Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

As soon as everyone was in line, Yi Zhonghai raised an eyebrow and glanced at the He family's window without making a sound, a cold smile playing on his lips: Today, I'll make that woman lose face in public.

"Everyone's here! This plenary meeting, led by the subdistrict office, is to sound the alarm—anyone who dares to go against the organization shouldn't blame the policy for being ruthless! Now, please welcome Director Qian Youde of the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office to speak!"

Lou Xiao'e's heart sank when she heard this opening remark—sure enough, the arrow was aimed straight at her.

That's really insidious. Luckily, she had anticipated his outburst yesterday and went to Director Wang early to clarify the whole story.

Who would have thought that this guy surnamed Qian would show up at the courtyard gate so early in the morning?

Qian Youde strolled to the center of the courtyard, put his hands behind his back, and slowly scanned the faces before clearing his throat and saying, "Fellow residents, I am Qian Youde, the director of the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office. I'm here today to report a negative example: someone with a complicated background and a long-standing vacillating mindset. The subdistrict office offered her a job, but she was picky, made excuses, and finally just quit and left..."

When Qian Youde publicly berated Lou Xiao'e at the Xu family's door, she rolled her eyes and turned to Li Li, saying, "Li Li, this Qian guy is clearly here for me—you go and deliver my message, make sure everything is clear."

"Okay, you stay calm, I'm on my way!"

Before Li Li could finish speaking, she had already stepped towards the courtyard gate. But as soon as she turned around, Qian Youde immediately stopped talking, and Yi Zhonghai strode forward to block her way, raising his voice: "Li Li! Director Qian is speaking, where are you rushing off to?"

"I'll go make a call for Lou Xiao'e." She stopped, her tone flat. "What? Today I just want to ask the higher-ups—He Yuzhu said before he left that he would ensure our family's peace and quiet. Does that promise still stand?"

"I am now He Yuzhu's lawfully wedded wife, yet I'm being labeled a 'family member of a capitalist roader'? Then I demand that the organization investigate: Is He Yuzhu a capitalist roader? If so, can he still hold his position as logistics director? Who conducted the political vetting at the steel mill? Who signed off on it?"

Lou Xiao'e spoke each word with utmost force, showing no evasion and no mercy whatsoever.

Qian Youde's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He had thought that by personally delivering the verdict, the other party would at least bow their head and admit their mistake. Who knew that not only would she not kneel, but she would also try to intimidate him by invoking her superiors. He was so angry that his fingers trembled as he pointed towards the door: "Stop her! What kind of decorum is it to leave the meeting room while the leader is speaking!"

"Liu Guangtian! Liu Guangfu! Yan Jiefang! Yan Jiecheng! All of you, get them!"

At Yi Zhonghai's command, four men immediately surrounded them. Liu Haizhong, who already considered Director Qian his backer, nodded without batting an eye; Yan Bugui was apprehensive, but seeing Qian Youde right there, fearing for his position, he forced a wink at his two sons. In the blink of an eye, Li Li was cornered in front of the hanging flower gate.

Lou Xiao'e sneered and shouted, "Who dares to lay a finger on me? You Lius and Yans, I'll remember this—when the case is overturned, you'll be nothing but reactionaries!"

She immediately turned her head and bowed to Old Wang, saying, "Uncle Wang, thank you for your trouble in pushing them away!"

"Okay!" Old Wang agreed readily, without even raising his eyelids. His entire family's ability to eat and stay warm was entirely thanks to He Yuzhu's connections: the woodcarving business was arranged by He Yuzhu, the furniture factory job was found by He Yuzhu, and now his children wear new clothes and have two meat meals a month—all thanks to the He family's support. The neighborhood committee? An old man? Have they ever even given him a bowl of hot soup?

He charged forward, his two sons close behind. One lunged at Liu Guangtian, the other grabbed Liu Guangfu. The two boys, who carried timber and moved benches every day, had long since developed strong muscles and were no longer the Liu brothers who used to be so hungry they would crave even eggs. With a combined pull, Liu Guangtian was pulled backward, slipped, and landed hard on his backside.

Old Wang went straight up, grabbed Yan Jiefang by the collar with one hand, and with the other hand, he shoved him against the wall before Yan Jiefang could react.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Li quickly stepped out of the courtyard gate!

"This is outrageous! You dare disobey the neighborhood committee? You're all reactionaries!"

Back then, the harshest label was "reactionary"—the leader had long said that all those who opposed the movement were paper tigers. Qian Youde was so angry that veins throbbed on his forehead. He turned and growled at Xiao Wang beside him, "Quick! Call the security team! I want to see who's in charge of this courtyard!"

He's making such a big fuss just to show off. If a temporary worker from a capitalist family dares to slap him in the face, how will he ever be able to command Nanluoguxiang again?

Xiao Wang hesitated for a moment. He had been in the neighborhood office longer than Qian Youde and knew some of the details. He opened his mouth to advise, "Director, calling the security team... isn't that too much?"

"Xiao Wang!" Qian Youde's eyes widened. "You dare to disobey orders too?"

"...Yes, I'll go right away." Xiao Wang sighed and had no choice but to turn around and leave.

Lou Xiao'e, however, remained completely calm. Instead, she pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and started cracking them open. She rarely wanted to trouble He Yuzhu and seldom made phone calls; but with this Qian guy pressing her so hard, what harm was there in making a couple of calls?

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui stood aside, each with their own thoughts. Although Liu Haizhong didn't hate the He family as much as the other two, he still hoped that Director Qian could completely eliminate He Yuzhu as a thorn in their side—otherwise, what weight would their three stewards carry in the courtyard?

When Qian Youde saw Lou Xiao'e eating so leisurely, his anger flared up and he wished he could order someone to drag her into the reflection room and lock her up on the spot.

Just as they were at a stalemate, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"I was wondering why no one answered when I called from the front yard; turns out they've all gathered at the middle yard? Oh dear—Director Qian is here too? I haven't even sent you a notice yet, and you've already sniffed out the noise and come all this way?"

The visitor was a deputy director from the district, surnamed Zhang. Qian Youde had met him once before, at a district meeting.

"Director Zhang? Why have you come in person?" Qian Youde was taken aback, quickly suppressing his anger and asking with a forced smile, "What...instructions do you have?"

"Hey, the original plan was to come to the courtyard house to issue the certificate first, and then go to the neighborhood office to report it. I was wondering—even if we were to act quickly, we shouldn't have arrived before you, right?"

With a smile, Deputy Director Zhang of the district government spoke loudly, then took a bright red certificate of honor from a staff member beside him. After looking around, he said, "Look at this scene, everyone's in a meeting? Well, may I borrow your presence for a few minutes, I'll be right back... Is Comrade Lou Xiao'e here?"

Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e immediately understood—this matter must have been secretly handled by Director Wang. She immediately stood up and gestured, "Hello, leader, I am Lou Xiao'e."

"Alright! Comrade Lou Xiao'e, please take a few steps forward."

As she approached, Deputy Director Zhang raised his voice, speaking clearly and distinctly: "Following a special meeting held by the district, it has been decided to award Comrade Lou Xiao'e the title of 'Advanced Worker of the District'! This is a full affirmation of her nearly three years of dedicated service at the grassroots level! We hope that Comrade Lou Xiao'e will continue her efforts and achieve even greater success!"

As soon as he finished speaking, seeing the hesitant expressions on everyone's faces, he turned to the neighbors in the courtyard and said in a loud voice, "Fellow residents, I know you may be wondering: why should a lowly staff member from the subdistrict office receive the district's highest honor? Well, let me tell you the truth—"

"Three years ago, when Comrade Lou Xiao'e was transferred to the subdistrict office, she donated every penny of her monthly salary, totaling 620 yuan! This money helped more than 20 impoverished households who couldn't afford hot meals, and warmed the hearts of more than a dozen families of martyrs! With such sincerity and responsibility, who else deserves praise but her?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Six hundred yuan, that's money that anyone would have saved by gritting their teeth and tightening their belt.

Only skilled fitters like Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, or thrifty people like Yan Bugui who would even split a piece of pickled vegetable into two meals, could possibly scrape together this amount of money.

Ordinary families, without workers' compensation, how could they possibly save up so much money?

Lou Xiao'e, on the other hand, started putting money into the donation box from the very first day she received her salary, and she did it for three whole years—her audacity is truly admirable!

Of course, there were also a few whose stomachs were rumbling with acid. Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes after hearing this, thinking to herself: Donating so much money would be better than sending it to my family; it would be enough to buy twenty or thirty pounds of fatty meat!

Among the crowd, only Qian Youde and Yi Zhonghai were deathly pale, their foreheads beaded with sweat. They both knew perfectly well—this was the district governor himself coming to sabotage them!

With the title of "Advanced Worker" bestowed upon them, can the charges they previously fabricated still stand?

Deputy Director Zhang turned to Qian Youde with a smile: "Director Qian, I've said everything I needed to say. If you have anything else to say, please continue. I won't disturb you."

Qian Youde's lips were dry, and his Adam's apple bobbed. Lou Xiao'e was already standing there holding the certificate of merit stamped by the district, what else could he say?

Insisting on calling the security team to arrest people? Isn't that just slapping Deputy District Chief Li in the face?

At this moment, he only hoped that Deputy Director Zhang would leave quickly so that he could stop the security team members on the way and bury the matter deep in the mud—after all, Lou Xiao'e had already resigned, and dealing with it quietly was the safest course of action; the rumors in the courtyard would dissipate after a bit of suppression.

But Lou Xiao'e wouldn't let him have his way.

They've already blocked my doorstep, and Yu Li has already made the call. How can I let him slip away so easily?

A slight smile played on her lips, her tone light yet sharp: "Deputy Director Zhang, I dare not accept this award. Perhaps you could discuss it with the leadership and simply take it back? Just now, Director Qian pointed his finger at me, calling me a 'reactionary' and a 'capitalist roader,' and threatened to take me to the neighborhood office for interrogation!"

Deputy Director Zhang's eyebrows twitched, and Qian Youde's face instantly turned ashen.

Deputy Director Zhang turned to the side, his gaze sharp as a nail: "Director Qian, were these words said in front of everyone? Comrade Lou Xiao'e's honor was personally approved by Deputy District Head Li. If she really is a 'return-to-the-dong faction,' shouldn't our district's review process be thoroughly reviewed from the beginning?"