Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Mom, I'm in so much pain I'm sweating bullets! The doctor said I have three broken ribs, all done by He Yushui's brother! He's the one who smashed my face and my teeth too! Mom, you have to stand up for me!"

The son, curled up on the hospital bed, screamed hoarsely. He'd never been punched hard in his life, but last night he was in so much pain he couldn't sleep a wink. His wrists were still tightly gripped by cold handcuffs, the flesh turning purple, numb, and swollen. "Mom, this is ruined!"

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately rushed to the bedside and pulled open her son's sleeve. Seeing the bruises and deep marks from the iron ring, her brow furrowed. She abruptly turned to her husband and yelled, "What are you standing there for? Call the police outside and remove the handcuffs! He's injured like this, what kind of talk is this—keeping him locked up?!"

The man sighed, his face filled with anxiety. He was heartbroken for his son and turned to walk towards the door.

But as soon as he opened the door, he turned back, his face grim: "The handcuffs won't open—the key's with the branch office leader, and the person hasn't arrived yet. And you, you've gotten so bold, even using your grandfather's connections to arrest someone? Fine, now you're really in! I bet your student status will be wiped off!"

"Why...why go to such lengths?"

The woman swayed, her legs went weak, and she jumped up, grabbing her husband's arm and shaking it violently: "No way! If you don't get him out today, I'm going back to my parents' house to complain to your father!"

"Nonsense! I haven't even dared to tell Dad about this! Isn't it chaotic enough already? All four accomplices are in custody, and the mastermind is your own son. Do you think he can escape?"

The man's voice suddenly rose, and he strode out of the ward. Though his words were forceful, he didn't stop—no matter how much of a scoundrel his son was, he was still his own flesh and blood. He headed straight for the Municipal Public Security Bureau. His superiors there said they would arrive later, so he decided to go and confront them first.

"That's all done, Director Liu. Enjoy your meal, I have to go now."

He Yuzhu asked Ma Hua to bring out the last plate of stir-fried asparagus, then stepped into the private room, smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, Director He, wait a minute!" Liu Feng grabbed the armrest of the chair and said urgently, "Won't you have a drink before you leave?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, his smile warm: "There's still soup simmering on the stove at home, and no one's watching Xiaobao's homework. I'll toast you; it's my way of showing my appreciation."

Liu Feng grabbed his wrist: "Sit down and let's talk for a bit. I really need your help!"

He Yuzhu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Okay, but I won't stay too long, I have to rush back later."

The machine repair shop is a long-time partner of the steel rolling mill; we even invited them to cook a technical exchange banquet a while ago. This time, the discussion was about forging components, and they casually mentioned the matter of providing vegetable support for the logistics greenhouse. Since we trust them, it wouldn't hurt to sit with them for a while.

After he sat down, he chatted and laughed with Liu Feng and Factory Director Yang. With the cooperation finalized, the machine repair plant saved on outsourcing costs, and the steel rolling mill was relieved of scheduling pressure, allowing both sides to breathe a sigh of relief.

As the clock hands passed six, He Yuzhu glanced at his watch, stood up, and said, "It's getting late, I really have to go back."

"Director He, wait!" Liu Feng hurriedly stopped him, and only after he sat down again did he carefully speak, "An old friend's child had a conflict with your sister a couple of days ago... and the punishment is quite severe now. He asked me to ask if... we could make an exception?"

"Wait a minute." He Yuzhu raised his eyelids and smirked slightly. "Director Liu, you're not talking about those three thugs who ambushed my sister the other night, are you? I was out of town and only found out when I got back—I did act impulsively that day. Secretary Wang and Director Yang gave me a good scolding on the spot and even gave me a demerit. I didn't care about the verdict after that; the case was transferred to the Municipal Public Security Bureau a long time ago."

Liu Feng looked troubled: "If you were willing to nod your head, the sentence could be much lighter..."

"Nod? I got punished, and they want to reduce my sentence?" He Yuzhu's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a shard of ice hitting the ground. "You can figure out the logic for yourself."

After saying that, he bowed to Director Yang and said, "Director, I'll take my leave now. I'm waiting for dinner at home."

Seeing Director Yang nod, he turned and left, the hem of his clothes drawing a clean arc.

As soon as the figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Director Yang sighed and turned to Liu Feng: "Old Liu, why did you speak without asking any questions? He Yuzhu started raising his younger sister when he was sixteen, supporting her through university, protecting her like the apple of his eye... If you ask him for help with this, the price and quota of vegetables in the logistics department will probably skyrocket in the future."

Liu Feng rubbed his hands awkwardly: "A friend forced this job on me, and I can't refuse it..."

He was so embarrassed by his own words that his ears burned – he had intended to go with the flow and facilitate the cooperation, but he had ended up ruining the important matter.

He found the meal utterly tasteless. The vegetable supply was originally planned for 30,000 jin per season, but now, without even a contract signed, He Yuzhu could simply say "production is tight" and cut it down to 5,000 jin, and no one could find fault with that—after all, those were vegetables from the steel mill's own greenhouses, and no matter how anxious Liu Feng was, he couldn't just take an empty basket to the city to complain.

"Old Yang, you have to help me cover this up! At least don't push the share down!"

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. He grabbed Factory Director Yang's arm and said, "I promised the workers in the workshop that we would add a free vegetarian dish every day at noon! If we cut back... the factory will be in an uproar!"

"Where were you before?" Factory Director Yang glared at him irritably. "I tried my best to put in a good word for you. But He Yuzhu is the kind of person who's easy to talk to about anything else, but when it comes to his family, he immediately turns into a powder keg—to tell you the truth, in his five years at the factory, he's received over ten commendations and two disciplinary actions, all to protect his sister! And this time, you just happened to walk right into the line of fire."

"How would I know about these things..."

Liu Feng was also quite annoyed, but He Yuzhu had already gone far away, so there was no point in grumbling anymore.

After leaving the factory, He Yuzhu had long since metabolized the alcohol in his stomach, and now his stamina, reaction time, and energy far surpassed those of ordinary people.

He hopped on his bicycle and pedaled home. He was delayed for about half an hour at the steel mill. When he opened the gate, Lou Xiao'e's meal had just been cooked.

Her cooking skills are naturally not as good as He Yuzhu's, but after years of learning from him, she has mastered the art of controlling the heat and adjusting the amount of seasonings. Her home-style dishes are delicious and visually appealing, and they are very appetizing.

Whenever He Yuzhu returned home late, Lou Xiao'e would always be at the stove; Yu Li almost never touched a spatula—not because she was lazy, but because she was very frugal: she wouldn't spill any flour, wouldn't chop any minced meat, and would weigh the oil bottle three times before pouring it upside down. She only cared about wiping the table, sweeping the floor, and cleaning up the dishes, doing the less wasteful work.

When He Yuzhu stepped into the courtyard, Lou Xiao'e and the other two were just starting to eat. They had originally intended to wait for him, but after waiting and waiting without seeing him, they figured he must be busy today, so they started eating first.

Just as he picked up his first chopstick of green pepper and shredded pork, the courtyard gate creaked open, and He Yuzhu stood at the door.

Lou Xiao'e immediately put down her chopsticks, stood up, and quickly ladled out a bowl of steaming rice, handing it to him while wiping her hands. "Yuzhu, why did you take so long to come back today?"

"An uninvited guest came to the factory, insisting on trying my cooking. I couldn't refuse, so I had to take the lead and show off my skills. And what happened? He barely ate a few bites before starting to nitpick and criticize—pfft! I should have just given him a bowl of water!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lou Xiao'e raised her hand and gently patted his arm: "The child is right here, watch your mouth! I just taught He Xiao to recognize the characters for 'person,' 'mouth,' and 'hand,' don't let your mouth lead him astray... By the way, what troublesome thing happened at the factory again?"

"Hmph, if he could learn even a fraction of my true skills, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

He Yuzhu stubbornly insisted, but he knew in his heart that all his skills were backed by the system; expecting He Xiao to copy them was like expecting a sapling to grow into a tree overnight. Seeing Lou Xiao'e ask about the factory, he smoothly changed the subject:

"The foreman of the machine repair shop came to plead for those rascals, Yu Shui and his gang. He's got some nerve; he just finished eating the braised pork I made, and now he's trying to smooth things over for them—'Next time, let whoever wants to serve them can serve them; I'm not doing it anymore!'"

Lou Xiao'e frowned slightly: "Are Yu Shui and the others really going to be expelled from school?"

"Nine times out of ten, I'll be expelled. It all depends on whether the deputy director is willing to take responsibility. They still want me to withdraw my report so they can continue studying? Dream on! I've already received a demerit, and they think they can just act like nothing happened?"

After saying that, he picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, chewing it crisply and cleanly. He wasn't afraid of being punished because his achievements were there for all to see—real, substantial, and weighty.

Zhenghe Shipping brings back tens of thousands of tons of scarce materials from overseas every year, gradually easing the tension on domestic supplies caused by the infrastructure boom.

Putting aside everything else, the uninterrupted supply of meat year after year provides a strong backbone for frontline scientific research.

When a person lacks flesh, their legs become weak, and their mind becomes dull. How can they possibly make breakthroughs? So as long as Zhenghe Shipping's ships are still sailing at sea, He Yuzhu's record of achievements will continue to be filled with new pages; the Ministry of Foreign Trade will definitely protect him—unless the winds of reform and opening up blow up and the country's reliance on Zhenghe Group gradually fades away.

But by then, he was no longer wielding a large ladle in the factory.

He turned down two promotion opportunities, and even the job of logistics director was too much trouble for him: the higher the rank, the more miscellaneous tasks there were. Before, when he was the canteen director, he could decide who to entertain and how many dishes to cook based entirely on his mood; but now? He had to deal with welcoming and seeing off guests, reports and ledgers, personnel coordination... he couldn't escape any of it.

Lou Xiao'e suddenly put down her chopsticks, looked at the clouds drifting by outside the window, and said softly, "Yuzhu, I miss Mom and Dad..."

He Yuzhu paused, reached out and brushed a stray hair from He Xiao's forehead before slowly speaking, "You want to go back and take a look? I'll find the foreign trade department..."

"Forget it." She shook her head and interrupted, her voice very soft. "He Xiao is only three years old. If he takes a train for three or four days, his bones will fall apart. Let's wait until he's older."

Before she could finish speaking, she had already pulled the empty bowl closer to her chest—not because she was afraid of getting tired, but because she couldn't bear to let go. Even if He Yuzhu could take care of it, she still couldn't rest easy.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Then I'll ask someone to pass on a message and ask Mom if she's coming back this year. No matter how busy she is, she'll definitely fly back to hold her grandson during the New Year."

Yu Li kept her head down and ate her rice without saying a word.