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

He Yuzhu, hopping and skipping, spotted He Daqing sitting on a cart smoking at the courtyard gate from afar.

He immediately shouted with joy:

"Father, Father, I'm home."

Hearing the sound, He Daqing looked up and saw He Yuzhu running over. He breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"It's good that you're back. It's okay that some steamed buns were stolen."

He Yuzhu then said loudly:

"Dad, I sold the steamed buns. A merchant bought them all."

He Daqing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Good, good indeed, you truly are worthy of being He Daqing's son,"

As he spoke, he pushed the cart into the courtyard.

"Zhu Zi, give me the money, then keep one silver dollar to buy some wine. Let's have a good drink tonight."

Upon hearing that he could drink, He Yuzhu hurriedly pulled out a handful of French coins from his pocket and stuffed them into He Daqing's hand.

He Daqing was also stunned when he saw the French coin.

"Zhu Zi, is this the money you used to buy the steamed buns?"

"Oh! Father, he even gave me a tip! Look at all this money! With someone as stupid as him running a business, it's no wonder he'll have to close down."

He Yuzhu smiled and looked up at Da Qing, only to find that his father's face was flushed red. He gritted his teeth, ran into the room, grabbed a rolling pin, and rushed out.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"What did I do, you little brat? I can't say anything if your steamed buns were stolen, but you can't trade them for this waste paper."

He Daqing kicked He Yuzhu over and then beat him mercilessly with a rolling pin.

Neighbors who heard the screams rushed out to check what was happening.

He Yuzhu also covered his head with his hands, curled up in a ball, and kept begging for mercy.

He Daqing is becoming increasingly popular.

"You laugh at others for being stupid, but you yourself have been fooled. Just as Captain Jia said, you're a complete idiot."

Meanwhile, Xu Damao, who had been cowering in the porch of the backyard and middle courtyard, watched everything unfold before him. Upon hearing He Daqing's words, he immediately became excited and shouted:

"Haha, He Yuzhu is a fool."

"Silly Zhu! Silly Zhu!"

He Yuzhu, who was still begging for mercy on the ground, heard the voice and hurriedly shouted:

"You son of a bitch, Xu Damao, don't you dare yell at me. You just wait!"

Xu Damao also ran out of the courtyard in a panic, shouting all the way:

"He Yuzhu in our compound is a fool, a fool!"

A fat man appeared where Xu Damao had just been standing.

That's right, he is Liu Haizhong.

He muttered to himself:

"So, when kids misbehave, all you have to do is beat them up, Zhu Zi..."

No, that's not right. Sha Zhu used to be fearless, but when his father beat him, he would kneel down and beg for mercy, crying and pleading. He was very obedient.

"Hmm. No, we can't hit Guangqi. He's the eldest son, and we'll have to rely on him to take care of us in our old age. Let's try Guangtian then, but he's only four years old."

As Liu Haizhong walked towards the backyard, he saw his four-year-old son, Liu Guangtian, climb onto the table and push the two eggs on it to the ground.

Suddenly remembering his earlier thought, he rushed over and slapped Liu Guangtian across the face.

"Ah, waah..."

Liu Guangtian, who was slammed from the table to the ground, immediately burst into tears.

The child's mother rushed out of the room, hugged Guangtian, and kept comforting him. Before she could even speak,

Liu Haizhong pointed directly at his wife and said:

"What? You want to curse me? You've really gone against the heavens!"

He slapped his wife across the face, then punched her in the stomach with his left fist.

The child's mother immediately cried out in despair:

"Honey, I was wrong, please don't hit me."

Just then, a six-year-old boy ran in from outside.

"Guangtian, did I tell you to get the eggs? Why are you taking so long..."

Liu Guangqi saw two broken eggs on the ground, Guangtian lying on the ground crying loudly, and his mother whose mouth was bleeding from being beaten by her father.

Terrified, she leaned against the doorframe, her legs trembling, her hands gripping the door frame tightly. A puddle of yellow water appeared on the floor.

Inside the house next door, a somewhat aged woman, holding a chicken leg in one hand and a wine cup in the other, drank yellow wine and shouted angrily:

"What's going on with this fringe? It's started hitting people now."

He took a few more bites of the chicken leg, then suddenly spat it all out.

"This cook's skills are terrible; the food is tasteless, but it's a shame to throw it away. We can't let the money our two children sent us go to waste like this."

He then drank another cup of yellow wine, his eyes fixed on the central courtyard, and murmured:

"That Tan Bangyan's cooking was quite good, but it's a pity he's gone. His apprentice doesn't give the old woman any face either. What can you do when the Qing Dynasty is over?"

"However, He Daqing from the Central Academy of Fine Arts was a registered student back then. He studied there for several years and also apprenticed under that Sichuan cuisine chef, so his skills should be quite good. I need to plan this carefully."

As if remembering something, she turned around and rummaged through drawers to find a newspaper. It read "Xia Yinghua is approachable," and included a picture of a female officer named Yinghua and He Daqing, with Jia Gui and the chubby man's faces in the background.

……

Before they knew it, it was the end of the year and the Spring Festival. Leyou happily sat down with his master and the others to eat the New Year's Eve dinner.

"Jingxian, I'm planning to send Nianmin to school in a few days. He's over five years old now."

Leyou said this to Jingxian, who was sitting to the side, while smoking a cigarette.

Jingxian nodded in agreement, "Brother, then I'll prepare the dried meat and other things."

Huang Ying, standing nearby, asked curiously:

Why prepare these things?

Mulan hugged Jianguo and giggled, saying:

1. Celery symbolizes diligence in learning and the saying "proficiency comes from hard work."

2. Lotus seeds symbolize painstaking education;

3. Red beans symbolize good fortune;

4. Dates, symbolizing early success in examinations;

5. Longan, symbolizing the completion of one's mission;

6. Strips of dried lean meat, symbolizing the disciple's sincerity.

Leyou also shook his head and said:

"Now that I understand the situation in Beijing, apart from some prestigious private schools that still have this tradition, other public schools only require tuition fees, and Nianmin will go to a public school."

He then turned to the chubby man and said:

"Go and send a telegram to National Sun Yat-sen University in Meixian later, and ask about the joint entrance examination."

The chubby man nodded in agreement and left the restaurant, heading towards the telegraph room.

Meanwhile, Jia Gui, standing at the entrance of the mansion, was trembling as he smoked, his eyes fixed intently on the outside.

Originally, it was supposed to be Lao Liu on duty, but something happened in Changsha, and Bai Pangzi and Jia Gui volunteered. So Le You let Lao Liu go back first, and Bai Pangzi and Jia Gui took turns guarding Le Mansion and patrolling the streets.

At this moment, the master hesitated for a moment and said:

"At the welcoming banquet that evening when I first arrived in Beijing, I met a young girl from a distant relative of Old Tan. Could you send someone to investigate her husband, Lou Zhenhua? After all, he's getting on in years, and he doesn't see many old acquaintances anymore. If you can help him out, please do so."

Leyou nodded in agreement when Lou Zhenhua heard this.

"Yes, he owns a steel mill, and I'd like to talk to him about it. It'll be a good opportunity to find out more."

After the meal, everyone ate some fruit and then went upstairs to rest.

Leyou returned to her office to continue handling business, while Mulan took stock of logistical supplies.

……