Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Wang Dahua: "The doctor said that moving around is good for health, and he takes his medicine on time. How could he stay in bed all day? He gets restless if he's idle for even a day."

In fact, Su Dajun was determined to earn more money, not wanting his wife to work in the fields in the early morning with dew and his children to wear patched-up clothes.

Su Qiao: "This is the salary and quarterly bonus I've saved up over the past six months. Let's bring it all back—we need to rebuild our house! Look around the village, who still lives in a leaky old mud house? Uncle Su Dahe's family has already built three cement bungalows. Our house has crumbling walls and a dripping roof; on rainy days, the dampness goes straight into your father's lungs!" Before she finished speaking, she had already stuffed a neat stack of banknotes into Wang Dahua's hand.

Wang Dahua: "When you're running your business in the city, what expenses don't you incur? Be careful with your money! Once you've built a house, don't worry about anything else at home—it's your parents who aren't capable enough to save up for your dowry, and now you're the one who has to support them. Now that you're successful, take care of yourself first; that's more important than anything else."

Su Qiao: "Mom, you're talking nonsense again! Construction will begin on the new land our factory has been approved for, and the employee housing will be ready for piling by the end of the year. Your daughter's name is already on the housing allocation list!"

The mother and daughter chatted for a few more minutes about daily necessities. Wang Dahua picked up her bamboo basket and went out, while Su Qiao picked up another meal. They walked together toward the brick factory.

As soon as I stepped into the factory gate, I bumped into Gu Ting walking in with light, quick steps. Her blue work clothes were faded from washing, and there was a bit of plaster dust on her cuffs.

Gu Ting: "Oh my, Factory Director Su has arrived? What a rare guest! Is he here to check on the skills of his old colleagues, or is he here specifically to 'check up' on the job?" Her eyes curved into crescents, and her tone was full of familiar teasing.

Su Qiao smiled and took her arm: "I missed you! We just shook hands yesterday, and my heart is itching again today—come on, come sit with me in my office, let's have a good chat." The two walked towards the office building, shoulder to shoulder, laughing and chatting.

After exchanging pleasantries, Su Qiao turned and headed toward the assembly line where her mother worked. As she walked, people called out to her, "Qiao'er's back?" "Director Su, try my family's freshly pickled radishes!" The voices were as warm as freshly steamed buns.

Su Dahe, carrying a shovel, walked by and immediately stopped, grinning, "Qiaodanzi, were you behaving well at the furniture factory? Did the foremen complain about your clumsiness?"

Su Qiao: "He's incredibly diligent! The old master craftsman who used to mentor him was transferred to the quality control team, and he was immediately handed over to Master Zhang in the carpentry team—people praise him for his ability to shavings fly straight and his chalk lines are incredibly accurate. If he keeps at this level for another two years, he'll definitely be able to work independently! Uncle, I need to go see my dad, and I'll talk to you in more detail later!"

She hurried across the drying yard and saw her father bending over, stacking bricks, his back taut like a fully drawn bow. Su Dajun looked up and stared in surprise for a long time—after not seeing her for several months, his daughter had blossomed like a sun-baked wheat stalk, upright and radiant, the sharpness in her eyes having completely erased the timidity she had shown in the mountain valley.

Su Qiao rushed forward and hugged her father's sweaty shoulders, her nose brushing against the alkali stains on his coarse cloth jacket—for the past few years, he had always been curled up on the kang (a heated brick bed) coughing, and this was the first time she could hold a person who was standing upright steadily.

"Dad..." She only managed to call out once before tears fell onto the back of his hand.

Su Dajun haphazardly wiped her face with his mud-covered thumb: "What are you crying for? I can swing a hammer now, that's a happy occasion! If you keep crying, your eyes will be as red as a rabbit's, and the girls at the factory will laugh at you!"

Wang Dahua quickly grabbed her daughter's arm: "Quickly wipe it off! You're the factory manager in charge of dozens of people now. If people see this, they'll think our Su family's daughter is spineless!"

At noon, the couple should have been squatting by the kiln eating cold steamed buns—working an extra hour meant earning an extra 35 cents—but Su Qiao came back, and Wang Dahua insisted on cooking stewed cured meat, making egg pancakes, and even warming a small pot of homemade rice wine. Parents everywhere care about their children's monthly salary or job title. In their eyes, what their daughter eats outside is always the staleest, most mushy dish from the canteen.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, the threshold was packed with people: some carrying baskets of eggs, some carrying new cotton quilts, some carrying dried walnuts... all talking at once about how they got into the furniture factory through connections.

Wang Dahua didn't mince words and deflected them all: "Qiao'er is in charge of sales, recruitment? That's the personnel department's job! Want to get in? First, look at the recruitment notice on the bulletin board—age, education, physical examination, pass each one! Don't meet the requirements? Go home and practice calligraphy and arithmetic, and wait for the next recruitment to pass the exam based on your real skills!"

The deputy factory director could indeed make exceptions, but Wang Dahua held onto that loophole tightly—even when her own younger brother came to plead for her, she forced him to work in the brick kiln: "If you work with me for three years and support both of our children through university, that's more powerful than any other relationship!" She explained the reasons to her family in detail: relying on others is unreliable; only by having knowledge and strength can our children stand tall and live a fulfilling life.

As the event was ending, she added loudly, "Our brick factory's night school starts next week! Literacy classes, arithmetic classes, safety regulations classes—all free! From now on, when the county hires workers, who wants to suffer from being uneducated?"

These were heartfelt words, but whether others liked them or not was beyond her control. If she really forced people into the factory, and Su Qiao were to be transferred one day, those who got in through the back door would probably give even the janitors a hard time.

When her two younger brothers ran in after school, Su Qiao immediately took out the gifts that Lou Xiao'e had personally picked out: two sets of indigo khaki school uniforms and two canvas schoolbags printed with "Red Star Furniture Factory".

Su Qiao squatted down and looked her younger brothers in the eye: "This was bought for you by Factory Director Lou. The stitches are tight and the fabric is thick. Remember, she not only gave our family a livelihood, but also allowed the children of our village to hold their heads high and go out into the world."

The two children nodded vigorously, their little hands clenched tightly—from a young age, Wang Dahua had pressed them against the doorstep and taught them: "You must engrave Director Lou's name in your heart."

Su Qiao then handed a plain blue cloth bag to her parents: "This was sent by Director Lou. It contains a box of donkey-hide gelatin cake and a few packets of goji berries, to help you two replenish your energy."

Su Dajun rubbed his rough hands together and chuckled awkwardly, "This... is too much of a waste! Thanks to her, our family is practically living off her—building a nest every year, having a warm home every year!"

Wang Dahua turned around and picked up two flapping hens, tying their claws with hemp rope: "Take the chickens with you when you go back to the factory tomorrow. We can't afford a decent thank-you gift right now, but next year when the brick factory distributes its profits, I'll personally pick out the best sausages and freshly ground buckwheat flour and deliver them to Director Lou's office!"

The firewood crackled in the stove, and the rising steam, carrying the aroma of cured meat, filled the house. The family sat around the newly lacquered elm table, chopsticks clasped in steaming hot food, their conversation drifting further and further away—about the newly built house, the younger brothers' college acceptance letters, and the skilled worker training program that Director Lou had just approved… The future was like the rising sun outside the window, not dazzling, but truly warming to the bone.

The next morning, Su Qiao was picked up by a driver and taken to the factory. As soon as she stepped into the office building, Qin Xiaoyue walked quickly towards her.

Qin Xiaoyue: "Deputy Factory Director Su, Factory Director Lou requests your presence."

Su Qiao nodded in response: "Okay, I'll go right away."

Qin Xiaoyue is Qin Feng's younger sister. She had been learning administrative and management skills from her brother for many years, but she had never been able to secure a position. When Su Qiaogang was appointed as the deputy factory director, Qin Feng took the opportunity to transfer her to Lou Xiao'e's side as her personal assistant.

She pushed open the door to Lou Xiao'e's office.

"Factory manager, you wanted to see me?"

"Hmm." Lou Xiao'e put down the documents in her hand. "Today I accompanied Secretary He to the capital on business. It will take three to five days, or more than a week. The factory will be relying on you to keep things running during this time."

"Understood. Around what time will you be back?"

"It's still hard to say—this time I need to go to the National Development and Reform Commission to sign the permit for the construction of the wharf, and I also need to make a few trips to the machinery factory along the way. I need to personally oversee the core equipment for the new factory."

"Okay, I understand."

Lou Xiao'e paused, her gaze calm: "I've already submitted a report to the regional government recommending you as the first factory director for the new food factory. Keep that in mind."

Su Qiao paused for a moment, then softened her voice: "I want to learn from you for a while longer..." Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Lou Xiao'e looked at her, her tone slow and firm: "I've seen it all these past few months—you're capable and can handle pressure. I didn't just push you into this position randomly; I genuinely believe in your abilities. The new factory's construction will break ground next week, so please make sure to visit the construction site a few more times when you have time. When I return, we'll finalize the recruitment plan together."

"Okay..." Su Qiao's throat tightened, and before she could finish speaking, her eyes were already wet with tears.

Lou Xiao'e stood up and gently put her arm around her shoulder: "Don't cry. You're a resilient girl, and I treat you like my own daughter. From now on, we're just across the street from each other. If you miss me, you can just stroll over, it won't take any effort. In this life, you have to carry your own burdens and walk your own path—practice more while you're young, so you can walk steadily and go far later."

Su Qiao finally couldn't hold back anymore and buried her head in her arms, her shoulders trembling slightly. Growing up, apart from her parents, no one had ever treated her so sincerely: seeing her covered in dust and dirt in the brick kiln, they insisted on pulling her into the factory office to teach her step by step; from writing notices and scheduling to coordinating with the workshop and liaising with the county, they broke everything down for her, like raising a daughter, paving the way for her life step by step.

Lou Xiao'e patted her back and said gently, "Alright, wipe your face and get back to work. Xiaoyue is coming with me to Kyoto. As for your office, find a capable helper as soon as possible, don't try to handle everything alone."

……

When it comes to docks, the National Development and Reform Commission's signature is far from enough—the planning bureau has to review the shipping route map, the transportation bureau has to stamp and file it, and the maritime administration has to approve the berths; no matter how beautiful the shoreline is built, if ships can't get in or stop, it's all a waste of money.

He Yuzhu called Zhang Huaqiang's brother-in-law in advance. The other party replied that the National Development and Reform Commission had loosened its stance, but for the other few channels, He Yuzhu still had to personally visit them, submit materials, explain policies, and cultivate relationships.

That afternoon, Lou Xiao'e, along with Qin Xiaoyue, He Yuzhu, and Liu Qiang, boarded a train bound for Kyoto.

In Dongli County, Comrade Yu Bo personally took charge. This food factory is a key project jointly developed by the region and the county. Although it is not as grand as the furniture factory, it still covers an area of ​​100 acres and has complete production lines.