Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu stripped him down to his underwear, lifted him into the bathtub, and scrubbed him. As the warm water washed over his neck, He Yuzhu stared at the mud-splattered face that was grinning foolishly, and his anger suddenly subsided—wasn't he in the same state when he himself fell into the latrine while climbing the roof to steal a bird's nest? After washing and drying him, he wrapped him in a clean jacket, put him on the bed, raised his hand halfway, but ultimately didn't bring it down.

Lou Xiao'e saw him just get out of the bathtub, immediately scooped him up and pulled him into her arms, giving him two sharp slaps on the buttocks. He Aijun shrank back, his eyes curved into crescents, and the corners of his mouth turned up, as if he were the one being slapped.

He Aidang had already slipped away and headed straight for his uncle and aunt in the backyard. When they saw him, they immediately pulled out some roasted beans and sweet potatoes from their enamel mugs and secretly slipped them into his hands. The three children eagerly awaited the school bell—He Aidang thought his older brother was stingy, his pockets always emptier than his face; his uncles, on the other hand, seemed to have endless snacks in their pockets, as if they carried a treasure trove.

He Yubing was most attached to He Yushui, not only because all her clothes were sewn by her aunt stitch by stitch, but also because whenever she fell, had a fever, or had a nightmare, the first person to hug her was always her aunt who always smelled of soap.

He Yuzhu took out a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) from his spatial storage and handed it to He Aijun. The boy took it and started eating it, his cheeks bulging like they were stuffed with two walnuts. Oil dripped down his chin, but he didn't wipe it off, just haphazardly wiped it with his sleeve.

He Yubing only likes chicken, but as for the second son, He Yuzhu has no idea what he likes—he'll stuff anything he can eat into his mouth, and he loves to hide food under the kang mat or in the cracks of the windowsill. I don't know who he learned this skill from.

When the candy was chewed down to the size of a fingernail, He Aidang finally came back, spitting out the sticky candy and slapping it into He Aijun's palm. He Aijun was quick-witted and snatched the candy into his mouth before it even landed, then casually stuffed the half-eaten roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) into his second brother's hand.

He Yuzhu felt a churning in his stomach and almost vomited.

"You really aren't picky eaters? You dare to snatch food that someone else has vomited on?" He grabbed He Aijun by the back of the collar. "Believe me or not, I'll grab a broom right now!"

Before the words were even finished, He Aijun was already kneeling on the ground, his knees covered in dust from the cracks in the blue bricks, his little face tense. He wasn't allowed to get up until he spat out all the candy.

Once the sugar had dissolved into sweet syrup and was flowing down his chin, he spat it out with a "pui" sound, then tilted his head back and grinned at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu stared at him, inwardly grumbling: They agreed to each have one, so why does his little brother's taste so much better? The third child's candy is neither too soft nor too hard, and the fourth child's candy hasn't even melted yet, so why is he fixated on the second child's little bit of saliva? He's almost five years old, and all he does is think about how to annoy people…

At night, the children were settled on separate earthen beds. Lou Xiao'e coaxed the second child to sleep soundly before quietly moving into He Yushui's room.

"Shouldn't we send Aijun to school next year? He'll be six years old then."

"Two more years in the wild, then you'll be seven." He Yuzhu blew out the kerosene lamp, his voice low and steady. "Too young, can't sit still."

"Isn't it better to start learning early?"

"Have you heard about the university closures? Who knows when they'll resume?" He paused, his voice turning somber. "In a few days, those who have graduated but have no jobs will be stuck at home starving. I have my own plans for those who enroll a year later."

The current school system is still the "5-2-2" system, with high school lasting nine years. If He Aijun had entered school in 1968, he would have graduated the year the college entrance examination was reinstated. If he had entered a year earlier, he would either have been forced into a factory as an apprentice or sent to the countryside to work for a year and a half—where would he have had time to look through He Yuzhu's old textbooks? Those yellowed math notes and physics workbooks, He Yuzhu had already neatly stacked them in his storage space, just waiting for that day.

Lou Xiao'e nodded gently: "I'll listen to you."

"Hurry up and eat this roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)."

"Stop going to the black market, it's not safe." She lowered her voice. "You always say you bought everything from the black market, but lately... I just don't feel safe with that."

I have a plan in mind.

"By the way, that kid Yang Chengyi, he was loitering around the factory gate again today carrying that big pig stick. Isn't he afraid of being targeted?"

"I've tried to persuade him. He's been very well-behaved lately, staying in the factory doing nails and rivets, and hasn't left the workshop at all."

Nineteen-year-old Yang Chengyi had been a temporary worker for three years. The factory had long since stopped hiring; the quotas were more tightly controlled than an iron gate. He wasn't worried—selling liquor was the main business. Regular customers delivered it personally, and he passed on all the casual customers to middlemen. This morning, He Yuzhu declared: ten jin of liquor a day, exclusively for regular customers; all other channels were to be cut off. Focus on work, we'll talk about the New Year later.

"I heard that the publicity department's announcer broke up with her boyfriend?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback. Lou Xiao'e, having spent so much time at the Women's Federation, had ears sharper than a radio; she knew better than the person involved if anyone's pots and pans made a commotion.

"oh."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lou Xiao'e was still rambling on when He Yuzhu's breathing became even and deep. She pursed her lips, still savoring the moment—Yu Haitang had been working at the factory for more than half a year, and Yu Li had married Yan Jiecheng earlier that year.

Just as dawn was breaking, Lou Xiaosi burst in, his voice more punctual than a rooster's crow. He Yuzhu groggily got up, made him a cup of malted milk, woke the children one by one, and brought them water to wash their faces. By the time Lou Xiao'e had finished washing up, the whole family was already standing neatly at the gate of the courtyard.

He Yuzhu held two children in one hand and pushed a stroller with the other, following Lou Xiao'e into the factory. He Yushui also had to get to her early shift and didn't have time to look after the children. Hearing that she had started dating a colleague at the factory, He Yuzhu asked a couple of questions but didn't press the matter further.

Just as they reached the factory gate, they bumped into Yu Haitang arguing heatedly with a male employee. This was none of their business, so they didn't even bother to look at her, simply put the child down on the playground, and headed straight to the canteen to go to work.

Lou Xiao'e, hands on her hips, glared and yelled, "He Aijun! If you roll around in the mud like a monkey again today, I'll make sure your butt gets a good beating—I'll stir-fry you with a bamboo stick dipped in oil, a sure cure for itchy skin!"

The once soft-spoken, elegant young lady, whose cheongsam hem never got dusty, now chases after a mud-splattered boy all over the yard, putting on a hilarious farce. He's Lou Xiao'e's first child, and he holds more weight in her heart than all her later children combined. But this boy is a handful, constantly finding new ways to tease her: they argue fiercely, their legs kick up dust, their arguments are increasingly convincing, and even their pick fights are ingeniously creative.

Director Zhang strolled into the cafeteria and headed straight for He Yuzhu's office.

"Xiao He, your file has been submitted to the head office. You're officially the director now! Special times call for special arrangements—the Organization Department will issue the official document tomorrow. They're too busy right now, so they won't be here to read it aloud in person."

He Yuzhu knew perfectly well that he had only just secured this position, and to truly settle down, he would need to attend a Party school. Qiao Weimin was not only his introducer to the Party but also the key figure who had propelled him to become director; while the Director Zhang before him had now been promoted to deputy factory director, in charge of security and logistics. Tomorrow, with a transfer order, he would never set foot in this room again.

Director Zhang led He Yuzhu back to his original office, where two people were already sitting: Wang Jian and An Qingxue—one was the logistics department's liaison specialist, and the other was the purchasing and accounting clerk.

"You're familiar with Wang Jian; he handles logistics. An Qingxue manages both purchasing and bookkeeping. From now on, He Yuzhu will be the head of the canteen; all matters, big and small, must be reported to him."

He Yuzhu nodded, his voice calm yet authoritative: "The cafeteria will operate as usual, the rules will remain the same, and the human touch will not diminish. Please be understanding and offer your reminders."

After seeing Director Zhang off, he quickly flipped through the materials on the table, casually signed a few urgent documents, and handed them to the two men.

As soon as work ended at noon, He Yuzhu walked towards the corner where Factory Director Yang was working. The man was emaciated, with sunken eyes. His family had long since stopped contacting him, and he only had half a bowl of coarse grain mixed with bran for his three meals a day.

He Yuzhu glanced around and raised his voice, shouting, "Haven't you finished sweeping over there yet? Come over here and clean it up!" A figure moved nearby, and Factory Director Yang understood, silently following to the corner. He Yuzhu quickly pulled two crispy, golden-brown cornbreads from his pocket and shoved them into his hand. Suddenly noticing someone approaching in the distance, he immediately put on a stern face: "What are you daydreaming about? Go sweep!" He then pretended to inspect the area, took a couple of steps to the side, and strode away.

Life is unpredictable; who could have foreseen this...?

Fortunately, he was well-liked, and no one in the factory took advantage of his misfortune or deliberately tried to kick him while he was down.

As soon as He Yuzhu stepped out of the factory gate, he saw Lou Xiao'e holding He Aijun's hand, standing under the shade of a tree waiting for him. The second and third children saw him from afar, took off running, and grabbed his legs, refusing to let go. He pushed his bicycle out with one hand, lifted the two children onto the back seat, and slowly followed behind Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e smiled and patted her youngest son's head: "You didn't cause any trouble today, that's good for you. Keep it up!"

The couple negotiated terms as they walked back to the courtyard house. Just as they stepped inside, they saw Yu Haitang standing at the door of Yan Bugui's house, chatting animatedly with her sister. Upon seeing He Yuzhu enter, she immediately stopped talking, smiling and nodding.

"Director He, hello."

"Hello, Comrade Yu."

Yu Haitang was just about to chime in with a casual remark—

He Aijun suddenly shouted, "Mom! My dad kicked me at the factory today!"

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids: "If you didn't stuff firecrackers into the cafeteria stove, would I be chasing after you and kicking them? I'll settle the score with you when we get home!"

Yu Haitang's lips moved, but she ultimately remained silent.

Lou Xiao'e was taken aback: Why was this little rascal being unusually well-behaved today? She later learned that he had been dragged into the office and made to kneel for a good while that morning before being taken to the playground to run wild. No wonder, why had her son suddenly changed his ways?

As she walked into the courtyard, Lou Xiao'e muttered, "Zhu Zi, a couple of slaps are enough. That one meal this morning is enough for him to remember for three days."

He Yuzhu was too lazy to pay attention. This kid was always making fun of him. He didn't know who gave him the firecrackers—he had already said: If you dare to play again, I'll really beat you!

As soon as He Yushui stepped into the courtyard, she bumped into Yu Haitang. The two were old acquaintances, and chatting and laughing, they entered He Yuzhu's house together.

Yu Haitang simply followed He Yushui into the house, then turned around and went out to bring He Yubing in. The two siblings sat in the house and chatted about everyday things.