Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

In the afternoon, he had to rush back to the county town to ask Secretary Yan to help find two high school teachers and finalize the construction team. But before he could even set off, the construction team had already entered the town, trudging through the mud. This pilot project had touched the hearts of several senior leaders, and everyone hoped it would become a model that could be promoted and replicated, so they were all rushing to get things done.

He Yuzhu simply took out his enamel mug, sat by the window, and dialed the phone, asking Yan Shuji to quickly send over two teachers who understood chemistry and accounting.

As soon as the construction team received the sketches, they immediately spread out rulers and pencils and started making changes. They added beams where needed, raised the heights where necessary—it was a professional job, and only they could handle it. Meanwhile, the power company personnel also carried their tool bags up the mountain, extending power poles one by one into the town—a factory without electricity? Absolutely not.

Under the lamplight at night, He Yuzhu flipped through a crumpled copy of "A Compendium of Southern Braised Dishes," pondering how to make duck meat more tender, duck neck more chewy, and duck feet more springy; he also considered whether to blanch the duck intestines to remove the fishy smell, and how long to marinate the duck wings to allow them to absorb the flavor...

On the third day, he rode his bicycle to Wangjia Village to check on the road construction progress. From afar, he could hear the deafening shouts of workers, men, women, and children rolling up their sleeves and working enthusiastically, the road had nearly doubled in width. Strong men shouted as they pushed large stones off the roadbed, their sweat hitting the ground and creating a small cloud of white mist.

He spotted Wang Kaihua at a glance and quickly went to meet him: "The stones need to be broken into smaller pieces, and all the areas at risk of collapse should be reinforced with concrete. The town has cement stored up; we can make a few trips by oxcart to reinforce the area as soon as possible—otherwise, all our efforts will be wasted when the rainy season comes."

Wang Kaihua nodded vigorously. He Yuzhu then led him across the shallow stream to the riverbank and pointed to the water: "The water here should be knee-deep, but the surface needs to be spread out. The duck shed should be built two meters high with one-meter partitions, and a thick layer of dry straw should be laid underneath—the ducklings are delicate, and if the ground gets cold, they'll cough, wheeze, and have diarrhea."

Wang Kaihua agreed and followed He Yuzhu up the mountain.

The two climbed up the path trodden by donkeys. He Yuzhu pointed to the trees covering the hillside and asked, "Is this whole area full of chestnuts?"

"Yes, clerk." Wang Kaihua's voice was reassuring. "Thanks to these trees, several villages around here haven't gone hungry for decades."

"Are the fruits growing well?"

"Wow! Each kernel is plump and shiny. After drying and crushing, it's mixed with cornmeal, filling, chewy, and loved by both the elderly and children."

Is it usually maintained by someone?

"Nobody cares. Everyone has to go up the mountain to harvest in the fall. After all, there are many mountains and little arable land. It's difficult enough to grow grain, let alone tend to the trees."

"Will you walk with me a little further? Let's see which mountains have the densest chestnut trees."

"Wild fruits grow on the western hills, but the area we're standing on is all chestnut forest."

He Yuzhu stopped and squinted at the layers of tree canopy: "Once the work in the fields is less demanding and the roads are almost finished, we'll have someone tidy up the forest—pruning, pest control, and loosening the soil. After the trees bear fruit in the fall, I'll personally inspect the produce. If it's marketable, we'll sell it through the supply and marketing cooperative; if not, we'll process it ourselves and sell it."

Wang Kaihua's eyes lit up: "I still have a few sacks of dried chestnuts stored in my storeroom. Would you like to take a look at their quality?"

"No rush, let's look around some more."

Upon arriving at Wang Kaihua's house, they lifted the lid of the bamboo basket, revealing a heap of golden chestnuts, each one plump and round, releasing a soft, fragrant aroma when pinched with a fingernail. He Yuzhu felt reassured, and the two went out side by side.

Reaching the foot of the mountain, I suddenly heard a roaring sound of water. Looking up, I saw a silver ribbon cascading down from the cliff top, crashing into the bluestone and shattering into snow-like foam. The bamboo forest beside me was lush and verdant, with morning light filtering through the leaves and water vapor rising, creating a misty atmosphere, as if I had stumbled into a painting.

He Yuzhu stood there for a long time, then asked softly, "Is this also part of Wangjia Village's territory?"

"Yes, clerk." Wang Kaihua pointed to the wet soil under his feet. "The bamboo roots are so densely intertwined that they can't be plowed or cleared. Besides, it's always near water, so the humidity is high. People get coughs and joint pain all the time, so nobody wants to move here."

Looking at the waterfall and bamboo shadows, He Yuzhu suddenly smiled: "If we build a decent road from the village entrance to here, expand the pond, and build a few bamboo houses with blue tiles along the bank, we can specially receive guests who come to see chestnuts and learn techniques—what do you think, wouldn't that be Wangjia Village's 'welcoming platform'?"

Wang Kaihua: "The road has been built and bamboo houses can be built, but I'm afraid no one will be willing to venture into this mountain valley."

He Yuzhu: "Don't rush, take it slow. Right now, the most important thing is to set up the duck shed, and we need to quickly prune, weed, and fertilize the chestnut trees—we need to get the work done properly. I'm going back to town now."

Wang Kaihua: "At least go inside and have a bowl of hot soup before you leave. It won't take up half a meal's time."

He Yuzhu: "I still need to run to a few villages to notify the manpower, and while I'm at it, I'll also check on those chestnut forests—they will be a prestigious brand for Guyun Town in the future."

He Yuzhu hopped on his motorcycle and sped back to town, kicking up dust. Recruitment was already underway: the first batch of workers selected were educated youth, literate and quick learners; once they were familiar with the ropes, they would bring in local workers.

Wu Hua led about twenty educated youths into the factory. The technicians sent from the provincial capital were teaching everyone how to operate the machines. Each person was assigned a workstation, and they were told clearly which screw to tighten and how to adjust the conveyor belt.

When He Yuzhu arrived at the construction site, the foundation had already been compacted, and the sounds of hammers and shouts filled the air. He walked around the site and went straight to Chang Xiu'e.

He Yuzhu: "Comrade Chang Xiu'e, could you please make a trip and invite the captains of the several brigades around Wangjia Village to come here? The meeting will be held in the town conference room at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Chang Xiue responded, turned around and went out, jumped onto the tractor, and sputtered off towards the mountain road.

The next morning, the captains of the four brigades sat in the conference room, some smoking, some rubbing their hands, none of them knowing what the new clerk was up to.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and came in. Without exchanging pleasantries, he got straight to the point:

"I've invited you all here for one thing—during the off-season, please go to the hills behind your homes and tidy up your chestnut trees. The town buys all the chestnuts, and the price is based on quality; all the money goes to the village. I visited each of your fields the other day, and you'd all finished your work, but you were still squatting on the ridges, wandering around aimlessly, collecting work points without a care in the world. I don't blame you; the circumstances are what they are. But having another option is always better than having nothing at all."

Indeed—the fields had been plowed where needed, planted where needed, and even the weeds on the field ridges had been cleared three times; all that was left was time to kill. No wonder when the household responsibility system was implemented, who would still be carrying a hoe every day just to pretend?

When the team leaders heard that chestnuts could be exchanged for real money, their eyes lit up. Although their faces remained tense, they were secretly overjoyed.

In the afternoon, He Yuzhu rode his bicycle into Pengjia Village again. Nestled in the folds of the mountains, the village was 90% inhabited by people with the surname Peng. The terraced fields stretched layer upon layer, like a spiraling jade ribbon. He circled around to the other side of the valley, where a small grove of trees suddenly opened up before him. Sparse and bright, a few wild persimmon and pear trees grew askew, sunlight filtering through the branches and dappling the ground with golden light. Looking up, the sky was a clear, bright blue; there were no chimneys, no smog, and even the wind smelled of fresh grass.

He walked slowly forward, stepping on the fallen leaves. There were medicinal herbs all around him: Bupleurum, Aster, Pinellia... No one picked them, no one recognized them, they were like old things casually discarded by the mountains and fields.

Without alerting anyone in the village, he quietly memorized the mountain valley before turning back to the next village. Five days later, he had circled the entire town and its villages.

Wang Kaihua sent someone to pick him up early in the morning. He Yuzhu rode his motorcycle back to Wangjia Village, and the mountain road had changed again: women and children squatted by the roadside picking up stones and filling the road with baskets; all the strong laborers were in the forest cutting bamboo and splitting wood, and the duck house frame was beginning to take shape.

He strolled to the riverbank, where the waterway had been widened considerably. Villagers had driven thick wooden stakes into the riverbed, transforming the shallows into a slow-flowing area—though not a long-term solution, it had solved the immediate problem.

Under He Yuzhu's close supervision and guidance, two rows of duck sheds were erected in just seven days: five or six meters from the water's edge, two meters high, over fifty meters long, and two meters wide, sitting steadily on the slope. The most pressing matter at hand was to quickly get food—once the ducklings arrived, without any food, they would all starve.

He rushed back to the town and dialed the phone number of Ren Hongbin, the director of the grain bureau—the number was personally copied down for him by Chen Yan.

He Yuzhu: "Director Ren, hello. I'm He Yuzhu, the clerk of Guyun Town. I'd like to ask you for seven or eight tons of rice bran and other grains on credit, to be settled before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Is that alright?"

Ren Hongbin: "Secretary He, no problem. I'll arrange a car first thing tomorrow morning to take him directly to Wangjia Village."

He Yuzhu: "Thank you so much!"

Ren Hongbin: "We're brothers, no need to be so polite."

After hanging up the phone, he went straight to the factory construction site. The asbestos roof tiles were in the final stage of construction. The dormitory building was a little slower, but the second floor slabs had already been completed. The smell of reinforced concrete mixed with the fragrance of sawdust wafted in the wind.

He found Bo Zhidong—the supervisor sent by the province—who was squatting next to the steel frame, wiping away sweat.

He Yuzhu: "Mr. Bo, I suggest painting all the interior walls of the factory white. It will be clean and refreshing, and will also help with ventilation and moisture prevention."

Bo Zhidong wiped his face: "Sure! I guarantee you'll have the keys within five days. Once the machine arrives, we'll help with placement and setup, and we can start firing immediately."

He Yuzhu smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, comrades."

The workers who were recruited earlier are now assisting the construction team. Once the factory is handed over, they will immediately start learning the trade on the job.

……

On the day the factory building was topped out, the construction team and local workers worked together to move the machines into the workshop. The iron machines, weighing tens of tons, were moved in little by little by rolling round wooden sticks as wheels and laying thick wooden strips underneath. A dozen or so people shouted in unison as they pushed them in.

The spare parts ordered from the provincial capital have been delivered one after another. The machines have just been installed and the ground has just been swept clean. The ducklings will be brought in the next day, and the production line will be running soon.

Ren Hongbin called to urge the signing of the agreement—the grain truck had arrived at Wangjia Village.

When He Yuzhu arrived, four tractors were lined up, their trailers piled high with various grains: bran infested with insects, greenish soybean meal, and moldy, clump-like cornmeal. He weighed, inspected, and signed off on each item. The villagers called out as they carried the grain sacks into the former educated youth compound—it was already empty; everyone had moved into the newly built dormitory building in town.