Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

But as soon as he stepped across the threshold, his leg trembled and bumped into the door frame, making a soft "bang" that startled the person on the bed, who suddenly opened his eyes.

Jia Dongxu woke up with a start, reached out and found nothing beside him, and looked up to see a dark shadow standing at the door.

He frowned, his voice hoarse and irritated: "What are you wandering around for in the middle of the night? Where have you been?"

"My stomach is acting up, and I've been on the toilet for a while... Go to sleep."

"Go easy on me next time! I'm exhausted after a long day, like a donkey pulling a millstone, my bones are aching!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned over and started snoring. He did real heavy physical labor—shoveling out latrines, loading trucks, pushing trucks, and unloading latrines. He would make at least dozens of trips a day, sometimes hundreds, which was even more grueling than being a fitter.

She was so tired that she didn't even have the energy to go to the alley entrance to buy an ice pop. This morning, Qin Huairu had just gotten close enough to be affectionate when he gruffly stopped her and pushed her away with a stern face.

Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her chest: before, she had been the one to avoid him, afraid that her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, would stare at her and scold her as a "vixen who sucks men's yang energy"; now that her mother-in-law was gone, she longed for a moment of tenderness, but he wouldn't even let her touch him.

She lay back on the bed, tossing and turning in her mind. Just now, she had heard low, muffled breathing from the next room in the yard, like honey mixed with fire—as a woman herself, how could she not understand? Even Jia Dongxu's longest time was not a tenth as long as the one next door.

She sighed, embracing this lingering resentment and melancholy, and closed her eyes to sleep.

The next day was the same, except Lou Xiao'e didn't stay in bed. She had to go to class, so she woke up as soon as it was light.

She didn't need to lift a finger; He Yuzhu had already prepared breakfast efficiently.

As the two rinsed their mouths at the sink, Qin Huairu approached with an enamel mug, smiling warmly, "Xiao'e, did you sleep well last night? Are you used to living in this tenement?"

Lou Xiao'e was taken aback at first, then her ears burned. She turned her head away and said in a voice as soft as a feather, "I'm fine... I'm sleeping even more soundly than before."

Qin Huairu chuckled inwardly: "You were breathing so heavily yesterday, who couldn't tell? But you're newlyweds, let's see how long your sweetness lasts."

Lou Xiao'e didn't respond; after rinsing her mouth, she turned and went back into her room.

Today she didn't indulge in pleasure like the day before, and she kept a perfect balance—she slept well, woke up refreshed, and even took a sip of medicinal wine after washing up. She felt invigorated all day, and her steps were light and brisk.

After breakfast, Lou Xiao'e hopped on her bicycle and took He Yushui to school. The two of them carried their lunchboxes, which they would then hand over to the school cafeteria to heat up at noon—convenient and warm.

Now, Lou Xiao'e has gained a touch of gentle maturity in her eyes and brows. She is still young, but no longer frail. Two nights of tenderness have quietly seeped into her bones, giving her a more resilient strength in every gesture.

After dropping He Yushui off at class, several female classmates who often visited her immediately surrounded her, asking in hushed, low voices, "Xiao'e, what's it like being married?"

She smiled and responded with a few words about the happy occasion and fun things, but didn't mention anything about the private matters in the room; she casually took out some wedding candy and handed it out to everyone, and when a few male classmates took it, their faces clearly said, "I don't care if it's free."

Meanwhile, as soon as Lou Xiao'e left, He Yuzhu slowly rode his bicycle to the factory.

He takes his time, never rushing. A few cents deducted from his pay for being late? He earns over a hundred a month, he really doesn't care.

I entered the factory gate right on time, tidied myself up, and went straight to the factory leaders' meeting room.

Although it was decided yesterday that Li Huaide would lead the electric kettle project, the appointment wasn't finalized yet. Today is the day to make the final decision—who will take the lead, who will manage it, and who will carry it out. Once that's decided, we'll get started.

He Yuzhu didn't interfere in personnel arrangements, but he was assigned a task: to provide full guidance for the mass production of electric kettles.

After all, he drew the blueprints and figured out the principles. Right now, the technical department is short-staffed, and they can't even schedule calculations for the new machine tools, so they have to push him out to supervise the site.

Now, the only workers in the factory who can read blueprints are at least level five. He has to redraw several sets of simplified blueprints and then teach the workers how to do it step by step.

The meeting dragged on for over an hour before the attendees were finally finalized.

Although it wasn't a newly built workshop, more than a hundred skilled workers of level one or above were transferred from various work groups to barely make up ten work teams—it wasn't as good as a proper workshop, but it was enough.

When Li Huaide left the meeting, his cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes were shining: the hot water heater was clearly a standout product, and it was also his first battle as the deputy factory director to get involved in front-line production.

In return for the favor, he immediately proposed to commend He Yuzhu.

In terms of titles, He Yuzhu was already a national advanced worker representative, and to go any further, he would have to be on the list of workers' committee members—but the steel rolling mill couldn't provide that status. So they switched to issuing coupons in kind: one watch coupon, five catties of meat coupon, two catties of sugar coupon, fifty catties of grain coupon, plus tobacco and alcohol coupons.

The moment the loudspeaker blared, the entire factory erupted in commotion. Many people listened, swallowing hard.

Li Huaide, however, was not afraid at all of anyone reporting that the reward was "too generous"—how much could He Yuzhu's invention earn for the factory in a year? This reward was really not enough.

The news spread in the afternoon that the new team leader had led his team into the new workshop, and He Yuzhu arrived just in time.

Although the team leader had overall control, the workers still subconsciously followed his lead whenever He Yuzhu stood there.

The electric kettle is very easy to make; any ordinary fitter can learn it with a little practice. So He Yuzhu simply broke the blueprints into more than a dozen repetitive steps and distributed them. He then had several experienced craftsmen draw lines, adjust molds, and calibrate on-site, explaining as they worked.

He personally oversaw the final assembly, guiding the workers through the process three times before they truly grasped the ins and outs.

They immediately started production. In the following days, He Yuzhu only needed to come every other day to check the quality of the finished products, listen to the rhythm of the machines, and count the daily output to have a clear understanding of the situation.

A canteen manager getting involved in a factory assembly line?

Outsiders shook their heads at the idea, but the factory's veteran workers all nodded in agreement—this would be absurd for anyone else, but it made perfect sense for He Yuzhu. He had figured out the entire process himself, nail by nail, rivet by rivet; if he didn't do it, who would?

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, He Yuzhu didn't go back to the courtyard house; instead, he rode his bicycle straight to Li Wangcai's house.

These days, people are exchanging ginseng for antiques and calligraphy, and the items they're trading are getting increasingly exquisite. They're even starting to trade large blue-and-white porcelain jars and sandalwood brush holders. Carrying two of these items out in public would be too conspicuous. The old hidden stake at the entrance of the alley is no longer useful, so it has to be moved to Li Wangcai's house.

Li Wangcai knew that He Yuzhu hated too many people talking, so before each transaction, he would send his brothers far away and sit alone in the main room, tea already prepared, just waiting for his junior brother to push the door open and come in.

As soon as He Yuzhu sat down, Li Wangcai opened the blue cloth bag and placed the items on the table one by one: "Junior brother, these are the goods I've acquired in the last half month—look at this one, a Song Dynasty official kiln celadon cup. I specially asked Old Zhang from Liulichang to examine it, and he said it's a genuine 'sky blue after rain' piece..."

Song Dynasty official kiln celadon glaze?

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat. If it were truly an original piece from the official kiln, not even a hundred-year-old ginseng could be exchanged for it. But the moment his fingertips touched the glaze, he felt a stiffness within the smoothness, the luster floating on the surface without settling; upon closer inspection of the turning points of the intertwined vine pattern, the lines were slightly hesitant, as if they were drawn on stiffly, the whole piece exuding a sense of "false crispness".

Undoubtedly a fake.

He lowered his brow slightly but didn't make a sound. He casually picked up the other items: a Xuande bronze incense burner and two late Ming dynasty small-script handscrolls. All three were genuine, except for the cup, which was a replica.

He felt a slight sense of relief—it seemed Li Wangcai hadn't run into a seasoned swindler yet, but had just been fooled by a half-baked one. He Yuzhu had long ago instructed him to only deal with people in the neighborhood who had lived together for three generations and whose ancestral graves were all in the suburbs, for the sake of stability.

"The items are good, but this one is a bit off; the other three are reliable."

He gently pushed the celadon cup to the corner of the table, then turned around and wrapped the genuine items one by one into oil paper packages.

Li Wangcai froze, his face instantly turning a deep purplish-red: "So! Those two bastards actually dared to conspire to swindle me? Don't worry, junior brother, they're both locals. Their ancestral home is still outside Xizhimen. They can't hide!"

"Locals? They're actually easier to fool... Oh, you're right. You've had it examined by experts, and this forgery is so realistic that even ordinary collectors would have a hard time distinguishing the real from the fake if they got close."

He Yuzhu picked up the porcelain cup again and turned it around under the lamp—if it weren't for the treasure-appraisal intuition given by the system, even the old craftsmen in Liulichang would probably stumble upon it with their naked eyes.

Li Wangcai slapped his thigh anxiously, "Junior brother, believe me, I will definitely get the ginseng back! If I don't, that kid won't be able to make a living in the city!"

He Yuzhu said calmly, "It would be best if we could get them back, but given your special status, we shouldn't make too much of a fuss."

It's not about making him swallow his anger, but about preventing the other party from setting a trap and waiting for him to come knocking in a fit of rage—if things really escalate, he'll be the one who suffers.

Li Wangcai sneered: "His class background is even tougher than mine; he's the youngest of the 'Five Black Categories.' Whoever makes a fuss first will be the first to suffer."

Having worked in this industry for so long, this is the first time I've stumbled. If this matter isn't handled properly, and the ginseng supply is cut off, I won't even be able to keep my job.

"what ever."

He Yuzhu had already said it seven or eight times; if he still jumped into the pit, He Yuzhu would not reach out to pull him back.

Before leaving, He Yuzhu left two catties of top-quality ginseng, then mounted his bicycle and headed straight for the second courtyard house.

Chen's mother often went to that courtyard, so he couldn't show himself and could only wait for Chen Xueru here. Fortunately, the location was secluded and the alley was deep, so she came quietly without anyone noticing.

He started a fire early to wash the rice, and the pots and pans on the stove clattered. Just as the last dish of braised crab meat lion's head meatballs was taken out of the pot, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Chen Xueru pushed it open and locked the door behind her.

The aroma wafted through the air as she entered, and a smile curved her lips, her eyes sparkling. "You arrived early? Knowing I'm pregnant, you even came all the way to cook..."

"Huaiyang style, lighter and more refreshing, good for the appetite and health." He Yuzhu smiled as he served the dishes. "I remembered the braised duck you brought back from Suzhou last time—this time the lion's head meatballs are made with lamb belly to remove all the gamey smell, and the fish soup enhances the flavor. Would you like to try some?"

With a flick of the chopsticks, the soft, chewy meatball slides into your mouth, its fresh and savory flavor bursting onto your tongue.

"It smells so good." She nodded sincerely, then suddenly remembered something and lowered her voice: "Elena's medicinal wine is sold out. They need two thousand catties this time. Bai Xiong's side is scrambling for it. They say that after drinking it, they sweat all over and feel warm in their bones."