He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

With the end of summer heat over, the air finally felt a bit autumnal, and the morning and evening breezes carried a coolness, rustling the locust tree leaves in the alleyways. He Daqing had been managing Jufulou Restaurant for almost half a month, and the restaurant's business was getting better every day. The reputation of their "half-portion dishes" and "exquisite side dishes" had spread, and people from several nearby streets were making a special trip to try them. The manager noticed this and trusted He Daqing even more, not only putting him in charge of the kitchen ingredients but also entrusting him with checking the purchasing accounts. He also secretly added two copper coins to He Yuyang's monthly "kitchen helper pay"—this was for He Yuyang. Ever since the restaurant changed its rules, this child had been helping to pick vegetables and sort side dishes every day after school, working very quickly and efficiently. The manager noticed this and gave him extra pocket money.

That evening, just as He Yuyang finished cleaning the last basket of bok choy, He Daqing came out of the accounting room with a paper package in his hand and a smile on his face: "Yangyang, let's go. The shopkeeper gave you two strings of sugar-coated fried dough sticks as a reward today. You and Zhuzi can share them."

"Thank you, Father!" He Yuyang took the oil paper package. The candied fruit inside was still steaming, coated with glistening sugar frosting, and smelled sweet. He knew that the shopkeeper had given it to him specially, firstly to thank him for his idea, and secondly as a reward for his diligence over the past two weeks.

The father and son chatted and laughed as they walked home. He Daqing was telling the story of the day at the restaurant—an old customer almost got into an argument with someone over the last half portion of braised pork, and it was only after he shared some side dishes that the argument was resolved. He Yuyang listened attentively, occasionally interjecting a comment. The sugar-coated fritters in his hand cooled slightly in the evening breeze, but tasted even sweeter.

As they approached the alley entrance, a man in dark blue overalls walked towards them. His hair was slicked back, and he carried a tin lunchbox. He walked with his shoulders hunched, exuding an indescribable arrogance. It was Xu Damao's father, Xu Wude.

Xu Wude worked as a technician in a machine factory in the east of the city. He was one of the few people in the alley who "ate the government's rice". He usually looked down on everyone and ignored everyone, especially He Daqing, a "cook who served people". He was too lazy to even look at him.

But today, he deliberately stopped and blocked the father and son's way.

"Isn't this Manager He?" Xu Wude said with a forced smile, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "I heard he's a big shot at the restaurant now? He walks around with a swagger."

He Daqing knew he was arrogant and didn't want to argue with him, so he stepped aside to try and walk around him: "Brother Xu is joking, I'm just trying to make a living."

"Just trying to make a living? I bet you've struck it rich!" Xu Wude took a step forward and deliberately bumped into He Daqing. "Can't you watch where you're going? You're blocking the way, you know that?"

He Daqing stumbled, nearly dropping the oil paper package in his hand, but luckily He Yuyang caught him. He frowned: "Brother Xu, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing? I'm teaching you a lesson in manners!" Xu Wude's face darkened, and he shoved He Daqing. "You used to bow and scrape before me, but now that you're a lousy manager, you think you're something special? Let me tell you, don't think you're so great just because you've made a little money. In my eyes, you're still just a waiter!"

The push was quite forceful, and He Daqing slammed into the wall beside him, scraping a patch of skin off his elbow and tearing a large gash in his sleeve from the gravel at the corner. He immediately became furious, clenching his fists as he was about to argue, but He Yuyang pulled him back.

"Dad, let's go home. Zhuzi is waiting to eat sugar-coated fruit." He Yuyang's voice was calm, but his eyes were as cold as ice as he stared intently at Xu Wude.

Xu Wude felt a little uneasy under his gaze, and thought it would be beneath him to argue with a teenager. He snorted and deliberately stomped his foot on the spot where He Daqing had just stood: "You're smart! Watch where you're going next time you walk, don't block the way for important people!" After saying that, he swaggered into the alley.

He Daqing was trembling with anger, pointing at his retreating figure, unable to speak: "He...he went too far!"

"Dad, why bother arguing with someone like that?" He Yuyang patted the dirt off his clothes, glanced at his torn sleeve, and felt a pang in his heart. "Let's go home. Don't let Mom and Zhuzi worry."

When they got home, Liu Yan noticed that He Daqing looked unwell and that his elbow was bleeding, so she quickly found some cloth to bandage it. He Yuzhu came over asking for some sugar-coated fruit, but Liu Yan glared at him, and he obediently sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) without saying a word.

"What happened?" Liu Yan asked anxiously while wrapping the cloth around her neck.

After holding it in for a long time, He Daqing finally recounted what had just happened, and then slammed his fist on the table: "Who does Xu Wude think he is! He's just a lousy technician! Why does he have the right to bully people like this!"

"Forget it, that's just how he is, so arrogant." Liu Yan sighed. "You just got promoted at the restaurant, don't get into a fight with him, it won't sound good if word gets out."

"Mother is right, Father." He Yuyang gave half of the candied fruit to her younger brother, her tone indifferent. "It's beneath us to argue with him. He just can't stand seeing others do well and deliberately picks fights. If we ignore him, he'll get bored on his own."

Despite saying that, He Yuyang's anger only grew stronger. His mother held a grudge when she couldn't borrow something, and his father, out of jealousy, deliberately made things difficult for him; this family was so narrow-minded. His father was honest and kind, always enduring being bullied, but he couldn't tolerate it.

That night, He Yuzhu fell asleep, Liu Yan also dozed off, and He Daqing was still under the lamp, sighing and mending his torn cuffs. He Yuyang pretended to go to the yard to relieve himself and quietly slipped out the door.

The night was as dark as ink. The dogs in the alley barked twice and then fell into a deep sleep again. He Yuyang knew the nearby roads very well. Xu Wude worked at the machine factory and rode his bicycle there every morning. His "Forever" brand bicycle, which rattled everywhere except for the bell, was parked in the bicycle shed at the back gate of the factory.

He took a detour and squeezed through a gap in the back wall of the factory. The shed was dark, with more than a dozen bicycles piled up. By the moonlight, he quickly found Xu Wude's bicycle—the handlebars were wrapped with a red cloth strip, which Xu Damao's mother had specially wrapped for "warding off evil spirits."

He Yuyang crouched down, using the shadow of the bicycle shed pillar for cover, and ran his fingers along the bicycle chain. In his previous life, he had learned to repair bicycles in the countryside, and he knew how to make a chain look fine but inevitably fall off when you ride it. He gently moved the chain's link pin outward, just enough to lock it in place, but not enough to withstand strong pedaling.

After doing all this, he carefully wiped the dust off his hands, checked them again to make sure there were no traces, and then quietly left and went home the way he came.

Lying in bed, listening to his father's even breathing, the anger in his heart slowly dissipated. He didn't intend to make a big fuss; he just wanted to embarrass Xu Wude and let him know that the He family was not easy to bully, and that he shouldn't come looking for trouble again.

The next morning, when He Da woke up, he saw that his cuffs had been mended, the stitches much finer than usual. He knew Liu Yan had mended them overnight, and his heart warmed; most of his anger from the previous day had dissipated. He Yuyang, as usual, went to the restaurant after breakfast. Passing by the Xu family's house, he heard Xu Wude's cursing voice coming from inside: "What's the rush! The chain is loose, I have to tighten it!"

A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips as he quickened his pace toward the restaurant.

Sure enough, not long after, a burst of laughter came from the alley. He Yuyang was picking vegetables in the kitchen when she glanced outside and saw Xu Wude pushing his bicycle out of the alley. The bicycle chain was dangling on the ground and covered in mud. His work pants were torn at the knees, and his face was covered in sweat and dust. He looked very disheveled.

Several workers from his factory happened to pass by and, seeing his condition, teased him: "Old Xu, what happened to your 'Forever' brand bike? It's become a 'Chain-breaking' brand!" "Did you get into a fight last night? Even the bike's not cooperating!" "Hurry up and push it, or you'll get your wages docked!"

Xu Wude's face flushed red and then turned pale as he was laughed at. He muttered curses under his breath but dared not retort—he had already offended many people at the factory because of his arrogant nature, and now he had become the laughingstock of the place. He pushed his cart and walked away quickly, not even daring to look back.

The news quickly spread throughout the alley. Xu's mother stood at the door with her hands on her hips and cursed for a long time, saying, "Who's so wicked as to loosen our bicycle chain?" But no one responded. Even the old ladies who were usually on good terms with her kept their distance—who didn't know that her old man had bullied He Daqing yesterday? This was probably someone else's retaliation.

When He Daqing heard about this at the restaurant, his heart skipped a beat. He quietly pulled He Yuyang aside and asked, "Yangyang, did you do this?"

He Yuyang was peeling a small radish, not even looking up: "Dad, what are you saying? I helped out at the restaurant after school yesterday, how could I have time to do that? Uncle Xu probably just didn't put the chain on properly."

He Daqing looked at his son's calm profile, opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words. He didn't press further, but he knew perfectly well what was going on. This child seemed composed, but he was fiercely protective of his own; he must have remembered being bullied yesterday.

However, he didn't scold his son. He'd been holding his anger in all night, and seeing his son embarrassed made him feel much better. But he still cautioned, "Don't do this again. If you get caught, you'll be in big trouble."

"I know, Dad." He Yuyang nodded, arranging the peeled radishes neatly on the plate. "I just feel that he won't bother our family anymore."

He was absolutely right. From then on, whenever Xu Wude saw He Daqing, he would either lower his head and walk past, or take a detour. He never dared to utter a single sarcastic remark, let alone cause trouble. Xu's mother also toned down her behavior considerably. When she saw Liu Yan, although she still didn't give her a friendly look, she no longer dared to speak sarcastically or gossipy.

The people in the alley saw this and knew that although the He family was honest, they were not pushovers. So they were all more polite to the He family when they interacted with them.

That evening, He Yuyang received two copper coins from the shopkeeper, which felt heavy in his pocket. This was the first money he had earned on his own, and although it wasn't much, it made him happier than the money his father had given him. Passing by a general store, he bought two pieces of fruit candy, wrapped them in paper, and planned to give one to He Yuzhu and keep one for himself.

As they reached the alley entrance, they ran into Aunt Zhang taking Gou Dan for a walk. Gou Dan was completely recovered and was bouncing around like before. Upon seeing He Yuyang, he called out from afar, "Brother Yangyang!"

"Dog Egg, you're recovering pretty well." He Yuyang smiled, patted his head, and handed him a piece of fruit candy. "Here, have some."

"Thank you, Brother Yangyang!" Gou Dan took the candy and clutched it in his hand like a treasure. Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "This child talks about you every day. He says that when he grows up, he wants to be like Brother Yangyang, both smart and capable."

He Yuyang smiled but didn't speak. He knew this was just the beginning. In these turbulent times, one couldn't survive by simply tolerating things; one had to be patient when necessary, but also retaliate when the time came. Only in this way could he protect his family and ensure a peaceful life.

Back home, he handed another piece of candy to He Yuzhu, who spun around with joy. He Daqing was calculating the restaurant's purchases, while Liu Yan was mending clothes under the lamp. The dim kerosene lamp cast the family's shadows on the wall, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

He Yuyang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), watching all this, feeling very at ease. He touched the last copper coin in his pocket and decided to save it. In the future, he would earn more money, buy more things, and ensure that his parents and younger brother would never have to suffer from others' mistreatment again, and would never have to worry about food and clothing again.

The moonlight crept in through the window, illuminating the cactus on the windowsill that had been watered with spring water. The tender green thorns shimmered in the night, much like the hope that was slowly growing in this home.