He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 792 He Yuzhu brings gifts to MCA

Ma Xiuxiu didn't say anything more, but simply gripped his hand tightly. The warmth of their palms touching soothed their hearts, and the strength felt like holding the stability of the whole world in their grasp.

Once on the train and seated, the shadows of trees and houses outside the window receded slowly as the train moved, like a flowing ink painting, tinged with hazy greenery and the warmth of everyday life. Ma Xiuxiu leaned against the window, watching the distant, rolling fields gilded by the setting sun, with a few cattle and sheep grazing leisurely by the edges. Suddenly, she turned to He Yuzhu, her eyes filled with childlike curiosity: "Brother Zhu, can you tell me about the things you've experienced before? You mean... the things from when you were young, before you met me?"

He Yuzhu paused for a moment, his fingertips lingering on his knee, then smiled, his eyes filled with warmth: "What's there to talk about with my little stories? It's all just mundane stuff, bickering with the factory workers, vying to do the heavy lifting, nothing new. How about I tell you a myth to cheer you up?"

Like an obedient child, Ma Xiuxiu sat up straight, her hands neatly placed on her knees, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, her long eyelashes fluttering like two butterflies. "Okay," she said, "I haven't heard a story in a long time. Tell me one." A slight disappointment flickered in her heart, but then she thought, "Brother Zhu must have his reasons if he doesn't want to tell me. He'll tell me when he wants to; there's no rush." ​​So she waited quietly, even softening her breathing, afraid of interrupting his thoughts.

He Yuzhu cleared his throat and began to speak slowly. He didn't talk about the chivalrous grudges and feuds of the martial world, nor did he mention the battles with swords and shadows. He only spoke of the demon and monster races—those races hidden beyond the human realm, those bizarre and fantastical struggles, those cultivators concealed in the streets. He thought that although the world seemed peaceful, it was actually turbulent beneath the surface. In case these beings ever did invade ordinary life, it would be good for Xiuxiu to be prepared and not be frightened.

He spoke earnestly, recounting the cunning of the fox clan he had heard from Elder Qingyi—about a thousand-year-old fox demon who could conjure twelve faces, tricking a scholar from the foot of the mountain into pawning his family heirloom; about the ferocity of the wolf clan—wolf demons on the snowy plains dared to fight bears to protect their people, their fur torn and bloodied without retreating; and about the treacherous and ruthless nature of the demon clan—they could possess people's hearts, slowly eroding their kindness and turning them into evil spirits who only cared about self-interest.

Ma Xiuxiu listened intently, sometimes frowning, her knuckles turning white from gripping the fabric—mostly when she heard about the demons' cruelty to living beings; sometimes widening her eyes in surprise, her mouth slightly agape—surely when she heard that fox demons could transform into human form and weave moonlight into gauze; and sometimes quietly clenching the hem of her clothes, her fingertips tracing the texture of the coarse cloth, as if she had followed him into that fantastical yet dangerous world, her heart rising and falling with the creatures in the story.

The train clattered forward, the sound of its wheels hitting the rails like a rhythm, carrying them towards home. The sun gradually set, the twilight outside the window grew deeper, and the dim yellow lights in the carriage cast long shadows of the two. He Yuzhu's voice, mingled with the train's swaying, was like a warm blanket gently covering Ma Xiuxiu's heart, quietly opening a small window to an unknown world for her.

He Yuzhu wanted Ma Xiuxiu to gradually learn about these things, since there was still a long road ahead and she would have to know some things sooner or later.

The next few days slipped by quietly in this rhythm. The train stopped at several stations along the way, where they got off to buy steaming hot buns and accepted crisp, sweet winter dates from vendors on the platform. He Yuzhu continued to tell Ma Xiuxiu stories, but he no longer only told stories of demons and monsters; occasionally, he would intersperse them with tales of cultivators helping others—for example, a Taoist priest using talismans to drive away a haunting mountain spirit, or a monk using Buddhist teachings to resolve a feud between two tribes. Ma Xiuxiu listened with increasing fascination, sometimes even asking, "What happened next?" Her curiosity gradually outweighed her fear. Her gaze towards He Yuzhu became more and more dependent, as if as long as she was with him, she could safely overcome any dangers encountered in the stories.

The scenery outside the window changed from plains to hills, and then gradually revealed the familiar outline of a town, getting closer and closer to home.

The train came to a halt at the platform with a clatter. He Yuzhu, carrying large and small bags, was the first to disembark, followed by Ma Xiuxiu, her face beaming with the warmth of returning home. They had only taken a few steps when they saw Ma Hua, carrying a cloth bag, standing on tiptoe at the exit, peering out. Upon seeing them, his eyes lit up, and he took off running over.

"Master! Mistress!" Ma Hua smiled broadly, scratching his head, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at the packages in their hands, with a childlike expectation, "I wonder... did they bring me any gifts?"

He Yuzhu chuckled and playfully patted the back of Ma Hua's head. "You little rascal, all you ever think about are gifts. Don't worry, you'll get your share." Although he was only a few years older than Ma Hua, he had long regarded this apprentice, who had been learning cooking from him since he was a teenager, as his own child. The other apprentices in the academy were now all independent and running their own restaurants, and Ma Hua was no exception, doing very well at his restaurant in the south of the city. But for some reason, He Yuzhu always felt that he was still that boy who used to follow him around carrying plates and asking all sorts of questions.

He rummaged through his bag and pulled out an oil paper package, handing it over: "Your master is too careless to remember these things. Your mistress prepared them for you a long time ago. There are some snacks and a few pieces of cloth inside. Take them and share them with your junior brothers, don't be biased."

Ma Hua quickly took it, weighing its heavy weight, and smiled even more broadly: "Hey! Thank you, Master! Thank you, Mistress!" He then snatched the luggage from He Yuzhu's hands, "Let me take it, Master and Mistress must be exhausted. Come with me, the car is waiting outside."

Meanwhile, the fourth brother got off the train earlier. Instead of going straight home, he circled around his residence twice—as instructed by He Yuzhu, to check if anyone was secretly watching him.

At that moment, at the entrance of He Yuzhu's alley, Long Si stood with his hands behind his back under the old locust tree, while Xiao Shuai stood respectfully to the side, not daring to breathe. Xiao Shuai twitched his nose and suddenly smelled a familiar scent—it was the fourth brother's scent. Just as he was about to speak to remind him, Long Si simply waved his hand casually.

An invisible barrier instantly unfolded. When Lao Si walked over, his eyes swept around the alley entrance, only to find it empty and he didn't find anything unusual. He muttered to himself, "Looks like no one is watching me." He then walked straight into the courtyard, completely unaware that just a few steps away, Long Si and Xiao Shuai were coldly watching his back.