Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"No problem, Zhuzi, just have Yushui bring it over anytime." Bai Danyu agreed without hesitation. He Yuzhu had helped her so much, and she would feel bad if she couldn't even accept this small favor.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Bai Danyu suddenly noticed that there was a different book on his table—the last time he came, it was "Detailed Explanation of Massage Techniques," but now it was "General Knowledge of Antique Appreciation."

She couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Yuzhu, you didn't give up halfway through because you couldn't learn it, did you? Does changing books mean you've given up on treatment?"

He Yuzhu grinned: "Oh, Sister Bai, can't it be that I've already mastered it, and that's why I'm switching to a new field to study?"

"Ha, bragging doesn't cost anything?" She glanced at him sideways, her eyes sparkling. "You think you can learn that just by reading books? Then show me what you've got."

"Sure, Sister Bai, sit here and let me give you a massage so you can experience the results firsthand." He got up and walked to the sofa. The genuine leather sofa was originally left by Director Zhang of the cafeteria; it was very exquisite, and now it all belonged to him.

"This..." Bai Danyu was slightly shy, but seeing that he was all ready, she was moved and walked over.

Following his gesture, she turned her back and gently sat down on the sofa.

"Sister Bai, I'm starting now."

As soon as the reminder was given, He Yuzhu placed his hands on her shoulders and neck, his strength steady and his movements skillful, quietly moving between her meridians.

Not long after they started working on it, Bai Danyu's body involuntarily straightened, her curves becoming even more exquisite; He Yuzhu's hands seemed to carry an electric current, every time he pressed on a spot, a tingling and numb sensation shot straight through her muscles and bones, but once the soreness passed, her whole body felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and she felt completely comfortable.

She quickly closed her eyes, her body completely relaxing under He Yuzhu's fingertips, as if the fatigue accumulated over the past few days was being gradually crushed and expelled from her body.

He Yuzhu could clearly sense the changes in her—he not only stimulated the flow of qi and blood throughout her body, but also skillfully loosened her muscles and tendons. If the full massage were to be performed, Bai Danyu would probably be drenched in sweat within minutes, as if she had just taken a thorough sauna.

In that half-dreaming, half-awake state, a sudden, soft sensation rushed over me, straight to my head.

"Hmm~!"

Bai Danyu let out a soft moan, then suddenly realized what was happening. Her legs instinctively tightened, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her breathing became erratic. She stood there helplessly.

"Pillar, Pillar... Let's call it a day..."

She hurriedly stood up, dodging the still-roaming hands, her voice trembling slightly: "I have to go to work soon, I need to go back and pack my things. As for what you said… I agreed, we can discuss it in detail another day…"

If she lingered a little longer, she feared she would no longer be able to suppress the surging emotions in her heart. The sudden touch she had just experienced had almost thrown her into a state of confusion, making it impossible for her to maintain her composure.

He Yuzhu nodded, but couldn't resist asking cheekily, "Okay, Sister Bai, how's my cooking?"

"Pah! Always thinking such inappropriate thoughts!"

Bai Danyu spat at him and rolled her eyes, but there was no anger in her eyes or brows, only shyness and reproach.

After saying that, he left in a hurry. Although his steps were quick, he did not dare to take big steps and could only slip away quickly with small, quick steps.

As soon as she stepped out of the office, her heart was still pounding: 'That damn Zhu, how can he even use such seductive techniques for a massage? That sound just now… he must have heard it… Oh no, I'm doomed…'

She silently did the math—she absolutely couldn't see him again for at least three or four days, no, seven or eight! Otherwise, every time their eyes met, her mind would be filled with the scene from just now.

In the days leading up to his trip to Hong Kong Island, Ho Yu-chu made two more trips to the Foreign Affairs Bureau, one to receive assignments and the other to collect ammunition.

These are for self-defense. After all, he and Lou's father have sensitive identities, and once they arrive in Hong Kong, the support from the mainland will be limited; they will have to rely on themselves for everything.

Besides the Foreign Affairs Bureau, he also frequently met with Li Wangcai. That guest from Shanghai I mentioned last time really wasn't a fraud.

The man indeed reappeared in Beijing carrying a box of gold and jewelry, and completed the transaction with Li Wangcai.

Li Wangcai made a net profit of over two thousand yuan from this single order, so you can imagine how much He Yuzhu earned.

With the jewelry he has accumulated, plus the Lou family's existing inventory, he is more than qualified to open a gold shop or pawn shop in Hong Kong.

The gold alone is valued at nearly 150,000 RMB, which is more than 50,000 USD; not to mention the unsold precious medicinal herbs, He Yuzhu has more than enough start-up capital to go to Hong Kong Island.

However, due to the excessive shipments in the previous months, He Yuzhu decided to let Li Wangcai take a break. Once he left, he would not provide any rare medicinal herbs in the short term.

The earnings from these past few months were equivalent to Li Wangcai's total income over the past two or three years. He almost immediately recognized He Yuzhu as his godfather and vowed to follow him faithfully from then on.

Therefore, he was extra careful in handling matters. Xu Damao dared to personally sneak into the silk shop to inquire, which infuriated He Yuzhu. After being scolded, Li Wangcai immediately sent more people to monitor Xu Damao's trip to the countryside, keeping him under 24-hour close surveillance.

Finally, an opportunity was seized. However, his underlings were too impetuous. As soon as Xu Damao and Jia Dongxu entered the room, they immediately called over people from the neighborhood committee.

They had just settled the price inside the house and had only taken off half of their clothes.

The two immediately had an excuse: it was too stuffy inside, so they took off their clothes to get some fresh air; they were just dropping by.

But those old ladies at the neighborhood committee weren't easily fooled. After a barrage of interrogations, Jia Dongxu confessed. However, he was also cautious, insisting that it was his first time there and he hadn't done anything when he was caught red-handed.

Subsequently, a letter was sent to the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office, requesting Director Wang to handle the matter.

Upon reading the letter, Director Wang was furious. Although the matter hadn't been resolved, he had lost face considerably. He immediately replied to the steel mill, ordering two men to clean the public toilets for a month.

Jia Dongxu and Xu Damao were completely finished this time. The steel mill was going to publicly announce their punishment, but fortunately, Xu Fugui pulled strings and managed to suppress the news. In the end, they were just reassigned to the sanitation team, where they had to clean toilets, carry manure, compost manure, and cook—living the life of two hard laborers.

After dealing with Xu Damao's matter, He Yuzhu didn't rest. He began to intensively study Cantonese. People who speak fluent Cantonese in Beijing are extremely rare. You can hire a few experienced teachers, but their progress is slow and hesitant, like a tractor climbing a hill. Fortunately, after a while, he could manage basic daily conversations. What if he encountered something he couldn't understand? No problem, he simply switched to English, his aura instantly dominating the room.

In the days leading up to his departure for Hong Kong Island, the place he frequented most was the courtyard house under Chen Xueru's name near Zhengyangmen.

The courtyard was quiet, but the house was bustling with activity. The old-fashioned bed creaked almost every other day, as if recording one silent battle after another.

Under the guise of a "long-awaited reunion," He Yuzhu repeatedly broke through Chen Xueru's defenses. In just one month, their positions became so practiced that it was as if they had rehearsed them a thousand times. Chen Xueru would verbally protest, but her body would honestly go limp each time, surrendering to his embrace.

After about ten times, she had completely changed. Her eyes sparkled, her lips were painted vermilion, and she was as beautiful as a crabapple blossoming in spring. She was beginning to gain the reputation of being the "most beautiful woman in Zhengyangmen".

Lou Bancheng once asked him, "Zhuzi, is this your first time traveling such a long distance by train?"

"That's right, we've never even climbed over the city walls of Beijing before."

He Yuzhu sighed. Let alone this life, even in his previous life he had only glanced at the location of Hong Kong Island on a map a few times.

This time it was relatively decent; the Foreign Affairs Bureau arranged a soft sleeper compartment for Lou's father and him. They were the only two people in the entire carriage, which was quiet and safe.

You should know that soft sleeper tickets aren't something you can just get with money; you need to have a certain rank and connections. Even if he's the canteen manager, without those connections, he'd still have to obediently squeeze into a hard seat.

The three of them carried three heavy leather suitcases, attracting attention wherever they went.

The box was filled with the Lou family's most prized possessions—gold bars, gold chains, and jewelry. Converted at the current black market price, it would be worth more than US$100,000, or more than HK$800,000.

However, at that time, the mainstream exchange rate in Hong Kong was still Hong Kong dollars to British pounds, and the US dollar had not yet become popular. It would take another ten years for it to become popular.

Carrying so much hard currency on the road should have been extremely risky. However, having witnessed He Yuzhu's methods firsthand, Lou's father felt at ease and simply declined the Foreign Affairs Bureau's offer to send someone to escort him.

But He Yuzhu had already noticed that someone was secretly following them. Without a doubt, it was someone from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. After all, who would dare let two ordinary people carry the equivalent of one-four-hundredth of the country's foreign exchange reserves on their own? If anything went wrong, not only would there be accountability, but the entire province would tremble.

The two suitcases he was carrying were filled with gleaming gold and valuables; the smaller suitcase that Lou's father was carrying contained clothes and several important documents.

The train swayed and rattled all day, but the two of them weren't tired at all, nestled in their soft sleeper compartment. Lou's father idly reminisced about the past: "This time, on our way to Hong Kong Island, we're first seeing an old friend. He passed away seven or eight years ago, and he wrote to us last year, saying that's paradise for people like us."

He paused, then shook his head: "I don't agree with that. A small business is just for supporting your family, but if it grows big, you have to think about the country. As a person, you have to have some vision."

"Dad, you're right."

He Yuzhu smiled and replied. This old man was someone who later genuinely received the title of "Patriotic Businessman." Although things changed drastically afterward, he couldn't escape that calamity either—but that was the way of the times, and he couldn't be blamed for it.

The train traveled south and finally arrived at the Sham River area. Officials from the Foreign Affairs Bureau personally greeted them and led them to a specially approved freight train bound for Hong Kong Island. Ostensibly for cargo transport, it was officially sanctioned, and the environment was even more comfortable than a regular passenger train.

Along the way, stowaways often hitchhike, hiding in refrigerated compartments or gaps under the vehicles. They are exposed to the wind and sun, and if they go the wrong way, they may be taken back to the mainland, where they may end up in jail or even lose their lives.

The staff saw the two off to their car and whispered, "Mr. Lou, Director He, once you get there, you'll be on your own. If you run into trouble, just find someone at the address we give you and give them their code name."

He Yuzhu nodded his thanks: "Thank you all for your hard work. We will contact you if needed. Until we meet again."

As soon as he finished speaking, the train slowly started moving. The driver was one of their own, and his mission was clear: deliver the goods safely, with both the driver and the cargo safely transported.