Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The youngest person at the table, You Zhengya, a deputy section chief, had been dragged there at the last minute and was still looking bewildered. Hearing Director Zhang's words, his heart pounded: Li Zhengqing was his direct superior. Should he confront him directly? He dared not; should he pretend not to hear? He was afraid of being taken advantage of. He truly couldn't figure out what was going on.

The others nodded, signaling Director Zhang to continue. Although three departments escaped reprimand today, Deputy Factory Director Li's actions were too ruthless—no prior notice, no leniency, just a complete overturning of the table, which was truly disheartening.

Director Zhang tapped the rim of his glass twice with his fingertips: "With Section Chief Liu being transferred to the main factory as the head of security, we can jointly nominate Comrade You Zhengya to succeed him. But there's a condition—if he makes a wrong decision one day, we'll immediately veto it. This is a collective decision, not one person's choice!"

Everyone immediately understood: this was about banding together for mutual support and fulfilling their responsibility to protect their territory. They wouldn't actively interfere, but they certainly wouldn't stand idly by; anyone who tried to interfere would be stopped by everyone. But who was the one leading this?

You Zhengya was the first to recover, going from complete bewilderment to sudden realization—he was the "shield," the vanguard pushed forward by everyone to deal with Deputy Factory Director Li. In case of trouble, everyone was there to support him; in case of peace, everyone went about their own business, avoiding causing further disruption.

As the dinner party came to a close, everyone unanimously elected Qiao Weimin, the deputy secretary of the Party branch and deputy factory director, to take the lead. From then on, they were of one mind and worked together as a team.

……

As He Yuzhu stepped into the courtyard, he immediately spotted Xu Damao sitting with his legs crossed, a wide grin stretching from ear to ear.

This guy must have struck gold again?

Xu Damao immediately stood up, beaming with pride: "Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend! He Yuzhu, you're older than me, but I haven't even seen a glimpse of you yet!"

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways, her eyes like she was looking at a silly quail that had just learned to flap its wings—asking him to cook for her and then daring to show off in front of her? Wasn't she afraid that she would add too much salt to the dish and make it too salty?

He Yuzhu replied slowly, "I really admire you. But Da Mao, with your brain, you'll probably need to see a neurologist at a hospital."

After saying that, he turned and left, closing the door cleanly and decisively.

Xu Damao was stunned for a moment, and actually believed it—thinking that He Yuzhu was so envious that he couldn't speak, so he was subtly insulting him for his low IQ in order to cover up his own embarrassment.

……

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the room, He Yushui was sitting under the lamp flipping through a book.

"Brother, you're back? Night school hasn't ended yet."

There's something going on at the factory today.

He divided the vegetables he brought back into three portions: one for the old lady, one for He Yushui, and the remaining one for himself. As he set them out, he said, "From now on, if you want to do good deeds, use your portion. Don't just take what you can and leave with the pots and pans before you've even had a chance to enjoy it."

He Yushui blinked: "Brother, this third one... is it for Grandpa?"

"Yes, deliver it to him." The rest of the sentence was swallowed back.

At this age, the more you try to stop a child, the more stubborn they become; the more you tell them not to do it, the more determined they are to try. He Yuzhu knew very well that everyone had to stumble and fall through this hurdle.

He Yushui muttered, "Brother, you're just worrying about nothing. I'm ignoring you!"

He Yuzhu didn't look up: "I won't stop you from now on. Whatever dishes I bring back, I'll still divide them into three portions. How you use your portion is up to you. I won't interfere."

After saying that, he picked up the old lady's portion and took it to the yard. The old lady didn't eat it at night, so it wouldn't spoil even if left overnight.

When he returned to the room, He Yushui was nowhere to be seen, and her portion of food remained untouched on the table. He didn't touch it, nor did he call out.

Ru Family of Qinhuai

He Yushui carried a plate of stir-fried lettuce with pork as she entered the Qin family's gate.

As soon as she entered, Jia Zhangshi smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling with wrinkles. She took the plate from her and, seeing that she was still clutching two steamed buns in her hand, she casually took those too.

He Yushui stood there, her mouth opening and closing, but before she could say anything, Jia Zhangshi had already deftly divided the meat into each bowl.

Then he turned around, his face beaming, "Thank you for the rain! We don't have much to offer, you should go back now!"

Qin Huairu quickly tugged at her sleeve: "Don't listen to her, sit down and eat with us!"

He Yushui nodded and sat down silently.

Madam Jia's face darkened. Taking advantage of Qin Huairu's lowered head to ladle soup, she quickly stuffed a cornbread into her hand, her movements so fast it was as if she was afraid of being seen. She then ladled out a bowl of watery cabbage soup and pushed it in front of her.

Seeing that she was hesitant to pick up her chopsticks, Qin Huairu put a piece of lean meat into her bowl.

He Yushui lowered her head and ate a few bites, then didn't look up again. After finishing the cornbread, Jia Zhangshi didn't even lift her eyelids, acting as if nothing had happened.

She put down her chopsticks and stood up: "Sister Qin, I just ate at home and only had one bite. I'll head back now."

Pushing open her courtyard gate, she saw He Yuzhu eating meat with a little wine. When he saw her come in, he casually took two steamed buns and placed them on the table.

"Have you finished your portion?"

He Yushui remained silent.

"Go to sleep early, you have class tomorrow. I only steamed two portions of steamed buns, if you eat them, I'll be starving tonight."

She silently put down the steamed bun, turned around, and went back into the house.

I closed the door, leaned against the wall, and kept recalling what my brother had said these past few days.

Today, Jia Zhangshi acted the same way—warmly accepting the food, coldly sharing it, stingy even with a steamed bun, let alone offering her a sip of hot water.

She finally understood: she wasn't there to eat, but to deliver food; she wasn't a guest, but to be a servant.

But my brother has changed since yesterday—he even distinguishes the dishes clearly and no longer mixes them together.

It's not that she doesn't understand, it's just that she doesn't want to believe it.

But the facts are clear: when you kindly offer something, people treat you like a fool; when you treat others with your whole heart, you are met with suspicion as an outsider.

He Yuzhu didn't bother to guess what was churning in her mind. He had done everything he could—split the meals in half, gave her an extra dollar for living expenses compared to the original owner, and even left room for maneuver in his reminders.

He owes no favors, no debts of gratitude. He's not the original owner of this body, so why should he be responsible for someone else's life?

Do whatever you want with the food. It's been handed to you. If you spill or break it, you can't blame anyone else. All a person wants is to have a warm breath and be able to eat their fill.

……

Ru Family of Qinhuai

Madam Jia was feeling quite pleased with herself. She hadn't even glanced at the piece of meat He Yushui had brought over; she'd stuffed it all into her bowl. What right did this "money-losing brat" have to eat meat? How could he compare to her precious grandson!

When the vegetables come over again, just stuff a couple of coarse cornbread buns in the middle—it's both generous and doesn't lose money.

Madam Jia called out, "Huai Ru, are you feeling any better? Is the pain still excruciating?"

Qin Huairu leaned against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), gently rubbing her lower back: "It's much better now. I should be able to go back to the workshop before payday. But the Mid-Autumn Festival is the day after tomorrow... I'm afraid I won't be able to go."

Madam Jia immediately replied, "Alright, I'll go get the meat coupons and supply certificates for you the day after tomorrow!"

Qin Huairu waved her hand: "Let the old man bring it back tomorrow. He might not recognize you if you go, and besides... I've only worked for about ten days this month, and I don't even know if the workshop has reserved a spot for me."

Mid-Autumn Festival is the most important event at the end of the year. The factory had prepared mooncakes well in advance, but less than 30% of them were actually usable.

It's not an exaggeration—they cost ten yuan each, and you have to queue up with a special ration coupon to buy them. Meanwhile, an ordinary worker can only earn a maximum of twenty-odd yuan a month.

As dawn broke, He Yuzhu was already running towards the factory. Today was a tough day!

Regular employees could go straight to the logistics department with their work permits to collect frozen meat, food coupons, and mooncake coupons; temporary workers? No way.

That mooncake ticket will probably just be a decoration when we get home—just something to show the kids something new.

The factory was bustling with activity last month, with rice, flour, oil, and meat piled high.

He Yuzhu managed to squeeze out half a pound of frozen meat, a few food coupons, and a thin mooncake coupon from the logistics department.

The gates opened at four in the morning, and the crowds were enormous. The logistics guys shouted themselves hoarse, but there was nothing they could do. This is how it always is in previous years, since this is what people rely on for the holiday.

After collecting his things, he ran to the cafeteria: he wanted to quickly lock them in the freezer so he could cook a hot pot of stew after get off work that night.

Ma Hua was at the back of the line when He Yuzhu came out carrying a cloth bag and noticed him. He nodded and greeted him before turning and leaving.

When they arrived at the canteen entrance, three or four people were already squatting on the steps, their meat and food coupons neatly spread out on their knees, catching their breath before starting work.

When Ma Hua rushed back, the corners of his mouth were still turned up, and he grinned at everyone he saw, acting very familiar with them.

Just after the 8:00 AM work bell rang, Director Zhang strode into the workshop: "Listen up! All doors must be locked before the end of the workday today! Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there will be huge crowds. To prevent chaos, all workshop doors must be welded shut!"

Needless to say, everyone knew perfectly well: the factory would be in an uproar tomorrow—open-air movies would be shown on a rotating schedule, folk dance troupes would be dancing with boundless energy, and the most eye-catching thing would be the award stage for model workers, with prizes piled up like a small mountain. Every household would bring the elderly and children to squeeze in, just for the lively atmosphere.

Everyone is working hard right now, eager to finish their tasks quickly, stop early, and rest so they can have the energy to welcome the festival.

In a corner of the canteen, there were two people with pale faces. They had been caught red-handed and reprimanded for not being allowed to get meat today, and their food rations for the month were now zero—they would still receive their food coupons and wages, but they were not allowed to have a single drop of meat, eggs, oil, salt, or sugar.

Yesterday I had to apologize in front of all the staff in the cafeteria, and today I was criticized in front of thousands of people. When I came out of the logistics department, there was a buzz of gossip behind me. I was so ashamed that I wanted to dig three rooms out of my toes.

The canteen staff treat them like they're invisible—what else can they do? They can't even avoid them. Chef He warned them long ago, "Don't touch those things," but they wouldn't listen, and now they can't even smell the minced meat.

Liu Lan quietly sidled up to He Yuzhu, offered him two packs of "Harvest" cigarettes, and said with bright eyes, "Brother Zhu, can you teach me how to make mooncakes?"

He Yuzhu shook his head vigorously: "Don't even touch it! It's a disaster!"

Liu Lan was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

He lowered his voice: "These things cost ten yuan each, and you've reduced your cost to fifty or sixty cents and are selling them? Who can afford that? If you really dare to try, make a batch right now and show me—hey, I'll check your purchase orders, your material usage records, and your sales channels. Where do you think you'll end up?"

He paused, then his tone turned serious: "Be content with a hot meal. Let me give you another piece of advice—dig a hidden cellar as soon as possible to store some grains, both coarse and fine. It's better to bury them in the ground than to carry them in your pocket."