Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

He Yuzhu nodded, didn't ask any further questions, took a drag of his cigarette, and changed the subject.

"By the way, Erhe, the factory is holding another worker certification exam next month. Do you have a chance of passing level seven this time?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Erhe smiled and said, "I'll do my best. The work of a level seven craftsman is much more difficult than that of a level six. The precision requirements are high, and the materials are also more demanding. I've been practicing with a few experienced craftsmen for a while now, and I feel a bit uncertain. We'll see how it goes in the exam. If I don't pass, I'll just consider it practice and try again next time."

He paused, turned to look at He Yuzhu, and turned the tables on him: "But you, Zhuzi, you've been an eighth-level chef for four or five years now, haven't you? Why haven't you been promoted yet? With your skills, you should be more than qualified to be a sixth-level chef."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu's face darkened immediately, and he snorted coldly, "It's all because of that scoundrel Li Huaide. Last year when it was time to evaluate chefs, he blocked me from passing. He said that there were limited spots for head chefs in the canteen and that priority should be given to the older staff. Older staff? How many years have I worked in the canteen? When I joined the canteen, those older staff were still eating cornbread at the factory gate."

"That Li Huaide, if you don't pay him tribute, he'll harass you. I'm not the kind of person who flatters, and he's disliked me for a long time."

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, his voice barely containing his anger, but he quickly waved his hand, suppressing his rage and adopting a nonchalant tone: "So what if it's not going to happen? I've come to terms with it. Even if he blocks my upgrades, I'll still work. After finishing the chores in the cafeteria, I can still take on some side jobs."

"Whenever someone in the factory has a wedding or funeral, or when neighbors in the neighborhood need to host a banquet, they all come to me. If I take on two or three events a month, I can earn an extra ten or twenty yuan. Add to that the boxed lunches I bring back from the kitchen, and the thirty-seven and fifty-five yuan from the steel mill, and it all adds up to fifty or sixty yuan. It's just me and Yushui at home, so it's enough for us."

After listening, Liu Erhe smiled and nodded. He Yuzhu was a skilled and honest man, but sometimes his mouth was sharp and he could easily offend people. However, over the years in the courtyard, He Yuzhu had always been polite to his father, Liu Shuanzhu, and the two had a good relationship.

He leaned closer to He Yuzhu and said with a hint of teasing, "Yuzhu, aren't all the young people in the compound getting married one after another? Guangqi got married today, and I heard Da Mao's coming up soon too. What about you? You're already in your mid-twenties, aren't you in a hurry?"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu was taken aback for a moment, then his gaze inadvertently drifted to the other end of the courtyard. Liu Erhe followed his gaze and saw Qin Huairu standing next to the Jia family's table.

She was bending over to wipe Banggeng's mouth. She was wearing a faded floral print blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms. Her hair was tied back, and her profile was fair and clean, looking more gentle than usual in the afternoon sunlight.

He Yuzhu quickly looked away, chuckled twice, and said with a deliberately nonchalant tone, "No rush, no rush, take your time. These things can't be rushed. If you're lucky, you're lucky; if you're not, you can't force it." He paused, then added, "Uncle Yi said he'd help me find someone. He knows a lot of people; maybe he'll find someone for me someday."

Liu Erhe glanced at him but didn't say anything more. He could actually see through He Yuzhu's intentions to some extent.

All the young people in the compound knew that He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu were close. One day they would bring him boxed lunches and the next day they would bring him steamed buns. Qin Huairu would also help He Yuzhu with his laundry and tidying up his room. The inexplicable bond between the two of them was obvious to everyone in the compound.

But Jia Dongxu was still standing there alive, and He Yuzhu could only pretend to be ignorant, no matter what. He couldn't and shouldn't be involved in this matter.

Just as the group was talking, a lively commotion came from outside the courtyard gate. Someone shouted, "The newlyweds are back!" Everyone in the courtyard looked up towards the gate.

Liu Guangqi pushed the Phoenix brand bicycle decorated with red silk into the courtyard. The bride sat on the back seat, wearing a red corduroy jacket, her hair neatly combed, her face painted with rouge, her head down, and a shy smile on her lips.

Liu Guangqi walked in front, holding the handlebars with one hand and protecting the person on the back seat with the other, as if afraid that the person on the back seat might lose their balance.

Liu Haizhong had already arrived at the entrance to the flower-adorned gate, his expression a mixture of nervousness and joy. He rubbed his hands together, muttering, "Finally back, finally back." His wife followed behind him, her eyes slightly red. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and quickly walked towards the bride, reaching out to help her off the back of the bicycle.

Liu Guangqi led his bride to the front of the main house in the central courtyard, where a portrait of the leader had already been hung, with a large red "double happiness" character pasted on each side. Liu Haizhong stood beside the portrait, his expression solemn and excited, and nodded to his son and daughter-in-law.

Liu Guangqi helped the bride to stand in front of the portrait. Someone nearby called out, "First bow!" The two bowed deeply towards the portrait. After straightening up, they heard "Second bow!" and bowed again. When the "Third bow!" was called, Liu Guangqi and the bride bowed even deeper than before, and their faces were flushed when they stood up.

Next came the ceremony of paying respects to the parents. Liu Guangqi led his bride around to face Liu Haizhong and his wife, who were standing to the side. Liu Haizhong could no longer maintain his smile; the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were as deep as if carved by a knife. His wife's tears finally fell; she covered her face with a handkerchief, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The two bowed three times to Liu Haizhong and his wife. Liu Haizhong reached out and made a gesture of support, saying "Okay, okay" in his speech. His wife stepped forward, took the bride's hand, patted the back of her hand, and mumbled something that was not very clear.

After the ceremony, the bride was escorted into the west wing by several middle-aged women. Liu Guangqi followed her in and stayed for a short while before Liu Haizhong called him out, saying that he needed to invite the guests to take their seats.

Liu Haizhong stood in the center of the courtyard, glanced around, clapped his hands, and raised his voice a few decibels higher than usual: "Dear neighbors, thank you all for coming to support Guangqi! The tables are all set, please take your seats! There's plenty of food and drink today, everyone, eat and drink to your heart's content!"

Everyone walked towards the tables. Four round tables were set up in the open space of the central courtyard, with bowls, chopsticks, and wine glasses already laid out on them, and the tabletops were wiped clean. The main table was placed in the north of the central courtyard, directly facing the main house. Liu Haizhong invited Yi Zhonghai, Liu Shuanzhu, Xu Fugui, Yan Bugui, and others to take their seats.

On the women's side, Wang Xiuhe sat at a table with Liang Fangfang. Yi Zhonghai's wife was also at that table, along with several older women from the courtyard. Wang Xiuhe had Liu Qingyan sitting on her lap; the little girl was clutching a biscuit, crumbs all over her face. Liang Fangfang sat beside her, helping Wang Xiuhe look after the child, occasionally wiping Liu Qingyan's mouth.

At another table sat Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, along with Yan Bugui's wife and two other older women. Jia Zhangshi was wearing a faded gray cloth jacket. Sitting at the table, her eyes were fixed on the stove, watching He Yuzhu bring out the dishes and place them on the table one by one. As soon as the first cold dish was served, Jia Zhangshi had already picked up her chopsticks.

Liu Erhe sat at a table with several young people in the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong raised his glass at the head table, gestured to the guests in all directions, and said in a loud voice, "Come on, everyone, let me toast you all! Thank you for coming to support Guangqi! Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses; those with alcohol drank, and those without drank tea, each taking a sip. At the main table, Liu Shuanzhu clinked glasses with Yi Zhonghai, and they each took a sip. Xu Fugui put down his glass, picked up a piece of cucumber salad, and said something to Yan Bugui next to him. Yan Bugui nodded, and his chopsticks were already reaching for the plate of scrambled eggs.