Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"And now?"

His question was soft, yet profound.

"What else can we do? We just have to accept it," Su Man shrugged. "They really can't spare the time. Besides, there are four elderly people here taking turns to help—feeding, bathing, putting the baby to sleep, teaching the baby to talk—they do everything perfectly. After her postpartum period, the baby will still be sent back. The two of them are in the prime of their careers, and Zhao Jiao's parents are only in their early fifties, not even old enough to retire; they have several siblings, and everyone has their own responsibilities. How can they possibly help her take care of the baby?"

Xiao Yao didn't reply, only silently shook her head—Xiao Zhiyuan's bones were still filled with the stubbornness of his grandfather: If he wouldn't let her take him, then he would snatch her away! If he couldn't snatch her away, then he would go to her door! If his grandmother hadn't passed away early, he probably wouldn't have been able to take even the infant Xiao Yun out of the old house.

"Oh, right!" Su Man suddenly slapped her forehead, "Han Chunming asked me to tell you to call him as soon as you get back and say it's important."

Xiao Yao smiled, took out his phone, and dialed the number he knew by heart.

"Oh, what a rare guest! Finding you is harder than climbing to heaven."

Han Chunming's hearty laughter came through the receiver, "Spinning around like a top, huh?"

"The lab has been locked down for three months, and we haven't even bothered to order takeout," Xiao Yao laughed.

"Can't I miss you? Let's meet up. I'll introduce you to a new friend—Tian Ye, the head of Feilong Construction. He's amassed a fortune of over 100 million in just two years, and now he's partnering with us on a new project!"

Xiao Yao gently placed the little girl back in the children's room. As soon as he turned and stepped out the door, Su Man slipped a set of car keys into his hand.

"The car Han Chunming assigned you has been parked in our underground garage for a long time, and it's almost covered in dust and mold."

Xiao Yao took the keys, then casually pulled Su Man into his arms, rubbed his chin against the top of her head, and then walked towards the elevator.

Su Man chased after her for a few steps, then took out her phone and opened a map app: "Here, let's install a navigation app first. The road network is so dense now, I'm afraid you'll get lost outside the Fifth Ring Road."

Xiao Yao grinned—navigation? He'd used several generations of systems before. He just hadn't expected that back in the day, when hand-drawn sketches could take you all over Beijing, now even traffic light countdowns were calculated to the millisecond.

……

Following the navigation, Xiao Yao drove into the back alley of Shuxinzhai. As soon as the car was turned off, two hostesses in dark green cheongsams greeted him side by side, bowing slightly: "Welcome."

One of them led him to the front desk and then quietly stepped back.

"Hello, what kind of vintage items are you looking to buy today?" The receptionist asked with a warm smile and a clear, tea-like voice.

"Han Chunming made the appointment," Xiao Yao said directly.

"Wait a moment, I'll contact Chairman Han to confirm right away." She tapped the tablet twice with her fingertips, and after less than ten seconds of conversation, she walked out from behind the counter with a beaming smile. "Sir, please come with me."

Passing through the carved corridor and around the winding lotus pond, the view suddenly opens up—the backyard features a rockery with lush greenery and a quiet pavilion. Han Chunming has already strode out to greet us, and with a raised hand, he gives us a solid shoulder massage.

"Disappearing again? How long will this break last?"

Xiao Yao rubbed his shoulders and laughed, "I'm not leaving. I'll stay at the school as a lecturer."

"Come, let me introduce you—Tian Ye, the head of Feilong Construction; and this is my sworn brother, Xiao Yao."

Although Tianye was already worth over 100 million, upon hearing the words "brothers who would risk their lives for each other," he immediately dropped some of his reserve and smiled sincerely and warmly: "I've heard so much about you! Chunming has mentioned you so many times."

"Nice to meet you." Xiao Yao reached out and shook hands, his palm warm and strong.

The three sat down not to discuss business, but because Han Chunming genuinely admired Tian Ye's adventurous spirit and sense of propriety; he also brought Xiao Yao along because he was certain that this man would eventually spark a connection with Tian Ye.

In Han Chunming's eyes, Tianye was practically born on a whirlwind – he made tens of thousands selling enamel mugs at a stall in a Kyoto alley, then turned around and led a team to collect secondhand goods in the countryside, rake in tens of millions in a year; most miraculously, last year he intuitively bought a piece of wasteland on the outskirts of the city, and now its listed value has soared to hundreds of millions. Cooperation was a natural progression.

After Tian Ye left the table, Han Chunming picked up his teacup and slowly began to chat about his recent situation.

"After tasting success with Boss Li for the first time, I started thinking about going solo. We've already completed three shopping malls, and the residential area that will start construction next month is a joint project with Tian Ye—the location of that land is too good to pass up, so we decided to do it together."

Xiao Yao nodded, his brows showing approval.

"I've finalized your toy factory relocation plan, and we're building a new factory in the suburbs. I plan to have complete self-control over the entire production line: mold making, injection molding, painting, assembly... all parts will be produced in-house, cutting off all external dependencies. I plan to hand over Jinghua Yuyan Palace to you to manage. The company is currently expanding too much, and I simply can't handle it all. Besides, it's our business; it would seem distant if you didn't get involved."

Xiao Yao nodded without refusing—the idea was his, and someone had to take responsibility for its implementation. Just taking a share of the profits without doing any work wasn't his style.

"There's one more small matter." Han Chunming took out a brass key from his bag and handed it over along with a bulging brown paper bag. "With the money I used to split the profits with Boss Li last time, I picked out two townhouses in Huafu Garden, each over 2,000 square meters. I've furnished yours to your liking, so you can move in anytime. When you have time, come over and take a look. If you need anything, just say the word, and I'll have someone make sure it's ready overnight."

Xiao Yao took the key; it felt heavy, like catching a steady future.

After saying goodbye to Han Chunming, he sat alone in the driver's seat, watching the streetlights gradually illuminate outside the window, remaining motionless for a moment. He had to take over the Jinghua Royal Banquet Palace, but the university lecturer offer… he needed to find a respectable reason to politely decline it without giving anyone cause for criticism.

As soon as Su Man pushed open the door, she heard the noise and turned around with a smile: "Xiao Yao, do you still remember Lin Yu?"

"What happened to the eldest son of my second uncle's family?" Xiao Yao was taken aback.

"She just graduated and opened a kindergarten with a few classmates. Now all the children of our relatives are sent there."

Su Man explained with a smile.

"You mean Lanlan and Hanhan should be sent too? But I'm worried Mom and Dad might not agree."

Xiao Yao frowned.

"They'll definitely agree to this—children who grew up together are naturally close, unlike the distant 'cousins' who are forced together later in life. Besides, we've seen it in person; the facilities are top-notch, with full surveillance coverage and such strict access that not even a sparrow can fly in. My parents praised it as 'reliable' on the spot."

After listening, Xiao Yao nodded slightly.

Blood ties are the thread, but the days spent growing up together are the strength that twists the thread into a rope; familiarity is not built by titles, but by mud-smeared faces, exchanging candy wrappers for candy, and sitting side by side on small stools.

This morning, Mr. Xiao and Mr. Su took their three children straight to the kindergarten for a trial class—it was called a class, but it was all games: building blocks, listening to stories, playing with clay... They were all little radishes just over two years old, still wobbly when they walked, how could they know any rules?

But the two old men smiled so hard their eyes were slits, nodding as they looked, as if they were inspecting their own family heirloom.

As soon as he stepped into the living room, Xiao Zhiyuan couldn't contain himself: "See? These two kids are just like me! At two years old, they can recognize over a hundred characters and can recite Tang and Song poems off the top of their heads!" He rubbed his hands together with delight.

"My dear in-law, that's not quite right!" Father Su immediately chimed in, chuckling as he revealed his family's secrets, "It's clearly inherited from our Su family—just think of Su Dongpo, who could compose couplets at seven and write poems at ten. That's what you call a family tradition of learning!"

"Oh my, our Xiao family isn't to be underestimated either!" Xiao Zhiyuan immediately retorted, "Xiao He strategized and helped Liu Bang establish his empire; his mind is that of a top-tier strategic advisor today!"

The two of them were going on and on, each trying to outdo the other in their family history and their lineage, and it looked like they were about to go from comparing their family names to the top fifty in the "Hundred Family Surnames".

"Stop, stop!" Lin Wan waved her hand with a smile. "This is called a powerful alliance, a perfect combination of two swords, okay?"

Before she finished speaking, Lanlan had already run over, grabbed Su Man's leg, and recited "Ode to the Goose" in her childish voice, without missing a single word; Su Man pointed to any word in the poem, and she could read it out in the blink of an eye.

Not to be outdone, Hanhan tilted her little face up and said, "Mommy, I can do it too!"

Xiao Shuya struggled for a long time, stumbling through the first four lines, but then completely lost track of the rest—Xiao Zhiyuan slapped his thigh and praised, "Good! Excellent! Our Shuya has a really good memory!" The little girl immediately grinned from ear to ear.

Seeing how clever the two girls were, Su Man subconsciously turned her head to look at Xiao Yao, thinking to herself: I couldn't even spell pinyin properly when I was a child, how could I compare to these two little prodigies?

Xiao Yao scratched the back of his neck, smiled a little embarrassedly, and didn't reply.

"System, can this kind of brain be passed down?" he suddenly asked in a low voice.

"Ordinary intelligence is hard to inherit, but yours is a genetically enhanced version, so it's guaranteed to be passed on to your child."

Xiao Yao suddenly realized: No wonder these two little guys can memorize things as easily as copying homework.

After the meal, Mr. Xiao carried Hanhan on his back, Mr. Su carried Lanlan on his shoulder, and Lin Wan held Xiao Shuya's hand. The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards the kindergarten—it's always good for children to learn more.

Xiao Yao then accompanied Su Man to the restaurant near Zhengyangmen. This was Taozi and Guan Xiaoguan's shop, which had been thriving under Xiao Guan's management for the past few years. The restaurant was bustling with activity, had a great reputation, and had so many repeat customers that they had to wait in line.

Xiao Guan and Xiao Yao weren't exactly best friends, but they looked very familiar with each other.

"Oh, what a rare guest, college student!" She greeted him, wiping her hands and smiling. "Your Jinghua Royal Banquet Palace is now a golden brand in Kyoto's catering industry. What brings you to my humble little shop?"

"I came here specifically for this matter." Xiao Yao said crisply and directly.

"You don't actually want to take over my business, do you?" Xiao Guan raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Yao shook his head: "I'm not asking you to take over the store, but to be the general manager. The annual salary plus profit sharing will give you a 2% equity stake. You have experience and skill; this position is perfect for you."

"Han Chunming nodded?" Xiao Guan pondered for a moment. She knew this was a business partnership between the two of them, and she had declined when invited to join, finding the risks too great.

"He made the decision a long time ago," Xiao Yao said confidently. "Besides—I'm in charge over there now."

"Okay, I'll reply to you tonight." Xiao Guan nodded.