Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Two thousand catties? That's a considerable amount, but we can manage to spare some." He Yuzhu wiped his hands. "I've prepared the wine. You can ask her to come here and talk."

He had already planned it all out—to save up some money for his children, and incidentally, to test the waters of this liquor in the extreme cold. Just the fact that "a sip warms your hands and feet" was enough to make the polar bear people fight tooth and nail for it.

"Then I'll go to the Erguotou factory and check their inventory..."

"No need to run around." He shook his head. "I have several hundred jars stored here, enough for you to sell for half a year. You're feeling heavy now, don't wander around the city."

Chen Xueru gently stroked her lower abdomen: "It's only been a little over a month, how can you be so delicate?"

He Yuzhu took off his apron and hung it up, his tone leaving no room for discussion: "The suburbs are unsafe. If you trip and fall or get hurt, it will be too late to regret it."

He sold two thousand catties of medicinal wine to Elena, earning a little over forty thousand yuan, but He Yuzhu didn't care about that amount of money anymore. Once Chen Xueru and the child were safely out, he had already made plans—he needed to replenish their bodies properly.

After dinner, the two took a walk for a while, and then He Yuzhu went back to his room to rest.

Chen Xueru nestled against his chest, rambling on about the things weighing on her mind lately.

Right now, the Great Leap Forward is in full swing, and neighborhood committees are going door-to-door to mobilize businesses to donate all their iron tools, such as iron pots, shovels, old scissors, and door knockers, to support national construction.

Chen Xueru was putting all her effort into winning the top spot in the subdistrict office.

There are many shops on Zhengyangmen Street, but the only one who can really challenge her is Xu Huizhen from the tavern.

"She's definitely going to lose to me this time; I'm the undisputed winner."

Chen Xueru spoke with absolute certainty. He Yuzhu smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll ask around for you—I have a few old acquaintances at the scrap yard, and I'll find out which area they buy the most and are less strict about inspections."

"That's great! Now she can't even get close."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru's eyebrows immediately rose, and she casually hooked her arm around He Yuzhu's neck, leaning closer with a smile: "She only got a marriage certificate, right? In everything else, she's behind me. From now on, my chances of beating her will only increase..."

He Yuzhu shook his head and laughed: "You two are like a pair of sworn enemies, always talking tough but secretly wanting to outdo each other."

"Friends? I'm not going to be friends with her. I'll probably have to fight her to the death for the rest of my life, unless she bows down and admits defeat one day and says to herself, 'I'm not as good as you.'"

After Chen Xueru finished speaking, she gently shook her head.

Recently, one thing after another has happened, some heartwarming, some devastating; with He Yuzhu always by her side, she has long since completely extricated herself from the turmoil surrounding Hou Kui. Occasionally, when she thinks of him, she only silently hopes that he is still alive and will return someday.

But she also knew in her heart that this thought was as light as dust in the wind, impossible to grasp or hold onto. So she slowly calmed her mind and poured all her energy into the little life inside her.

As night deepened, the two turned off the lights and lay down.

For the first three months, he was forbidden from sleeping with her; but tonight, Chen Xueru saw that he was full of energy and knew that his energy was like boiling water. If she didn't find a way to release it, she was afraid she would toss and turn and have trouble sleeping.

She then moved closer, mimicking Lou Xiao'e's gesture, her fingertips warm, her lips burning, relieving his worries. He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then his brows relaxed, and his heart warmed.

On the day they saw Lou's mother off, He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e both took half a day off and accompanied her all the way to the train station.

Before leaving, Lou's mother held their hands tightly, somewhat reluctant to part: "Yuzhu, Xiao'e, you should go back now. If you encounter any difficulties on the road, listen to Yuzhu; if you're really unsure, you can write back."

"Yes, Mom, don't worry. You and Dad, please take good care of yourselves over there..."

Lou Xiao'e's eyes reddened. Before she could finish speaking, she pushed He Yuzhu away, pulled her mother to a corner, and whispered to her for a long time.

On the other side, Zhang Tianyang nodded solemnly to He Yuzhu: "Director He, please rest assured. We will definitely deliver Ms. Lou to Mr. Lou unharmed, and we will also arrange for people to keep a close eye on her."

The Zhenghe Group, which Lou's father and He Yuzhu co-founded, is gaining increasing importance in the eyes of those above.

He Yuzhu nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble Director Zhang."

After Lou's mother left, Lou Xiao'e became somewhat listless. Seeing this, He Yuzhu simply took her on a fun-filled tour of the city—climbing the corner tower of the Forbidden City, watching a newly released film, and finally heading straight to Donglaishun for a hot pot of mutton.

However, He Yuzhu discovered that Lou Xiao'e was quite adept at handling spicy food. He thought to himself: I should treat her to an authentic Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot meal sometime. She's gotten tired of eating Donglaishun hot pot all the time, no matter how fragrant it is; besides, for him, the flavor is just for the sake of having some fun.

Lou Xiao'e, after finishing her meal, also began to appreciate the flavor—her palate had long been spoiled by He Yuzhu's culinary skills. There were only a handful of well-known restaurants in Beijing, but in terms of taste, none could surpass the wok hei (wok aroma) of his cooking.

Back home, He Yushui was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), sulking and glaring at He Yuzhu. Just from the smell of mutton, she knew—her brother and sister-in-law had abandoned her again and gone to cook hot pot by themselves!

Just as she opened her mouth to shout, Lou Xiao'e handed her an enamel lunchbox with a smile: inside were slices of mutton as thin as cicada wings, fresh green vegetables, and freshly made sesame sauce, still steaming hot.

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

He Yushui immediately put on a smiling face, reached out to take it, took a couple of bites, and then buried her head in it and chewed it vigorously.

During the meal, she pestered Lou Xiao'e with questions, but upon hearing that Lou's mother had passed away, her heart softened, and she immediately grabbed her sister-in-law's hand: "Let's go out and have fun again on Saturday and Sunday!"

The He family didn't have many burdens—they had no worries about food and clothing, no shortage of firewood and rice, and no financial worries. Apart from excelling in her studies, He Yushui had no other obstacles to overcome, so she naturally lived a carefree life.

Even when it came to the task of delivering railway tracks assigned by the school, she would casually mention it at home, and He Yuzhu would simply nod as if he had accepted it, without her even having to frown.

She doesn't need to fight tooth and nail to be number one or become an advanced model worker; being above average is enough.

While the He family's house was filled with laughter, the Xu family's backyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Fugui returned this time as well, and together with his mother, they sat down to discuss Xu Damao's marriage in detail.

"Tell me, what are your plans? Your mother asked a matchmaker to find a girl who's your age, pretty, and has a city residency permit, but she hasn't been assigned a job yet..."

Xu Fugui took a puff of his cigarette, and through the swirling smoke, continued, "Even though you don't have a job, your salary is stable, and you have a strong household registration. You can easily support your family."

Xu Damao was filled with a stubborn resentment. He knew that Chen Xueru's situation was hopeless; but he was unwilling to marry an ordinary girl—he had to earn work points by showing movies in the countryside and support the whole family, and he couldn't even rely on his wife's family.

It's not that he's arrogant; it's just that his standards have risen over the years. Besides, his arch-rival, Sha Zhu, has married a rich heiress. When they got married, the Lou family gave the He family a whole new set of furniture and even gave Lou Xiao'e a gleaming Flying Pigeon bicycle.

If Xu Damao were to marry an ordinary girl, wouldn't he be clearly losing to Sha Zhu? But right now, he doesn't even dare to knock on Chen Xueru's door—his reputation as a toilet cleaner is utterly ruined. Last time he went to Xueru's silk shop, she almost pulled out her whistle and called the police.

Xu Damao pondered for a while, then slapped his thigh and said, "Dad, I don't want to marry someone worse than Sha Zhu's wife..."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Xu Fugui's temper flared up instantly, his face flushed red, and he pointed at her nose, yelling, "Not better than Sha Zhu's wife? Do you think there are Lou families everywhere in Beijing? One meeting is enough! You won't see her? Fine, from now on you can live on your own, your mother and I will wash our hands of her! When they have their baby's one-month celebration, don't be sitting by the wall watching the show!"

"Oh dear, see you! See you! I'll see you right away!"

Upon hearing the words "holding a baby," Xu Damao's heart tightened—Sha Zhu was really going to get ahead this time! He had already fallen far behind, and he absolutely couldn't delay having a baby any longer.

"Okay, then you get ready, and your mother can bring the girl over to meet you later!"

Xu Fugui finished speaking and turned to leave. It was getting dark, and he and his mother should go home.

"Dad, wait a minute!"

Xu Damao stopped him, forcing a smile and rubbing his hands together, saying, "You see, I'm really short on cash, how about some pocket money?"

Xu Fugui's face immediately darkened: "Thirty-odd yuan a month, a bachelor like me, where can I possibly spend it? Where's the money?"

"Well..." Xu Damao scratched the back of his head, "I'll treat the workers to a meal! The head of the propaganda department is calling me 'brother' now. When we go to the countryside to show movies, even the cooperative chairman has to bring roast chicken and offer tea..."

Before he could finish speaking, he swallowed nervously—the real money-burning place was those few warm kang beds in the countryside. Two cents or a dollar a time, snuggling into the young widow's cozy quilt, comfortable and secure, without fear of being exposed. The alleyways of Beijing were winding and twisting; where could one find peace? He hadn't even dared to utter a word about Jia Dongxu.

"What a waste of money! Thirty-odd yuan isn't enough for you to squander?"

Enraged, Xu Fugui reached for his belt, but his mother grabbed his wrist, saying, "This is a courtyard house, and we've already separated the family. What kind of behavior is this, resorting to violence!"

Xu Fugui took a few deep breaths and finally stuffed the belt back in. He didn't give her a single penny; he only agreed to let his mother arrange the fruits, snacks, wine, and ingredients for the blind date—the money would pass through her hands and not be handed to Xu Damao's pocket, lest it drift away and end up under someone else's bed.

After seeing the two elders off, Xu Damao strolled back. As he passed Zhongyuan, he heard bright, cheerful laughter from the He family's house, like a string of firecrackers exploding in his ears. Two bicycles were parked at the door, one of which was brand new and gleaming, a women's bicycle with a silver bell—a dowry item from the Lou family.

He spat and cursed inwardly: Bah! When Maoye has a baby, he has to beat Shazhu!

With a determined heart, she quickened her pace and hummed a little tune as she went back into the house.

He Yuzhu's life was quite stable. Every day, he did three things without fail: check the canteen stoves, keep an eye on the greenhouses, and spend time in the immersion heater workshop. After finishing these tasks, he would practice some new skills and take care of that vibrant accelerator space.

The electric kettles had just finished production when they were confiscated by higher authorities and sent directly to the supply and marketing cooperative for unified distribution. The news spread like wildfire throughout the steel rolling mill that very day. He Yuzhu rushed over with his industrial coupons and money, intending to buy another one for rainwater use—although the factory had issued one, he wanted to have a backup at home. But before he even reached the window, all one hundred were gone.