Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Haitang is usually pampered at home, not only because she is in high school, but also because she is sweet-talking and knows how to coax people, making her parents very happy. In addition, since Yuli got married, the old couple had been planning to have Haitang find a son-in-law to live with them, but they hadn't made it clear yet, intending to wait for the right time to bring it up.

It was nearly noon when they returned to the courtyard house. Ma Hua didn't rush to leave. He borrowed the He family's stove and quickly stir-fried, stewed, steamed, and braised five steaming hot main dishes.

That year his skills improved by leaps and bounds. Although he was still an eighth-level cook, he was more than qualified to take the sixth-level exam.

The steel mill's kitchen was overflowing with skilled cooks: two at level six, three at level seven, five at level eight, and the rest were all at level nine—too many skilled cooks had become a burden. The three canteens couldn't possibly need so many people, and the logistics expenses exceeded the limit, requiring reports to be submitted at every level. A few temporary helpers were hired to fill in, but the cooks' promotion exams had long been discontinued.

Therefore, no matter how capable the MCA is, it can only stay at level eight and cannot move forward for the time being.

On the day the transfer notice was issued, He Yuzhu was in Hong Kong Island and couldn't attend to his apprentice's affairs. But the six words "He Yuzhu's apprentice" were a golden brand in Beijing's banquet circles—hosts were eager to invite him, and every banquet was packed.

These days, MCA members sometimes earn as much as fifty ringgit a month just from doing side jobs. They've only been working in factories for a few years! In the past, they wouldn't have even dared to dream of such a thing.

This dramatic turnaround in his life was all paved by He Yuzhu. Ma Hua knew perfectly well that if he didn't repay him with all his might, his father would chop him up with a broom.

As soon as the five dishes were served, Ma Hua got up to say goodbye.

Lou Xiao'e quickly stuffed two bulging lunchboxes into his hands—the food was so plentiful that six people couldn't finish it all.

Today, he not only dealt with Yu Li's rude mother, but also ran errands and took care of everything. When he came back, he cooked and started the fire, and took two boxes of hot food with him. It was only natural for him to do so.

After Ma Hua left, Lou Xiao'e, Yu Li, and He Yushui sat down to eat, recounting the events of the morning in detail as they ate.

Yu Li's face finally regained some vitality, and her smile lines smoothed out.

The aroma of meat mingled with laughter wafted out of the house. Next door, Jia's son, Banggeng, sniffed, immediately jumped onto his little stool, and pounded on the windowsill: "Mom! I smell meat! I want braised pork! Right now!"

But Qin Huairu slapped him hard across the buttocks with a sharp "smack": "Eat? You're always yelling about eating! How many pages have you turned in your notebook? You count down the minutes until the bell rings before rushing home, but have you even touched your pen when you get home? We sent you to school so you could study, not to raise a hands-off parent!" She poked at the mud splattered on Bang Geng's clothes with her fingertips, "Look at these cuffs, these trouser legs—they're rubbed like rags every few days, do you think your clothes are made of iron?"

Upon seeing her grandson being beaten, Jia Zhangshi immediately rushed over, pulling the stick into her arms and tightly gripping Qin Huairu's wrist with her elbow: "What a terrible thing to do! What kind of skill is it to beat my eldest grandson? If you're so capable, go earn your own sex slaves! You hold onto the money tightly, yet you stab me in the heart with your words... I don't even want my retirement money anymore!"

These words were like a needle, piercing straight into Qin Huairu's ears—her mother-in-law spent all day sitting by the stove eating melon seeds, and the dirty clothes that she had changed out of were piled up in a basin and getting damp, but she insisted on waiting for Qin Huairu to come back on the weekend to eat them all at once; she called her "heart and liver" but was too lazy to even get her hands wet.

"We need to be careful with the money." Qin Huairu didn't even lift her eyelids, her hands steadily scooping rice. "We just bought meat three times last month, and the rest needs to be saved for medicine, repairing the roof beams, buying coal briquettes... Mom, if you really care about me, just take out some of your own money, and I'll go to the grocery store right away with the ration coupons!"

Jia Zhangshi's face instantly darkened, and she twisted her body to shrink back: "I have no money! Don't bother me with this!"

"Isn't the He family stewing meat today? Sha Zhu isn't home, and Lou Xiao'e is just a woman at home. Could you please make an errand and borrow half a jin?"

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat—if no one were stopping her, there might be a way. But Lou Xiao'e was currently treating her like a thief, and she couldn't get a single word out.

"No rush, let's get to know each other better first. Yu Li is still here today, it's not a good time to bring it up..."

While verbally agreeing, she was already calculating in her heart: Didn't that old lady also have a fierce look on her face back then? Now they're sewing shoe soles and doing needlework together, aren't they? Lou Xiao'e is more than ten years younger than her. If she says a few more sweet words and offers a few more pieces of candy, can she really be harder than a brick?

Once the relationship has warmed up, then bringing Xiao Dang over for a visit will be a natural progression.

She urged Banggeng to quickly finish the cornbread in his bowl. Although there wasn't a speck of oil, the coarse grains were enough to fill him up. With three new urban residents added to the family, their grain ration was more substantial, and they no longer needed to tiptoe to the pigeon market to snatch up expensive grain.

Before he could even finish his meal, the courtyard gate creaked open—Yi Zhonghai returned, leaning on his cane. Hearing voices coming from the He family's house, he frowned and immediately guessed: Yu Li had left. He snorted coldly, turned and walked towards his own house, then turned back into the neighboring outbuilding just before entering.

He pushed open the door and saw Zhang Shufen and Yi Zhiliang squatting on small stools pasting cardboard boxes, a glue bottle leaning against the corner of the table. His face darkened: "Where's lunch?"

"I left it for you, it's on the table with the plate on it." The middle-aged woman didn't even look up, her fingers deftly spreading paste. "Leave it there when you're done eating, I'll clean it up."

"snort!"

Yi Zhonghai turned and left. Now he and Zhang Shufen live in the same courtyard, but they each cook their own meals—their dishes are cooked in separate pots, their bowls and chopsticks are kept in separate cupboards, and they barely speak to each other.

But as soon as he stepped into the house, a thought suddenly struck him: Zhang Shufen was able to get so many paper-making jobs from the street office because of his reputation from his aid work in the Northwest. If we're talking about poverty, the Yi family isn't even close to being poor. Without that kind of influence, who would be willing to give her any work?

A slight smile played on his lips: Yu Li dared to divorce because she had a secure job; Zhang Shufen, on the other hand, was just using his name, Yi Zhonghai, to make a living. If he simply went to the neighborhood committee and gave the work to families in greater need—where else would Zhang Shufen find work?

Thinking of this, his hand holding the bowl became a little lighter.

Before the news of Xu Damao and Yu Li's divorce had spread, Lou Xiao'e wanted to call He Yuzhu, but then withdrew her finger from the dial pad—he had just left, and she didn't want to disturb his business.

But she had already made up her mind not to let Xu Damao off the hook. This man even dared to target the He family; if she continued to act like a saint, she would be a complete fool.

Sha Zhu usually calls her "Sha E," which is a whispered conversation in bed. She was indeed naive before, but after working in the neighborhood office for half a year, she has seen too many shrewish old ladies and quick-tongued young wives, and her social skills have long since worn down her rough edges.

In the Nanluoguxiang area, there are many older women like Jia Zhangshi, as well as newlyweds who curse in the street with their hands on their hips. Every single incident has become a living lesson for her.

Now that Yu Li has settled down temporarily, at least she has a place to stay. After hearing her mother's words during the day, Yu Li felt a chill in her heart—if her parents were even a little more welcoming, she would be willing to go back to live there, even if it was just a few alleys away.

"Xiao'e, thank you so much for taking me in today, but you can't just take the food and money for nothing. Let's split the bill and live together!"

Lou Xiao'e knew this was Yu Li's bottom line, so she nodded and agreed: "Okay, let Ma Hua handle the grain purchase. He'll come every two weeks and bring some vegetables along."

"Sigh, your Yuzhu is so much better! He's so young and already the head of logistics. He's capable and honest." Yu Li sighed, her eyes full of envy. "Which wife in the whole alley isn't jealous of you? I heard he gives you every penny of his salary, and he won't even spend money on a single cigarette!"

The only thing that gave them a headache was what happened at night.

Yu Li abruptly changed the subject, her face flushing, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao'e, how often do you and Director He... do 'that' thing at night?"

These days, women are very straightforward; they don't mince words. The bolder ones will even stare at a man's crotch while washing clothes by the well. When several wives get together, they can't stop talking about "how hard is that place?" and "how often does it happen?"

Lou Xiao'e is well-informed and experienced. When she occasionally dozes off in the neighborhood office, the enthusiastic older women love to tease her. Although their words are witty, they always hit the nail on the head.

"It only lasted a short while. Once the bull was gone, I finally had some peace and quiet..."

Lou Xiao'e's cheeks flushed slightly, but she couldn't hide her smugness as she secretly gestured a duration to Yu Li.

"That long?"

Yu Li's heart skipped a beat, she didn't believe it at all—she knew Xu Damao's abilities all too well: he would finish in three to five minutes, like clocking in, and he always boasted that he was "sturdy and powerful".

But Lou Xiao'e wasn't a liar, and she certainly wouldn't make up such an absurd lie.

"Comparing Xu Damao to Director He? There's no comparison, they're miles apart..."

Yu Li couldn't help but sigh. No wonder Lou Xiao'e's eyebrows were shining when she talked about it. She had been holding back for two or three hours... As she listened, her legs tightened, and a slightly itchy thought quietly rose in her heart. She wanted to try it out to see what it was like.

"Power-on test passed!"

"Instruction structure test passed!"

"Functional simulation test passed!"

The transistor computer, which occupied half the room, hummed softly as it slowly awoke. In front of the rack, the team leaders held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the indicator lights and oscilloscopes—this machine had consumed a whole year of their time, and none of them wanted it to fail at the last moment.

He Yuzhu was also at the front of the crowd; he was the backbone of the transistor research and development team.

During that year, he mastered the entire set of computer knowledge: Professor Gong watched him go from not being able to explain even binary code to being able to fluently teach programming logic after three months, and after half a year he was even able to deduce software architecture with him. Several optimization ideas for key algorithms were first proposed by He Yuzhu.

In the software group, Professor Gong had long treated him as half a group leader; the reason why this transistor machine was developed ahead of schedule was not only due to his physical strength, but also his brainpower, eyesight, and a tenacious spirit that defied death.

When the project was launched, it was set to be a three-year effort. Everyone knew that three years was the limit, and only by giving it their all could they hope to succeed.

Unexpectedly, the entire race was completed in eleven months.

When the news spread, everyone was stunned; but when they thought about He Yuzhu's bloodshot eyes, the ruined blueprints, the notebooks filled with all-night debugging, and those critical moments when he almost got stuck—he rushed into the lab with dark circles under his eyes, modified the circuit in three hours, and managed to turn the tide... then everyone felt that it wasn't so surprising after all.