Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Director Wang hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided not to push things too far: "Alright, I'll send two people to accompany you back. But remember, don't miss the train. Leave immediately when the time comes."

After saying that, he selected a militiaman and an clerk to accompany her. The two men stood on either side of her, ostensibly to accompany her, but in reality to keep an eye on her and prevent any unforeseen trouble.

Today happens to be Sunday. When Jia Zhangshi returned to the courtyard, almost everyone in the courtyard was there, except for a few who had gone out to run errands.

"Hey? Who's here? What brings them here... Oh? Jia Zhangshi? You're back?"

The three women recognized her at a glance, and their voices immediately rose eight octaves, instantly alerting the neighbors in the front yard. Everyone craned their necks to see, and after recognizing Jia Zhangshi's appearance, they couldn't help but sigh.

The Jia family's Zhangshi was once known for her plump appearance in the courtyard. In times of famine, it was rare to find someone who could grow so fat; Qin Huairu's "wealthy physique" played a significant role in her decision to marry into the Jia family—it was clear that her family had plenty of food.

But now? Where is there even a trace of his former prosperity? He's as thin as a bamboo pole, his cheeks are sunken, his eyes are dark, and he looks like he could be blown away by the wind.

"Mrs. Jia, please wait a moment. Your son and daughter-in-law are inside. I'll go and call them over!"

Before Jia Zhangshi could stop her, Third Aunt Yang Ruihua dashed to the backyard in a flash, her movements so fast it was as if she was afraid of missing a good show.

Jia Zhangshi was furious and cursed under her breath: "That Yang Ruihua is just deliberately trying to make me look bad! Even after I come back from the labor camp, she'll still make sure the whole courtyard knows. She's really vicious!"

She gritted her teeth and quickened her pace toward the central garden, but after such a long journey, her legs were already weak. She had only gone halfway when she heard Yang Ruihua's shrill voice booming through the courtyard:

"Jia Dongxu! Jia Dongxu! Your mother, Jia Zhangshi, is back from the labor camp today!"

These words were like needles, piercing Jia Zhangshi's ears. She was instantly consumed by rage and roared, "You heartless wretch! Do you want to see our Jia family humiliated? Even Yan Laokou isn't as despicable as you! What kind of skill is it to bully orphans and widows!"

The cursing had barely finished when a commotion erupted in the courtyard. The third auntie's face turned purple with rage, and she was about to retort—

At this moment, a clerk from the neighborhood committee entered the courtyard. Upon hearing the commotion, his face immediately darkened, and he stepped forward, shouting sternly, "Zhang Xiaohua! What are you yelling about? Did we bring you back to cause trouble? Believe me, I'll send you back to the farm right now to renew your contract!"

Upon hearing the word "farm," Jia Zhangshi immediately wilted. People who have been through labor reform have an instinctive fear of people in uniforms speaking to them, and their legs involuntarily went weak.

"I didn't start it! She deliberately made a fuss..."

She still wanted to argue.

"Is it wrong for them to let you know? Shut up! Hurry up and pack your things, don't miss your train. If you keep nagging, you'll be walking home by yourself tonight!"

These words were meant to scare her, but Jia Zhangshi actually believed them and turned to rush into the house in fright.

Just then, Jia Dongxu was woken up by Qin Huairu. Still half asleep, he walked out the door and immediately saw his emaciated mother. Tears streamed down his face: "Mom...you're back?"

"Oh my son... Mom's back!"

Jia Zhangshi cried and tried to rush over to hug him, but as soon as she took a step, a strong smell of cow dung hit her face, and Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu instinctively took a step back.

This retreat felt like a knife stabbing into Jia Zhangshi's heart. She froze, her face ashen. Did she want to scold her son? She couldn't. But turning her head to look at Qin Huairu, hatred instantly surged into her heart—

That woman! She didn't visit me once while I was in jail, and she never brought me a hot meal. She'd be happy if I just died on the farm!

She narrowed her triangular eyes, about to erupt—but a glance at the clerk behind her made her swallow her words.

Qin Huairu also noticed the coldness in her mother-in-law's eyes and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Mom, come inside, I'll make you something warm..."

"Alright, stop with the food. Pack some dry rations and luggage for Zhang Xiaohua. Hurry up, we still need to take her to the station—we have to leave today."

As soon as the person from the neighborhood committee spoke, the courtyard quieted down a bit. Everyone had different expressions; some chuckled to themselves, some breathed a sigh of relief, but no one showed any reluctance.

It's clear that Jia Zhangshi isn't doing very well in the courtyard. Before she even takes a step, people are already mentally setting off firecrackers to send away the plague god.

Jia Dongxu grew anxious and hurriedly asked, "Boss, can't we postpone her departure for another day? Let her at least get some rest."

"What are you waiting for? The tickets are already bought, how can you change the time?" The person from the neighborhood committee said firmly. "Hurry up and get ready. I'll be waiting outside. Leave on time, don't dawdle!"

Helpless, Jia Dongxu could only stiffly invite Jia Zhangshi into the house.

As soon as the door closed, Jia Zhangshi lowered her voice and launched into a tirade against Qin Huairu: "You slut! When I was stuck on the farm, you never once showed your face. Did you wish I'd died out there? Let me tell you, no way! As long as I'm breathing, you'll never get back at me!"

Before she could finish speaking, two fingers pinched Qin Huairu's arm hard, making her cry out in pain. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly explained, "Mom, it's not that I don't want to go... it's just that they really won't let me visit. Even if I go, I won't see anyone..."

"Mom, Huairu has been there, but the gate is heavily guarded and they won't let her in."

Jia Dongxu rarely spoke up for his daughter-in-law. Jia Zhangshi was furious, but hearing that the street office staff were still waiting outside, she had to suppress her anger, turn around, grab Jia Dongxu's hand, and speak rapidly:

"Son, I have to leave this time, but you can't abandon me! Send me ten yuan every month, okay?"

"Ten yuan?!" Qin Huairu blurted out, "Mom, that's too much! How can one person use that much, and household expenses are so high..."

"Shut up! You jinx, are you hoping I'll die in the countryside?" Jia Zhangshi suddenly raised her voice, about to throw a tantrum and wail, but then remembered that there were people outside, so she quickly shut up and glared at Qin Huairu through gritted teeth.

"Dongxu, don't listen to her nonsense! You know our hometown, it's dirt poor, the houses are almost collapsing! If I didn't have some money to rely on, wouldn't that be forcing me to die?"

Qin Huairu wanted to argue, "But we really don't have any money at home... You've been spending a lot on drinking lately, and the monthly savings are barely enough..."

"Get out of the way! Who gave you the right to interrupt when we're talking?" Jia Zhangshi shouted sternly, pinching Qin Huairu hard again. Qin Huairu cried out in pain and could only retreat to a corner, clutching her arm.

Jia Dongxu was about to agree. A few days ago, an older woman asked someone to deliver a letter to his master, Yi Zhonghai. The letter was full of the same old rhetoric about "filial piety" and "parents are never wrong." This made him waver a little.

But Qin Huairu's words also hit the nail on the head—the biggest expense for the family recently was his own. If he had to send another ten yuan back to the countryside every month, they would immediately be struggling financially. Besides, the countryside didn't need that much money. They could grow their own food and buy enough non-staples.

He gritted his teeth and tentatively said, "Mom, how about this? I'll send you ten yuan for the first three months, and then five yuan once you're settled... We're really strapped for cash at home. Sha Zhu has been giving me a hard time at the cafeteria lately, so I have to bring my own lunch now, otherwise I'm not getting enough to eat..."

He thought this was already quite kind, but to his surprise, Madam Jia immediately turned hostile upon hearing it:

"Dongxu! I've raised you all these years, and now you just want to abandon me? What can five yuan do? Starve?"

"Mom, I'm having a tough time too," Jia Dongxu said with a bitter face. "Bringing lunch is another expense, and the work is heavier than before. What if something happens to me if I don't eat enough? You have to understand!"

He made it sound terrible, but it wasn't that exaggerated at all—it was just a matter of a few dollars less for lunch, and the family had actually become better off without Jia Zhangshi for the past month.

I saved six or seven yuan on food expenses, didn't have to pay three yuan for my retirement savings, and even bought one less box of painkillers.

With more oil and fat, the food tastes better, and we can eat meat twice a month.

Although he loved to drink, he only spent two yuan at a time, which was less than what Jia Zhangshi had spent.

What's even better is that the house is finally quiet—no one snores, I sleep soundly at night, and I even have fewer dreams.

"Mom, let's stop here. If I collapse, our family won't even have a pillar of support anymore, and we won't even be able to earn five yuan a month."

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi was still not giving up, Jia Dongxu's tone hardened. In his eyes, five yuan was not a small amount; a few months ago, he had received ten yuan. In the countryside, people could farm and be self-sufficient; wasn't that enough?

"You... Dongxu! Sigh... Never mind, then I'll go!"

Madam Jia felt a pang of sadness, her eyes reddening. But after waiting for a long time, Jia Dongxu remained motionless; even feigning helplessness was useless. She trembled with anger and turned to Qin Huairu, yelling, "Are you still standing there like a wooden statue? Hurry up and pack your bags!"

Qin Huairu wasn't annoyed by the scolding; instead, she felt relieved—at least Jia Dongxu hadn't given up. She quickly rummaged through Jia Zhangshi's clothes and bedding, neatly packing them up.

Just as she reached for the old pair of underwear, Jia Zhangshi suddenly lunged at her and shoved her away, her voice rising abruptly: "Don't touch that! I'll do it myself!"

After saying that, he didn't care that Jia Dongxu was there at all. He quickly stuffed his underwear into his arms and hugged it tightly as if protecting his life.

Qin Huairu's eyes flickered slightly, and she understood: it was probably a secret stash of money. She had searched every corner before but couldn't find it; who would have thought it was sewn into a tattered pair of underwear at the bottom of a trunk?

After packing the luggage, Qin Huairu prepared ten more cornbread buns. She originally thought four would be enough for the journey, but Jia Zhangshi grabbed the flour bag and poured them in, managing to make a total of ten.

He kept muttering, "Back in the days of labor reform on the farm, we couldn't even get half a meal!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu felt a pang of guilt, but ultimately did not stop him.

Only Aunt Yu, wiping away her tears, quietly slipped three steamed buns into Jia Zhangshi's hand and whispered, "Have something to eat on the way."