Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Where are the children?"

"They're all grown up now, they can't possibly starve themselves, can they?"

"I'm talking about Xiao Wu."

"Send Yushui to his home, we'll pay for his tuition and living expenses, and visit him every few days."

What about the restaurants?

"There are still three months left, I've already made plans."

He already knew the ropes when it came to business: money isn't everything.

If you live a stable and comfortable life, you should choose what you truly want to do; there's no need to stubbornly stick to the path most reeking of money.

High-paying jobs or booming businesses may buy people's hands and feet, but they can't buy genuine sincerity.

A person's value is never solely determined by price – some choices may come at a high price, but they may not provide a sense of solid grounding when you reflect on your actions in the dead of night.

In the future, society will never lack people who bow down to a higher salary; what it will lack are people willing to give up immediate gains to accomplish something they believe is worthwhile. When you look back with gray hair, you will feel a surge of emotion for that decision you made back then—even if you didn't succeed, at least you tried, you gave it your all, and you have no regrets.

People always say "hard work guarantees success," but He Yuzhu doesn't believe in that. Even after hard work, you might still stumble and fall; it's just that you've accumulated a bit more confidence and prepared a backup plan. To gain a foothold in this world, simply working hard isn't enough.

……

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, He Yuzhu had already washed up, picked up his canvas bag, and headed towards the Second Party School.

The Second Party School is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, directly opposite the renowned Summer Palace.

The Party School campus is right next to the North Gate of the Summer Palace, while the Lou Family Villa is located in a corner on the west side of the Summer Palace.

The straight-line distance is only a hundred or so steps, but there is a royal garden in the middle, and it would take at least twenty minutes to walk around it.

The notice stated that He Yuzhu could report for duty within a week, but the senior leader specifically instructed him to come and complete the formalities as soon as possible.

He had just gotten off the bus at the bus stop when he started walking towards the school gate.

Facing you stands a long, rectangular stone relief with several gilded characters engraved on it: Second Party School Branch.

Due to the special status of the Kyoto Municipal Party School, security is extremely tight—a guard post is set up at the main gate, and sentries are also stationed at the entrances of several core teaching buildings, requiring all personnel entering and leaving to verify their identity at any time.

Cadres at the deputy director-general level like He Yuzhu are not qualified to enter the highest-level Central Party School.

The security guard at the entrance took his work permit and admission notice, checked them against the documents, and pointed to the east: "Building 1, the training department is on the second floor, the first room on the left."

This Party School is a top-tier training ground for the systematic rotation of middle-level cadres nationwide; each province, autonomous region, and municipality also has its own provincial Party School.

Once He Yuzhu completes his studies, he will be officially included in the key reserve backbone group for cultivation.

Further inside, he caught sight of an ochre-red granite screen wall with eight large cinnabar characters shining brightly on it: Seek truth from facts, serve the country and the people!

This is the motto that the Central Party School has used for many years, and all its branch schools in various places have established their spirit and structure in accordance with it.

Passing the screen wall, you arrive at Building No. 1. The door to the training department's registration area was ajar. He Yuzhu knocked lightly twice, and a young face immediately peeked out from inside, looking brightly at the door.

"Who are you looking for?" the young man asked.

"Hello, I'm here to register." He Yuzhu smiled and handed over his ID and notification letter.

The other party took the notification letter, glanced at it quickly, and then nodded: "Comrade He, right? We'll make your student ID card right away. By the way, are you living on campus, or do you have a residence in Beijing? If you're living on campus, I'll help you get a dormitory card; if not, we won't go through this process."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "No need to trouble yourself, my home is in Kyoto, only two or three stops away from here."

"Oh, okay!" the young man readily agreed.

Three or four minutes later, the brand-new student ID card was handed to He Yuzhu.

"Comrade He, here's the course schedule. Be sure to be on time—the teachers here are very strict about class times. Pick up the textbooks from the academic affairs office; they recognize your student ID."

He Yuzhu glanced down at the timetable: three classes a week, each lasting a little over forty minutes, with the rest of the time spent on self-study.

The young man accompanied him out of the building, pointed to the southwest corner, and said, "The academic affairs office is over there. I'll head back now."

He Yuzhu walked alone through the tree-lined path to the window of the Academic Affairs Office. After showing his ID, he received several original Marxist-Leninist works, plus a copy of "Anti-Dühring".

He strolled slowly out of the school gate with his books in his arms. There were already three or five people at the gate carrying bags and looking at the road signs; they were obviously newcomers who had come to register.

The Party School had only recently resumed enrollment, and those selected were all promising individuals who were being closely monitored by the organization and had potential for development.

He Yuzhu didn't go up to exchange pleasantries, but turned straight towards the bus stop.

When he returned to the Lou family courtyard, it was getting dark, and Lou Xiao'e had already set out the bowls and chopsticks for him.

"Zhu Zi, are all the paperwork done? When do classes start?"

"Starting next week, there will be three classes a week, and the rest of the time will be self-study." He asked while wiping his hands, "How much cash do you still have at Rainwater?"

"There are still a little over ten thousand left."

"Let's go over there tomorrow and talk to Yushui about buying a smaller courtyard house. It's too crowded and noisy in the old courtyard, and some things are inconvenient; when the kids grow up, they'll need a place to live too."

"I already mentioned it to her, and we decided to set up a place next to our courtyard. I paid half of the deposit, and she can make up the rest herself. If we help too much, it will make her uneasy."

"You can make the decisions. You're in charge of things at home; and you can also help me think about things at work."

"What do I know? I wouldn't dare meddle in your boss's affairs."

"Take your time learning. Hasn't Xiao Wu come back yet?"

"They went to Yushui at noon. The two cousins ​​are inseparable, always hanging out together."

"Where's the fourth brother?"

"He was so busy he was constantly on the go! After school, he would not go home, but instead partner with his classmates to run a small business—taking our family's eggs to other people's stoves to cook and then bringing them to school to sell; he even had his third sister help him promote the business at the university; he spent his two-day holidays in restaurant kitchens, with nothing but money in his eyes."

"The bosses only get two days off?"

"Yeah, I spend the rest of my time in the library, and occasionally I'll call home."

"That's good. Once we move to Dongli County, we'll hand over the small restaurant to Lao Si and ask Sister Peng Mei to lend a hand; as for Tan Family Private Kitchen, Yu Bing will learn from Zhou Xue and we'll work together to make it a success."

"Okay, I'll talk to Zhou Xue about it later. I also plan to give them 30% of the private restaurant business, so we can live a peaceful and stable life."

"By the way, Liu Lan and a few others resigned from the factory and wanted to help out at a private restaurant. I agreed—they've been colleagues for over ten years, trustworthy, and we've always had a good relationship."

"Didn't I just say? You decide on these family matters; I won't interfere, and I have no objections."

"You have to show up when the business opens tomorrow and teach Ma Hua your best skills. From now on, that place will rely on him and his wife plus Yu Bing to keep it afloat."

"Okay. Did you invite Sister Peng Mei and her husband? Did you also invite all the old acquaintances from the factory?"

"I visited them in person. Back in the factory, we were so grateful for their help for over a decade—when our children got into trouble, they always covered for us. I remember all that kindness; I haven't forgotten a thing."

Lou Xiao'e: "Zhu Zi, let me tell you something rare—Director You Zhengya, who used to work with you at Xinhua Bookstore, is actually your sister! We've worked together at the factory for so many years, and we just couldn't figure out who it was."

He Yuzhu: "Director You never mentioned this at all."

After dinner, the two of them strolled hand in hand toward He Yushui's house. Since her house was empty, He Yuzhu thought: why not take a walk and knock on the door before dinner so we can sit down at the same table with hot soup and food?

……

As the sun began to set in the afternoon, the two of them staggered to the doorway, just as the firewood in the stove crackled and the pot lid was lifted, sending up plumes of steam.

He Yushui flung open the courtyard gate, greeting everyone with a smile, "Brother! Sister-in-law! Come in quickly, the dishes and chopsticks are all set!"

He Yuzhu didn't refuse and plopped down. Liu's father had already prepared wine cups, filled two cups, and they clinked them together as they chatted.

He Yuzhu picked up a piece of shredded pork with green peppers with his chopsticks and casually asked, "Xiao Hao, has the rent been paid?"

Liu Yuanhao wiped the sweat from his forehead: "It's all paid off. I borrowed it from all over the place. I'll move into the new house next week, and pay it back slowly over time."

The Liu family was perfectly at ease—Lou Xiao'e had paid half the purchase price, and the property deed was in the names of He Yushui and Liu Tong. They didn't raise a single objection.

We're family anyway, so what difference does it make whose name is on the deed? The important thing is to have peace of mind and a comfortable experience. Besides, my sister-in-law actually paid for it herself.

He Yuzhu nodded: "It's a pity to leave this old house empty. Renting it out can supplement our household income."

Mr. Liu's eyes lit up: "That's what I was thinking too! Right now, people are flocking back to the city. Many young people have settled down in other places with their wives and children and want to come back to Beijing to find a way out."

Mother Liu picked up the conversation, counting on her fingers: "Our four tiled houses can comfortably house four families. The rent we collect each month is enough to buy rice, flour, oil, and salt."

He Yushui served her brother a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, and casually mentioned, "Brother, my mother-in-law just retired and is so bored. Do you know any ways to help her find a way to make a living?"

He Yuzhu put down his chopsticks: "Nowadays, Kyoto has loosened its restrictions on small businesses—you can steam buns at home, take them to the train station to sell, and even if you get stopped, you'll only be fined a few cents at most; if you really want to do this long-term, you can rent a small storefront there and set up a proper stall."

Kyoto has indeed loosened restrictions, but restrictions remain tight in other areas: food coupons, cloth coupons, and meat coupons are still rationed, while this area is the only place where the restrictions are being relaxed on a trial basis. To put it bluntly, it's about leaving a way for young people returning to the city to survive—after all, they are all acquaintances, and they can't just watch them go hungry.

Mother Liu slapped her thigh: "Steaming buns is my specialty! I'll start the fire first thing tomorrow morning and make fifty to test the waters!"

He Yushui suddenly lowered her voice again: "Brother, your restaurant is running so fast, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "Sister Peng Mei got your sister-in-law the license sorted out. She's got a solid background. Don't worry about it. This license is very valuable these days; you might not even get it approved even if you run yourself ragged."

He Yushui laughed: "I didn't mean I wanted to do it myself. I was just worried about you guys getting tired."

He Yuzhu picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle and put it into her bowl: "Come over early tomorrow to lend a hand. I've invited all the old neighbors. I've been visiting the courtyard for decades, and I haven't missed a single one."