Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

After saving up for so long, he only had 600 jin of medicinal wine in his hands, 200 jin of which were freshly brewed and hadn't even released their flavor yet.

The pricing is already decided: twenty yuan per jin (500 grams), so three hundred jin would bring in six thousand yuan. The cost is just over seven hundred yuan, meaning it's nearly ten times the profit. This business is a sure thing.

When Chen Xueru told her about it, she thought it was a good idea and promised to contact Elena in a few days.

This time, she didn't press him about their relationship, which secretly relieved He Yuzhu. He had previously worried that she was considering marriage—wanting a formal status and a family, but he couldn't give her those things.

But now it seems that Chen Xueru has let it go.

Unbeknownst to him, it was precisely his suffocating stamina that repeatedly pulled her back to reality. Unable to leave, yet unwilling to break things off, she simply stopped mentioning it.

Sometimes, in the quiet of the night, she would even silently say to herself: That's it.

Someone was there to take the blame for her, to shield her from the storm, and to be so physically strong; all she lacked was a marriage certificate… She gritted her teeth; it wasn’t something she couldn’t tolerate.

-

In the courtyard house, the Jia family's dinner was as meager and pitiful as ever.

Jia Dongxu had three steamed buns, Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, and Banggeng each had two, and Xiao Dang was too young to eat much rice porridge. On the table was a plate of stir-fried cabbage with hardly any oil, plus a small dish of pickled vegetables—that was the family's meal.

In front of Jia Dongxu was a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor, its pungent smell giving one a headache. But for him, it was the only thing that could numb his senses.

Qin Huairu placed the food on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, "Dongxu, we're almost out of food. Could you give us some more money?"

"How come you've spent it all again? It's only been a few days since you got paid?" Jia Dongxu's face immediately darkened, and his tone became harsh.

He was planning to have a couple of drinks at a pub at the end of the month and take a stroll in the alleyways; he had no intention of spending money to supplement his household income.

Since Yi Zhonghai moved away, no one was watching him go to and from get off work, and no one was constantly reminding him of "filial piety first," so he felt completely relaxed. He drank more and more frequently, and even dared to go to places he used to be afraid to visit.

He even felt that his master's departure was a relief for him. But for the family, it was adding insult to injury.

"How much is left?" he asked.

Qin Huairu replied in a low voice, "At most two more meals, I have to buy it tomorrow."

Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi both fell silent. They knew exactly how much they were given at the beginning of the month. The only way they had managed to survive until now was thanks to Qin Huairu pasting matchboxes and taking odd jobs to earn a few pounds of cornmeal; they had already been extremely frugal.

Jia Dongxu glanced at his mother, then changed his tone: "Mom, don't you have some savings? Take some out to tide you over."

Madam Jia's face changed drastically, and she slammed her chopsticks down: "No way! That's my retirement money, no one can touch it! Your son just got his salary, and he gave Huairu so little, he must still have some left over—you pay up!"

"I have other uses for that little bit of money, I can't touch it!" Jia Dongxu's voice suddenly rose, the alcohol taking effect and his temper exploding. "Don't you still need me for your retirement? The whole family is starving to death, why are you still clinging to your money? Take some out tomorrow to buy noodles!"

"We agreed back then... that we wouldn't touch our retirement savings..." Jia Zhangshi's voice trembled with anxiety.

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"If you want your whole family to starve, then don't reach out!"

Jia Dongxu frowned, said those words, and then ignored Jia Zhangshi. He slowly picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and then ate a piece of cornbread with pickled vegetables. The coarse grains and wild game tasted surprisingly satisfying to him.

Seeing that her son was unyielding, Jia Zhangshi's heart sank – this boy really dared to overturn the table and really dared to disregard the life and death of the family!

She was about to burst into tears and call Old Jia out to calm her down when Jia Dongxu, as if he had read her pulse, sneered and said, "Mom, if you want to call for Dad, go shout it in the yard. Let all the neighbors hear that your grandson is starving and about to faint, but Grandma is still clinging to her retirement money..."

One sentence left her feeling suffocated, so angry that she was panting heavily, and her face turned a deep purplish-red.

Qin Huairu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of who won or lost, as long as someone paid for the grain, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Auntie, ever since Old Yi left, I've really had no hope!" Jia Zhangshi rushed into the Yi family home early in the morning, wailing and lamenting, "Dongxu is becoming increasingly uncontrollable! We don't even get food, and he drinks and acts like a bully all day long. How am I supposed to live like this?!"

She came to plead her case, but more importantly, she came to pressure him—hoping that the old lady would quickly write a letter to Yi Zhonghai, urging him to return and keep Jia Dongxu in check.

Only now did she understand Yi Zhonghai's good points: when he was around, Jia Dongxu didn't even dare to speak loudly; but as soon as he left, that brat immediately turned the world upside down.

She desperately wanted Yi Zhonghai to return immediately and teach this unfilial son a lesson. But she also knew that hope was slim. This visit had ulterior motives.

"Auntie, tell me, isn't my life miserable? This morning, Dongxu left right after eating, and my two kids were crying from hunger. I gave all my breakfast to Banggeng, but what am I going to do now...?"

Hearing these words, the middle-aged woman felt disgusted, and even Zhiliang behind her secretly tugged at the hem of her clothes.

But she had a kind face and couldn't bring herself to kick her out, so she could only say perfunctorily, "Alright, alright, I'll mention it next time I write."

Did Jia Zhangshi come here to complain? Jia Dongxu's words were still stuck in her throat—he wanted her to give him money to buy grain. Without using their retirement savings, the whole family would starve!

But that money was her lifeline. Even if she had to pay for treatment for a broken leg, she would hesitate for three days, let alone use it to fill a bottomless pit.

After much deliberation, she could only set her sights on an older woman.

Every time an older woman was about to tell someone to leave, she would immediately start wailing and crying, telling them how miserable and difficult her life was.

Finally, the old woman couldn't bear it any longer and could only sigh, "Sister-in-law, the child can't go hungry. I still have ten pounds of cornmeal here. You can borrow it for now."

"borrow"?

Madam Jia's face immediately darkened. Hadn't it always been given away for free before? When did it become a matter of "borrowing"?

It must be that little bastard's fault! He's made this barren hen so stingy that they're even cutting off the Jia family's food rations!

She cursed under her breath, thankfully the old woman couldn't hear her, otherwise, if those words had reached her ears, even the most gentle person would have slapped her twice.

"Well... alright then, thank you for your trouble, ma'am." She managed to squeeze out the words, her face full of reluctance.

Ten pounds of cornmeal would be enough for two days at best! But she had already planned to come back for another meal in two days. After all, the Yi family owed them!

Back when Lao Yi was alive, every month he would send twenty catties of flour home.

Seeing that she was still not satisfied after taking the grain, with a hint of resentment on her face, the old woman felt a surge of anger, but she didn't want to argue any further, so she forced herself to get up and go to the kitchen to get some noodles.

Jia Zhangshi followed closely behind, watching intently as she scooped the flour. Seeing the scale fall evenly, exactly ten jin (a unit of weight), she immediately cursed inwardly: "Ten jin? You think giving me an extra ounce will starve you to death?!"

"Oh my, ma'am, you still have wheat flour at home? You're so lucky!" She put on that pitiful look again, drawing out her voice, "We haven't seen wheat flour in months. My poor, coarse grandson cries every day for fine grains, but we can't get a single bite..."

Upon hearing this, the older woman's fingers trembled with anger: "Sister-in-law, I wouldn't even eat that flour myself; it's for Zhiliang to nourish his body!"

When she first brought Zhiliang home from the orphanage, the child was skin and bones. She felt so sorry for him, so she gritted her teeth and bought him the best things to feed him. Lately, she's been feeding him white flour every other day, treating him like a precious treasure.

In the past, the Yi family had never enjoyed such a privilege. They were lucky to eat white flour once or twice a month, and had to save every penny for their retirement.

If anyone else had heard this older woman say that, they would have been so embarrassed that they would have turned around and left.

But who was Jia Zhangshi? She was the type to pick on the weak. Upon hearing this, instead of backing down, she immediately put on a bitter face and squeezed out two tears: "Auntie, my grandson hasn't smelled flour in so long, poor thing... If Old Jia knew his grandson was living such a miserable life..."

Upon hearing this, the older woman panicked, fearing that Yi Zhiliang would overhear, and quickly interrupted, "Alright, alright, Jia Zhangshi, here's half a pound of flour for the child to nourish his body..."

Jia Zhangshi agreed verbally, but inwardly she scoffed: Half a jin? That's like giving money to a beggar! It's just enough for me, and if we share it, there won't even be enough to fill the gaps between our teeth.

But she didn't show it at all. Instead, she smiled and moved closer, her plump buttocks rubbing against the edge of the noodle vat, urging repeatedly, "Give me more, old lady, just one more spoonful, just one more spoonful!"

They managed to stretch half a jin to a full jin.

Finally, she left satisfied, carrying a pound of wheat flour and ten pounds of cornmeal. At least she had brought back some "spoils" for the Jia family, so no one could say she hadn't done her job—after all, she had brought back the grain, whether it cost money or not was another matter.

As soon as she left, the middle-aged woman was so angry that her hands were shaking. Before, with Old Yi around, there was no need to deal with this shrew; now, she was being bullied right under her nose.

No wonder Lao Yi made her live with the deaf old lady.

Thinking of this, she immediately told Yi Zhiliang not to run around, turned around and poured all the remaining flour into a flour bag, then carried it to the old lady's room—she would rather let the deaf old lady and Zhiliang share it equally than let Jia Zhangshi take advantage of even half a grain of rice.

After finishing this task, he took out paper and pen and wrote a letter to Lao Yi, detailing Jia Dongxu's messy affairs and asking him to write back and give him a good scolding.

He paused for a moment, then finally added Yi Zhiliang's story as well.

She had never hidden anything from Lao Yi in the past, and now that this matter was settled, she might as well be completely open about it.

These past two days, she's been so happy to be with Zhiliang. The child follows her everywhere, sticking to her wherever she goes except to the outhouse. She can almost hear the word "Mom" teetering on her lips, just a breath away from uttering it.

The Third Steel Rolling Mill

The technical department has been in an uproar lately.

Following the blueprints left by Sharif, they actually managed to come up with a completely new rolling mill design. Although it couldn't compare to the world-class top-level Red Star Machine Tool, it was far superior to the second-tier equipment currently in service in China, and at least caught up with the tail end of the first-tier production lines in the White Bear Country.