Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Aunt Wang rolled her eyes: "I used to pity her, but now she earns twenty-seven yuan a month, and it's not enough to live on? Do you believe that?"

"Besides, watch your mouth. If this gets back to that deaf old lady, she'll skin you alive!"

At the same time, at Uncle San's house.

He had just sat down at the table, his chopsticks barely outstretched, when he froze in mid-air. There were only two dark cornbread buns and a dish of salted radishes on the table, not a speck of oil in sight. He slammed down his chopsticks and yelled, "Is this what you call eating? This is feeding pigs!"

"I said, why is Jintian only eating this? Can't she even get a decent bite?"

"We should be content with this to fill our stomachs. In a couple more days, we'll probably have to break even our cornbread into two meals."

The third aunt slammed down her chopsticks in annoyance.

Right now, there really isn't much decent food left at home. The rice jar is almost empty, and the pickled vegetable jar is nearly run out. She's anxious but helpless.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

"Didn't Sha Zhu give us a big basket of local produce the other day? Let's cook some to satisfy our cravings!"

"It's already been eaten."

Before the words had even finished, the eldest brother, while chewing on his dry, hard cornbread, sighed and chimed in, while the third aunt didn't even open her mouth.

"Dad, is that matchmaking thing you did for Sha Zhu really reliable? Sha Zhu isn't senile. If you keep him hanging on like this, how can he be happy? Shouldn't you give him some real benefits to put his mind at ease?"

After listening, the third uncle nodded his head like a pecking at rice. He pondered for a moment and felt that the eldest brother's words hit the nail on the head.

That's right. Last time I got something from Sha Zhu, he was all smiles and cigarettes; the time before that, he had a stern face, just handed me a small cloth bag, and then stared at me and asked, "Third Uncle, are you really trying to find me a partner, or are you just taking advantage of me?"

Yesterday, the whole hospital was having a meeting. Sha Zhu walked past him without even lifting his eyelids, not even saying hello, showing him absolutely no respect.

The more the old man thought about it, the clearer it became: this was probably the culprit! The whole matchmaking thing was most likely stuck here!

Upon hearing this, the third aunt immediately chimed in, "Old man, how about... we introduce Teacher Ran to our eldest son? Our eldest son still doesn't have a wife."

The eldest son's eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately sat up straight: "That's right, Dad! I don't have a girlfriend yet. I've seen Teacher Ran before. She's dignified, capable, and her appearance and figure are flawless. Last time I went to the school to get the keys from you, I happened to see her pushing her bicycle into the school gate, and I remembered her."

"What's wrong with your brains? What do you guys get out of helping Sha Zhu out? I'm hoping he'll bring back a basket of mountain produce every now and then, and maybe even lunchboxes someday!"

"If we just hand it over to the boss, will he be able to carry back a basket of eggs for us? Or bring us a hot meal?"

The old man shook his head as he spoke, his tone revealing helplessness.

Seeing several pairs of eyes staring at him, he cleared his throat and added, "Besides, Teacher Ran is a college graduate, she has high standards. With Sha Zhu's temper, would she really be interested in him?"

The second son, chewing on a cornbread bun, mumbled indistinctly, "Then... Dad, aren't you just fooling people?"

"Go away, what do you know!"

The third uncle waved his hand, but his mind was already wandering far away. How could he make sure that Sha Zhu, this "living water," kept flowing into his stove?

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up: "I've got it! All I need is a 'hook'!"

The old woman jumped in fright at the loud "thud," her hand trembling, and the steamed bun fell to the floor with a "thud." She quickly picked it up, blew off the dust, and rolled her eyes: "A fishing hook? Always thinking about fishing, aren't you going to eat? If you're not going to eat, then get out!"

The old man wasn't angry; instead, he laughed: "The 'hook' I'm talking about isn't for fishing, it's for catching Sha Zhu."

"Fishing for silly pillars? How do you do that?"

"Yes, Dad, please tell me!"

Everyone gathered around, their eyes all fixed on the Third Uncle's face. Everyone knew that he was the one with the most ideas in the family.

……

As soon as he put down his rice bowl, Uncle San waited at the door for Sha Zhu. He was certain that as long as he mentioned "I'll take you to see Teacher Ran today," Sha Zhu would immediately change his expression, greet him with a smile, give him whatever he wanted, and be even more attentive than before.

He waited and waited, and as the sun began to set, he was about to go check on Sha Zhu's house when he ran into the people from Zhongyuan walking out. Upon inquiring, he learned that Sha Zhu had already gone to work.

"When did you leave? You disappeared so early?"

The old man stood there, stunned, his mind full of questions. When did this kid change his lazy ways and start working the early shift?

He shook his head, turned around and walked back. When he looked up, he saw Qin Huairu carrying a cloth bag and walking out in a hurry. Suddenly, an idea struck him: it would be the same to ask her to pass on a message.

He stood still, waiting for Qin Huairu to approach, then greeted her with a smile: "Huairu, are we going to the factory already?"

"Yes, Third Uncle," she replied casually, without stopping her steps.

Seeing that something was wrong, the third uncle quickly stepped forward to stop her: "Huai Ru, wait a moment, I have an important matter to ask you for help with."

"What is it? Please tell me quickly, I'm in a hurry." Her brows furrowed slightly, and her tone revealed anxiety.

"Okay, I'll finish in one sentence. You go and pass on a message to Sha Zhu: Tell him I've made an appointment with Teacher Ran today, and ask him to come back early, preferably with a bottle of wine and a piece of meat. That would be more respectable."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's heart sank. She didn't want to get involved in this matter at all; her entire family's hopes rested on Sha Zhu.

She immediately declined, saying, "Third Uncle, it's more appropriate for you to tell him this yourself. It's not convenient for a widow like me to relay such messages for you."

"Sigh!" The third uncle shrugged. "I just didn't run into him! I've been pestering the girl for ages, and she only agreed to meet me today. You just had to make the trip, what's so inconvenient about it?"

"Besides, who cares about those old rules these days? We live in a new society, with new people and new customs..."

Once the third uncle started talking, Qin Huairu couldn't keep up and had no choice but to nod: "Okay, if I run into him at the factory, I'll definitely bring him along."

After all, it was just a message to pass on. Pushing it too hard would make her seem petty, and she was also afraid that others would gossip behind her back and ruin her reputation in the courtyard.

At this moment, on her way to the factory, Qin Huairu's mind was churning with her third uncle's words. The more she thought about it, the more choked up she felt, and a complaint unconsciously escaped her lips.

This old man is way too impatient! He hasn't even sorted out his own affairs yet, and he's already busy arranging dates for others. What kind of kind heart does he have?!

Over the years, she has come to regard He Yuzhu as an indispensable support.

When Qin Huairu heard that Lou Xiao'e and He Yuzhu had divorced, she felt incredibly relieved, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest.

In her eyes, He Yuzhu was just an honest "lunchbox hero" who would bring lunchboxes to their door every day to help their family without asking for anything in return or making any demands.

But as soon as the third uncle uttered those words, a bitter feeling welled up in her heart, as if she were holding an old object in her hand, something she didn't cherish, but she wouldn't allow anyone else to reach out and take it.

She strode into the steel rolling mill gate, not heading to the workshop, but turning straight to the canteen kitchen, intending to find He Yuzhu and make things clear face to face.

"Master Qin?"

As she was walking with her head down, a sudden call from behind startled her. Turning around, she saw Liu Lan, who was serving food at the cafeteria.

Good morning, Master Liu.

Liu Lan was in charge of serving food at the window, and Qin Huai came to the kitchen to find someone as usual. The two had long been familiar with each other, so it was only natural for them to greet each other.

"Master Qin, are you here for a meal or to see someone?"

Liu Lan asked with a smile, her face conveying a knowing look.

"I need to talk to Sha Zhu about something important."

Qin Huairu spoke softly, yet with a serious tone.

"Ha, even if you don't tell me, I can guess."

Liu Lan took half a step forward, glanced left and right, and only lowered her voice when she saw no one was around:

"Master Qin, I advise you not to go today."

"what?"

"What's wrong?"

Qin Huairu was taken aback, her face full of confusion.

"It must be tough for you to raise three children and take care of your mother-in-law all by yourself. But it's not appropriate to keep going to Sha Zhu's place, is it?"

"If someone sees us, the gossip will be terrible."

Liu Lan spoke calmly, genuinely concerned for her. After all, being a widow meant that too much contact with others would cause trouble, as people in the factory gossip and rumors would spread faster than the wind.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's face immediately darkened, her smile vanished, and her words turned cold:

"What's wrong with that? I have serious business with him, so please don't make unfounded accusations."

Seeing her expression change, Liu Lan felt a surge of displeasure: her well-intentioned reminder was met with accusations of meddling. Besides, who was Liu Lan? She had influence even with Deputy Factory Director Li; who in the factory didn't give her some leeway?

She curled her lip and said indifferently:

"Master Qin, let's not beat around the bush."

"Everyone in the factory knows about what happened between you two. You can't fool people by pretending to be ignorant."

Qin Huairu sensed the barb in his words and immediately softened her tone. She always knew how to behave appropriately and knew that standing firm at this moment would only make things more awkward.

Her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled:

"Master Liu, Sha Zhu and I are completely innocent. I'm only here to relay a message from Uncle San about introducing him to someone. That's all. But now that you've said that, I'm too afraid to even leave the house..."

Before she could finish speaking, tears were already streaming down her face.

Seeing her crying with tears streaming down her face, Liu Lan's heart softened, and she immediately realized she had spoken too harshly. She quickly smiled apologetically.

"It's my fault, it's my fault! Please don't cry. How about this, from now on, when you come for lunch, I'll give you an extra spoonful of vegetables, okay?"

Qin Huairu understood that this was an offer to save face, so she wiped away her tears and politely declined in a low voice:

"This...this is too much trouble..."

Liu Lan waved her hand dismissively:

"Hey, whether it's one spoonful more or less, isn't it all up to me?"

Qin Huairu wiped her eyes and said sincerely:

"Thank you so much, thank you so much."

"No problem at all! Come on, aren't you looking for Sha Zhu? Let's go together."

"Well……"

She was in a hurry to find someone, but after Liu Lan's words, she hesitated. She still had her pride; how could she force herself on someone after being exposed?

Besides, construction is about to begin. Even if they see Sha Zhu get the money, they won't have time to go to the market to buy chicken.