Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

They instantly realized that you can't just focus on the chopsticks when it comes to bamboo tableware!

"This is a Chinese herbal mosquito repellent sachet, which is also a tradition in our country. You can ask any Chinese medicine factory for the formula; there are dozens of different ones."

"Make it a portable hanging style. Add a rope with a knot at the bottom, and a mountaineering safety buckle in the middle. Got it?"

Then the three assistants took the items and ran away.

Zhang Dabiao was helpless. The biggest problem was their perspective. They always viewed international needs through the lens of domestic demands and couldn't confront capitalist society with a balanced perspective. Naturally, the ideas they came up with were not applicable.

But Zhang Dabiao couldn't say too much; he could only let them take the long way around on their own.

And for Zhang Dabiao—I often go out to shop, so it's reasonable for me to bring my own chopsticks and spoons, right? So he had someone make this thing.

Mosquito repellent sachets are even simpler; I grow these medicinal herbs in my yard specifically for repelling mosquitoes.

Many elderly people can make this, and it can also be made in traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies. Why can't you export it?

Just put it in a package, and that's it!

This is because private factories are not allowed in China; otherwise, Zhang Dabiao would have set one up himself and made money by opening a small workshop.

Zhang Dabiao sighed. He had been worrying himself sick every day for the factory and for the country...

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In mid-July, the highest temperature exceeded 35°C for 10 consecutive days. Locals in the old city of Beijing said that "the asphalt roads were so hot during the dog days that the soles of shoes would stick to the ground." Residents of the courtyard houses would hide indoors during the day and bring their stools to the alley entrances in the evening to cool off. Palm-leaf fans were the only "electrical appliances" available.

On the streets, popsicles are sold in two types: 3 cents (hawthorn/mung bean) and 5 cents (small red bean); Shijingshan Iron and Steel Company operates 8 refrigeration machines to produce salted soda and popsicles every day to supply workers in high-temperature workshops, and some factories also provide mung bean soup and plum juice.

Water supply is tight: the city is carrying out a "water conservation" campaign, and residents are given water during limited hours. Long queues form in front of the shared taps in large courtyards, and children often pick up ice shards that have fallen off ice trucks to satisfy their cravings.

Summer vacation activities: Primary and secondary schools will start their summer vacation on July 15. Students are required to participate in the "Patriotic Health Campaign" (cleaning up garbage in alleys and eliminating mosquitoes and flies). Some students will go to factories to "learn to work and farm" and will be subsidized with 2 liang of grain coupons per day.

Street culture: There are storytelling and clapper talk performances on Tianqiao. The performers talk about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin". The audience needs to bring their own small stools. The fee is 1-2 cents per show.

Black Market Trade: In mid-July, Beijing intensified its crackdown on the black market, reportedly arresting 70,000 black market barterers in a single day—70,000! Grain coupons were priced at 3 yuan per jin (a worker's monthly salary was only 30-40 yuan), and eggs were 8 yuan per jin, or one yuan each.

However, none of this concerned Zhang Dabiao. He was holed up in the courtyard, lying on a deck chair, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, eating creamy ice cream, and drinking chilled Arctic Ocean soda, enjoying himself immensely.

He hadn't expected the summer temperature to be so high. The fan was a prize Mu Wanqing had won in a bank savings promotion. It was so hot, and he was worried that Aunt Mu, with her weak constitution, would catch a heatstroke, so Zhang Dabiao delivered the fan to her. And then—

He bought another ceiling fan for both the stable and the cabin. He had remittance certificates and coupons, so buying a few ceiling fans was no big deal.

Buy whatever you want, you'll never run out of remittance coupons!

They even installed one in Yushui and Qin Jingru's house, which made the neighbors in the yard extremely envious.

Unlike an electric fan that can be moved around at any time, there's no point in being envious.

Zhang Dabiao sighed, saying that this year they absolutely had to build a pergola and a grape trellis so that there would be a place to cool off next year.

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi also bought some; with remittance coupons, these were no problem.

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At the end of July, He Yushui's admission notice arrived, so everyone prepared to throw a feast!

Although it's not really appropriate to have a graduation celebration these days, we can't skip it!

It only happens once in a lifetime, and not doing it feels like something's missing—

During difficult times, there were no requirements for holding banquets for events such as entering vocational school/university, joining the army/entering a state-owned factory, moving into company-provided housing, and celebrating an elderly person's birthday (not 60). Families with good financial conditions (such as cadres, dual-income families, or those receiving remittances from overseas Chinese) could hold a simple banquet of one table. Those with average means would not hold a banquet, and neighbors and relatives would not have any objections. This is because everyone knows that "materials are hard to come by, not holding a banquet is one's duty, and holding one is a matter of goodwill."

But you, Zhang Dabiao, are different. You got into a vocational school through the entrance exam—no, you were directly admitted.

You still have over 40 yuan, making you the richest person in Nanluoguxiang! If you don't hold a banquet, people will think you're too stingy.

So in the end, we set up two tables in the small courtyard and had a nice meal with a few familiar people.

And even He Daqing came back! He came specifically to celebrate the rain!

The others were all neighbors, so the three of them delivered a bowl of meat and vegetable dish (braised pork with potatoes) and a handful of milk candy to each household together, just for convenience.

Even the neighbors in Mu Wanqing's courtyard all gave gifts. Everyone said that Aunt Mu was lucky. Both her husband and daughter worked, her daughter was beautiful and a college student, and her prospective son-in-law was a vocational school graduate with hundreds of thousands of yuan!

However, there were also dissenting voices, saying that Zhang Dabiao is so rich, why doesn't he buy a house for his mother-in-law's family?

It's making everyone feel awkward. They haven't even gotten married yet; Zhang Dabiao isn't old enough. Bringing up the topic of selling the house now is a bit inappropriate.

Zhang Dabiao ignored the gossip. Anyway, the rumors had been going on for a while, so he figured he could just do his own thing and wouldn't bother with them.

The two tables in the small courtyard were quite interesting—Liu Guangqi was holding Liu Xiaoqing (Zhang Dabiao's goddaughter) and bringing along the unlucky boy Liu Guangtian, who had just been beaten up again; Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e, the young couple, had also called Xu Xiaoling back; He Yushui, Mu Wanqing, and Qin Jingru were holding Xiaodang and Zhang Dabiao; Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li, college student Tian Liugen, and others were there to freeload, as well as Yushui's godmother Liu Cuilan.

These are all people who get along well on a regular basis. Cooking is naturally the job of He Daqing and Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu was very helpful this time. Not to mention, the more than 20 bowls of braised pork with potatoes that were sent out were made by Sha Zhu, his apprentice Ma Hua, and his kitchen helper Liu Lan. It took them most of the day to make them. They were exhausted.

For this meal, Zhang Dabiao brought back a whole pig, a sheep, and 5 catties of beef from Hong Kong!

Needless to say, chicken, duck, and fish—I buy whatever I see!

Just one word—eat!

Eat as much as you want!

Zhang Dabiao's favorite thing is to have a big meal with a group of people—it's lively and makes him feel less lonely.

But now you have to find a suitable reason to have a big meal, which is really troublesome.

The meal lasted from dusk until after 9 p.m., and then they switched to a barbecue. In the late July night in Beijing, on the open space between the courtyards, everyone ate barbecue, drank beer, sang songs, and enjoyed the cool breeze. Laughter filled the air, and everyone was full of longing for the future.

It's a pity. We should have let Xu Damao make a film to show, but wouldn't that be considered using public resources for private purposes?

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Nothing major happened in Beijing, so Zhang Dabiao used the excuse of going out to gather material and make purchases to go to Hong Kong, leaving early and returning late.

There's still a lot of work to be done over there.