He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

Shops along Zhengyangmen Street

"Manager Yan, may you have good fortune!"

"Hey, I was wondering why there were magpies chirping in the yard so early this morning. Turns out it's the two officers who have arrived. Please, have a seat."

"Honey, bring me two cups of good tea."

The chubby man waved his hand and said:

"Manager Yan, we've come to ask you for a favor. We wonder if you'd be willing?"

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his eyes darting around, and said:

"What's with all this begging and pleading? I'm just running a small business, I don't deserve the title of shopkeeper. Look at my shop, it's only about ten square meters, barely enough to make ends meet."

After hearing this, Captain Jia slammed his hand on the table:

"Goodness, we've known each other for almost a year and a half now. Shan Chu, you asked us two brothers for a favor, have we ever treated you badly? Besides, this time it's a good thing,"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui hurriedly grasped Captain Jia's hand and said:

"Captain Jia, does your hand hurt? Who slams their hand on the table like that? If it's something good, of course I'll help!"

The chubby man sneered, "They really won't act until they see the benefit."

"Give us 500 silver dollars now, or 10 small yellow croakers, and we'll take you to meet the newly appointed defense officer tomorrow at noon."

Upon hearing the price of 500 silver dollars and 10 small yellow croakers, Yan Bugui clutched his chest in shock and immediately shook his head, saying:

"Damn it, where would I get that much money? This is going to be a life-or-death situation, and you call this a good thing?"

Seeing this, the chubby man threw a powerful punch at Yan Bugui, knocking his glasses off and breaking the temple.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences. Your family owns so many shops, not to mention your brother guards such a large four-courtyard house. Do you believe I'll accuse you of treason tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui disregarded where his glasses had fallen and hurriedly grabbed the chubby man's waist, shouting:

"We've known each other for a long time, you can't treat me like this, I don't have that much money."

At this moment, Yan Bugui, who was constantly begging for mercy, suddenly saw a long black tube appear in his blurred vision.

Something was on his mind, and his hand trembled as he reached out to touch the thing that was already on top of his head.

"Oh my god, a gun!"

Meanwhile, Uncle San's wife, Lihua, came out carrying three bowls of tea. Seeing Captain Jia holding a gun to her husband's head, she trembled with fear.

Ignoring the teacup that had fallen to the ground, he pounced on Yan Bugui from behind and said:

"Honey, just agree to whatever they ask for. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback."

Upon hearing this, the chubby man helped up the still trembling Yan Bugui and said:

"Manager Yan, listen to this. Your wife knows more than you do. Don't worry, come to Qingyun Tower tomorrow and I'll give you a feast."

Seeing that Yan Bugui was frozen in place, Captain Jia forcefully nudged his head with the muzzle of his gun.

"Captain Jia, please don't shoot! I'll give you the money, and I don't even want the wealth of Qingyun Tower. I just ask that we never see each other again."

After Yan Bugui finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and walked towards the back room. A moment later, he came out with a wooden box.

The chubby guy snatched it, opened it, and took a look.

Huang Changchang's twenty little yellow croakers lay inside, and she patted her face happily, saying:

"Alright, Manager Yan is quite a character. Things will change, we'll meet again."

After saying that, he pulled Captain Jia and walked towards Nanluoguxiang.

Lihua hugged Yan Bugui's leg and burst into tears:

"Why weren't those two damned bastards executed last year? All they do is bully us ordinary people. Boss, you need to figure out what to do next. We can't live like this anymore!"

Yan Bugui stood there motionless for a long time, then said in a hoarse voice:

"Lihua, you won't go broke from eating or dressing, but you will if you don't plan ahead. I never thought I, Yan Bugui, would be the one who got pecked in the eye one day."

"I heard that fighting has started in the north, and now a new garrison commander has arrived. I can't even tell if it's just a change of soldiers and bandits. Besides, those two bastards have their eyes on me."

"These ancestral shops are probably beyond saving. We should sell them all when we have the chance. Don't contact your elder brother and the others. If they get caught, they'll be in deep trouble, even if they don't die."

"It's tough on you and the children. Lihua, wear your clothes a little more worn out and try to find a place to live in a less crowded alley. I've already sold my shop, and then we'll move there. I'll find some work, and then they won't bother me anymore."

Lihua was stunned. She had to pretend to be poor even if she was living a good life, but as the saying goes, "a woman should follow her husband wherever he goes," and she had to do whatever her husband said. So she changed into a set of clothes from the woman selling tripe nearby and went out to look for a place to live.

Whether by coincidence or fate, Lihua kept asking questions and searching, getting closer and closer to Nanluoguxiang.

After watching his wife leave, Yan Bugui quietly took out a cigarette, lit it, picked up the broken eyeglass from the ground, tied the temple back up with tape, and murmured to the passersby at the door:

"Don't flaunt your wealth, don't flaunt your wealth, otherwise those two bastards wouldn't have come to blackmail me."

"We Manchus suffer so much,"

"You won't go poor from eating or dressing well, but you will if you don't plan ahead."

……

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang

"Great Qing! Great Qing, open the gates!"

Captain Jia kept banging on the door of the east wing of the central courtyard.

Just then, the door next to them opened, and a chubby-faced boy, who looked to be eleven or twelve years old, came out, carrying a baby in his arms, and shouted loudly:

"What are you yelling about? What kind of ghost are you yelling for in the middle of the night? You woke my sister up! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

The chubby boy was also furious. How dare a little brat speak like that? He immediately raised his hand to throw a big-nosed boy at him.

Just then, the door opened, and a hand grabbed Yang Qi's hand, saying:

"You're a grown man, don't stoop to the level of a child, he's my son."

"Brother Jia, what brings you here today?"

Jia Gui hurriedly pulled the two men's hands down and said to the chubby man:

"This is He Daqing,"

Then he addressed the Qing Dynasty:

"Hey, I knew your wife wasn't here, so I brought a friend over to help you out."

He Daqing rubbed his reddened eyes and nodded to let the two in. He then took out a silver dollar from his pocket and gave it to the boy, saying:

"Son, go and get some cheap liquor. Bring your sister over for dinner later."

The boy took the money, carried his sister into the room next door, picked up an empty bottle, and walked towards the door.

Just then, a boy of about 10 years old ran in and shouted:

"Yuzhu, let's go play! Today we're going to raid bird nests!"

He Yuzhu shook his head and said:

"I'm not going, get out of my way, I have things to do."

The smaller boy retorted sarcastically:

"What? Are you still going to sell steamed buns? We're friends, I'll help you sell them."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything and just walked out.

The little boy standing at the door stomped his foot hard and said:

"Hmph, I, Xu Damao, have never had no friends or brothers in my life. I'll team up with Liu Guangqi from the backyard and that Jia Dongxu..."

"hey-hey"

……