Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

After making his way around the canteen, he went to the Women's Federation to invite Sister Peng Mei; then he went to the office to invite Director Ye Qiu—if he didn't invite her this year, he was afraid he really wouldn't be able to next year, as word had already spread that she was going to be transferred to the county as county head.

Finally, he arrived at the canteen office, where Director Zhang was approving orders. When he looked up and saw him, Director Zhang promptly handed him a slip of paper: "Take this to the logistics department to collect your food coupons."

"Director Xie! There will be plenty of wine tonight—I've used all the money I'd saved for the banquet to buy fine wine, just waiting for you to taste it."

"Okay! I'll go with my husband tonight!"

He Yuzhu thought to himself: Peng Mei is such a difficult person to please. She gets anxious if I don't call her that, but I feel embarrassed if I do.

After Lou Xiao'e completed all the formalities, Qin Aidang personally led her into the fourth workshop, straight to Yi Zhonghai's workstation.

Qin Aidang pointed to several corners, his tone gentle yet authoritative: "These sanitation areas will be under the responsibility of Comrade Lou Xiao'e from now on."

The workshop foreman was stunned on the spot—was this person here to sweep the floor? Clearly, they were here to act like royalty!

At most, the personnel department would send someone to introduce the new college graduates; but this time, their immediate supervisor was personally overseeing the process, and the team leaders all straightened their backs, even suppressing their coughs.

As soon as Qin Aidang left, the director immediately put on a smiling face and hurried to Lou Xiao'e: "Comrade Lou Xiao'e, hello! From now on, the sanitation of this area will all depend on you!"

Lou Xiao'e was taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Director Gao, isn't this my job?"

"Yes, yes, it's my job!" Gao Jiahu nodded hurriedly, his smile widening. "So... I'm especially troubling you!"

As soon as Lou Xiao'e finished speaking, she grabbed a shovel and headed outside, nimbly following the two older women, together shoveling the thick snow at the entrance of the courtyard. Cleaning the workshop twice a day was considered diligent, but the open space in the courtyard required shoveling snow twice a day, morning and evening, otherwise, once the weather warmed up, the ice shards would clog the brick seams, making it very slippery to walk on.

When the lunch bell rang,

Lou Xiao'e spotted He Yuzhu's window at a glance, and headed towards it, the queue forming at a leisurely pace.

He Yuzhu laughed and called out, "Are you tired today? I'll give you two extra spoonfuls of shredded meat. When I'm a little less busy, I'll come out and eat with you."

The cafeteria fell silent for a moment—everyone looked at each other, their eyes full of question marks: Who is this?

Lou Xiao'e, head down, carried the food box and deftly moved to a corner. He Yuzhu turned around and grinned at everyone: "My wife, today is her first day reporting to the factory."

Everyone immediately understood, their faces instantly displaying an "Oh, I see" expression, and the corners of their mouths turned up.

into the night,

He Yuzhu was busy preparing dinner at the stove when guests who had come to attend the wedding gradually entered the house.

Director Zhang took Peng Mei's arm and stepped over the threshold, while the Liu brothers, Songgui and Songmin, held back and entered last.

Yi Zhonghai's family sat at one table with He Yushui, while He Yuzhu sat at another table with several acquaintances from the factory.

He took Lou Xiao'e's hand and handed her a glass, the rim of which was still damp with moisture.

He Yuzhu raised his glass and said loudly, "Thank you all for coming to celebrate my and Xiao'e's happy occasion! Cheers to this one! Everyone here today is a brother or sister I trust. If you ever have any difficulties in the future, just give me a call, and I'll lend a hand without hesitation!"

The table was filled with laughter and chatter, and congratulatory messages came one after another, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

He added with a smile, "Eat and drink to your heart's content. Our home is simple, without any delicacies, but the sentiment is genuine. Please don't be shy!"

He had already bought ten bottles of Fenjiu liquor from the department store, and after wandering around the market three times, he bought a bunch of vegetables and radishes, but only half a jin of meat—he was very frugal, all to save money for important business.

Director Zhang picked up a piece of food and casually said, "Take a day off tomorrow, I'll approve your leave."

He Yuzhu quickly nodded: "Thank you, Director!"

Director Zhang waved his hand, his smile widening: "Don't call me Director outside, call me Brother-in-law—you call Peng Mei Sister, so naturally I'm your Brother-in-law."

He Yuzhu blurted out, "Brother-in-law!"

Director Zhang was so happy that he tilted his head back and gulped down a glass of wine, the liquid rolling down his Adam's apple, glistening brightly.

The room was filled with clinking glasses and laughter; the aroma of wine mingled with the smell of food, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere on this winter night.

As night deepened and the guests became slightly tipsy, they gradually rose in twos and threes to say goodbye, slowly dispersing with their families.

Ma Hua was drunk and staggered as if he were walking on cotton. He Yuzhu had no choice but to support him and escort him home, slipping and sliding with each step.

Halfway there, Ma Hua's knees suddenly buckled, and he knelt in a snowdrift, his shoulders trembling as he burst into tears.

He felt his parents had lost face because of him, and his heart ached with pain; tears mixed with snow water streamed down his face.

He Yuzhu didn't try to persuade him much. He just silently squatted down, took off his coat and wrapped it around him, and sat with him in the snow for a while.

For the past ten days or so, Ma Hua has been so quiet he's almost mute, and his eyes have been listless.

After finally helping him into the house and settling him in, He Yuzhu turned back to walk towards the courtyard.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the lights were still on inside—Aunt Yi, He Yushui, and Lou Xiao'e had already cleaned the house spotless, even wiping away the grease stains around the stove. Yi Zhonghai was quite drunk and had already been carried back by his son.

He Yuzhu quickly went to greet her: "Auntie, you should go back and rest. We've really been grateful to you today!"

Aunt Yi waved her hand, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Silly child, why are we still distinguishing between you and me?" She then hurried away, afraid that her grandson would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to find her, and would start crying loudly again.

He turned to He Yushui and asked, "I'm planning to go to the department store tomorrow to buy a sewing machine. Would it be convenient to put it in your room? You're just sitting at home doing nothing anyway. You can alter clothes, sew up trousers, and maybe even earn some extra money."

He had been thinking about this for a long time—he and Lou Xiao'e went to work every day, and the machine at home was just taking up space; Yu Shui was on winter vacation, and he was quick and efficient, so if he really worked, earning a few cents a day wouldn't be a problem.

He Yushui's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "Brother, leave it with me! There are only a few days left until the New Year, and the department store is rushing to make a batch of new clothes. I can help sew them and I can earn a dollar a day! Before, without machines, it was hard to keep up with the demand, but now it's great. I've been borrowing a sewing machine from a classmate's house these past few days..."

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you say you were going to the library to look at some materials?"

Her face flushed, and her tongue stammered, only then realizing that she had given herself away.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Okay, you can keep it. It's your own money, so keep it yourself. Your sister-in-law and I aren't envious of it."

He Yushui nodded vigorously: "Understood, brother!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, I urged her to go back to her room and go to sleep.

After turning off the lights, the two lay side by side on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), the blankets warm and cozy, and no words were needed.

Ten thousand words omitted here………………………………

As dawn broke, Lou Xiao'e's cheeks flushed a rosy pink. She remained buried in the quilt, refusing to show her face, only revealing a pair of wet eyes.

He Yuzhu got up early, cooked millet porridge, steamed two bowls of buns, and fried two soft-boiled eggs in the pan. Lou Xiao'e had to clock in on time today, and no one was going to ask for sick leave for her.

He also had to leave early to pick up his goods at the department store.

Lou Xiao'e hopped on her bicycle, the wheels crunching crisply over the thin snow, and headed off to the factory alone.

He Yuzhu took a shortcut and hurried towards the department store.

He picked out a "Bee" brand sewing machine for 150 yuan, paid the money, and without saying a word, hoisted it onto his shoulder and walked steadily toward the courtyard house.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard a chorus of apprehension—this object was rarer than a radio these days, and neighbors gathered around, even the children stood on tiptoe to peer at the machine on his back.

He Yushui was already waiting at the door, craning her neck. When she saw her brother's figure in the distance, her face lit up like the sun breaking through the clouds.

She rushed forward to help unload the machine, carefully carried it into her room, and as soon as the door closed, she gently stroked the gleaming machine head with her fingertips, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled like a child who had stolen candy.

He Yuzhu felt relieved: The bicycle vouchers? He could keep them. He could take his wife to and from get off work on his bike.

He bought this machine because he saw that Yu Shui always went to her classmate's house during holidays, and when she came back, her schoolbag was bulging and her cuffs were still covered in loose threads—he guessed that she wanted to earn some pocket money with her skills and also save up for her dowry.

After the machine was set up, He Yushui's skillful hands and feet were so impressive that even the experienced master craftsman had to nod in approval.

She rummaged through the bottom of the cupboard and pulled out scraps of cloth, her needle flying as she sewed, the clattering sound like silkworms chewing leaves. He Yuzhu didn't approach; he just sat in the outer room peeling radishes, listening to the rhythm, and felt a sense of peace.

He knew that the department store charged 50 cents for the labor of making a complete garment, and he could keep the scraps of fabric. Once he had enough, he could make shoe soles. He could then exchange the finished garments for fabric, and the sales clerk would give him an extra 50 cents for his labor...

The news about the sewing machine spread throughout the yard in less than half a day.

Uncle Yan Bugui squatted against the wall, gnawing on a cornbread bun, and sighed as he chewed, "Oh dear, Sha Zhu has really saved up some money this time, and even learned to be frugal! Such a joyous occasion as his wedding, and he won't even share a drop of the celebratory wine with us!"

His wife and son sat in a circle, listening and nodding, thinking to themselves: If I ever need to mend a pair of pants, could I ask Sha Zhu to sew a couple of stitches for me?

The radio in the next room suddenly turned up, crackling incessantly—as if afraid the neighbors would overhear, the volume was carefully controlled.

As Qin Huairu came home from get off work, Jia Zhangshi immediately leaned over and whispered, "Have you heard? Sha Zhu had a wedding yesterday, and today he bought a sewing machine!"

Qin Huairu responded casually, "He's doing well because of his own abilities. We shouldn't be envious, nor should we get involved. We should keep our distance. I always felt that he... is not a simple person."

She harbored doubts, but she also knew that some waters were too deep to wade into, so it was better to observe from afar.

Payday was approaching again. Ever since Widow Wang had completely cut off all contact, Yu Wenyan, feeling a bit extravagant, simply handed over all thirty yuan to Qin Huairu. Under Yu Wenyan's hands-on tutelage, Qin Huairu had long since shed her apprentice status and become a top-level fitter in the factory, earning twenty-two yuan a month—and with this extra money, she was even more confident than many of the veteran craftsmen.

Now that she's received her salary, she's planning to go to the black market and buy two pounds of pork belly with a good balance of fat and lean meat! Combined with the cut of meat she got before the New Year, the dumpling filling for the New Year's Eve dinner will be plentiful, well-made, and incredibly fragrant.