Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Wenhui couldn't answer, and just buried her face in her mother's arms, her shoulders shaking. Her mother regained her sight, and she finally dared to drag her suitcase out from the corner—there was still a month before school started, and she could work thirty more days to save up for the trip and worry her mother less.

When Liu Hongchang and his mother followed Aunt Wang into Yang Maixiang's courtyard, the sun had just climbed over the east wall.

Wang Cuilan laughed and called out, "Master Yang, it's been so many years, you're still as healthy as ever!"

Mr. Yang grinned: "Da Lanzi, it's been almost five or six years since we last met!"

Wang Cuilan pointed at Yang Maixiang, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "In the blink of an eye, Maixiang has blossomed into a beautiful young woman!"

Yang's father patted Liu Hongchang on the shoulder and praised him loudly, "Hongchang is not bad either, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and plenty of energy!"

Liu Hongchang bowed respectfully: "Hello, Uncle Yang! Hello, Aunt Yang!"

Yang's father patted his back hard, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Before the two families had even finished speaking, the marriage was settled—the wedding would be held at the end of August.

When Liu Yunchang got off work and entered the house, he heard his mother mention his younger brother's engagement, and he was so happy that he slapped his thigh.

Liu Yunchang: "The sooner we get married, the sooner we can have peace of mind! Before he passed away, the old man was most worried about him. He thought he was too impulsive and worried that he would drift around without a stable place in his life."

Wang Cuilan put her hands on her hips and said, "You two should hurry up and have a baby; that's more important than anything else!"

Liu Yunchang was taken aback: "Mom, weren't we just talking about Hongchang? How did it get back to me?"

Wu Xiaoying stood to the side, head down, rubbing the hem of her apron, muttering something unintelligible. The issue of having a child had long been a scar on her heart—two or three years into her marriage, her belly remained flat.

Liu Yunchang didn't complain; his life was peaceful and harmonious, like a gentle stream flowing by.

As Liu Hongchang lay in bed, he thought of the foolish version of himself in the original story and couldn't help but chuckle: He had pursued He Wenhui for ten years and hadn't even held her hand. It was utterly absurd.

He Wenhui looked down on him from the bottom of her heart—she thought he was uneducated and good for nothing except a stable job. Ironically, he still devoted himself to supporting her entire family without complaint. On the other hand, Yang Maixiang had a stable job, lived in a bright cement house, was impeccable in character, and treated Liu Hongchang with utmost care and affection.

……

As dawn broke, He Wenhui helped Yu Qiuhua to the Liu family's door.

Wang Cuilan opened the door and saw two unfamiliar faces. She paused for a moment, then asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Yu Qiuhua's voice was soft yet steady: "I'm here to thank Master Liu."

Liu Hongchang was rinsing his mouth with a toothbrush in his mouth when he heard the noise. He peeked out, quickly spat out the foam, and went to greet him.

Liu Hongchang: "Wen Hui? And this is...?"

He Wenhui: "My mother insisted on coming over to kowtow in person."

Liu Hongchang quickly stepped aside to make way: "Auntie, please come in! I really don't deserve your thanks; this matter has nothing to do with me."

Yu Qiuhua suddenly bent down, her voice choked with emotion, "If you ever meet him again... please give him my thanks!"

Liu Hongchang's heart tightened, and he rushed forward to firmly grasp her arm: "You mustn't! You really mustn't! Who does this these days? If word gets out, I'll never be able to clear my name!"

He knew all too well how heavy the scales were in Yu Qiuhua's heart: her daughter was the family's only hope, a college student was the spark that would turn the He family around, and also the only way out for her to endure half a lifetime of hardship—she had worked in the factory for five years, but couldn't even get a permanent position, simply because she didn't have a diploma.

But the other three children in the family are a real headache:

The youngest son was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back, but he insisted on keeping a skinny dog ​​and wouldn't let go of it no matter how much he barked at it.

The eldest son, Wentao, is like a brain filled with mush. He gets carried away by a few kind words from others, and any advice from family members is worth ten.

The second son is even more obsessed with saving face. When the rice jar is empty, he still complains that his eldest sister's cooking is bland—this isn't about living life; it's about treating life like a stage for a performance!

As for He Wenhui herself, while she was indeed an outstanding student, she was too soft-hearted and lacked assertiveness. Later on, if any man said, "My brother wants to buy a house," she would probably turn around and empty her entire savings, muttering, "I only have these two younger brothers..."

This actually happened once. Liu Hongchang borrowed 500 yuan from someone, and then immediately lent 300 yuan to his three younger siblings. Can you imagine what kind of family background and what kind of heart they had to live like this?

He Wenhui went to work in the factory with her mother. She said that during the month she stayed at home, she would help her mother with more work and only need to keep the money for her round-trip transportation. The school provided food and accommodation, and she could also do odd jobs during holidays to earn travel expenses, so her family didn't have to pay for it at all.

Liu Hongchang waved his hand but didn't reply.

Wang Cuilan leaned closer and asked, "What exactly happened? Tell Mom the truth."

Liu Hongchang sighed, "I helped her with the cooking, but she absolutely refused to pay me. A close friend of mine kept asking me to do it, and I couldn't refuse, so I just lent her thirty yuan—her family is struggling, and I'm a loyal friend, what could I do?"

Wang Cuilan raised an eyelid: "You're really generous! Thirty yuan, that's enough for you to work for a month! How are your whole family supposed to live on air after that?"

Liu Hongchang grinned: "Yang Maixiang said she'd support me. With a face like mine, I was born to be a kept man."

Wang Cuilan slapped her thigh: "Aren't you ashamed? How dare you blurt that out? People will gossip about you!"

Liu Hongchang shook his head: "That's what I was telling you. When we're out in the world, I can keep up the good work of anyone."

Before she knew it, the end of the month was approaching. He Wenhui received her salary, took two yuan as a gift, and headed straight for Liu Hongchang's house. She had already told her mother that she would treat Liu Hongchang to a meal to properly thank him. Yu Qiuhua nodded in agreement.

Coincidentally, the Liu family was celebrating a wedding that day—Wang Cuilan bought her son a brand-new "Flying Pigeon" bicycle with red ribbons tied to the handlebars, and rode it all the way to Yang Maixiang's house to pick up the bride; Su Hou, Liu Zi, and all the acquaintances from the canteen rode their bicycles and followed behind.

The Yang family's side was also incredibly lively, with the wedding banquet set up in the main hall, the table full of hot dishes, and the courtyard filled with laughter.

Without saying a word, Yang Maixiang's older brother bent down, picked up his sister, and steadily carried her onto Liu Hongchang's back seat.

The wedding procession followed the motorcade in a grand procession, laughing and joking all the way to the Liu family home.

He Wenhui quietly hung up the gift money and chose a corner in the crowd to sit down.

Seeing Liu Hongchang beaming as he carried Yang Maixiang across the threshold, she clapped her hands in delight and smiled so broadly her eyes crinkled.

Director Yao cleared his throat: "Fellow villagers and friends, today is a special day for Liu Hongchang and Yang Maixiang! We've all gathered here for the sake of this lively occasion. Today, Liu Hongchang has entrusted me to be the host, so there will be plenty of wine and food. Eat and drink to your heart's content!"

A roar of cheers erupted from below: "Good!" "Great!" "Director Yao, be generous!" and applause rang out in unison.

After Yang Maixiang was carried into the new house and settled in, the two men came out to join the meal. Liu Hongchang thought to himself: This custom is really strange. Why not just carry her to the table directly? Why go through all this trouble?

As night fell and most of the guests had left, He Wenhui still couldn't find an opportunity to say a word to him, and silently got up to go home.

Before going to bed, Wang Cuilan called Liu Hongchang aside: "Hongchang, you're married now. I haven't touched a single penny of my salary these past few years; I've saved it all for you—a full seven hundred yuan, your hard-earned money from three years of work. Add to that the miscellaneous expenses like furniture and bedding, and this is all that's left. I secretly gave two hundred yuan for my eldest son's wedding; I'll give you two hundred for yours as well. The eldest son is listening here; I'm fair and impartial." With that, she pulled out nine crisp new banknotes and handed them to him.

Liu Hongchang didn't even look at it, and pushed it to Yang Maixiang: "Maixiang, keep it. From now on, you will be in charge of the household accounts." He was too lazy to think about the details of firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Women are meticulous and can handle things more properly. He was happy to have some free time.

Yang Maixiang took the money, turned around, sat on the new bed, and began counting it cross-legged. The Yang family's dowry included five hundred yuan, a sewing machine, a radio, and a Shanghai-brand watch; the Liu family's bride price was also five hundred yuan. Now, with interest, fourteen hundred yuan lay neatly in her hand—but all these items remained in the Yang family's old house.

As Yang Maixiang sorted through the bills, she calculated: "Our combined monthly income is seventy-six yuan. Fifteen yuan goes towards grains each month, and we'll save the rest for emergencies, buying groceries, and retirement."

Liu Hongchang tilted his head and asked, "Do I have to hand over the money from the overspending?"

Yang Maixiang rolled her eyes at him: "Dream on! Prices change three times a day, who can guarantee how much a steamed bun will cost tomorrow?"

Liu Hongchang sighed deliberately, "Oh dear, you're turning your back on me the moment you walked in? What happened to the person who promised to take care of me?"

Yang Maixiang snorted: "Just wait and see, you'll have your day."

After counting, she neatly tied it up with a rubber band, planning to deposit it in the bank the next morning.

After washing up, Liu Hongchang lay down and reached out to turn off the light.

Yang Maixiang gently stopped her: "Behave yourself."

Liu Hongchang rolled over and leaned closer: "You're the one who should behave."

As dawn broke, Yang Maixiang remained wrapped in her blanket, motionless.

Liu Hongchang nudged her arm: "The family is counting on you to do the heavy lifting, don't play the coy, you have to go to work today!"

Before she finished speaking, she sat up with a swift movement, her tomboyish energy returning. She threw off the covers, got out of bed, tied on an apron, boiled water, and rolled out dough, her movements as swift as if she were in battle.

"My dad asked yesterday when we're moving in together?" she asked while stirring the pot.

"We'll move in on the third day after the bride's return visit," Liu Hongchang answered readily.

"Okay, I'll mention it to him when I get to work today."

……

Yang Maixiang suddenly realized what he meant and playfully pinched his ear, "Isn't today everyone off work? Why are you pretending to be confused? You're acting like a complete idiot!"

Liu Hongchang scratched his head: "Oh dear, your memory is really bad. From now on, we'll have to rely on you for everything in this house."

Yang Maixiang glanced at him sideways: "It depends on your performance."

Liu Hongchang leaned closer: "Wasn't your performance last night impressive enough?"

Yang Maixiang spat: "You're shameless and have no manners!"

At the breakfast table, steaming millet porridge, pickled radishes, and freshly made scallion pancakes filled the room, with the whole family sitting around.

Liu Hongchang picked up a piece of flatbread with his chopsticks and turned to his elder brother: "Brother, before Grandpa passed away, he instructed that this room belonged to me. Back then, you and sister-in-law were worried that I was too young and that Mom would be left without anyone to take care of her, so you didn't go to the factory to fight for housing and stayed to support the family. Over the years, my sister-in-law has washed my clothes and cooked my meals. Without further ado—we are brothers. Today, Mom, sister-in-law, and Maixiang are all here, so I'm officially handing this house over to you. Maixiang and I will move out the day after tomorrow. Mom will continue to live here, and we'll pay ten yuan a month for her care. We'll also trouble sister-in-law to take care of her. I feel bad about it, but there's really no other way; we only have these two rooms."