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

Just as Da Qing was about to lean forward, Lou, the steward, shouted from outside the door:

"Da Qing, this is the menu. You need to pay attention at lunchtime."

Hearing the noise, Widow Bai shoved He Daqing aside and ran into the storeroom, while He Daqing's sausage lips landed directly on the damp wall.

"Damn it, that old geezer never comes any earlier or later. No wonder he doesn't have a beard."

In the blink of an eye, Da Qing immediately looked up and smiled at the walking steward, Lou, and said:

"Don't worry, Steward. My skills are impeccable."

Butler Lou nodded in agreement.

"Yes, they're officers stationed in the city. Be careful, or the bullets won't have eyes."

Upon hearing this, He Daqing immediately recalled the scene from a few years ago when he cooked for the Sakura officer. It was because the previous cook was executed on the spot for not cooking well that he was forced to cook as well.

Thankfully, Jia Gui is a reliable brother. I contacted him tonight, and he's already become the cafeteria manager. I should thank him properly.

If I can also win over Xiaobai, my life will be complete.

Meanwhile, He Daqing mentioned that Jia Gui was riding a motorcycle near the Drum Tower, followed by a dozen or so patrolmen.

"Hey, isn't that Yan Bugui? But it doesn't seem like it. Why is the shopkeeper dressed in such shabby clothes?"

As Jia Gui accelerated, the motorcycle roared straight at the man who was walking with his back bent.

"Oh, it really is you, Manager Yan! May you be blessed with good fortune."

Yan Bugui, who had been walking with his head down and a worried expression, trembled with fear upon hearing Jia Gui's frivolous voice.

"Did I step in dog poop today? How could I run into this bastard?"

Yan Bugui hurriedly looked up, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"So it's Captain Jia. I dare not call myself the shopkeeper. After I borrowed money from you last time, my shop was robbed, and I had no choice but to sell it. I didn't expect that the yellow croaker that Lihua bought was fake."

I haven't eaten for three days, and I can't find work. My whole family is living in a dilapidated temple outside the city.

Jia Gui glanced suspiciously at Yan Bugui, whose face was flushed and whose belly was slightly protruding. He gave an awkward smile, after all, it was the two brothers who had forcibly borrowed the yellow croaker last time.

So he said:

"Old Yan, we're all on the same side. If you have any difficulties, just tell me, and I'll definitely help you out."

Here's a large sum of money; let's pay back the money you borrowed last time.

Yan Bugui, clutching the silver dollar that Jia Guiqiang had forcefully handed over, felt a surge of rage within him.

"So many small yellow croakers taken, and it'll all be settled with one silver dollar? I've never seen such a shameless person."

So he gritted his teeth and said:

"Captain Jia, look how imposing you are now, with so many men under your command. Please help me out."

Jia Gui listened with his head held high and chest puffed out. "Look," he thought, "a Manchu bannerman, even a comprador like me is still fawning over my horse."

So he patted Yan Bugui on the shoulder and said:

"Old Yan, my good brother, your problems are my problems. So what if you have no place to live and no work? Watch how your brother takes care of it."

Then he turned to the patrolmen behind him and said:

"You will patrol your own areas. Write down the routes and hand them to me before you finish work today."

Then he pulled Yan Bugui onto the back of the motorcycle, stepped on the gas, and sped off towards Nanluoguxiang.

"Old Yan, what do you think of this courtyard? It's a three-courtyard house; it used to be the residence of a prince."

Yan Bugui looked at the number 95 sign, recalled the information his wife had gathered, and shook his head, saying:

“Jia Guichang, I did attend a private school, so don’t try to fool me. There are no houses for rent in this alley.”

"Haha, Old Yan, you don't know this, do you? This courtyard belongs to Lou Bancheng, and he's renting it out to apprentices at the factory."

Yan Bugui hesitated and said:

"But I'm not an apprentice at his steel factory, and I can't rent this room."

Jia Gui patted his chest and said:

"It's alright, I, Master Jia, am here. Go see the house now, I'll take care of it for you."

Just then, a fat man carrying a lotus leaf bag came running and skipping over from a distance. Upon seeing the motorcycle at the gate, he immediately rushed into the courtyard.

"Master Jia, Master Jia!"

"You've come all this way today, haven't you? I bought some pig's head meat; we'll have some later. I'll have the kids go get some liquor."

Jia Gui had initially intended to agree, but upon hearing the casual recitation, he lost interest and listlessly smacked his lips.

Liu Haizhong didn't notice Jia Gui's expression change and continued talking incessantly.

Yan Bugui, standing to the side, watched the two men pat their round bellies, then coughed, directly interrupting Liu Haizhong's speech.

With her face flushed, she said to Jia Gui:

"If I were to treat someone to a meal, I would at least serve a cup of Shaoxing wine; plain white wine is beneath our dignity."

Upon hearing this, Jia Gui burst into laughter.

"You old Yan, you're truly my confidant! Come on, see which room you like, and tell me."

"Didn't you attend a private school? I'll take you to the upper primary school later, and you can choose any teacher you like."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong angrily slapped his forehead. "Yes, Master Jia is an official! How can he drink the same cheap liquor as ordinary people like them? He can only drink rice wine!"

So he pulled Yan Bugui aside and said to Jia Gui with a smile:

"Master Jia, I was so excited to see you just now that I almost forgot to speak. You guys go look at the house first, I'll go buy some Shaoxing wine and some cooked dishes now, we'll have a good drink tonight, I really need to thank you properly."

Seeing how cooperative Liu Haizhong was, Jia Gui ignored Yan Bugui, who had been pulled and fallen to the ground, and kept patting Liu Haizhong's shoulder, saying:

"Okay, go ahead, I'll wait for you here. Remember to buy a roast duck."

Liu Haizhong didn't reply and ran straight to the backyard. Immediately following was a series of clattering and knocking sounds, mixed with a woman's voice:

"What are you doing, husband? This is the last of our money!"

Immediately afterwards, Liu Haizhong, covered in sweat, came running out of the backyard like a whirlwind. As he passed Jia Gui and the other man, you could faintly hear him muttering to himself:

Roast duck, Shaoxing wine

Peking duck, Shaoxing wine

Roast...roast chicken, Shaoxing wine

Yan Bugui, with a mocking expression, got up from the ground and, looking at the embarrassed Jia Gui, couldn't help but think:

"This Jia Gui is still the same Jia Gui as before. I need to avoid him. If he finds out I'm selling yellow croaker in my shop, he'll be drinking a little every day and eating a lot every two days. I'll be ruined."

"Yes, let's make him poor. I'll make him even poorer in the future, and maybe I can even take advantage of Jia Gui. In that case, we won't be able to live in the middle courtyard or the back courtyard."

Even if he finds out I live in the front yard, I can just climb over the wall and leave, and there's nothing he can do about it.

Sometimes, even a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the underworld) like Jia Gui, after knowing someone for so many years, still has some sense of morality; they won't let their wives and children suffer. But many others don't.

Having already made up his mind, Yan Bugui didn't go to the middle or back courtyards; he directly booked a room in the west wing of the front courtyard.

To take advantage of Jia Gui, they directly asked for three rooms, without even glancing at the adjacent rear-facing rooms.

……