Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He had no real sense of belonging to this compound; he lived here, but his spirit lingered outside.

Having just been reprimanded by Director Wang, Yi Zhonghai dared not openly break ties, so he could only secretly sabotage the situation—determined to slowly spread the word and make everyone in the hospital distance themselves from Sha Zhu.

This was the trick he came up with last night when he couldn't sleep: no weapons, just words.

From today onwards, tell everyone you meet that He Yuzhu is unsociable, disrespectful to elders, and has no regard for the collective.

As word spreads, people's hearts naturally grow cold.

When everyone avoids him, how will that idiot Zhu find a wife?

-

He Yushui didn't see her lunchbox today, and her little face drooped slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

But when she heard her brother say he was going to make her new clothes, her eyes lit up and the corners of her mouth turned up like crescent moons.

He Yuzhu put away the cloth and ration coupons, took his sister's hand, and went straight to Grandma Li's house to take measurements.

The little girl was well-fed and plump, growing taller and rounder.

Two new outfits, one fits perfectly, the other was deliberately made a bit bigger—leaving room so it will fit perfectly in a few months.

His own two outfits were still the same, the same old people's uniform, just in a different color.

After measuring with the ruler, Old Lady Li glanced at the remaining fabric, looked up, and smiled, "Zhu Zi, there's still some fabric left. Why don't you add something else?"

He Yuzhu scratched his head: "I haven't decided yet. How about we start doing it first and figure it out as we go?"

"Okay! I'll work as fast as I can to finish it for you these next few days."

"Hey, no rush, no rush. It's not like we're without pants." He waved his hand. "Don't tire yourself out. Slow and steady wins the race."

After saying that, he pulled He Yushui home to cook.

Although he didn't bring a lunchbox back, the pot of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar was crisp and translucent, and the hot and sour shredded potatoes were so spicy that they made people gasp for breath. After he cooked it, the aroma was so strong that even the neighbors could smell it.

He Yushui ate with her hands on her bowl, her cheeks bulging, her face full of satisfaction.

-

As dawn broke on the weekend, the entire compound was still fast asleep, with windows tightly shut and faint snores emanating from the houses.

Only He Yuzhu had already gotten up, quietly tidied himself up, and took He Yushui out the door.

The breakfast stall on the street corner was steaming hot. The two of them each had two meat buns and a bowl of fragrant fried liver, and their mouths were watering.

After eating and drinking his fill, he hopped on his bicycle, put his arm around his sister on the back, and rode out of the alley with the bicycle bell jingling.

After passing through streets and alleys, we soon arrived at the entrance of Master Li Yuan's house—a small courtyard house with two courtyards, quiet and peaceful, with only four households.

He pushed his cart into the courtyard and saw Li Yuanguo standing in the center of the courtyard smoking, the smoke curling upwards, his expression indifferent.

Upon seeing him, his expression flickered slightly, but when his gaze fell upon the overflowing pile of gift boxes on the back of the bicycle, his brows immediately furrowed.

"Hey kid, you came all this way, why are you carrying so much stuff? Showing off your money, huh?"

He Yuzhu grinned: "How can I come empty-handed? That's the rule! I swear I won't bring anything next time!"

While talking, his hands didn't stop. He deftly unloaded two bottles of Moutai, two boxes of Beijing snacks, and a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, and then pretended to walk into the house.

Li Yuanguo raised his hand to stop him: "Stop! Do you think your master needs this little thing? Take it back!"

"I don't lack anything, but this is a gift from my apprentice to you!" He Yuzhu blinked. "Besides, I don't smoke or drink. Wouldn't it be a waste if you let me take it back? Or... how about I borrow half a jin of your pre-Qingming Longjing tea? I can take it with me when I leave, so it's not free."

Li Yuanguo was both amused and annoyed. He raised his hand to tap him on the head: "You little rascal, you always have your eye on my tea stash! Fine, fine, I'll pack some for you when you leave, just shut up!"

"Alright! Thank you for the reward, Master!" he replied with a grin.

The two entered the house and sat down. After a short while, a gentle woman came out of the house, followed by a little girl who looked about the same age as He Yushui and timidly hid behind her mother.

He Yuzhu immediately stood up, his smile radiant: "Hello, Master's wife! This must be my junior sister, right? I brought some snacks for her to try."

The master's wife took the box of pastries, smiling and scolding, "Zhu Zi, you're too kind. Don't bring so much next time! Please sit down, I'll go make some tea."

"Don't bother," Li Yuanguo waved his hand. "I have an appointment with Zhuzi, so I have to go out for a while."

Could you watch the two kids for me for a bit? We'll be back this afternoon.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost time.

He turned to He Yuzhu and gestured with his chin: "Let's go, let's set off."

The two pushed the stroller out of the hospital, the wheels making a light, tinkling sound as they rolled over the cobblestones.

With their top-notch skills, how could a chef not own a bicycle?

This apprenticeship journey couldn't have gone more smoothly.

With Li Yuanguo's personal introduction, and He Yuzhu immediately presenting two bottles of Moutai, a box of pastries, and a carton of cigarettes upon meeting—this gesture was considered a generous gift in the industry.

The other driver was pleased with himself and immediately nodded, "Okay! It's settled then!"

He Yuzhu didn't have time to dawdle. He made up his mind to first learn the basic stances of Xingyi Quan from Master Zhang, and then practice diligently on his own later.

With the proficiency system at your fingertips, once you step through the door, it's a straight path to success—the more you practice, the faster you get stronger; there's no such thing as a bottleneck.

Coincidentally, Master Zhang had the same idea.

He Yuzhu is not young anymore. According to the old rules, he has long passed the best age to learn martial arts. It would be difficult to expect him to become a master.

However, Li Yuanguo couldn't refuse, so he simply went along with it and accepted a disciple under a pseudonym.

The boxing manual teaches how much one can understand and how well one can master it; it all depends on one's own destiny.

The two got what they wanted and hit it off immediately.

On the day the apprenticeship ceremony was completed, Master Zhang also gave me a family recipe for medicinal wine, saying it was a treasure for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, strengthening bones and muscles. He said that after drinking it for a while, I would be able to concentrate better when boxing.

He Yuzhu took the prescription, his heart warmed.

He knew that this generous gift was probably given because of Li Yuanguo, but he didn't hesitate. At noon, he immediately went out and brought back several pounds of chicken and pork, then took charge of cooking and starting the fire.

The preparations were swift and efficient, resulting in seven dishes: four fully meat dishes glistening with oil, three half-meat dishes with an enticing aroma, and one vegetable dish and a soup to top the table.

It was such a feast that even Master Zhang's little brat ate until his mouth was greasy, then collapsed on the ground groaning and rubbing his round belly, saying, "I can't walk anymore."

Before leaving, the two agreed on the rules: He Yuzhu would come to learn from them whenever he was free on weekends, and practice at home on weekdays.

Just before leaving, Master Zhang handed him a yellowed handwritten boxing manual—"Essentials of Xingyi Boxing"—the handwriting was neat and the strokes were vigorous, clearly not a cheap imitation found on the market.

On the way back, Li Yuanguo earnestly advised, "Zhuzi, you may not become a grandmaster with this method, but it will be more than enough to deal with a few street thugs."

Remember, don't confront things head-on; if there are many people around, back off; don't try to be a hero.

"I understand, Master. You can rest assured." He Yuzhu replied, but his mind was in turmoil. If I master Xingyi Quan to its peak, will it really be like the legend, where I can kick out three inches of air force and strike a cow across a mountain?

The moment the thought arises, my blood boils.

With the system backing him up, he wasn't afraid of being slow, he was afraid of stopping.

As long as you practice day after day, your proficiency will eventually increase.

Back home, I closed the door, drew the curtains, and officially began training.

I had previously asked my third uncle to order new furniture from a carpenter, and the house was refurbished.

The old bed and cabinet were given away as gifts, and the remaining broken table and chairs were sold directly to the scrap yard. The room suddenly felt much more spacious, which made room for practicing boxing.

He spread out the boxing manual and began to imitate the movements, like a cat trying to draw a tiger.

At first, my movements were stiff, like a puppet just put on a stake, but after a few minutes, a soft "ding" sounded in my mind—

[Xingyiquan Proficiency +1]

coming!

Just as he expected, as long as the action was performed correctly, the system immediately recognized it.

Once you break through a level, there's hope for further advancement.

So he gritted his teeth and continued, repeating the basic stance over and over again.

Advancing from level one to level two is easy, but Xingyi Quan is too physically demanding. After a few tens of minutes, I was already drenched in sweat and breathing rapidly.

Fortunately, he had a solid foundation; he had never lacked food or drink since childhood, and his muscles and bones were strong. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago.

As I finished the final round of practice, my whole body ached as if pricked by needles, but in that very instant—

[Xingyi Quan has been successfully upgraded to Level 2!]

Immediately afterwards, a wealth of boxing theory and experience flooded his mind: key points of power generation, breathing rhythm, footwork transitions... It was as if an invisible teacher was dissecting moves and explaining energy in his mind.

He quickly brought up the system panel, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes:

[Proficiency System]

[Host: He Yuzhu]

【技能：厨艺（三级：325160/400000）、家务（五级：800/800）、俄语（五级：800/800）、英语（五级：800/800）、形意拳（二级：1/200）】

System space: 3 cubic meter

Looking at that string of numbers, He Yuzhu grinned.

This is just the beginning.

But we need to take a break for now.

The training was so intense that my body was sticky and my clothes were soaked with sweat.

He casually pulled off his undershirt, intending to take a hot shower first, and then have some dinner to fill his stomach.

……

56

Time flies like an arrow; two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The world has changed dramatically in the past two years.

For He Yuzhu, the two most important events were the public-private partnership and the dominance of ration coupons.

Fengzeyuan has long since removed its private sign and hung up a red plaque that reads "State-run Restaurant".

The original manager stepped down and a new general manager took over.

Although the system has changed, the restaurant's reputation has not collapsed; on the contrary, its fame has spread further and further.

When food and meat coupons became scarce, ordinary families faced restrictions on what they could eat. But families with both working parents and urban residency could still manage to afford a decent meal once a month.

After all, given the same amount of money, who wouldn't want to eat something more refined?