Courtyard House: The Fisherman Never Goes Sick

Ran Qiuye's sudden dive caught everyone off guard.

Especially Li Wei, whose eyes were now filled with madness. These were the women he had prepared for himself. Once they arrived in Hong Kong, wouldn't their fates be entirely under his control? They were strangers in a strange land, without relatives or friends, without money or a place to live; only by following him could they survive.

In particular, it was Ran Qiuye's temperament that attracted Li Wei the most.

But now, all of that is gone.

In such a large bay, with water twenty meters deep and such a cold temperature, even a strong man who jumps in and doesn't come out for a long time might not survive, let alone a landlubber from the north.

After the initial panic subsided, the others suddenly remembered the two sentences the boatman had just said—

"Save you my foot! This is all deep water, I'm not going in!"

"It's better that he's dead, at least he won't have to suffer hunger and cold there!!"

A boy suddenly asked, "Uncle, you mentioned earlier that you were starving and freezing over there, what happened?"

"Don't you know?" the boatman asked in bewilderment upon hearing his question.

"Know what?" The man was even more puzzled, and subconsciously looked at Li Wei as he spoke.

"You mainlanders don't actually think that coming to Hong Kong means you can live a life of luxury, living in villas and driving expensive cars, do you?" The boatman, seeing the look in the boy's eyes, said speechlessly, "People like you have a hard time finding work here; just surviving is a miracle!"

Upon hearing the boatman's words, everyone realized that Hong Kong wasn't as wonderful as they had imagined.

No one who gets into university is stupid. Now that his excitement had begun to subside, upon reflection, he suddenly realized that the future didn't seem as rosy as Li Wei had described.

"Teacher Li?" the boy called out to Li Wei, wanting to hear his explanation.

Having already made his plans, Li Wei naturally wouldn't be stumped by such a small problem. He first glared at the meddlesome boatman, then addressed these money-makers, saying, "Would the teacher lie to you? He was talking about other people. Can you be compared to them?"

"Don't worry, I have friends here, and everything has been arranged. Once we get there, I'll fulfill all my promises. If you find out the teacher lied to you when we arrive, you can do whatever you want with him."

Seeing Li Wei's confident demeanor, the people who had been on edge gradually relaxed.

The boatman rowing the boat nearby rolled his eyes when he heard these words.

Friends! In Hong Kong, friends are the least valuable thing!

He didn't voice these thoughts, however. This kind of person is very perceptive; since he understood these people had been tricked by Li Wei, there must be something shady going on. So, to avoid trouble, he kept quiet and didn't say another word, lest he make things difficult for himself. He was still only earning a pittance; he still needed to buy rice that evening!

That evening, after reaching the shore, Li Wei and the others searched the surrounding area but couldn't find Ran Qiuye. With no other option, Li Wei led the others towards the rendezvous point. As for Ran Qiuye, they could only assume she had drowned.

……

The next day, Yang Wei got up early and left a little earlier, riding his bicycle. He told Lou Xiao'e that he was going to the old man's place to take care of something and return the books—he had just finished reading all the books he had on hand.

But actually, he wanted to go to the Ran family home and catch Ran Qiuye's parents in advance. Otherwise, it would be difficult to find them after they went to work.

Arriving at the Ran family's building with practiced ease, they waited for a while before seeing Ran Qiuye's parents come out.

They might not remember Yang Wei, but Yang Wei remembered what they looked like. So he hurriedly stepped forward.

"Hello!"

When Yang Wei took the initiative to speak, Ran Qiuye's parents were very puzzled, but they nodded in response.

"Young man, what can I do for you?"

"I don't think I know you?" Ran's father thought for a moment and then said.

"Uncle and Aunt, you may have forgotten me. I am a friend of Comrade Ran Qiuye. I even went to the station to see her off when she went to university in Shandong Province last time. I wonder if you remember me?" Yang Wei hurriedly introduced himself.

"Oh, it's you! I remember you!" Mr. Ran suddenly remembered and looked at Yang Wei, asking, "What's up? Did you come here today?"

"It's like this, I remember that the university has already started its winter break. I wonder if Qiuye has returned yet? We've been corresponding for a while, but she hasn't replied to me for the past two months, so I'm a little worried and took the liberty of bothering you!" Yang Wei expressed his concern, his gaze fixed on the two of them.

"We haven't heard from her in a long time either," Mr. Ran said softly. "Her mother and I have been quite busy, so we haven't paid much attention. But I have a friend who's a teacher in Shandong Province, so I figured she wouldn't be in any trouble. Otherwise, she would have notified me long ago."

Mr. Ran glanced at his watch and said, "Oh right, it's almost time for us to go to work. That's all for today, we have to go to the office... I'll have Qiuye come to see you after she gets back. Haven't asked yet?"

"My name is Yang Wei, so I won't bother you and Auntie any longer."

"Okay, goodbye, we're leaving now!"

Watching the two figures, Yang Wei fell into deep thought.

At that moment, he was certain—Ran Qiuye might really be in trouble.

Clearly, her parents were dedicating themselves entirely to their work, and had become much less attentive to Ran Qiuye. Otherwise, Ran Qiuye wouldn't have had so much free time, often spending it in the library.

Now, they have clearly entrusted Ran Qiuye to that teacher friend from Shandong Province, asking him to take care of her. But they are worried that that friend is unreliable and might secretly take Ran Qiuye to Hong Kong.

Thinking of this, Yang Wei hurriedly called out again, "Uncle Ran, wait a minute!"

Upon hearing Yang Wei's voice, Ran's father and son stopped again, looking at him with suspicion, wondering what else he wanted to do by calling them back.

"Uncle Ran, when I spoke with Qiuye before, she said she was doing research in Guangzhou. It's very close to Hong Kong, and many people secretly go there, drawn by Hong Kong's prosperity. Although I'm certain Qiuye won't go to Hong Kong, I'm worried someone might be trying to abduct her. If possible, I hope you can contact her and confirm her safety."

Seeing the worried look on Yang Wei's face, Ran's father's gaze changed slightly. From this worry, it was clear that the relationship between Yang Wei and Ran Qiuye seemed to be more than just simple friendship.

"Okay, I understand! I'll ask a friend to help me look into this. Yang Wei, thank you!"

"You're welcome, Uncle Ran. I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, Yang Wei pushed his bicycle and left.

After he walked away, Ran's father and son exchanged a glance.

"Tell me, what's his relationship with our Qiuye?"

"It's hard to say. We'll ask Qiuye when she gets back."

"Let's go, we're running late, let's get to work!"

The two then hurriedly walked to the nearby bus stop, boarded a bus, and headed straight to their workplace.

Yang Wei also arrived at the courtyard of Zhengyangmen early, picked up some books, and returned to the steel rolling mill.

He worked with a restless mind, his brows furrowed tightly.

In the steel mill canteen, Yang Wei sat there in a daze, looking restless.

Fortunately, Uncle Xu was overseeing the noodles, and Han Rui was in charge of cooking the large pot dishes, so things weren't delayed. Seeing his absent-minded appearance, everyone in the canteen was sensible and kept busy with their own work, none of them daring to go up and provoke him.

Ever since Sha Zhu and Yang Wei joined the factory's leadership, Qin Huairu has completely given up, fearing she might be sent back to the workshop at any moment. Now, she can eat white flour buns and delicious stew every day at noon, and her family's grain reserves have gradually increased. Occasionally, she can even scrape together a yuan or two to buy some meat for the children. After becoming a permanent employee, her salary increased to twenty-eight yuan, and with Uncle Yi Zhonghai occasionally providing some cornmeal, even without Sha Zhu's help, life is barely manageable.

She finally understood: in this courtyard house, it was better to offend an old man than Yang Wei. Otherwise, if she were driven to the brink of destitution, even begging wouldn't help. Look at Xu Damao, once such a prestigious projectionist, now sentenced to five years in prison without any explanation—his life is ruined. She had initially considered introducing her cousin to Xu Damao, but now even that thought had vanished. In these people's eyes, going to jail was equivalent to social death; surviving after release was a miracle, let alone finding a proper job.

Yang Wei didn't care what others thought. He had originally planned to replace himself and Sha Zhu as the heads of the courtyard house before the new year, but now, thinking about the possibility that Ran Qiuye might be in trouble, he had no intention of doing so.

"I wonder if I can get in touch with her parents..." Yang Wei sighed inwardly. The lack of communication in this era was truly a nightmare. If it were in later times, a phone call would be enough to confirm, and if all else failed, he could simply buy a plane ticket and fly there. But now, he could only wait.

The thought of Hong Kong, that ruthless place that devours people without spitting out the bones, sent chills down his spine. What dignity or human rights would a poor person have there? Even if he went there on his own, he would have to rely on the Lou family's connections to dare to say he could gain a foothold. In 1960s Hong Kong, triads ran rampant, and the underworld colluded with criminals; it was a hellish arena that served the rich to make money. Throwing a girl like Ran Qiuye into that environment was like throwing a lamb to the slaughter.

But he can't leave at all right now. Lou Xiao'e is pregnant and would never agree to go. Besides, the higher-ups are watching him, so he can't get away at all.

"Damn, this is so frustrating!" Yang Wei cursed under his breath, picked up his cup and gulped down a mouthful of water, chewing on a bitter tea leaf as if venting his pent-up anger. His face contorted in a grimace, and an uncontrollable murderous intent emanated from his body, instantly chilling the entire cafeteria.

"Damn, this is so frustrating!" Yang Wei cursed under his breath, picked up his cup and gulped down a mouthful of water, chewing on a bitter tea leaf as if venting his pent-up anger. His face contorted in a grimace, and an uncontrollable murderous intent emanated from his body, instantly chilling the entire cafeteria.

Feeling the chilling aura, the staff became even more awe-inspiring, remaining silent for fear of getting into trouble.

-

Meanwhile, Li Wei and the others, who had stayed up all night, finally welcomed the rising sun.

After eating and drinking a little something, everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of the friend Li Wei had mentioned to take them to the city, as if once they obtained their identification, they could live a peaceful life on this land.

At exactly 10 o'clock, a truck covered with a tarpaulin slowly drove up. The door opened, and a young man with triangular eyes, a muscular body, and tattoos on his arms jumped out.

"Who is Li Wei?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Upon seeing this, the locals scattered in fear. Li Wei, seeing his contact arrive, greeted him with a beaming smile:

"It's me, it's me! Why isn't Brother Hao here?"

The young man ignored his pleasantries and coldly glanced at the crowd: "Where are they?"

Li Wei quickly turned around and pointed: "That's all, ten people in total!"

The young man frowned: "Didn't you say eleven?"

Li Wei shrank his neck: "One of them fell into the water halfway there and we haven't found him. He's probably dead..."

"Can't even keep an eye on these few people, what a bunch of useless trash." The young man then ordered, "Tell them to get in the car quickly, and you go up and calm them down too. You can leave when we get there."

"Alright!" Li Wei was overjoyed and quickly told the students to climb onto the truck.

Watching the truck drive away, several locals who knew the situation shook their heads and sighed.

"Another bunch of pigs, these heartless bastards!"

"Shh! Don't you want to live? Keep quiet, no one will think you're mute!" The person next to him immediately whispered a reprimand. The man grunted twice, but finally shut up.

Shortly after the truck drove away, another open-top truck came from the opposite direction, its bed filled with vegetables and rice, and the door was printed with four large characters – “Yuanxing Farm”.

The previously listless refugees suddenly stood up as if they had been injected with chicken blood:

"Yuanxing Farm is here to distribute grain! Line up quickly!"

"Don't fight over it, there's enough for everyone!"

Just as the crowd was scrambling and jostling for food, a woman's body was swept ashore by the current and slowly became stranded on the shallows.

Her chest was rising and falling weakly—she was still breathing.

In the small gathering area of ​​Huashan, as people from Yuanxing Farm arrived, everyone began to line up according to the rules.

After the truck stopped, a man got out of the passenger seat.

He appeared to be in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and simple clothes.

"Mr. Lin!"

"Hello, Mr. Lin!"

Good morning, Mr. Lin!

As he got off the bus, everyone in line around him cheered with joy.

The way he was addressed showed that he was highly respected here.

As we walked along, Mr. Lin greeted us with a smile and a gentle smile on his face.

However, when he saw the people who had escaped in front of him, they were all barely clothed, and some of them even had yellowish complexions.

If you can't find a stable job and a fixed source of income, and continue to waste your time here, you might just die here.

"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me!"

"Tonight I can take ten more people with me; they'll all work on my farm."

"The same old rules apply: the elderly, the sick, women, and children have priority."

Mr. Lin's full name is Lin Yuanxing, and he owns a farm in Hong Kong.

Since a large number of refugees began to gather here, he has used some vegetables produced from his own farm and his savings to help the people here.

Although it was a drop in the ocean, it was the best he could do.

No matter how much more he gives, he can't afford it.

Furthermore, he would occasionally use the farm as a transit point, bringing in people in difficult circumstances to the farm, using his connections to help them obtain identification documents, and then finding them jobs and settling them down, depending on their situation.

Gradually, his fame began to grow here.

After all, there are very few people willing to lend a helping hand to these refugees at this time.

Upon hearing his words, those in the crowd who met the criteria began to stir with excitement, all eager to leave this place and head to Hong Kong as soon as possible.

However, they also knew that ultimately, it was up to Mr. Lin to decide who to take with them.

So, you could see Lin Yuanxing walking through the crowd, and when he encountered someone in particularly bad health, he would pick them out and take them to an open space.

When he reached the end of the crowd, Lin Yuanxing couldn't help but glance at Wutong Mountain across the way again, as was his habit.

However, at that very moment, on the shore of Dapeng Bay, there was a body lying there, unconscious.

"Xiao Wang, come with me quickly!"

Lin Yuanxing shouted to the employees he had brought and then quickly ran towards the shore.

Lin Yuanxing reached out to check her breathing and exclaimed with delight, "She's still alive!"

Lin Yuanxing then immediately began to provide emergency treatment.

Ran Qiuye slowly regained consciousness after coughing up several mouthfuls of seawater.

Staring at the blurry figure before him, he unconsciously muttered to himself, "Am I dead? Am I in the underworld, in the sea of ​​hell?"

However, before Lin Yuanxing could ask any questions, Ran Qiuye, who was already weak, fainted again.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yuanxing and Xiao Wang immediately put her back into the truck.

After the grain was distributed, ten more people were selected and put on the cart before heading towards the city.

Ran Qiuye has started to have a high fever, and her life will be in danger if she is not treated in time.

Therefore, Lin Yuanxing couldn't just stand by and watch someone die, so he simply took them back to the farm first.

-

A day passed in the blink of an eye.

After getting off work, Yang Wei returned home.

After finishing his meal and cleaning up, he was still thinking about Ran Qiuye.

Unable to concentrate on reading, he finally decided to go to the Ran family to inquire and see if there was any result.

"Honey, I need to go to the library to find a book."

"There are still some things I don't understand about miscellaneous items; I'll go find a book to look them up."

Yang Wei stood up, picked up his coat, and said to Lou Xiao'e.

"Okay, then take it easy and be careful!"

Lou Xiao'e, without suspecting anything, whispered her instructions.

"Don't worry, just stay home and behave yourself. I'll handle anything when I get back."

"Please take good care of yourself and don't wander around."

Yang Wei said it again, still not entirely convinced.

"Okay, I understand. Go ahead!"

"It's cold on the road, wear more clothes, and come back early!"

Lou Xiao'e smiled gently.

"Okay, I'm leaving!"

After saying that, Yang Wei put on his coat and headed straight for the Ran family's house.

When he arrived at the Ran family home, he saw that the lights were on in the Ran family's apartment upstairs, confirming that Ran Qiuye's parents were home. He then entered the building, went to the door, and knocked.

The person who opened the door was Ran Qiuye's mother.

"Xiao Yang, what brings you here?"

Upon seeing that it was Yang Wei, the other party clearly remembered Yang Wei's name, and a look of surprise appeared on their face as they asked in a doubtful tone.

"Hello Auntie, I'm just here to ask if you have any news about Qiuye."

Yang Wei smiled and asked softly.

"Let's go inside and talk, it's cold outside!"

"Oh, thank you, Auntie!"

Upon entering the house, Ran Qiuye's mother called out towards the living room, "Old Ran, Yang Wei is here!"

"Please come in, I'll get you some water!"

They invited Yang Wei to the living room and then poured him a glass of hot water.

"Uncle and Aunt, I'm really worried and concerned. That's why I came to ask. Have you asked yet?"

"Any news from over there?"

Yang Wei sat down and asked again.

"Akiba did not return to school."

"As for the location in Guangzhou, they only know the address, but not how to contact them."

"The teacher leading Akiha is a friend of mine, so there's not much to worry about."

"Perfect timing. I'll be going to Guangzhou on a business trip in a few days, so I can go and look for them. Don't worry, nothing should happen."

"It's this matter that's worried you; it seems you and Akiha have a good relationship."

As he finished speaking, Ran's father smiled and looked at Yang Wei, asking a question.

"We don't know where you work yet; all we know is your name, Yang Wei. Are you and Qiuye's colleagues?"

Hearing what the other person said, Yang Wei felt somewhat relieved.

As long as it's confirmed that the other party's team leader is reliable, then this matter can be considered a good outcome.

Once Ran's father arrives in a few days, he will naturally know the situation.

Thinking of this, Yang Wei decided not to elaborate on his situation any further.

After all, only you know your own situation, so it's best not to dwell on it too much.

"I met Akiha at the library. We got along really well and became close friends. We were very compatible!"

"It's getting late, so I'll take my leave then."

"Uncle and Aunt, I'll come again in a few days."

After saying that, Yang Wei stood up and walked outside.

After Yang Wei left, seeing him ask questions several times, Ran's mother, who was not very worried at first, began to worry.

After seeing Yang Wei off, I returned to the house and began to tell Ran's father about my concerns.

However, with her father's assurances, she gradually felt reassured.

After all, she had met Li Wei before, and he seemed like a reliable person. Ran Qiuye should be fine following him.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's get some rest. I'll be able to see Qiuye when I get back from Guangzhou next week. If it's convenient, I'll bring her back with me."

"The Lunar New Year is almost here, and we haven't seen this girl in a long time."

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