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

Zhang Dabiao scratched his hair in frustration.

"Teacher Zhou, is there really no room for negotiation on this?"

Zhou Muye shook his head.

"The document has already been downloaded, although it hasn't been executed yet."

"But if you get married this year, you might be asked to cancel your marriage next year. I'm not clear about the policy details."

"But it's best not to take that risk; it's unnecessary."

"It's just two more years, what's the rush?"

Zhang Dabiao calculated the time.

He enrolled in 1961, a three-year program, and will graduate next June.

Mu Wanqing's program is four years long, and she won't graduate until the end of June 1965.

In other words, he has to wait almost two more years!

By then, I'll be twenty-two, and Mu Wanqing will be twenty-three.

Zhang Dabiao, his face dark, grabbed the documents and slammed the door shut as he left.

He rode his bicycle straight to the art academy.

As soon as I arrived at the school gate, I saw Mu Wanqing walking out with her head down.

Mu Wanqing's eyes were red, clearly she had just been crying.

Zhang Dabiao quickly stopped the car and went to meet him.

"Wanqing, what's wrong?"

Mu Wanqing looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Da Biao, Director Zhou won't give me a letter of introduction."

He said the school has a new rule that students are not allowed to get married.

Zhang Dabiao pulled her to a secluded shady spot under a tree and gritted his teeth.

"I just went to see Zhou Muye, and he said the same thing."

"It's all yellow."

Mu Wanqing leaned against Zhang Dabiao's chest, sobbing softly.

"So what do we do?"

Zhang Dabiao gently patted her back, feeling frustrated yet powerless.

"What else can we do but wait?"

"Let's get married after you graduate in 1965."

A gust of autumn wind blew by, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground.

Zhang Dabiao felt a chill run through him.

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

The two pushed their bicycles in silence as they walked back to the second courtyard of Sesame Alley.

Aunt Mu went to work at the Hongxing Daily Necessities Factory, and the courtyard was quiet.

Feeling irritable, Zhang Dabiao ignored the dog guarding the yard and followed Mu Wanqing into her room.

Zhang Dabiao plopped down on the bed, looking unhappy.

"What kind of mess is this?"

"I've been waiting so long with such high hopes, and all I get is a college student saying I can't get married?!"

Mu Wanqing sat down next to him and put her arms around his waist.

Mu Wanqing pressed her face against his back, her voice soft.

"Da Biao, don't be angry."

"Two years will pass quickly."

Zhang Dabiao turned around and looked at Mu Wanqing's fair and beautiful face. Half of his anger subsided, replaced by an unbearable heat.

Zhang Dabiao reached out and cupped her face, then kissed her deeply.

If we can't get married, is it illegal for me to kiss my fiancée a few times?

Mu Wanqing responded enthusiastically.

Their breathing became rapid.

Zhang Dabiao's hand slid down her back.

The temperature inside the room continued to rise.

Just as Zhang Dabiao was about to unbutton her blouse, Zhou Muye's words suddenly flashed through his mind.

Zhang Dabiao suddenly stopped what he was doing and took a step back.

Mu Wanqing looked at him with a puzzled expression, her cheeks flushed and her watery eyes filled with confusion.

"Da Biao, what's wrong?"

Zhang Dabiao, panting heavily, shook his head.

"no."

"I can't let you suffer in this shabby place."

"I, Zhang Dabiao, swore that I would give you a grand and perfect wedding."

Mu Wanqing bit her lower lip and looked down at the hem of her clothes.

"I don't mind."

"I'll be yours sooner or later."

Zhang Dabiao grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his palm.

"That won't work either."

"If you get pregnant, the school will definitely make you drop out."

"I can't joke about your future."

Hearing this, Mu Wanqing was deeply moved.

She knew Zhang Dabiao had a fiery temper, but he still managed to restrain himself and think of her in this situation.

Mu Wanqing blushed and whispered something in Zhang Dabiao's ear.

Zhang Dabiao was stunned, his eyes wide open.

"Will this... will this work?"

Mu Wanqing didn't say anything, but blushed and reached out her hand.

A soft rustling sound came from inside the cabin.

2000 words are omitted here, and a long time has passed.

Zhang Dabiao let out a long breath.

Mu Wanqing's face turned as red as a ripe apple, and she got up and went out of the house to wash up.

This became an unspeakable secret between the two.

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

Days passed by like this.

November arrived in the blink of an eye, and the early winter wind already carried a biting chill.

Because the wedding plans fell through, Zhang Dabiao has been in an extremely bad mood for the past few months.

He always has a stern face and finds fault with everyone.

Everyone in the courtyard knew he wouldn't get married, and no one dared to provoke him at this time.

Even Jia Zhangshi, who usually loved to find fault, kept her distance when she saw Zhang Dabiao approaching.

In the morning, by the water trough in the front yard.

Third Aunt Yang Ruihua was washing clothes in a wooden basin, while Second Aunt Wu was helping her wring out bed sheets.

The two worked while keeping an eye on Mu Wanqing, who was pushing her bicycle in through the gate.

Mu Wanqing, wearing a thick blue cotton-padded coat and carrying several bags of snacks, greeted the two people and went straight to the central courtyard.

The third aunt shook the soap off her hands and leaned close to the second aunt's ear.

"Sister-in-law, did you notice?"

The second aunt looked completely bewildered.

"What did you figure out?"

The three women gestured towards the central courtyard with their lips and lowered their voices.

"That girl, Mu Wanqing, the way she walks, and her waist."

"I can tell just by looking at her that she's definitely not a virgin yet."

Auntie Er suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.

"No wonder Da Biao has been acting like he's on fire lately."

"How could this hot-blooded young man not feel frustrated seeing something he can't have?"

The three women smirked smugly.

"If they had actually done that, the school would have expelled them long ago."

"The rules for vocational schools and universities are quite different."

Then, the older women started gossiping, but thankfully, they only said positive things to Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing, with just a hint of sarcasm, so it wasn't a big deal.

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

In mid-November, the weather got colder and colder.

Today is Sunday, and Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill is closed.

The sun, which rarely comes out, shines warmly on the open space in the courtyard.

Yan Bugui brought a small stool from his home, held a few old newspapers from a few days ago, and sat down in the sun to look through them.

Liu Haizhong, carrying an enamel teacup, walked over with his hands behind his back and a pigeon-toed gait, and stood next to Yan Bugui.

Sha Zhu came out of the house carrying a basket and sat on the threshold to pick cabbages.

Xu Damao also moved a small stool and sat down to the side to eat sunflower seeds.

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, which were taped to his nose, and shook the newspaper.

"Listen to what's written in the newspaper."

"The international situation is getting increasingly tense."

"Now the Russians are at odds with the US, and the Indians aren't quiet either."

"Do you think the Russian bear and the American will actually fight?"