Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Liu Zi and Hou Dunzi went to Guangdong Province together. They heard that there was a lot of development going on there, so the two of them decided to take their wives and children on a "scouting vacation" to explore and scout out places at the same time.

Yang Maixiang entrusted all her local business to He Wenyuan and boarded the train north with Liu Hongchang. As soon as they arrived in Kyoto, the two got busy—Liu Yunchang hired three modified tricycles, each with a brass loudspeaker mounted on its roof, which drove through the streets daily, their booming voices proclaiming: "For weddings, choose 'Shuangxitang'! For renovations, choose 'Zhujiangfang'! For dining, go to 'Fumanlou'!" They handled everything from wedding planning to interior design, and promoted their newly opened restaurant. This method, though rustic, worked wonders—the brothers spent half the night figuring it out, without spending a penny on commission, and the whole city remembered their names.

Three days after Liu Hongchang and the others left, He Wenhui resigned and became He Wenyuan's personal assistant, earning 1,100 yuan a month. Li Jianbin followed suit, leaving the garment factory assembly line to start as a basic clerk at the company, earning 200 yuan a month—it sounds low, but it's more than three times what he earned at the factory. Former colleagues gathered around, asking, "Do you have any connections? Can you give us a hand?" The two could only smile wryly and wave their hands: these positions were only obtained because of He Wenyuan; they couldn't just give anyone in.

He Wenhui gave birth to two children for Li Jianbin and has never contacted Liu Hongchang since. She has pressed those fragments of her past life deep into the most hidden box in her heart, not even daring to open the lid in her dreams.

On New Year's Eve, Yang Maixiang prepared a table full of hearty dishes: braised pork knuckle, glistening and fragrant, and sweet, sticky eight-treasure rice, piping hot. More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye; the children have successively taken over their parents' business and settled down in their own places. They are constantly on the phone and video chatting, but they can only get together for a meal once a year.

Wang Cuilan's back was slightly hunched, and her hair was as white as frost, but her eyes shone like a young person's—chasing after her great-grandson in her own yard, vying with Wu Xiaoying for the right to hold the baby, and muttering, "I'm not old yet! Don't treat me like a porcelain doll!"

Before long, Liu Zi and his wife led four energetic young people into the house—their son and daughter-in-law. They had two grandsons, one more male than Hou Dunzi's family; Hou Dunzi, on the other hand, had two daughters and a son, a perfect family.

"Brother, long time no see!" Before Liu Zi finished speaking, he strode forward and put his arm around Liu Hongchang's shoulder.

"Hello, Uncle! Hello, Aunt! Hello, Grandma!" The four young people stepped forward in unison to greet them, their voices clear and bright.

"Oh, you just got back from your trip? You two really know how to enjoy life—flying here and there all year round." Liu Hongchang said with envy. He had just handed the company over to his children, and he was still worried about it, having to lend a hand from time to time; after the New Year, he would have to arrange the weddings of his two children. Unlike Liu Zi and his wife, who were so carefree, they were just waiting for the year-end dividends, sitting comfortably as shareholders, without having to worry about anything.

"Sister Junling, it's been years! How's everything going in Guangdong?" Yang Maixiang spotted Gao Junling and her husband and immediately went up to them, grabbing their hands.

Gao Junling wore a well-tailored cashmere suit, her earrings swaying, and her smile was composed, exuding the confidence of a wealthy woman.

"It's alright! It's just that their tastes are too picky. It took Dunzi and me half a year to figure out what the locals' tastes are like. We're only just getting started now." Her tone was relaxed, but there was bitterness in her words. When Yang Maixiang wanted to explore Guangdong Province, the two of them took the lead without hesitation. After all, they held 20% of the company's shares. How could they trust outsiders with that? Looking back now, it would have been safer to have the locals manage it.

"Wait a little longer before the banquet starts, our general manager hasn't shown up yet!" Yang Maixiang joked with a smile. H Province is thriving under He Wenyuan's management, and the two are like sisters. He Wenyuan, worth hundreds of millions, just got married and settled down in his early thirties. Yang Maixiang specially flew to the H Province headquarters and insisted on giving her a long leave so she could focus on her life's important matter—she was just returning from a prenatal checkup today and would be there soon.

"My sister is teasing me again!" He Wenyuan stepped through the door with her round belly, a refined gentleman steadily supporting her arm.

"We've been waiting for you! We've been looking forward to this reunion dinner for so many years!" Yang Maixiang stepped forward quickly, affectionately took He Wenyuan's arm, and helped him into the living room.

The He family reunion banquet was held at He Wenyuan's villa. In the past ten years or so, Yu Qiuhua has truly lived a comfortable life—thanks to her two daughters, she has regular check-ups, a nutritionist prepares her meals, and goes to the senior activity center every day without fail to practice Tai Chi and do aerobics, and her energy and spirit are getting better and better.

She stood before the ancestral tablets, gazing at the wisps of incense smoke, a smile playing on her lips, as if whispering to her husband, "Old man, look, the children are all grown up, and my grandchildren are all around me... I haven't let you down with your last words."

The whole family sat around the dining table, waiting for He Wenyuan and his wife to return home. After the Liu family's New Year's Eve dinner, the driver took the couple back to their own courtyard.

Liu Hongchang lay on a bamboo rocking chair in the courtyard, squinting in the sun. Yang Maixiang chattered on beside him:

"The kids are all grown up now, so let's relax a bit next year—I've heard Yunnan is incredibly beautiful and colorful. We'll head there as soon as Xiaoxi's wedding is over!" Her eyes sparkled.

Liu Hongchang laughed: "Where do you want to go? Do you think I can stop you? Do you think I'd dare move a mile without your permission?"

"Which household matter, big or small, wasn't I the one who took care of it all? In the end, you complain that I'm nagging, meddling too much, and want to make decisions? I've been a maid in Old Liu's house my whole life, and now that I'm old, I don't even have the right to nag anymore?" She pretended to wipe away tears, her voice full of coquettishness.

Liu Hongchang didn't reply, but silently called out to the system in his mind:

"Is the original owner still around? Get me out of here! This constant chatter is driving me crazy!"

"You're here, and your memories have been fully backed up. This time, you can really choose for yourself—go wherever you want." The system's voice sounded gently.

As consciousness settled, his body returned to its rightful owner. Twenty years of ups and downs were etched into his mind, while the rest of his life would be peaceful, to be written by himself.

……

In 1977, Han Chunming, Cheng Jianjun, and Xiao Yao received job offers to return to the city. The news caused chaos in Qingdian – but an unexpected name appeared: Xiao Yao.

Han Chunming and Cheng Jianjun were overjoyed, slapping their thighs in delight. They had never heard of such a good thing before! The other educated youth had long given up hope, but who would have thought that Cheng Jianjun's father could pull strings and forcefully pry open a narrow gate for them to return to the city.

Unbeknownst to them, the college entrance examination was about to be reinstated. Based on their grades, their dreams of going to university were basically over; only Xiao Yao was confident—after years of tutoring college entrance exam candidates, he knew the question types by heart and could even recite the standard answers backwards.

But the system's setup for him completely shattered his worldview—he had just finished elementary school and was just hanging out with Han Chunming and Cheng Jianjun, and he quit junior high after only a few days. If someone with that kind of background could actually get into university, God would be furious.

"Jianjun! Xiao Yao! Are you all ready?" Han Chunming shouted from the courtyard gate, eager to get home, his eyes shining, and even the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"Why are you rushing me? The ticket is for tomorrow. You're not really planning to sneak to the train station in the middle of the night, are you?" Cheng Jianjun was skeptical, his heart pounding—if he were to be led astray by him, everything would be over.

"I've already inquired! If you don't squeeze into the city today, you won't even be able to squeeze your feet on the platform tomorrow! The crowds will be denser than at a temple fair. Think it over carefully—don't blame me for letting your brothers down if you can't get on the train!" Han Chunming's words flowed like a machine gun, vividly describing the situation.

Cheng Jianjun was immediately in a dilemma, his heart pounding: What if it was true? The little money the three of them had scraped together could not buy another ticket? No way.

"Xiao Yao, how about we just sleep at the train station entrance tonight?" Cheng Jianjun suddenly turned and asked.

"If you're in a hurry, go ahead. I have some things to do. I'll take a ride there later." Xiao Yao waved his hand, his tone light and casual.

"Then I'm not waiting any longer! You two can take your time figuring things out, I'm off!" Han Chunming grabbed his bedding roll and strode towards the village entrance, where an oxcart heading into town to pick up goods was parked.

Cheng Jianjun shouldered his bundle and chased after him, shouting, "Hey! Slow down! Can you carry a couple of things for me?"

When he caught up, panting heavily, his legs were trembling.

"You're such a jerk! You didn't even help me put a corner on the bundle..." He was bent over, panting, and shaking his head with his hands on his hips.

"Alright, you never practice, so you're bound to mess up at the crucial moment—look, here we are!" Han Chunming said as he tossed his luggage onto the oxcart, then reached out and pulled Cheng Jianjun's bundle, lifting it up with a quick motion.

"Xiao Yao is really dragging his feet until tomorrow? That's not like him," Han Chunming muttered, frowning.

"Who knows what's been going on with him these past few days? Never mind him, we'll definitely catch up." Cheng Jianjun slumped onto the oxcart, his chest heaving like a bellows.

Xiao Yao knew perfectly well: once the green trains were running, they didn't sell food in the carriages at all. What good were a few pieces of bread if you were stuck in the train for four or five days? Unless you were eating raw rice and chewing tree bark—that's what you call truly hungry.

Those two silly boys rushed over in a frenzy, but by the time the train leaves in two days, they'll be starving. And then, they'll still be asking for favors.

He had already steamed all the remaining rations from the educated youth settlement into dry food and stuffed them into his spatial storage. The old copper kettle and broken porcelain bowl he had picked up at the scrap yard a couple of days ago, whether they were old or not, were heavy and had a patina. Toothbrush, quilt, enamel basin... he put them all into his spatial storage, leaving only the dry food and the dried meat from the wild pheasant he had caught in the mountains. He touched the letter of introduction and train ticket issued by the commune three times, and they were in perfect condition.

The next day, Xiao Yao strolled briskly to the station, and sure enough—the two men were squatting at the entrance of the waiting room, using burlap sacks as mats, curled up and dozing off.

"Wow, you've already got a taste of 'soft sleeper' before even getting on the train?" Xiao Yao chuckled as he squatted down and poked Cheng Jianjun's arm.

"Stop being so glib! If I had listened to you earlier, I wouldn't have had to spend the whole night in the cold wind!" Cheng Jianjun muttered dejectedly.

"Hey, who was it that came in yesterday yelling 'Hurry up, hurry up, squeeze in first'? Chunming even praised you for being clever!" Han Chunming immediately imitated his loud tone from yesterday, making Cheng Jianjun roll his eyes.