Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Shall we ride Yuzhu's bicycle to work today? He's just sitting at home doing nothing, and Yushui has his own bike now."

Upon hearing this, Yu Li felt a surge of warmth in her heart and almost nodded in agreement—but then she thought that it was already embarrassing enough to eat and stay for free, and to borrow someone else's car would truly make her a scoundrel.

Although the bus is a bit slow, at least she had a bus pass that she could just swipe and go, which made her feel at ease.

After finishing her breakfast, Yu Li went out first. The bruises on her face had faded considerably; with some powder and a soft-brimmed hat, she was almost undetectable unless you looked closely.

Just as she turned out of the courtyard house, a voice suddenly called out behind her. She turned around, her brows immediately furrowing.

The person who called her was Yi Zhonghai, the old man who had desperately pushed her into the fire yesterday.

"Yu Li, wait a moment!"

Yi Zhonghai, leaning on his cane, moved slowly and unsteadily to the side. He caught his breath before speaking: "Yu Li, we need to seriously consider Xu Damao's matter. Our neighborhood has always had a good atmosphere, but if this really leads to a divorce, how can the neighbors not gossip?"

"The courtyard has lost face, and your reputation will be ruined too. Take my advice—don't leave, for your own sake and for the sake of the whole courtyard."

After hearing this, Yu Li's lips curled into a cold, hard smile: "Uncle, are you talking about the face of the courtyard, or your own face? How long has that old lady been living in the storage room next door? Aren't you afraid she'll confront you one day?"

"you--"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

This is exactly what he fears most! Zhang Shufen made her words quite blunt last time because of that bastard child; if he hadn't held on so tightly, they would have broken up long ago. Now that Yu Li has started, he might be next!

Although Qin Huairu at the factory took excellent care of him, back at the courtyard house, he only trusted Zhang Shufen to do the chores: serving meals, washing clothes, sweeping, folding blankets, mending, and starching. He didn't trust anyone else, and he was even more afraid that things in the house would disappear.

"Yu Li, I truly care about you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Li interrupted him: "Should I kowtow to you? Sir, you should worry about yourself first! Once that old lady really dumps you, let's see how you'll stand up and teach others how to live!"

After saying that, she turned and left, her steps quick and decisive, without looking back.

The mention of that older woman earlier was actually a personal reflection—if she and Xu Damao really couldn't have children, she might end up in the same situation: no job, no support, forced to depend on others, eventually adopting a child and wasting her remaining years like a piece of old paper.

So she's determined to get a divorce. No one can stop her. Right now she has a salary and a place to live, and even if her parents shut the door on her, she can still live with her head held high.

Yi Zhonghai stood frozen in place, his chest tight with anger, a surge of rage rising to his head. He would never forget the humiliation of being exposed and humiliated in public by a junior.

"Teacher He, take a look at this, the data that was just verified in the third group..."

A female student from Heilongjiang University of Technology, with her hair in a ponytail, gently placed a stack of papers on He Yuzhu's desk and stood quietly to the side, waiting for a reply.

They called him "Teacher He" because he often took time out of his busy schedule to give extra lessons to these newly graduated colleagues. Calling him "Director He" during class would be too formal; the older professors also called him that in private, but with the suffix "--"--"Little Teacher He," which conveyed both closeness and a touch of respect. After all, he was more knowledgeable about transistors than anyone else, and even some of the older professors would sit ramrod straight during his lectures, taking densely packed notes.

"Take it back and recalculate it. It was wrong from the start, how did you verify it? This is such a crucial project, we can't afford the slightest mistake."

He Yuzhu scanned a few lines, immediately spotted the flaw, and went back.

"Check it at least three times before submitting it next time. This kind of basic mistake cannot be allowed to be included in the drawings again."

"Oh... okay, Teacher He."

The girl spoke in a low voice, her face slightly flushed. After a pause, she tentatively asked, "Teacher He, what would you like to eat tonight? I can bring it back for you on my way..."

"No need, I'll go myself."

He Yuzhu waved his hand, lowered his head and buried himself in the pile of drawings again, the tip of his pen scratching across the paper.

Building a transistor computer out of thin air? Impossible. It requires materials, equipment, and supporting processes—each step is interconnected. The special alloys and silicon wafers allocated by the National Defense Science Center alone cost 600,000 yuan. His mission wouldn't be complete until this production line was truly operational. That's why he kept a close eye on it and pushed hard.

My goal is to get back to Beijing as soon as possible.

For this reason, he worked harder than anyone else—working a full 18 hours a day was commonplace, and staying up all night was even more frequent. He often sent others home to sleep while he continued to work.

It's not that we don't cherish electricity, it's that staying up one more night can get the project a few days ahead; finishing a few months earlier can save enough money to power a room for over a decade.

In He Yuzhu's mind, the assembly path of the transistor computer was as clear as if it were engraved in the lines on his palm—as long as the raw materials were complete, the equipment was in place, and the technical backbone did not fail, he patted his chest and guaranteed that within eight months, the entire set of hardware would be standing on the table and humming.

As for the software, he's putting in a lot of effort to figure out how to build the instruction set and arrange the logic gates. With his tenacity, even if he only manages to squeeze out a little time each day, after a few months, he can still thoroughly master the tough nuts of compilation, scheduling, and interrupt response.

The sooner he gets the machine working, the sooner he can get rid of this mess and go back to his courtyard house. So now, he walks with a tense air, eyes straight, hands firm, and mind unwavering.

Several days have passed since the last plenary meeting ended.

Just as Lou Xiao'e had predicted, Xu Damao vanished into thin air early Sunday morning, not showing up at all, let alone discussing divorce.

First of all, Yu Li is now a secure employee with a job that offers even better benefits than the steel rolling mill, so Xu Damao is unwilling to give up his job.

Secondly, Yu Li had just finished her check-up at the First People's Hospital of Beijing, He Nian Tang, and De Shou Tang when rumors began to spread through the steel rolling mill workshop. The propaganda department might not have heard the news yet, but the looks from her coworkers had already changed: pity mixed with suspicion, and politeness tinged with evasiveness.

Xu Damao was humiliated and his anger flared up. He was determined not to let the man go!

"Xiao'e, I checked, Xu Damao didn't come home yesterday, he's probably hiding somewhere again today!"

Yu Li stormed into the house, her fists clenched, her face ashen. This wasn't an attempt to hide; it was a clear attempt to humiliate her.

He Yushui also came back today, specifically to take care of He Xiao; Ma Hua also came in carrying a vegetable basket—as soon as He Yuzhu left, Ma Hua took over the grocery shopping job. Lou Xiao'e could also run errands, but He Yuzhu casually mentioned that "Ma Hua is quick and efficient," and Ma Hua immediately accepted the task as if it were an order.

He remembered He Yuzhu's great kindness: teaching him real skills, bringing him to the table to cook, and ensuring that the Ma family, who were so poor they couldn't even afford to eat, had oil in every meal and meat on every occasion. His heart burned with gratitude, and now he runs errands for Lou Xiao'e every week without fail. Today, he had just put down his vegetable basket when he heard that his teacher's wife needed help, and without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and stayed.

Lou Xiao'e slammed her hand on the table: "Then let's head straight to the Women's Federation! Let's ask them to come and uphold justice. Let's see how long Xu Damao can hide in the ground!"

Yu Li paused, her brows furrowing—going to the Women's Federation would be too much of a fuss… But the thought had barely formed in her mind when she heard the dull thud of Xu Damao slapping her back, and the sneer of him tearing up her pay slip and throwing it into the stove. She gritted her teeth: "Fine! I'll have the Women's Federation come and help me get a divorce!"

"I'm relieved that you've made up your mind. I might not have advised anyone else to leave; but you're going to stay with Xu Damao? You'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Lou Xiao'e shook her head and sighed, then added, "Inability to have children, physical violence, cutting off your purse strings to force you to submit—even when our Lou family used to treat our servants, we never treated them this cruelly! Is this what you call a couple? This is feeding wolves while they're in shackles!"

"Come on, I've already found out. Given your situation, the Women's Federation will most likely support you; besides, I have some old acquaintances there."

Before she finished speaking, Lou Xiao'e had already picked up her cloth bag and walked out.

"Rainwater, He Xiao, is in your hands now!"

"Don't worry, sister-in-law! I won't even leave the outhouse, I'll just stay here and wait for you to come back!" He Yushui hugged He Xiao tightly, her face serious.

The two had just stepped out of the courtyard gate when they were met by a group of people—Xu Damao's parents, plus Yu Li's parents, blocking their way completely. These were probably the reinforcements Xu Damao had called in the night before, just to stop the divorce proceedings.

Yu's mother stepped forward, her voice cold: "Yu Li, what are you rushing out like this for?"

"Oh, what a convenient question." Yu Li raised an eyebrow. "Xu Damao hired you, didn't he? To pass on his message—I'm definitely getting a divorce. Make him come out and sign the papers himself, or I'll kick down the Women's Federation door today!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Mother Yu's voice trembled, her hands shaking. "Is divorce child's play? If word gets out, what will the neighbors think of your father? When your sister looks for a husband, if people find out 'the Yu family's daughter is divorced,' who will dare to come to her door?"

"Mom!" Yu Li choked up, unable to believe that her own mother would side with the abuser without even asking. Any hesitation she had felt was burned to ashes by this favoritism—today, she had to leave.

"Try to put your heart into it before you speak: Your daughter was almost beaten to death by him, he withheld all her wages and didn't give her a single grain of food. If it weren't for the few hard-earned coins I secretly saved, I would have been begging you for rice long ago, starving! He even considered selling my job to buy alcohol—did you know any of this? Did you even ask him about it?"

Xu Fugui coughed, took half a step forward, and said in a deep, hoarse voice, "Yu Li... I slapped that brat and scolded him. I said they got into a fight and a misunderstanding happened. Give him another chance..."

Yu's mother immediately chimed in, "That's right! Da Mao has already admitted his mistake. What's a little bickering between the young couple? Your father and I used to break bowls and pots back then, and we got through it..."

"No—that's impossible." Yu Li said decisively, her gaze sweeping over her mother and then coldly sweeping over the Xu family elders. "You two probably don't know: I've been to the First People's Hospital, Heniantang, and Deshoutang all over Beijing, and all three doctors said I'm in excellent health, that having a baby is as easy as eating. So, who's been weaker these past two years because they couldn't conceive?"