Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"If you can take good care of the child, then keep taking care of him; if you can't, pack your bags and get out of here. My mom's coming to pick you up tomorrow!"

Jia Zhangshi was speechless for a moment, her face turned from red to white, and her fingers froze in mid-air.

She suddenly realized: Qin Huairu was really gone. She was taking her son's place at the factory, and at most she could clean toilets and take out the trash. She would be lucky to support Banggeng. As for the other two children, they would probably have to starve every day.

Asking her to pay? That would hurt more than tearing a piece of her heart out!

She suddenly collapsed to the ground, slapping her legs and wailing, but secretly glanced to the side—she saw Qin Huairu had already stood up, silently folding clothes, rolling up the quilt, and packing her bundle... She immediately fell silent, even forgetting to adjust her crying tone.

"Huai Ru! Don't be shy, Mom will get it right away! I'll get it right away!" She got up and rummaged through drawers and cabinets, shakily pulling out a stack of crumpled banknotes.

"One hundred and one hundred is Weiguo's pension and his saved wages." She handed over the money, then lowered her voice, "The remaining eighty-three is the old man's subsidy, and the hard-earned money I made sewing shoe soles... I have to save this money to buy painkillers; I really can't live without this old back pain."

Qin Huairu listened quietly, her face expressionless. Only after Jia Zhangshi finished speaking did she slowly open her mouth: "I can give you one yuan a month. But if you come back in the future with unwashed clothes, uncooked meals, and the children crying all over the place—you won't get a single penny."

Why did she break off all pretense of civility today?

Yesterday was incredibly embarrassing: with two adults at home, the child sneaked out to steal steamed buns from the neighbor, only to be force-fed a bellyful of fecal water!

From then on, whenever someone saw Bang Geng, they would mutter behind his back, "This kid steals and eats shit."

How can she hold her head up in this courtyard?

Not to mention He Yuzhu's words, which pierced her heart like a needle: other people's mothers-in-law can do things, but her mother-in-law can't? Is she a daughter-in-law or a purchased animal?

If it were just Xiaohuahua who was wronged, she would grit her teeth and bear it—doing a little more work is nothing.

If Jia Zhangshi continues to act so unreasonably, this family will truly fall apart without a trace.

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi stopped jumping and making a fuss, her face full of ingratiating smiles, as if the old woman who had just thrown a tantrum had never existed.

It turns out that what we fear most about hunger is never our stomachs, but our hearts.

Suddenly, with a creak, Qin Huairu pushed open the door and went straight to He Yuzhu's door.

"Shazhu, Grandma just took out the money. Here's two yuan back. I'm so sorry to have troubled you." Her tone was calm, but her eyes revealed an undeniable force.

He Yuzhu took the money, smiled and waved his hand, "It's alright, sister-in-law, you go ahead and get busy."

Hey, Qin Huairu's skin isn't thick enough to be completely impervious after all!

He shook his head, turned and went back into the house, closing the door behind him—the play was over, it was time to sleep.

After Qin Huairu entered the room, she gently placed the locust flowers on the bed, turned around and stared at Jia Zhangshi: "If you ever teach Bang Geng to take other people's things again, you can pack your bags and go back to the countryside. Don't blame me for being ruthless."

Madam Jia waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

She finally realized what was going on: the whole thing about Banggeng being force-fed excrement was too bizarre.

Last night, she was so preoccupied with feeling sorry for her child that she didn't notice the look in Sha Zhu's eyes—

When he came to ask about the stolen steamed buns, his eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he were waiting to see a good show.

He attended the entire hospital meeting about something as serious as rat poison, and only "remembered" to go and check it out right before it ended.

Upon hearing that the child had been given feces, he ran around anxiously, more so than anyone else—this is unlike a normal person.

What if the medicine is too strong and the child dies? Doesn't Sha Zhu know what the stick means to Jia Zhangshi?

If the Jia family line were to end, Jia Zhangshi would hang herself on his doorframe!

Therefore, Qin Huairu concluded that the filling of the steamed buns was definitely not rat poison. As for what it was, she couldn't guess.

But if your own child steals food and gets away with it—you can only swallow this bitter pill and have no way to argue your case.

If He Yuzhu knew what she was thinking, he would probably slap his thigh and laugh out loud: Brilliant! No wonder she is the most clear-headed person in the whole show.

He really dares to poison the baseball player?

That's not saving people, that's digging your own grave.

In Jia Zhangshi's eyes, cutting off the Jia family's bloodline was tantamount to forging an irreconcilable blood feud.

She has no face to see her ancestors, and she will not let him live in peace.

So the idea of ​​punishing himself with death was already firmly established.

(Dear viewers, please don't shout "nonsense." If it were your only son who was drugged, you, in your forties or early fifties, would probably be even more insane than Jia Zhangshi.)

Qin Huairu considered it several times and finally decided to send Banggeng to school. Although school had already started, given their family's situation, she figured that if she asked her third uncle to pass on a small token of her appreciation, the teacher would surely accept it.

early morning

It's another bright and beautiful day.

I'm not planning to check in at home today. Those small subsidies of one dollar and fifty cents are not worth the effort.

After quickly washing up, I rode my bike to the factory for work; I also need to ask for a day off in the afternoon to go see a movie with that silly girl! Hmph, I'm already secretly overjoyed.

Evening school is busy, keeping me constantly on my feet, but I feel very grounded.

Once inside the space, pig feed was already prepared; the plan for the afternoon was to ride a bicycle to the black market to exchange the grain for some cloth coupons.

The wheels rolled along, heading straight for the steel rolling mill.

Steel rolling mill canteen kitchen

MCA: "Master, you look radiant today!"

These days, the word "handsome" isn't just a casual compliment; it comes from someone who truly exudes a heroic air, like a platoon leader who has just returned victorious from the trenches.

To praise someone's good looks, one must have clear and bright eyes, an upright posture, and be a modern-day Pan An (a legendary handsome man in Chinese history).

He Yuzhu: "You little rascal, you've got a sweet tongue! Today I'll teach you how to stir-fry a big pot of vegetables, step by step." He smiled so much that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Nowadays, even if you teach your apprentices hand-in-hand, it's difficult for them to fully grasp his skill and technique.

The key lies in those secret recipes—how many grains of salt to add, what the oil temperature should be, when to add the scallions and ginger—if you're off by even the slightest bit, the flavor will be ruined.

MCA: "Thank you, Master!"

At the stroke of noon, He Yuzhu immediately asked for leave and sped off to the Lou family villa.

When I rang the doorbell and went inside, I found that Lou Xiao'e was not home.

Lou's mother smiled and said, "Xiao'e is working as a manager at the Xinhua Bookstore up ahead."

He Yuzhu cupped his hands in greeting: "Auntie, I'll go find her right now!"

With light steps, I headed straight for the bookstore.

At the registration desk at the entrance, Lou Xiao'e was bending down to fill out a card for a borrower.

On April 24, 1937, Xinhua Bookstore was founded in Qingliang Mountain, a revolutionary holy site. Through half a century of trials and tribulations, it stood firm amidst the flames of the War of Resistance against Japan, took root in the torrent of liberation, and after the founding of New China, it sprouted like bamboo shoots in spring, flourishing and growing vigorously.

……

He Yuzhu had just stepped through the gate.

Lou Xiao'e didn't even look up: "Hello comrade, please get a card first to borrow books; if you want to buy books, go inside, and come back to pay after you've chosen."

He Yuzhu: "Thank you, comrade."

Lou Xiao'e: "Serve the people."

Before he could finish speaking, he buried himself in the ledger again—how many copies were received today, how many were sold, which ones needed to be restocked…

Besides, Sha Zhu had invited her to see a movie that afternoon, and she needed to finish up her work and hand it over quickly.

He Yuzhu leaned closer and asked with a smile, "Could you get me a library card?"

He really wanted to do it—even though he knew a few words, all the new books, newspapers, and ideas were completely unfamiliar to him.

Lou Xiao'e looked up and was taken aback: "Shazhu? He's busy right now, don't make things worse."

He Yuzhu scratched his head: "We really should do it! We'll come more often in the future, so we won't bother you every time."

The shop was very quiet, perfect for reading, but unfortunately there were only a few chairs scattered around.

No seats? Then stand and browse the bookshelves, just don't block the aisle.

Books on the bookshelf can be borrowed; if they get dirty, you have to pay half the price; if they're torn, you have to pay the original price.

You need to deposit five yuan to get a card, and there is an additional three-cent handling fee for each book borrowed; when you return the card, you will get your deposit back in full.

Buying books is even simpler; just give a call, and the clerk will turn around and go into the storeroom, where new books will be brought out immediately.

Lou Xiao'e smiled and said, "You're planning to come every day?" Her face flushed slightly.

He Yuzhu puffed out his chest: "Of course! I love reading."

Lou Xiao'e was secretly delighted: Before I met you, I hadn't even finished elementary school, I had never stepped into a bookstore, and I had never even warmed the cover of a book. Now you're talking about "loving to read". Your skin is thick enough to stop a bullet.

Lou Xiao'e held out her hand: "Five yuan deposit, give me your work ID."

Nowadays, you have to verify your ID card when you apply for a card, otherwise there will be a lot of people with the same name—names like Wang Gang and Liu Qiang are everywhere; if you can't afford to compensate for the book, who can you complain to?

The library card had just been printed when the colleague sent by the director to take over the shift arrived.

You Zhengya peeked out and smiled: "Xiao'e, did you take the day off again to see your boyfriend?"

Lou Xiao'e's ears burned: "No! Sister You, I really have something to do, you go ahead with your work!"

After saying that, he hurriedly walked around the counter, giving He Yuzhu a fierce glare before leaving.

He Yuzhu quickly slipped out the door, afraid that if his colleague teased him about the silly moth, he would also get teased.

The two pushed their bicycles and walked side by side in the shade of the plane trees.

Lou Xiao'e turned her head to the side: "You lead the way, I've never been to the Red Star Cinema."

He Yuzhu grinned: "Alright!"

There were so many movies back then—"Liu Sanjie," "Sanmao the Vagabond," "The 38th Parallel"... too many to count.

You don't get to choose what movies to watch; it's not that you can watch whatever you want, but rather that you watch whatever is shown on the screen.

It's like going to a state-run restaurant—you want to order braised pork, but the waiter just glances at you and says, "We don't have any."

You really don't dare to say anything, otherwise they'll even bring you cold water.

These places offer secure, stable jobs.

Even if you accidentally offend your boss, at most you'll have to write a self-criticism and listen to some criticism, and that'll be the end of it.

After buying their tickets, the two entered the theater.

A large screen hung down, and rows of wooden benches were filled with people. The smell of smoke, sweat, and feet mingled together, making people dizzy.

Back then, there was no rule against smoking in public places. In the dark, no one could see if someone took off their shoes and picked their toes.

The two found a ventilated spot to sit down and finally caught their breath.

He Yuzhu discreetly observed Lou Xiao'e—she looked well and relaxed, clearly someone who often accompanied colleagues to the movies and was used to the lively atmosphere.

The movie "The Sun Just Rises" was playing on the screen. After watching for a while, he nodded to himself: the core of the story was almost the same as that of later times, only the equipment was crude, the venue was cramped, and the smell was strong.