Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Liu Songgui originally thought that after He Yuzhu took over, Ma Hua would definitely become the class monitor. Unexpectedly, he got a great deal: he would receive an extra two dollars in subsidies every month, and the work was not heavy. He was extremely grateful.

Ma Hua wasn't envious. He had learned 80% of He Yuzhu's skills and was now a level seven chef, earning only two yuan less than He Yuzhu. His wife often said, "Be content, our master treats us well." This was true—both he and his wife were permanent employees, and although his elderly mother was a temporary worker, their combined income was enough to live comfortably. This day after get off work, he still had to accompany Liu Songgui to his brother-in-law's house to help with the cooking. Ever since He Yuzhu became the temporary director at the beginning of the year, nine out of ten times when there was a wedding banquet cooking job at the factory, it fell to the two of them.

Wang Ya was also very happy. Before Director Zhang left his post, he helped her become a permanent employee. She had been a permanent employee for more than half a year, and her household registration had long been transferred to the city. Her child was being cared for by her mother. However, her mother's household registration could not be transferred, and she did not have a food ration book, so Wang Ya's family relied entirely on the food rations they saved to support her.

After get off work, He Yuzhu went to the Zhou family's house with Ma Hua. Zhou Xue invited him to a banquet, and he slipped her two yuan, intending to take some leftovers home as well.

He used to always take He Yubing with him when going out to banquets; today, she went with her aunt. After handing over the money at the Zhou family's house, he looked around and chose a table with the children—it was impossible to compete with a group of aunties and older women for food. Once the little ones had devoured most of the dishes, he quickly took out his food container and deftly packed them up. A moment later, and the sharp-eyed older women would have spotted them and snatched up all the good food. After packing, he chatted briefly with Zhou Caishun before getting up to leave.

Back at the courtyard house, he immediately saw Xu Damao grinning as he played with the three children, who called out "Daddy" in their baby voices. His heart warmed. Xu Damao greeted him first—Xu Damao had been promoted to head of the propaganda department, but in terms of rank, he was still two levels below him; besides, he hadn't even had a chance to get used to the position.

He Yuzhu responded with a sound of agreement, but didn't say anything more. Avoiding trouble and small talk was his attitude towards most people in the courtyard.

As soon as I stepped into the house, I heard the old lady and Lou Xiao'e sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting. The old lady was in good health and full of energy, smiling as she looked at Lou Yue and chattering away.

He Yubing ran over to take the food box, then helped the old lady sit down at the table. She served herself rice, occasionally feeding her youngest son a bite, without waiting for her two older brothers to return. He Yuzhu turned and went to the backyard to look for them—they don't even know to come home for meals, they're practically living emperors!

As soon as they entered the yard with their eldest and second eldest children, they saw He Yushui feeding Lou Xiaosi.

"Brother, all the things have been moved into my room."

"Make sure the door is locked tight, don't let them break in and make a mess. Aren't you going to serve dinner? Are you waiting for me to feed you bite by bite?" He raised his eyebrows at He Aidang.

Today, He Yushui followed the gift-giving procession into the courtyard, and everyone's eyes were glued to her: brand-new bedding, a gleaming sewing machine, a brand-new radio, and two sets of clothes and two pairs of leather shoes—He Yubing was dressed in brand-new clothes from head to toe. Several newly married women hid in the corner and muttered, "She's so lucky..." They went back to their rooms and complained sourly to their husbands.

"By the way, if you're going to Baoding to see Dad, should you let me know in advance?"

"Want to go? You can't even get in the door, it's a wasted trip."

"It's easy to see someone—bring a decent gift and give the White Widow ten dollars, and you're guaranteed to get a meeting."

"Forget it! I'll use that ten yuan to buy fabric for Yubing to make clothes, not for her! No way!"

He Yubing stood on tiptoe and tugged at his sleeve: "Dad, I want to listen to the radio!"

"Sleep with your aunt tonight, she'll play it for you." Before he finished speaking, he glared at the eldest and second eldest sons—the meaning was clear: whoever dared to ask for it would be dealt with by the bamboo cane!

He Aijun pouted, "Dad, you're biased!"

"Then go listen in your aunt's room, I won't stop you. But you make your sister angry every day, so what if she doesn't let you touch it? It's none of my business. Besides, the radio belongs to her, not mine. What do you mean by favoritism? Your clothes and shoes are all new, aren't they? The second and fourth children's clothes were all worn out and outdated before they got them."

He Aijun was speechless. All the clothes in the house were indeed new; he had only passed them down to his children when they became old and ill-fitting.

Which family isn't like this these days? He Yuzhu didn't want to stand out—the whole family wearing new clothes would be too conspicuous.

Seeing He Aijun's dejected appearance, the old lady couldn't help but laugh. This rascal was mischievous, sweet-talking, and always getting into trouble. He Yuzhu reached out to carry her back to the house, but the old lady waved her hand: "No need, I can walk!"

As soon as she stepped across the threshold, she saw He Yubing standing with her hands on her hips, blocking her two older brothers from entering the house. Her little face was tense: "Don't come in!"

He Yuzhu patted her head: "Let the brothers listen for a while, Dad will come to pick them up later."

The two children sat cross-legged on the heated kang with great excitement, eagerly waiting for a tune to come from the radio, while He Yuzhu also had to take care of Lou Xiao'e and Xiao Yue'er.

……

At the end of the month, He Yuzhu rushed to the factory early in the morning to ask for leave from Factory Director Qiao Weimin—he was going to send He Yushui off to her wedding that noon. He also stopped by the canteen to ask a few acquaintances to come and help out that evening. After finishing all this, he hurried back to the courtyard house.

He Yushui, dressed in a crisp military green wedding gown with a bright red velvet flower pinned to her chest and her military cap neatly perched on her head, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting with Lou Xiao'e. According to tradition, the wedding banquet should have been held at noon, but since most of the neighbors were either on shifts or traveling, it was impossible to gather everyone, so it was moved to the afternoon.

Aunt Yi led several neighbors who were at home to wash vegetables, knead dough, and steam buns; they borrowed a couple of tables and chairs from one neighbor and moved a few from another; all the dowry chests and cabinets were tied tightly with bright red cloth strips. When the wedding procession arrived, they first invited them to have a hot meal and chat in the courtyard before heading out in a lively atmosphere.

Just past eleven o'clock, the outside was bustling with noise and laughter—the wedding party had arrived.

The two tables of food served to the wedding guests were all cooked by Aunt Yi. Today, the host family only needed to greet the guests and didn't have to lift a finger at the stove.

After a hearty meal, He Yuzhu squatted down, carefully carried his younger sister on his back, and gently placed her on Liu Yuanhao's gleaming bicycle. Liu's relatives and friends then picked, carried, and carried the dowry, neatly arranging it all, and escorted the newlyweds out the door.

He Yuzhu turned back, wrapped Lou Yue in his arms, and took He Aijun's hand with one hand; Lou Xiao'e carried the fourth brother on her back, and held the second and third brothers' hands with her other two hands. The group followed the wedding procession, walking towards the Liu family in the warm winter sun.

He Yuzhu lowered his voice: "You better behave yourself today. If you dare to act wildly, I'll skin you alive when we get home."

He Aijun looked up at his father and said, "Dad, I'm being a good boy."

He Yuzhu was afraid that this kid would rush up and shove the children as soon as he entered someone's yard, which would not only be embarrassing but also seem like he was deliberately showing off, making people misunderstand that he was teaching the children bad things.

"Today when we go to your uncle's house, you stay close to me and don't wander off—I'll make you a kite with a whistle later."

He Aijun's eyes lit up immediately: "Okay, Dad!" His little face was red from the cold, but he smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared. He insisted on flying a kite even in the freezing cold, pestering him seven or eight times a day, and He Yuzhu was at his wit's end.

They arrived at the Liu family home, chatting and laughing all the way. Aunt Liu's eyes lit up at the sight of the overflowing dowry: this marriage had truly brought honor to the Liu family. Although the Liu family had contributed tangible goods like bicycles, watches, and fine cloth, the dowry was complete and neatly arranged. Relatives gathered around, marveling at the sight, and Aunt Liu's face shone even brighter. She had always liked He Yushui—a college graduate, from a respectable farming family, steady and reliable—and the two had even worked together in the same factory.

She had initially planned that since He Yushui's sister-in-law was unemployed and He Yuzhu's family had many children, she would give up her position and transfer it to Lou Xiao'e after her sister gave birth. However, it turned out that Lou Xiao'e was already a staff member of the street women's federation, rendering her efforts futile.

After He Yushui and the others entered the inner room, firecrackers crackled and popped outside the courtyard. Only then did He Yuzhu, leading the children, step into the Liu family's house, introduced by the matchmaker, Sister Hu. As soon as they stopped, Aunt Liu caught sight of He Aijun, immediately rushed forward, pulled him into her arms, and kissed him twice. He Yuzhu's eyelids twitched—this boy was pleasing to the eye, but his actions were a real headache.

He Aijun called out in a clear voice, "Hello, Grandma Liu!" and then leaned over to give her a kiss.

He Yuzhu finally breathed a sigh of relief: "I did pretty well today." Uncle Liu then came out carrying He Yubing and warmly invited He Yuzhu and his wife to sit down.

After He Yuzhu's family settled in, the Liu family quickly invited their relatives to take their seats, setting up two tables where everyone chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere. The main meal wouldn't be ready until after get off work in the afternoon.

After chatting for a while, He Yuzhu got up to take his leave—his family was waiting for him to go back and make arrangements. The Liu family didn't insist that he stay, only agreeing to a return visit three days later. Only then did the two families officially begin their interactions, following the practical rules passed down from their elders.

When He Yuzhu got home, he immediately found a few green bamboo strips, a needle, thread, and scissors. He cut the urea bags he had saved into pieces and started making a kite for He Aijun. Otherwise, the little rascal would definitely cause a ruckus in the afternoon. He also casually tore off a few strands of cotton thread that Lou Xiao'e had left over from knitting a sweater, tied them to the kite's tail, and stuffed it into the child's hand.

As soon as it was time to leave in the afternoon, all the canteen staff rushed over. Peng Mei and her husband also arrived, and Factory Director Qiao Weimin came in person. Nearly half of the leaders from the Third Branch Factory were there. Liu Haizhong saw them on his way home from get off work, and without saying a word, he grabbed his two sons and rushed into the kitchen, moving firewood, boiling water, and wiping tables, keeping busy until their feet barely touched the ground.

Yan Bugui volunteered to take on the bookkeeping task, writing each entry meticulously. He was genuinely grateful to He Yuzhu for trusting him—in recent years, no one in the courtyard had asked him to keep accounts for weddings or funerals anymore.

The brothers Liu Erdan and Liu Hong were in charge of cooking at the stove; Liu Songgui, on the other hand, sat in the kitchen as the "general coordinator," directing everyone to do their jobs. When serving the dishes, the three Yang brothers, along with a group of teenagers from the yard, carried plates and bowls; Lou Xiao'e chatted and drank tea with the cadres from the factory; He Yuzhu carried a wine pot and cups, going from table to table to toast and thank everyone for their help.