Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu immediately burst out laughing: "Even your own family members can't be bothered with them for days, but you're rushing to act like a living saint! But Yushui still remembers you, tsk tsk..."

He Daqing's face stiffened, but his words remained defiant: "What nonsense are you talking about? When have I ever neglected the rain?"

"If you want to think that way, then so be it."

He Yuzhu picked up his luggage and said as he walked, "As for our family's class status, when you walk in and see that calligraphy on the wall, your legs will probably tremble. If you ask me, you might as well not leave—I'll ask someone to find you a job. With a proper job, you won't have to worry about not meeting a still-attractive widow."

"Hey! You're making fun of me, aren't you?!"

He Daqing was embarrassed, but he secretly weighed the situation in his mind: compared to Baoding, Beijing was indeed more spacious and bright.

Bai Huiyun served them very well, but the two children's eyes were as cold as knives. They didn't greet or ask anything when they saw each other, and when they occasionally glanced at each other, they were full of complaints.

But he couldn't bear to just abandon it.

It's not that I'm attracted to beauty.

A person nearing the end of their life only wants someone to care for them and show concern for their well-being; no matter how fake the White Widow's acting is, as long as she can keep acting, it's enough for him to catch his breath in tenderness.

"If I really come back, where will I live?"

"Housing is hard to find? Workers may be crammed in, but buying and selling private properties is perfectly legal—it's just a matter of talking!"

He Yuzhu gave a casual answer, but seeing his father's eyelids twitch, he immediately guessed: "You wouldn't be planning to move into that house near Zhengyangmen, would you? You'd better give up on that idea as soon as possible."

"You brat! It's only natural for a father to live in his son's room!"

He Daqing, his lung tube punctured, started yelling in a panic, his face turning red.

"That courtyard has long been used for other purposes, now it's used for storing goods, and people can't even get in. This year you're coming back to the courtyard house with me, the room and bed are all ready."

He Yuzhu knew perfectly well that the two-courtyard house near Zhengyangmen was guarded by Chen Xueru and the children for him. How could he let He Daqing step into it? Where would he and Chen Xueru be then?

"If you really want it, I'll help you pick out a two-courtyard house that you like. I'll pay for it; you can buy it to retire in, okay? Don't look at me like that, do you think I'm one of those two little hedgehogs from the Bai family?"

He Daqing was taken aback and blurted out, "Buy a two-courtyard house? Where did you get so many..." But he stopped abruptly when he remembered his daughter-in-law, Lou Xiao'e.

With the Lou family as a powerful backer, they could easily buy not only a second courtyard but even a third.

With a change of heart, he stopped worrying about the money, but felt a void in his heart, unable to let go of Bai Huiyun.

After exiting the station, the father and son went straight to the courtyard house.

The moment He Daqing appeared, the entire courtyard erupted in uproar. Back then, everyone insisted he had abandoned his wife and children. Even when He Yuzhu repeatedly explained it was a job transfer, no one believed him.

Now he has returned home for the New Year in a dignified manner, and he is even very affectionate with his son.

Yan Bugui, who was writing Spring Festival couplets for his neighbors, looked up, his hand trembled, and ink splattered on the red paper. He chuckled dryly and greeted them, "Da Qing...you're back?"

"Yeah, you're back." He Daqing glanced at him sideways and sneered, "Old Yan, I was really blind!"

Before he left, the father and son treated him to many drinks, but as soon as he left, he followed Yi Zhonghai and forced He Yuzhu to sign and put his fingerprint on documents for some petty gains.

Dou really lives up to his nickname "Old Man Yan"!

"The Qing Dynasty, this..."

"Hmph, there's plenty of time."

After saying this, He Daqing turned and walked towards the central courtyard.

Once the person was out of sight, Yan Bugui's face fell, and he muttered in a low voice, "The elder? It's our Yan family that's going to suffer!"

Neither he nor Yan Jiecheng felt they had done anything wrong—they had suffered so much loss, yet the He family was still holding a grudge. It was clearly the He family that was being unreasonable.

As He Daqing stepped into the courtyard, Lou Xiao'e came out to greet him with a smile: "Dad, Yuzhu, you're back? Sit down for a while and have some hot tea. We'll start a fire in the stove right away, and we'll prepare the meal right away."

He Yuzhu laughed and replied, "With two head chefs in charge, how could you possibly lift a finger? You go and put up the Spring Festival couplets, I'll take care of the cooking and starting the fire—Dad, go check out the bed, it was originally prepared for two people, but now it's just for you, very spacious."

The He family stopped asking Yan Bugui to write their Spring Festival couplets a long time ago. Ever since they broke ties with the Yan family, He Yuzhu has never let them benefit in any way.

"Okay, I'll go take a look right away..."

He Yushui, who lived next door, heard the noise, turned off her radio with a "snap," and ran over. Upon seeing He Daqing, her eyes immediately reddened, and she rushed over, crying, "Dad—!"

That sound truly brought the festive spirit of the New Year to life.

Yushui chattered around her father, telling him about the interesting things at school and the red checkmarks on his report card. He Daqing listened to his daughter's chatter, his eyes and brows relaxing, and he couldn't stop smiling.

He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves, heated the wok until it was scalding hot, and as soon as the oil started to fry, meatballs, vegetable balls, cured pork, and cured ribs were thrown into the wok one after another. "Sizzle—crack!" The chopping sound on the cutting board was deafening, and oil splattered everywhere.

The lively atmosphere was more intense than any other household. In particular, he disliked the heavy fumes, so he simply opened the kitchen window—the rich aroma, along with the heat, wafted out and could be smelled throughout the entire alley. The neighbors, upon taking a sniff, immediately recalled the delicious aroma of the pastries served at the dinner table yesterday.

Several children in the courtyard were lured by the aroma and crowded towards the He family's kitchen door, sniffing the air. He Yuzhu lifted the pot lid, glanced at them, and then, seeing the little heads, shouted loudly, "Go wash your hands! Wash them clean before you come to get your meatballs—if your hands are as black as coal and you have mud stuck under your fingernails, don't even think about coming in! Especially that Jia family kid, he's wasting his time!"

"Xiao Mu, Xiao Sen, quickly call your sister over here!"

Wang Mu and Wang Sen were the two sons of the Wang family. Upon hearing this, they responded crisply with "Yes!" and ran home, their shoes making a loud thud on the blue bricks.

The other children's faces immediately lit up with smiles, and they swarmed towards the pool, some rubbing their hands together, others splashing water, wishing they could scrub their elbows three times over.

Only Banggeng stood frozen in place, his face flushed red, and he stomped his foot and shouted, "Why won't you give it to me?!"

"My things are mine, I can give them to whomever I want! The Jia family? Not a chance!"

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids, turning back to continue stirring the meatballs in the pot. After the children washed their hands, they lined up in front of the kitchen window, and he quickly stuffed two freshly cooked, warm meatballs into each of their mouths to satisfy their cravings.

The three Wang children received the meatballs, bowed in unison, and thanked them crisply; Banggeng, however, stood at the back of the crowd, staring longingly at the oily palms of others, his saliva almost dripping onto his shoes, but he didn't manage to get a single one.

Finally, he burst into tears and ran home, wiping away his sobs. He kicked the door open with a bang. Qin Huairu was squatting in front of the stove adding firewood. Hearing the noise, she quickly looked up: "Bang Geng? What's wrong?"

"Silly Zhu! Silly Zhu didn't give me any meatballs! They all ate them... but I didn't..." He sobbed, spilling out his words incoherently.

Qin Huairu's face darkened, her fingertips digging into her palms as she gritted her teeth and whispered, "He Yuzhu is too cruel, he even holds a grudge against the child!"

She quickly hugged her son, patted his back, and comforted him, "Don't cry, don't cry. It's just a few meatballs! Mom will fry you two eggs tonight, golden and crispy, even more fragrant than meatballs!"

Bang Geng sobbed and slowly stopped crying.

Qin Huairu stood up, straightened her apron, and walked towards Jia Dongxu: "Dongxu, you stay home and look after the kids, don't let Banggeng go out again. I'm going to buy some New Year's goods—we only have three eggs left at home, we need to buy some meat..."

"etc!"

Jia Dongxu grabbed her sleeve, his voice tense: "What about what I told you last time? What have you thought about?"

"Now? Dongxu, isn't that too hasty... How about we wait until after the New Year to bring Mom back?"

Qin Huairu lowered her eyes, her voice soft but her tone firm. She didn't want Jia Zhangshi to come over for the New Year—if she did, the New Year's goods would have to be doubled, and the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt would all increase, which her salary simply couldn't cover.

"After the New Year? Isn't everyone busy during the holiday season? Mom's here, she can at least lend a hand!"

Jia Dongxu frowned deeply, his face so dark it could drip water. He used to complain that Jia Zhangshi had a big appetite and was a troublemaker, so they lived a very frugal life; now he was paralyzed in bed, struggling even to turn over, and needed help to go to the outhouse. He really couldn't live without Jia Zhangshi.

"Let's wait until after the New Year, Dongxu. I can manage on my own before then."

She turned her head to the side, her gaze sweeping over his ashen face and landing on the old enamel mug in the corner. Her tone was flat, but there was no room for further discussion.

"Okay, after the New Year it is. But it has to be a few days earlier—if you go to work before Mom gets home, there won't even be anyone to bring you water!"

Jia Dongxu's teeth itched, and his chest felt tight and suffocating. The Qin Huairu of the past, who wouldn't dare contradict him and would even suppress her coughs, was now completely different. She stood ramrod straight, her words barbed and piercing.

Isn't it just because he can't move?

This time, Qin Huairu was very confident. She held the refunded medical expenses in one hand and the sixty-odd yuan in donations collected from the entire hospital in the other; she controlled all household expenses. If Jia Dongxu dared to utter a sound, even the chamber pot would be left unemptied.

"Hey, you've got some nerve, managing to bring back even the leader's handwritten words..."

He Daqing looked up at the heavily ink-stained banner on the living room wall, clicked his tongue and shook his head, then sighed to He Yuzhu, "With this thing keeping things in check, as long as our family behaves itself, who would dare to have any crooked thoughts?"

The He family has been farmers for three generations, with impeccable revolutionary credentials!

"How about it? Feeling at ease now that you see these words?"

He Yuzhu grinned, his eyebrows radiating smugness: "If you really want to go back to Beijing, stop worrying about all that nonsense. Whichever house you like, I'll pay for it!"

"Let me think about it some more... But for now, you've really held this family together. From now on, I can finally sleep peacefully."

"Dad, you flatter me." He Yuzhu scratched his head and chuckled. "If you come back, there are some things I won't have to do myself."

"Oh? Tell me, what's up?"

"Jia Dongxu is as stiff as a rock. Qin Huairu is going to report to the factory after the New Year. Who will take care of the two kids at home? Don't we have to invite that Jia Zhangshi, whom I sent back to the countryside, back with us? That old hag's legs tremble when she sees you. How did you deal with her back then?"