Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

At the entrance of the He family's house in Zhongyuan, Yu Li shouted aloud.

The curtain to the inner room was lifted, and Lou Xiao'e, clutching her pregnant belly, came out to open the door. Seeing it was Yu Li, she immediately beamed, "Come in, come in!"

Yu Li's heart skipped a beat before she even stepped across the threshold—she had come with her own agenda, but Lou Xiao'e spoke as gently and softly as before, without the slightest hint of estrangement.

Upon entering the room, she immediately noticed several scraps of blue cloth piled up by the windowsill, and half of a baby's jacket spread out on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). The stitches were fine, and a crooked little flower was embroidered on the collar.

"Xiao'e, you...are pregnant?"

"Yeah, I found out last month. I figured I should prepare early so I wouldn't be caught off guard later."

She gently stroked her lower abdomen, her eyes shining: "Yuzhu said he'll buy a sewing machine next week. He originally wanted to just buy fabric and make it himself, but he said that only clothes sewn stitch by stitch by their own parents are truly close-fitting and heartwarming."

“That’s great…”

Yu Li stared longingly at Lou Xiao'e's slightly protruding belly, her voice tinged with bitterness: "I've been married to Xu Damao for a year now, but my belly hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy; you and He Yuzhu have been separated for almost half a year, and you're already pregnant."

Lou Xiao'e gently stroked her waist and comforted her softly, "Don't talk nonsense, Yu Li. You can definitely get pregnant too, it's just not the right time yet..."

"We've been suffering for so long, we've given herbal medicine bowl after bowl, and we've even tried acupuncture twice, but nothing has worked."

Yu Li sighed, her brow furrowed: "Now when I go to Xu Damao's parents' house, the moment I walk in, they pull me aside and ask, 'When are you going to hold the baby?' I'm so tired of hearing it..."

If it weren't for He Yuzhu's affair, Lou Xiao'e would be living this peaceful life right now.

Hearing her mention taking medicine, Lou Xiao'e's eyes suddenly lit up: "How about—let Yuzhu take your pulse? He knows traditional Chinese medicine. He was the one who felt when I first started having problems; he's very skilled at acupuncture and prescriptions."

Yu Li paused, her voice tightening: "Director He can treat patients? Is that... reliable?"

Lou Xiao'e waved her hand and smiled casually: "Why not give it a try? It's not like I'll lose anything, and I'll just get a free opportunity."

"Then... I'd like to trouble Xiao'e to tell them for me."

Every time Yu Li saw He Yuzhu, her heart felt like it was fluttering with a sparrow – back when she was changing clothes at He's house, a large patch of snow on her shoulders and back caught his eye, and the thought still made her ears burn.

But she had come with a different purpose today. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she lowered her eyes and said in a softer voice, "Xiao'e, I've come today actually about Da Mao's matter..."

"Xiao'e, he really knows he was wrong. Can you put in a good word for him with Director He? Just this once, please let him off the hook..."

She twisted the hem of her dress with her fingers, her pleading bordering on humility. Xu Damao absolutely refused to let her go to their door to beg for help, but her husband hadn't been home for three months. If this dragged on any longer, he'd probably have to go to the countryside three or four times a year. Was she really going to stay in an empty house and become a true "widow waiting to be married"?

What's even more distressing is that Lou Xiao'e's belly is growing bigger every day, and her trips back to her husband's family home are becoming increasingly unbearable. If Xu Damao is away for many years to come, when will she ever be able to have her own child?

"Yu Li, I thought you'd hold back until the next time we meet before you'd speak up."

Lou Xiao'e smiled, then sighed softly, "Yuzhu brought this up. If we just deal with Xu Damao's old grudges, we could easily appease him. But he insisted on dragging the deputy factory director into it—Yuzhu's sworn enemy. If Yuzhu backs down even half a step, he'll be the one who gets hurt."

"this……"

Yu Li's heart sank, and she suddenly remembered Xu Damao's boastful words: "With the deputy factory director protecting us from now on, He Yuzhu is nothing!"

Unexpectedly, after climbing the social ladder, life became increasingly stressful.

"I can only wait until he calms down before trying to persuade him. He usually listens to me, but in this kind of situation... I really can't interfere."

Yu Li understood immediately—this was the warmest way Lou Xiao'e could offer. If she continued, even their sisterly bond would cool completely.

She forced a smile and swallowed her words.

She picked up the unfinished little cotton-padded jacket from the bed, her fingertips tracing the wrinkles in the collar: "Xiao'e, shall I alter it for you? Look how tight the collar is; the baby's neck is so delicate, it needs to be looser... Or shall we go to the supply and marketing cooperative? Let's see how they cut and hem their baby clothes?"

Lou Xiao'e's eyes suddenly lit up: "Oh my, no wonder I always felt something was off! I should have seen what it looked like earlier..."

Yu Li smiled and nodded, but a bittersweet feeling quietly welled up inside her—

She envied Lou Xiao'e so much that her heart burned with envy.

She married a pillar of the family: he earns a lot, is meticulous, and takes good care of the family; she doesn't even have to lift a finger in the kitchen. At a young age, he became the logistics director of the steel rolling mill, and outsiders give him a thumbs up. Not to mention, to protect her, he subdued the factory's notorious troublemaker on the spot...

This was the first time in Yu Li's more than 20 years of life that she had ever experienced being pampered and cherished like this.

"By the way, Xiao'e, did Director He go out today?"

She asked casually, but she had already planned it out—since it was inconvenient to bring up Xu Damao's matter again, she might as well find out when he would be back so she could take the opportunity to check his pulse.

Having a child is now a knife hanging over her head. She can manage if there's no progress for a year, but two or three? She doesn't dare imagine what her in-laws will say about her.

Lou Xiao'e casually replied, "Him? He was cooking for someone today."

Yu Li was taken aback: "Director He, with his status, actually cooked himself?"

"You can't avoid debts of gratitude." Lou Xiao'e blinked. "If you want him to check on your health, just come tonight. Anyway, Xu Damao isn't here, so you'll be more at ease..."

Yu Li nodded, a sudden sense of relief washing over her—it turned out that He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e had never provoked Xu Damao; it was all his own doing to cause trouble. If it weren't for those incidents, she and Lou Xiao'e would probably still be as close as they were before, sharing everything.

He Yuzhu was indeed cooking, but the person standing in front of the stove was Bai Danyu's family.

The last time he visited was around the Chinese New Year. Since then, he's been running around the factory during the day, taking care of Lou Xiao'e at night, and also having to find time to coax his daughter and keep Chen Xueru company. He's constantly on the go. If he doesn't come to visit Bai Danyu again, he's afraid they'll even become strangers.

The door opened as soon as the knocking ended. Bai Danyu stood inside, her eyes lighting up, a thin layer of pink rising to her cheeks: "Zhu Zi, you... you really came?"

He Yuzhu shook the green vegetable basket in his hand, his smile gentle: "Xiao Baiying has been talking about it for a while now, saying she wants to eat my stir-fried shrimp and tofu; I came here today especially to cook a good meal—of course, Sister Bai has to try it too." He paused, his gaze falling on the faint dark circles under her eyes, "You must be tired these days? Your complexion is all dull."

Bai Danyu subconsciously raised her hand to touch her cheek—what woman doesn't love to hear a nice compliment? But the next second, she heard him say, "But don't worry, I'll massage your temples and rub the back of your neck, and this fatigue will be completely gone by tomorrow..."

"Pillar!"

Her ears burned, and she glared at him reproachfully. Her heart, which had been worried about her looking haggard and pale, was instantly warmed and softened by his words.

She stepped aside to clear the doorway, a smile playing on her lips: "Come on in, what kind of behavior is this, standing there like that..."

Pushing open the door, little Baiying burst out of the inner room like a little sparrow. Seeing He Yuzhu, she immediately skipped over, grabbed his arm, and looked up at him with a bright, cheerful voice, exclaiming, "Uncle He! You've finally come—Baiying has been craving your sweet and sour pork ribs so much!"

He Yuzhu smiled, bent down, supported her under her armpits, and gently lifted her up: "Oh, you little glutton, you have such a keen nose! I brought back half a basket of fresh produce today: chive pancakes, stir-fried chicken with soy sauce, and your favorite deep-fried shrimp. What do you want to eat? Uncle will cook it for you right away!"

Bai Danyu sat by the window mending socks when she looked up and saw this scene. Her heart felt warm, as if a gentle stream had flowed through it. In her eyes, this wasn't just polite conversation; it resembled the everyday life of a family of three. It was a pity that when her second sister-in-law first spoke, she was still concerned about saving face and what others would think, and hadn't dared to take a step forward…

Enough, enough. How can a widow be worthy of such thoughts?

But the thought had barely formed in her mind when the tingling, burning sensation she felt in her room last time suddenly returned—her ears instantly burned bright red. If Yuzhu were to get any closer today, or reach out his hand again… should she clutch her clothes tightly to avoid him, or let his fingers slide down her body?

She subconsciously straightened her legs and quietly curled her toes, but before her heartbeat could calm down, He Yuzhu had already turned around and entered the kitchen with the vegetable basket, and Xiao Baiying had also already grabbed her newly acquired comic book and dashed back to her room without even waiting for her to answer the door.

Before long, an irresistible aroma wafted from the kitchen: the caramelized scent of scallion oil, the rich aroma of stewed meat bubbling away, and the wheat fragrance rising from steaming buns... Bai Danyu is now the deputy director of the washing machine factory, and the apartment she was allocated in this family building is much more spacious, with its own kitchen and bathroom. In Beijing, you could count on your fingers the number of female cadres who could live in it.

The food was served, steaming hot. Little Bai Ying ate with shining eyes, her chopsticks moving faster than anyone else's, piling her bowl high with rice until it was empty in the blink of an eye. Just as she was asking for a second bowl, Bai Danyu pressed her hand down, saying, "Slow down, your little tummy can't hold any more." She only scooped a shallow spoonful for her.

"If a child overeats, they'll definitely be restless at night."

After finishing half a bowl, Xiao Baiying slumped in her chair, rubbing her round belly, and said, "Mom—I can't move! My intestines are all knotted up!"

Bai Danyu was both annoyed and amused: "Serves you right!"

"Don't worry, I have something to cleanse your palate." He Yuzhu took out an amber-colored pill from his pocket and held it to the child's mouth. "Let it dissolve in your mouth. It'll be sweet and sour, guaranteed to make you feel better."

Little Baiying chewed twice, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Wow, it looks like the filling of a candied hawthorn!"

"You're such a picky eater, go back to your room and lie down!"

Bai Danyu smiled and coaxed her daughter away, then turned around and rolled up her sleeves to clean up the mess. Although life was a bit more comfortable these days, who wasn't careful with their money? The leftover braised meat was glistening with oil; it would be warmed up in the evening and make for another hearty meal.

After tidying up, she casually turned into the bathroom, scooped up some water to rinse her mouth—she was even surprised herself: why did she do that subconsciously?