Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

It wasn't that she didn't want to send it, but that she couldn't—Yi Zhonghai not only cut off her living expenses, but also used underhanded tactics to completely block her access to odd jobs through the neighborhood office.

"You've endured all this, and you still aren't planning to leave Yi Zhonghai?"

Lou Xiao'e took out two pieces of candy and put them in Yi Zhiliang's palm, then gently pushed him to the living room to look through comic books. After the child left, she sat down next to an older woman, and her tone became more serious.

These days, neighbors always say "advise reconciliation, not separation," but when things really get to the point where they can't be torn apart or tolerated anymore, like this old lady being strangled, it's actually someone who should lend a helping hand.

Yi Zhonghai could still grit his teeth and bear it if he didn't pay; but it was too much for him to ruin even the odd jobs he did for the neighborhood committee, like pasting cardboard boxes and doing sewing and cleaning. With the old lady's quick hands and hard work, she could have easily supported Zhiliang for a month with just those jobs, and even managed to save a dollar or two.

"He's forcing you to send Zhiliang away. Judging from your expression, he's not going to budge. But what if he runs out of patience one day and secretly takes the child away when you're not around? You're an old woman, where will you find him then?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's anger flared up instantly, her voice trembling: "He wouldn't dare! I'd rather die than not tear his face apart!"

"But you never really know," Lou Xiao'e said calmly, but every word hit the nail on the head. "He even dares to stop you from taking on odd jobs. Next, he'll probably go around to every compound and get rid of your 'wife of Yi Zhonghai, the eighth-grade fitter' label. Think about it, without that identity, who would dare to give you any work?"

These words were accurate and incisive, perfectly capturing Yi Zhonghai's temperament.

The old woman's heart sank. She used to believe that no matter how outrageous he was, he wouldn't go so far as to do something so extreme; but now, after hearing Lou Xiao'e say this, she suddenly felt that Yi Zhonghai was really capable of doing it.

"Xiao'e... but if I leave, the factory might even take back our accommodation. Zhiliang and I can't just slink back to the countryside..."

Lou Xiao'e thought for a moment and asked, "Auntie, was this room allocated by the factory or the neighborhood committee?"

"It's the neighborhood committee! They were the ones who took the lead in allocating the housing back then. I remember it very clearly—He Daqing's family's public housing was converted to private housing, while no one else's was touched; it was all public housing."

The older woman paused, glanced at Lou Xiao'e, and added, "Back then, the steel mill was still owned by the Lou family. You were too young then, so you probably don't remember."

The steel rolling mill didn't care where the workers lived at all; they had to find their own housing or have it allocated by the military control committee or the street office.

"That makes things easier." Lou Xiao'e nodded. "I'll go to the Women's Federation when I have time. In your situation, there's a high chance you can get a small room after the divorce. Anyway, the house doesn't belong to Yi Zhonghai, so it's not his place to decide."

She paused, her gaze fixed on the older woman: "That is, if you're truly determined. Otherwise, besides divorce, you only have one other option—listen to him, and take Zhiliang…"

"No!" the woman blurted out, her voice suddenly rising, "I'd rather take him back to the mountains to farm than lay a finger on Zhiliang!"

A moment of silence fell over the room. Outside, the wind rustled through the treetops. An older woman, her knuckles white, gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. Finally, she looked up, her eyes steadying. "Xiao'e," she said, "this matter… I'm entrusting you with the task of scouting out a way for me."

"Director He, shall I call a car to take you home?"

"No need to bother, it's only two bus stops to my doorstep. Let everyone go first—I was planning to buy some things on the way back anyway."

He Yuzhu waved with a smile, though he was already covered in packages: a canvas bag slung across his shoulder, a bulging burlap sack in his hand, and a long, tightly wrapped bundle of oil paper on his back. There was only one car to pick people up, and it was packed with people coming back. If he tried to squeeze on, the people behind him would have to wait for the next one, so it was easier to take the bus.

What he brought back from Heilongjiang Province this time was all solid, high-quality goods. He had plenty of money, and before leaving, he specifically sought out Leader Wang to ask, "Sir, I'd like to go to the countryside in my personal capacity to collect some local products, bypassing official channels. Is that alright?"

Without saying a word, Leader Wang nodded – He Yuzhu had just made a great contribution, and it would be superfluous for him to even speak up about such a small matter.

Having received confirmation, he immediately followed a colleague from the purchasing department of a local factory and plunged into the remote mountain valleys, visiting four or five villages in succession. He managed to find several rare items:

He found the whole tiger skin under the kang cabinet in the old hunter's house in the third village. The fur was shiny and thick, and not a single needle was broken. It was originally a treasure that the old man had prepared to pass down to his grandson. He Yuzhu visited twice and traded it for a 20-year-old wild ginseng.

Northeast ginseng is famous, but if you actually spend money, you might not be able to buy it.

He also had two bear paws, which he quietly put into his personal space; they were cool and solid. He then visited seven or eight old hunters and collected five top-quality sable pelts, plus three decent-quality deer antlers—although they were a bit damp and soft, these days it was hard to even see a live deer, let alone antlers with blood on them.

These things are things that ordinary people in Beijing have never even seen. He spent seventy-two yuan on them, and if he had taken them to the Dong'an Market to resell, he could have made more than three times that amount.

The tiger skin was left to Lou Xiao'e—she could choose the bed and clothes, but the tiger skin coat was too eye-catching and would easily attract attention if worn outside; a pot of thick soup was stewed with bear paws to whet the appetite and refresh the whole family; of the five mink pelts, Chen Xueru and Bai Danyu each got two, He Yushui kept one, and he had already planned the remaining few, drying and grinding them into powder to make several pills to strengthen muscles and bones.

Carrying heavy thoughts, He Yuzhu took a bus and swayed for less than twenty minutes before arriving at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang. A fifteen-minute walk later, the faded wooden door of the courtyard house came into view.

He entered the hospital right at lunchtime, just as he was about to start his workday.

Just as she stepped across the threshold, she bumped into the old woman squatting by the well, picking vegetables. When she looked up and saw it was him, her face turned pale instantly, her hand trembled, and the vegetables fell into the basin. Without bothering to retrieve them, she picked up the basin and turned to run back into the house.

Her family had a long-standing feud with He Yuzhu, and besides, Yan Bugui had just been exposed, and the news hadn't died down yet. And that matter just couldn't avoid Lou Xiao'e—she was trying to avoid it as much as possible.

But when others saw He Yuzhu, they all greeted him warmly:

"Oh, Director He's back?"

"Brother Zhu! We've been waiting for you to come back! It's been almost a year!"

He Yuzhu smiled and agreed to each one. Nowadays, no one dares to call him "Silly Zhu" to his face. That name has long become a veiled insult. Only people like Lao Wang, who grew up together with him, still affectionately call him "Zhuzi".

He strolled to the middle courtyard and bumped into Jia Zhangshi, who was rubbing Jia Dongxu's pants with her hands on her hips and cursing. As soon as she saw him enter carrying a full load of luggage, her face instantly twisted into a bitter gourd. Without even rinsing off the soap, she picked up the basin and shrank back into the house.

Now, she's like a mouse before a cat whenever she sees He Yuzhu. She even whispers behind his back, afraid that if she lets something slip, she'll be overheard and get a loud slap in the face.

I'm just going to skip it today—my back is so sore I can't straighten up, I'm going to lie down and rest. As for my pants? I'll wash them when Qin Huairu gets home from get off work!

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids. Seeing that his door was ajar, he pushed it open and went inside.

"Who is it?"

Lou Xiao'e's clear voice came from the inner room.

He immediately put down all his bundles and rushed inside, calling out as he went, "Xiao'e, it's me!"

There was a moment of silence in the room, followed by a rustling sound. Lou Xiao'e put down the notebook she was teaching He Xiao to trace characters, and without even putting on her shoes properly, she ran out barefoot—but before she could cross the threshold, He Yuzhu had already slipped into the room.

After being apart for so long, her eyes welled up with tears. She rushed forward and hugged his neck tightly, her body trembling slightly. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.

After a long while, she finally let go, her fingertips still clutching his collar, and a barrage of questions poured out like beans:

"Why did you suddenly come back? You didn't even give me a heads-up so I could pick you up at the station! Did you finish things up over there? Will you be sent on assignments abroad again?"

"How old am I? Do I need to be picked up? The factory did have a car ready, but there were too many people and I couldn't get a turn, so I just strolled back and took the bus. It was much more comfortable."

He pulled Lou Xiao'e to sit by the window, then lifted little He Xiao onto his lap. The child, however, timidly shrank his neck, his little face scrunched up, and he looked like he was about to cry. After a few attempts to soothe him failed, He Yuzhu gently put him back on the ground, turned to Lou Xiao'e, and smiled:

"The job is almost finished. I'll probably get an award or something when the newspapers publish it in a few days. I should be able to settle down for the next few years... unless my parents are pushing me too hard in Hong Kong."

"By the way, why didn't you go to the factory today?"

Lou Xiao'e sighed, her voice softening: "I've resigned. From now on, I'll stay home and focus on teaching He Xiao to read and do arithmetic."

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "How could you just resign like that?"

"It's all because of Qian Youde, the new guy. He's always making things difficult for me, not only holding me back from getting a permanent position, but also dumping all the most grueling work on me. I thought to myself—your salary and allowances are enough, and your child is still young, why should I put up with all that?"

She finished her story in a few words: from Director Wang's promotion and transfer, to Qian Youde being investigated for embezzlement, and then to Yi Zhonghai being dismissed from the steel rolling mill...

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu slammed his fist into his thigh and jumped to his feet: "That old bastard Yi Zhonghai! He dares to stab me in the back? I think he's itching for a fight! You just wait—"

"Yuzhu! Where are you going? Come back here!"

Lou Xiao'e saw He Yuzhu get up and walk out, so she grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. Actually, with He Yuzhu's arm strength, she couldn't hold him back at all—but he was afraid that she would slip and fall, and he was also afraid that he would hurt her if he couldn't control his strength, so he stopped in his tracks.

"Yi Zhonghai works at a steel rolling mill. You're not really going to rush into the workshop and throw a punch, are you? I didn't lose a piece of my flesh... Besides, I've been trying to persuade an older woman to divorce him these past few days. It's not entirely out of anger, but mainly because I see her being forced to the point where she can't even keep her job pasting cardboard boxes at the neighborhood office. If she keeps going like this, she'll really be unable to breathe."