Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Four days later, at dusk, the sea breeze at Tianjin Port was biting.

As Lin Gang and Xu Damao stepped onto the dock, they immediately spotted Lin San waiting at the exit. He was wearing a worn-out military overcoat and leaning against the hood of a black sedan. Upon seeing them, he quickly walked over to greet them.

"Gangzi!" Lin Sanli landed and took the luggage. "The car is right here, everything's arranged for the journey."

Xu Damao rubbed his hands, shivering from the cold, and only caught his breath after getting into the car: "This journey has been exhausting..."

As the car slowly drove into Dongxinglong Street and stopped in front of the familiar courtyard house, Lin Gang got out and settled Xu Damao in the west wing of the second courtyard to rest.

"You rest first," Lin Gang said in a low voice after looking around the courtyard. "It's not convenient for you to show yourself for the time being." He gestured to the side room, and a capable-looking young man immediately followed silently.

"Go to the kitchen of the steel rolling mill and give a message to Master He Yuzhu," Lin Gang whispered. "Just say... Lin Gang is back from the south with some new gadgets. Wait for him at the factory gate after get off work."

At that moment, in the kitchen of the steel rolling mill, He Yuzhu was polishing the last kitchen knife until it gleamed. The sound of a factory whistle signaling the end of the workday came from outside the window. He took off his apron and was about to leave when a young, unfamiliar apprentice leaned over and whispered a few words to him.

Sha Zhu raised an eyebrow: "Lin Gang? Gangzi's back..." He grabbed his cotton hat and put it on his head, but his pace quickened involuntarily.

As dusk deepened, a stream of people poured out of the steel rolling mill gates to leave work. Lin Gang stood at the opposite alley entrance, watching that familiar, tall, and strong figure looking around at the factory gate, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Brother Zhu, over here!"

The familiar voice made Sha Zhu turn his head sharply. He saw Lin Gang standing in the shadows across the alley, waving at him. He rushed across the street, grabbed Lin Gang's arm, and said in a low voice, both surprised and anxious, "Gangzi! Are you crazy? At a time like this, you dare to run into Beijing? Are you out of your mind?"

Lin Gang patted his arm back, a reassuring and calm smile on his face: "Brother Zhu, don't worry, I know what I'm doing! Come on, follow me, it's my treat today, let's have a good get-together!"

"Hey!" Seeing his expression, Sha Zhu felt much more at ease, grinned, and said, "Alright! I'll eat your food today!"

The two walked through the streets and alleys. Sha Zhu thought they were going to a restaurant, but Lin Gang led him into the gate of a magnificent courtyard house on Dongxinglong Street.

"Gangzi, where is this?" Shazhu stepped over the high threshold, looked around the spacious courtyard, and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a big courtyard! It's really impressive!"

Lin Gang just smiled and kept everyone in suspense: "You'll know once you go in." He led Sha Zhu through the hanging flower gate to the second courtyard, walked straight to the door of the west wing, and knocked.

The door creaked open from the inside.

When Xu Damao's somewhat smirking face appeared behind the door, Sha Zhu seemed to be frozen in place, his eyes wide open.

"Xu...Xu Damao?!" He pointed at the other person in disbelief, his voice trembling. "You...what are you doing here? Didn't you run off...run off to Hong Kong with your father-in-law?"

He turned his head abruptly, confused and somewhat annoyed at being kept in the dark, staring at Lin Gang: "Gangzi! What... what exactly is going on?"

Lin Gang still wore that enigmatic smile on his face. He put his arm around the two men's shoulders and led them into the inner third courtyard: "Come, come, don't stand in the courtyard. Sit down in the main room, have some hot tea, and we'll chat slowly."

Half an hour later, Lin Gang and Xu Damao, after exchanging words, finally managed to give a general account of the situation in Hong Kong and Lin Yan's arrangements.

Sha Zhu sat in the mahogany chair, clutching the long-cold teacup in his hand, his mind buzzing. The sickly little Yan he'd watched grow up in the front yard had suddenly become the young master of a top Hong Kong tycoon family? And he was going to open a grand hotel and hire him, a steel mill cook, as the head chef? This sounded even less believable than the legends told by storytellers on the overpasses.

But these words came from Lin Gang's mouth. Who was Lin Gang? He was the most honest and reliable man in the compound, never one to lie. Sha Zhu was torn. It would be a lie to say he didn't want to go—it was Hong Kong! Another world! But his deep roots in Beijing, the factory where he had worked for most of his life, and his sister Yu Shui… He sighed heavily, his brows furrowing into a knot.

Lin Gang promptly refilled his teacup with hot tea: "Brother Zhu, the young master has already thought of everything for you. If you're worried about your family, we can take them with us. By the way, are you... married now?"

These words were like a needle, gently puncturing Sha Zhu's fragile facade. He lowered his head in dejection and shook it: "At my age, and with no prospects, who would even look at me? A couple of years ago, I could still ask a matchmaker to put in a good word for me, but these past two years... hey, even if I offered money, they wouldn't bother coming to my door."

Seeing his dejected appearance, Xu Damao immediately seized the opportunity and unleashed the "trump card" Lin Yan had told him to use: "Silly Zhu! Xiao Yan has spoken! As long as you agree, not only will we take you, but Yu Shui will come along too! Doesn't she love studying? Once she's there, she can retake the university entrance exam! As long as she's motivated, studying abroad in the future won't be a dream!"

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and gave a knowing, mischievous laugh: "And besides, there are tons of beautiful girls in Hong Kong! We'll definitely find you a good-looking and fit wife! Isn't that better than you wasting your time in that courtyard house?"

"Really?!" Sha Zhu suddenly raised his head, his eyes lighting up like light bulbs that had been switched on. "Really...really can you find me a beautiful wife? And let Yu Shui...go to university?" His voice trembled slightly as he stared intently at Lin Gang, afraid that he had misheard.

"Pillar," Lin Gang met his gaze, his tone resolute, and patted his chest heavily, "When have I, Lin Gang, ever lied to you? These are the young master's own words, not a single word is false!"

A spark of hope ignited in his heart, but Sha Zhu quickly remembered the practical problems, his tone urgent: "Yu Shui is working at the textile factory right now! This... this matter needs to be discussed with her properly. But... can you wait?"

Lin Gang's expression turned serious. He shook his head and lowered his voice: "Zhu Zi, this matter should be dealt with as soon as possible. We can't stay here for long. We must return to Hong Kong quietly before the New Year. You need to make up your mind quickly and have a good talk with Yu Shui."

Sha Zhu, oblivious to the turmoil in his mind, hurried to the textile factory against the evening chill. He stamped the dust off his shoes at the gate, then peered through the window of the guardhouse. Looking at the old man inside, wearing reading glasses and reading a newspaper, he unusually lowered his posture and forced a smile:

"Sir, thank you for your help. I'm He Yuzhu, the older brother of He Yushui from our factory. There's something urgent at home that I need to talk to her about. Could you... pass on a message for me, or could you let me in to see her?"

The old gatekeeper lifted his eyelids from the top of his reading glasses, slowly sized him up a few times, and then gestured with his chin toward an old chair next to him: "Wait outside." After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and strolled unhurriedly into the factory area.

Sha Zhu paced back and forth outside the factory gate, the winter chill mixed with his anxiety, making his palms sweat. He didn't know how long he had waited, but finally he saw Yu Shui, wearing work clothes, wiping the machine oil off his hands with a cotton swab as he jogged out, his face showing doubt and a hint of worry.

"Brother? What happened to you at the factory? What's wrong?"

Sha Zhu pulled his younger sister to a sheltered spot a little further from the gate. Looking at her face, flushed red from the cold wind, he hesitated, then let out a heavy sigh:

"Rain, let me ask you, if there were a chance... for you to go back to school and take the college entrance exam, would you be willing?"

He Yushui suddenly raised her head, a glint of disbelief flashing in her eyes before dimming again. She shook her head with a wry smile: "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm doing just fine like this now..."

"It's not nonsense!" Sha Zhu grabbed his sister's shoulders, his voice low but unusually serious. "Listen to me, it's Gangzi... Lin Gang is back from the south. He brought news from Xiao Yan..."

After Sha Zhu haltingly and simply recounted his experiences in Hong Kong, Lin Yan, the hotel chef, and how he sent her to university, He Yushui was completely stunned, her mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time. The evening breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, and something seemed to ignite in her eyes, which had been somewhat dimmed by the daily grind, shining with an astonishing light.

"Brother... this... is this real?" Her voice was so soft, as if afraid of waking her from a dream. "I really... can still go to university?"

"Gangzi guaranteed it himself! He said Xiaoyan is incredibly capable now!" Shazhu looked at the rekindled desire in his sister's eyes, and the last bit of hesitation in his heart vanished. He nodded heavily, "Yushui, I've made up my mind. We're going to wade into these muddy waters! For you, and for me... But this is a huge deal, you have to be on my side! And... we have to be quick, they can't wait much longer."

Looking at the determination in her brother's eyes, and recalling the endless assembly line in the workshop day after day, and the cotton wool in the air that made one's throat itch... she took a deep breath of the cold air and nodded vigorously, a strong desire for another life, another possibility.

But the next second, as if pulled back to reality by something, she shook her head frantically: "Brother! But...but I have a boyfriend! We...we're almost getting married! I can't...I can't just leave him like this, can I?" Her voice was choked with sobs, full of struggle, "He's a policeman! How could he...go to Hong Kong with me?"

Sha Zhu felt a pang in his heart as he watched his sister's eyes instantly redden. Uncharacteristically, he remained calm and didn't try to intimidate her as her older brother. He simply sighed deeply, his tone unusually solemn and peaceful:

"Rain, I won't force you. This is a major life event for you, so you need to think it through and weigh it carefully."

He gazed at the hazy sky in the distance and said clearly, "Think it over carefully. Is your future more important, or your girlfriend? I'll give you two days to think it over."

He withdrew his gaze and turned it back to his sister's tired face, trying to paint a broader picture for her: "Rain, believe me, in Hong Kong, there are plenty of girls your age who aren't married yet, and they're all studying at university! My life is what it is, but I truly hope that you can be successful and live a meaningful life."

He patted his sister's thin shoulder, leaving only his last words: "I'm going back now. Come home in a couple of days and give me a definite answer." Then he turned and disappeared into the twilight.

He Yushui stood there, watching her brother's figure disappear around the street corner. She looked back at the roaring factory behind her, and then at the young man in his police uniform with his cheerful smile. She felt as if her heart had been torn in two. The cold wind blew on her face, chilling not only her tears but also the agonizing choices she faced for the future. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.