Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He wasn't stingy either; he cut half a pound of meat, stir-fried a few vegetables, and steamed a pot of fluffy cornbread.

Just as the fire was lit at noon, Banggeng and Xiaodang sidled up to the door, one after the other, and peered inside, clinging to the doorframe. He Yuzhu shook his head – what kind of nonsense is this? They come to linger every time meat is cooked, and you can't shoo them away, they're like cats that have smelled fish.

Upon seeing the situation, He Yushui immediately stepped forward, picked up a cornbread, broke it in half with a "crack," spread a thick layer of stewed mashed potatoes on each half, and then gently led the two children home.

Even if she were to offer them a piece of meat right now, it wouldn't be presentable—but she couldn't just slam the door in a huff, with all the neighbors and factory workers watching. If she did, people would surely say behind her back that the He family was stingy, unwilling to even share a hot meal with their two grown children.

From now on, I'll have to lock the courtyard gate when I eat, out of sight, out of mind. I can't let people guess: you're not short of food, you're just worried and reluctant to part with it, can I?

They did manage to go to the old man's house twice, but the old woman wouldn't even look at them, pretending to be busy sweeping, picking vegetables, and feeding chickens, too busy to pay any attention to them. Later, even when the grandmother urged them again, He Yushui refused to go.

Watching others chew candy and gnaw on meat while he could only huddle against the wall, swallowing his saliva, the child couldn't hold it in and burst into tears. But none of the neighbors mentioned that it was the old man who did it, after all, he was always a kind-hearted person in the yard who liked to take care of things, who would believe that he would mistreat a child?

Whenever Jia Zhangshi saw an old woman carrying a vegetable basket enter the house from afar, she would immediately send Banggeng and Xiaodang to sneak over and "beg for some snacks." But they would always come up empty-handed. When they got home, they would sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), slap their thighs, and curse the old woman for being black-hearted, snobbish, and looking down on them, a widow and her children, and for deserving to be childless and without descendants.

Today, smelling the aroma of meat wafting from Sha Zhu's stove, she hurriedly sent her two children over. They only got half a steamed bun each – half for each of them, without even a speck of oil. She was so angry she stomped her feet and cursed He Yuzhu, calling him inhuman. Before she could finish speaking, He Yushui, who had just turned and taken a few steps, overheard everything.

He Yushui's temper flared up instantly, and she turned around to hurl insults, each word barbed and biting:

"You old widow! You killed your husband and ruined your son, your heart is more venomous than a snake's gall! You just swallowed the cornbread I gave you, and you turn around and bite me? You change your mind faster than flipping a pancake! You're an ungrateful wretch!"

The two argued more and more fiercely, and in their exchange of words, they started to fight, pulling each other's hair, tearing each other's clothes, scratching each other's skin with their fingernails, and kicking up dust.

He Yuzhu watched coldly, waiting for his sister to suffer before intervening—if he rushed in to help first, he would be criticized for being overly protective of his own, even daring to lay a hand on an old man.

But He Yushui was young and strong, and even taller than his brother. In no time, he pinned Jia Zhangshi to the ground and slapped her repeatedly, the sound of slaps like popping beans.

Seeing the situation turning against him, He Yuzhu quickly stepped forward and forcefully pulled the person away, forcing a smile on his face: "Are you crazy? What's wrong with an old man saying a few words? You have no manners, get back here right now!"

He Yushui's chest heaved, her eyes reddening: "She scolds me at home. I just delivered the cornbread, and the next thing I know, she's driving nails into my spine! Who can tolerate this?" She then glared fiercely at Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi collapsed to the ground, her hair disheveled. She kicked and rolled around, hoarsely shouting, "This shrew pulled my hair and slapped my face! Look! My face is swollen like a steamed bun!" She ripped open her collar, revealing her bruised and purple cheeks with five distinct finger marks.

But nobody believed her. Everyone knew perfectly well: if she hadn't been pushed too far, why would the honest and simple He Yushui have gone so far as to take action? They'd never even heard of her arguing with anyone before.

Listen to what Rainwater has to say! She didn't want to fight back, but she walked right into our path and asked for a beating! Who can she blame?

Everyone praised He Yushui for her backbone and sense of responsibility. An older woman rushed forward and took her arm, saying, "Yushui, good girl, everyone knows what's going on! The ground is cold, go home and warm up, we'll take care of things here!"

An elderly man, holding his grandson, said in a deep voice, "Mrs. Jia, we've seen what happened. Don't try to act tough on the ground—we won't make you pay for He Yushui's medical expenses; go back inside now, what kind of behavior is this!"

Madam Jia was stunned: I didn't even touch the hem of her clothes! This injury on my face was clearly caused by her riding on top of me!

The third uncle sneered and interjected, "From now on, if her kids ever try to get close to you, don't be polite, just push them away! This is a classic case of 'Mr. Dongguo meeting a wolf'—an ungrateful wretch!" He turned and nodded to He Yushui, "Well done!"

Qin Huairu's face turned pale and then red, her lips moved but she couldn't utter a single coherent word.

The second uncle strolled over with his hands behind his back, his nostrils flaring: "Why aren't you getting up and getting out of here? You're disgracing our neighborhood!"—as if he had never argued with anyone for three days over a few cents.

An old man waved his hand and said, "Alright, the rain is fine. Everyone, go home and have lunch. You have to go to work this afternoon." After saying that, he picked up the child and turned to leave.

Qin Huairu grabbed Jia Zhangshi, helped her into the house, locked the door with a "smack," and delivered a crisp slap to her face!

"What exactly do you want? Are you not satisfied until you kick the whole family out of this yard? Twice! Twice in a row! How are Banggeng and Xiaodang supposed to hold their heads up in this yard? The words 'ungrateful wretch' are etched into everyone's hearts today! Tell me, how are you going to expect the neighbors to greet you in the future? Huh?!" Her eyes were bloodshot, like a mother leopard cornered on the edge of a cliff.

Jia Zhangshi hung her head, her shoulders trembling violently, and she only dared to sob and groan.

Qin Huairu gritted her teeth: "From now on, you'd better keep your mouth shut outside! Aside from sweeping and cooking, you're not allowed to interfere in anything else—this is the last warning!"

She felt a tightness in her chest: This teammate is utterly useless! Last time, the loan deal with Qi Laosan's family almost fell through, and now she's messed things up in public again. If she didn't have to go to work and have no one to look after the children, she would have grabbed her by the neck and asked: "You just swallowed their food, and now you're cursing them? Are you a pig reincarnated or have you filled your brain with mush?"

……

Since that fight, Madam Jia has become much more restrained. She smiles at everyone she meets, her smile is forced, but her eyes dare not wander.

As He Yushui passed by, she raised her eyebrows and glared at him, causing her to immediately lower her head and shrink back, not daring to even meet his gaze out of the corner of her eye.

Banggeng and Xiaodang dared not approach this area again, and would run away whenever they saw a figure in the distance.

He Yuzhu secretly gave his sister a thumbs up.

It seems this younger sister is no mere decoration; she's capable and knows what she's doing. Although we haven't been cooking at home lately, and I reckon the rice bin at Uncle's house is almost empty, the two children have changed so much—they used to be so thin their ribs were practically sticking out, but now their faces are rounder, their complexions are rosy, and they run around the yard with boundless energy.

Every day when I look up, I can always see an older woman chasing after two kids, her eyes and brows full of smiles, as if she's carrying a jar of honey.

Yi Fangfang rushed into the courtyard gate, sobbing, her face covered in tears and snot, and ran straight into the arms of an older woman.

Yi Jiye rushed over, standing on tiptoe to complain, "Mom! Sister Yushui stole Fangfang's candy again!"

An older woman immediately responded loudly, "Oh dear, this is outrageous! I'll go 'teach her a lesson' right now!" As she spoke, she reached into her pocket, pulled out two candies, and stuffed them into Fangfang's palm. "Sweetie, don't cry, don't cry. Here, there's more."

He Yuzhu and Ma Hua were resting in the house, as they had to rush to Xu Damao's house to help with the cooking later.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, an older woman carrying Fangfang stepped through the door. The little girl's face was still wet with tears, and her shoulders trembled as she sobbed.

He Yuzhu gestured towards the back of the cabinet with his lip.

Yi Jiye and Fangfang immediately twisted their bodies and struggled down, landing and rushing into the inner room. They grabbed He Yushui's leg and started biting her—Yi Jiye gritted his teeth: "You bullied my sister? I'll bite you to death!"

Outside, the snowflakes were falling heavily, and the two children were bundled up like cotton balls. He Yushui deliberately cried out in pain, clutching her leg and shrinking her neck, pleading for mercy: "I won't do it again, I won't do it again!" Before she finished speaking, the two little ones were already giggling.

He Yuzhu shook his head and rubbed his forehead, sighing inwardly: "The moment He Yushui sees them, she immediately regresses into a ten-year-old child, going crazy without end. I reckon she'll start all over again in another minute."

An older woman gently placed the child on He Yuzhu's heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) – it was warm and cozy, much more reassuring than the floor, and she was afraid the child would get cold.

"It's freezing cold today," an older woman said, rubbing her hands together. "I have to go to Xu Damao's house to deliver gifts later, and I'm worried the kids will catch a cold. Yushui, you stay home and play with them."

He Yuzhu thought to himself: She'll accompany her? It's more likely that the two kids will accompany her.

Seeing that it was almost time, he and Ma Hua got up and went out, closing the door tightly behind them, and walked through the snow towards Xu Damao's house.

The large pot was already set up in the courtyard, and the vegetables and radishes were washed clean and fresh. Jia Zhangshi was also wiping the table and moving chairs. Her movements were so quick that He Yuzhu took a second look. This was the first time he had seen her work so hard to lend a helping hand to someone.

Xu Damao had already gone to pick up his bride on his bicycle, leaving only his parents at home to ask the neighbors for help.

Today we've set up twenty tables, and quite a few relatives from our hometown have come. There are two meat dishes, six vegetable dishes, a bowl of hot soup, and a dish of peanuts, making a total of ten dishes to symbolize "perfection."

The third and second aunties were already sweating profusely, shoving handfuls of vegetables into the basin of water and washing them very quickly.

He Yuzhu and Ma Hua rolled up their sleeves and got to work: they chopped what needed to be chopped and blanched what needed to be blanched; they put the soup pot on the stove and boiled the water until it was bubbling.

Ma Hua has mastered the art of cooking, knowing exactly when to add ingredients and when to stir-fry – he's already cooked countless large meals on his own these days.

The vegetables were chopped neatly, and the two men each took a sip of white wine to warm themselves. Everything was ready; they were just waiting for the host's command.

Suddenly, the third uncle sent his own child over, carrying an empty bowl, waiting to freeload a meal.

He Yuzhu scoffed inwardly: This old man never picks when to take advantage of others; he even sends eleven or twelve-year-old kids to freeload.