Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Daqing glanced at him sideways, then suddenly grinned and said, "What else can we do? She was a loose tongue when she was young. When your mother was pregnant with Yushui, she cursed people in the street. I grabbed her by the ear, dragged her in front of Lao Jia, and slapped her seven or eight times on both sides. I forced them to kneel down and apologize, and they kowtowed three times before I stopped."

He Yuzhu nodded: "No wonder she avoids you."

"That was before Liberation," He Daqing said slowly as she sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "Although we lived in a courtyard house back then, we were much wealthier than Old Jia. We had many friends and connections. If he was short of money, he would have to tiptoe when he went out the next day—and when he got back, Old Jia would pick up a broom and give her another 'family discipline'."

He shook his head, a hint of disdain on his lips: "That old shrew, what can she do besides yelling and throwing tantrums? To put it bluntly, she only picks on the weak; when she encounters someone tough, she wiltes like a frostbitten eggplant..."

"Yuzhu, Dad, dinner's ready!"

Lou Xiao'e brought in two bowls of steaming hot porridge. The breakfast was a semi-finished product that He Yuzhu had prepared the day before. As soon as it was heated on the stove, the aroma wafted out.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. After breakfast, we need to start preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.

He Daqing was in charge of preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. He Yuzhu had to go out in the afternoon, ostensibly to run some errands, but actually to make a special detour to see Chen Xueru. Today was New Year's Eve, and even if he couldn't stay up with his daughter and Chen Xueru to celebrate the New Year, he still had to make time to show up and say a few words.

Xu Damao and Yu Li didn't spend the New Year in the courtyard house either. They went back to Old Xu's house with big bags and small packages of New Year's goods as soon as it was light.

The first three days were spent at the Xu family's house for the New Year's Eve reunion, and on the third day, we went to the Yu family's house to pay New Year's greetings.

As soon as he entered the door, Xu Damao was eager to ask his father about He Yuzhu's plan to deal with him—he had previously resisted letting Yu Li plead with Lou Xiao'e, but now he could only hope that the old man would step in.

"You—you're utterly insolent! You've been in the factory for two years, and you still don't understand what kind of person the logistics director is in the steel rolling mill? Are you planning to openly criticize the deputy factory director next time? And after that, will you dare to point your finger at the clerk and yell at him?"

Upon hearing about the foolish thing his son had done, Xu Fugui's hand trembled, and cigarette ash fell onto his pants. He almost choked on a puff of smoke and passed out.

What is He Yuzhu's status? And who do you think you are?

The projectionist, who had just been promoted to a regular position, kept talking about being a "cultured person." That might fool outsiders, but if he really ran into the logistics director, he was just asking for trouble.

Xu Damao panicked and hurriedly urged, "Dad, stop nagging! Help me think of a solution!"

"What can I do? I left the factory years ago, and you, of all people, always manage to stir up trouble when I'm itching to hear it!"

Despite his fierce outbursts, Xu Fugui was still worried about his son. He took a few deep drags on his cigarette while frowning and pondering.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke: "How about this, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, I'll go to the propaganda department and find the old section chief—we had some acquaintance back when we were showing movies together. But... people come and go, and I've been retired for so long, it's hard to say whether he'll even acknowledge these old grudges."

Despite saying that, he himself was also unsure: an old projectionist who had long since retired and a logistics director who was just starting out, although not under his direct supervision, it was obvious to anyone with eyes to see who was more important.

"By the way, didn't your wife say she was going to ask Lou Xiao'e for help?"

"Dad, please don't bring this up—how ​​can we let Yu Li lower herself to beg for help? Besides, Lou Xiao'e can't persuade Sha Zhu at all..."

The second half of the sentence was completely forced in by Xu Damao, who simply didn't want Yu Li to get involved.

"Okay, I'll make the trip for you on Wednesday and test the waters."

Xu Fugui stared at his son, his eyes full of disappointment: "If you really can't get along with Shazhu, then you have to learn from a venomous snake—a baring-toothed dog can't scare people, only a sudden bite can catch people off guard... As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself, I can't teach you too much."

"Dad, Damao, dinner's ready!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Li pushed open the door and called for dinner.

The sudden sound startled the father and son, but after exchanging a glance, they realized that she probably hadn't heard what they had said in a low voice. They breathed a sigh of relief and got up to go to the main room to get the bowls.

The Yan family's New Year celebrations were rather lackluster; their emotions were like sugar cubes soaked in water—not quite sweet, and only slightly bitter.

Yan Jiecheng worked desperately and finally managed to get a temporary job at a machinery factory; but Yan Bugui immediately threw out the IOU and ordered his son to pay back twelve yuan every month.

Yan Jiecheng was not about to agree. He still wanted to save some money for blind dates—to find a girl who was more stable and respectable than Yu Li.

If you pay twelve yuan a month, you'll only have three yuan left in your pocket, not even enough to cover food and lodging. You'll end up in debt at the end of the month, and with interest compounding, you'll be squeezed dry sooner or later.

He was quick-witted and immediately saw through his father's plan. He simply overturned the table and confronted Yan Bugui head-on.

I can pay back the money, but it's a maximum of seven yuan per month. I'll also have to pay five yuan for food, and I have to keep three yuan for myself—no more, no less, just enough to survive and save up.

Yan Bugui invoked his father's authority, presented the written IOU, and even threatened to kick him out, but Yan Jiecheng refuted all his threats.

He was convinced of one thing: all his peers in the compound were either engaged or married, and even Liu Guangqi was getting along very well with the children of cadres; if he didn't make some money, he was afraid he would still be a bachelor in four or five years.

These words struck a nerve with Yan Bugui, and the father and son argued for a long time before the old man finally had to nod in agreement.

But in this courtyard, only the Xu and Yan families felt the festive atmosphere was somber. Most of the other families worked at the steel rolling mill, and this year the mill was very profitable, so every household had a prosperous New Year.

Even the Jia family, whose mainstay had lost a leg, was doing better than in previous years.

Qin Huairu didn't celebrate the New Year with her aunt's family this year—Jia Dongxu was sick, and joining them would only add to his troubles.

She had over sixty yuan in her hand, and the factory had given her ten jin of green vegetables. Her neighbors also helped her out by giving her three or five jin each, and she even cut two jin of meat for herself.

On New Year's Eve, Banggeng ate until his mouth was shiny with oil and his belly was round and bulging.

If Jia Zhangshi came, these two pounds of meat wouldn't be enough for her to chew on by herself.

Thirty ate a whole pound, and the remaining pound was spread out over four days—for the Jia family, this was already a rare display of generosity.

But Qin Huairu already had a plan in mind: on the third day of the Lunar New Year, she would go to the neighborhood office to get a certificate and bring Jia Zhangshi over.

If we save the meat until the sixth day of the new year, my mother-in-law will surely devour it all by herself. It's better to cook it early and enjoy it to our heart's content.

Once the third day of the Lunar New Year is over, the lively atmosphere of visiting each other's homes begins.

He Yuzhu first saw He Daqing off, then turned around and began to prepare the New Year's gifts.

There were places where it was inconvenient to take Lou Xiao'e with him, so the night before, he would use the excuse of trying to conceive to toss and turn in bed for a long time until Lou Xiao'e was limp and had no strength left to even lift her eyelids, before he would stop.

Sure enough, the next morning, Lou Xiao'e huddled in her blankets, refusing to even touch the edge of the bed.

Before leaving, He Yuzhu specifically instructed He Yushui to take good care of his sister-in-law before he felt at ease leaving the house.

The first stop was to visit his daughter, Chen Zihui.

After teasing her until she was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep, He Yuzhu walked over to Chen Xueru with a smile and spoke to her softly.

This action prompted Chen Xueru to mutter sourly, "You're such a doting father! Accompanying me? It's just a side trip; your heart is only for your child."

Actually, she always had a worry in her heart—she was afraid that He Yuzhu favored boys over girls. After all, in those days, carrying on the family line was the most important thing, and even when she was pregnant, she secretly hoped that it would be a boy.

But He Yuzhu never gave perfunctory treatment: whenever he had free time, he would run to Chen Zihui's place. His affection for her was genuine and warm, not something he was putting on an act or doing for others.

Chen Xueru finally felt at ease.

However, she is still planning to have another child, but she is not in a hurry and intends to wait until Chen Zihui is older and can take care of herself.

By then, Chen Xueru's burden would be lighter, and she would feel more at ease—after all, she had always hoped to have another child. Now that Fan Jinyou had calmed down at the silk shop and stopped bothering her, and He Yuzhu genuinely loved children and enjoyed being in the thick of things, this idea quietly took root in her heart and grew into a firm resolve day by day.

After exchanging sweet words and being affectionate with Chen Xueru, He Yuzhu picked up a few presentable gifts and went straight to Li Huaide's house.

When Li Huaide saw him arrive, he immediately beamed and pulled him into the house. Once they sat down, he started chatting about things at the factory, and once he started talking, he couldn't stop.

He's been doing really well at the scrap steel recycling and smelting plant lately. No wonder he was so quick-witted and decisive in leaving his position as deputy director of the steel rolling mill to jump into this new venture.

Although the factory currently only has a little over a thousand employees, it has already delivered impressive results in its first year: more than four thousand tons of scrap steel were brought in, and all the steel produced was qualified industrial steel.

The quantity wasn't large, but its significance was substantial—it added a crucial piece to the puzzle of the nation's industrial development. The Ministry of Industry immediately approved the plan, deciding to expand factories and recruit more workers while simultaneously accelerating production starting next year. The target for the following year was set at 15,000 tons, more than tripling the previous year's figure.

It sounded difficult, but Li Huaide didn't hesitate at all in front of his superiors and agreed immediately.

"Zhu Zi, if you'd be willing to transfer to our factory, we could give each other a hand, that would be really great!"

He felt uneasy after hearing He Yuzhu mention that the newly arrived deputy factory director, Jiang, was secretly sabotaging him, and he sighed involuntarily.

He knew He Yuzhu's abilities and what he did when he took leave—he also knew that this man didn't care about official positions at all, almost as indifferent as plain water.

He would bury himself in his work and leave once he was done, never vying for credit, never fighting for a position, and never asking for a promotion.

If we're really talking about seniority, the merits he's accumulated over the years would have been enough to get him promoted to deputy factory director long ago; even the scrap steel recycling scheme was first devised and implemented by He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu waved his hand and smiled wryly: "Sigh, if this factory were closer to my home, I would have submitted my application long ago."

Li Huaide nodded in agreement. He had invited He Yuzhu before, but it would be a journey of more than ten miles round trip. He Yuzhu couldn't possibly move his whole family over for a job; it would be too much trouble, and Yushui hadn't even started school yet. So the matter was put on hold.