Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

When Qin Huairu's black market snack stall was booming, Xu Damao simply quit his factory job and devoted himself to helping out at the stall. He figured that every extra penny he earned would make his daughter's dowry more substantial.

Banggeng, who had suffered greatly in the countryside, now treats Xu Damao like his own father. His stepfather has never been unkind to him—he buys him leather shoes and new clothes as soon as he returns to the city, and even arranges his wedding. Not to mention, back in the countryside, Xu Damao risked being criticized to send him sausages and malted milk powder through intermediaries, even though it involved going over mountains and rivers. Now that Banggeng has grown up and become sensible, if Jia Zhangshi secretly mutters that "Xu Damao is a scoundrel," he immediately retorts with a fierce glare: "Try saying that again!"

……

In Yang Chengyi's courtyard, five sewing machines were polished to a shine, and fabrics were neatly stacked in bamboo baskets, just waiting for He Yubing to come and finalize the patterns and adjust the stitches.

He Yubing rushed over as the get off work bell rang. Her grandfather, as she requested, would send her the latest fashion magazines and foreign sportswear catalogs from Hong Kong Island every few days—she held these catalogs, her eyes shining, as if she were holding the whole spring.

Under her guidance, Yang Chengyi's wife and sister-in-law cut, sewed, and ironed the garment, and the first piece of clothing was freshly made. Yang Chengyi looked at it from left to right, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

His wife carried the clothes into the inner room, and when she came out, he almost slipped off the stool—the navy blue twill suit, with its neatly tailored waist and delicate pleats at the cuffs, made him look smart and dashing. So this is how clothes really can be worn!

That night, he rolled up his sleeves and worked tirelessly, making seven or eight sets overnight. Early the next morning, he carried them on a shoulder pole and headed straight to the back alley of the department store to set up his stall. He dared to price the state-run store's stock, which was supposed to be "twenty yuan a set," at seventeen and a half yuan, making a net profit of over five yuan per set. The key was—they were much more stylish than the department store's! What girl doesn't love to look fashionable these days?

Yang Chengyi grinned and slipped a coin into He Yubing's palm: "Yubing, I'll give you 50 cents commission for every set I sell! Don't refuse, we'll need your expertise in the future!"

He Yubing weighed the warm coin in her hand and smiled, "Alright! If you need anything, just come to the Prince's Mansion Private Kitchen to find me—but I really have to go today, my dad is still waiting for me outside."

The three walked out of the courtyard side by side, the evening breeze caressing their faces.

Yang Chengyi saw them off all the way, bowing as he went: "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Zhuzi, and especially thank you for your trouble, Sister Yubing!"

He Yubing: "When I was little, you would often sneak candy and sponge cakes into my schoolbag when my mom wasn't looking. Every time I finished dinner, I would clutch my stomach and say I was full, which would make my mom grab my ear and scold me."

Before she could finish speaking, she burst out laughing. The image of Lou Xiao'e standing with her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed, glaring at her flashed before her eyes, and the more she thought about it, the happier she became.

Yang Chengyi scratched his head and grinned sheepishly, "It wasn't all my doing. It was all thanks to my uncle's help—if we weren't even getting enough to eat, how could he have any surplus grain to send to my house?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, his tone calm but weighty: "You're a smart guy, daring, and willing to take responsibility. You've paved your own way. Just drop me off here. You have a bunch of kids to take care of at home, your wife is busy as a bee, and you can't get away from them."

Yang Chengyi immediately replied, "I'll definitely come over another day and invite you and your aunt over for a nice hot meal!"

He Yuzhu smiled and nodded: "Okay, I've been waiting for this meal with you."

"It's a deal!" Yang Chengyi replied loudly, then turned and walked away briskly.

As soon as the figure turned the corner of the alley, He Yubing leaned close to her father and whispered, "Dad, Aunt Lan also asked me to pass on a message, asking you and Mom to take some time to visit her. She said she wants to thank you in person for helping and taking care of us all these years."

He Yuzhu shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What kind of help is this? It's just old neighbors going back and forth. When you were little, she would bring us cornmeal, pickled radishes, and canned meat every few days, don't you remember? Back then, you two brothers would be munching on peach jam from glass jars, drooling all over your pants but not letting go."

He Yubing's eyes lit up: "Of course I remember! You always said—you should never forget those who help you when you're down on your luck; but you can never truly connect with those who fawn over you when you're successful. You should be like clear water, calm and unassuming, yet flavorful; don't rush to judge people and things, everyone has unseen scars on their backs; contentment is the key to a peaceful life."

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow, his eyes revealing satisfaction: "Wow, your memory is even crisper than the pickled plums your mother makes."

He Yubing raised her chin: "Absolutely! Don't you know whose daughter I am? Am I some kind of adopted fifth child picked up from the doorstep?"

He Yuzhu burst into laughter, doubled over, "Who told you that Fifth Brother was adopted?"

He Yubing chuckled: "My mom! She always says that the fifth brother is neither as calm as you nor as quick-witted as her. He's probably a package that Grandma sent by mistake—it just jumped out of a fairy tale book."

He Yuzhu shook his head with a smile: "She's the youngest, your mother spoils her, and you older sisters also indulge her. Over time, she naturally developed a spoiled and naive temperament. But you know, she's very perceptive and even better at reading people than your mother—she can act out a whole scene in her mind the moment someone's eyebrows twitch. So, there's a reason why she's the most attached to you."

He Yubing shook his head smugly: "Needless to say? I protect her like the apple of my eye."

He Yuzhu patted her shoulder: "Sisters shouldn't fight over trivial matters. Fifth sister is clever and will definitely be able to support you in the future. As for you, you're always a bit clueless when it comes to interpersonal relationships, and she'll fill that gap for you."

He Yubing pouted: "Don't worry, the bond between us sisters is thicker than sugar water in an enamel mug, it won't cool down so easily."

He Yuzhu deliberately dragged out his words: "Tsk tsk, judging from that tone, you're probably secretly plotting something good behind your mother's back?"

He Yubing winked and smiled: "This is the 'secret code' between me and Lao Wu."

The father and daughter chatted and laughed as they walked home. Pushing open the courtyard gate, they found Lou Xiao'e still wearing her apron, having just steamed a tray of jujube paste pastries. She placed the steaming pastries on the small table and invited them to have a light snack while they were still warm.

He Yuzhu said with concern, "Still busy so late? Your third daughter and I are hungry. We can just stir something up by the stove. Don't ruin your health."

Lou Xiao'e wiped her hands and said in a light tone, "While you were away, I developed a conditioned reflex—Xiao Si would often knock on the door in the middle of the night, and as soon as he came in, he would yell, 'I'm starving!' My hands would be faster than my brain, and I would have the pots and pans ready in advance."

He Yuzhu sighed and asked again, "Did Dad go to Yushui's place today?"

While serving the pastries, Lou Xiao'e replied, "I haven't even finished get off work yet, and Yu Shui has already come to pick me up on his old bicycle. By the way, Lao San, hurry up and wash up and go to bed; you have class to catch up on tomorrow morning."

He Yubing nodded obediently: "Okay, Mom."

Lou Xiao'e pushed the plate towards her father-in-law and said, "Zhu Zi, Liu Lan's family is having a wedding tomorrow, it's the third son's wedding, and they've invited us to the banquet."

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "Getting married at twenty-four? It sounds more like twenty-six?"

Lou Xiao'e chuckled, "Your memory is so bad, it's all in the ledger! That girl was born in the twelfth lunar month, she's only twenty-four at most, she hasn't even blown out her birthday candles yet, where did this twenty-six come from?"

He Yuzhu scratched the back of his head: "Oh dear, I just said it offhand, how could I remember what her zodiac sign was or what year she was born?"

As Lou Xiao'e packed up, she said, "Your memory is all from the factory. Let's go together tomorrow. They used to treat us well—they would bring us snacks to the canteen every few days, just in case our kids were hungry."

He Yuzhu nodded: "I'll listen to you."

Lou Xiao'e thought for a moment and then added, "Tomorrow I'll buy a decent four-piece bedding set, not too expensive, but not too shabby either, for good luck, so that people won't have any concerns."

"Okay," he replied readily.

The next morning, He Yuzhu accompanied Lou Xiao'e and Zhou Xue to Liu Lan's house. The courtyard gate was already crowded with familiar faces from the factory where Liu's village had worked. Several of his old colleagues from the canteen were also there, and they greeted He Yuzhu loudly as soon as they saw him: "Director He is here!"

He chuckled and responded to each of them, "Hey, Lao Zhang, Lao Li, it's been a year, your hair has turned quite a bit whiter!" They started chatting and couldn't stop talking once they started.

As soon as the firecrackers went off, the kitchen immediately became lively. In addition to colleagues from the factory, relatives and neighbors from Liujia Village also came to help. The yard was not big, but it was full of people, laughter, and the clanging of spatulas.

As the banquet ended, He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e stepped out of the courtyard gate and bumped into Xu Damao.

Xu Damao smiled broadly, bowing slightly: "Director He, Banggeng is getting married the day after tomorrow, please do me the honor of attending! I was just about to go to the Prince's Mansion to invite you two!"

Ever since He Yuzhu was promoted to canteen director, Xu Damao's way of addressing him changed; later, when he heard that He Yuzhu had been promoted to a higher position, he even spoke more softly, for fear of accidentally causing trouble.

He Yuzhu didn't stand on ceremony and readily agreed, "Okay, we'll be there."

Xu Damao nodded repeatedly and hurried off to another house.

When He Yushui got married, Xu Damao and Qin Huairu were quite busy—running errands, serving tea and water, and even insisting on giving him a five-yuan wedding gift. Now that their son is getting married, if they don't show up, they'll be ashamed to admit it.

Lou Xiao'e sighed as she walked, "These days, wedding invitations are piling up like mountains."

He Yuzhu looked up at the clear blue sky and laughed, "Let's get married before National Day and share in the country's good fortune."

Lou Xiao'e turned her head and asked, "How much should we give for Bang Geng's wedding this time?"

He Yuzhu didn't stop walking: "Ten yuan, plus a new bed sheet. Just like any other neighbor. In 1966, people gave five yuan, which was enough to buy half a bag of flour back then; they've helped me a lot over the years, and relationships aren't built on numbers."

Lou Xiao'e nodded gently: "In the courtyard, we have to attend the weddings and funerals of all the families who gave gifts on Yushui's wedding day. We'll also mention to Teacher Yan that if we ever go to Dongli County, we'll ask him to go on our behalf and have Yubing sit at the banquet for us."

He Yuzhu looked at his wife's profile and said firmly, "I'll listen to you. You make the decisions about these things; I trust you completely."