Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Once He Yuzhu finished speaking about the important matter, he turned and left—this mess had nothing to do with him! He wasn't the one who carried the manure bucket; it was an old man who did the pouring of manure onto the stick, and Xu Damao only drank the manure himself when he was struggling!

He got up and brushed past Xu Damao, glaring at him fiercely.

Xu Damao's back stiffened, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back: Could it be that Sha Zhu has really found out the details of me hiring someone to do this?

--last night--

Xu Damao was staggering drunk when a tattered sack suddenly fell over his head with a "poof," instantly sobering him up by half. Then, he was kicked hard in the knees, causing him to fall to his knees and vomit up all the food in his stomach.

After a brutal beating, the figure disappeared into the alley. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck—the sack had been retied! He struggled desperately, letting out a trapped beast's roar, finally catching his breath, only to taste a foul, sticky liquid rushing down his throat…

Once the man had completely disappeared, he shakily tore off the sack, and smelling the stench emanating from his body, he was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode!

He staggered into the police station to report the crime, and the police almost kicked him out as a homeless man—his whole body was covered in filth, and vomit mixed with feces dripped from his hair to the tips of his shoes.

The first person he targeted was He Yuzhu.

When the police came to verify, he dared not identify Wang Sanzi—fearing that someone would break into his house and cut out his tongue in the middle of the night.

The hospital examination only said it was a superficial injury, but it was indeed extremely dirty.

Back at the hospital, he cried and recounted, "I was beaten up at the hospital gate!"

After the three old men were beaten, forced to drink sticks, and this incident, the first old man immediately decided: We must take precautions!

He Yuzhu had no desire to get involved in this mess and directly confronted the old man: "I've enrolled in night school, my schedule is packed. Patrol? I really can't manage that!"

Upon hearing that the man was interested in studying and making progress, the old man immediately nodded and said, "Okay! Studying is the most important thing. You don't need to get involved in this."

He was thinking: from now on, he would simply walk home with others after school, even if it meant taking a longer route, rather than walking alone.

Factory canteen

Ma Hua sneaked up behind He Yuzhu, shrinking his neck like a thief.

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways: "What's wrong with you, kid? Your face's all puffed up like a sour gourd?"

Ma Hua lowered his voice: "Master, everything is ready, just waiting for your command!"

He Yuzhu almost burst out laughing: "Are you acting in a spy movie?"

"I told you to keep quiet, not to pretend to be a spy making a rendezvous! If you keep this up, I'll shovel you into a pot and boil you three times!"

Ma Hua was taken aback for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "I understand, I understand!"

He Yuzhu sighed inwardly: What do you know...?

"Stop talking nonsense and focus on cooking! We'll go over together after lunch."

Ma Hua ran back to the stove with a big smile on her face.

He Yuzhu personally took charge of cooking, Ma Hua flipped the wok, and Chef Liu assisted from the side.

Director Zhang suddenly lifted the curtain and came in, his voice steady: "Xiao He, come to my office, let's have a chat."

He Yuzhu immediately handed the spatula to Chef Liu and then left the kitchen.

The two sat down in the office, and Director Zhang handed them a cup of hot tea: "Director Yang mentioned it in the meeting today, that you and Xu Damao were attacked on your way home?"

"Um."

"Is someone taking revenge? Or is there some unspeakable reason? If I can help, I will definitely lend a hand."

"I really don't know who did it. The night before last, I had just turned into the alley after class when I was hit on the back of the head with a stick."

"The factory originally planned to expand the patrol area to the courtyard area so that everyone could go to and from get off work with peace of mind. But Deputy Factory Director Li rejected it outright."

"A patrol team has been set up outside our compound, so things should be a bit more peaceful from now on."

"There are actually two things I wanted to discuss with you: one is security, and the other is that I have a patrol team member position available—do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"

"No. But I'll have to swallow my pride and come over for lunch at your place."

There aren't many familiar faces in the courtyard house; those who are familiar are all ingrates.

Director Zhang smiled and shook his head: "We're all family, we should visit each other more often!"

"Well, Director, I'll head back to work now!"

--noon--

Director Zhang pushed open the door and called out, "Meizi, Xiao He is coming over for dinner today, so bring two extra dishes!"

Peng Mei poked her head out from the kitchen, raising an eyebrow: "It's that Xiao He again? Could it be another one of your poor relatives? He came six times last month, and he's here again this month. Does he think our house is a charity?"

Director Zhang chuckled to himself – when relatives come to visit, you can't just chase them away with a broom, can you?

If that happens, what will the villagers think of us when they go back to their hometown? If we actually invite people in, we'll be living hand to mouth right now.

Although he holds the title of director, the benefits he receives are as thin as paper. If he comes a few more times, his family will probably be starving.

Director Zhang: "They are comrades from the factory."

Peng Mei's expression relaxed a little. It's good that they're not from this village—every time she visits, it's either to borrow rice or money; it always drains her savings.

Ma Hua and He Yuzhu, carrying neatly wrapped gifts, knocked on the peeling wooden door of Director Zhang's house.

Peng Mei greeted them at the door, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Oh my, this must be Xiao He that Old Zhang keeps talking about! Come in and have a seat! It's a courtesy to come, don't bring anything! I just cooked two hot dishes, have a couple of drinks before you leave!"

He Yuzhu and Ma Hua looked at each other, completely bewildered: Why was he so enthusiastic? It was like he had knocked on the wrong door.

Peng Mei is the director of the subdistrict office, and also handles the work of the women's federation. She is always warm and friendly to everyone, and her hands are always busy.

Director Zhang greeted him with a smile, "Little He's here? Come in, come in!"

Ma Hua quickly stuffed the things into Peng Mei's hands, and the two went into the house one after the other.

……

Director Zhang turned around, took out a bottle of Fenjiu liquor from the cabinet, and deftly opened it to pour the wine: "Xiao He, try this good stuff you gave me!"

The aroma of the wine had just wafted out when he noticed Ma Hua in the corner and immediately added, "Ma Hua, could you have a couple of sips?"

MCA quickly waved their hands, repeatedly saying, "No, no."

After serving the last dish, Peng Mei turned and went back into the inner room. She knew perfectly well that someone who came to her door with gifts must have something to ask of her; she never got involved in the intricacies of factory life.

After a couple of rounds of drinks and enough of the preliminaries, He Yuzhu cleared his throat and spoke: "Director Zhang, I've taken the liberty of coming today to ask about Ma Hua—I'd like to ask for your help in making him a permanent employee. What paperwork do we need to prepare?"

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was already implied in the smell of alcohol: we won't be stingy when it comes to things that need to be taken care of.

Director Zhang waved his hand: "No need to bother! The factory just notified me this morning that they need me to recommend someone for a permanent position in the security department. That's easy—Ma Hua has been working in the kitchen for over half a year; he's quick and hardworking, everyone has seen that!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu immediately stood up: "Then I won't keep you any longer. I have to rush back to work at noon. The affairs of the MCA are all in your hands!"

After the two left, Peng Mei shuffled out of the house in her slippers.

"Old Zhang, what did Xiao He want from you just now? You can't touch on matters of principle!" She glanced at the pile of things on the table while wiping her hands. "I roughly estimated that it's worth at least thirteen or fourteen yuan."

"It's nothing major, I just want to give the permanent employee position to his apprentice."

"A violation of discipline?"

Director Zhang shook his head: "Every director has quotas. As long as they are reliable and perform well, that's fine. That kid may be a bit of a chatterbox, but he's honest and hardworking, so he can't be wrong."

Upon hearing that it didn't involve her husband's rules and bottom line, Peng Mei didn't even raise an eyelid and turned to wash the dishes.

Director Zhang, however, kept the phrase "thirteen or fourteen yuan" in mind—it was a real benefit of getting a month's salary in exchange for three months of early promotion. Xiao He, being a sensible and calculating person, nodded to himself.

As they left the tenement building, Ma Hua couldn't help but tug at the driver's sleeve: "Driver, Director Zhang... really agreed? Don't accept the gifts and then make excuses later..."

He was in a state of turmoil, unable to discern the hidden meaning in Director Zhang's last words.

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways: "Fine then, you go back and bring the stuff back?"

Ma Hua immediately deflated: "Master, I don't dare to go alone..."

He Yuzhu rolled his eyes—well, so you're trying to get me involved to give you courage, huh?

On the way back to the factory gate, they ran into Xu Damao leaning against the wall, chatting enthusiastically with two girls.

He Yuzhu ignored him and turned to leave. It's better to stay far away from people like that.

As soon as the words were spoken, the two girls laughed and headed east.

Xu Damao turned around and saw He Yuzhu and Ma Hua. He immediately called out, "Silly Zhu! My buddy's getting married next month, you have to come and support him! We'll need you to take charge of the cooking!"

"Sure!" He Yuzhu replied with a smile, "One yuan and fifty cents a day, plus fifty cents for the apprentice—two chefs working together, quick and efficient, and the scene bright and organized!"

Xu Damao chuckled: "Thanks, thanks! You don't have a girlfriend yet, right? Want me to set you up with someone?"

"My business?" He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow. "None of your concern, you dung beetle!"

Ma Hua burst out laughing and quickly covered his mouth.

Xu Damao nearly choked on his words: "Can we not use the word 'feces'?"

"Fine," He Yuzhu said slowly, "Let's see how you address me from now on."

After saying that, he put his arm around Ma Hua's shoulder and walked straight toward the canteen.

As Ma Hua walked, he muttered to himself, "Master, what's the background of this 'dung beetle'? How did he manage to shut him up with just one sentence? Didn't they always end up arguing until they flipped the table before they'd stop?"

He Yuzhu didn't stop walking: "If you see him in the future, keep your mouth shut and don't mention this. He's a cunning and wicked man. Even if you're straightforward, you can't prevent him from tripping you up."

He himself has suffered losses. If this hothead MCA makes a mistake, he might not even know who did it.

Ma Hua responded emphatically, then grinned – "If I go out to host banquets with my master in the future, I can even get five cents. How wonderful!"

He Yuzhu was also relieved: he had to teach him how to cook for everyone, so that if he had something to do and couldn't get away in the future, he could call on this kid to fill in.

Throughout the journey, Ma Hua kept talking non-stop, even after entering the canteen.

Inside the cafeteria, Liu Lan was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing He Yuzhu enter, she quickly went to greet him: "Master He, is it convenient for us to chat for a bit?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

The two moved to the window, and Liu Lan lowered her voice: "Today I'm selling mung bean cakes, and a lot of people asked me if I could make other kinds, they all want to buy some to try. I was thinking, if you know how, could you teach me? I won't learn for nothing, I'll pay you back for the materials and the tuition!"