Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yu Li snorted, picked up the red eggs and pastries, and pushed open the door to leave.

Poor families would give millet as a gift, while Yu Li's family, being slightly better off, would give red eggs; an older woman also gave red eggs. The He family received basket after basket, enough to last them five or six days. Even people from outside the courtyard came to offer their congratulations, bringing gifts.

After the initial excitement, He Yuzhu declined further visits, citing the need for his child to rest. Those who came afterward were mostly people trying to pull strings or use connections, which annoyed him.

A few days later, a cart suddenly stopped in front of the courtyard house, with an old man with a cane sitting on it.

The driver stopped the rickshaw, helped him down, and asked, "Master Yi, is this the place?"

"This is it, this is it! Thank you for your hard work!"

As Yi Zhonghai gazed at the familiar vermilion door, his eyes welled up with tears.

He'd been away from home for almost four years, and he was finally back. The price was high, but it was worth it—if he hadn't taken this step, he would have had to endure at least another ten years in the Northwest, only returning when he was completely unable to work anymore.

Aid to the Northwest is a major national undertaking, and a ten-year plan is already considered fast. But Yi Zhonghai is not made of iron; he didn't want to wait until he couldn't even lean on his cane before dragging his disabled body back home. He inquired repeatedly, weighed the options carefully, and only after confirming this path did he steel himself and take the plunge.

The person who brought him back was arranged by the neighborhood committee, who went to the train station to pick him up—after all, he was a key technical worker in the aid to the Northwest, and now that he has been disabled on duty, his resettlement must be appropriate.

On the way, the driver had already understood from Yi Zhonghai's intentional or unintentional words: this leg was injured when a landslide occurred at a construction site in the Northwest, which can be considered as having contributed to the country.

Despite his admiration, the driver was extra careful when helping the man, even picking up his luggage himself: "Master Yi, please slow down, let me help you!"

Yi Zhonghai grinned: "Thank you for your trouble, Xiao Li."

"Hey, of course!"

As he spoke, the coachman surnamed Li steadily supported him, and they walked slowly towards the courtyard.

Today happens to be the weekend, and most people who are free are staying at home, planning to relax and recharge for tomorrow's work.

As soon as Yi Zhonghai stepped into the courtyard, he bumped into Yan Bugui, who was watering the flowers with a watering can.

"Hey? Who's this? Looking for... Oh, Old Yi?!"

Yan Bugui saw two unfamiliar faces enter through the gate and was about to stop them to ask what they were doing, but after taking two steps forward, he suddenly realized that the figure leaning on a cane looked very familiar—upon closer inspection, it was indeed Yi Zhonghai!

"Old Yi! Why are you back? Didn't you say you were going to the Northwest to help with construction and wouldn't be back for several years?"

When Yi Zhonghai saw Yan Bugui standing in the middle of the road questioning him, he felt a surge of annoyance, but he forced a smile and said, "Old Yan, something came up at the last minute, and I was transferred back ahead of schedule. We'll talk in detail later. Let me go home and catch my breath first."

"Okay, okay, hurry back! I'll catch two fat crucian carp for you another day, steam them to nourish your body!"

As Yan Bugui chuckled and made way, he subconsciously glanced at Yi Zhonghai's stiff, dragging left leg—a glance that pierced Yi Zhonghai's heart like a needle.

Ever since he lost his leg, he felt like he was being pricked by even the slightest glance from others. He always said, "It's worth losing a leg for the country," speaking with great passion, but in his heart he regarded every look as mockery, especially Yan Bugui's hesitant expression, which made his back stiffen.

He swallowed hard, letting out a cold snort that stuck in his chest, but his face remained expressionless. He was helped by others and went straight to the central garden.

As soon as they arrived at the pool in the middle of the garden, an older woman who was squatting down washing clothes and Qin Huairu both looked up.

"My spouse?"

"A... an old man?!"

When Yi Zhonghai saw Zhang Shufen, his eyes welled up with tears. He had only been away from home for a few months, and only now did he truly appreciate the warmth of this home: someone to wash his clothes, someone to serve his meals, and someone to watch the lights—where else could he find such a blessing? During the day, he carried blueprints to construction sites, and at night, he would simply roll up his bedding and sleep in the workers' shed.

An older woman rushed forward to take his luggage, but as soon as her hand touched the strap, her gaze fell on his unresponsive leg, and she blurted out, "Zhonghai, your leg... what happened to it?"

"Auntie, Master Yi sustained this injury while repairing the railway. He's a true hero!"

Xiao Li, who had brought him back, spoke up eagerly, but before he could finish, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened, and he quickly interrupted, "Shufen, you must be so thirsty on the way. Pour Xiao Li a bowl of water, and give me one too!"

"No need, no need! Master Yi, please rest. I have to rush back to tend the boiler—I have a ton of work to do!"

Xiao Li remembered he had other errands to run, so he quickly entrusted the person to an older woman and turned to leave.

An older woman reached out to help, but then noticed a basin of unwashed clothes still soaking in the sink, and hesitated for a moment.

Qin Huairu immediately chimed in, "Auntie, you look after Uncle first. I'll wash the clothes, it'll be quick!"

"Thanks, Huairu."

An older woman responded and helped Yi Zhonghai into the house. She poured him a full glass of cold water and asked anxiously, "Old Yi, why are you back early? What happened to your leg?"

"I fell while working and broke my bones. I can't go to the site anymore, so I have to come back early."

The reconstruction project required climbing high and low places, and his physique was no longer up to standard. Fortunately, he was timid and only broke one leg, not losing his life. In a way, he managed to save Beijing with minimal cost.

But he held the cup in his hand without taking a sip, his gaze fixed on the corner of the room—where a child, his nominal "son," was squatting.

"I told you to send them away, why didn't you?"

The old woman's expression changed instantly. She turned around and waved to Yi Zhiliang, "Zhiliang, go for a walk in the yard. Your mother will call you later."

The child obediently ran out the door, and as soon as the footsteps faded into the distance, an older woman whispered, "Zhonghai, let's keep this child. He's so well-behaved it melts our hearts..."

"No way!" Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table. "Have you forgotten who tricked me into going to the Northwest? Have you forgotten how I got this limp?!"

His face was taut and ashen, and the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly.

"Don't you know what Sha Zhu'an is up to? He encouraged you to adopt him because he's after the Yi family's wealth! He's aiming to kill off the family line!"

If we're talking about who I hate the most, He Yuzhu is number one. An eighth-grade fitter, he was tricked into going to the desert. If it weren't for breaking his leg in exchange for a transfer order, he probably would have been stuck there until his hair turned completely white before being released!

With such deep-seated hatred, why would Sha Zhu suddenly become so kind as to arrange an adoption for the Yi family? And coincidentally, no sooner had he left than Sha Zhu brought in an orphan—is that what you call kindness?

"Let me tell you, I, Yi Zhonghai, will never acknowledge that wild child! And don't even think about him setting foot in my house!"

After hearing this, the woman's lips turned slightly pale. She remained silent for a moment, then suddenly straightened her back and said, "Old Yi, I won't see him off. Zhiliang is my son."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone hitting the ground: "If you really can't stand him... then I'll take him away."

"What did you say?" Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened, as if he couldn't understand a word. "You want to divorce me for the bastard child that Sha Zhu forced upon you? Zhang Shufen, put your hands on your conscience—who's been supporting you these past two years?"

The older woman didn't say a word, turned around, opened the bedside table drawer, took out a rough-edged tin box, and slapped the Yi family savings book into his hand.

"After you left, I didn't touch a single penny of your money. Zhiliang's food, clothing, and daily necessities were all earned by me working in the cafeteria; every penny you sent is still in my savings—take it!"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned. A woman without a formal job, supporting two people with odd jobs? He didn't believe it.

But when you open the passbook, the numbers are clearly displayed page by page, even the interest is noted down in detail, and not a single penny has been touched.

Since he stopped sending money home, the sum he had saved was exactly the same as his monthly salary, and there was not a single withdrawal record in the ledger.

"You...you..."

Yi Zhonghai wanted to question the old woman—how had she and her son survived without touching his money? But the two of them had just uttered those harsh words, and his face was burning with embarrassment. He swallowed the words back down his throat.

In fact, from the day the deaf old lady came to her door to persuade her, the woman had made up her mind: to earn her own living. From then on, she would go to the neighborhood office every few days to inquire about any odd jobs.

Thanks to Yi Zhonghai's status as a construction aid worker, she could earn a steady eleven or twelve yuan a month by doing odd jobs such as pasting paper boxes and mending clothes. In addition, since both she and Yi Zhiliang were urban residents with food rations, they could eat comfortably and well for seven or eight yuan.

Occasionally, she would take on small needlework jobs, such as altering trouser hems, sewing on buttons, and mending socks for her neighbors, saving up pennies here and there until she had enough.

What warmed her heart even more was that after having Yi Zhiliang as her son, her days became brighter and her hopes grew stronger year by year. The child was also exceptionally easy to take care of; he never cried or fussed while she worked, and sometimes he would even squat beside her, his little hands deftly helping her paste cardboard boxes, folding them neatly.

So, without touching a single penny of Yi Zhonghai's money, she could still live a smooth life, and even had a plan—to send Zhiliang to primary school next spring.

"Shufen, if you really want to adopt a child, I'll go with you through the procedures; but the one that Shazhu introduced must never step foot in the Yi family's door!"

Yi Zhonghai's tone softened slightly, his voice tinged with weariness. He didn't want a divorce at all. At his age, and with a limp, what would people think if he got divorced? What would they say in the neighborhood? Besides, who would bring him water and medicine, who would bathe and change his clothes?

"No, Zhiliang is my life."

The older woman was so attached to him; after all these years, the bond she had nurtured with her breast milk had become ingrained in his very being. It couldn't be severed with just a few words.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's temper flared up—I had already backed down, but she was like a stone, completely unyielding!

"I will never divorce you! And that bastard child will never set foot in my house! If you want him to stay, you and your daughter can move to the outhouse!"

His voice was strained, his eyes were red, and he hated He Yuzhu to the core—this man not only kicked him to the far northwest, but now he even wanted to turn the peace and quiet at home upside down!

Upon hearing this, the older woman felt a tightness in her chest, but she also secretly breathed a sigh of relief: at least she had a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Otherwise, she would have had to take Zhiliang to the deaf old lady and squeeze into her small room. But the old lady's room was more than enough for one person, and just enough for two. If a third person were added, it would be difficult to even turn around.