Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Madam Jia Zhang was holed up in her room, seething with anger. She hurled insults at everyone, from Yi Zhonghai to the old woman, then dragged in the deaf old lady and the simple-minded Zhu. No one in the courtyard with a name or reputation escaped her curses. In her eyes, anyone who didn't lend a hand to the Jia family was a worthless wretch.

This commotion had forced Jia Dongxu to eat coarse grains for several days in a row, and his stomach was already churning. When he heard Xu Damao say he was going to treat him to a meal, his eyes immediately lit up—he didn't care that Xu Damao was the "rebellious son" who had disrespected Yi Zhonghai.

"Come on, Dongxu, I'll show you some new and exciting things later, I guarantee you'll be so happy you won't want to leave..."

Xu Damao grabbed Jia Dongxu, who didn't refuse and went along with him.

At eight o'clock in the evening, He Yuzhu rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house.

I went to practice boxing today, and a new skill has been added to the system panel: Baguazhang.

Unfortunately, the kung fu available in Beijing is becoming increasingly rare. If he wants to improve further, he'll likely have to travel south or to other places. However, once he masters Baguazhang to its maximum level, with his superhuman physique, ordinary crises will be no problem for him. As for more advanced techniques? There are plenty of ways to learn them in Hong Kong.

Before leaving, he had already given He Yushui food coupons, so she didn't have to worry about dinner, which is why he dared to dawdle until so late to come back.

The gate to the courtyard wasn't locked; it was ajar. He Yuzhu pushed the cart inside and then quickly put the gate back on its original position—Yan Bugui's family would have to lock it again later.

He remembered that a few years later in his previous life, when the security situation in Beijing improved, Yi Zhonghai and his old buddies started to promote the "doors left unlocked at night" policy, going door to door to persuade people not to lock their doors, insisting on showing off the simple and honest folk customs of the courtyard houses.

But now Yi Zhonghai has gone to the Northwest, Yan Bugui has been stripped of his title as the manager, and Liu Haizhong, that good-for-nothing, can't even hold a meeting without stuttering. It's estimated that these days of "every household locked up" will have to continue.

As soon as he stepped into the central garden, a figure flashed out from the Jia family and headed straight for him.

"Qin Huairu? Is something wrong?"

He Yuzhu stopped the car, his brow furrowing. What was he up to, suddenly appearing in the middle of the night?

"Zhu Zi... have you seen Dong Xu?" Qin Huairu's voice trembled, and her eyes darted away.

Seeing her like this, He Yuzhu felt a surge of disgust. Jia Dongxu was seven or eight years older than him, almost thirty, and he hadn't even come back from buying a bottle of wine, so she came to ask him about it?

"He said he was going to get some wine after get off work, and he left without even eating. He hasn't come back yet," Qin Huairu added in a low voice.

"I don't know." He Yuzhu's tone was indifferent. "Go ask the steward, don't bother me. I don't want to get involved in your family's affairs."

Before he finished speaking, he had already pushed his bike past Qin Huairu and headed straight home. Now he brings his bicycle into the house every day to keep these "good neighbors" away—people he can't trust.

Qin Huairu stood there, watching his retreating figure, a pang of sadness welling up in her heart.

Once upon a time, he would blush even if he secretly watched her do laundry, but now he guards against her like a thief.

She gritted her teeth, turned around, and walked back inside. As soon as she entered the house, Jia Zhangshi immediately pounced on her, her eyes blazing with fury: "Why are you back? Where's Dongxu?"

"Mother-in-law, it's the middle of the night, where am I supposed to look for him? Maybe... we should go find Second Uncle? He's in charge, he can't just ignore us, can he?" Qin Huairu said helplessly. He should have been back from buying wine long ago, and besides, the shop was already closed. What kind of woman would she be out at this hour?

But her mother-in-law kept pressuring her to leave, as if she didn't belong to the Jia family anymore?

"Alright! Let's find Second Uncle! He has many men in his family, they can help find the person!" Jia Zhangshi rolled out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and was about to go out.

"Mom, let me talk to him when we get there. I'll beg him properly. I'm not afraid he won't agree." Qin Huairu quickly stopped her.

She was truly afraid that if Jia Zhangshi opened her mouth, she would offend the Second Master's family to death. With the First Master not around, if they angered the Second Master as well, would they still have a good life in the courtyard?

Knowing she was bad with words, Jia Zhangshi couldn't save face after being lectured by her daughter-in-law, so she finally held back: "Fine, I'll pretend to be pitiful then, and you can say what you want."

The two knocked on the door of Uncle Er's house. Qin Huairu immediately put on a tearful appearance and pleaded for help in finding someone. She was incredibly sweet-talking, saying things like "Uncle Er is the backbone of our courtyard" and "We rely on you to hold everything together," making Uncle Er's ears burn with embarrassment.

Jia Zhangshi shrank back and silently played the role of "the old lady who has suffered all kinds of grievances".

Upon hearing this, Second Uncle's vanity surged, and he immediately patted his chest and promised to take care of it, promising to help the Jia family find Jia Dongxu.

Before Qin Huairu could finish expressing her profuse thanks, Second Uncle had already turned and rushed to knock on Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu's door. The two brothers groggily got up, looking completely bewildered. Just as they were about to leave, Liu Haizhong suddenly slapped his forehead—"Just the three of us? Where are we going to find each other in this vast sea of ​​people? Fine, let's find another one."

He headed straight for Xu Damao's house, but no one answered after knocking for a long time. Liu Haizhong frowned and turned to go to He Yuzhu's house.

Seeing this, Liu Guangtian stopped him, saying, "Dad! Don't do that! You're not looking for someone, you're asking for trouble! Don't you know what grudge Sha Zhu has against the Jia family? If I go and ask him to help me find Jia Dongxu, he'll definitely grab a stool and hit me! Who's going to stop us if a fight breaks out?"

He really didn't want to get into this trouble. Sha Zhu had a bad temper and was very protective of his own, so he was sure to suffer if he went.

"Instead of going to find Sha Zhu, you might as well go and call Uncle San again. Otherwise, if things get out of hand, can you handle the consequences?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's brow twitched, realizing there was some truth to it, but he still slapped him on the back of the head and angrily said, "Do you think you can tell your father how to do things? Shut up!"

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the front yard, heading straight for the Yan family's gate, where he banged on it loudly.

Yan Bugui had just blew out the light and lay down when he was startled by the noise. He had no choice but to fumble around in the dark to turn the light back on and get dressed, cursing under his breath—how many more times had the electricity meter ticked by turning it on and off?

The door opened, and his face was so dark it could drip water: "Old Liu! What's wrong with you in the middle of the night?"

"Jia Dongxu is missing!" Liu Haizhong's tone was calm, as if he were announcing a major case. "He went out to buy wine this afternoon and hasn't been seen since. Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu are frantic and came to me. As long-time residents of the courtyard house, how can we ignore this?"

Yan Bugui got angry as soon as he heard the words "Manager," and sneered, "Oh, so if you're the 'Manager,' why don't you take care of everything yourself? I'm no longer the 'Third Master,' don't try to intimidate me with that title."

Liu Haizhong remained calm, a smirk playing on his lips: "That's true, but you're a neighbor, aren't you? If the Jia family's child went missing today, and word got out that you stood by and did nothing... tsk tsk, what would the neighbors say about you?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat.

When did Old Liu learn to use words to shut people up?

He squinted: "Old Liu, this yard isn't just mine, why don't you go call someone else?"

"Others?" Liu Haizhong sneered. "You're a former teacher. Even the three old masters of the past, you didn't touch them. Who else can? If you don't act, you're chilling people's hearts!"

He got more and more convinced of his own logic as he spoke, and he seemed to have firmly established himself on the moral high ground.

Yan Bugui rolled his eyes, unable to withstand this barrage of "righteous indignation," and had no choice but to compromise: "Alright, alright, I'll go call Jie Cheng and Jie Fang. Jie Kuang is too young, so I won't bother him."

Before long, the three members of the Yan family, father and sons, put on their clothes and went out. Liu Haizhong knocked on two more doors along the way, and the group finally came together and set off on the street in a grand procession.

He Yuzhu heard all of this.

He was in the central garden, and nothing outside could escape his ears. But he didn't even lift an eyelid—what did Jia Dongxu's life or death have to do with him? The wind blowing on his balls was cold, and the rain beating on his buttocks was painful; he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

His mind is now completely focused on the space where life is accelerating.

Lou's father used his connections to obtain a batch of rare medicinal herb seeds—ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, and so on—and stuffed them all into his spatial storage. Even with the system's support, clearing and preparing the land for over four thousand hectares still took him several days.

He spends his days planting herbs and practicing martial arts, and his nights practicing shooting and honing his skills. His schedule is even fuller than the factory manager's.

His marksmanship, in particular, improved dramatically at the Foreign Affairs Bureau's shooting range. Zhang Tianyang initially didn't believe it, but after a few days, he was completely dumbfounded—his progress was like a rocket launch! Although it slowed down a bit later, his skill level had steadily surpassed that of ordinary veterans.

Every time they went to practice shooting, He Yuzhu would bring several hot meals. His cooking skills were superb, and Zhang Tianyang would eat with a beaming smile. He would also teach shooting with extra effort, as if he wanted to bring out all his best tricks.

That evening, he had just finished practicing his boxing routine and was about to rest when the courtyard suddenly erupted in chaos.

It turns out that Jia Dongxu has been found.

But the second uncle was furious and almost broke off relations with the Jia family on the spot. In the end, he even shouted that he would hold a meeting of the whole courtyard to settle the matter!

Yan Bugui stopped him abruptly: "Old Liu! Are you crazy?! It's past ten o'clock and you're still banging drums and gongs to call a meeting? Won't the neighbors curse you to death? The people from the courtyard house next door are going to climb over the wall and start yelling at you!"

He thought that his second uncle had finally figured things out this time, but when he looked at him, he found that he was still the same old man who wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

After Yan Bugui's persuasion, Liu Haizhong temporarily put aside his accusations against the Jia family. But everyone knew that the old man had already held a grudge and wouldn't let it go so easily.

The families in the courtyard gradually dispersed, and the courtyard finally quieted down. Not long after, He Yuzhu also fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, he opened his eyes on time and got up quickly to start a fire and cook.

Steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and tea eggs—simple yet satisfying. He even made He Yushui a cup of milk powder; the aroma of milk warmed the room. He Yushui jumped up at the smell, about to rush to the kitchen, but He Yuzhu glared at her and told her to brush her teeth and wash her face first! Don't act like a wild child.

She was only allowed to sit down and eat after she had tidied herself up. In those days, even many cadres' families might not be able to afford such a meal every day.

Just as he was eating, there was a sudden "bang bang" knocking on the door. He Yuzhu opened the door and saw Liu Guangtian standing outside, his eyes fixed on the steamed bun and egg in his hand, while he was chewing on a dry cornbread with pickled vegetables. The contrast was heartbreaking.

"What's the matter?" He Yuzhu asked casually.