He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The north wind swirled withered leaves in the corner of the courtyard, making a "whooshing" sound, as if telling a story of winter's desolation. He Yuyang stood at the courtyard gate with his sleeves tucked in, looking towards the alley entrance, his breath instantly dissipating in the cold air.

Today, my father, He Daqing, came home later than usual. Recently, a picky regular customer has been coming to the restaurant, requesting several elaborate and complex dim sum dishes. As the head chef, my father naturally had to oversee the process himself.

"Brother, why isn't Dad back yet? I'm hungry." He Yuzhu tugged at He Yuyang's sleeve, his little face full of anticipation. The sweet potato porridge on the stove had been steaming several times already. Liu Yan placed the last steamed bun on the steamer rack, wiped her hands, and said, "Wait a little longer. Your dad's been busy lately; the shopkeeper must have kept him behind for a chat."

As soon as he finished speaking, familiar footsteps came from the alley entrance, and He Daqing appeared at the corner. He wrapped his worn cotton robe tighter around his waist, his face showing weariness, but he couldn't hide the glimmer of light in his eyes.

"Dad!" He Yuzhu rushed over like a small cannonball and hugged He Daqing's leg.

He Daqing smiled, ruffled his son's hair, bent down to pick him up, and strode into the courtyard. Seeing He Yuyang and Liu Yan, he waved the cloth bag in his hand: "It's a little late today, so the shopkeeper gave me two catties of cornmeal and a few copper coins as a reward."

Liu Yan quickly stepped forward to take the cloth bag, weighed it in her hand, and her eyes lit up: "This is enough to eat for several days. The shopkeeper is really considerate."

"That's right." He Daqing put He Yuzhu down, took off his cotton robe which was stained with a few oil droplets, and handed it to Liu Yan. "It's mainly because I've improved a few tools recently, so I can work more efficiently. The shopkeeper noticed this and gave me extra money as a reward."

He Yuyang's heart skipped a beat, realizing that the "improved tools" his father was referring to were the "doodles" he had drawn a few days ago.

That day, her father complained that the kitchen knife was difficult to use; it was always difficult to cut ginger into uneven slices, and the cutting board was always slippery when chopping meat. Hearing this, He Yuyang thought of the non-slip cutting boards and grooved shredders commonly used in kitchens in later generations. When her father wasn't looking, she drew a few simple diagrams on the back of a scrap of paper—adding a few non-slip ridges to the bottom of the cutting board and making a shallow groove in the blade for easier measurement.

He said at the time that he was just "doing random drawings for fun," but his father took it seriously and spent several days working on the drawings at a blacksmith's shop. He actually managed to make two handy tools.

"As long as it's easy for Dad to use, that's fine." He Yuyang helped his father take the pipe bowl and said casually, "Last time I heard Uncle San say that Old Li's son in the front yard got a raise because he was good at his job."

He Daqing paused for a moment, then laughed and patted He Yuyang on the shoulder: "You little rascal, you know quite a bit. Speaking of which, the shopkeeper actually mentioned it today, saying that my improved tools have greatly increased the efficiency of the kitchen, and starting this month, he'll give me an extra two hundred copper coins every month."

"Really?" Liu Yan covered her mouth in surprise. Two hundred copper coins were enough to buy a bushel of rice. "That's wonderful!"

"However, I made a condition to the manager." He Daqing sat down, took a sip of hot water, and his tone became calm. "I said that there was no need for extra food; the monthly allowance could be paid in cash."

Liu Yan was a little puzzled: "Can't you take the leftovers from restaurants home? Wouldn't the cash value be less?"

"Quite a lot." He Daqing shook his head and lowered his voice. "Do you think those 'leftovers' are free? The kitchen staff are watching. If you take an extra piece of meat today, they'll want to take an extra bunch of vegetables tomorrow. Eventually, something bad will happen. Besides, it's more reassuring to have cash. You can buy whatever you want without having to worry about what others think."

He looked at He Yuyang, his eyes carrying a deeper meaning: "Eldest son, I remember what you said last time about 'not flaunting wealth.' There are many eyes in the neighborhood, so let's quietly save the money to buy medicine for your mother and to save it for your and your brother's future education. That's better than anything else."

He Yuyang felt a warmth in her heart. Her father may look rugged, but he is actually very thoughtful. He used to always think about bringing more food home because he was afraid his family would go hungry. Now he has come to his senses and knows that keeping a low profile is the best long-term strategy.

"Dad is right." He nodded seriously. "Last time Uncle Yan came to borrow flour, wasn't he just eyeing the possibility that we might have some extra? If he finds out that Dad raised wages, who knows what he'll be thinking."

"That's for sure." Liu Yan couldn't help but sigh when she thought of Yan Bugui's shrewd and calculating manner. "The other day he even asked me if your dad could make a quick buck when he was buying things for restaurants."

"Ignore him." He Daqing frowned. "Let's live by our conscience, earn clean money, and sleep soundly."

At dinner, He Yuzhu was holding a cornbread bun, taking small bites, when he suddenly looked up and asked, "Dad, when can we eat white flour buns?" Jia Dongxu said that his dad bought him a sweet bun yesterday.

Liu Yan paused, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes. The family's white flour was long gone, and they were now eating only coarse grains. Forget about sugar buns, they were even sparingly eating the mixed-flour steamed buns.

He Daqing put down her chopsticks, patted her son's head, and was about to speak when He Yuyang suddenly stood up: "Mother, I'll go look over by the woodpile. I think I saw a cloth bag yesterday. I wonder if it's what Father left behind."

Before Liu Yan could react, he had already strode to the woodpile in the corner of the yard. This was where firewood for the winter was stored, and it was rarely disturbed. He pretended to rummage through the firewood, but actually used his mind to retrieve a small cloth bag from his spatial storage—it contained more than half a bag of flour, a spatial product he had deliberately mixed with 20% ordinary flour. Its color was slightly yellower than pure spatial flour, making it look more like the coarse grain flour sold in the market.

"Found it!" He ran back, holding a cloth bag, his face beaming with childlike joy. "Mom, look, it's flour inside!"

Liu Yan took it and opened it. It was indeed flour, much finer than the coarse grain flour at home. She couldn't help but wonder, "Whose is this? How did it end up in the woodpile?"

"I don't know." He Yuyang deliberately gave a vague answer. "Maybe it was left behind by one of the deliverymen? I just touched it, and the bag was tied tightly and wasn't damp."

He leaned closer to He Daqing and whispered, "Dad, let's grind this flour into noodles secretly, without letting anyone in the yard know. When we've saved enough, we'll steam white flour buns for Mom."

Looking into his son's bright eyes, and then at the bag of flour of unknown origin, He Daqing had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. This kid had been having some "little strokes of luck" lately. The last time he picked up the cloth, and this time he "picked up" the flour. What a coincidence! But he didn't ask any further questions. He just reached out and patted He Yuyang's head, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Okay, I'll do as you say." He took the cloth bag, carefully tied it, and put it in the innermost part of the kang cabinet. "When Dad has time to rest this weekend, we'll find a stone mill to grind it and make steamed buns for your mother."

He Yuzhu clapped his hands and cheered, "Eat steamed buns! Eat steamed buns!"

At night, He Yuyang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to his younger brother's even breathing beside him, and quietly drifted into a trance.

After these days of hard work, the wheat in the space has been harvested twice, and the flour produced has filled three earthenware jars. He deliberately kept some ordinary flour to mix in, just for this kind of situation—so as not to reveal the secret of the space, but to quietly improve the family's meals.

He walked to the spring, watching the bubbling spiritual water, and pondered his next move. His father had received a raise, which would make things a little easier for the family, but food was still the most important thing. In addition to wheat, he had also planted some sweet potatoes and potatoes in the space, and the yields were quite good. However, the sweet potatoes were not easy to store, and the potatoes sprouted quickly, so he needed to find a way to deal with them.

"Maybe we can make sweet potato chips?" He Yuyang stroked his chin. The sweet potatoes in the space were sweet and mealy. Making them into sweet potato chips would make them a snack and also store them for winter.

Just then, light footsteps came from outside the courtyard. It was Yan Bugui and Uncle San chatting.

"...You mean He Daqing really got a raise? I see him coming home every day still wearing that old cotton-padded jacket." The third uncle's voice was filled with doubt.

"Who knows if prices have gone up or not?" Yan Bugui's voice carried a hint of sourness. "But he's been going to the blacksmith's shop a lot lately, I heard he's modified some tools, who knows he might be thinking of switching jobs. Let's wait and see, if he really makes a fortune, won't he buy his wife and kids some new clothes?"

The footsteps faded into the distance, and He Yuyang let out a cold laugh. Yan Bugui was still watching; it seemed that the days of "hiding one's edge" would have to continue.

He turned to look at the newly planted vegetable patch, where cabbage seedlings were already sprouting green shoots. The soil, irrigated by the spiritual spring water, was exceptionally fertile, and even the air carried a faint, sweet scent. Once these vegetables were fully grown, he could quietly add some fresh produce to his family's grocery basket.

As He Yuyang exited the space, dawn was breaking. He gently got up and saw that his father was already awake, counting copper coins on the kang table by the faint moonlight.

The copper coins were bundled together with strips of cloth, some in bunches of a hundred, some in bunches of fifty, and at the bottom were a few silver dollars—those were the money the father had saved to buy medicine for the mother.

"Dad, why don't you sleep a little longer?" He Yuyang asked softly.

He Daqing carefully placed the copper coin into the wooden box and said with a smile, "I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about the angelica root I bought for your mother. The pharmacy said they just got a new batch of good quality. I'll go check it out when I have some free time today."

He paused, then suddenly said, "Yangyang, when spring comes, Dad will take you to the bookstore. Don't you love drawing? Let's buy some proper art books to learn from."

He Yuyang's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at her father. In the dim light, her father's eyes were gentle yet firm, filled with anticipation for the future.

"Father, I..."

"Don't say anything more." He Daqing interrupted him. "Your father didn't have much schooling, so I know the hardship of being uneducated. You're a thoughtful child. If you can get an education in the future, that will be better than anything else."

The sky outside the window gradually brightened, and the first rays of dawn shone through the windowpane, falling on the wooden box on the kang table, giving it a warm glow. He Yuyang looked at the white hair at his father's temples and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

Life was tough in those days, full of calculations, but the love of family was like the warm sun in winter, always bringing a sense of peace to one's heart.

He quietly took out a small paper packet from his pocket. Inside was the first red date that had grown in the space. It was big and round, with a dark red luster.

"Dad, take this with you." He stuffed the paper packet into his father's hand. "I picked it up at the alley entrance last time. It's sweet. Eat one when you're tired from work."

He Daqing squeezed the paper package, knowing this was another of his son's "little strokes of luck," and didn't ask any more questions. He simply gripped the package tighter and patted his son's back: "Okay, Dad will take it."

At breakfast, Liu Yan mixed some coarse grains with the newly harvested cornmeal to make steamed cornbread, and also cooked a pot of cabbage soup. He Yuzhu was munching on his cornbread when he suddenly said, "Mom, today's cornbread seems a little sweet."

Liu Yan smiled and said, "Silly child, I added a little saccharin. Your father bought it specially."

Looking at her younger brother's satisfied smile and then at the smiles exchanged between her parents, He Yuyang clenched her fists inwardly.

The food in the space was still growing, the father was slowly saving his wages, and the mother's health was getting better and better under the care of the spiritual spring water... Although life still had to be kept secret, it was getting better little by little.

He knew this was just the beginning. There would be no shortage of scheming in the courtyard, and the hardships of life would not disappear, but as long as the family united as one, guarded this stability, and hid their "sharpness," they could always find a solid path in this chaotic world.

After dinner, He Daqing went to work. When Liu Yan was cleaning up the dishes, she suddenly noticed a small handful of dried herbs on the stove. They looked like loquat leaves for treating coughs, but she couldn't remember when she had bought them.

"Mom, I picked this up by the river yesterday," He Yuyang said at the right moment. "Auntie said that if you dry it and soak it in water, it can cure coughs."

Liu Yan picked up the herb and smelled it; it did indeed have a slightly bitter taste. She smiled and put it into the medicine pot, saying, "You child, you always pick up the good stuff."

He Yuyang didn't say anything, but just watched his mother put the herbs into the pot, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It's time to harvest the herbs planted in the space. Next time you "pick" them up, remember to coat them with more soil so they look like they were dug up from the riverbank.

The north wind was still blowing, but the sun had already pierced through the clouds, shining on the bluestone slabs of the courtyard and leaving warm patches of light. He Yuyang picked up the broom in the corner and began to sweep the yard. The "swish" sound of the broom sweeping across the ground seemed to be gently keeping time for this winter day that held so much hope.