Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Longxing's chief engineer—who in the country doesn't know him now?

A hero in the development of the BeiDou satellite system! A national defense hero! With such a status, even the mayor would have to bow down, let alone a mere deputy director of an office!

He dared not cause any more trouble and gave an embarrassed laugh: "It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding... It's just kids playing around, nothing serious."

"What misunderstanding! My son has been beaten like this!" His wife was still relentless, reaching out to grab their daughter.

The deputy director was terrified. He slapped his wife across the face and growled, "Shut up!"

The woman was stunned by the beating and covered her face, too afraid to speak.

The deputy director quickly smiled apologetically at Li Yu and Bai Ling, "Chief Engineer Li, I'm so sorry. It's my fault for not disciplining my son properly. I will definitely discipline him properly when we get back!"

After saying that, he grabbed his son and wife and slunk away from the office.

On the way home, Nannan sat in the back seat, cautiously watching Li Yu's expression: "Daddy, did I get into trouble?"

Bai Ling patted her head and said with a smile, "No, my daughter did the right thing! People who look down on workers should be taught a lesson!"

Li Yu originally intended to say sternly, "You can't just hit people."

As a result, Bai Ling rolled her eyes at him, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Helplessly, he ruffled Nannan's hair and sighed, "Next time, remember to tell the teacher before you do anything."

Driver Xiao Wang almost burst out laughing when he saw Nannan in the rearview mirror and Li Yu, who was being glared at by Bai Ling and dared not speak.

As soon as Nannan got home and put down her schoolbag, the chubby boy from next door came running over.

As soon as she entered, she grabbed Nannan's arm and pressed her for an answer: "Nannan, Nannan, tell me quickly! What exactly happened today when you beat up that brat?"

"I went to the bathroom, and when I came back I heard you beat that guy up until he cried. I should have stayed in the bathroom; I would have helped you beat him up!"

Nannan shook off the chubby boy's hand and began to gesture vividly.

"He dared to call my dad a dirty, unkempt worker! I argued back, and he even dared to push me!"

With a wave of her little hand, the little girl mimicked a wrestling stance, saying, "I grabbed his arm like this, and then tripped him like this."

"He just fell to the ground with a thud! I punched him a couple more times, and he started crying! Later, the principal called his parents, and when my dad and mom came, his parents actually tried to yell at me, but the police chief came to support my dad, and he immediately chickened out!"

The chubby boy slapped his thigh repeatedly, exclaiming, "Wow, Nannan! You truly deserve to be my boss! Next time anyone dares to mess with you, I'll be the first to step in!"

Li Yu and Bai Ling, sitting on the sofa, didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Li Yu shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Who does he get this temper from? Definitely from you."

Bai Ling immediately raised an eyebrow, reached out and poked his arm, and retorted irritably.

"Follow my example? Have you forgotten your exploits, fighting your way from the courtyard house all the way to Hong Kong? The first time you went to Hong Kong, you single-handedly went out in the middle of the night to take down those gangsters, turning the world upside down. And now you have the nerve to criticize me?"

Li Yu was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh.

Bai Ling smiled too, and the two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with unspoken understanding.

Recently, He Yuzhu's life has finally started to improve.

Although his hands are now disabled and he can no longer cook, his decades of culinary skills remain.

The neighborhood committee took pity on him and helped him find three unemployed young men to be his apprentices.

This time, He Yuzhu truly opened his heart and no longer kept things to himself like he did when he was younger.

A simple stove was set up against the south wall of the courtyard.

He Yuzhu stood in front of the stove, instructing his men on how to cut vegetables: "Watch closely, to cut potato shreds, you first need to slice the potatoes into even slices, then cut them into shreds. That way, they'll absorb the flavor when stir-fried!"

As he spoke, he gestured the name with his less dexterous hands.

"The skill of tossing a wok is not about strength, but about finesse and a steady wrist."

The three apprentices studied diligently, offering He Yuzhu a cup of hot tea from time to time, and bringing him a bowl of hot braised noodles at mealtimes.

With his apprentices being so filial, He Yuzhu smiled more often.

No longer does he huddle against the wall all day sighing like before; he occasionally chats with the neighbors, saying, "My apprentice's knife skills are getting better and better."

Liu Haizhong's house is more lively than before.

Since the brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu went to Hong Kong, their lives have gradually become more prosperous.

The two brothers were hardworking and down-to-earth; one managed the production line, and the other managed the materials. The money they sent back each month kept increasing.

That evening, Liu Haizhong sat on a stone stool at the entrance of the courtyard, leaning on a wooden cane, holding the remittance slip he had just received. His wrinkles were beaming with joy.

A passerby joked, "Old Liu, got money from your son again?"

Liu Haizhong straightened his back and said in a loud voice, "That's right! My two sons are now government officials in Hong Kong!"

As he spoke, he took out a few fruit candies from his pocket and gave them to the children passing by.

The chimney at Yan Bugui's house was also emitting more smoke than before.

He used to oppose Yan Jiefang going to Hong Kong, thinking that the place was too far away and that it was better to stay in the courtyard house.

But ever since Yan Jiefang started sending money home last month, Yan Bugui's attitude has completely changed.

He no longer talks about "scheming" all the time.

He tells everyone he meets, "My husband, Jiefang, is now the warehouse manager at Longteng Electronics, overseeing dozens of people!"

The meals at home also changed from salted vegetables and cornbread to white flour steamed buns with stir-fried dishes, and occasionally we could buy a couple of ounces of meat to improve our meals.

Meanwhile, on a farm far away in the Northwest, Xu Damao was barely making ends meet.

He wasn't very strong enough to do heavy work, but he was quick-witted and could even show movies.

Xu Damao always organizes the open-air movie screenings on the farm.

He was wearing faded clothes, showing none of the dishevelment of the other inmates.

Before showing a movie, he would use a megaphone to announce, "Folks, tonight we're showing 'Tunnel Warfare,' come early to grab your seats!"

When showing movies, he skillfully operated the projector and would occasionally explain a few lines of the plot to the audience.

The locals watched him show movies, and he was indeed very good at explaining them.

When distributing grain, they would leave him a little more refined grain.

Xu Damao, relying on his mouth and his skills, managed to make a living on the farm, unlike the others who were covered in dirt, and still retained some of his former "decency".