Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong were eager to squeeze into the family dinner, but He Yuzhu hadn't even sent an invitation. The two men forced themselves to approach and greet him, but He Yuzhu only nodded in response, barely even lifting his eyelids.

Once the guests were seated, He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves and headed straight to the kitchen. His former boss had personally instructed him to prepare this meal with utmost sincerity—not just to go through the motions, but to genuinely cherish the sentiment.

As night deepened, he saw each guest off. Whether they were factory foremen or canteen cooks, he escorted them to the gate, personally helping them onto their cars or bicycles. In his eyes, everyone who came was a friend or relative; there was no distinction between cadres and ordinary citizens.

After the last guest left, Lou Xiao'e led the children to roll up their sleeves and tidy up the house. When He Yuzhu returned after seeing Ma Hua and his wife off, the house was already spotless, even the stove was gleaming with oil. He was tipsy and lay down in the backyard and fell into a deep sleep, his snores mingling with the evening breeze, as solid as an old brick.

……

Before they knew it, it was early 1978. He Yuzhu accompanied Director Qiao to a meeting at the main factory. Director Yang was reinstated and took over the reins, while He Yuzhu was transferred to the Party School for full-time study. Qiao Weimin was promoted to deputy director of the Organization Department, and his words carried more weight in personnel arrangements.

As soon as Director Yang took office, he wanted to invite Lou Xiao'e to work in the factory, but He Yuzhu declined with a smile. Instead, he rented a small shop at the street corner and helped her set up a Sichuan restaurant. Ma Hua and his wife simply resigned from their public jobs and devoted themselves entirely to this local community.

He Yuzhu admired their courage from the bottom of his heart and immediately decided that half of the restaurant's shares would belong to them—not for nothing, but as real employees.

That year, ration coupons for grain, cloth, and meat were gradually phased out, and Kyoto took the lead in piloting a system where "you get what you pay for, not what you have to pay for." Ma Hua received seven or eight parts of He Yuzhu's true teachings and was also personally taught Sichuan cuisine secrets by him. Now, their small shop earns three to four thousand a month, which they split equally. He Yuzhu is planning to wait until the policies loosen up a bit more in the second half of the year, then grit his teeth and buy a courtyard house—both to run a private restaurant and to fulfill Lou Xiao'e's long-cherished wish.

Just after the Spring Festival, Lou Xiao'e moved into the Lou family villa with her children. She took the television, bedding, sewing machine, and clothes for all four seasons, but left everything else in the old courtyard untouched.

He Yuzhu led Yi Jiye to the subdistrict office to complete the transfer of ownership, and the five rooms were successfully registered under Yi Jiye's name. After returning to the courtyard, he carried two bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and sat under the grape trellis with Yi Zhonghai, clinking glasses and chatting.

As soon as Xiao Wu stepped into the villa, his eyes darted around excitedly. Once inside the living room, he ran all over the place.

Lou Yue stood on tiptoe, pointed to Lou Xiao'e's former bedroom, and called out in a clear voice, "Mom! I want this one!"

Before the words were even finished, the suitcases were already dragged in and quickly claimed their spots. He Yubing chose a south-facing room downstairs, He Aijun went straight to the room next to the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor, while He Aidang and Lou Mancang took a liking to the room with a small balcony on the first floor.

Everyone opened their luggage and stuffed their clothes into the closet. Xiao Wu grabbed her older brother's sleeve, eagerly asking him to help set up the antenna; He Aijun and the old man quickly connected the wires and tuned the channel. As soon as the TV was installed in her room, they turned and ran to the yard—the sandbags were hung up, the wooden stakes were set up, and they went to practice. Now, only Xiao Wu and Lou Xiao'e in the family love to watch the TV. He Aijun is about to go to university, and the others are either buried in their exams or running to the restaurant to help Lou Xiao'e watch the stove and keep accounts.

When He Yuzhu strolled back, only two rooms remained empty on the second floor. In the living room, the sewing machine clattered as He Yubing busied herself making her brother's new clothes for college. Xiao Wu, who was pestering her for a dress, rushed towards He Yuzhu as soon as he entered, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling him, her cheeks glowing pink. He Yuzhu smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

He Yuzhu asked, "Where's your mother?"

Lou Yue looked up and said, "They went to a restaurant! Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma are swamped with work, and my second and fourth brothers rushed over too. My eldest brother is reciting his lessons inside, and my third sister is altering my skirt."

He Yuzhu patted her head: "You'll be going to junior high soon, so spend less time on TV and more time flipping through your textbooks. Your third sister is taking the college entrance exam this year, and as for dresses, I'll take you to the department store to pick one out—they have a lot of different styles."

Lou Yue pouted, "The fabric from the department store is stiff as a rock, nowhere near as soft as what Third Sister sews! I only trust her work!"

He Yuzhu shook his head with a smile. This girl is full of tricks, and no one can control her, except for Lou Xiao'e. If she wants something and you don't give it to her, she'll whine and cry, as if you've bullied her; if she asks He Yubing for something and he doesn't give it to her? Then she'll stick to him and use sweet words and gentle talk until she softens her heart.

He still remembers how, last year, for a red scarf, Xiao Wu pestered He Yubing for seven whole days, using every trick in the book to be cute and charming. He Yuzhu was impressed—this tenacity, always picking on the weak: with her brother, she wouldn't argue or make a fuss, just squat behind him and silently shed tears; even after being beaten by Lou Xiaosi several times, she still did as she pleased. In front of Lou Xiao'e, Lou Xiaosi wouldn't dare to lay a hand on her; but behind her back? She'd still beat him. Now, if she wanted to take her fourth brother's things, she'd already changed her tactics—she'd coax him and stop him from crying.

He Yuzhu asked, "Have you had dinner yet? If not, I'll cook two hot dishes."

Lou Yue waved her hand: "Dad, don't bother! Second brother will bring it over in a bit, it's ready."

These days, both families rely entirely on restaurants for their meals: one household per day, two or three hot dishes with steamed buns and cornbread, simple and efficient.

Ma Hua is now completely convinced of his mentor's foresight. Back in the canteen, his monthly salary at his level was only a few dozen dollars; now, the couple earns a steady 1,500 dollars a month, even better than when they were lucky enough to snag a bargain. He works with his back ramrod straight, brimming with energy.

When they were short-handed, all the children from both families would lend a hand. Ma Lian was also about to take the college entrance examination. She was born a few months earlier than He Aidang. The three of them were in the same class and grade, and Ma Lian's grades were slightly better.

At this moment, Ma Lian stood gracefully behind the counter, head down counting the morning's transactions. Her ponytail was tied high, her oval face beaming with a smile, her dimples shallow, radiating youthful energy. Lou Xiao'e and Zhou Xue were washing dishes by the sink, while the second and fourth brothers were wiping tables and sweeping the floor outside the door.

Ma Lian's height followed her mother's, making her half a head taller than Ma Hua, but her build resembled her father's, slender and well-proportioned. He Aidang practically lived in the shop—helping Ma Lian with stocking, bookkeeping, and greeting customers; he would always walk her home after get off work. Lou Xiao'e shook her head at this, but didn't say much; Ma Hua and his wife remained silent, assuming their child was simply oblivious. But He Aidang was the same at school, either chatting and laughing with female classmates or hanging out with He Yubing's group of friends. Sometimes Lou Xiao'e would stare at his profile, lost in thought: Had she really raised her son like a daughter?

Lou Xiaosi came to the shop to lend a hand, all for the five cents a day's wages—he could come whenever he didn't have class, and he would be paid on the spot after finishing the work, a real cash payment, which even his parents wouldn't allow him to pay on credit.

Lou Xiao'e, perched on He Aidang's back, steadily made her way home; Lou Xiaosi, on the other hand, pedaled his old bicycle, the wheels creaking, and went back to the courtyard alone.

The family had just unloaded the greens and radishes into the kitchen, and before they'd even started eating—

He Yuzhu put down his chopsticks, his voice low but unusually deep: "The transfer order has come down. I have to leave at the end of the month to become a clerk in Guyun Town, Dongli County."

Lou Xiao'e didn't look up, but pushed a bowl of hot soup to his side, her tone calm but firm: "Go, go wherever the country needs you. I'll take care of things at home, things won't collapse."

The children buried their heads in their rice, their chopsticks lightly touching the rim of their bowls, and no one spoke. The only sound in the room was the soft rustling of the soup spoons stirring.

Back inside, He Yuzhu pulled a thick wad of banknotes from his old canvas bag—all brand new ten-yuan bills, a neat stack of thirty thousand yuan, the edges still smelling of ink. He gently placed it into Lou Xiao'e's palm.

"Starting at the end of the year, keep an eye on courtyard houses, buy them one by one. From now on, these things won't just be houses, they'll be family heirlooms. I'll definitely be back in December, take twenty days off, and keep you company during the New Year."

Lou Xiao'e sat down next to him, gently leaning her shoulder against his, her gaze softly falling on his face, like spring water reflecting lamplight.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Ask around and buy every single courtyard that's listed for sale. Don't try to tough it out there. If you really can't take it anymore, come back anytime—our kitchen can support a whole family."

He Yuzhu reached out and tidied a stray strand of hair at her temple, his voice lowering slightly: "I'll remember. Go to sleep early."

……

In the winter of 1977, the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) reopened. Five million seven hundred thousand people, pencils in hand and dreams in their hearts, flooded into the examination halls after an eleven-year hiatus.

That winter, a long-awaited surge in reading swept across China—5.7 million students braved the snow to take the exams, their frozen fingers scratching on the test papers.

Ultimately, 273,000 new students were admitted to colleges and universities.

The following summer, 6.1 million candidates took the exam again, and 402,000 were able to enter the school as they had hoped.

The Class of '77 entered the school in the spring, and the Class of '78 reported for duty in the fall. The two classes enrolled one after the other, with an interval of only half a year.

That summer, a decisive decision was made at an education symposium: the college entrance examination would be reinstated!

On October 12 of the same year, the State Council issued an order that shook the entire nation—the college entrance examination was to be restarted immediately!

In the winter of 1977 and the summer of 1978, China successively witnessed two unprecedented large-scale examinations in the history of human examinations, with the total number of applicants exceeding ten million.

In late February, Lou Xiao'e saw He Aijun off to Renmin University to complete his registration. She then turned and led her four children to the train station to see He Yuzhu off. He had bought a sleeper ticket for a cadre, a spacious two-person compartment with clean bedding.

On the platform, children stood on tiptoe and waved. Lou Xiao'e stood at the front, her scarf fluttering slightly in the wind. He Yuzhu looked at these familiar faces, his throat tightened, but he only raised his hand to wave—some things are not just responsibilities, but also roots that grow in the heart, and they can only feel secure when they are firmly planted in the soil.

The train traveled south, passing through plains where wheat fields rippled, and gradually disappeared into misty mountain valleys. The three days and two nights of bumpy travel were relatively painless thanks to my cadre pass.

Upon arriving in Dongli County, he dragged his luggage toward the county government compound. Just as he reached the gate, he was stopped by two militiamen carrying guns.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?"

He Yuzhu deftly handed over the transfer order from the Organization Department and his work permit. The militiaman carefully checked them, nodded, and led him towards the Organization Department. When they arrived at an office door, he knocked three times.