Siheyuan: I am the God of Cooking, and all the birds are crying with envy!

The deaf old lady's house was faked and sold, and Hu Deqing, who was originally responsible for taking care of the house, disappeared without a trace.

All this was like a thick fog that trapped He Yuzhu. He knew very well that if he wanted to solve the mystery of the deaf old lady's house being forged and sold, finding Hu Deqing was the key.

So, he resolutely embarked on the difficult journey to find Hu Deqing.

The streets and alleys of Beijing are crowded with people and traffic.

He Yuzhu looked exhausted in the bustling crowd. His steps were a little heavy after running around for several days, but his eyes were extremely determined.

Every step carries his persistent pursuit of the truth;

Every question was filled with his deep desire to uncover the conspiracy.

He first found an old friend of Hu Deqing, Lao Zhang, who once had a close relationship with him.

Lao Zhang runs a small repair stall on the street, with various tools placed in a mess and stains of engine oil everywhere on the ground.

When He Yuzhu arrived, Lao Zhang was buried in a pile of parts, his hands were covered in oil and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Lao Zhang, do you know where Hu Deqing went?"

He Yuzhu asked anxiously, with a hint of fatigue and anxiety in his voice.

When Lao Zhang heard He Yuzhu's voice, he slowly raised his head. The moment his eyes met He Yuzhu's, a hint of imperceptible hesitation flashed in his eyes.

But soon, he shook his head and said, "Yuzhu, I really don't know. I haven't seen him for a long time."

He Yuzhu frowned. He clearly sensed something strange from Lao Zhang's evasive eyes.

"Lao Zhang, tell me the truth. This matter is very important to me. Do you know something?"

He took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Lao Zhang.

Lao Zhang put down the tools in his hands, sighed helplessly, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his greasy hands, and said, "Yuzhu, I really don't know, but I seem to have heard someone say a while ago that he seemed to have contacts with some questionable people, but I don't know who they are."

He Yuzhu's heart tightened. A person of questionable character?

Could it be that Hu Deqing was coerced into getting involved in this real estate conspiracy?

Various speculations flashed through his mind rapidly.

He pondered for a moment, then solemnly thanked Lao Zhang and turned around to continue his search.

Then he went to the tavern that Hu Deqing often visited.

The bar was filled with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, the lights were dim and a little noisy.

The tavern owner was a middle-aged man with a big belly. He was standing behind the counter, calculating the bills with an abacus.

"Boss, have you seen Hu Deqing?" He Yuzhu asked, his eyes searching around the tavern, as if hoping to see Hu Deqing's figure in some corner.

The tavern owner raised his head, his eyes a little indifferent, and said: "Hu Deqing, you haven't been here for a long time.

I was wondering, he used to be a regular customer.

I heard that he seems to be busy with some big deal recently, but I don’t know the details.”

"Big deal? What big deal?" He Yuzhu asked, his doubts growing stronger.

"How would I know? I just heard him mention it to others when they were drinking, and it seemed to be something about the house." The tavern owner replied, continuing to fiddle with the abacus beads.

He Yuzhu was shocked. House? Could it be the house of the deaf old lady?

He asked several regular customers in the tavern, some of whom shook their heads in confusion, indicating that they knew nothing;

Some seemed to be hesitant to speak, their eyes evasive, as if they were afraid of being involved.

This unusual reaction made He Yuzhu keenly aware that there must be something hidden behind it, and an invisible force was secretly preventing him from getting close to the truth.

He then went straight to Hu Deqing's relative's house.

Hu Deqing's cousin opened a grocery store, which was filled with a wide variety of goods.

When He Yuzhu walked into the store, his cousin was arranging the shelves. Hearing footsteps, his cousin looked up.

"Cousin, do you know where Hu Deqing has gone? I have something urgent to discuss with him." He Yuzhu said with a hint of anxiety in his tone.

The cousin looked at He Yuzhu and said unnaturally, "I'm not sure either. It seems he went out to avoid debt."

"Hiding from debt? Why would he be in debt?" He Yuzhu asked in surprise, his brows tightly furrowed into the shape of a "川" character.

"I'm not sure either. I just heard him say he had a setback."

The cousin answered perfunctorily, continuing to organize the shelves as he spoke, as if he didn't dare to look He Yuzhu in the eye.

He Yuzhu felt that his cousin was hiding something, so he stepped forward and said sincerely, "Cousin, if you know anything, you must tell me.

This matter concerns the interests of many people, and Hu Deqing may have been taken advantage of.”

My cousin was silent for a while, his lips trembling slightly, as if hesitating whether to tell the truth.

Finally, he said, "Yuzhu, this is really all I know. You should look somewhere else."

He Yuzhu left the grocery store reluctantly, his steps became heavier, and every step seemed to be stepping on his heart.

Memories came flooding back like a tide, and he carefully sorted out the past years he had spent with Hu Deqing.

The ordinary days they had spent together emerged in his mind one by one. He tried to dig out unusual clues from those daily trivialities and analyze the possible reasons why Hu Deqing was involved in this real estate conspiracy.

Are they tempted by money or are they being maliciously coerced?

He weighed and deduced every speculation repeatedly in his mind, but he could never touch the core truth, which only added to his troubles and doubts.

He remembered that Hu Deqing once told him that he was a little short of money recently and wanted to find an opportunity to make money.

Could it be that it was at that time that he was targeted and involved in this real estate conspiracy?

Or does he have some unspeakable secret?

He Yuzhu's mind was a mess, with all kinds of thoughts tangled together, unable to be cut off or sorted out.

He Yuzhu continued to ask around the city.

He went to the place where Hu Deqing used to work. It was a slightly old office building with a depressing atmosphere in the corridor.

However, people there said that Hu Deqing had left the company a long time ago, and left in a hurry without leaving any contact information.

He went to the park that Hu Deqing often went to. The park was shaded by green trees and there were many elderly people taking leisurely walks.

He asked many elderly people who were taking a walk there, but still didn't get any useful clues.

The old people either shook their heads and said they didn’t know him, or just vaguely said they seemed to have seen him before, but didn’t know where he went.

As time went by, He Yuzhu became more and more tired. His face looked haggard, his eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes became wrinkled from days of running around.

But his eyes remained firm, supported by his determination to pursue the truth. He knew he couldn't give up.

This is not only to get back the deaf old lady's house, but also to uncover the conspiracy behind it and restore peace to the compound.

Day after day, He Yuzhu traveled to every corner of the city, not missing any possible clues.

He went to the chess and card rooms, vegetable markets, and bookstores that Hu Deqing might have been to, but returned disappointed every time.

He talked to countless people, and their faces kept flashing before his eyes, but Hu Deqing was nowhere to be seen.

However, despite his tremendous efforts, traveling to every corner of the city and questioning countless people, Hu Deqing seemed to have disappeared without leaving any trace.

He Yuzhu finally failed to find him, and could only return to the courtyard temporarily with a heart full of doubts and reluctance.

But he secretly swore in his heart that as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would not stop searching and would make the truth known to the world.

After returning to the courtyard, He Yuzhu still couldn't let it go.

He often sat alone in the yard, staring at the house where Hu Deqing once lived, thinking about the truth behind it all.

He knew that although this search was fruitless for the time being, he would not be defeated by the difficulties.

One day, he will solve this mystery, let the truth come to light, and let those who try to use conspiracy and trickery to seek personal gain receive the punishment they deserve...