Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"The high-speed trains have only been in trial operation for a short time, haven't they? They haven't been rolled out yet, have they?"

Xiao Yao was slightly taken aback.

"I don't care about that. Anyway, the Kyoto area has high-speed rail connecting more than a dozen cities. Your dad has taken it several times and kept praising it, saying it's 'as smooth as sleeping on a kang (heated brick bed) and as fast as flying.' I'd like to try it, but I'm tied up with projects and can't get away."

When this topic came up, Su's mother's eyes lit up. She pulled out her newly bought smartphone, immediately video-called Su's father, and shoved the phone into Su Man's hand: "Quick, say a few words to your dad!"

"Manman, look at our 42-inch LCD TV—isn't it impressive? I packed up and sent our old CRT monitors back to our hometown a long time ago. These days, with our technology, foreigners are lining up to submit cooperation proposals! Salaries change every six months too. Guess how much Mom earns a month now?"

Su's mother raised her chin, her face beaming.

"two thousand?"

Su Man held up two fingers.

"Silly girl! If I really had two thousand, I'd jump for joy! One thousand one hundred yuan—ten years ago, I wouldn't have even dared to dream of it!" She paused, then suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, how much do you two earn now?"

"I'm about the same height, Xiao Yao is slightly taller."

Su Man gave a vague answer. She didn't actually know the exact figures either—the bulk of his salary was bundled into quarterly bonuses and project allowances, and was paid out in small, scattered amounts.

"Did you bring back a change of clothes this time? I've folded all your old clothes and had your dad take them back to our hometown."

"I didn't bring any, and they're all too small. I donated them all to the logistics department. I'll just go shopping later and buy a few new ones."

"That's true, you all eat and live at the company, you have more money than you can spend! By the way, didn't the Institute of Chinese Language and Literature provide you with housing?"

Su's mother leaned forward curiously.

"We broke up, but I don't plan to move there—it's too much of a hassle."

"What's all the fuss about? Is the house big enough?"

"It's alright, a detached house with two floors."

Xiao Yao listened quietly, like a warm, smooth stone, listening to their chatter, feeling the warmth and life around him.

"You still think it's too much trouble? Your dad and I are almost retired, and we're just sitting around anyway. I was thinking of coming over to lend a hand and helping you take care of the kids, what do you say?"

Su Man nodded with a smile.

When Su's mother saw it, the wrinkles on her face smoothed out, like a sun-dried cotton quilt, soft and warm.

"Xiao Yao, how long is your leave this time? Or are you waiting until Manman gives birth before returning to work?"

She finally remembered her son-in-law, her tone carrying a hint of apology yet familiarity.

"This vacation period isn't fixed; it's all up to the organization. Su Man's transfer procedures have been completed, and the handover of her personnel file and documents is basically finished. I might have to go back to the materials team after the Spring Festival, or it might be delayed until the middle of the year—it depends on the project's progress and the trainees' graduation."

Now he mentors newcomers in the materials research group, no longer rushing around like before: trying every direction and taking on every task. Now his focus is on training these trainees, and once they can work independently, he plans to move into interdisciplinary fields to do some original designs—with more autonomy in his time and a more relaxed pace.

He had considered this path for a long time. He didn't want his child to grow up before seeing his father's face clearly for the first time; he didn't want to miss every babbling and toddling moment. Therefore, he politely declined the invitation from Lop Nur. However, he never missed the frequent online seminars, and his proposed solutions were often praised for their "accurate focus and flexible thinking," prompting the other party to always sigh, "It's a pity you didn't stay in the Gobi Desert!"

The old leader didn't offer any advice, but simply patted him on the shoulder: "Wherever you shine, you're contributing to our family's development."

"You're really lucky—Xiao Yun's wedding, you're guaranteed to make it!"

Su's mother suddenly slapped her thigh.

"Mom, how come I haven't heard anything about this?"

Su Man paused, her brows furrowing slightly. "Why didn't Uncle Xiao and Aunt Xiao tell us beforehand?"

"I was afraid you'd be too busy to spare a moment!" Mother Su waved her hand, her tone tinged with helplessness. "Our in-laws felt that informing them would be pointless, so they decided to keep it from us for now."

Xiao Zhiyuan had been worried about his son's heavy workload and tight schedule, so he hadn't mentioned Xiao Yun's wedding at all. Fortunately, he made it in time for this trip. Otherwise, even if Xiao Yun didn't say anything, he would probably feel resentful: his own brother was absent from his brother's important wedding. This was not just negligence, but clearly disrespect.

"Didn't Xiao Yun just graduate? How come he's settled down so quickly?" Su Man blinked, full of surprise.

"The daughter of your dad's former colleague. The two of them were assigned to the same department right after graduation. Their elders introduced them, and they naturally got together. The wedding date is set for New Year's Day."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yao's phone started vibrating.

"Hello, this is Han Chunming." The voice on the other end of the phone was clear and bright.

"Xiao Yao, you've only been apart for a few minutes, and you already miss me?" he replied with a smile.

"I was thinking about your red envelope!" Han Chunming laughed heartily. "My second sister is getting married on New Year's Day. I was so excited to see you just now that I forgot all about it—would you like to come and support me sometime?"

"Where should we go?" Xiao Yao asked bluntly.

"Just like your brother, at the Imperial Banquet Palace in Beijing. He booked the Peony Hall, and my second sister is in the Jasmine Hall next door, just a few steps away."

"Okay, I'll be there on time!"

As soon as the phone call ended, Su's mother grabbed Su Man's wrist and pulled her outside: "Silly girl, what are you dawdling for? Your mother-in-law will be off work soon, we need to get in before she locks her office so she can give you a proper 'check-up'!"

Su Man was both amused and exasperated, and had no choice but to be dragged out the door. Xiao Yao grabbed her canvas bag and followed her in a few quick steps.

……

As soon as the mother and daughter stepped out of the community gate, Zhang Jie had already parked the car steadily at the entrance, the engine starting softly.

"It's too late to take the subway now!" Su's mother urged anxiously.

"Mom, we drove here," Su Man quickly explained. "This is Xiao Zhang, a colleague of mine. He usually picks up and drops off Xiao Yao." She then turned to Zhang Jie, "This is my mom."

"Hello, Auntie, my name is Zhang Jie, and I drive for Xiao Yao." Zhang Jie replied smoothly and naturally, without revealing a single word about "security," thus maintaining his composure without giving away any clues.

"Oh, thank you for your hard work! It's all thanks to you taking care of them." Su's mother smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"It's not me taking care of them, it's them always looking after me," Zhang Jie nodded modestly.

The three got into the car, and Xiao Yao casually gave the address: "Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Military Hospital".

Knowing the way well, Su's mother led them straight into the building. Lin Wan hadn't finished get off work yet and was looking through medical records when she saw Su's mother coming in arm in arm with Su Man. She immediately put down her pen, quickly went to greet them, and affectionately took Su Man's arm: "Manman's back? Why didn't you call ahead? Mom should have taken leave to come home and make you some nourishing white fungus soup!"

Before she could finish speaking, she had already led Su Man into the examination room, without even glancing at the door—where her own son, Xiao Yao, was standing. The obstetrics and gynecology department was full of women, so Xiao Yao couldn't follow her in. He could only obediently sit on the bench in the corridor, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the strap of his backpack.

Lin Wan asked similar questions as Su's mother, but upon hearing that Su Man had transferred to a job at the Chinese Language and Literature Department, a smile immediately welled up on her face, and she didn't even bother to ask about Xiao Yao's recent situation. She had just caught a glimpse of her son from afar and thought he seemed a bit plumper, and she immediately concluded: this good complexion was all thanks to her daughter-in-law taking good care of him! Right now, the most important thing was Su Man, and the little life in her belly—she understood this very well.

After personally conducting the examination, Lin Wan removed her stethoscope, her smile widening even further. The doctor knew exactly what was going on; the fetus's condition was crystal clear. As the four of them walked out of the hospital, she lowered her voice, her eyes gleaming, "Manman's belly is really doing her job—twins, and two girls at that!"

The hospital has strict rules against revealing the sex of a fetus in public. She held it in all the way, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped out of the inpatient department.

Lin Wan and Xiao Zhiyuan had always hoped for a daughter, but their second child was a son. The name "Xiao Yun" was originally intended for a daughter; after finding out it was a boy, Xiao Zhiyuan didn't bother with the name anymore and simply named him "Xiao Yun".

Su Man quietly turned her head to the side, her gaze falling on Xiao Yao's face, wanting to see his reaction as soon as possible.

He laughed frankly: "My daughter and son are the same, they are both the apple of our eye."

Su Man felt a sense of relief and finally smiled. To be honest, when she first heard "two daughters," she was secretly worried—afraid that he would mind. But Xiao Yao had lived through several lifetimes and had long since become indifferent to the difference between men and women: blood is thicker than water, so what difference is there between them? Girls are more considerate, less of a nuisance, and adults don't have to chase after them every day.

On the way home, Su Man and her mother got into Lin Wan's car, while Xiao Yao rode with Zhang Jie.

As soon as he opened the door, Xiao Zhiyuan brought out a large plate of fruit from the kitchen, piled high with red, yellow, and purple fruits: "Xiaoman, your mother says that eating more fruit is good for you. You should eat a lot of these out-of-season ones!" His face was radiant with a long-lost glow, and even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes seemed to have smoothed out—in Xiao Yao's memory, her father had never smiled so heartily because of how long she had been away from home.

"Dad, I eat this every day at work. You can save it for Xiao Yun." Su Man reached for the apple.

"Can what your workplace gives you compare to this?" Xiao Zhiyuan waved his hand. "Our department also gives out these, but they're nowhere near as fresh and appealing. I heard you transferred to the Chinese Language Department, and your mother is planning to retire so she can stay home and take care of the kids and you two."

This wasn't a discussion; it was a firm, unwavering decision. Lin Wan nodded slightly. At fifty-five, this was the first time she was seriously considering retirement—seeing her older colleagues enjoying their grandchildren, she felt a quiet sense of relief. It was only because Xiao Yao and his wife hadn't yet started a relationship that she gritted her teeth and persevered; but when she heard Su Man was pregnant, she immediately made a decision with Xiao Zhiyuan: "Leave the child to me, you two just focus on moving forward!"

Later, Su Man took the initiative to change careers, and Lin Wan did not waver in the slightest.

"They're twins, and I really can't manage all of them by myself," Su's mother readily replied. "It would be wonderful if my in-laws could lend a hand!"

"Mother-in-law, how did you know there were two?" Xiao Zhiyuan was taken aback.

"You're getting more and more confused as you get older!" Lin Wan glanced at him sideways, her tone a mix of exasperation and amusement.

Xiao Zhiyuan suddenly realized—his wife was the head of obstetrics and gynecology; nowadays, ultrasounds were so clear they could even see a fetus yawning. How could she be mistaken? He grinned even more broadly and turned to head towards the market: "Chicken and fresh milk, I'm going to buy them right now!"