Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Before Qin Huairu could finish speaking, Jia Zhangshi slammed her hand on the dining table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump: "Qin Huairu! I've barely stepped into this house, and you're already trying to fob me off with a cornbread? Did you eat white flour buns for the New Year? You unfilial thing! Are you trying to starve me to death or make me die of anger?!"

She was covered in dust, her cuffs still stained with mud, and her voice was shrill and shrill, making the window paper vibrate and even causing the sparrows in the trees in the yard to flutter away. Banggeng immediately shrank his neck, and Xiaodang's eyes reddened, her mouth trembling as if she was about to wail.

Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her chest and a choking sensation in her throat—she had long expected that Jia Zhangshi's return would not be peaceful, but she never expected to be met with such a sharp crack of the whip as soon as she entered the door.

"Mom, we only have cornbread left at home... If you don't eat this, then..."

Madam Jia immediately waved her hand and pointed to the courtyard gate: "The wonton stall at the alley entrance is open! Go and buy me a bowl! I haven't had any for a year, I'm craving it so much!"

Qin Huairu's lips moved slightly: "Wonton? Or should I cook a bowl right now..."

"Qin-Huai-Ru!"

Jia Zhangshi's face twisted, her voice cracking like a hen being strangled: "I've endured a whole year in the countryside, and I can't even have a hot bowl of wontons? You might as well just strangle me with a rope! Do you only breathe a sigh of relief after I'm dead?!"

"Mom, please don't say that... I'll go buy it, I'll go right now!"

Qin Huairu's heart sank suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears, and she forced herself not to let them fall. She grabbed the enamel lunchbox and rushed out...

Those two shouts were heard by the entire neighborhood. The moment Qin Huairu stepped out of the courtyard gate, all the neighbors turned away, pretending not to hear. Yu Li, who had just squatted down on the washboard, straightened up and clicked her tongue in a low voice: "That old lady of the Jia family… no wonder Da Mao was so insistent on preventing me from associating with the Jia family, she's such a tough nut to crack…"

She had observed Qin Huairu's recent behavior closely—hardworking, efficient, and never uttering a word of idle chatter. But when Jia Zhangshi appeared, it was as if she was picking on the weak, her every word piercing people's lungs.

As soon as Qin Huairu left, Jia Dongxu immediately sent Banggeng to lead Xiaodang to play in the west room.

Madam Jia immediately leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Dongxu, what happened to your leg?"

"It was from the machine." His eyelids twitched, and he quickly changed the subject, "Mom, let's not talk about that now, let's talk about what to do next."

How could he dare tell the truth? Last night, he sneaked out to the alley entrance to listen to storytelling, staying up until dawn. This morning, his eyelids were drooping so much on his way to work that his hand slipped and got caught in the gears...

"The factory agreed to compensate me with six months' wages, 255 yuan, plus a place to replace me in the factory."

"Dongxu, your mother's health isn't what it used to be!" Madam Jia interrupted, waving her hand and sighing, "After a year of working in the countryside, I'm coughing, wheezing, and have back pain. Now I can't even hold a winnowing basket steadily..."

In fact, she never earned work points in the village, and the annual food rations she received couldn't even last two months. She survived entirely thanks to the five yuan Jia Dongxu sent back each month—enough to buy a few bundles of noodles, half a pound of lard, and a few pieces of candy to cheer herself up. But even with such meager work, she still complained that her arms ached and her legs trembled.

She's back in the city now, all for the peace and quiet of a courtyard house. To expect her to sweep, cook, and tend the fire again? We might as well bury her!

Jia Dongxu quickly chimed in, "Mom, we really didn't plan to let you take the job. You're not good at being a fitter... Qin Huairu should take that spot."

Madam Jia frowned: "Her? What if she runs away with her secure job? How about we call your cousin? He's surnamed Jia, after all, he can give the family some money every month..."

People back then trusted their relatives, not their daughters-in-law—blood ties were the root, while mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were just external vines.

"No way!" Jia Dongxu said firmly. "Outsiders can't get workers' compensation or transfer seniority. The first thing you need to do when you get back is keep a close eye on Banggeng! As long as the child is alive, Qin Huairu won't be able to escape the Jia family compound!"

At this point, his eyes darkened.

Ever since he became lame, he felt that Qin Huairu had changed more and more—she spoke without bowing her head, acted without listening to advice, and even her eyes revealed aloofness. The day before yesterday, his wound reopened because she insisted on removing the gauze from his leg. He grabbed her wrist, she struggled back violently, he lost his balance and fell off the bed, bruising his forehead.

If it weren't for Madam Jia Zhang's presence, his crippled body probably wouldn't even be able to get a hot meal!

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia gritted her teeth: "Dongxu, don't worry! I've long since figured out her weaknesses—one is her stubbornness, and the other is her pride!"

"Yes, Mom, it's all up to you. No matter what, we can't let her be stripped of the Jia family's skin."

"Leave it to me!" Madam Jia's voice hardened. "She'll have to be a slave to the Jia family for the rest of her life! And when Banggeng grows up, this secure job will have to be passed on to him!"

These weren't just angry words; they were a lifeline. If Qin Huairu were to leave, the Jia family would immediately collapse.

Jia Dongxu nodded silently, having long forgotten how he had slammed his fist on the table to protect Qin Huairu during their wedding night. Back then, he had secretly slipped her half a packet of malted milk powder, but now he only remembered her standing in the courtyard airing out the quilts in her blue cotton shirt—too eye-catching, too memorable, and too unsettling for him.

If she remarries, wouldn't it be difficult for her to find a man with a job? But if she leaves, the Jia family will truly be an empty shell. He and Jia Zhangshi must keep her firmly within this courtyard.

A short while later, Qin Huairu returned carrying a lunchbox. The conspiracy inside the house had long since come to an end.

"Mom, the wontons are here. Eat them while they're hot."

She gently pushed the lunchbox in front of Jia Zhangshi. The latter picked up her chopsticks and began slurping and eating hastily, splashing soup onto her front without wiping it off, looking like she had just been released from a starving prison—after all, she hadn't tasted the freshness of meat filling for a year.

But this bowl costs three cents, enough to buy two pounds of cornmeal. Banggeng stared longingly, but Qin Huairu couldn't reach into her pocket again.

"Qin Huairu, tomorrow when you go to the factory to complete the formalities, Mom will go with you!" Jia Dongxu suddenly spoke, his tone cold and hard. "Give the money to her for safekeeping."

"You have enough money to last until next month's paycheck. My compensation is for household expenses—it's all going to help Banggeng get married in the future."

"This... Dongxu, didn't we agree last time that I would manage the money? I'm the one who takes care of the family's daily expenses..."

Upon hearing Jia Dongxu's words, Qin Huairu froze, her eyes widening in shock. She immediately pressed on, asking, "What's going on? This doesn't match what we were saying before!"

"Qin Huairu, what are you planning?!"

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Jia slammed her hand on the octagonal table, making the teacups bounce, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "That compensation money is my son's hard-earned money! You've only just taken over the job and you already think it's not enough, and you want to hold onto the money tightly—are you planning to run away with it? Come on, let's get the neighbors in the courtyard together today and settle this face to face!"

As she spoke, she suddenly stood up, twisted her waistband, and moved her foot half a step toward the door, as if she was about to rush out and demand someone to judge the matter.

Qin Huairu's heart tightened. She rushed forward and grabbed her arm, urgently pleading, "Mom, what are you saying... We're family! I'm really worried. I won't touch a single penny of the compensation money from Dongxu; you can manage it all!"

"Compensation alone isn't enough!" Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes and immediately added, "After you receive your monthly salary, you also have to set aside three yuan for my retirement—just like Dongxu used to give me, not a penny less!"

Qin Huairu's throat tightened, and her face stiffened: "Mom, I'm an apprentice at the steel rolling mill, earning about ten yuan less than Dongxu used to! If I spend another three yuan, the four of us won't even have enough to eat!"

"Don't pretend to be poor with me!" Jia Zhangshi's lips curled into a smug smile. "Dongxu already told me—before, he was struggling to make ends meet on his own with only the grain ration book; now that you've joined the factory and become an urban resident, Banggeng and Xiaodang have also become urban residents with you, and the family immediately has three more grain ration books and three more non-staple food ration books! Just the grain expenses alone will be cut in at least half!"

She counted on her fingers: In the past, grain would cost ten or twenty yuan, but now with grain coupons, a pound of cornmeal only costs nine cents; the family's monthly ration is more than 110 pounds, which can be bought for just over ten yuan.

But who taught her to say that?

A thought flashed through Qin Huairu's mind, and she looked up at Jia Dongxu—but the latter abruptly turned his head away, his neck stiff, his eyes darting away. A prickling sensation ran through her heart: what had she been working so hard for, day and night? And now, the mother and son were using her like a living ledger?

"Qin Huairu, don't beat around the bush! Three yuan, not a penny less, and you can go back to your hometown and stay there! And don't even think about taking Banggeng with you!"

Jia Zhangshi's spittle almost splashed onto Qin Huairu's face, her tone both harsh and precise. She was certain that her daughter-in-law wouldn't dare bear the stigma of "abandoning her husband and children," and was even less willing to be harsh, so she stabbed her in the weakest spot with every blow.

"...Okay, Mom, I'll give you three yuan."

Jia Dongxu's eyes darted around, and a thought began to play in his mind: only when the money was in his own hands could he feel secure. If Qin Huairu kept spending money every day, and one day she really abandoned him, he wouldn't even have a backup plan.

"Huai Ru," he cleared his throat, "I also need three yuan—just enough for pocket money."

Qin Huairu's temples throbbed. Three yuan here, three yuan there, six yuan gone before payday even arrived! From now on, just buying grain will cost ten yuan or so. The food ration for four people won't last five, and she'll probably have to go to the pigeon market every month; non-staple food, coal briquettes, lamp oil, Jia Zhangshi's painkillers... everything costs money.

She suddenly looked up, her voice as flat as a dry well: "Dongxu, Mom, from now on, I'll just go to work and take care of the kids. You can manage all the money; Mom will handle the household expenses. I'll just do my chores, okay?"

Madam Jia was stunned, then slammed her hand on the table again with a "bang": "Qin Huairu, are you abandoning your responsibilities?!"

"It's not that I'm shirking my responsibilities, it's that I don't have the ability." Qin Huairu lowered her eyes, her tone cold and light. "I can't manage this household. Mom, you take over. I'll just do the housework and look after the children. If we can't make ends meet at the end of the month, don't blame me—the money isn't in my hands anyway."

My heart has been ripped out today. Before she even entered the factory gate, the mother and son had put her on the hot seat. I've simply given up and let them figure out the cost of their own living expenses.