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

He Yushui and Qin Jingru only found out when they came home from school in the afternoon.

As soon as Qin Jingru walked in, she exclaimed, "Brother Da Mao is going to be a dad? That's wonderful!"

He Yushui smiled and said "Congratulations," then went to find Mu Wanqing—Mu Wanqing had just returned from school and happened to be coming over to the inter-collegiate area to have dinner together.

The three girls chatted for a while. He Yushui said she wanted to knit a little hat for the child. Qin Jingru patted her chest and said she could do it too. Then she was shut down by He Yushui's remark, "The scarf you knitted last time was not the same width at both ends."

The three of them laughed for a while.

------------

The young people had originally planned to have Xu Damao host a celebratory meal, but Yan Bugui's appearance disrupted their plans.

He stood at his front door in the front yard all morning, listening intently, his mind racing—Xu Damao was rich, and Lou Xiao'e had the Lou family behind her; according to the old rules of the courtyard, such a joyous occasion required a banquet.

Each family can contribute one person; including Yan Jiecheng's separate household, the Yan family can contribute two people.

For two people, with a standard of eight to ten dishes per table, that would be...

Yan Bugui had the accounts meticulously planned out in his mind.

After the verbal celebration in the morning, everyone went to work or school, but Xu Damao still had to go back to his father to report the news.

In the evening, Yan Bugui returned to the courtyard early and stood under the hanging flower gate to continue acting as a door god, waiting for Xu Damao to get off work.

When Xu Damao pushed the cart into the yard, he saw him and paused.

Wait, is this old guy going to be a doorman again?

Yan Bugui greeted him with a smile, patting Xu Damao on the shoulder with just the right amount of force—not too heavy, to show friendliness; not too light, to show sincerity.

"Da Mao!"

Xu Damao took a half step back: "Teacher Yan, is something the matter?"

"What do you mean 'something's wrong'? I'm just happy!" Yan Bugui raised his voice slightly. "The addition of a new member to the family is such a joyous occasion! When you got married this year, Jia Dongxu had just passed away, so the ceremony was rushed. It was six cold dishes, six hot dishes, and a soup. To be honest, it wasn't bad, but it was still a bit rushed. Didn't you feel a little regretful?"

Xu Damao narrowed his eyes: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

[What's there to regret? In this day and age, we have six cold dishes, six hot dishes, and one soup. The staple foods are still white flour steamed buns, cornbread, and fried dough sticks. My Xu family's wedding banquet is one of the best in Nanluoguxiang, okay? It's no joke!]

"I mean, we can't be half-hearted this time! We have to set up at least two tables, right? All the neighbors and neighbors can come together, have a good time, and share in the joy!"

"For big celebrations, two tables are set up in the courtyard, one person from each family sits at each table; that's the rule in the courtyard."

Xu Damao stared at him for three seconds.

Yan Bugui's intentions were obvious to him. He just wanted to freeload. This old miser had lived in the courtyard house for years, scrimping and saving. He would treat others to a meal as if it were a painful loss, but he was quicker than anyone to freeload off others.

But then again, Xu Damao himself did want to set up two tables.

For no other reason than that, Xu Damao's greatest fear in his life was being labeled "childless," and now that it's been removed, he couldn't wait to make a big fuss and let the whole courtyard know: Xu Damao is fertile!

So it's not that he's unwilling to treat us to a meal.

It's just that Yan Bugui coming to say these words always feels off-putting.

"Let me think about it some more. I need to discuss this with Ezi and my dad. After all, in this year, the neighborhood doesn't allow extravagant celebrations. We can't go against the policy, right?" Xu Damao said, then turned and went into the yard.

Yan Bugui stood at the gate of the courtyard, his hand still in the gesture of patting the shoulder. He slowly withdrew it, straightened his sleeves, and strolled back into his room.

The smile on his face didn't fade—he knew that this deal had a very high chance of succeeding.

Xu Damao wasn't concerned with saving money; he was concerned with saving face. And face is something you can't save.

Yan Bugui's words fermented in the courtyard for less than half a day.

By evening, they knew everything they needed to know.

Zhang Dabiao, Liu Guangqi, Huzi, Datou, Liugen, and a few other young men met up in the covered walkway of the central courtyard. They didn't have a proper meeting; they just squatted in the courtyard, eating sunflower seeds and chatting. Eventually, the conversation turned to Xu Damao's treat.

"A treat is great, I have no objection." Tiger was the first to raise his hand. "Xu Damao is treating, and Sha Zhu is in charge of cooking, where else can you find such a lineup?"

Big Head scoffed from the side, "You're just greedy."

"So what if you're craving something? Cravings are a form of productivity."

Liu Gen laughed and said, "The key issue isn't whether to invite them or not, it's the standard. Look at Teacher Yan's expression, he wants it to be like the Eight Great Restaurants, where he doesn't have to pay a penny himself, but just sits there and feasts. Why should he?"

Xu Damao spat out the sunflower seed shells and added, "It's not that I care about this meal; we can afford it. I was thinking of doing it the way we always do, with the younger generation contributing whatever they can, and me footing the bill. We'd just have a celebratory meal at Da Biao's yard."

"But what Professor Yan mentioned just doesn't sit right with me. How did it become a rule? And why do we have to invite the whole college?"

That hits the nail on the head.

The group exchanged glances. Zhang Dabiao leaned against the doorframe of the wooden house, holding a handful of sunflower seeds in his hand and chewing them, without making a sound.

Xu Damao then asked directly, "Da Biao, do you think I should invite the entire hospital? Should we follow the standards Yan Laokou mentioned?"

Zhang Dabiao flicked the sunflower seed shells, which landed in a broken earthenware pot three meters away with incredible precision, saving him the trouble of sweeping them up later.

"You can invite them if you want, or not if you don't. What's the big deal?"

"I do want to invite him!" Xu Damao plopped down on a stone bench. "But it doesn't feel quite right that Teacher Yan is the one pushing this. When did he become so enthusiastic?"

Liu Guangqi: "That's a stupid question. He just wants to freeload a meal."

Xu Damao: "I know that! The problem is that with him stirring things up, it makes it seem like I'm a stingy person for not inviting you. Do you think I, Xu Damao, am short of money?"

Tiger: "Not bad, not bad at all. Brother Da Mao is the most generous."

Xu Damao glared at him, and Hu Zi shrank back.

Zhang Dabiao finished cracking the last sunflower seed, clapped his hands, and said, "If you really want to invite them, then go ahead. But there's something you need to think about—you've set a precedent today, and every family in the courtyard with a new baby will have to follow suit. You, Xu Damao, can afford to invite them, but what about the others?"

"Isn't that just showing off? What will other people think?"

Xu Damao was stunned for a moment.

Zhang Dabiao continued, "Think about it, if every family has to throw a banquet when someone gets pregnant, and that standard is set, what will Yan Jiecheng do? He just separated from his family and still owes the mutual aid society his housing provident fund. Where will he get the money to host a banquet? If he can't afford it, he'll lose face, and behind his back, won't it be you, Xu Damao, who started all this?"

Yan Jiecheng is working overtime today. The factory is busy producing swivel wheel suitcases for export, which is a government task. He's been coming home late lately, so he's not here.

Xu Damao blinked, considered for a couple of seconds, and nodded: "You have a point. So what's your opinion?"

"I don't mean anything by it. I'm just reminding you, you decide for yourself."

Xu Damao curled his lips, thinking to himself that Zhang Dabiao was the kind of person who would only give half of his ideas and leave the other half for him to fill in. If he filled it in correctly, it was because he was smart; if he filled it in incorrectly, it had nothing to do with him.

Very cunning.