Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Over the past decade or so, she had witnessed far too much betrayal: her own son, to protect himself, would publicly testify against his father; her husband would turn on her faster than flipping through a book. But what about He Yuzhu? He never made a fuss, yet he shielded her from all the storms of life early on, keeping troublesome people out and building a peaceful life for her inch by inch.

He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and gently stroked her back with the other, like soothing a frightened bird. This embrace felt like holding onto half a lifetime. Having made up her mind, she would walk steadily forward—unless he closed his eyes first. Love is never something one can calculate; it takes root quietly, yet it grows the deepest and most ruthlessly.

Perhaps, it was at that moment when he invited her to the movies, and she huddled at the theater entrance, rubbing her hands and stamping her feet, her cheeks red from the cold, yet still smiling up at him, saying, "I'll wait for you to buy the tickets and come back," that he firmly nailed this person into his heart for the rest of his life.

If such a person truly existed in reality, who would be willing to let go?

Lou Xiao'e released him and walked alone into the west room, her fingertips brushing against the mottled cabinet surface, the dusty mirror frame, the faded curtains... every step was a step into memories. When she slowly walked down the stairs and stood in front of him, her voice was soft, but with an undeniable gentleness: "Zhu Zi, let's move tomorrow. I'm afraid... Mom and Dad might suddenly come back one day and not be able to find us."

Since he said the wind is getting warmer, then the day of reunion is really not far away.

"Let's move after the New Year," he smiled, "Anyway, there are only a few days left until Lunar New Year's Eve."

On their way back, the two had just turned into the courtyard alley when they bumped into Liu Guangfu supporting his wife, both covered in dust and mud. A few steps later, Xu Damao also entered the courtyard with Banggeng in tow—the child looked dejected, with sunken eyes and a dusty face, clearly having endured hardship in the countryside.

When He Yuzhu entered the courtyard, Qin Huairu was squatting under the pomegranate tree, sobbing and embracing a stick, her shoulders heaving. He Yuzhu didn't stop, heading straight for the backyard, and patted Xiao Wu's shoulder as he said, "Go and call Uncle Yi, tell him you have something important to discuss."

Yi Zhonghai arrived quickly, sat down without saying a word, and He Yuzhu had already filled two glasses of baijiu and handed one to him.

"Uncle Yi," he raised his glass and clinked it with his, "Xiao'e and I plan to move back to her parents' old house. This courtyard will be left to Jiye. This location will only become more and more valuable in the future. If you have the money, try to buy the whole place. You can keep this to yourself—I have nothing else to repay you for all the help you and my aunt have given us over the years, but you must accept these three rooms."

Yi Zhonghai didn't refuse, but downed the wine in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing as he said, "You're destined for great things, I won't stop you. I just hope that if Jiye stumbles in the future, you can lend a helping hand."

"Don't worry, Uncle," He Yuzhu also downed his drink, "As long as he doesn't break the law or violate regulations, I will take care of him. Besides, if he really gets into university, the days when you two can enjoy your retirement are yet to come."

"Then let's stay up all night together for the New Year," Yi Zhonghai laughed. "Haven't we had a lively and festive year these past few years?"

"Okay!" He Yuzhu nodded. "I'll get started on the arrangements tomorrow. By the way—has Jiye looked at the review materials? The exams are just around the corner. Once you cross the threshold to university, everything will be different."

Yi Zhonghai picked up his wine glass, his hand trembling slightly: "Fangfang and Jiye are both watching closely—thanks to the materials you found! The luckiest thing that's ever happened to me is meeting you, Zhuzi. Uncle won't mince words; the words are all in the wine!"

……

For the past ten years, He Yuzhu has lived a life of extreme restraint. He dared not spend money, dared not speak loudly, and even subconsciously walked with light steps. Yet, he managed to save more than 20,000 yuan by virtue of his excellent cooking skills and a few scattered side businesses.

That day, after a meeting at the factory, he received a voucher for purchasing a television. The next day, before dawn, he rushed to the entrance of the Kyoto Department Store to queue in the dark. The wind was biting cold, the streetlights were still on, and two people were already huddled on the steps, dozing off, wrapped in cotton-padded coats. With only three hours left before the store opened, a few minutes later, Yan Bugui also joined the queue, rubbing his hands together.

The two chatted as they breathed on each other: Yan Bugui had been teaching diligently at the school for the past few years without causing any trouble, and was rewarded with a TV ticket; the department store had just received a new batch of 14-inch black and white TVs, and as soon as the news came out, the whole city was scrambling to buy them.

The door had barely been opened a crack when He Yuzhu dashed off, sprinting towards the TV counter like a 100-meter dash—there was only one person ahead of him in line, Yan Bugui following behind, panting. Only ten units were being sold that day, and the eleventh person in line didn't even get a chance to touch the screen.

After paying six hundred yuan and handing over the ticket stub, he carried the TV and antenna frame home, his face beaming with joy. He himself never liked watching TV, so he casually carried the set into He Yubing and Lou Yue's room, tightened the antenna knob, tuned the channel, and then turned and went to the backyard.

At this moment, Lou Xiaosi and Lou Xiaowu were staring blankly at the TV, grinning like idiots, while the other children were engrossed in doing practice problems—with the exam just around the corner, who had the mind to stare at that tiny screen? Only these two didn't care at all whether they passed or how many points they could get.

As Jiye finished get off work in the afternoon, he entered the backyard just as the bell rang. He pushed open the door and shouted, "Brother, Qin Huairu has retired! She gave up her position to Banggeng! She's only in her early forties, hasn't even paid enough social security contributions, and won't be able to collect her pension at all—what was she after?"

He Yuzhu shook his head with a smile: "Stop worrying about this. Get into university first, and your dad will be laughing in his sleep. Spending all day gossiping about this and that, is that appropriate?"

Ji Ye scratched his head: "Don't worry, brother, I'll win! I only took a year off from school, my foundation is still there."

"That's good."

"I'll study the materials with Aijun for a bit more later. Once we finish this night, we'll be full of energy tomorrow morning."

……

Since the "black market" regulations were relaxed, Qin Huairu became more active. Fearing that the policy might change again and her job would be unstable, she simply handed over her job to Bang Geng and set up a small stall on the black market, selling needles and thread, enamel mugs and wall calendars.

Xu Damao wholeheartedly agreed. He couldn't live without Banggeng anymore—after more than a decade of living together, their bond had hardened. In recent years, he'd secretly visited the hospital several times for checkups, but the doctors shook their heads and sighed: the root of the problem was incurable. So he placed all his hopes on Qin Huairu and her children.

Ultimately, he raised the children single-handedly, feeding them at night, delivering books to school, and keeping watch over them when they had fevers... He was responsible for everything. As long as he outlived Qin Huairu, he wouldn't starve or freeze.

On November 23, 1977, all the students in the city were on edge—the college entrance examination had been restarted. Three days of fierce competition: the first day was Chinese, the second day was math, and the third day was a combined math, physics, and chemistry exam, with foreign language being an elective, but very few people signed up for it.

He Yuzhu accompanied He Aijun to the examination hall. He watched the three children's figures disappear behind the iron gate before turning to leave. This year, the age limit for examinees was relaxed; married women and mothers were allowed to enter. But by 1979, this loophole was completely closed.

On the first day, He Yuzhu took the exam, and afterwards, Lou Xiao'e picked her up and dropped her off by bicycle. She had to brave the north wind and wait anxiously at the entrance of the courtyard for twenty days, hoping for the postman's jingling green bicycle.

On the morning of December 13th, the postman arrived as expected, carrying three gold-embossed letters: Yi Jiye had been admitted to the University of Science and Technology, Yi Fangfang had knocked on the door of the Normal University, and He Aijun had entered the Kyoto People's University.

Yi Zhonghai pulled He Yuzhu aside to discuss how they should host a few tables to make it more lively. He Yuzhu waved his hand and said, "Just invite a few old brothers I know well, enough to warm things up, no need to disturb the whole courtyard."

He invited all the old canteen staff, and also invited Director Yang—although he had been reinstated, his official appointment wouldn't be until next year; Qiao Weimin had been transferred; Director Zhang was promoted to Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, a newly established agency directly under the State Council, primarily responsible for overall economic policy coordination, aggregate control, and top-level design of institutional reforms. Its predecessor was the State Planning Commission, established in 1952, renamed the State Development Planning Commission in 1998, and finally named the "National Development and Reform Commission" (NDRC) in 2003 after integrating some functions of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System and the State Economic and Trade Commission.

Peng Mei was transferred to serve as deputy secretary of the local district party committee and deputy district head;

She and He Yuzhu both studied at the Third Party School for half a year, but in different classes with vastly different training directions; Qin Aidang was promoted to deputy director of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office. Over the past ten years, they have maintained contact. It is said that Qiao Weimin is about to take up the post of deputy director of the Second Cadre Division of the Organization Department.

Over the past decade, the Third Steel Rolling Mill's output has increased year after year, and its production has remained stable. It has received numerous commendations from higher authorities, and a large number of key personnel have been promoted. Only He Yuzhu has yet to receive an appointment.

However, the old leader was transferred back from the south and resumed his position as head of the steel rolling mill.

That evening, He Yuzhu hosted a banquet at home to celebrate Ai Jun's college admission. Liu Haizhong was dumbfounded as soon as he stepped into the courtyard—seven or eight gleaming cars were parked outside, and he didn't recognize any of the people who got out, let alone talk to them. Several of them were "big shots" who had come from the steel mill back in the day, and he didn't even know which way their office doors faced. When the last car door opened, four fully armed guards jumped out. Liu Haizhong's legs trembled on the spot, and he felt so envious that his teeth ached.

He Yuzhu stood at the courtyard gate to greet the guest. Seeing him arrive, he greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Liu, you've graced us with your presence?"

A leader laughed loudly, "It's been over ten years since I've had your cooking! I came all this way to satisfy my craving!"

Having said that, he strode into the house.

As soon as the leader entered, everyone stood up in unison.

The leader gestured, "Please sit down! We're here to share in the joy, so don't be shy, the more relaxed the better!"

He Yuzhu arranged for the leaders to sit at the main table, while the canteen staff sat at two other tables. He took Lou Xiao'e's arm and went from table to table toasting, thanking everyone for their support.

Xu Damao huddled in the corner, his face pale and his palms sweaty—thankfully, he had heeded Qin Huairu's advice and had never clashed with Sha Zhu over the years. Otherwise, any one of them could have crushed him with a flick of their finger tonight. Now he was just a gatekeeper checking tickets, while these people in front of him all held real power, their ranks so high that he had barely even heard of them, only occasionally catching a glimpse of their names from the head of the propaganda department.

The lowest-ranking officials here, besides Sha Zhu, are Factory Director Yang. If Factory Director Yang is just a "minor character," then what about the others? Especially the one at the very end—accompanied by four guards, his aura is so imposing that the entire alley is quiet.