Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Now, Jia Zhangshi has become completely Qin Huairu's shadow. If she's told to chase a chicken, she wouldn't dare chase a dog; if she's told to go east, she wouldn't even dare to veer westward. If Qin Huairu raises her voice even slightly, she trembles all over, her fingers shaking. No wonder—if she's even a fraction of a second off, a slap will be delivered immediately; who wouldn't be terrified?

In the afternoon, as soon as Lou Xiao'e stepped into the courtyard, He Yuzhu had already set out hot soup and dishes on the table. The pot lid was lifted, and white steam shot straight up.

Seeing Lou Xiao'e's cheeks reddened from the cold, he felt a tickle in his heart, a constant urge to lean in and gently bite them. Where did this habit come from? It was probably from being alone for too long, but he was too lazy to go to the hospital for a checkup. He harbored a slight unease in his heart, but dared not mention it aloud.

Xu Damao's house was in an uproar again today. Everyone in the courtyard heard the commotion and rushed over to see what was going on. He Yuzhu, holding Lou Xiao'e's hand, also mingled in the crowd to get a closer look.

Hong Jingqiu was really serious this time—her punches and kicks were swift and powerful, and Xu Damao was completely overwhelmed and had no chance to fight back.

This is the second time this month.

A grown man, huddled against the wall, sobbing with his shoulders shaking, not daring to cry out loud.

Hong Jingqiu stood with her hands on her hips, her voice clear and bright: "Come to the hospital with me tomorrow! My sister's belly is swollen, I don't believe it's me! Your mother called me 'infertile'? I went to three hospitals and got a clear diagnosis—nothing's wrong! You don't want to go? Fine, then you'll get beaten every day from now on, I'll keep you company to the end!"

A collective gasp rippled through the courtyard. These grown men were being pinned to the ground and pounded by a woman, their faces smeared with shame. Yet no one dared to intervene—last time, Liu Haizhong, relying on his seniority, had tried to stop them, only to be bedridden for seven days; his three sons rushed to his aid, but were beaten so badly by Hong Jingqiu that even their own mother couldn't recognize them, and the matter was only resolved after they paid compensation and apologized.

Hong Jingqiu had only been married for a little over two months when her cousin got married shortly after her, and the cousin was already showing her pregnancy.

But Xu Damao's mother dared to speak ill of her behind her back in public, and Xu Damao's words of support for his mother caused a powder keg to explode. Today, for whatever reason, she struck with overwhelming force.

Hong Jingqiu spat, "You want me to go back to my parents' home? I can't even hold my head up high! You shameful thing!"

It turned out that when she returned to her parents' home a couple of days ago, everyone in the village had heard about it—Xu Damao was being unreasonable in bed, rummaging around in his pockets, and even forcing her to drink feces… Today, her cousin laughed at her to her face, saying she "couldn't lay eggs." As soon as she entered the house, Xu Damao opened his mouth and was slapped away.

When she stopped, everyone stared at her for a long time, but they still couldn't recognize what the person on the ground looked like: her face was swollen and deformed, her eyes were bruised and shiny, her lips were split open, and even her gums were showing.

Uncle Yan Bugui stood at the back of the crowd, his lips curled up in a wide smile, unable to stop laughing.

He Yuzhu didn't move forward, his hands in his pockets, secretly pleased: "It would be better if he were even more ruthless! Anyone who tries to persuade him is a fool."

He grinned and shouted, "Jingqiu, that's enough! If someone dies, you won't be able to escape responsibility!" His tone sounded like he was advising, but his eyes were full of mockery.

Lou Xiao'e was so startled by this scene that she took half a step back.

Upon seeing Hong Jingqiu, Qin Huairu's anger subsided considerably. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Hong Jingqiu's wrist: "Jingqiu, even roosters fight head-on, and couples don't hold grudges overnight—listen to your sister-in-law, stop it, we're family after all!"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "Huai Ru is kind-hearted!" "She's such a good person!" "She's incredibly bold to dare to block the way!"

Hong Jingqiu took a breath and nodded in agreement: "I believe you if you say so, sister-in-law. But if he doesn't go to the hospital tomorrow—this matter isn't over."

As soon as the words were spoken, gasps of shock filled the courtyard. They'd beaten them to this extent and it wasn't over yet? Did they have to break a few bones before they'd stop?

As the excitement subsided, He Yuzhu grabbed Lou Xiao'e's wrist and turned to leave.

The two washed their feet, crawled into bed, and the warmth and heat rose up around them.

Lou Xiao'e nestled in his arms and muttered softly, "Hong Jingqiu is terrifying. Men are like paper when they meet her."

He Yuzhu laughed and hugged her tightly: "Don't follow her example, I can't handle it."

Lou Xiao'e tilted her head back, her eyes darting around: "Then, you're not allowed to bully me."

He chuckled softly, then pulled her into his arms, saying, "I'm going to tease you anyway."

Here…………………………

The next day

He Yuzhu pedaled his bicycle, with Lou Xiao'e sitting on the back, laughing and joking all the way to the factory in the morning light.

Payday has come again. After receiving this, I won't get another one until next spring—the end of the year is just around the corner.

At noon, Lou Xiao'e waited early at the canteen entrance for He Yuzhu to go to the finance department together.

She received seventeen yuan—her base salary from the bookstore plus two days' allowance from the factory. The finance department had already completed the handover with Xinhua Bookstore, and her salary was transferred directly to her.

He Yuzhu neatly folded his 34.5 yuan salary and stuffed it into Lou Xiao'e's palm.

He didn't live off that meager salary. The space was managed by robots, and he would occasionally take a few bags of grain to the black market to sell, earning significantly more than he did at the factory.

Lou Xiao'e waved the money in her hand: "How much groceries are we buying for the New Year?"

"All the tickets have been redeemed. Give one to the old lady, and also prepare one for Uncle Yi."

"Oh, right," she suddenly remembered something, "I ran into someone at the warehouse today—the one in the yard, the one who doesn't have a man at home."

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow: "Qin Huairu?"

"Hmm!" She nodded. "Aunt Li took leave, and I was sweeping slowly by myself, so I was half an hour late. When I went to the warehouse to put away my tools, I saw someone—I quickly hid. But when I looked closely, it was Technician Yu from our workshop. I handed her three 'big ten yuan' bills, and I counted them clearly."

He Yuzhu remained unmoved: "You have nothing to do with this. Don't get involved or ask about it. Pretend you didn't see her and stay away from her."

Lou Xiao'e nodded obediently. Her parents had told her long ago: listen to Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu said to pretend to be confused, so she should keep her mouth shut and pretend she was blind.

In fact, He Yuzhu had long had his eye on Qin Huairu—she often came back under the cover of night, carrying a heavy black market bag on her shoulder; her meager salary? She probably couldn't even dream of such a substantial income.

He Yuzhu: "Speak your mind directly, don't argue with people in the factory. If you encounter trouble, just walk around it, out of sight, out of mind. Stay away from people with bad intentions, and work with the kind-hearted aunties in the yard more often—it's reliable and you'll have someone to look after you."

A while ago, rumors were rampant: a female worker in a textile factory was accused of having an affair with the workshop director, and was dragged to the factory gate and paraded through the streets with a sign hanging over her head. Just from hearing the rumors, you can tell how murky the waters are—if you weren't framed, even ghosts wouldn't believe you were innocent.

He Yuzhu lowered his voice and gave Lou Xiao'e some instructions.

……

Lou Xiao'e linked arms with He Yuzhu and walked quickly toward the department store. They had to buy their New Year's goods early; if they waited until the 30th of the twelfth lunar month to rush in, they probably wouldn't even be able to grab a crumb of candy.

He Yuzhu had just come out of the counter carrying large bags and small packages when he spotted He Yushui at a glance—she was spreading out the newly made clothes on the counter and gesturing to the sales clerk in a soft voice, indicating what they were called.

Lou Xiao'e, with her sharp eyes, immediately ran over.

The two huddled together, chattering away, and walked out the door side by side, laughing. He Yushui was still clutching a few feet of blue floral cloth in her hand, pulling it closer to her chest as she walked.

He Yuzhu asked with a smile, "Are you on a tight budget these days?"

He Yushui grinned: "I earned one yuan and fifty cents from three garments; once this one is finished, the scraps of fabric I've saved will be enough to make a pair of thick cotton shoes for my sister-in-law."

Lou Xiao'e is not good at needlework; she can only cook and sweep. He Yushui, on the other hand, has been following Aunt Yi and the others since she was a child, and she is skilled at sewing every stitch.

Without a word, He Yuzhu pulled out a crumpled industrial ticket and shoved it at him: "Take this, go in and pick out a pair of leather shoes. Not buying? Fine, then I won't acknowledge this little sister anymore."

This ticket was originally intended for Lou Xiao'e, but there are too many ears and gossips in the courtyard—who knows when it might be dug up and used as a "bourgeois tail" to be seized upon and never let go? For now, dressing more plainly is actually a safer option.

He Yushui's nose tingled with emotion: "Brother! Really, you don't need to! Your wife should be wearing nicer clothes... those leather shoes cost ten yuan! I feel anxious just looking at them!"

Back then, the average wage was twenty-two yuan, and a pair of shoes cost ten yuan, which would be worth several thousand yuan today. More expensive shoes still existed, but the ration coupons had long since run out.

He Yuzhu patted her on the shoulder: "Remember—as long as your nephew and niece haven't been born yet, you'll get to choose all the good fabrics, new clothes, food coupons, and meat coupons from the family!"

Lou Xiao'e nodded with a smile.

She believed everything he said. She had seen through him long ago; how could Sha Zhu be foolish? He was perfectly shrewd. There was always a reason behind his words, and he would surely tell her every word when they lay in bed that night.

He Yushui's eyes reddened, she clutched the thin ticket tightly, and turned to plunge back into the crowd in the department store.

He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e still had to rush to the supply and marketing cooperative—there were some things that the department store simply didn't sell.

A long queue formed in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, with people packed shoulder to shoulder. The smell of sweat mixed with the aroma of pickled vegetables filled the air, a scene straight out of a street market before the Spring Festival in the 1980s, so crowded that people could hardly breathe.

He Yuzhu felt as if half of his soul had been squeezed out.

The two finally carried their large and small baskets out of the shop. A gust of cold wind blew, and he took a deep breath—as if all the stale air accumulated in his lungs had been washed away.

Lou Xiao'e reached out to take it: "Do you want me to help you divide it into two portions?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "We're almost home, you can rest."

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, his second uncle, Yan Bugui, greeted him with a smile: "Silly Zhu's back from buying New Year's goods? Hey! What a haul!"

He Yuzhu replied with a smile, "Just buying a few things randomly. It's the first time I'm spending the New Year with my wife, so I'm just looking for some fun."

Yan Bugui stroked his beard: "Would you like your second uncle to write you a couplet for the Spring Festival? Plenty of peanuts and melon seeds will do!"

He Yuzhu readily nodded: "Then I'll trouble you! I'll bring the dried goods to pick them up tomorrow."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he accompanied Lou Xiao'e into the house.

Inside the house, the coal stove was burning brightly.