Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

After yelling at Xu Damao, he took a deep breath, turned to the crowd, and softened his tone: "Neighbors, there's an old saying, 'A poor family should travel with plenty of resources.' Master Yi represents the people who have left our courtyard, and we can't let him down. Let's lend a hand if we can."

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "I'll start—thirty yuan!"

He originally only intended to give ten yuan as a token gesture, but considering he was the only "manager" in the compound, he couldn't save face, so he reluctantly tripled the amount. Throwing out thirty yuan at once caused quite a stir.

"The rest of you, those with money, contribute money; those with strength, contribute strength; it's all voluntary..." The last sentence was added cautiously, for fear of being reported for imposing quotas.

Before he could finish speaking, He Yuzhu slowly stood up, a smile playing on his lips: "Second Uncle is right, I can't fall behind. It's a pity I'm short on cash, I can only donate two cents—to buy Master Yi a pound of cornmeal on the way, to fill his stomach."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt a rush of blood to his head. This wasn't helping; it was a slap in the face.

Xu Damao immediately chimed in, grinning like a fox: "Zhuzi, one jin isn't enough! I'll add four mao, making it six mao! That's enough to buy four jin of cornmeal, enough for a full meal on the train!"

"Xu Damao! He Yuzhu!" Liu Haizhong was about to explode.

"Uncle, please calm down," Xu Damao waved his hand. "We may be poor, but our heart is in this. Six cents is enough for Uncle Yi to eat for five days, isn't that good enough?"

He retorted sharply, silencing everyone. With him taking the fall, He Yuzhu was happy to have some peace and quiet.

Actually, He Yuzhu's two cents were pure disgust. If he hadn't been broke, he really wanted to pull out a penny and force Yi Zhonghai to give him 99 cents back—but that would be too obvious, and it wouldn't look good if word got out. A state cadre had to maintain his image. As for the one cent? That was all the coins he had left; he wouldn't have hesitated to donate them all.

With the two of them setting the tone, everyone else quickly backed down. Some people who initially wanted to donate more immediately changed their minds when they saw the tide turning against them. Seven cents, four cents, five cents, three cents... The most generous was Jia Dongxu, who pulled out a dollar.

But as soon as the five-yuan note appeared, Jia Zhangshi quickly grabbed it back and replaced it with another one, stuffing it into her son's hand.

She knew perfectly well: Yi Zhonghai was about to leave, and he hadn't left the Jia family any way out or done them any favors, so why would he throw away five yuan? That would be enough for the whole family to eat meat three times a day!

After the donations were completed, Liu Haizhong counted—more than twenty households, totaling thirty-nine yuan and seventy cents. He himself took thirty yuan.

They've completely lost face. This isn't helping others; it's slapping his "second uncle" in the face!

He forced the money into Yi Zhonghai's hand, lowering his voice: "Old Yi, take this... this is everyone's heartfelt gift."

He immediately adjourned the meeting after saying that, not even mentioning the originally planned "learning from Yi Zhonghai's spirit of dedication." Continuing the meeting would only make him look foolish.

A few days later, Yi Zhonghai, carrying his luggage, boarded a train leaving Beijing with the Northwest aid team and disappeared into the morning mist of the city.

Upon hearing the news, He Yuzhu grinned, finally relieved of this worry.

Without Yi Zhonghai keeping him in check, he felt as light as if he could fly.

As for Jia Dongxu, he became listless at the factory. With his mentor gone, there was no one to protect him, and he didn't dare to openly smoke or slack off. The workshop director would scold him every time he was caught, and if it happened too many times, his wages might be deducted.

Worse still, the skills were lost. Want to learn from other skilled fitters? They think it's not worth it, giving a bunch of excuses: "Too many apprentices, can't take care of everyone." In reality, the master-apprentice relationship is just so-so, and no one is willing to take on a mentor.

As life went downhill, Jia Dongxu began to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He drank more and more, and became increasingly despondent.

Without a mentor to supervise and push him to master new techniques, he lost interest in them. He mechanically completed his tasks each day and just drifted through the rest of the time.

He Yuzhu was busy at the steel rolling mill, instructing the greenhouse workers to make proper arrangements for the next season's vegetables, when Li Huaide's secretary suddenly rushed over to his door.

"Director He, we've finally found you! Quickly, come with me to Factory Director Li's office!"

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "What's gotten into such a rush? Do we have to entertain the leaders again?"

"It's not a reception," the secretary said, panting. "It's someone sent from above, coming directly to our factory to find you. They're already waiting for you at Director Li's place."

"From above?" He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow. The steel rolling mill was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry, so why would the bigwigs there specifically ask for a canteen manager like him?

Despite his doubts, he hurried to the office with his secretary. Pushing open the door, he saw Li Huaide sitting in the main seat, with two other people beside him. One of them was ramrod straight, with sharp eyes, clearly a former soldier; his imposing aura was so intimidating that no one dared to look at him directly.

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat—could it be that the matter of sending Yi Zhonghai away had been exposed?

But as soon as Li Huaide saw him come in, he immediately said, "Zhuzi, this is a comrade from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. He has something to ask you. Go with them."

"Foreign Affairs Bureau?" He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat.

He had heard the name before; his father-in-law, Lou Bancheng, had mentioned it briefly, saying it was under the Ministry of Foreign Trade, but its actual background was very powerful, and ordinary people couldn't even get close to it. At the time, Lou's father had implied something, but he didn't go into details, but he could tell that this was no ordinary organization.

"Comrade He Yuzhu." The person leading the team stood up, his voice steady, "I am Zhang Tianyang from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. I have been ordered to request your presence. Your father-in-law is also waiting for you, so there's no need to worry."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Understood. Shall we leave now?"

"The car is downstairs."

A few minutes later, a black sedan drove away from the steel rolling mill, passing through streets and alleys, and finally stopped in a heavily guarded government compound.

He was led into a conference room. The door closed, and three people were already seated inside. Lou's father sat in the center, his face calm; the other person was none other than Leader Zhang, whom he had met many times.

"Little He's here?" Leader Zhang smiled as soon as he saw him. "Originally, you should have gone to the Ministry of Agriculture to receive your credit. I've heard about the wheat and rice experiments there—Old Li has been bragging about you to me a lot lately."

He Yuzhu scratched his head and smiled: "Boss, it was purely by chance. I just picked up the seeds and planted them for fun..."

"A coincidence?" Leader Zhang shook his head and chuckled. "A pilot program within a year, rolled out nationwide within two years—this is no joke. Your 'casual' move has secured the livelihoods of countless people."

It was the beginning of 1957, and the timeline matches perfectly. More importantly, those crops didn't degenerate; they produced stable and high yields—it was like a godsend.

"You've made a significant contribution," Leader Zhang said solemnly. "In a few years, our people will truly be able to eat their fill. Logically speaking, the Ministry of Agriculture should give you the top credit. However—" He paused, "I've spoken with Mr. Lou and discussed it with several veteran comrades, and we've decided to take a different approach."

As he spoke, someone pushed over a wooden box, which was opened to reveal two identification documents and a shiny black Type 45 pistol.

"Considering your actual situation and respecting Mr. Lou's opinion, the organization has decided to formally recruit you as a field staff member of the Foreign Affairs Bureau," Leader Zhang said slowly. "You will be issued a Type 45 pistol and a gun license. You will also receive a Hong Kong Island travel permit, allowing you four entries per year, so you can enter and exit legally and openly."

He Yuzhu's pupils contracted.

Guns? Passes? They're harder than gold bars!

He had previously planned to sneak across the Pearl River and Shenzhen to find an opportunity to swim across. Now, they've given him a green channel.

As for his identity after arriving in Hong Kong—his father had already taken care of it; a Hong Kong identity card would solve the problem easily.

"Let me remind you," Director Zhang said, his expression turning serious. "Guns aren't for show, nor are they for intimidation. They're only to be used in life-or-death situations. Also, since you're a newbie, come to the station often to practice your shooting; there'll be plenty of ammunition."

The last sentence was said lightly, but everyone knew that the benefits Lou Bancheng brought to the Ministry of Foreign Trade were nothing compared to a few boxes of ammunition.

"How's it going? Does this reward suit your taste? If not, I can change it to the Ministry of Agriculture's plan..."

"No need, leader. I'm extremely satisfied with this. Thank you, country!"

Before Leader Zhang could finish speaking, He Yuzhu immediately responded loudly, his tone resolute.

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang laughed heartily: "I knew Little He would like it! Giving you a bunch of cash would seem vulgar—alright, from today onwards, you are a field staff member of the Foreign Affairs Bureau. From now on, practice shooting with Director Zhang more often, and remember, never use a gun unless it's a matter of life and death."

"Understood, sir. Rest assured, I will only intervene when lives are at stake."

The moment He Yuzhu received the pistol, his heart skipped a beat. In his past life, he had spent his entire life wielding a ladle, but in this life, he was finally able to handle a real weapon. He had to seize this opportunity and practice until he was a master.

"Mr. Lou is scheduled to depart in four months. It will be your first time accompanying him and broadening your horizons..."

Next, Director Zhang chatted with He Yuzhu and Lou's father about the specific situation in Hong Kong. Originally, this information had nothing to do with He Yuzhu, but Lou's father strongly recommended him, saying that his son-in-law played a key role in whether he could gain a foothold in Hong Kong.

That's why Leader Zhang agreed to include He Yuzhu in the field operations system—it would make it easier to keep track of the situation in Hong Kong and also serve as a strategic move.

Hong Kong Island today can be summed up in one word: chaos!

The upper echelons were locked in endless power struggles, while gangs ran rampant at the bottom, vying for territory and profits, resulting in constant clashes. But it was precisely within this chaos that opportunities lay hidden—the free port policy fueled rapid economic growth, and a few years later, in the 1960s, the economy would enter a period of true explosive growth.

If Lou's father wants to enter the processing industry, that will be a golden opportunity. But by entering the market now, he can first make a fortune through his traditional Chinese medicine shop and restaurant, and then acquire docks and ships in large quantities to gradually build a shipping network.

Once you become a shipping magnate in Hong Kong, transporting goods to the mainland becomes unimpeded. Then, in the 1960s, with a strong push for the processing industry, even if heavy industry is restricted, technology can be imported through mergers and acquisitions of overseas companies.

The intelligence provided by Leader Zhang was extremely detailed, practically exposing everything about Hong Kong. Although China isn't currently focusing its attention on Hong Kong, it's been keeping a close eye on it—the time just isn't right. Once the winds rise, this land will be reclaimed sooner or later.