Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Just as dawn was breaking, Liu Degui hitched up the oxcart, took them to the commune to complete the formalities, and then bumped along the way to the bus station.

He stood beside the car, his voice deep and resolute: "Remember one thing—once you're in the factory, give it your all! Don't embarrass Liujia Village! Listen to Lanzi in everything; he's been in the city for a long time and knows more than we do. If I hear you've messed things up and are slinking back home, I won't be so lenient!" With that, he waved his hand. "Get in the car!"

Once in the city, Erdan stared blankly at the street scene. The farthest he had ever been in his life was that drab little house at the commune's supply and marketing cooperative. Everything before him—the towering buildings, the speeding cars, the dense crowds, the gleaming glass windows—looked like something out of a magazine, completely different from the "city" he had in mind.

Liu Lan led them inside: "This is my home. Leave your things here for now. We'll move them into the dormitory after we finish the factory procedures."

Then he led the two through the streets and alleys, straight to the government affairs department to report, then to the finance department to get their temporary worker certificates, and finally to the logistics department to get their keys and beds.

Once everything was settled, Liu Lan led them to the cafeteria. The dining hall was empty, with only a few long tables glistening with oil.

"From now on, you'll eat and work in this area. To buy things, just turn left when you go out, and the supply and marketing cooperative is not far away. Once you've established yourself, I'll take you to the department store—but right now, coupons are scarce, and there's no sign of benefits yet. Work hard, and once you're officially hired, you'll have everything you need."

Erdan returned to Liu Lan's house and had a hot meal, paying three ounces of grain coupons and ten cents for the food as required. The two carried their willow baskets to the dormitory assigned by the logistics department to settle in. Just as they unfolded their bedding, they heard a bell ringing outside—it was time to report to the canteen.

Sister-in-law Liu doesn't need to go; her husband lives here. It's a good time to spend some time together tonight, but she can't stay for free. She needs to prepare some gifts and send them to the logistics department to secure the room—it's not right to keep staying at her sister-in-law's house all the time.

At noon, Liu Lan brought all twelve new employees to the cafeteria.

Upon hearing "Liu Family Village," He Yuzhu immediately understood: "It's not far from the place where the uprising started."

Liu Lan introduced, "This is our cafeteria supervisor, Chef He Yuzhu. From now on, listen to him; do whatever he tells you to do."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Liu Songgui, you're in charge of the old canteen. You'll oversee everything, from cooking and preparing ingredients to miscellaneous tasks. If you're unsure about anything, just come to me. This batch of new recruits will be paired up—one experienced person with one newbie. You'll be in charge of that. Anyone who objects or tries to cheat, just say my name."

He paused, then glanced at his watch. "The dishes need to be ready by the afternoon, so let's hurry."

Liu Songgui responded and led the group, quickly choosing his partner before turning and entering the kitchen.

Liu Lan was also assigned to the steamed bun team, where she kneaded dough and lifted steamer baskets alongside her sister-in-law.

He Yuzhu and Ma Hua were in charge of cooking the stew in the big pot, while the others did their own jobs, making the whole canteen much more relaxed.

Director Zhang strolled in, glanced around, and said, "Xiao He, is everything sorted out? The dishes must be ready on time this afternoon, don't let us down."

He Yuzhu wiped his hands: "Everything is arranged. With experienced people mentoring newcomers, we can speed things up by half in a week."

Director Zhang nodded: "I'm at ease with you handling things." With that, he walked away with his hands behind his back.

As soon as the afternoon work bell rang, the workers noticed twelve more windows and rushed over to get their meals. The food was served more than twice as fast as before, and one worker, carrying his bowl, exclaimed, "This is really efficient!"

He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle and walked out of the steel plant gate side by side with Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e asked with a smile, "You're off work so early today?"

"With more people and faster hands, we can naturally finish work earlier." He hopped on his bike. "What about your side? Still the same as always?"

"Pretty much. I also saw a few women carrying their grandchildren to work, who were assigned to sweep fallen leaves and clean the playground at the factory gate."

"Most of them are orphans of martyrs, and the factory will help them as much as it can."

"Oh, right—Liu Haizhong was carrying a box of snacks into Director Lin's office when he got a severe scolding. I don't know what he did wrong this time."

"I can't be bothered with him; he's obsessed with officialdom."

He carried Lou Xiao'e on his back, chatting about everyday things all the way back to the courtyard. Yan Bugui had been dismissed from his second uncle's job for speculation and profiteering, a position he feared he would never regain—after all, this was his second downfall. Today was even worse; his face was smeared with mud in public, leaving him so embarrassed he couldn't even lift his head. This courtyard, they're quick to flatter when they need someone, but ruthless when it comes to trampling on them. Strange things happen every year, but this year seems particularly bad.

For the past three days, Yan Bugui has been treated like a monkey by the people in the courtyard. He felt suffocated but didn't dare to utter a sound. Now he is a "live target" under everyone's noses, and he will probably have to think twice before even breathing in the future.

The eldest son had long since severed ties with him, despising him for his disgrace. At fifteen, he deliberately lied about being sixteen and went to work as a temporary worker in a factory. When he saw Yan Bugui, he would raise an eyebrow, stiffen his neck, and refuse to even look at him. The younger children were even more helpless, forced to huddle inside and listen to the sarcastic remarks from outside. They didn't even dare to linger after school, throwing down their schoolbags and rushing into their rooms, locking the door tightly shut.

When He Yuzhu pushed open the door, he saw someone throwing rotten cabbage leaves at Yan Bugui. The old man, hunched over, didn't even dare to dodge. Not long ago, he was wearing a smart Zhongshan suit, gesturing and scolding people at the gate! And look at him now—what goes around comes around; fate is in one's own hands, and misfortune comes of one's own making.

How should I deal with people who slander me, deceive me, insult me, laugh at me, belittle me, despise me, curse me, and cheat me?

The only course of action is to endure, yield, let things take their course, avoid them, be patient, and respect them; do not argue with them. Wait patiently for several years and see the outcome.

But it's only been a few days! Old Deng has been completely subdued, unable to even straighten his back. Once 1966 is over, those with criminal records will have an unimaginable life—they were grinning like madmen when they were taking advantage, but now their faces are frozen. Quite a few people in the neighborhood know about his fish-selling business; everything was peaceful before, so why did things suddenly turn so bad?

As for Xu Damao, if Hong Jingqiu really knew he was crippled, she would probably tear him to pieces, skin and bones! It wouldn't just be a beating every three days. Hong Jingqiu, this woman, may seem gentle on the surface, but she's full of schemes in her heart—she doesn't even want to think about the consequences if any man dares to have any wicked thoughts.

Lou Xiao'e stared at Yan Bugui in a daze: Is this really the same Third Uncle who was so radiant and spoke with such flair when we first met?

Just as her parents had said, He Yuzhu was quick-witted and reliable. Before she entered the house, they specifically told her, "Don't pay any attention to those ungrateful wretches in the courtyard." This was absolutely true—back then, even though Yan Bugui liked to take advantage of others, he would secretly slip food coupons to anyone who was struggling to make ends meet; if someone's child had a fever, he would ride his bicycle to the hospital in the middle of the night... The kindness hadn't even cooled down before they turned on her faster than dogs!

Even if He Yuzhu wanted to put on a show and step in to mediate, he wouldn't dare. The moment he showed his face, he would be immediately categorized as an "accomplice"; besides, he couldn't be bothered to intervene at all—not only did this old man steal the wine he had stored and freeload off the food he had saved, but on the day Liu Lan brought her child to his door, he was also winking and leading the gossip in the crowd!

He Yuzhu, holding onto his bicycle, walked home side by side with Lou Xiao'e, their shadows stretched long and thin by the setting sun.

……

Liu Haizhong kicked open the courtyard gate, his anger blazing—Xu Damao had really screwed him over! Director Lin had summoned him and given him a thorough dressing-down, leaving him sweating and tongue-tied. Trying to pull strings with higher-ups? He didn't even know which way the door faced.

Director Lin bluntly stated, "Your performance review is long over! Even if you bribe the factory director, it won't work! The people from head office are keeping a close eye on us; we don't even have the right to interrupt! You want to be a team leader? You can't even fill out a report, how are you going to manage people? That's just wishful thinking!"

Xu Damao had invited Director Lin to dinner, but they only talked about the weather and crops, handed each other bottles of wine and cigarettes, and didn't mention Liu Haizhong at all.

He wanted to confront Xu Damao, but couldn't find any fault with him, so he paced back and forth in the yard, stubbing out his cigarette butts all over the ground.

Two days later, Xu Damao came again, carrying a bottle of good wine as usual.

Liu Haizhong sat there with a stern face, coldly watching him, wanting to hear what other tricks this kid could come up with.

The two drank silently, finishing both cups in one sitting.

Xu Damao slowly said, "Uncle, you've probably come to the wrong person. This time, the head office sent someone down to conduct the assessment. Whether it's promotion to cadre or evaluation as a first-class fitter, it's all up to them to make the decision."

Liu Haizhong snorted, "And then?" His tone was as indifferent as plain water.

Xu Damao put down his cup: "Since Uncle doesn't want to get involved with the main factory, then I won't say anything more." He then made a move to get up.

Liu Haizhong's eye twitched—this expression didn't seem fake. He immediately put on a smiling face: "Oh dear, is Da Mao angry with Uncle? We're just joking around!"

Seeing that he had relented, Xu Damao sat down and said, "Well, the more people know about this, the worse it will be. When the time is right, I'll personally take you to meet the people."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong felt relieved—being able to meet with the person meant it wasn't just empty talk; without meeting the person, no matter how loudly they boasted, it was all just theory.

He immediately yelled at the top of his lungs, "Guangqi's mom! Quickly cook two hearty dishes, we're going to have a good drink with Damao today!"

His face lit up with a smile: Xu Damao still recognized him as "Grandpa" after all! As long as he performed well when he saw the leader, his promotion was almost guaranteed.

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

The canteen is already on track, with clear responsibilities for each position, smooth processes, and efficient operations. Everything is moving towards a brighter future.

In the afternoon, while carrying Lou Xiao'e back to the courtyard house, Yang Chengyi glanced at He Yuzhu sideways, his eyes darting around.

He Yuzhu understood at a glance and nodded without making a sound.

After dropping Lou Xiao'e off at her doorstep, he casually mentioned going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a pack of cigarettes, then turned around and headed straight for the old locust tree.

Yang Chengyi crouched under the tree roots, crouching low. When He Yuzhu approached, he meowed twice, like a wild cat that had successfully stolen a fish.

The incident that Yan Bugui suffered last time served as a stark warning to him: to do this job, one must be bold, but also have a heart as sharp as a needle tip.