Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

If word gets out, he'll be dead instantly—the female workers in the factory will probably spit on him as soon as they see him; and there will likely be a long line of complaints outside the propaganda department.

He shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, but the moment his bottom touched the chair, he was startled by a dozen pairs of eyes staring at him. A grain of rice got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't swallow. This wasn't Director Zhang helping him; he was putting a noose around his neck! It would have been so much better if Ma Hua had delivered the food!

……

He put down his chopsticks and ran straight to the bookstore.

You have to admit, among women, words are the sharpest knife—especially when a dozen or so women are sitting around a table, each saying something, he can't even find a chance to interject.

Lou Xiao'e was still at get off work when she arrived at the bookstore. He Yuzhu strolled inside and casually flipped through a few pages among the bookshelves.

She left work on time, and he silently followed behind her, walking all the way to the Lou family's house.

As Lou Xiao'e walked, she instructed, "Mom and Dad have calmed down a bit, and I've appeased them. Don't act rashly later. Apologize first, and I'll say a few kind words to them."

He Yuzhu grinned: "Roger that! I'll do exactly as the leader directs, mission accomplished!"

When they arrived at the gate, she took out her key and opened the door. The two of them went inside one after the other.

In the living room, Lou's mother greeted him: "Zhu Zi, you're here? Please have a seat!"

Before he finished speaking, Lou's father slowly walked down from upstairs.

Lou Xiao'e turned around and went into the kitchen to serve the dishes.

Once everyone was seated, He Yuzhu suddenly stood up and bowed deeply: "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry, I misspoke!"

He couldn't reason with her, nor could he—women don't listen to reason, they listen to what pleases them. The more you try to argue, the more conflicted she becomes.

Mr. and Mrs. Lou exchanged a glance and waved their hands, "Alright, alright, we're all family, sit down and eat!"

Seeing this, Lou Xiao'e quickly chimed in, "Mom and Dad, Sha Zhu won't dare to talk nonsense anymore, please don't take it to heart!"

The two elders nodded and urged him to start eating quickly—if he dawdled any longer, he would miss the night tram, as the steel mill was not close to here.

After the meal, Lou Xiao'e saw him out.

"We'll definitely be late catching the tram now, let's ride our bikes home." She shoved the bicycle keys into his hand. Since she met him, she'd barely ridden this bike—luckily, her workplace was just around the corner, only a few steps away.

He Yuzhu took the keys and said earnestly, "I'll definitely get you a new one this year, so you won't have to go through all that trouble."

Lou Xiao'e's face flushed, and she waved her hand, saying, "Be careful on the road!" Then she turned and walked quickly toward the Xinhua Bookstore.

……

Back at the courtyard house that evening, chaos erupted once again.

Uncle Liu Zhonghai was whipping his two youngest sons with a rattan cane. The two children huddled on the ground, trembling, but he still wouldn't stop.

The neighbors all offered their advice, and it took He Yuzhu a while to understand what had happened: the brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu had stolen the eggs that their eldest brother, Liu Guangqi, had saved up.

He couldn't get involved in this matter, nor could he persuade them—it was their family affair, and it was none of his business to interfere.

The third uncle had just heard the news in the front yard when he ran over, his face showing a mixture of concern and amusement. He then quietly tucked his messy accounts into his sleeve.

Logically speaking, the old man should have shown up to mediate long ago, but the strange thing is that people were coming and going in the courtyard, like a market, but the old man's tall figure was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow of him.

The third uncle approached the second uncle, his voice soft and slow: "Second brother, calm down. If you keep hitting him, something bad will really happen. The child's bones are too tender; he can't take it!"

The second uncle's arms were already sore from beating him. He straightened up, panting heavily, and loosened his belt. "From now on, everyone should learn to follow the rules! Anyone who is disrespectful will be punished according to family law!" Before he finished speaking, he had already picked up an enamel mug and gulped down a mouthful of cold water. He then turned around and started chatting with the third uncle.

The third uncle hurriedly waved his hand to disperse the onlookers: "Disperse! Leave this to me, I'll talk to my second brother!"

The second uncle knew perfectly well—this third son was just there to watch the show. But would he really beat his own son? Without the slightest hesitation. What father couldn't control his son?

Seeing his father stop, Liu Guangtian immediately dusted off his pants, stood up straight, and turned to shuffle towards the door, intending to nibble on the half-cold cornbread. Liu Guangfu, however, remained sprawled on the ground, his eyes darting around, barely daring to breathe, afraid of being kicked again.

The two brothers were so used to being beaten that they even developed a tacit understanding in their movements. In terms of cleverness, the youngest brother was definitely a cut above the rest.

A sharp "smack!" rang out—Uncle Er slapped Liu Guangtian hard across the left cheek with his backhand. Liu was thrown to the ground, his ears ringing, half his face swollen and burning.

"Just looking at you makes my liver hurt! Nobody's getting any food tonight!" With that, the second uncle turned and went inside, slamming the door shut, making the windows rattle.

The third uncle, having been rebuffed, gave an embarrassed smile and turned to stroll over to He Yuzhu.

"Alas... a violent nature, what kind of education is that? It's clearly ruining potential! I have always advocated persuading people with reason and cultivating their character with literature, only then can we raise decent people."

He Yuzhu nodded, his tone calm: "Third Uncle understands things best. I'll go back to my room first; you can continue to persuade me."

Upon hearing this, the old man's lips curled up slightly, and he straightened his back with his hands behind his back, as if he had just received an award.

He Yuzhu turned and left, not wanting to stay even a step longer—if he stood there any longer, he was afraid those two pairs of staring eyes on the ground would stare him through the skin.

The sky was frozen solid, and the wind carried the smell of snowflakes. If you lay on the ground for too long, you'd definitely cough for half a month.

If a father is not kind, his son will find it difficult to be filial; if a son is not respectful, the father will also be out of line. How can right and wrong be clearly defined with a single slap?

Uncle Er's obesity was entirely due to the canteen's cooking: three meat dishes and six steamed buns at every meal. He would take all the leftover meat broth and bones home, giving his eldest son, Liu Guangqi, a bowl of hot soup. What about the two younger ones? Cornbread with pickled vegetables, plus a bowl of bland water. Occasionally, they would be given a bowl of clear soup, which they would then have to share. Day after day, the shadows weighed heavily on his back—his ultimate fate was already written in every meal.

He Yuzhu thought to himself that he needed to find someone to build a kang (heated brick bed) as soon as possible tomorrow. The bed board was so thin it hurt people's necks, and he would wake up three times a night from the cold. He really didn't know how the original owner had survived the whole winter. He also needed to build one for He Yushui's room, and move the small stove into the room so that she wouldn't be shivering with her neck tucked in at night.

Heating a kang (heated brick bed) uses a lot of firewood, but it's very warm! Besides, it's not expensive—a load of top-quality firewood costs six cents and lasts for ten days; you spend eighteen yuan to build two kangs, and if you do the math, the cost of firewood for the whole winter and early spring is less than the cost of coal.

He was carrying the stove into the house when He Yushui, wearing a faded old sweater, came back from the backyard, still holding a needle in her hand, the ball of yarn swaying gently in the crook of her arm.

He Yuzhu really didn't know whether to praise her for being diligent or just sigh and let it go. These past two days, every time it was mealtime, she would carry two steamed buns, two candies, and a plate of stir-fried potato shreds straight to Uncle Yi's house. People usually make bone broth to help their children get calcium and grow taller, but she, on the other hand, managed to make a third bowl.

When he came back, he smacked his lips and said, "The soup was so delicious!" — His brain must have been soaked in sugar water for too long.

What's even stranger is that whenever an older woman hears her in the yard, she immediately shouts at the top of her lungs, "Rain, come quick! Sit with me for a while!"

They probably worried that no one would look after the child, so they used casual conversation as an excuse to pull someone over to lend a hand.

"You," He Yuzhu pointed to her bed, "move to the side. I'll have someone build a kang (heated brick bed) tomorrow morning; it'll be warmer in winter."

"Okay!" He Yushui replied readily, "I'll get ready as soon as it's light tomorrow morning."

"What are you chewing on?"

"Maltose," she blurted out without even lifting her eyelids.

He Yuzhu silently shut his mouth—he was truly impressed by their ability to scam food and drinks even from children.

With sugar prices soaring, a pound of maltose is more expensive than lean meat. An average working-class family can only afford two or three pounds a month if they're feeling well-off. An old man's family can manage by spending a few extra cents each month, if they just grit their teeth and bear it.

He couldn't be bothered to pay her any more attention, afraid that she would be shocked by something outrageous again. After moving the stove, he saw the two Liu brothers huddled in the corner, shoulder to shoulder, like two little sparrows that had been rained on.

"Guangtian, Guangfu, come and lend a hand, put these things away. I'll heat up two steamed buns for you."

The two immediately sprang to their feet and quickly tidied up, even sweeping the floor clean.

He Yuzhu kept his word and brought out six freshly steamed cornbread buns, along with a plate of stir-fried cabbage, arranging them neatly on a rough porcelain plate.

The teenager was ruthless in his treatment of bangs, showing no mercy whatsoever to his son.

The two brothers, each holding a cornbread bun, squatted down by the stove and began to eat. Their movements were as natural as breathing—they were always relegated to a corner when eating at home, and they were used to it.

He Yuzhu watched, his Adam's apple bobbing, but ultimately he remained silent. What business is it of outsiders to interfere in other people's affairs? Can they control things for a while, or for a lifetime?

When they grow up, gain strength, and acquire skills, their lives will naturally brighten up little by little.

……

early morning

He Yuzhu asked an old man to pass on a message, asking Ma Hua to ask for a day off on his behalf. He himself was busy finding someone to build a kang (heated brick bed), prepare firewood, and stockpile coal.

He found an experienced craftsman, negotiated a price for two kang beds (heated brick beds), and agreed on a total cost of nine yuan, including labor and materials, to be delivered to the courtyard. He first took the craftsman to see the locations and paid a deposit of four yuan and fifty cents on the spot.

Then he rushed to the city to find a source of firewood and coal.

Although private trading is currently prohibited, there are always loopholes to make a living—the clothes, cloth shoes, quilt covers, and insoles you make can all be sold to the supply and marketing cooperative. The staff will pay you according to the craftsmanship and quality, plus the corresponding cloth coupons; you can also sell matchboxes and charcoal made at home to designated collection points.

Want to earn some extra money? It's not impossible, it just depends on whether you're willing to look around and dare to try.

In contrast, it is even more difficult in rural areas: carrying a load of firewood into the city often costs less in terms of round-trip transportation and food expenses than one could earn in a day working in the production team.

The children living near the city's outskirts were clever—they would fill a basket with firewood, have the adults carry it to the street, and sell it directly to the supply station, saving time and effort.

He Yuzhu cooked for the craftsmen at home, agreeing to provide lunch and allow them to go home in the evening. The four experienced craftsmen worked quickly and efficiently, and in half a day, the kang (heated brick bed) was almost finished. They could complete the finishing touches today, and after airing it out for a few days, it would be ready to use.