Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Are you going again tomorrow?"

"It has to be delivered to the person personally."

"Go ahead, I'll cover for you."

He Yuzhu made two trips to the county town today, checking out all the factories: they were all made of wood beams and tiled roofs, with crumbling mud walls and plaster. The department store was the best, but compared to the steaming braised duck factory in Guyun Town, it looked like an old ancestral hall.

The largest factory in the county is not as spacious as one of their workshops.

The next day, just as dawn broke, he took his driver and secretary and headed to Hongxing Commune. The three of them traveled light and kept a low profile, without alerting anyone—the county's industrial base was too weak; small factories with a hundred or so employees were considered "backbone," and the pork station had only a dozen or so workers, not even having a decent set of equipment. He was at a loss as to where to begin.

He carefully examined the terrain along the way: Hongxing Commune was the closest to the county town, and the mountains had long been quarried, the material for the department store came from here. He squatted on the edge of the cliff, rummaged through the rubble, weighed a few pieces, and felt they were just right for making bricks; then he bent down and picked up a handful of freshly turned wet soil from the slope—it was sticky, had few impurities, and the soil was still loose after the spring plowing.

Then I strolled to a gentler part of the slope: right next to the road, the stream was clear and shallow, flowing gurglingly, like a silver thread wrapped around the foot of the mountain.

A thought suddenly struck him, and he immediately told the driver to turn around and head straight for the provincial capital.

When he arrived, it was still before the workday ended. He went straight to Xiao Hongsheng, the director of the general office, and asked him directly if there were any experienced brick-making masters.

Xiao Hongsheng slapped his forehead: "Wait a minute! I'll call and ask right away."

"Thank you for your help, Director Xiao."

A few minutes later, Xiao Hongsheng stepped in with a smile: "What a coincidence! There are two of you here—Wang Jianjun and Wan Shaoqing, technicians who came back from other provinces. They worked in a brick factory for three years and were just transferred back to the provincial capital to work in an office. When they heard you were short-staffed, they immediately signed up, saying they'd come back after three months, no questions asked."

The two muttered to themselves: Sign up? You were the one who said—if you don't go to help, the position will be given to someone else. Fortunately, it's only for three months, and besides, the Secretary He in front of them had a calm demeanor and spoke gently, and didn't seem like a difficult person.

"You're too kind!" He Yuzhu clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute. "We'll have a meal at the state-run restaurant tonight, both to get to know each other and to thank Director Xiao for his timely help!"

"Oh dear, I can't possibly accept that..."

"Absolutely! Your support is more reliable than any brick!"

Having arranged a dinner, He Yuzhu went ahead to make a reservation—these days, if you don't go early, the restaurant will definitely be closed.

Although the state-run restaurants in the provincial capital can't compare to the time-honored brands in Beijing, they are far better than the regional canteens, and today's menu is quite lavish.

"Xiao Liu, go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy two bottles of good wine. Bring all the tickets and be back quickly."

Liu Qiang responded and went out.

He Yuzhu glanced at the menu on the wall and ordered all the dishes: lean and fatty pork, tofu, vermicelli, and greens. He also added a clear soup with meatballs at the end—to warm his stomach and make it a satisfying meal.

As the get off work bell rang, Xiao Hongsheng led two young men wearing glasses and blue cotton jackets into the room. He Yuzhu greeted them at the door with a frank smile.

"Director Xiao, you've worked hard! These two must be Comrades Wang Jianjun and Wan Shaoqing, right? They're clearly capable and sensible people."

Xiao Hongsheng introduced with a smile: "He has experience in other provinces, so he is technically skilled and also warm-hearted."

The two exchanged a glance, remained silent, and simply nodded slightly—the thought in their minds, "Whether it's hot or not depends on how the work is done," was quietly swallowed back.

He Yuzhu drank three or four glasses of wine with Xiao Hongsheng. When he was slightly tipsy, he put down his glass and naturally changed the subject:

"Director Xiao, are there any pine saplings growing particularly well in the provincial capital? If not, could we invite a few experts to come to Dongli County to take a look and teach everyone how to plant and care for them?"

Xiao Hongsheng raised his eyelids and his eyes darted around twice—if it weren't for that old leader from the province specifically instructing him to keep a close eye on things in Dongli County, he wouldn't have bothered with this trivial matter.

He picked up his wine glass and took a sip, his tone relaxed yet weighty: "I heard that the Provincial Academy of Forestry Sciences and the Agricultural University both have experienced afforestation specialists. Here's what I'll say: you go back and wait for news. I'll go and ask around, and I'll call you as soon as I have definite information."

He Yuzhu nodded with a smile: "Then we'll have to rely entirely on Director Xiao's efforts."

Xiao Hongsheng chuckled inwardly: I'm just afraid you won't bother me! Since you've been singled out for attention by the higher-ups, I'll naturally get closer to you, and they'll see that too. If I were to bring in the experts right away, it would seem too easy and lack sincerity—I'll let it cool down for a few months first, building up their interest before I do anything else.

……

The next day, at the crack of dawn, He Yuzhu, along with two technicians, headed straight for Hongxing Commune. Upon arrival, the two quickly unloaded their instruments and began surveying at several points He Yuzhu had marked beforehand. The Luoyang shovel plunged into the soil with a "thud," digging several feet deep, unearthing several locations of dense, sticky yellow clay. They then extracted rock cores, tested their hardness, and examined their acidity and alkali content, working for two hours straight.

Wan Shaoqing wiped the sweat from his forehead and ran over quickly, his voice filled with excitement: "Secretary He, it's all set! The soil quality is perfect, no problem firing bricks! If we're going to build a kiln, we'll choose that gentle south-facing slope—it's close to the highway, making it convenient to transport materials and bricks, and there's a small river nearby, so getting water is easy too."

He Yuzhu nodded: "At this scale, how many kilns can be built at most? What other supplies will be needed?"

Wan Shaoqing patted his chest and said, "Wang Jianjun and I will take care of the blueprints! However, you'll still need to coordinate the steel bars, cement, and refractory bricks for the brick factory."

"Of course," He Yuzhu replied readily.

He then led his secretary towards the commune office. As soon as he stepped inside, Su Wanqiang greeted him with cautious politeness: "Comrade, where are you from? Did you bring a letter of introduction?"

Liu Qiang immediately replied, "This is Secretary He from the county. He came here today specifically to help your commune select a site to build a brick and tile factory. Now we need to make a call back to the county to coordinate."

Upon hearing this, Su Wanqiang's smile immediately warmed up. He grabbed He Yuzhu's hand and repeatedly said, "Welcome, welcome," before leading him into the inner room.

He Yuzhu picked up the phone and dialed the county party committee office: "Hello, is this Qin Feng? This is He Yuzhu. I'm currently at Hongxing Commune. The factory site has been finalized. I'll be back in the county at 3 PM for a meeting. Please inform the heads of all departments to attend on time."

Since building a factory is a major event, the necessary procedures cannot be omitted. The vote by raising hands is both solemn and effective in maintaining order.

At 2:50 p.m., He Yuzhu pushed open the meeting room door. The room was already full, the aroma of tea mixed with cigarette smoke filling the air. Some people held enamel mugs, while others smoked cigarettes, their chatter humming softly. As he entered, chairs rustled as they moved, and many people straightened their backs.

He Yuzhu walked straight to the front of the stage, sat down, and cleared his throat:

"We're having a short meeting today to announce an important matter: the county has decided to build a brick and tile factory in Hongxing Commune. This is not only a practical measure to solve local employment and absorb surplus labor, but also a crucial step in 'generating revenue' for the county's infrastructure. The provincial technicians have just completed the survey, and the location has been confirmed. Now, please raise your hands to vote."

Everyone knew perfectly well: with people from the province here to draw the lines, who would dare to shake their head at this point? They didn't dare to utter a word, but their hands were all raised in unison.

At this moment, Finance Director Wang Yu stood up, his brows slightly furrowed: "Secretary He, I fully support building the factory. But the county's finances are indeed tight right now—we only have 20,000 yuan in the account, which is just tax revenue from Guyun Town."

He Yuzhu didn't rush to reply, but just smiled and said, "I'll figure out the money. Let's continue voting."

Upon hearing this, the others felt reassured: since their departments wouldn't have to pay out of their own pockets; and seeing that County Chief Yu had already raised his hand, who would want to be the first to step forward? The result was predictable: it passed unanimously.

After the meeting, He Yuzhu did not return to the county committee compound, but drove directly to the cement plant.

As soon as the car entered the factory gate, Yang Wenhong jogged up to greet it—he recognized the dark blue Volga from the county very well.

"Oh my! This must be the new Secretary He! He's only been in office for a few days and he's already personally visiting our factory to provide guidance. It's truly an honor!"

He Yuzhu jumped out of the car, waving his hand with a smile: "Director Yang, you're too kind. I'm here today to discuss something with you. Is this a convenient time for you?"

"Convenient! Convenient! Please follow me, clerk!" Yang Wenhong bowed and led the way, his steps quickening, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Once inside the office, he personally led He Yuzhu to his large office chair, while he himself retreated to the sofa, placing his hands on his knees and keeping his back ramrod straight—was this new clerk here for the first time because of the accounts? But there wasn't a single person from the Discipline Inspection Commission in sight; surely they wouldn't suddenly raid the factory?

He Yuzhu didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Your cement plant is a key enterprise in our county, but those rows of bungalows for the staff dormitories have crumbling walls and drafty windows; the office building is also an old structure from the 1960s. Now the county is about to have its own brick and tile factory, which will be cheaper to buy bricks and easier to transport. I think it's time to put this renovation on the agenda?"

Yang Wenhong was taken aback: "A brick and tile factory? I haven't heard about this." He paused, then quickly added, "If it's really built, our factory will support it 100%! But as for the dormitories, it's not up to me to decide."

He Yuzhu leaned forward slightly: "Building a brick and tile factory is a done deal. As for the dormitories, you can't make the decision, but we can try another way—hold a factory-wide meeting and mobilize everyone to raise funds to build staff housing: the factory will contribute a portion, and the employees will contribute a portion. Whoever contributes the most will get a spacious and bright apartment, the paperwork will be approved, and the property rights will belong to them. That way, who can object?"

Yang Wenhong's eyes lit up: "Great! I'll call a meeting tonight! I'll give the go-ahead on the office building renovation."

"Then it's settled." He Yuzhu nodded. "However, a deposit needs to be paid first."

"Understood, it's like placing an order in advance!" Yang Wenhong readily agreed. "I'll personally come to the county committee tomorrow morning to discuss the details with you!"

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

No sooner had He Yuzhu left than Yang Wenhong gathered all the factory workers and set up a loudspeaker in the main playground.

Standing on a stool, he spoke in a loud voice: "Attention, comrades! Our factory dormitories are old and cramped, and everyone has complained about it countless times. Today, the factory has come up with a practical solution—building new brick-concrete apartment buildings for staff! How will it be built? Everyone will contribute money, the more you contribute, the more you'll receive. Once the houses are built, you can move in immediately, and we'll even process your property ownership certificate! Starting now, register on-site!"