Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

At the same time, in the seventh workshop of the steel rolling mill.

The workshop foreman, his face dark, strode up to Qin Huairu's lathe and slammed a crooked steel part onto the workbench with a loud "bang," his voice barely concealing his anger:

"Qin Huairu! What's going on today? The scrap metal is piled up like a small mountain!"

Qin Huairu trembled, tears welled up in her eyes, her shoulders shook slightly, and she couldn't utter a single word.

The director wanted to say a few more words of reprimand, but when he saw her crying and unable to speak, all the blame in his heart suddenly got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to spit it out.

"well……"

He sighed inwardly, his tone softening: "I haven't even really scolded you yet, and you're already acting all aggrieved?"

Qin Huairu just kept her head down and sobbing, her lips tightly pressed together, not responding to a single word.

The director rubbed his hands together, then waved his hand dismissively: "Alright, alright, you're not feeling well today. Don't touch the machine tools. Go sweep the workshop and wipe the windows."

She simply nodded slightly, without looking up.

As soon as the director turned around, an old man not far away put down his wrench and slowly strolled over, his voice extremely soft: "Huai Ru, what happened?"

"It's alright, old man." She raised her hand to wipe her face, her voice still a little hoarse.

An old man stared at her reddened eyes, understanding dawning on him. He tentatively asked, "Did you... have a fight with Sha Zhu? What happened between you two?"

Qin Huairu remained silent, her eyelashes drooping, her fingers twisting the hem of her apron. Her silence spoke volumes.

The old man frowned and said in a deep voice, "Then... I'll go talk to Sha Zhu."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Time flew by and it was noon.

Qin Huairu rushed out of the workshop almost right at mealtime and headed straight for the canteen.

But this is the busiest time: the kitchen is empty, everyone has gone to the front to get their food.

She didn't go into the kitchen, but went straight into the dining hall. In the past, Sha Zhu would often peek out from behind the window and she could see him by calling his name.

But today, after going around in circles, I found that Sha Zhu's window was empty, without a single person in sight.

Long queues had already formed at other windows, with the lines winding and stretching as far as the eye could see.

Qin Huairu had no choice but to silently join the end of the line, planning to call out when it was her turn, just like she always had done before.

As we were queuing, a commotion suddenly broke out behind us:

"Hey! Xu Damao! What are you doing cutting in line? Can't you follow the rules?"

Qin Huairu turned around and saw Xu Damao standing behind her with a grin, his lips curled up, but his eyes were lingering on her.

He put his hand on her shoulder and turned to shout at the crowd, "What are you yelling about? This is my sister! Save me a seat, understand?"

Qin Huairu didn't push away Xu Damao's hand on her shoulder, nor did she avoid his close proximity. She just lowered her eyes and kept her voice low.

"What do you mean by that? Could it be... you're plotting against me?"

"You've hit the nail on the head."

Xu Damao glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he leaned close to her ear and whispered:

"You wait for me in the storeroom later. Let's call it even about Banggeng stealing my chickens."

He had no idea about this at all.

But as soon as he returned to the factory, rumors began to reach his ears. At first, he was furious, but then he thought of Qin Huairu's figure, her waist...

Hey, it's like a rope handed to us by God.

He's been thinking about this woman for a long time.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu felt as if she were nailed to the spot, unable to move her feet. It was only after Xu Damao gently pushed her that she managed to take a step forward.

After a long while, she slowly began to speak:

"Okay, it's settled then."

"happy!"

Upon hearing her relent, Xu Damao flicked his tongue and licked his dry lips. He had been craving this woman for far too long.

"But you have to bring me lunch."

When it was almost her turn to get her food, she added another sentence.

"no problem!"

Hearing his prompt reply, Qin Huairu felt relieved and immediately called out to Liu Lan at the food window:

"Five steamed buns, all packed into a bag! Plus an portion of potatoes and a portion of cabbage!"

Liu Lan served the food and handed it out. Qin Huairu took the lunchbox and saw that the portion was generous and piled high. A smile immediately appeared on her face, and she turned to leave.

Seeing that she hadn't taken out her meal ticket, Liu Lan quickly leaned out and shouted at her back:

"Where are the meal tickets, Qin Huairu?"

"Oh, Xu Damao is married!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already turned the corner, their steps without the slightest hesitation.

Liu Lan paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Damao, who was still standing by the window, and asked suspiciously:

"You're really going to pay for her?"

"What else can I do? If you do the same, maybe I'll buy it for you too."

Xu Damao winked at her, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer.

Liu Lan rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to reply, and simply tapped the edge of the lunchbox with her spoon.

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me! What do you want to eat?"

"One potato and two steamed buns."

……

But Qin Huairu, carrying the lunchbox, didn't touch a bite and turned to walk around to the back of the kitchen.

She noticed when she was getting the food that He Yuzhu hadn't shown up in the front hall at all. Where did he go?

She plunged into the kitchen, looked around, and saw Ma Hua squatting in front of the cutting board chopping vegetables, but He Yuzhu was nowhere to be seen.

"MCA, where did your mentor go?"

"Oh, my master?" Ma Hua wiped his hands and grinned. "He was called away by the director early this morning."

"Oh? Do you know where he went? When will he be back? I need to talk to him urgently."

Qin Huairu refused to give up and pressed for answers.

"Your question has stumped me. How could I dare to inquire where my master went?"

Ma Hua shrugged, also feeling a bit uneasy: his mentor had been called away this morning and hadn't heard from him since; he himself was trying to find someone.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's heart sank to the bottom. She walked out of the kitchen in a daze, looked up at the sky, and stared blankly into space.

She knew that Xu Damao was waiting for her in the warehouse. Even if she didn't go, he would definitely sneak into Workshop Seven and wait for her that afternoon.

But once this started, it was hard to stop.

Once you've made that promise today, it'll be hard to shake them off again.

What if word gets to her three children's ears someday? How will she explain herself?

After much hesitation, she gritted her teeth and decided she still had to find He Yuzhu.

He'll definitely be able to handle this.

He had taken on far more troublesome problems for her in the past.

Right now, finding the right people is the priority.

At that moment, she knew very well that only Sha Zhu could save her.

There is no other way.

She went back to the workshop, found an old man, and whispered to him to tell the director that she was feeling unwell and was going home early.

These words, coming from her mouth, might not have any effect; but the old man was an eighth-grade fitter, and the foreman always gave him face.

Qin Huairu had a firm grasp of this balance.

Not long after, she hurriedly left the factory gate carrying two lunch boxes.

If He Yuzhu isn't at the factory, he's probably at home.

She was certain that no one understood Sha Zhu's habits better than her, and no one could control him better than her.

Back in the compound, she didn't even go into her own house, but went straight to He Yuzhu's room.

But when they arrived at the door, they immediately saw a shiny new lock hanging on it, perfectly sealed and completely immovable.

"How is that possible? He hasn't come back yet?"

Her heart tightened; no one was at the steel mill, and no one was at home either…

With a sigh, she silently turned around and walked slowly back to her home, her face ashen.

When the mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, saw her daughter-in-law's appearance, her heart clenched, and she hurriedly asked:

"Why are you back so early? What happened today?"

He paused, then pressed on urgently:

"By the way, did Sha Zhu give you the money?"

Qin Huairu sat down, shook her head, and pressed her lips tightly together, unable to utter a single word.

"How could that fool Zhu be so heartless?"

"This is refusing to help someone who is dying!"

"It's all over... If Bang Geng really gets arrested, I don't want to live anymore! I'll hang myself from his doorframe and die in their house!"

As Jia Zhangshi spoke, she became increasingly agitated, tightly embracing her grandson Banggeng, tears streaming down her face, her whole body trembling.

Seeing her grandmother's eyes redden, Banggeng frowned and began to sob, her voice trembling, "Grandma, I'm scared... I don't want to be taken away, Grandma..."

Seeing the grandfather and grandson like this, Qin Huai felt a tightness in her chest and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, stop crying and making things worse! I haven't seen Sha Zhu all day."

"What?"

"Where's Sha Zhu? He didn't go to work at the factory? Where did he go?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately stopped crying and asked suspiciously.

How far could this person run? There's only one big compound outside the steel rolling mill; beyond that, you'd hardly run into a familiar face.

"How would I know! I asked the cafeteria worker, and he said he was indeed on duty this morning, but he was called away by the cafeteria manager halfway through his work, and I haven't seen him since."

"I see!" Madam Jia slapped her thigh. "Then I'll go guard the gate right now. I want to see if he can fly out of this courtyard today!"

Before she finished speaking, she grabbed a stool and started moving towards the door, determined not to give up until she found the person.

At this moment, Qin Huairu suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Xu Damao already knows that the chicken was stolen by Banggeng."

"What? Who gossiped about that?"

Jia Zhangshi suddenly raised her voice, startling everyone so much that they almost jumped up.

"He told me that himself when we were getting lunch."

"Which unscrupulous person spread this nonsense? This is utter rubbish!"

Just as Jia Zhangshi finished yelling, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, her face darkened abruptly, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "It's probably Sha Zhu! He's the one who leaked it! I'm not finished with him!"

……

The front yard, the house of the third uncle.

The third auntie burst through the door in a flurry, and immediately yelled at the third uncle and the girl sitting next to him, "Huai Ru just came back to her room!"

"What's the use of her coming back? It's not like Sha Zhu is back."

Before the old man could finish speaking, the girl at the table tilted her head, looking puzzled, and asked, "Who is Sha Zhu...?"

"Silly Zhu is just silly Zhu..."

The third uncle had just opened his mouth when he noticed the third aunt blinking at him rapidly. He immediately realized what was happening and quickly smiled apologetically, "Oh, Teacher Ran, I'm sorry, He Yuzhu, that's what everyone in our courtyard calls him, we're used to it."

"Actually, he's very shrewd. He's quick-witted, and there are very few people in our department who can keep up with him."

"Really?" Ran Qiuye's eyes widened slightly, full of surprise.