Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

One week later.

The weather in the courtyard was still bitterly cold, with the northwest wind stinging one's face.

It was 6:30 in the morning, and the sky was still not fully light.

A long queue had already formed at the entrance of the public toilet in the front yard.

This is the most authentic portrayal of life in a courtyard house—clutching their stomachs, shrinking their necks, stamping their feet, waiting for a chance to release their pent-up emotions in the cold wind.

Yan Bugui stood in the middle of the line, his nose running from the cold. He had gotten up five minutes late today, and this was the result.

"Hey, why aren't you out yet! Did you fall into a pit?" Liu Guangtian complained impatiently from the front.

"What's the rush! Everyone gets diarrhea sometimes!" came Sha Zhu's cursing voice from inside.

This is life in this era.

There is no privacy, no dignity, and even going to the toilet depends on luck and the weather.

Just then, a slight sound of running water came from the direction of the backyard.

It wasn't the splashing sound of dirty water being poured out, but rather an extremely pleasant, rhythmic "splashing" sound.

That's... the sound of flushing water.

Yan Bugui's ears twitched, and he subconsciously looked towards the central courtyard.

A warm yellow light shone from Su Zheng's window. Through the frosted glass, a figure could be vaguely seen washing up.

Then, there was another "whoosh".

That's the unique siphon sound of a flushing toilet.

Powerful, decisive, and carrying a sense of civilized superiority.

Yan Bugui swallowed hard, then suddenly felt his stomach hurt even more.

"Did you hear that?"

He said to the three middle-aged women beside him, "Su Zhengjia...did they really use it?"

"Of course."

The three women looked on with envy. "Yesterday I saw the construction crew carrying that big white porcelain toilet inside. I heard it even has a water tank; you just press a button and the filth is flushed away, leaving it clean and odorless!"

"It not only has a toilet, but also a shower!"

Liu Guangtian chimed in, "I saw Zhao Ming carry a big metal tank inside, saying it's an electric water heater. As long as it's plugged in, there's hot water 24/7! People are taking showers at home now!"

Taking a shower at home.

Hot water available 24 hours a day.

These words struck like a hammer blow to the hearts of everyone in line.

Look at others, then look at yourself.

In this sub-zero wind, people shivered as they fought for a spot in the ammonia-smelling outhouse.

This disparity is more painful than killing them.

"How much will this cost...?"

Yan Bugui couldn't help but start calculating again, "That toilet, it must cost at least fifty, right? And the pipes, and that water heater... My God, this whole thing will probably wipe out all of his bonus!"

"They're doing it for comfort!"

The older woman glared at him. "Unlike you, all you do is hoard money, hoard it until you're in your coffin!"

Just as everyone was discussing this, Su Zheng's door opened.

A warm, humid steam rushed out as the door opened.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of soap and shampoo, which seemed out of place in this morning filled with the smell of coal smoke.

Su Zheng was wearing a clean white shirt with a dark blue cadre uniform draped over it. His hair was slightly damp, indicating that he had just taken a shower.

He was in high spirits and had a ruddy complexion, a stark contrast to his dusty, shivering neighbors at the door.

Good morning, everyone.

Su Zheng passed by the front yard without stopping, only nodding politely.

That politeness was both courteousness and a way of maintaining distance.

It was like a passing nobleman greeting a group of beggars.

Qin Huairu was carrying the chamber pot out to empty it when she saw this scene. Her hand trembled, and she almost knocked the pot over her own foot.

She looked at Su Zheng's clean, glowing face, then at her own hands, red, swollen, and cracked from the cold, and at the foul-smelling chamber pot in her hand.

An unprecedented sense of shame overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

There was a time when she thought Su Zheng was an orphan who needed her family's "help".

But now, they live like human beings.

She lived like a ghost.

"Su Zheng..." she called out subconsciously.

Su Zheng didn't stop walking, nor did he even turn his head.

"Close the door."

As he walked out the door, he gave an instruction to Zhao Ming, who was sweeping the floor at the entrance.

"Starting today, the moon gate at the Intermediate Court will be locked at night. This will prevent some people from trying to come in for a 'visit'."

"Yes, Master!" Zhao Ming replied loudly.

As the heavy wooden door slammed shut, the middle courtyard and the front courtyard seemed to be completely separated into two different worlds.

Inside the door was civilization, cleanliness, and a level of dignity rarely seen in that era.

Outside the door, there is a cold wind, a long queue, and endless calculations of daily necessities.

"This life..." Yan Bugui looked at the tightly closed door and sighed deeply, "It's incomparable."

What made them even more desperate was the news that Su Zheng released next.

To celebrate the completion of the house extension, Su decided to hold a housewarming party.

This was originally a tradition of the courtyard houses. Whenever someone had a happy occasion, they would set up a few tables and invite all the elders of the courtyard to a meal. This was also the moment that all the birds looked forward to the most—they could freeload and also put on airs as elders at the dinner table.

But this time, Su Zheng didn't play by the rules.

He made a statement at the factory:

"This housewarming party is to express our gratitude to the factory leaders for their guidance and to the apprentices for their hard work. Therefore, we are only inviting Director Yang, a few section chiefs, and the technical backbone of the workshop."

"As for the neighbors in the courtyard..."

When Zhao Ming relayed these words, he deliberately mimicked Su Zheng's tone and gave a cold laugh:

"The contractor said that everyone is usually quite busy, so we don't want to trouble you. Besides, the flooring at his place is expensive, and we're worried that too many people will damage it."

Not one was invited.

That's practically like pointing your finger at someone and saying, "You're not worthy to enter my house."

At this moment, the dignity of the birds shattered more completely than that broken brick.