broke off Yi Zhonghai's right index finger and pulled out the bone fragment. The man was completely unconscious, not even reacting.

He left the space.

It was still late at night outside, and the alley was quiet. He Yuzhu looked down at his hands; there was no blood.

With a thought, Yi Zhonghai lay down on the ground.

He Yuzhu slowly walked back to the courtyard house, pushed open the door, went in, and closed it.

Who will they deal with next?