Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Apprentice Ma Hua was already squatting in the kitchen early in the morning, chopping potatoes with swift, precise strokes, like a martial arts contest. The factory had thousands of employees, and they had to chop three basins of potatoes a day, piling them up higher than mountains, providing ample practice opportunities.

Now he takes on a third of the foundation work by himself, and has shirked all the other miscellaneous tasks.

At first, the pieces were cut crookedly, some as thick as rolling pins and others as thin as toothpicks. Fortunately, Qian Shih-hu and Mu Chang-zheng were experienced cooks; with a swing of their spatulas, even the worst ingredients could be salvaged.

I'm afraid that when serving the food, the workers will start a commotion: "Hey, these potatoes—were they leftovers from when the dog ate them?"

Ma Hua's face flushed, and he immediately became even more ruthless, each strike revealing the true nature of his attack.

He gets to work immediately, without a second's rest. With that kind of drive, progress is a sure thing. Once his work as a construction worker is up to par, He Yuzhu plans to hand over the street office's wedding and funeral banquet resources to Qian Shih-hu and Mu Chang-zheng—taking Ma Hua along to these events to hone their skills in real combat.

Today, things seemed calm on the surface at the factory, but that was only true for He Yuzhu, the canteen manager. The production department and the technical department were swamped with work. The new workshop was practically smoking 24/7, with the machines constantly roaring.

The Ministry of Industry gave Director Yang a strict order: six Red Star machine tools per month, not a single screw can be missing! Any extras manufactured? Do whatever you want with them, they don't care.

In several workshops of the Third Steel Rolling Mill, there wasn't a single Hongxing Machine Tool in sight. Were they not working overtime? Were they just waiting to be skinned alive?

The technical department was even more frantic—they were frantically studying the blueprints He Yuzhu had handed them. Although Sharif's work was outdated, even today, China would struggle to even produce the molds themselves, let alone mass-produce and sell them.

So this time, they teamed up with professors from the mechanical engineering departments of several universities to tackle the problem. They didn't just copy existing designs; they thoroughly understood the principles and managed to develop a new set of domestically produced equipment.

If this is implemented within a few years, China will be able to stand on the shoulders of the West in critical sectors such as military industry and precision manufacturing.

He Yuzhu wasn't idle either. He frantically leveled up his mechanical design skills and would sneak into the technical department every few days with a thermos—ostensibly to "replenish his brain," but in reality, he was keeping a close eye on the progress.

Everyone in the factory knew he was a favorite. When Section Chief Zhou saw him, his smile was brighter than during the New Year. Anyone else wanting to get close to the technical department? They'd have to go through a three-way interrogation by the security department first.

But the blueprints were obtained by He Yuzhu himself. He was an acquaintance, and his skills were genuine. In addition, the steaming braised dishes and crispy fried foods were placed on the table... The professors chewed on the chicken legs and praised, "Master He's skills are even more satisfying than the blueprints."

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, he had nothing left to worry about at the factory. He hopped on his old bicycle, pedaled hard, and headed straight for the courtyard house.

He had intended to visit Chen Xueru on the way, but then he thought—she had just cried yesterday, and was probably still in bed resting today; besides, he hadn't even seen her house, so he had to give up.

Just as I turned into the alley, I bumped into Xiao Li from the neighborhood committee, who was clutching a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. He quickly stepped forward upon seeing me: "Director He! There's been some progress on that matter you asked about last time—come with me, shall we go together?"

He Yuzhu immediately replied, "Okay, but Clerk Li, could you wait for me at the street corner for a moment? I need to go call someone—it's Yi Zhonghai's family from our courtyard who are planning to adopt the child."

Clerk Li nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for you at the street corner. Remember to have her bring her household registration booklet; she'll need to register the adoption at the neighborhood office."

"Leave it to me, no problem."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Yuzhu pushed his cart and hurried into the courtyard. He had originally thought he would have to make a special trip to the old deaf woman's house in the backyard to find her, but she happened to be home, saving him the trouble of going back and forth.

He rushed forward and explained his purpose. Upon hearing this, the old woman's eyes lit up instantly. She quickly pulled out her household registration book, grabbed some money and grain coupons, and followed He Yuzhu outside without saying a word.

This scene was witnessed by Jia Zhangshi, who had just stepped out of her house. The old woman and He Yuzhu were walking one after the other, and they were walking quite quickly. She frowned and muttered to herself: What are these two up to again?

But she didn't delve into it. She picked up a basin of dirty clothes, soaked it in water, and casually put it aside, waiting for Qin Huairu to come back and wash them. She hadn't touched clothes in ten years; she had long since stopped doing such tiring work.

At the street corner, the clerk, Xiao Li, was already waiting. The three of them then entered the rather large orphanage in the west of the city. The children housed there were mostly orphans who had lost their parents.

But these children can't be ignored; their daily needs for eating, drinking, and toileting consume an astonishing amount of food. If someone were willing to adopt one, it would be a godsend for the facility.

The woman entered and looked around, her gaze quickly settling on a little boy in a corner. He looked to be about three years old and had been brought there by his parents after they confirmed he was dead.

After clarifying the situation, she made the decision almost without hesitation. When she first saw the child, her heart skipped a beat, as if fate had brought them together.

The child huddled in the corner, his eyes innocent yet full of spirit. The old woman's heart melted; she wished she could take him home immediately, register him, change his name, and in a few years hear him call her "Mom" in his sweet, childish voice.

What does a three-year-old know about choices? The manager asked a few simple questions, and the little guy nodded timidly, then obediently took the older woman's hand and followed her.

Next, the three went straight to the subdistrict office to complete the property transfer. The procedures were handled very smoothly. Although Yi Zhonghai, a level-seven fitter, was on a construction project in the Northwest, his files were complete, and the process went without any hiccups.

Not only was their household registration successfully transferred to the Yi family, but their grain ration book was also processed on the spot.

When it came to the name, He Yuzhu casually suggested "Yi Zhiliang," and the older woman immediately liked the sound of it and decided on the spot—from now on, the child would be called Yi Zhiliang.

As soon as the formalities were completed, the old lady was overjoyed and insisted on taking the two of them out for a nice meal, especially He Yuzhu, who insisted on treating him to a meal.

He Yuzhu smiled and politely declined, "No, I have people waiting at home. I can't worry about the rain these past few days, I have to go back and cook tonight."

The older woman was immediately a little disappointed. She had wanted to take this opportunity to thank him properly, and also to ease the tension between the two families, so that Yi Zhiliang could have someone to look after him in the courtyard in the future.

But He Yuzhu left as soon as he finished helping, seemingly with no intention of getting involved any further.

However, she didn't think much of it; her mind was filled with thoughts of the new child. Ever since leaving the orphanage, Xiao Zhiliang's little hand had never let go of her fingers, even when she was registering his household registration, she held it tightly as if afraid he would disappear in the blink of an eye.

The woman was deeply touched, convinced that her child had come to recognize her as his mother. That very night, she took him to Quanjude (a famous Peking duck restaurant) and treated him to a hearty meal. If it hadn't been so late, she would have rushed to the fabric shop to buy cloth, intending to sew a new outfit for her child herself.

Around 7 p.m., an older woman led Yi Zhiliang back to the courtyard house.

Many people were still enjoying the cool air in the front yard when they saw her bring back a strange child. The older woman was immediately stunned: "Auntie, who is this child...?"

Although Yi Zhonghai had long been stripped of his title of "Grandpa Yi," the neighbors still habitually called them "Grandma Yi" or "Grandma San." After calling them that for so long, they almost forgot their real names.

An older woman beamed, "His name is Yi Zhiliang, and he'll be my son from now on! Zhiliang, quickly call him Third Auntie."

"Third...Auntie...hello..."

The child spoke slowly, but repeated every single word without missing a single one.

The older woman responded in surprise, "Oh, hello... So, ma'am, this child is really yours from now on?"

"That's right!" The middle-aged woman beamed. "Zhiliang, let's go back inside, Mom will give you a bath!"

After saying that, she took the child's hand and walked straight towards the central garden.

As soon as the two figures disappeared around the corner, the front yard erupted in commotion. The aunties and sisters-in-law who hadn't come out before all peeked out and crowded around, asking, "Oh my, what's going on? Did that old lady really adopt a child?"

The three women rushed home in a flurry, grabbed Yan Bugui, and exclaimed, "Old Yan, guess what I saw?"

"An older woman brought home a three- or four-year-old child and named him Yi Zhiliang, clearly intending for him to become the heir of the Yi family."

"What?!"

Yan Bugui's hand trembled, and the newspaper fell to the table with a thud. His eyes widened, completely disbelieving. It wasn't until Yang Ruihua repeated it that he finally understood, and gasped in shock:

"Why did this middle-aged woman suddenly have an epiphany? This is the start of her raising a son!"

He muttered to himself, his mind in turmoil. If others couldn't see through him before, how could he not? When Yi Zhonghai took Jia Dongxu as his apprentice, he immediately treated him like his own son, providing him with food and teaching him how to be a person and how to do things, treating him like family.

Now that an older woman has brought a child back, has the Jia family's hopes been completely dashed?

The three older women leaned closer and asked, "Old Yan, do you think... this wasn't instructed by Old Yi?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Yan Bugui shook his head. "If Lao Yi wanted to take it, he would have done it a long time ago. Why wait until he left to let an old lady do it? It seems more like the old lady's own idea."

He paused, his eyes darkening slightly: "But this is a ruthless move—Old Yi is currently in the Northwest, out of reach of us. By the time he returns, the child will be over ten years old, and the deed will be done, so his objections will be useless."

No one knows how many years the reconstruction will take, but judging from the way Yi Zhonghai was making his final arrangements when he left, it will be at least seven or eight years before he comes back.

The three women frowned: "Then... will Old Yi agree if he finds out?"

"What can you do if I don't agree?" Yan Bugui sneered, glancing at her sideways. "Are you going to come back and send the child away? The people who objected aren't here now, so who has the right to stop me? She's over forty and doesn't have a son; it's perfectly reasonable for her to adopt one. Who can say a word against it?"

Even the deaf old lady who had shared a room with another woman probably wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. Yan Bugui even suspected that the name on the household registration had already been finalized, all the paperwork was in order, and it was too late for anyone to stop it.

Over there, an older woman, leading Yi Zhiliang, had just entered the central garden when they bumped into Qin Huairu washing clothes by the well. She looked up, stunned, and blurted out, "Auntie, who is this child...?"

"Huairu, this is Yi Zhiliang. He'll be living with me from now on." The middle-aged woman beamed. "You go ahead with your work; I need to go back and settle the children."