Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu still needed to buy some gift boxes, so he nodded to Chen Xueru, said goodbye, and left.

The Lou family lacks nothing, but this time they are going for an engagement, so the rules cannot be broken.

Traditional customs dictate the "four-color gift," which includes tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, pastries, and fruits—none of which can be omitted.

He Daqing prepared a complete set according to the old customs of Beijing, and resolutely refused to let his son pay for it—this was the father's contribution to support his son.

The next morning, Chen Xueru delivered the first set of clothes on time—He Daqing's.

The tailor worked through the night, the stitches were fine and dense, the material was top-quality silk, and it was ironed without a single wrinkle.

The White Widow's instructions were delivered early this morning, but she had already made arrangements to have them delivered directly to her door, ensuring there would be no delays.

When He Daqing put on his Zhongshan suit and stood in front of the mirror, his posture became much more upright, and his demeanor immediately changed.

Although his temples were already streaked with gray, he still managed to pull off a rather respectable look in this outfit.

The father and son set off on their bicycles, traveling through streets and alleys.

Strangely, He Daqing was even more nervous than He Yuzhu, his hands gripping the handlebars so tightly they were sweating profusely, and he could barely speak.

But when they arrived at the Lou family's door, Lou's parents came out to greet them with smiles on their faces, calling them "in-laws" repeatedly, offering them cigarettes and seats. After a few pleasantries, He Daqing felt relieved.

Especially when they kept praising He Yuzhu for being down-to-earth, reliable, and responsible, the old man immediately started talking, becoming more and more enthusiastic as if he were the main character today.

Originally, He Daqing and Lou Bancheng were old acquaintances. In the past, he would never have married his daughter to a cook's son.

But the world has changed, and people's hearts have changed too—He Yuzhu is too outstanding, far exceeding Lou Bancheng's expectations. How could he dare to hesitate any longer? He was afraid that if he was a step too late, this marriage would be snatched away by someone else.

Logically speaking, an engagement should be celebrated with several tables filled with relatives and friends to be considered respectable.

However, the Lou family was in a delicate situation, and He Daqing's social status had just been changed, so he was a little uneasy. The two families decided to have a meal behind closed doors, and the ceremony was settled in this way.

He Yuzhu personally cooked lunch.

The table was laden with dishes that looked and smelled delicious, served piping hot, making one's mouth water just by the aroma.

Everyone present knew this. This culinary skill was far superior to most veteran chefs in Beijing.

During the meal, Lou's father and He Daqing drank and finalized the details of the wedding.

Although he himself wouldn't last many more years, the dowry he prepared for his daughter Lou Xiao'e was a truly substantial sum—gold bars, real estate, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings, nothing was missing.

The implication was clear: the family business I build will all belong to you two.

He had already established a connection with Director Zhang of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and now he has obtained special approval from the state, becoming a businessman who can freely enter and leave Hong Kong Island.

The order is that all available resources should be given the green light.

As for He Yuzhu, whether or not he should go over to lend a hand depends entirely on whether Lou's father needs any more people.

You should know that Hong Kong Island is in a state of chaos right now, with gangs running rampant, and it's easy to dodge open attacks but hard to guard against hidden ones.

He Yuzhu didn't hide anything and secretly showed off his skills to Lou's father—he crushed the corner of the solid wood table into crumbs with a snap of his five fingers; he picked up a bluestone from the ground, pinched it between his two fingers, and split it in two on the spot.

With these skills, if anyone dares to have any ulterior motives, he can step in and "stand up" for them at any time.

However, the mainland side cannot act rashly.

If the Lou family's connection with the mainland is exposed, they will immediately be targeted by Dai Ying, just like the Huo family, and their business will be cut in half.

But there was also an opportunity—Lou's father planned to secretly pave a way for the mainland to ship Red Star Machine Tools to Southeast Asia.

The Westerners are currently the most ruthless in containing China. Southeast Asia is different; there are many Chinese there, and they have a high acceptance of Chinese products. Their light industry is relatively decent, but their heavy industry is so barren that not even grass grows there.

Perfect timing! Our Red Star machine tools are cheap, durable, and have stable precision. Once they enter the market, they will definitely be a game-changer.

After reaching an agreement, He Yuzhu took something out of his pocket and gently placed it in Lou Xiao'e's hand—it was an icy green jade pendant, its entire body lustrous, its green color like water, shimmering and sparkling under the light.

This was a gift from Manager Huang last time, and it was the most valuable item he owned.

Seeing this, Lou's father didn't hesitate and immediately decided to give He Yuzhu a house in the heart of Beijing. It was a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) in a secluded location, so that outsiders would never know it belonged to the Lou family.

The key was handed over on the spot, with the words: "This is your fallback plan from now on."

The host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely and had a very pleasant conversation.

In the afternoon, He Yuzhu accompanied He Daqing to say goodbye and leave the mansion, without staying for dinner—there were still two people waiting at home.

The year has passed just like that.

He Yushui was unusually happy.

Since He Daqing left, the family has rarely been able to reunite, and even the air feels warm.

Before leaving, He Daqing was still thinking: Should I come back for the New Year next year?

Anyway, the White Widow's two sons are both like little wolves, and the scolding she gave him to his face last time did bring him to his senses.

If it weren't for the White Widow's exceptional skills and endless tricks in bed, which had firmly held his heart, he would have dumped her and married someone else long ago.

After the New Year, He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard house twice.

Now he is almost completely cut off from the group of people in the courtyard.

Apart from Old Wang's family, who still visit frequently, as for the others? They don't even bother to give them a glance.

Actually, he wasn't cold-blooded.

If it were an ordinary neighbor, even someone like Yan Bugui who liked to take advantage of others, he would turn a blind eye.

But what these people did later was truly disgusting—they thought they could get special treatment just because they were three old men? On what grounds?

Selfish, ungrateful, and utterly insensitive.

These days, neighborly mutual assistance is valued because individual households have limited ability to withstand risks, and only by sticking together can they survive.

Should he join forces with this group? He Yuzhu would rather be alone.

He preferred to integrate into other groups—his brothers at the steel rolling mill, or the lineage of his master, Li Yuanguo.

That's where you can truly feel human warmth.

In the days following the New Year, he was busy visiting people everywhere, even making sure to visit his martial arts teacher.

He also went to Bai Danyu's house.

Strangely, Bai Danyu has rarely been home during this period.

Her father lived not far away, and she should have gone back home for a few days during the Lunar New Year, but she was unexpectedly at home when He Yuzhu came to visit.

When she saw him, she was clearly taken aback, then smiled and stepped aside to welcome him into the room.

He didn't linger, but cooked a meal himself. The mother and daughter ate quietly, and he ate in silence as well.

After clearing away the dishes and chopsticks, we chatted for a few minutes before I turned and left.

Throughout the entire Spring Festival holiday, he didn't cook once in the courtyard house, and he was rarely seen.

Of the entire courtyard, only Old Wang knew that he was spending the New Year with He Daqing.

But he kept his mouth shut and wouldn't utter a single word.

He Yuzhu did run into Bang Geng on the two times he came back.

The kid stood in the corner, his eyes dark and menacing, staring at him like a starving puppy, full of hatred.

And then there's Yi Zhonghai—when we met again, his chin was swollen and his face was ashen.

It's obvious they've been wronged; they know exactly who did it.

But what can we do?

He Yuzhu didn't even glance at him and walked straight past.

The wind whipped up the corner of his clothes, and his back was as cold as a knife.

Several days have passed since those two slaps, and even if Yi Zhonghai were to report the case now, he wouldn't be able to produce any evidence to prove that He Yuzhu was the one who did it.

A slap five days ago, and a tooth fell out five days later? Who would believe that! Maybe he just chewed on a cornbread too hard and knocked it out himself.

These days, who would take the blame for you?

When He Yuzhu saw Yi Zhonghai, he only gave him a cold glance, his eyes like a knife scraping across him. He didn't say anything, but it was more frightening than an insult.

He had already planned this out—taking advantage of the factory's initiative to support the development of the Northwest, he would force Yi Zhonghai to sign a "voluntary application," kick him to the far Northwest, and live a peaceful life for three to five years, out of sight and out of mind.

Before we knew it, the day to start work arrived.

On the first day of work, as usual, the whole factory held a general meeting.

The leaders took turns going on stage, each speaking animatedly, until finally the event came to an end.

Once the crowd had left, He Yuzhu didn't rest. He first went to the canteen to check the stove and ingredients, then went to the greenhouse to look at the seedlings. After confirming that everything was alright, he turned around and went straight to Li Huaide's office.

The door was pushed open, and Li Huaide was blowing on his teacup. When he saw him, he immediately grinned and said, "Zhuzi, you're here? I've already arranged everything for you. You don't need to ask to gather them; the list is all ready."

"Yi Zhonghai from Workshop 1, basic salary 84.5, overtime 6 yuan, total 90.5. Two signatures required. Please cooperate."

The accountant deftly counted out a few bills, handed over the payroll, and only the signature section of the other two sheets was visible; the rest of the sheets were not even shown.

Yi Zhonghai listened to the whispers behind him about his high salary and felt a sense of satisfaction. He took the money, smiled, and was about to write his name on the payslip when he habitually reached out to flip through the entire page for a closer look.

Just as his fingertips touched the corner of the paper, a voice suddenly came from the other side: "Master Yi, count the money in front of us. You can't go back on your word once you're out the door..."

"No need, I trust the factory."

He smiled it off, but his movements faltered—his doubts were easily dispelled by a single sentence, and he smoothly and neatly wrote his name on the signature sheet. He turned and walked away, his back view exuding ease.

He really didn't care? Of course not. He'd been keeping a close eye on his salary for the month: nine ten-yuan bills plus fifty cents in change. The finance department had counted them twice, but he hadn't even blinked. Why would he need to check again?

As soon as he left, the accountant smiled slightly, put the three signed documents into the drawer, and locked it securely. Then, she moved on to the next name.

This was the first paycheck since work resumed. Yi Zhonghai was still unsettled by the old deaf woman's words. After returning to work, he walked close to the wall and was even afraid that He Yuzhu would make things difficult for him if he shook his spoon while getting food at the canteen.

For a whole month, everything remained calm. Forget revenge, Sha Zhu didn't even give him a second glance. Jia Dongxu wasn't implicated either; on the contrary, he continued to go to work, collect tasks, and receive awards as usual.

The alarm was gradually lifted.