Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The news that Xu Damao brought home a new wife caused quite a stir in the courtyard. Especially when they heard that she was a widow, it confirmed what everyone was gossiping about: Xu Damao really couldn't have children.

Why else would he willingly raise someone else's child? He's a projectionist with a base salary of barely forty yuan, plus extra income from film screenings and additional showings, easily making fifty or sixty yuan a month. Why should he spend money to support someone else's bloodline for nothing?

Late night

"Anyway, you're taking a break tomorrow, I'll take care of breakfast."

He Yuzhu chuckled softly, then casually put his arm around Lou Xiao'e's shoulder, preparing to rest. He was still full of energy, but Lou Xiao'e was already so tired that her eyelids were drooping, and she was curled up in his arms, dozing off.

Lou Xiao'e suddenly whispered in his ear, "By the way, Yu Li said she's moving out soon—the washing machine factory has assigned her a dormitory. I guess she felt awkward seeing Xu Damao bring his new wife back and doesn't want to be in the way anymore. When she moves out, could you lend her a hand?"

"Move away?"

These words put him at ease. With one less person in the house, he felt much more at ease: he no longer had to worry about the amount of food, nor did he have to constantly avoid suspicion or feel constrained.

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, I'll take a look then."

Semi-automatic washing machines are selling like hotcakes on Hong Kong Island. Lou's factory is not only selling to Southeast Asia, but also has orders from Australia, South Korea, and Japan booked until the end of the year. In just a few months, Zhenghe Washing Machine Factory has become one of the largest physical manufacturing plants on Hong Kong Island.

As the factory grew larger, so did the departments: the production lines doubled, and a dedicated R&D team was set up to focus on new models.

Because of the rising status of the washing machine factory, after a vacant area near the factory was cleared out, the neighborhood committee simply assigned it to the factory for unified allocation.

After a meeting, the factory leaders decided to distribute the produce to support staff and frontline workers in a 3:7 ratio.

Bai Danyu was one of the lucky ones among the 30%. In terms of seniority, the house shouldn't have been hers, but since she was an acquaintance of He Yuzhu, she filled in Yu Li's name on the form and was assigned a single room in a large courtyard—the courtyard was mostly inhabited by divorced female workers or single employees, who knew each other well and felt quite at ease.

Yu Li's luggage was simple, and it all fit in an old wooden box.

Just before leaving, Lou Xiao'e felt a lump in her throat and took her hand, saying, "Yu Li, come back and visit us often. He Xiao misses you terribly."

Back then, He Yuzhu was often away filming, and He Yushui went to university and lived on campus. When He Xiao was only one or two years old, Yu Li took care of him and raised him single-handedly.

"Don't worry, Xiao'e, you're the only friend I've ever truly trusted in my life. I'll definitely come often!"

Lou Xiao'e smiled and nodded: "I'll ride my bike to take you there so you can get familiar with the place; after you've rested for a couple of days, I'll bring He Xiao to see you."

Yu Li blinked: "It's a deal!"

He Xiao stayed at home, looked after by He Yuzhu. Although he rarely took care of children, he could hold and soothe them for a while without getting overwhelmed.

Just as Lou Xiao'e got on her bicycle, Xu Damao suddenly slipped in from outside the gate. He caught sight of Yu Li, and a surge of anger flashed in his eyes—they were still husband and wife in name, but their affection had long been torn to shreds.

He hated her for exposing his shortcomings in front of the entire hospital: saying that "he had no physical ability." As a result, the rumors spread like wildfire, forcing him to go to the hospital for a checkup—and the results were devastating: he had congenital asthenospermia, and his chance of conceiving naturally was only one in ten thousand.

The doctor's "one in ten thousand" was just a comforting remark; he went to three or four other hospitals, and the answers were all the same. He then believed in a so-called "traditional Chinese medicine doctor," drank himself into a stomach ache and diarrhea, and his stomach was ruined... In the end, having no other choice, he gritted his teeth and married this widow with a child.

He met this widow when he was showing movies in villages and hamlets years ago. When he heard that Xu Damao wanted to marry her, Wang Xiufang almost jumped for joy.

Changing one's surname and adding the character "Cheng" to one's household registration allows one to shed the identity of a peasant—a windfall that countless rural women would fight tooth and nail for.

Although he married a rural widow and they didn't have food rations after moving to the city, Xu Damao's meager salary, plus some extra income from shady dealings, was more than enough to support his family of three.

More importantly, the fact that he was infertile had already spread throughout the courtyard. Apart from women like Wang Xiufang who had no choice, what city girl would want to marry him? Even if she was of average appearance, she wanted to have children and a warm bed to keep the family line. She couldn't possibly bet her whole life on a man who had no heir, could she?

"Hmph, let's go, Xiao'e."

Yu Li glanced at Xu Damao sideways, then turned to Lou Xiao'e and said. As soon as she heard that Xu Damao had married a widow with a child, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upwards, her sarcasm written all over her face, making Xu Damao's teeth itch with anger.

Lou Xiao'e simply replied, "Let's go, Yu Li."

Xu Damao clenched his fists and walked home with his head down. Today he had specially cut four ounces of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, intending to cook a decent meal for his two stepchildren.

As soon as he stepped into the backyard, he stuffed the meat into Wang Xiufang's hands: "I'll stir-fry some twice-cooked pork for lunch so the kids can have a treat."

Before he could finish speaking, there were two loud knocks on the courtyard gate.

He opened the door and froze—Yi Zhonghai was standing outside.

That's strange. In the early years, he and Yi Zhonghai hardly ever had a nice word to say to each other. When they were young, Yi Zhonghai would always side with He Yuzhu and scold him for "not learning good things". Later, he and He Yuzhu improved their relationship, but Yi Zhonghai broke off relations with He Yuzhu instead. Later still, he and He Yuzhu fell out again... Their relationship went around in circles, but he never got close to Yi Zhonghai.

"Sir, is something the matter...?"

Xu Damao stared at the wine bottle in Yi Zhonghai's hand, the peanuts wrapped in oil paper, and the cucumber salad in the small dish, and thought to himself: He doesn't seem to be here to cause trouble.

"Da Mao, I heard you're back. I was thinking of coming over for a visit and maybe we could chat for a bit."

Yi Zhonghai waved the object in his hand and asked with a smile, "Would it be convenient for us to go inside and talk?"

Xu Damao thought for a moment, then immediately put on a smile: "Welcome, welcome! Has the old man eaten yet? My wife is cooking right now, would you like a bite?"

It wouldn't be a bad deal to treat him to a meal—that bottle of wine cost at least two yuan, which is about the same as the four ounces of meat he bought.

"Then you won't be polite, Da Mao."

Yi Zhonghai followed him into the house with a smile and sat down at the table. Xu Damao's two stepchildren, who were now called "Xu," were sitting next to him. As soon as he sat down, Xu Damao waved to the two children, signaling them to go back to their own room.

The house had long been divided into two parts, with two small beds set up against the wall in the inner room for the two children to sleep in.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

"Da Mao, after all these years of ups and downs, I've finally seen the true nature of the people in this compound. Of all the young people in our compound, you're the only one who can truly handle things!"

Yi Zhonghai unscrewed the bottle cap, poured himself a full glass with a "sizzle," then poured a glass for Xu Damao, showering him with compliments without a single drop of water.

These words sounded comforting. If someone else had said them, Xu Damao would have just smiled. But coming from Yi Zhonghai, they carried a different weight. After all, in the past, when Yi Zhonghai saw him, he would either frown or sigh, constantly calling him a "spendthrift" or a "bastard." But now, holding a wine glass, he spoke more and more soothingly than ever.

But Xu Damao wasn't swayed by the persuasion. After listening for a few moments, he bluntly stated, "Uncle, just say what you need. You know who I am, Xu Damao—if I can do it, I'll agree immediately; if I can't, don't even bother asking."

The words left no room for negotiation; the meaning was clear: don't beat around the bush, either it works or it doesn't.

"Great! Damao, I love your straightforwardness!"

Yi Zhonghai nodded heavily, then sighed deeply: "I won't hide the shameful thing from you anymore—I divorced your aunt because He Yuzhu interfered. Now Zhang Shufen doesn't even care about the old lady anymore."

"But the old lady is getting on in years, how can she be left unattended? You know how it is in our neighborhood, there's no one suitable. You just got married, and your wife is hardworking and capable. I wanted to discuss with you whether your wife could lend a hand, doing things like cooking and laundry, just to help out..."

"It won't be for nothing. Four yuan a month, how about that? The old lady watched you grow up. Your wife helping out is her way of showing her love."

"Sir, this matter has come too suddenly. Please allow me some time to think it over?"

Xu Damao couldn't figure out what Yi Zhonghai was up to. The two had a deep-seated grudge; when he was a child, eight out of ten times he was scolded, Yi Zhonghai and He Yuzhu would join in the scolding. Although they hadn't argued anymore, they had only maintained a superficial relationship. If it weren't for the recent falling out between Yi Zhonghai and He Yuzhu, and Yi Zhonghai bringing wine to his door, Xu Damao would never have let this man step across his threshold.

"Da Mao, I used to be confused and mistook He Yuzhu for an honest man, and I had many misunderstandings about you..."

Yi Zhonghai noticed the wariness in Xu Damao's eyes and quickly put on a regretful expression, his tone becoming somber as if he were speaking from the heart. But he knew very well in his heart that the person he hated most now was He Yuzhu, and his relationship with Xu Damao was still just a temporary measure to win him over.

"Da Mao, you've been badly screwed over by He Yuzhu too. We used to have stable homes, but look at us now—you got married and it fell apart, your ex-wife moved into He Yuzhu's house; and my wife is gone too. Sigh, if only I had seen through him a few years earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess today..."

These words struck a chord with Xu Damao. He had indeed been on friendly terms with He Yuzhu for a while before He Yuzhu was promoted to canteen manager; but from the day He Yuzhu put on the manager's armband, he felt uneasy.

Why should someone who's just wielding a ladle at the stove get a leadership position before him?

Xu Damao was at least a cultured man. He often showed movies to the factory leaders and accompanied them to dinner and drinks. In every way, he was more respectable than He Yuzhu.

That resentment was buried from that time onwards, but it was suppressed and never revealed.

After He Yuzhu married Lou Xiao'e, Xu Damao's sour feeling intensified, like old vinegar being poured into boiling oil, sizzling and rushing straight to his head.

"Okay, sir, I understand—come on, let's have one!"