Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Oh dear, timing is everything!" He gestured with his chin towards the restaurant. "Xu Damao from your compound is also on a blind date there, at the one in front. I'm heading back now. If you want to eat there anytime, just send someone to the steel mill's affiliated compound to let them know."

Lou Xiao'e paused, "Xu Damao is from our compound? What's he like? Is he easy to get along with?"

"It's really hard to say." He scratched the back of his neck and lowered his voice. "I overheard people chatting at the factory saying that he's a bit weak—he was kicked in the groin during a fight years ago, and he spilled the beans when he was drunk... Sigh, never mind, I have to go buy groceries. We'll talk another day."

"Can he even have children? Who knows if he was kicked in the head or if he's just naturally low in sperm count. Anyway, I'm putting it this way: if the Lou family really wants to have a wedding, they'll definitely take him to the hospital for a checkup. And the result? Definitely not."

Lou Xiao'e suddenly turned around and walked quickly back the way she came, her heart pounding:

Why go on blind dates if you can't have children? Isn't this just making fun of people?

No, I need to go home and find out!

If all else fails, let Dad make the decision and verify his identity first!

Currently, the Lou family remains a director of the steel rolling mill, and the company seal has not yet been handed over.

Next spring, political turmoil is expected; the three-year famine has just ended, the gap between the rich and poor is widening, and undercurrents are quietly stirring in the streets and alleys.

Xu Damao waited and waited at the restaurant for a long time but no one came. Frustrated, he came out and caught a glimpse of two figures not far away—one had already turned into the alley entrance, and the other was pushing a bicycle, humming a song and slowly heading east.

The last one, hey, it turns out to be my longtime nemesis—Shazhu.

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll forget you're surnamed Xu!" Xu Damao sneered inwardly, his teeth clenched.

"Shazhu! Stop!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice so loud that the sparrows on the treetops fluttered away.

Before the words were even finished, the man had already rushed up to He Yuzhu in three strides, his face flushed red, his nose almost poking the other's chest: "I shouted the loudest in the world, are you deaf? Pretending to be deaf and dumb, huh?"

He Yuzhu slowly turned around, lifted his eyelids, and curled the corners of his mouth: "Oh, isn't this Xu Da Mao? Looking dejected, did someone just expose your shortcomings to your face? Serves you right for being so cocky!" He glanced at Xu Damao, his eyes full of amusement that made him want to watch the show.

Xu Damao's fingers trembled with anger: "Stop pretending to be a good person! You always act all naive and honest, but behind my back you're always sabotaging others—wasn't it you who tripped me up on my blind date?"

He Yuzhu scoffed, took half a step forward, and lowered his voice: "Hey, don't be so quick to pin this on me. If you don't call me 'Silly Zhu,' why should I call you 'Silly Hat'? Besides, which eye saw me meddling in your business? Making baseless accusations isn't like the style of us working class."

"Then explain yourself—that girl just finished talking to you, turned around and left without even saying goodbye! You can't have made that up, can you?" Xu Damao pressed, sticking out his neck.

He Yuzhu didn't answer, but pressed his hand hard on the forehead, then pulled it back and shook his finger: "You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense? If you're really okay, I'm leaving—my shopping basket is still empty, I don't have time to play your sob story." After saying that, he glared at him, his gaze piercing like a nail.

Xu Damao froze under those eyes, instinctively taking a half-step back. He knew perfectly well: fight? He couldn't win; reason? He had no grounds; besides, what law could someone be breaking by talking to someone on the street? He could only swallow his anger and silently vowed: Just wait, there will be a day when you can't cry out in pain!

He Yuzhu didn't really want to break off relations on the spot—fighting at the factory gate would mean getting a hard time in the security department later.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard after buying groceries, the words "System Check-in" echoed softly in my mind.

"Sign-in successful. Reward: a chubby pink piglet."

……

After He Yuzhu left, Xu Damao stood there, feeling increasingly frustrated. He had to find a reason to make the silly Zhu suffer a great setback.

When Lou Xiao'e pushed open the door and entered the room, her mother was sitting under the lamp sewing shoe soles.

"Xiao'e, did you see her? What did she look like and what was her temperament like?" Lou's mother didn't even look up, but her needlework paused.

Lou Xiao'e put her bag on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "I didn't see him. I ran into Uncle He's son from their courtyard on the way, and he casually mentioned that Xu Damao's health was not good and he couldn't have children."

Lou's mother stopped needlework and looked up at her daughter: "Child, you can't see into someone's heart, so some things are best left unsaid. But marriage is a serious matter, and we can't be careless. We need to be steady and not rush things."

Why would the wealthy Lou family choose an ordinary worker? Lou's parents had long sensed something was amiss—the higher-ups were increasingly promoting the idea that "poverty is honorable," but they couldn't let their daughter marry someone who couldn't even afford to eat. Finding someone with a stable job and enough to eat and wear was sufficient. And if the family business were to be handed over to her in the future, they would have to wait until the clouds parted and the winds cleared.

No one expected that the son-in-law would later lead a group to ransack their own house.

Lou's mother turned the shoe over, her voice becoming more serious: "Tomorrow, have your father find an excuse to get the publicity department to send everyone for a physical examination. I'll also ask an old acquaintance at the hospital to do a more thorough check. But... it could also be the neighbors gossiping, just jealous of what others are doing well."

Lou Xiao'e, resting her chin on her hand, suddenly smiled: "Mom, I'm craving Uncle He's fried noodles with soybean paste. He's been missing for so long, and I haven't had a single hot bowl. It's Dad's birthday next week, why don't we ask Uncle He's son to cook and lend a hand?"

Mrs. Lou shook her head: "No rush. Let's wait for the report to come out. If it's someone who talks big but is always throwing mud, no matter how good their skills are, they won't be good enough for a formal occasion; if it's someone with real skills, we can hire them later."

The next morning, as soon as He Yuzhu opened the factory gate, Director Zhang from the canteen bumped into him: "Chef He, we have foreign guests to entertain today, so you'll be cooking!"

"Alright! How many meat dishes and how many vegetables? What size? Just tell me." He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves deftly.

"Two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, refreshing and simple, without being extravagant."

As soon as Director Zhang left, He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Qin Huairu finished all the procedures on the first day and then spent the whole morning exploring the workshop.

The factory gave her the title of Level 2 Fitter left by Jia Weiguo, and her salary was set at 27.5 yuan.

But she was a novice, so she could only get seventeen yuan and fifty cents at first. Her salary would only increase once she had mastered the work of a level two fitter.

But after less than half a day, the workshop foreman frowned and shook his head: "Too slow, we can't keep people here."

She clutched the corner of her apron, her eyes instantly reddening—if she couldn't continue, wouldn't her hopes of becoming a level-two fitter be nothing but empty words?

At lunchtime, while squatting at the canteen entrance eating, she bumped into an old man. She poured out her grievances, and without a word, the old man led her into his workshop and settled her in. A level seven fitter's words still carry weight—even if her movements were a little slow, the factory couldn't just fire her. If they really wanted to do something to her, the Women's Federation would immediately bombard the factory manager's office with calls.

As for why Deputy Factory Director Li dared to bully Liu Lan and Qin Huairu, the two had stolen from the factory, and the evidence was irrefutable. If the matter were to go to the Women's Federation, they would be in deep trouble themselves.

What if no one has any leverage over you? Harassing a female worker? At best, you'd get ten years in jail; at worst—enough bullets.

The moment Qin Huairu sat down at her new workstation, her heart warmed. She was grateful to the old man and, for the first time, realized that tears could actually be quite effective.

Xu Damao had just stepped into the publicity department when the loudspeaker announced: "Notice: All staff members will be going to the Municipal People's Hospital for physical examinations today and will return to work this afternoon."

At noon, the factory loudspeaker announced again: "From today until tonight, all employees are requested to go to the finance department to collect their wages for this month."

He Yuzhu took out his worn-out notebook and placed it in front of the window.

The accountant flipped through the ledgers: "Comrade He, this month's salary is still twenty-three yuan and fifty cents. The salary for an eighth-grade chef will be implemented starting from the first of next month, at which time it will be thirty-four yuan and fifty cents. Count it carefully before you leave; we are not responsible for anything after you leave the counter."

Back then, wages had to be counted in person when they were paid; once you left the house, they would deny it.

He Yuzhu nodded: "Thanks, comrade."

The other person smiled and said, "Serving the people."

After receiving his pay slip and cash, he went into the supply and marketing cooperative: a bottle of liquor for 80 cents, plus a liquor coupon; a pound of peanuts for a food coupon; a box of face cream for an industrial coupon. Then he went to the meat station—the counter was empty except for scraps: offal, pigskin, and bones.

Pigskin costs three mao a pound, no coupons required. Nowadays, everyone prefers fatty meat, while lean meat is ignored.

He picked out three jin and paid nine mao.

I'm planning to treat my third uncle to a couple of drinks today. He lives in the front yard, so I'll keep an eye on Xu Damao for him—that rascal is cunning and might pull some dirty tricks. It's fine if he does it alone, but if he gets a few helpers, I'll be the one who suffers.

The face cream was for He Yushui; he'd been pestering him for days. He could afford two yuan, but without the coupon, it was useless. Now that he had the coupon, he'd cash it in immediately.

Carrying my things, I walked through the courtyard and paused slightly as I passed Uncle San's house.

I saw the old man squatting at the gate of the courtyard, fiddling with the few small fish he had just caught. They were all about the same size, weighing around half a pound each, and there were seven or eight of them jumping around in the willow basket.

He Yuzhu called out loudly, "Third Uncle! Shall we have a couple of drinks tonight?"

Old Deng grumbled inwardly—"You're getting hungry just because you saw my fish? No way!"

Yan Bugui chuckled and waved his hand, "Silly Zhu, you really won't drink today. Save the good wine for tomorrow; your third uncle is saving it up!"

He Yuzhu leaned closer, his tone warm: "How many will you sell me? I'll make some fish soup for Yushui to help her recover."

Yan Bugui slapped his thigh: "Really? Okay! Uncle San won't rip you off, 80 cents a pound, no tickets required!"

After weighing the fish, He Yuzhu handed it over for 3.2 yuan and turned to walk home with the fish in his arms.

He had only taken a few steps when Old Deng's voice rang out behind him again: "Hey, silly Zhu! I just remembered—we're all free tonight, let's grab a drink! Uncle San has a bottle of 'real stuff' hidden here!"

The moment the fish was taken away, his craving for alcohol kicked in, and he became so shameless that not even the wind could move him.

He Yuzhu smiled and agreed, "Alright! Uncle, I'll be waiting for your good wine!"

I went back inside and poured the fish into an enamel basin, keeping it in water—simply stuffing it in the space would be too conspicuous and wouldn't make sense. I also fried some peanuts, stir-fried some spicy cabbage, and stewed a small pot of pork skin. As soon as I lifted the lid, the rich aroma mixed with the scent of star anise and cinnamon wafted out through the cracks in the windows and doors, filling the entire yard.