Chapter 106 A Poor Family Travels Rich Roads

"I understand, ma'am."

Chen Shuxiang nodded, finally ceasing her hesitation and doubt.

The permit and road pass are still being processed and won't be issued smoothly anytime soon.

During this free time, He Yuzhu bought another batch of goods for his home, filling the house to the brim.

A photo is needed to apply for a pass. He Yuzhu, who had been to a photo studio before, suddenly had the idea of ​​taking a family photo.

He specially invited the photographer from the photography studio to his yard to take a commemorative photo.

Just then, He Yuzhu suddenly remembered that he had a camera stored in his space.

He Yuzhu pretended to rummage through his bag, but actually secretly took out the Leica A-type camera from his storage space.

This camera was a German import that he acquired by chance; its cool metal casing exuded a refined and substantial feel.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one around him was paying attention, he quietly handed the camera to the photographer.

"Please use this camera to take the photos; it's already loaded with film."

"Why don't you take the photos yourself?"

The photographer took the camera and asked with some doubt.

"It's not very convenient."

He Yuzhu gave a brief response.

The photographer was a sensible man and immediately understood without asking any further questions.

He opened the camera bag and discovered it contained a rare Leica A-type camera.

Looking at the spacious and impressive main house of this family, I immediately realized that the owner of this house was no ordinary person, so I dared not ask any more questions.

Xu Damao excitedly came over and insisted on taking several photos with He Yuzhu.

She smiled broadly, her eyes narrowing into tiny slits.

He Yuzhu didn't care about the small amount of film, and his four little ones surrounded the camera, taking pictures of half a roll of film.

In this day and age, taking photos is not a rare thing, but it is still considered a very luxurious expense.

Seeing this, the Xu family also took the opportunity to take a family photo as a memento.

When Jia Zhangshi saw this, she also wanted to bring her son Jia Dongxu over to take a few pictures.

The photographer originally thought that Jia Zhangshi was also a relative of this family, but still, according to custom, he took the initiative to ask the owner, He Daqing, for his opinion.

He Daqing simply said, "These are the tenants in the courtyard; they're not familiar with us."

Upon hearing this, the photographer ignored Jia Zhangshi's request.

Jia Zhangshi was still unwilling to give up and wanted to shamelessly continue to pester him.

Upon seeing this, the photographer coldly said, "This machine of mine is worth several hundred dollars. If I accidentally break it, can you afford to pay for it?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia was so frightened that she took a step back.

But he still refused to admit defeat, muttering complaints under his breath.

"What's so great about it? It's just taking a picture! When my Dongxu makes a lot of money, our family will go to a photo studio and have a proper photo taken too."

"Mom, let's go home quickly, don't embarrass ourselves here."

Jia Dongxu reached out and tugged at Jia Zhangshi's sleeve, offering his advice with an embarrassed expression.

Now that Jia Dongxu has a formal job, he has to consider his reputation to some extent.

If the photography wasn't so expensive and his family couldn't afford the extra money, he really wanted to stand up for himself on the spot.

But after reaching into his empty pockets, he ultimately had to give up.

After the photographer packed up and left, He Daqing felt a pang of pain in his heart as he thought about the money he had spent.

In the end, the old lady took the initiative to say that she would cover the cost of the photo shoot.

Chen Shuxiang quickly said, "How could we let you spend money like this, madam? Absolutely not."

"Yes, yes, we should pay for it ourselves."

He Daqing glared at He Yuzhu, who was grinning to the side, and said through gritted teeth.

"Alright, if you're ever short of money or have cash flow problems, just come to me for help."

The old lady nodded and said in a gentle tone.

After the photos were developed, He Yuzhu personally went to the photo studio to pick them up.

His mother, Chen Shuxiang, worried that he didn't have enough money, so she specially slipped twenty silver dollars into his hand.

The He family photo was printed in three copies, and He Yuzhu even spent money to buy three exquisite photo albums to store the photos.

In total, it cost thirty silver dollars.

The extra ten yuan was added by him secretly, without mentioning it to his family.

After bringing the photo album and photos home, Chen Shuxiang, the mother, was overjoyed to see the heartwarming scenes captured in the photos.

The initial heartache over the expense instantly lessened considerably, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

When He Yuzhu handed the photo album to the old lady, she insisted on stuffing a small yellow croaker into Chen Shuxiang's hand.

Chen Shuxiang quickly refused, resolutely refusing to accept it.

The old lady looked serious and said, "Isn't Zhuzi going on a long trip? When you're away from home, you should definitely have plenty of money on you."

"Even if you're poor, you can travel comfortably. Just accept it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuxiang could only gratefully reply, "Then thank you very much, ma'am."

"Why are you being so polite with me? He's my own grandson."

The old lady waved her hand, a kind smile appearing on her face.

"Besides, my grandmother really likes this family photo from the bottom of her heart."

Seeing that the old lady was adamant, Chen Shuxiang stopped refusing.

With the recent purchases of New Year's goods and the cost of this photoshoot, our savings are almost depleted.

This money was the little bit of savings that He Daqing had painstakingly accumulated over the past two years by hosting banquets everywhere.

Once all the documents were completed, the family knew that He Yuzhu was about to leave.

The whole family felt downcast and filled with reluctance.

He Daqing originally wanted to go to the station to see his son off in person, and Chen Shuxiang had the same idea.

However, He Yuzhu politely declined all of them.

He Yuzhu knew in his heart that he might not immediately start learning to cook after arriving in Tianjin.

If He Daqing had gone to the train station with them, they would have taken him directly to Huifanglou when they arrived in Tianjin.

The father and son even had a friendly "sparring" session over this.

After a contest, He Daqing was defeated by his son without any doubt.

"Zhu Zi, I promise I won't see you off, but you must remember this."

He Daqing looked at his son and gave him earnest advice.

"Being away from home is never as comfortable as being at home. You have to be more tolerant in everything, understand?"

"Otherwise, you'll easily suffer losses when you're out there."

"Understood, Father."

He Yuzhu nodded and obediently replied.

"What do you know! It's not like I can't hit someone, but I still ended up being a cook my whole life, didn't I?"

He Daqing couldn't help but sigh and continued to persuade him.

"Being a cook is so stable; being safe and sound is better than anything else."

"Understood, Father."

He Yuzhu nodded obediently.

"Once you get to Tianjin, study hard with your master and try to learn all of my senior brother's special skills."

He Daqing then gave further instructions.

"He didn't just learn how to cook halal food; he's got a lot more skills."

"Understood, Father."

He Yuzhu gave the same answer.

He Daqing was getting angry when he saw his son always being so perfunctory.

"You brat, do you need a beating? Let's have another round!"

"No, Father, you can't beat me anyway."

He Yuzhu said with a grin.

"Am I not allowed to discipline my own son?"

He Daqing glared at her, feigning anger.

"I'm not stupid. If you dare to hit me, I'll go tell my mother."

He Yuzhu grinned mischievously.

"snort!"

He Daqing was furious. He flung his sleeves and turned to walk into the house.

After buying the train tickets, He Daqing specially cooked a large and sumptuous meal.

This was considered a farewell party for He Yuzhu.

That night, Xu Damao insisted on sleeping in the same bed with He Yuzhu.

As a result, He Yuzhu unceremoniously sent him back to his own home.

But He Yushui, that little girl, clung to him again, refusing to leave He Yuzhu's room.

He Yuzhu couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to his soft-spoken sister, so he simply held her and slept with her all night.

He Yuzhu was to take the train early the next morning.

Before setting off, he filled his rice and flour jars to the brim.

Even the rice and grains in the old lady's room were replenished and arranged properly.

Amidst the tearful farewells and heartfelt words of his family, He Yuzhu changed into a patched old outfit.

Carrying an old wooden box, he hailed a rickshaw at the door and headed straight for the train station.

The East Station of Beijing in this era was not very large, but the flow of people coming and going was quite substantial.

The wooden box in He Yuzhu's hand contained only a few changes of clothes.

He had carefully stored his money and important documents in his spatial storage, keeping them very safe.

Despite his simple, even worn-out, attire, he was still targeted by pickpockets while queuing to enter the station.

They probably saw that he was young and looked innocent, and thought he was an easy target.

Considering that the thief didn't slash his clothes with a knife, He Yuzhu didn't intend to make a fuss.

He subtly taught the other party a small lesson.

He quietly stepped on the other person's instep, then turned to the side and gently leaned his shoulder against the other person's.

The thief immediately curled up on the ground in pain, unable to make a sound.

He Yuzhu took advantage of the chaos and managed to squeeze into the station.

Trains in this era did not yet have the green carriages that became common later.

It was still the same old-fashioned black carriage from the old movies, and the seats inside were all made of hard wooden planks.

Sitting on the hard wooden seats was anything but comfortable.

As more and more passengers boarded, the small carriage quickly became packed to capacity, making it impossible to move.

He Yuzhu managed to buy a seat ticket only with the help of Boss Lou.

Otherwise, we would have had to stand and endure the journey all the way to Tianjin.

The train slowly started moving away from the platform with a clanging and clattering sound.

He Yuzhu felt a little sleepy on the bus and drifted off to sleep while leaning back in his seat.

In a half-dreaming, half-awake state, I felt as if the train had stopped at two stations.

The passengers around me changed several times, and it was quite lively with people coming and going.

However, he kept all his important belongings in his spatial storage, so he didn't have to worry about them being stolen.

Just as he was fast asleep, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him.