The Courtyard House: The story begins with He Yuzhu beating up the White Widow.

It's estimated that Qin Huairu gave birth to a son, so although Jia Zhangshi grumbled and said some unpleasant things, she didn't make things difficult for Qin Huairu. Presumably because they hadn't managed to steal anything from the He family that night, when Jia Dongxu went to work in the morning, Jia Zhangshi instructed him to buy a chicken and some eggs from the market on his way home to nourish Qin Huairu and help her produce milk so her eldest grandson wouldn't go hungry.

Jia Dongxu, who already felt somewhat guilty towards Qin Huairu, readily agreed to his mother's request.

Not long after Jia Dongxu left, He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle and took He Yushui out. It seemed she wanted to outdo him. Xu Damao, who hadn't been very attentive to his younger sister before, now also took on the task of taking Xu Xiaoling home.

"Hey?! Damao, you're here early today?!" He Yuzhu escorted He Yushui to the school gate. After He Yushui said goodbye to He Yuzhu and entered the school gate, He Yuzhu saw Xu Damao standing to the side.

"Don't even mention it!" Xu Damao retorted, complaining, "Ever since my mother started working at the steel mill, I haven't been able to sleep in late. Working as a maid for the Lou family might not sound prestigious, but they paid quite a bit. Now my job is stable, but I earn significantly less than before."

He Yuzhu looked at Xu Damao with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot and said, "Damao, you usually seem pretty smart. I never thought you'd be so slow-witted. How many years can you work as a maid in the Lou family?! Even if your mother doesn't leave now, she'll have to leave in a few years when she can't work anymore. At that time, after your mother leaves the Lou family, she can only go home and live off her savings. Now your mother works at the steel rolling mill. Although the salary is less than when she was a maid, the job is stable. When she reaches a certain age, your mother can retire. Her job can be passed on to you, and it can be passed on to your sister. Besides, a maid's job can't be exchanged for money, but your mother's current salary is openly priced at four hundred yuan outside. With this inflow and outflow, can't you figure out whether it's a loss or a gain?!"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Xu Damao immediately broke into a bright smile and said, "Brother Zhu, if you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known the ins and outs. I always felt that my mother had been taken advantage of."

He Yuzhu chuckled and teased, "Da Mao, have you forgotten who your father is?! Is he the kind of person who's willing to suffer a loss?! It's getting late, Da Mao, you should go to school!"

"Hey!" Xu Damao responded and scurried off.

Watching Xu Damao's retreating figure, He Yuzhu suddenly thought that Xu Damao was actually quite cute. Just then, Lou Xiao'e's image flashed into He Yuzhu's mind. He Yuzhu muttered to himself, "Let's take it one step at a time and let nature take its course!"

About ten minutes later, He Yuzhu arrived at the military control office. After buying the vegetables, He Yuzhu went back to work on his private plot. Not long after, Wang Xia came to the plot and found He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, busy?!"

He Yuzhu asked, "Aunt Wang, what's wrong?!"

Wang Xia said, "I've already heard rumors. Our military control commission will be dissolved after the New Year, and street offices will be established. I want to ask you, are you going to stay in the street office, or go to another unit?!"

He Yuzhu asked, "Aunt Wang, do you want me to stay or leave?!"

Wang Xia said, "Then it's up to you to choose. Whether you stay or leave, I support you."

He Yuzhu knew that after the street office was established, Wang Xia would be its first director. At that time, the street office would wield considerable power. If He Yuzhu wanted to marry Lou Xiao'e in the future, staying in the street office would be a good choice. He Yuzhu considered for a few minutes and said, "Aunt Wang, I still want to stay."

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Wang Xia smiled with satisfaction and said, "Since you want to stay, I'll take care of the rest."

He Yuzhu then asked, "Aunt Wang, could you help me get a hunting license?!"

"No problem, just come pick it up from me in a bit." After saying that, Wang Xia looked at the lush green chives in the greenhouse and exclaimed, "Zhu Zi, the vegetables in your greenhouse are growing really well!"

He Yuzhu said, "I'm just messing around. I was thinking of giving each of our officers two jin (1 kg) as a perk during the New Year. We can use it to make dumplings with chives and eggs. It'll add something to the table."

Wang Xia lifted the curtain of the greenhouse and went inside. She saw that in addition to chives, there were cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and some leafy greens. Wang Xia asked, "Zhu Zi, how many vegetables can you pick in a day?"

He Yuzhu replied, "Apart from a bit more chives, the other vegetables add up to only ten or twenty pounds a day. That's enough for us to eat shit here."

Wang Xia said, "Zhu Zi, there are quite a few abandoned courtyards in our area. What if we made use of those courtyards and planted vegetables in them? Do you think that would be feasible?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "Aunt Wang, your idea is good. But where are we going to get so much plastic film?! The rest from last time were all taken away by the people from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences." Then, changing the subject casually, he asked, "Aunt Wang, why did you suddenly think of farming?!"

Wang Xia said, "There are quite a few families of martyrs and soldiers in our area. Many of them are struggling financially. I want to organize them and find them some work so they can earn some money and have a better life."

He Yuzhu said, "Aunt Wang, you could try a different approach. Establish smaller factories under our control."

"Set up subordinate small factories?!" Wang Xia muttered, her brows furrowing unconsciously.

He Yuzhu said, "Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill is currently piloting a public-private partnership. I think next, all factories, workshops, and shops in Beijing will be joint ventures. We can also establish our own factories on this basis. For example, we can gather people who know how to cut and make clothes together and open a garment factory. We can make clothes and send them to state-run stores to sell. Anyway, as long as we do our research before opening the factory, there shouldn't be any problems."

Wang Xia said with a smile, "Zhu Zi, I didn't expect you to be so quick-witted."

He Yuzhu said, "Aunt Wang, it's not that I'm quick-witted. It's just that I was inspired when I bought clothes for Yushui last time. Anyway, I think there are always more solutions than problems."

"Okay! I'll think about it. You keep going, I'm leaving now!" With that, Wang Xia lifted the curtain of the greenhouse and went out.

He Yuzhu watched Wang Xia leave and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Time flies like an arrow, and before long, Qin Huairu was out of confinement after giving birth. The day after Banggeng's one-month celebration, the police arrived at No. 95 courtyard. Aunt Pang, seeing the police, hurriedly asked, "Comrades, what's the matter?!"