Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Seeing that he was unyielding and wouldn't budge, Su Meng silently turned and left.

The next morning, Su Man took Xiao Yao's arm and headed to the movie theater, chatting and laughing all the way, her steps light and quick.

Han Chunming borrowed a bottle of Moutai from Xiao Yao, patting his chest and promising to pay back ten yuan as soon as his salary arrived. Carrying the liquor, he headed straight for his master, "Nine Gates Admiral," to his house—this time he had his eye on an old item, but was unsure of its authenticity, so he came specifically to get confirmation.

"Hey—Moutai for eight yuan a bottle!" The Nine Gates Admiral sniffed, the aroma of the liquor filling his nostrils, and he chuckled. "How did you know I had a craving for this?"

"This is a special gift for you! Let's have a good drink together, you and me!" Han Chunming said with a fawning smile.

"Don't waste it! This little bit of wine isn't even enough for this admiral to rinse his mouth!" The old man glared, his mustache standing on end.

"Commander of the Nine Gates" was an official title in the Qing Dynasty, which he naturally never held—the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, and he was 74 years old in 1982, meaning he was born in 1908. It's highly likely that his ancestors did hold this position, and he was born with this prestigious title. Back then, this position controlled nine city gates of Beijing, commanding troops for patrols and maintaining order; its power was even greater than that of a mayor today.

It's just that they keep talking about it now because they can't bear to part with all that glory.

The two began chatting about the treasure, with the Nine Gates Admiral recounting its origins, provenance, and intricacies. Xiao Yao had no interest in antiques, at most calling it a historical relic; frankly, it was just an ornament—those who liked it treasured it, while those who disliked it wouldn't even bother to look at it. Whether it was valuable or not depended entirely on who was looking at it and how they interpreted it.

Xiao Yao, however, had a particular fondness for gold—it was a hard currency in every lifetime. He had accumulated two or three tons of it over several lifetimes, and had no intention of selling it. He would simply collect it whenever he saw it; it didn't take up much space or get in the way, and who knew when it might come in handy.

A couple of days ago, he met an old lady who was selling gold as brass. Without saying a word, he bought it on the spot at a price two cents higher than the price of brass.

The space was filled with many old objects, but Xiao Yao couldn't identify many of them as genuine. He decided to leave them for now, thinking they might come in handy someday.

Having extracted the information he wanted from the Nine Gates Admiral, Han Chunming immediately took off running, his shoes practically sparking from the friction.

"Hey! You little rascal, bring this over so I can take a look!" the Nine Gates Admiral shouted from behind.

"I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously!" Han Chunming shouted without turning his head, and he had already darted out of the alley, leaving only a swaying back view.

Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into Xiao Yao.

"Dude, lend me ten dollars to tide me over—it's not much! I've got my eye on something good, I'll pay you back as soon as I get paid!" Han Chunming grabbed Xiao Yao's arm, intending to go home and plead with his family, but unexpectedly bumped into his savior on the way.

"Can't pay me back yet?" Xiao Yao didn't even lift his eyelids. These days, ten yuan wasn't just a piece of paper; it was a real meal ticket, cloth ticket, match ticket. It wasn't that he was stingy, but with money, the more ambiguous things were, the more they damaged relationships. Even close brothers would flip the table over two cents, let alone childhood friends who had only shared a pair of pants? Han Chunming and Cheng Jianjun had grown up playing naked in the mud, but they still turned on each other and tore each other apart over Su Meng—

In TV dramas, people shake hands and make up at the end, but dramas are fiction, and people are real. Old habits die hard; as long as an old horse doesn't fall, its temperament remains the same. Reality isn't a play; there's no such thing as a script with a safety net.

Right now, this kid is on a shopping spree, his pockets are emptier than his face. If he adds another ten yuan, his debt for the month will soar to twenty. The permanent job that Director Su introduced him to only pays twenty-two yuan a month.

Those with a clearer perspective would surely say: Consider it an early investment! Didn't Han Chunming later make a fortune? But did Xiao Yao need his help? The eye for quality and capital he accumulated through his struggles in previous lives, apart from his lack of interest in antiques, were in no way inferior to him. Just considering their initial resources, they were miles ahead of him.

"I'll definitely pay you back when I get my salary!" Han Chunming was stunned for a moment. It was the first time he had seen Xiao Yao speak so firmly with such a straight face, and his eyes showed an unusual seriousness.

"Okay, twelve yuan, including principal and interest, we'll settle it all at the end of the month." Xiao Yao took out two ten-yuan bills and two one-yuan bills from his pocket and stuffed them into Han Chunming's hand.

Han Chunming grabbed it and quickly stuffed it into his inner pocket: "Thanks, buddy!"

Xiao Yao waved her hand, shaking her head inwardly—this kid, always so carefree and irresponsible, no wonder his on-again, off-again relationship with Su Meng is so unpredictable. These days, which girl doesn't hope her boyfriend has a stable job and a respectable status?

Later generations may dislike Su Meng for her fiery temper, but that's using 21st-century standards to judge 1970s fabric. It's like in 2021, if you were carrying a burlap sack collecting empty bottles to exchange for money, what college-educated girl would want to date you? What normal girl would gamble her entire life on a vague and uncertain "future"?

……

Viewers love Han Chunming's free-spiritedness in the drama, but what about in real life? If you were a parent, would you agree to let your daughter marry a man who speaks carelessly and acts without any sense of propriety?

Imagine you and a boy both have feelings for a female teacher at a factory. You are a public school teacher, and he is a temporary worker who collects recyclables.

You would pat him on the shoulder and say, "Hey, collecting scrap has a bright future! I'll step down and let you two have your way, just introduce me to a girl who collects scrap?"

A college degree and running errands to collect recyclables—even a blind person could tell the difference. One allows for a more open and honest life, while the other involves living behind a mask. Su Meng chose the former.

Han Chunming was indeed very lucky. He bumped into the Nine Gates Admiral and climbed up to the ragtag Marquis. What's even more remarkable is that the Marquis was actually willing to open his heart to him.

Xiao Yao stood at the entrance of the alley, watching several groups of people carrying nets and burlap sacks collecting antiques—it wasn't that no one recognized their value in this era, nor that others were uncultured; it was simply that the scales of fortune had tipped to one side.

Logically speaking, once he and Su Meng turned away, they would become strangers. Movies are merciful, allowing old friends to reunite; life is cruel, leaving only a sigh.

To raise the capital to repay the debt, Han Chunming gritted his teeth and took on odd jobs, following Taozi to construction sites. The three of them pooled together a few dozen yuan and plunged into the countryside to collect eggs, which they then sold at a factory. In less than a month, Han Chunming, Cai Xiaoli, and Taozi had become as close as family.

At that time, Su Meng hadn't started her job yet, and Cheng Jianjun was also kept in the dark—Xiao Yao witnessed all of this on the road. Han Chunming saw him from afar, turned around and ran away, looking like he had stolen pickled vegetables from someone's pickle jar.

That evening, Han Chunming, carrying a bottle of bulk liquor and an aluminum food box, knocked on Xiao Yao's door.

"Dude, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Are you afraid I'll report you, or do you want to recruit me? Or, do you want your bread to be sold in our factory canteen?" Xiao Yao leaned against the door frame, joking with a smile.

"You really understand me! If this deal goes through, I'll make a profit this month—" Han Chunming held up two fingers and grinned.

"Stop! Take it easy on yourself. The truth will come out eventually. I heard that Su Meng and Cheng Jianjun have both settled on jobs—one is going to the Children's Palace, and the other is going to a piano factory as a tuning apprentice. Are you aware of this?" Xiao Yao relayed the information.

"I really don't know, I didn't run into them at all today." Han Chunming was taken aback and scratched the back of his head.

"Cheng Jianjun has a lot of opinions about you. He likes Su Meng, don't you know that?" Xiao Yao asked, staring at him.

"He...didn't mention it to me." Han Chunming blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"You two are truly destined to meet, even bumping into the same girl you both like. Be more careful. Cheng Jianjun is really willing to go to any lengths for Su Meng." Xiao Yao left it at that, letting him decide whether to listen or not. She couldn't very well pry open his ears and personally teach Jianjun how to trip him up next—the situation changes every day, and the opponent's tactics change accordingly.

Xiao Yao had noticed something amiss with Cheng Jianjun's behavior ever since he returned to the city; yet, he remained consistently polite and attentive to him. Xiao Yao understood that everyone had their own perspective, and taking sides was inappropriate. Since they were brothers, offering a word of advice was already a matter of duty.

"Here, twenty-two yuan, not a penny less. If you borrow and return, it'll be easy to borrow again!" Han Chunming slammed the money on the table, not taking it to heart at all, just assuming that Xiao Yao was just guessing casually.

After downing a few sips of wine, he got up and left in a hurry, not even closing the door properly.

This information was obtained through connections made by Cheng Jianjun's father and Su Meng's father; they hadn't had a chance to tell the children the details yet. Xiao Yao found out the truth when he bumped into Su Man at the state-run restaurant and casually asked her about it.

The next day at noon, Han Chunming's aunt came to town again to shop. Han Chunming was now financially well-off, so he took out a dollar and bought a bunch of fruit to give to his aunt. As a result, the three of them ate as they walked, and before they even reached their doorstep, all the fruit was gone.

Han Chunming's face tightened, and his brow twitched. He had just turned around to buy apples from the fruit stand when he bumped into Cheng Jianjun, who was carrying two bags of bright red apples back home.

As Xiao Yao and Su Man stepped into the courtyard, they heard a commotion inside—Grandma Su stood with her hands on her hips under the eaves of the Han family's house, her voice so loud it could lift tiles, forcing Han Chunming's mother to return the things untouched.

"Xiao Yao, what's going on here?" Su Man lowered her voice and secretly tugged at his sleeve with her fingertips.

"I'm new here too, I'm completely clueless." Xiao Yao turned her head, her voice as soft as a feather. "Let's just treat this like watching an open-air storytelling performance, no interruptions, no passing the buck."

In the blink of an eye, a group of people had gathered at the door. Some were eating rice, some were holding babies and putting them to sleep, and there were also old ladies standing on tiptoe and stretching their necks.

Xiao Yao almost burst out laughing – those old clothes were originally given to him by Su Meng on her own initiative. Now that the elders have come to ask for them back, he should just return them. They weren't some treasures snatched from the edge of a knife. To put it bluntly, it's like a child secretly tipping a streamer, and when the parents come to the door, the money is returned and that's it.

But Meng Xiaoxing wouldn't let it go, every word piercing and hooking, as if the whole world owed her an apology, a formality, and a kneeling bow. Only Han Chunming, with his gentle temper and warm heart, could have easily turned against them; anyone else would have refused to acknowledge them. Xiao Yao had already made her plans: avoiding him was the right thing to do—these relatives were all capable of causing trouble, and the days ahead would likely be a daily spectacle of chaos.