Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

In the stillness of the night, all the lights in the courtyard were off, but a low, panting murmur quietly rose from the He family's house.

Lou Xiao'e was desperately hoping for a child. No matter how tired or weak she was, she gritted her teeth and persevered, her two legs tightly intertwined, refusing to loosen their grip even slightly.

As Qin Huairu stepped out of the house with the foot-washing water in her hand, the faint sounds drifted into her ears on the wind, standing out clearly in the quiet courtyard.

She paused, her heart skipped a beat—an image immediately flashed through her mind; but then she thought of the empty pillows on her own kang (heated brick bed) and the cold enamel mug on the table, and the breath she had been holding in slowly dissipated. She only sighed softly, poured out the water, and turned to go back into the house.

As soon as she entered, she saw Banggeng rubbing his bare feet back and forth on the muddy ground, his feet still wet. Qin Huairu's anger flared up instantly, and she slapped him twice on the bottom, making the child shudder. He scrambled onto the bed, crying out, "Mom, I was wrong."

"You're such a worry! My feet were just washed, and now they're covered in mud, and I have to wipe them clean..."

After being scolded, Banggeng obediently huddled in the blankets and wiped his feet clean with a towel.

Next year he'll be carrying his schoolbag and going to school. Qin Huairu thought to herself: once he enters the school gates, the family can finally breathe a sigh of relief, and there will be something to look forward to in life.

"Mom, where's Dad?"

Upon hearing Banggeng's question, Qin Huairu's smile froze for a moment, then she forced a smile and said, "Your dad's rushing to finish a job at the factory, he'll be working overtime tonight. Don't worry about it, go to sleep."

Even she herself felt uneasy hearing these words.

Jia Dongxu never even stepped into his house. If he was really working overtime, he should at least have asked his second uncle, Liu Haizhong, to send a message back with a clear answer.

She suddenly remembered what had happened a while ago—she'd bumped into him and Xu Damao, arm in arm, both flushed from drinking, at the alleyway tavern, only staggering back into the alley late at night. Although there was no concrete evidence, the factory still punished him by making him clean the toilets for a month before allowing him to pick up his fitter's wrench again.

"It's only been a few days since things calmed down?" Qin Huairu became more and more worried: "If something goes wrong again, the steel mill will really kick him out, and his whole family will starve."

As dawn broke, He Yuzhu got up, slipped on his slippers, and went outside to the courtyard. He squatted down and touched the photo frame he had nailed shut the day before—the paint was stiff and didn't leave a mark when he scratched it with his fingernail. He deftly inserted the leader's inscription into the frame, then nailed it firmly in place with wooden wedges, and hung it on the main wall of the living room.

The three knocks startled Lou Xiao'e awake. She came out wearing a cotton-padded coat, her hair disheveled. She squinted at the wall, then He Yuzhu coaxed her back into bed: "Sleep a little longer, I'll call you when dinner is ready."

He put extra care into preparing breakfast: golden egg pancakes, fragrant millet porridge, and crisp pickled radish strips, all steaming hot, before waking Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui.

During the meal, He Yuzhu picked up a piece of braised beef with his chopsticks and put it into Lou Xiao'e's bowl, saying casually, "Xiao'e, if you have time today, go to the lumber shop and buy a sturdy elm plank. When we get back tonight, I'll make a folding bed for your dad—the one we bought takes up too much space. The one we made ourselves will only be a hand's width thick when folded up."

"Okay, I'll take a stroll around this morning and ask about the prices." Lou Xiao'e agreed readily, only putting down her chopsticks after the bowl was empty.

He Yuzhu wiped his mouth, picked up his canvas bag, and went out.

Upon entering the factory, he immediately had someone invite Section Chief Zhou of the Purchasing Department to the canteen entrance. With only three days left until the factory-wide banquet, the firewood, rice, oil, salt, chicken, duck, eggs, and meat could not be delayed.

Fortunately, Section Chief Zhou is efficient. In the past two days, he has brought back more than 40 fat chickens and more than 400 red-shelled eggs, which are piled up in the warehouse like a small mountain.

The menu was something he and his senior, Zhang Deliang, had worked on for two nights straight. With thousands of people eating together, the menu was anything but casual—it followed the strict standards of the private kitchen: braised pork knuckle, stir-fried mutton with scallions, steamed mandarin fish… all hearty dishes.

Only he, Zhang Deliang, Qian Shihhu, and Mu Changzheng were allowed to touch the meat and vegetables; no one else was even allowed to touch the edge of the pot.

After finalizing the purchase agreement, He Yuzhu headed straight for the cafeteria with the menu in hand.

Workshop 1.

The work has been relatively quiet these past few days, but every single part that needs to be delivered must be submitted.

Jia Dongxu staggered into the workshop as the bell rang, his body swaying and his eyelids drooping. As soon as he sat down, he yawned three times in a row, his eyes showing a bluish-gray tinge.

"Dongxu, didn't you sleep well last night? Tell the director you can take a couple of hours to rest. We can finish this work before noon."

A coworker leaned closer and offered a word of advice, but his nose was suddenly hit by a cloyingly sweet, cheap perfume smell.

"It's alright, it's alright, the work isn't heavy, just hurry up, we'll finish this morning..."

Jia Dongxu forced himself to grab the wrench and tightened the screws a couple of times, but his hands kept wobbling.

Seeing that he was determined not to rest, his coworkers didn't say anything more—he wasn't his master, so there was no need to force him to take a nap.

Everyone kept their heads down and busied themselves, their minds already wandering to the cornbread and pickled vegetables they had for lunch.

Sudden--

"ah--!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream rang out in the air above the workshop!

Everyone felt a shiver run through them, as if they had been doused with cold water, and they all looked up at once.

Jia Dongxu was stuck in the lathe's drive shaft, his trousers rolled up to his thighs, blood gushing out from the seams of the metal filings, his screams intermittent, making one's teeth ache.

"Pull the power! Quickly!!"

The nearest experienced worker roared and rushed over, pulling down the power switch. The roar of the machine came to an abrupt halt.

Old Li, a level-seven fitter, rushed forward, directing people to call the workshop director and the infirmary, while waving to everyone: "Don't move! Anyone who touches him will have their bones crushed!"

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Director He! Director He!"

The clerk rushed in, breathless and covered in sweat: "Something terrible has happened in the workshop! Factory Director Yang has already gone there! He wants you to go to the conference room immediately!"

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "What happened?"

"Jia Dongxu... got caught in a machine tool! Blood is everywhere..."

He turned to Zhang Deliang and nodded: "Senior brother, please keep an eye on the banquet arrangements. I'll head over first."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already followed the clerk hurriedly through the factory area and into the office building.

Pushing open the door, the conference room was filled with smoke, and the factory leaders were seated in large numbers. Director Yang and Secretary Wang sat side by side in the main seats, their faces ashen, their knuckles white from clenching their fists.

Once everyone had arrived, Factory Director Yang spoke with a stern face: "Everyone's here, so let's get straight to the point. You all probably already know what's going on—something serious has happened in Workshop One. Director Zhang, please give us an update on the situation."

Director Zhang abruptly stood up, his face tense, and said in a low voice, "Leaders and comrades, the responsibility for this accident lies with me. Safety training was merely a formality, and daily supervision was lax, which led to this disaster. The specific cause has been verified—"

"Jia Dongxu, a level 3 fitter, tried to save time by climbing over a running lathe to pick up a wrench that had fallen to the other side. He slipped and got caught in the transmission belt... He has been rushed to the Third People's Hospital."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Director Yang slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup jump: "Only three days left until the holiday! Just when we thought we were about to finish the year peacefully, this mess had to happen at this crucial moment! Our steel rolling mill's 'perfect score' this year is barely scraping by; we'll be lucky to get even thirty points!"

"Safety regulations are posted on the wall, printed in the manual, and explained countless times. How can some people still ignore them? If an accident happens, who will take responsibility? Who will be held accountable?!"

The meeting room was silent. Everyone knew in their hearts that the worst thing about the year-end closing was making a mistake, and it just so happened that they stumbled on this final stretch.

Deputy Factory Director Jiang cleared his throat: "Factory Director, don't rush to make a judgment. Let's wait for news from the hospital—injury and death are worlds apart. If the person is still alive, there's still room for maneuver."

"Yes, Director Jiang is right," someone chimed in. "Director, which hospital did Jia Dongxu go to?"

"The Third People's Hospital," Director Yang said, his tone softening slightly. "I sent my secretary with me. Report back immediately if anything happens. But right now, the most important thing is to stay vigilant about safety! Even if there's only one minute left before the shift handover, we can't let the machines bite anyone!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Everyone knew that if someone were to die, the workshop director would be the first to be implicated, and the supervising leader would also be held responsible.

Director Zhang was sweating profusely—if Jia Dongxu's rescue failed, he feared he wouldn't even make it to the end of the year.

At this moment, He Yuzhu suddenly spoke up: "Factory manager, the year-end banquet in three days... are we still going to hold it? The canteen has already prepared the food, and the purchase order has been settled, but at this time..."

Factory Director Yang was taken aback, only then remembering the lively family reunion dinner. He had been so preoccupied with the distressing accident that he had almost forgotten about it—he had hoped it was the only minor incident of the year, and that everyone could smoothly pay their wages before the holiday so that they could all go home happily for the New Year.

"Proceed as planned! But a safety briefing must be held before the meal – Director Jiang will lead the effort, with the publicity department providing full support."

"Understood," Jiang Shouqin replied.

Director Zhang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Factory Director...should we let them know about Jia Dongxu's family first?"

Factory Director Yang frowned. He was all too familiar with family members coming to the factory gates crying and making a scene—the workers were the pillars of their families; if the pillar crumbled, half the sky would fall. Similar incidents had occurred several times in the past two years, with family members blocking the factory gates, refusing to disperse until they received an explanation or discussed compensation.

"We'll let you know when the hospital results are out. But we need to keep things calm beforehand, at least... don't let the Jia family barge in and disrupt things on the day of the dinner."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly remembered something and turned to He Yuzhu: "Director He, I remember you and Jia Dongxu lived in the same compound? You even asked me to mediate a matter you had before, didn't you?"

He Yuzhu frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then nodded: "We live in the same courtyard, but we just nod to each other when we bump into each other..."

"That's enough." Factory Director Yang spoke quickly. "You can pass on the message, and also put their minds at ease—tell the Jia family that the factory will not shirk responsibility; we will take responsibility where necessary and compensate where appropriate. Just ask them not to cause trouble at the factory on the day of the banquet."

He Yuzhu immediately chimed in, "Factory manager, isn't it inappropriate for me to go? Doesn't the factory have a designated person in charge of appeasing them?"