Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Once the idea was settled, he immediately laid out paper, ground ink, and began to write.

He wrote for two hours straight, his pen moving swiftly and clearly, detailing everything from sowing season to field management, from crop rotation and intercropping to disaster prevention and mitigation.

Let's put cash crops aside for now; they're too varied, and writing too much about them would only cause trouble.

Just as I was engrossed in writing, there was a sudden, rude, and urgent knocking on the door.

"Pillar! Open the door!"

Upon hearing that voice, He Yuzhu's brows furrowed instantly.

Xu Damao!

This guy's name contains the character "茂" (Mao), but he lives like a slippery loach.

When there's food, he calls him "Brother Zhu"; when he needs a favor, he calls him "Master Zhu"; but behind his back, who knows how he might call him "Silly Zhu"!

He got up and opened the door with a cold face. The door had barely opened a crack when Xu Damao, as if he'd been greased, squeezed in with a "whoosh," his face beaming and his mouth agape:

"Hey bro! I heard you knocked Yi Zhonghai out of the game? Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity! I've been running around to ten cooperatives with my dad for the past two weeks, my legs are practically killing me, and I still missed this big show! You have to cook up a couple of big dishes today, we brothers need to have a good chat!"

"What's there to talk about? My family doesn't even have a single shred of meat, just a few cabbages left."

Why don't you buy some meat yourself?

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids, still holding the spatula in his hand, his tone as lazy as an old cotton quilt drying in the corner.

He's so busy at the steel mill these days, he doesn't have time to cook special meals for Xu Damao. He'll just stir-fry a simple vegetarian dish for dinner and call it a day.

"Where am I supposed to get the money?!" Xu Damao immediately bristled, his face contorting in anger. "Weren't you living the high life before? How come I'm the one paying?"

The moment money is mentioned, he immediately backs down.

His monthly salary is just over ten yuan. He's trying to save up two coins to gamble on crickets at the alley entrance and buy some meat? Wouldn't that mean missing out on ten minutes of storytelling?

"I used to be the head chef at Fengzeyuan Restaurant, and now? I'm swinging iron at a steel mill! I haven't brought a lunchbox in over half a month, and the food I give to the Wang family is just bland vegetarian soup!" He Yuzhu finally stopped what he was doing, glanced at him sideways, and sneered, "Why don't you go buy a chicken and cut a pound of pork belly—I'll show you what state banquet-level cooking is all about."

"state banquet?"

Xu Damao's eyes lit up instantly, his throat bobbed, and he almost drooled on the ground.

But when he reached into his pocket, it was empty. He felt as if he had been doused with cold water, and he swallowed his craving back down.

"Forget it, I don't have any money." He waved his hand, turned around and was about to leave. "Since there's no food, I'll leave first. I'll come back another day to listen to your bragging."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already darted far away, running faster than a stray dog ​​seeing a city management officer.

He Yuzhu stood at the door watching the gray figure disappear around the corner of the alley, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "That bastard, he's more eager to freeload than anyone else, but it's harder for him to pay than to rip out his heart."

Shaking his head, too lazy to bother anymore, he turned and went inside to cook.

Even if all you have are potatoes and cabbage, he can make them into something amazing.

Moreover, He Yushui ate pork dumplings outside at noon, so she would at most have a late-night snack when she got home.

Lifting the wooden planks of the cellar, I took out several heavy potatoes, their skins still covered in damp soil.

He patted off the mud, carried it into the kitchen, and with a few swift strokes of the knife, the potato chunks rolled into the basin. A splash of water followed.

As dusk fell, smoke began to rise from the chimneys of each house, the smell of firewood mingling with the aroma of food, weaving a warm yellow net over the courtyard.

The backyard, however, was unusually lively.

The deaf old lady's table was laden with a sumptuous feast: glistening braised pig's head, half a crispy roast duck, steaming hot stir-fried vegetables by an older woman, and two plump, white steamed buns that looked as if they were glowing.

This meal is so good it wouldn't be considered shabby even during the Chinese New Year.

Yi Zhonghai practically emptied his pockets for this ostentatious display—all the tickets he'd bought from Pigeon City were gone in the blink of an eye, and he was so heartbroken that he ate with his eyes closed.

"Grandma, you really have to give me some advice," Yi Zhonghai said in a low voice, his face full of worry. "Shazhu is getting more and more arrogant, he doesn't respect me as an elder at all! If this continues, will this courtyard still have any respect for the elderly and care for the young?"

There's a hidden meaning in his words; who wouldn't understand?

He was reminding the old lady: You are the oldest person in the yard. If even you are left out, who will care about your life or death in the future?

Although she is a recipient of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly), receiving five yuan and food coupons from the neighborhood committee every month, she is old and finds it difficult to light the stove, use the heavy chamber pot, wash clothes, and cook meals.

If it weren't for the old lady taking care of me every day, I would have been bedridden long ago.

Sha Zhu might be able to cook a few good dishes to please her, but would he really be expected to serve her personally? Handle her excrement and urine? Don't even dream about it.

So even if she had a slight preference for Sha Zhu, once she had to choose sides, she could only choose Yi Zhonghai.

The deaf old lady slowly swallowed a mouthful of duck meat, smacked her lips, and then spoke: "Zhonghai, the word you must avoid right now is—impatience."

Her gaze was calm and steady, like water in a deep well, without any ripples.

"You always think you've got the opportunity, but what happens? You stumble every time. Why? Because you're too hasty! You try to lift the lid to check if the food is cooked before the heat is even on the surface. How can it not be undercooked?"

Yi Zhonghai was startled and lowered his head in silence.

"You're not even the team leader anymore; your status in the factory is even lower than Sha Zhu's."

Want to get back on your feet? First, reclaim your identity!

She picked up a piece of pig's head meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, chewing as she spoke, her tone calm yet every word carrying immense weight:

"Now is the perfect time. Nobody in the yard is paying attention to Sha Zhu. This is your chance."

Don't do big things, just do small things—deliver a bowl of hot soup, help carry some coal, or bring a piece of candy to a child.

People are all made of flesh and blood; they will naturally speak up for you if someone has been kind to you.

"Once a reputation is established, the winds of change will shift."

She paused, her eyes flashing slightly: "In the factory, you also need to move up a level, and it would be best if you took on a few more apprentices."

With more apprentices, there are more than a dozen people behind you.

"When the time comes, you just say the word, who would dare not obey? Even if Sha Zhu is arrogant, can he fire more than a dozen workers in one go?"

After saying that, she stopped talking and continued to gnaw on her pig's head, not wiping away the oil that slid down her wrinkles, but instead eating with relish.

He's getting old, but he's still in good health. Occasionally, he'll use the food coupons issued by the neighborhood committee to exchange for some pocket money and secretly buy snacks to nourish his body.

Sitting opposite him, Yi Zhonghai listened to these words as if someone had pierced the rust from his forehead with an awl, and suddenly everything became clear.

Yes! He was in too much of a hurry!

Even though he was no match for Sha Zhu right now, he kept going head-to-head with him, only to end up battered and bruised.

What we should really do is conceal our strength, build up our momentum, recruit people, and accumulate a reputation!

First, win over the people in the courtyard and make them feel that he is a reliable support; then cultivate influence in the factory. The more apprentices he has, the more confident he will be.

When that day comes, the whole compound will be on his side. No matter how capable Sha Zhu is, can he possibly offend everyone?

Thinking of this, a smile slowly appeared on Yi Zhonghai's face, and the gloom in his eyes vanished.

He smiled, picked up a glistening chicken leg, and gently placed it into the deaf old lady's bowl, his tone respectful to the point of gentleness:

"You're right, I was confused."

I will need your continued guidance in the future.

"Grandma, I really have to thank you! If it weren't for your guidance, I'm afraid I would still be stuck in a rut."

It's often said that we should respect the elderly and care for the young, and that's absolutely true—a word from an elder is worth more than ten years of trial and error for a younger person.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, the deaf old lady's eyes curved slightly, feeling very pleased, but she still sighed: "Zhonghai, you've been smart all your life, why are you so stubborn about this? You could have easily won over that kid, Shazhu."

If you get along well with him, you'll not only have a comfortable life in the courtyard house, but he'll also take care of your meals in your old age.

Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly, his brows furrowed with disdain: "Old lady, please stop talking."

Look at how that idiot Zhu treated me! He was strutting around like a madman, to be honest, he almost pointed his finger at me and cursed, and he even hit me! What kind of friendship is that?

"That's just you two competing with each other!" The old lady lowered her voice, but her tone carried a hint of insight. "You're always trying to outdo him, how can he not retaliate? But have you ever thought about how he treats those who truly care for him? Delivering meals for months without fail—who else can do that? The only one in the entire hospital like him!"

She paused, her eyes flickering as if weighing something, before finally speaking: "Zhonghai, if you really want to win him over... you might as well investigate He Daqing's affairs."

His departure back then was too suspicious; there must be something fishy going on behind the scenes.

Investigate, investigate thoroughly.

"He Daqing?" Yi Zhonghai frowned, his mind racing for a moment before he remembered who the name was. "Oh... I know, ma'am, don't worry."

The two said no more and lowered their heads to eat.

Although Yi Zhonghai was eating, his mind was already elsewhere—the most important thing right now was not to deal with Sha Zhu, but to keep the others in the yard firmly under his control.

He was still unsure how to set up the game and what the timing was.

He only has himself to blame for never touching those policy documents, always thinking that as long as the workers have good skills, that's enough.

Otherwise, if he had flipped through that little red booklet, he would have known which way the wind was blowing.

Inside the Xu family courtyard, bowls and chopsticks clattered on the dining table.

Xu Damao shoveled rice into his mouth, spitting as he spoke: "Dad, the yard was buzzing today! Sha Zhu completely shut Yi Zhonghai down. I didn't even get to see it with my own eyes. What a pity! You know, he used to be just a hothead who only knew how to throw punches. How come he's so capable now? Even the deputy factory director has to watch his back?"

"A greenhorn?" Xu Fugui nearly slammed his chopsticks on the table. "He's now the deputy director of the steel mill's canteen! And you? A mere apprentice who hasn't even been officially hired yet, you're nothing!"

He glared at him, his heart filled with rage—look at what He Daqing's son had become, and then look at himself, a good-for-nothing! He had once laughed at He Yuzhu for being a fool, but now, looking back, who was the real fool?

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow! For the next two months, you're to travel to every single commune and memorize every village where movies are shown! If you don't do this well, you won't even get a formal job! And you still dare to be picky?"

Xu Fugui raised his hand to hit him on the head, but then lowered it halfway through.