He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The first rain of autumn lasted all night. When the sky cleared in the morning, water still lingered in the cracks of the bluestone slabs in Nanluoguxiang, reflecting the gray sky. He Yuyang had just finished his morning exercise when he heard a commotion coming from the alley, mixed with the "swish swish" sound of brooms sweeping across the ground.

"What's going on? Why does it smell so fishy and foul?"

"You bet! It rained so hard yesterday, the drains must be clogged!"

He walked to the courtyard gate and saw several neighbors gathered at the corner of the alley, each frowning and covering their noses. That was the main sewer outlet in the alley, and at that moment, murky sewage was gushing out, mixed with rotten vegetable leaves and silt, the stench carrying far on the wind.

"What are we going to do?" Grandma Wang, who lives next door, stamped her feet anxiously. "My grandson is waiting to go to school, and we can't even walk on this road!"

"Let's find a latrine cleaner! Let them come and unclog it," someone suggested.

"Where are you going to find a latrine cleaner? Besides, it's a pool of money. Each family has to contribute at least 50 cents. There are more than a dozen households in our alley. It's not a small amount if we pool our money together."

As they were discussing, Liu Haizhong walked over from the other end of the alley, his hands behind his back. The red armband reading "Manager" on his blue overalls stood out prominently in the morning light. He had just finished his shift at the factory, his face showing some fatigue, but he still stood tall. Upon seeing the crowd, he cleared his throat and said, "What are you all doing here? Don't you know you're blocking the road?"

"Manager Liu, you've finally arrived!" Aunt Wang rushed over as if she'd seen a savior. "The sewer is clogged, and sewage is overflowing. Can you give me some advice?"

Liu Haizhong then noticed the sewage on the ground. He frowned, then relaxed, adopting his usual air of nonchalance: "What's the big deal? What's all the fuss about! It's just a clogged drain." He glanced at the crowd and spotted He Yuyang standing by the door. He deliberately raised his voice, "Young people are so impatient. They panic over the smallest trouble. Back in the day, I managed dozens of people in the factory. There were far more difficult things than this, and I always solved them with a single step."

He Yuyang didn't reply, but just stood at the door with his arms crossed, watching. He recognized Liu Haizhong's work clothes; they were from the Chengdong Machinery Factory, which he had heard was an old factory with not-so-advanced equipment, but a large number of workers.

"Manager Liu, what do you think we should do about this?" someone asked, approaching him.

Liu Haizhong paced back and forth beside the sewage, hands behind his back, as if inspecting the work. After a while, he patted his chest and said, "I'll handle this! You all don't need to worry about it. We have plenty of tools in the factory, crowbars, iron bars, everything. I'll send two skilled workers over later, and they'll clear it for you in half a day!"

"Really? Thank you so much, Manager Liu!" The neighbors were overjoyed and thanked him in unison.

"What are you thanking me for? We're all neighbors, it's only right to help each other out." Liu Haizhong proudly raised his chin, glancing deliberately at He Yuyang, as if to say, "See, I still have a way."

He Yuyang knew that the old-fashioned sewer was badly clogged and that crowbars and iron bars alone might not be enough, but he didn't say anything. He just smiled and nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble Uncle Liu."

"Sure, sure." Liu Haizhong waved his hand, turned around and walked home, his steps more steady than usual, the red armband swaying behind him, exuding an indescribable smugness.

After Liu Haizhong left, the neighbors gradually dispersed, leaving only Aunt Wang muttering, "Manager Liu is really capable, unlike us, we're helpless when something happens..."

He Yuzhu came out of the yard and overheard this. He pouted and said to He Yuyang, "Brother, do you believe he can fix it? I think the sewage is blocked up really well. He'll have a hard time without professional tools."

"Let's see," He Yuyang said calmly. "He meant well."

Around noon, Liu Haizhong arrived with two workers in overalls, carrying a crowbar, a shovel, and a wooden bucket. The two workers looked quite young, probably apprentices in the factory. They scratched their heads at the sewage outlet for a long time, not knowing where to start.

"What are you standing there for?" Liu Haizhong commanded, adopting a managerial tone. "First, clear away the surface mud, then use a crowbar to pry open the manhole cover!"

The two apprentices quickly got to work, using iron shovels to shovel silt into the wooden bucket. The foul water splashed all over them, and they soon began to frown. After finally managing to pry open the well cover, an even stronger stench wafted out, startling the two men so much that they took two steps back.

"Go down and dig!" Liu Haizhong shouted, hands on his hips.

"Manager Liu, this...this is too deep, we can't see anything at all," an apprentice said with a pained expression.

"Can't you see or touch it? Back in the day, I used to rummage through machines in the factory, doing work ten times dirtier than this!" Liu Haizhong said, spitting as he spoke, but he stood three steps away, showing no intention of moving forward.

The two apprentices had no choice but to squat by the well and reach inside. But what was blocking the pipe wasn't just silt, but also rotten wood and rags, stuck firmly in the pipe, no matter how hard they pulled, they couldn't get them out. After struggling for more than an hour, the two were exhausted and covered in sweat. They had splashed out a lot of dirty water, but hadn't removed much of the blockage from the pipe.

"Manager Liu, this won't do, it's too sturdy." An apprentice straightened up, his hands white from being soaked in water.

Liu Haizhong also got anxious and went over to take a look. He picked up a crowbar and poked it inside, but the crowbar almost got stuck. He pulled hard, but ended up splashing dirty water all over his pants.

"Pah! What bad luck!" Liu Haizhong cursed, looking a little embarrassed. A group of onlookers had already gathered, and some began to whisper among themselves:

"It's almost noon, why isn't it done yet?"

"I told you it wouldn't work; don't take on a job you're not qualified for..."

Liu Haizhong's face flushed red and then paled, and he shouted, his neck stiff, "What's the rush? This job is hard enough as it is! Give me another half an hour, and I guarantee I'll get it done!"

Even so, he was helpless and could only watch his two apprentices busy themselves with nothing. Another hour passed, and the sun was high in the sky, but the sewer was still blocked, and the sewage had spread even further, making the road next to it impassable.

Grandma Wang, carrying a basket, was on her way to buy groceries when she saw the scene and sighed, "Manager Liu, why don't we call a sanitation worker? If this continues, the flooding might reach our house."

"Why bother hiring a latrine cleaner? I can handle this!" Liu Haizhong was still being defiant, but his heart was pounding—he had no idea that cleaning sewers was so difficult, and he should have known better than to make that promise.

Just then, He Yuyang came out of the yard, pushing a worn-out tin box with the words "Military Logistics" printed on it. "Uncle Liu, you've been busy all morning, take a break," he said with a smile. "I have some old tools that the army has discarded; they might come in handy."

"What tool?" Liu Haizhong glanced at the tin box, feeling a little unconvinced—he didn't believe that a broken box could be more effective than a crowbar.

He Yuyang didn't say much. He opened the box, inside was a slightly worn drain cleaning machine with a long flexible hose attached. It looked a bit like a drain cleaner from later generations, but he had actually taken it out of his spatial storage and deliberately aged it. "This was used by the army to unclog the sewers in the barracks. It's a bit old, but it should still be able to handle this kind of pipe."

He inserted one end of the hose into the drain opening and the other end into the machine, then pressed the switch. The machine started whirring, and the hose vibrated as it drilled forward through the pipe. After a while, he heard a "plop" sound, as if something had been flushed away.

The neighbors held their breath and watched as He Yuyang slowly pulled the hose back, revealing a wad of rags and several thin pieces of wood tangled at the end. He threw these into the wooden bucket, then inserted the hose back in and unclogged it a few times. The sewage that had been gushing out gradually receded.

In less than half an hour, the fishy smell had faded considerably, and only a shallow puddle remained at the sewer opening.

"It's connected! It really is connected!" Aunt Wang was the first to cheer. "Yu Yang, that kid, he's really capable!"

"Absolutely! Much better than that manager!"

"The military's equipment is really impressive..."

The neighbors surrounded He Yuyang to thank him, some offering him water, others offering him towels, which made him a little embarrassed.

Liu Haizhong stood outside the crowd, his face flushed red. He looked at the drain cleaning machine, then at He Yuyang, who was surrounded by the neighbors, and muttered, "Hmph, opportunistic. What kind of skill is it to rely on a machine? If you're so capable, go dig by hand..." But his voice was so low that only he could hear it. In his heart, he had to admit that this thing really worked.

The two apprentices breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Liu Haizhong, "Manager Liu, shall we go back?"

Liu Haizhong glared at them fiercely, then looked at He Yuyang and said with a stiff neck, "What are you looking at? Wasn't it because I cleared the surface mud first that he was able to do so smoothly? That's called division of labor and cooperation!" After saying that, without waiting for anyone to reply, he led the two apprentices away in a dejected manner, even forgetting to pick up the iron shovel that had fallen on the ground.

He Yuyang asked He Yuzhu to put away the drain cleaner and helped Aunt Wang clean up the splashed sewage. Only then did the neighbors disperse, and the alley finally returned to its usual tranquility.

As evening fell, He Yuyang went to the alley entrance to buy soy sauce and bumped into Liu Haizhong coming out of his house, carrying an empty wine bottle, presumably on his way to buy some liquor. Upon seeing each other, Liu Haizhong froze for a moment, then adopted the air of an elder, saying sternly, "Yuyang, about what happened today, I have to say a few words to you."

"Uncle Liu, please speak." He Yuyang stopped in his tracks.

"It's good that young people are capable, but they shouldn't be too flamboyant." Liu Haizhong said slowly, with his hands behind his back. "It's just unclogging a sewer, why do you need so many people praising you? You should be humble, especially now that you're the leader of the group. You need to be more mindful of your influence and stop trying to show off."

He Yuyang found it amusing, but didn't show it on his face, only saying calmly, "Uncle Liu is right, I've got it. I'm mainly worried about the sewage flooding the neighbors' homes, nothing more."

"Good to know." Seeing his respectful attitude, Liu Haizhong felt a little more at ease, and then started to put on airs again, "Back when I was an apprentice in the factory, I was even younger than you are now, and I knew how to hide my shortcomings. Sometimes when I was repairing machines, even though I was the one who found the problem, I would say it was because my master gave me good guidance, and that's how I earned everyone's respect. You still have a lot to learn..."

He rambled on and on, from the factory rules to the principles of being a good person. He Yuyang listened patiently until Liu Haizhong's throat was dry, at which point he reluctantly stopped, saying, "Alright, I won't say any more. Figure it out yourself. I'm going to get some wine."

Watching Liu Haizhong walk unsteadily toward the general store with his hands behind his back, He Yuzhu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pursing his lips: "Brother, what does he mean by this? He's incompetent himself, yet he accuses you of showing off?"

"He meant well," He Yuyang smiled. "People always have their own ideas."

"I think he's just got a power addiction!" He Yuzhu snorted. "He's been a supervisor at the factory for a couple of days and he thinks he's some big shot. I saw him lose face this morning over the sewer cleaning incident, and now he's lecturing you."

He Yuyang didn't reply, but he knew in his heart that Liu Haizhong's "desire for officialdom" was ultimately driven by his deep-seated vanity. He had probably never been flattered like this in his life, and now that he had finally become a manager, he wanted to show off his "ability" in every way, even if it meant putting on a brave face.

During dinner, Liu Yan talked about what happened in the afternoon, and said with a smile, "Yu Yang is really resourceful. He just set up that machine and the drain was cleared. Aunt Wang even came to thank me earlier and said she would make you a pair of cloth shoes."

"It was nothing." He Yuyang picked up a piece of tofu for Yushui. "I just happened to find that machine; I didn't expect it to actually work."

"Look at Liu Haizhong's face, it's as red as a monkey's bottom." He Daqing took a sip of wine and couldn't help but laugh. "He patted his chest this morning saying he could handle it, but after struggling for half a day, he still couldn't get it right. In the end, we still have to rely on you."

"He wanted to help, but he just didn't know the right way," He Yuyang said. "We're all neighbors, there's no need to fuss over these things."

Just then, there was a knock at the gate. He Yuzhu went to open it and came back with a paper package in his hand. He smiled and said, "Brother, Liu Haizhong had his son deliver this. He said it's for you."

He Yuyang opened the paper package and saw two packets of tea inside. They weren't particularly good quality, but they were common jasmine tea available on the market. "What does he mean by this?" He Yuzhu scratched his head.

"It's probably because of what happened this afternoon, and I feel bad about it," Liu Yan said with a smile. "I'm not completely confused."

He Yuyang put the tea leaves away, understanding that although Liu Haizhong was concerned with his reputation, he wasn't unreasonable. Although he didn't say anything today, he probably acknowledged He Yuyang's abilities.

At night, He Yuyang got up and heard rustling sounds coming from outside the courtyard wall, like people talking. He quietly walked to the wall and heard Liu Haizhong and his son's voices.

"...Did you see that machine clearly? Is it really that effective?" It was Liu Haizhong's voice.

"Look closely, it's just a single pipe. It spins when you turn on the electricity, much better than an iron lever," his son said.

"Hmph, it's only good for dealing with small pipes. If the big machines in the factory get clogged, we'll have to rely on our own hands," Liu Haizhong said stubbornly. He paused and then asked, "Where do you think we can get one? I'll talk to the factory's logistics department and get one too, so we don't have to go through the trouble of unclogging the sewers later..."

He Yuyang couldn't help but smile to himself upon hearing this. This guy with bangs, while talking about "taking shortcuts," actually kept the machine's usefulness in mind; he was quite a pragmatic person after all.

The next morning, He Yuyang went to the military office. As she passed the alleyway, she ran into Liu Haizhong walking towards the factory. They exchanged glances. Liu Haizhong looked a little awkward, but still nodded: "Yuyang, going to work?"

"Yes, good morning, Uncle Liu," He Yuyang replied with a smile.

Liu Haizhong hesitated for a moment, then managed to blurt out, "That tea from yesterday... was it alright?"

"That's fine, thank you."

"Hey, no need to thank me." Liu Haizhong waved his hand, then, as if remembering something, said, "Um... if you're not using that machine anymore, could I borrow it? The factory's sewers are a bit clogged..."

"No problem, I'll have Yuzhu deliver it to you later," He Yuyang said readily.

"Alright, alright." Liu Haizhong smiled slightly and quickened his pace. After taking a couple of steps, he turned back and bluntly said, "Young man... you're certainly got some skills."

Watching Liu Haizhong's retreating figure, He Yuyang couldn't help but smile. Life in Nanluoguxiang was becoming more and more interesting. There was Yan Bugui's meticulous calculations, Liu Haizhong's vanity and competitiveness, and the everyday gossip of the neighbors. These seemingly trivial details, when put together, formed the most authentic life.

He looked up at the sky; the autumn sun was shining brightly, filtering through the leaves of the old locust tree and falling warmly on the bluestone slabs. In the distance came the laughter of children and the shouts of He Yuzhu teaching boxing at the martial arts school; everything was so peaceful and serene.

Perhaps this is the life he has always wanted.