Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

Fang Yuan responded and refilled their teacups before heading out.

Fifteen minutes later.

Wu Jinxi and Lin Xianghua also came out of the room.

As they reached the courtyard gate and parted, Wu Jinxi grasped Lin Xianghua's hand and casually said, "Give my regards."

Lin Xianghua understood immediately, shook his hand vigorously, and whispered, "Don't worry."

Once in the car, Lin Xianghua, in high spirits, suddenly said, "Xiao Gao, Xiao Fang, I'm sorry to have taken up half of your rest time today. Since it's still early, Xiao Gao, let's take Fang Yuan back first."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan and Gao Yifan both said in unison that it was the right thing to do.

Upon learning that Fang Yuan lived in Nanluoguxiang, Gao Yifan immediately stepped on the gas and started the GAZ jeep.

Without needing directions, the car, driven by the experienced driver, arrived at Jiaodaokou Street in less than fifteen minutes. In a quiet spot, Fang Yuan had Gao Yifan stop the car.

Gao Yifan lightly applied the brakes, asking in confusion, "We're not there yet, are we?"

"The alleyways are quite narrow, making it inconvenient to turn around," Fang Yuan casually offered an excuse, then greeted Lin Xianghua and jumped out of the car.

In fact, although the roads in the alley were not as wide as those on the main street, a car could still drive through them. The reason Fang Yuan did not have Gao Yifan escort him to the door was simply because he did not want to be too conspicuous.

After Lin Xianghua left, the busiest places on the street were the Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the grain store.

Taking advantage of today's day off, many of the breadwinners of their families, who are usually busy working, were carrying empty bottles in their left hands and grocery ration books in their right, buying soy sauce, vinegar, or grain.

Fang Yuan peeked inside out of curiosity and saw a few people buying oil.

That thing was an old-fashioned artifact in Fang Yuan's memory. He had only seen photos of it in his previous life, but now that he looked at it closely, it was quite rare.

The oil extractor had a long-handled funnel on top, a small curved T-junction on the side, a thick iron wire inside with a ring on top, and a small cylindrical cap made of sheet metal at the bottom. The worker pulled it up and down a dozen times before the oil slowly came out.

Fang Yuan stood there dumbfounded at the doorway until the group finished making oil, then withdrew his curiosity and strolled back to the courtyard.

Stepping over the threshold, we walked around from the back of the house into the front yard.

"Uncle, how was the catch today?"

Seeing Yan Fugui "huffing and puffing" as he scraped fish scales with a knife by the pool, Fang Yuan, contrary to his usual behavior, took the initiative to greet him.

There are three stewards in their courtyard. The other two are Yi Zhonghai, the eldest uncle in the middle courtyard, and Liu Haizhong, the second uncle in their back courtyard.

The title "manager" originated from the "Baojia" system.

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, due to a lack of management personnel, in order to better understand the people's sentiments and prevent enemy agents from infiltrating and sabotaging, a number of stewards were selected in each courtyard. Over time, this group gradually evolved into the main force in helping the neighborhood committee mediate neighborhood disputes.

The old man in front of me had clearly gone fishing again this morning to supplement his family's income.

Upon hearing that someone was finally asking about the catch, Yan Fugui immediately looked up excitedly and answered quickly, "Of course, we came back with a full load! Xiao Fang, come and take a look at these fish, aren't they big?"

That smug attitude.

No wonder later generations of anglers, every time they caught a big fish, would want to carry their catch around the neighborhood.

Fang Yuan walked closer and took a look. Sure enough, there were several dark catfish and a few small carp in the bucket. He couldn't help but open his mouth and exclaim, "Wow, goodness, there are quite a lot. Your family is in for a treat tonight!"

After saying that, Fang Yuan prepared to continue walking towards the backyard, but Yan Fugui called out to him, "Xiao Fang, don't go yet."

"You caught so many fish today, my family can't possibly eat them all. You should take these fish home and cook them. Don't worry, Uncle San won't charge you."

Fang Yuan was shocked.

If you charge money, that's fine, but if you don't charge money, wouldn't that be even more frightening?

The fact that the old man offered to deliver the items is probably a first for their neighborhood.

If this were to get out, even his own wife and third aunt probably wouldn't believe it.

Everyone knows that this old man's usual persona is: if he doesn't find something when he goes out, he considers it a loss; he's the kind of person who'd rather split every penny into ten pieces.

To put it kindly, it's about being frugal; to put it bluntly, it's about being calculating and stingy.

This fish shouldn't be caught lightly.

"He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's money is bound to do his bidding." Who knows what Old Man Yan is plotting?

Fang Yuan reached out to stop Yan Fugui from taking the fish, saying, "Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but as you know, I'm home alone and I have to cook the fish, so we don't have much oil left this month."

The reason is simple and practical.

Cooking fish is not only wasteful of oil, but it also doesn't fill you up, so most people don't care for it.

Upon hearing this, Yan Fugui promptly took the fish back.

After all, he himself was somewhat reluctant to part with Fang Yuan. If it weren't for the fact that Fang Yuan had already graduated from university and would be a cadre with four pockets upon graduation, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to get close to him.

Now that the gift has been given, it's Fang Yuan's own fault for not accepting it, so he can't be blamed.

Watching Fang Yuan walk back to his room, the Third Uncle couldn't help but snort and mutter to himself, "Still a bookworm. He doesn't even want things that are offered to him. Even if he becomes a cadre in the future, he won't get along."

Because of Fang Yuan's low profile and his already weak presence, only He Yuzhu and Widow Qin in the entire courtyard know that he is now working at the Hongxing Steel Plant.

I went back to my room.

Fang Yuan took out some grain coupons and meat coupons from the cabinet, and then took out all the money in his pocket and counted it. It was eighteen yuan and seventy-five cents, with some change and some coins.

He planned to go out for a small meal instead of cooking at home at noon as a reward for his performance over the past two days.

Stepping out of the room, Fang Yuan walked towards the covered walkway on the west side of the courtyard.

After only a few steps, I ran into a fat man wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with "Red Star Steel Plant" printed on the chest. He had his hands behind his back, swayed with every step, and had an arrogant demeanor.

"Second Uncle, have you eaten?"

Upon meeting, a flood of new memories rushed into Fang Yuan's mind, and he habitually greeted him first.

The middle-aged man with a potbelly in front of them was Liu Haizhong, the second uncle of their courtyard, and also a level seven forging worker in the rolling mill of Hongxing Steel Plant.

"Xiao Fang, you're finally back." The two met face to face. Liu Haizhong looked around to make sure no one was watching, then immediately lowered his voice and said, "How's your situation going?"

Fang Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and some unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind.

The matter Liu Haizhong was referring to was arranging a marriage for Guo, the deputy director of their steel rolling mill, hoping he would become a son-in-law living with the family.

According to his memory, the original owner was against the marriage, but he was not good at expressing himself and did not express his opinion at the time; and in Liu Hai's eyes, such a move was tantamount to tacit consent.

Now it's Fang Yuan's turn. Having been through the ups and downs of society for over a decade, he's long since become a seasoned veteran. Faced with a sudden marriage proposal, he naturally wouldn't agree to it casually.

"Second Uncle, I've thought about this matter. I'm not planning to find a partner right now. Thank you for your concern. Could you please reply to this for me?"

"What? You want to change your mind? You promised me that a few days ago!"

Despite his age, Liu Haizhong has a fiery temper. Upon hearing Fang Yuan's words, his expression immediately changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Director Guo is coming to visit this afternoon!"

Fang Yuan straightened his back, a departure from his usual submissive posture.

As their eyes met, he looked down at them slightly, his tone becoming increasingly certain: "Since that's the case, then I'll tell you myself, but don't blame me for not telling you beforehand."

After saying that, Fang Yuan turned around and left.

"You're still young, your second uncle is just looking out for you..."

Liu Haizhong opened his mouth and raised his hand, as if he wanted to say something more.

Just then, someone came out of the backyard, so he could only shut his mouth in embarrassment.