Courtyard House: The Fisherman Never Goes Sick

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Yang Wei had been incredibly busy lately. The next morning, he quickly got up, washed, prepared breakfast, and woke Lou Xiao'e and the old lady to eat together. After taking care of them that morning, Yang Wei finally set off for the factory. It was freezing cold, and riding a bicycle was just asking for trouble; walking would be much warmer, so he left a few minutes earlier than usual.

Before leaving, he turned back again to remind her, "Wife, don't touch cold water at home. Use hot water for cooking and washing vegetables. Leave the heavy work for me to do when I get back, understand?" He went on and on until Lou Xiao'e nodded repeatedly, and only then did he leave satisfied.

Watching Yang Wei's hurried figure disappear into the distance, Lou Xiao'e smiled happily. Having a caring man and a baby in her belly—this peaceful life was exactly what she had always longed for. "Grandma, let me accompany you for a stroll in the yard, to stretch your muscles!" she said softly to the old lady as she turned around.

Meanwhile, Yang Wei walked into the factory gate with a cheerful smile, greeting everyone he met. He even chatted with a few familiar workers for a while, something he'd never done before. This completely baffled everyone—usually, when someone greeted Yang Wei, he'd just nod and head to the canteen. Had the sun risen in the west today? It wasn't until someone dug out the inside story from Sha Zhu that everyone suddenly realized: Oh! Yang Wei's wife is pregnant! No wonder he was so friendly to everyone today.

The good news spread throughout the cafeteria around lunchtime. After everyone finished their work and gathered around to eat, Han Rui was the first to happily come over: "Master, congratulations! You're going to be a father!" "Congratulations to you too!" Yang Wei grinned from ear to ear, and everyone else joined in the congratulations.

Once the excitement subsided, everyone returned to their posts, but Yang Wei remained lost in his own little world. He was imagining a movie playing in his head: once the baby was born, he'd spend all his free time playing with the little one. Just thinking about it made his lips curl into a smile, and he'd occasionally chuckle to himself. Those working nearby, hearing the commotion and seeing his silly expression, covered their mouths and stifled their laughter. Old Xu, sharp-eyed, quickly whispered a reminder, "Alright, stop staring! If Master Yang sees you, he'll scold you again!" Only then did everyone suppress their laughter and return to their work.

But Yang Wei wasn't just thinking about amusing the child; he was planning how to build a great empire for his descendants! Twenty years later, when the child had grown up, he would wave his hand and say, "Look, this is the empire your father built for you!" Although it was just his imagination, he was full of energy, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

"Only those who foresee and anticipate can reap the richest rewards. I cannot afford to lose this advantage; I must stand at the forefront, overlooking all others!" Yang Wei made a silent vow. The path Old Xu had pointed out was too safe and unsuitable for him; he had no choice but to venture into business. Relying on his memory and grasp of the trends of the times, and building connections, he would create a business empire of his own in this turbulent era. Those trillion-dollar unicorns of later generations might very well emerge under his leadership! If you dare to do it, you can do it, especially since he was intimately familiar with those crucial timelines! Even if there were some unclear points, his judgment of the overall situation was enough to fill in the gaps.

"Once I get to Hong Kong, I'll use the restaurant business as a springboard to make my first fortune, then leverage it to enter the financial industry. Once I'm in that circle, the resources I want will be readily available, and capital will flow like a river." He calculated repeatedly in his mind. "Then I'll invest the capital in real industries. Only real industries can withstand risks and avoid pitfalls in advance during financial crises. In short, with my cheat code, it'll be hard not to make a fortune."

The blueprint for his business empire was gradually taking shape in his mind. Details determine success or failure; he was a prophet, able to anticipate and fill in the gaps in his plans. Now, everything was ready except for the final push. That final push was the impending upheaval. Only when the wind rose could he legitimately drag the Lou family to Hong Kong, leveraging their connections to officially take the first step in the rise of his empire.

As soon as the loudspeaker announced the end of the workday, Yang Wei was the first to dart out of the cafeteria, heading straight home. Everyone watching his hurried figure couldn't help but chuckle. Where had the calm and collected Yang Wei gone? Then it dawned on them—Yang Wei was only twenty! A hot-tempered young man, no less. He was usually so mature that everyone thought he was forty.

"Tsk tsk, twenty years old, so young!" Old Xu smacked his lips, a pang of envy rising in his heart. What was he doing when he was twenty? Long forgotten! Anyway, ten of him tied together wouldn't be worth one of him.

Upon entering the house, Yang Wei first circled Lou Xiao'e twice, looking her up and down to make sure there was nothing wrong, before rolling up his sleeves and going into the kitchen.

"Honey, how about we make the stir-fried vegetables a little more sour tonight?" Lou Xiao'e suddenly said.

Yang Wei gave her a curious look: "Aren't you the one who hates jealousy the most? What's gotten into you?"

Yang Wei was speechless for a moment, thinking that this old idea was really deeply rooted, but he was too lazy to argue, and happily agreed: "Okay, you go back to your room and rest. It's cold outside, I'll bring it in for you in a bit."

After eating, drinking, and tidying up, the couple sat in the house reading by the lamp. Yang Wei was flipping through the last book on miscellaneous antiques, while Lou Xiao'e was engrossed in reading several parenting guides she had taken from the Lou family.

When it was time to turn off the lights and go to bed, Lou Xiao'e started getting restless again, her hands and feet constantly stroking Yang Wei. Yang Wei helplessly held her down, gently coaxing, "Honey, from now on, we need to pay attention to prenatal education. Listen to the phonograph more often, or read some Tang and Song dynasty poems. Don't keep thinking about this. The baby is a living, breathing little person now; he can sense everything that's happening outside. For our child's sake, we have to be careful from now on. Prenatal education must start from infancy, understand?"

After Yang Wei's persuasive and guiding words, Lou Xiao'e finally calmed down, fearing that improper prenatal education might harm her unborn child. Now, she listens to the phonograph regularly and recites Tang and Song dynasty poems, hoping her child can learn as much as possible in the womb. Lou Xiao'e has always believed Yang Wei's words without question, except for this prenatal education, which she has her doubts about. According to the medical books she's read, the baby isn't a fetus at all; it's at most a newly implanted embryo with some pregnancy symptoms. But since Yang Wei is so adamant about this, she doesn't dare completely deny what's in the books, after all, in her mind, her husband is an omniscient god.

With his wife settled, Yang Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Taking advantage of this lull, he quickly prepared some good food to replenish his protein. As the saying goes, there are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not fields that are overworked. Right now, no matter how the field is, the ox really needs a rest. Otherwise, he might end up like Ximen Qing, dying on the spot.

Days passed, and the weather grew colder day by day. In the hutongs of Beijing, every household had their stoves burning brightly. As for Grandpa Guan, Yang Wei had already prepared plenty of honeycomb briquettes, repeatedly reminding Xue Hongmei not to skimp on them and not to let the old man get cold.

The Lou family elders would visit every few days to check on their daughter's health. Each time they came, they would bring bags and bags of things like old hens, free-range eggs, fish, and meat, as if afraid Yang Wei would be stingy and not buy anything, or that he didn't have the money. After all, in their eyes, their son-in-law was just a worker with a fixed salary, earning less than a hundred yuan a month, which wasn't even enough for the Lou family's pocket money. Yang Wei didn't argue; he just happily accepted whatever his father-in-law gave him. Being too polite would only create distance, so this was good—frequent visits, no need to be together every day, allowing them to talk and avoid any misunderstandings. Each time the elders came, they would stay for most of the day, only returning to the villa in their big-backed jeep after enjoying lunch and dinner. At first, the neighbors in the courtyard found it novel, but now they were used to it. Whenever the car horn sounded, everyone knew: "Oh, Yang Wei's father-in-law is here again to deliver supplies." Several young men in the courtyard, around Yang Wei's age, were extremely envious, secretly vowing to find a father-in-law as strong as him. But after searching all over Beijing, where could they find another Lou family? It was all just wishful thinking on their part.

January arrived in the blink of an eye, and universities were on winter break, but Ran Qiuye was still nowhere to be seen. Yang Wei's letters had vanished without a trace, not even a reply, let alone a phone call. They had only spoken twice in total, back when she had just arrived at Shandong University of Technology, and was terribly homesick, so she managed to call Yang Wei twice when she had a spare moment. After that, they maintained a monthly correspondence, but now almost two months had passed, and he hadn't returned, nor had he sent a single letter.

Yang Wei couldn't help but wonder, "That brat, could she really have run off to Hong Kong?" He knew perfectly well that since 57, people had been secretly swimming across the river, never to return. "Could she have been tricked? Silly girl, don't be foolish. If she really went, who knows when I'll find you again!"

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. What kind of research project could a freshman possibly conduct in Guangzhou with his professor? That place was right next to Hong Kong; on one side was the poverty of Guangzhou, and on the other, the dazzling, bustling world of Hong Kong. People naturally gravitate towards better things; who wouldn't yearn for a better life? Back then, a day's odd job in Guangzhou earned seventy cents, while the same work in Hong Kong would earn seventy Hong Kong dollars. In the 1960s, one hundred Hong Kong dollars could be exchanged for one hundred and twenty yuan—a difference of over a hundred times. No wonder the exodus to Hong Kong was so rampant. In their minds, the mainland was a poor, remote wasteland, while Hong Kong was a paradise of gold. Add to that the relaxed policies there, and those who went could easily obtain residency by bringing their families, finding relatives, and paying a little money. They'd then fence off a plot of land, build a dilapidated wooden shack, and slowly, slums would form. From the 1960s to the 1980s, nearly half a million people fled there; ultimately, it all boiled down to one word: poverty.

Could escaping really lead to wealth? Yang Wei could only sneer. Just look at the state of the slums over there and you'll understand; without strength and luck, going there would only mean working like a slave for others.

"Silly girl, if you listen to me, just finish your university studies. When I go to Hong Kong later, I'll find a way to bring you over, and then you'll have a bright future ahead of you."

Yang Wei sighed and sat in the steel mill's canteen, staring blankly at the workers outside. Since Lou Xiao'e became pregnant, his mind had been completely focused on her, and he only thought of Ran Qiuye when he had a moment of free time. It wasn't that he didn't care, but the girl had been gone for so long, and without seeing her, he inevitably started to neglect her. If they were still meeting every day at the library and him walking her home at night like before, he would never have left her hanging. Now, the thought of her being in Guangzhou, so close to Hong Kong, made his heart pound with anxiety.

He stood there for a long while, until the workers finished their work, before he could calm down and get up to prepare for dinner.

After lunch, Yang Wei wrote another letter in the afternoon.

I took advantage of my free time to go out and mail the letter.

In any case, it's always good to urge her. The letter first expressed his longing for her, and then repeatedly warned her—never go to Hong Kong with any of the people there, as it's very dangerous.

The prosperity is merely a facade; university students must learn to see beyond the surface. The true nature of Hong Kong's prosperity lies in the exploitation of ordinary people.

In short, they used all sorts of dangerous tactics to scare Ran Qiuye.

Just as Yang Wei was sending the letter.

January in Guangzhou is the coldest month of the year, with average temperatures ranging from 6 to 19 degrees Celsius. It has a maritime subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by warm, rainy weather, abundant sunshine, long summers, and a short frost period. Coupled with its unique geographical location, it became an important node on the Maritime Silk Road.

However, at that moment, in a dark corner of a city below, several men and women were squatting.

One of the young women, exuding intellectual beauty, pleaded in a low voice to a square-faced, bespectacled man with a sinister gaze beside her:

"Teacher, I beg you, please let me go back."

"I promise I won't tell anyone where you are. I have family waiting for me to go back home; I can't go there with you."

Before the man could speak, another girl beside her resolutely refused: "No, we absolutely cannot let you go back!"

"Otherwise, our whereabouts will be exposed, and escaping will be incredibly difficult. We might even be caught and sentenced!"

The other men and women echoed this sentiment:

"That's right. The original goal was to go to Hong Kong, and we were just one step away from that goal. No one can leave."

"Ran Qiuye, stop talking. If you raise your voice and attract attention, we'll all be finished."

"Alright, everyone, keep your voices down and listen to the teacher!"

The crowd quieted down and all looked at the middle-aged man in front of them.

That's right, these people were Ran Qiuye's classmates and teachers. Ostensibly, they came to the south for research, but in reality, they were planning to smuggle themselves into Hong Kong.

Everyone here knew the real purpose of this trip. Only Ran Qiuye was the exception; she had always believed that they were really here for research.

Now, Ran Qiuye can't leave even if she wants to.

Because if one person is exposed, everyone's whereabouts will be exposed.

Local authorities have been paying attention to this issue since 1957, and checkpoints have long been under control.

They lay in wait here, consuming the food they had brought sparingly, hoping to escape to Hong Kong by secretly using a net when it got dark.

There are only three ways to escape to the other side now—swimming, walking, or taking a boat.

When swimming, people usually carry car tires, life rings, foam floats, or other flotation devices. Some even inflate condoms and hang them around their necks to swim across. In Guangzhou, smuggling oneself to Hong Kong by water is called "duzu," a term borrowed from chess, implying "no return." People often spontaneously practice swimming in the Pearl River so they can use it in the future. Many children are instilled with the idea from a young age that "stay healthy so you can go to Hong Kong someday."

If they were to walk, the usual route was the central one, which involved climbing over barbed wire fences in the Wutong Mountain and Shatoujiao area of ​​Shenzhen to reach Hong Kong, a method jokingly called "climbing the net." These fences were very difficult to climb over, and later, advanced sensors were installed on the barbed wire. Touching the fence would immediately reveal the person, and the combination of searchlights, sentries, and police dogs was deadly. To avoid the dogs, these people came up with a solution—bribing zookeepers to find tiger feces and scattering it as they walked. The police dogs, smelling the feces, would think there was a tiger and dare not pursue them. Some even hollowed out watermelons and put the rinds over their heads, leaving only their eyes exposed, to avoid being seen by the border guards.

As for traveling by boat, it's usually done by groups, mostly for business trips or assignments, so escape incidents are the least common. Compared to the other two methods, this is the least popular. Because if even one person escapes, it implicates their entire organization and company, resulting in very severe penalties.

At this moment, Ran Qiuye and her group were near Wutong Mountain in Pengcheng. They were about to cross this area to reach the other side.

Taking advantage of the lull in darkness when the guards change shifts and go home, it's inevitable that some loopholes will appear. After all, they are human, not machines, and cannot be on duty 24/7. Moreover, some people use the guise of guard duty to sneak away. This kind of thing is not uncommon at this time.

"Qiuye, I know you have a boyfriend and I'm worried about your parents. But now that you've come all this way, for everyone's safety, you have no choice but to come to Hong Kong with us."

The middle-aged man paused, glanced around at the people, and continued, "And you all, don't worry. I have friends over there who can help you get your identification documents. With my friend's help, we'll definitely be able to earn more money and enjoy a better life. If you even want to continue your studies, I can recommend you to study at Hong Kong University."

"There, you don't need ration coupons to buy food; as long as you have money, you can buy whatever you want."

"So, as long as you come with me, I guarantee that every one of you will return home in glory!"

Upon hearing these words, only Ran Qiuye among the crowd looked unwilling, wanting to leave and not wanting to go to Hong Kong with them.

Everyone else was fired up by the story, as if arriving in Hong Kong would instantly grant them immense wealth and a life of luxury. They imagined endless money, inexhaustible food, countless clothes, and a magnificent mansion.

But is that really the case?

If you look closely, you can see a ruthless glint in the depths of that teacher's eyes.

There is never a shortage of bad people in this world, only a lack of eyes to spot them.

"Alright everyone, listen up, from now on, no talking. We'll move out when it gets dark!"

Ignoring Ran Qiuye's objections, the middle-aged man issued the order directly.

She then gestured to the two male classmates beside her, and the two unconsciously moved closer to Ran Qiuye.

Ran Qiuye knew at this point that no matter how much she argued, it would be pointless. She could only follow them and see how things went.

I couldn't help but recall what Yang Wei said in his last letter—

Never go to Hong Kong.

However, whether she goes back or not is no longer up to her!

With a sigh, I felt utterly helpless.