Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The factory is thriving as always this year. He Yuzhu has been away from his post for almost half a year, the canteen is as stable as a rock, the greenhouses are lush and green, and the purchasing department's accounts are clean and clear—not a single problem has arisen.

Deputy Factory Director Jiang Shouqin had originally planned to take control of the purchasing department and the greenhouses while he was away. He dared not touch the canteen—the director was in cahoots with He Yuzhu; as for the purchasing department, the people Li Huaide had placed there would rather obey He Yuzhu's orders than recognize a stranger; not to mention the greenhouses, from the foundation to the seedling cultivation, everything was built by He Yuzhu himself.

The technician sent by the Ministry of Agriculture was an old friend of He Yuzhu. The two often squatted in the shed discussing light, humidity, and the ratio of microbial strains—pure pragmatists. Deputy Factory Director Jiang extended an olive branch several times, but He Yuzhu didn't take the bait at all—if he understood it, he found it too common; if he didn't, he found it too troublesome.

As soon as He Yuzhu showed up, the heads of the three departments crowded into his office to report for duty, even preparing their reports. Jiang Shouqin was so angry that he paced around his office three times, squeezing his teacup so hard it cracked, but he didn't manage to throw it.

The Logistics Director's Office.

A major decision was finalized at today's meeting: before the end of the year, the entire factory will hold a lively banquet.

This year, the steel rolling mill has achieved outstanding results, surpassing the No. 1 steel rolling mill in both output and profit thanks to its energy-saving "fast-heating" equipment and new machine tools. When Director Yang and Secretary Wang went to a meeting at the Ministry of Industry, they stood up straight and even waved to the director of the neighboring factory.

Upon returning, a leadership meeting was held—this year, the Third Steel Rolling Mill must make this banquet a memorable and enjoyable event, ensuring everyone has a share and feels warm and cared for.

The batch of pork that He Yuzhu brought back was delivered directly to the steel rolling mill four days after it entered the city.

So on the day the furnace was shut down at the end of the year, the factory held a lively New Year's Eve party—in the morning, they competed in skills and enthusiasm; at noon, they ate together in the communal kitchen; in the afternoon, they showed a movie to refresh their minds; and in the evening, a gong sounded, and the holiday officially began.

The entire arrangement was flawless.

The factory leaders directly handed over the task of preparing the dinner to He Yuzhu. But serving only pork seemed a bit lacking, so he immediately called Zhou, the head of the purchasing department, to his office to discuss how to make the dishes more substantial.

"Old Zhou, do you think it possible to have one of our purchasing agents make a trip? To those cooperatives that are raising livestock well, or those trustworthy production teams. They're willing to pay or use any of the invoices..."

Section Chief Zhou rubbed his hands together, looking troubled: "Director He, it's not that I'm unwilling to send them out, but right now every village is holding onto their money to buy New Year's goods. If we offer cash or grain coupons, they might not be willing to agree."

"How about exchanging vegetables? The factory can spare more than 10,000 catties of green vegetables this year. Four catties can be exchanged for one catty of meat, or five catties will also work."

Section Chief Zhou's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded vigorously: "This approach works! Vegetables are precious in the countryside. Besides cabbage and radishes, where else can you find leafy greens? A pound of meat is delicious, but five pounds of spinach, rapeseed, and scallions piled in a basket are enough for a family to eat for several days—if we're frugal, we can have enough to last a week!"

Winter vegetables usually start at one cent, but on the black market they can go up to one and a half or one and a half cents. A pound of meat may be satisfying, but five pounds of fresh vegetables are substantial, filling, and keep well. Farmers know the difference.

He Yuzhu nodded: "As long as there's a chance. You can make a few more trips, and we won't have to worry about pork. The key is to have some chicken and eggs with the banquet—a few hundred catties will be enough."

"Okay! I'll go back and assign tasks immediately..."

Before Section Chief Zhou could finish speaking, he had already turned and left. He Yuzhu then went back to his other tasks.

This year, many of the sister factories of the steel rolling mill have come to "seek good fortune." Thanks to the factory's strong performance in handing over profits, the Ministry of Industry simply let go and allowed the steel rolling mill to handle all the vegetables produced in its greenhouses.

As soon as the news spread, He Yuzhu was bombarded with calls from various factories, all wanting to exchange some fresh vegetables for New Year's gifts for their employees—their own factories had already distributed enamel basins, thermos flasks, and soaps eight hundred times over, and no one would care if they were given out again.

He Yuzhu didn't put on airs. After calculating the shortage of vegetables in the factory, he opened up for trade: he exchanged a large batch of bread, which, although not enough for everyone, was more than enough to be prizes for the competition on the day the ovens were shut down; he also exchanged enamel mugs, cotton gloves, and calendars, making the prize basket full in no time.

When the publicity department broadcast the prize list, everyone in the factory perked up their ears and eagerly awaited the last day—who wouldn't want to be the first to win and take home a bag of flour, a box of pastries, or a shiny new enamel mug?

This flurry of activity left Deputy Factory Director Jiang Shouqin restless. These were tasks that should have been his responsibility, but He Yuzhu had taken them all on. At the busiest time of the year, there wasn't even a single phone call in his office to urge them to finish. He could only flip through the newspaper, brew a pot of strong tea, and watch helplessly as people came and went outside the window.

In the prime of my life, I'm bored out of my mind, feeling like my heart is stuffed with a wad of wet cotton.

He Yuzhu had no idea what Jiang Shouqin was thinking. If he did, he would definitely shake his head and laugh at his foolishness—Director Yang is in charge of more than a dozen workshops, the finance department, and the technical department, and he is under tremendous pressure. Instead of helping him shoulder half the burden, you are keeping an eye on me, the logistics director, every day. What are you after?

Logistics is a service position, and He Yuzhu's influence in the factory stems from his solid skills and the number of tasks he's handled. If someone else with less ability were in this position, they'd just be an ordinary director managing the canteen and distributing brooms.

After a long day, He Yuzhu walked home as dusk fell. Lou Xiao'e got off work a little earlier than him. Although the street office was busy before the New Year, Nanluoguxiang had become much quieter recently. The "trivial matters" that used to bother them had almost disappeared. As long as they kept an eye on fire prevention, theft prevention, and being careful to avoid slipping on the ice, everything would be fine.

"Xiao'e, I'm back."

He pushed the door open and casually hung his cotton-padded coat and scarf on the hanger. He immediately noticed Lou Xiao'e and Yu Li huddled together in the inner room, fiddling with fabric and threading needles.

Yu Li looked up and saw him. Remembering what had happened a few days ago, she became slightly reserved: "Xiao'e, now that Director He is back, I'll head back first."

Lou Xiao'e smiled and took her arm: "We're already so familiar, why are you still calling me 'Director He'? That's too formal! Just call me Yuzhu."

He Yuzhu chimed in, his tone relaxed: "Yes, Xu Damao and I don't get along, but that's between the two of us. You are you, and he is him—keeping calling me 'Director He' made me think you needed my stamp or signature!"

Yu Li hesitated for a moment, then finally smiled and said, "Well... Yuzhu, Xiao'e, you two go ahead, I'll be going now. Damao will be home soon."

She didn't have many friends in the courtyard. Xu Damao and He Yuzhu were at odds, but her younger sister was close to He Yushui. They were about the same age and both were new brides, so they naturally started talking together.

Back in his house, just as the meal was served, Xu Damao pushed open the door and entered the yard.

Today he went to the countryside to show movies and returned with a full load. Even more coincidentally, he completely broke ties with the Yan family—at the entrance of the courtyard house, Yan Bugui saw him returning with a basket from afar, and actually shrank his neck and took a detour, not daring to say a single word of advantage.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Xu Damao greeted everyone loudly as soon as he entered. Yu Li came out to meet him, her eyes falling on the heavy bamboo basket in his hands. She immediately beamed, "Damao, did the villagers insist on giving you all this?"

"Of course! Who can blame me for being the most skilled projectionist? Look at this—fresh green onions, thick dried mushrooms, purple garlic, half a piece of cured pork, and a whole cured chicken! Ordinary people would hardly even get a chance to touch them, but I, Xu Damao, am welcomed wherever I go!"

Xu Damao couldn't contain his smugness at all; his words were already quite boastful. The New Year's goods stuffed in his pockets weren't something he'd earned through a respectable job. They were clearly something he'd "squeezed" out of the village by using the screening rights as leverage, a combination of persuasion and coercion.

The original plan was to show two movies in each village, but Xu Damao slapped his thigh and said that he had been running around to too many places at the end of the year—cooperatives, production brigades, supply and marketing stations—so he hadn't had a moment to spare, and he insisted on cutting it down to one movie. But for the villagers, a movie is only two hours of entertainment, and they probably wouldn't see the light of the screen again until after spring.

Everyone grew anxious and crowded around him, begging him to add another show. Xu Damao, however, leisurely picked up his teacup, blowing on the foam without uttering a sound. The village chief and the Party secretary, of course, understood the subtle implications. That very evening, they arrived at his door with cured meat, pickled vegetables, and freshly ground flour. Only after placing the gifts down did Xu Damao relent: "Alright, one more show."

He would make several trips between two villages, carrying back four or five pounds of vegetables and two or three pounds of pork belly on his shoulders; if he made several more trips before the New Year, his home would be piled high with New Year's goods, even more so than the counter at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Yu Li worked quickly and efficiently, setting the steaming hot meal on the table in no time, and the two ate in silence. After the meal, she neatly cleared away the dishes, wiped the stove, swept the floor, and put away miscellaneous items, leaving nothing out. Before, Xu Damao found it troublesome, and his dirty clothes piled up like a small mountain, relying entirely on his mother to clean up every few days. Since Yu Li moved in, the house has been spotless, with even the corners exuding a refreshing atmosphere.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Damao glanced sideways at the firm curves of her waist and hips, and his heart suddenly warmed.

Just then, Yu Li finished her work and sat down next to him, speaking softly, "Da Mao, Lou Xiao'e and He Yuzhu have discussed it and are planning to have a child. We..."

"What?! Sha Zhu dares to have a child? Him? The baby will probably be a carbon copy of a idiot!"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's name, Xu Damao's anger flared up instantly. The more successful that man was, the more suffocated he felt; especially when he thought that Lou Xiao'e should have been his wife, he couldn't swallow his anger.

Yu Li reached out and gently patted his arm: "You didn't do anything to him, why are you cursing him? I'm getting along quite well with Lou Xiao'e now, what grudge do you have against him?"

"Don't get involved in this. He's not exactly a kind person anyway..."

Xu Damao's eyes darted away, and he hesitated, unwilling to speak frankly—he couldn't very well admit that he was envious of other people's prosperous lives, could he?

But these words made Yu Li's heart skip a beat: He Yuzhu had never said a word about Xu Damao in front of her, and even Lou Xiao'e kept his mouth shut for him.

Not wanting to argue about it, she changed the subject: "I mean, they're really going all out, what should we do?"

"How should I know! Did you take the medicine I was told to take?"

Xu Damao wilted at the mention of this. They had been married for almost a year and hadn't used any contraception, but Yu Li's belly remained flat, showing no signs of pregnancy.