Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The rear wheel of that bicycle was a government-issued part; how could you just take it off and put it on your own bike? This wasn't a small-time thing; it was blatant theft.

Not daring to hold a hospital-wide meeting, let alone alert the police station, they could only grit their teeth and suppress their anger, quietly paying 150 yuan to settle the matter.

He Yuzhu clicked his tongue in amazement: This old lamp really has a big appetite. A brand new bicycle ticket is only 120 yuan, but he managed to squeeze out 30 yuan more!

Xu Damao had lost his mind—you can't just burn money like that, he was practically stuffing money into other people's pockets!

The third uncle raised his glass, his face flushed: "Silly Zhu! This drink was well worth it! You were right the other day, we really need to keep a close eye on that kid Xu Damao!"

He secretly thought to himself: Sha Zhu is practically his lucky star! He's only had three drinks this month, and every time something good has happened afterward—

For the first time, the fish stall sold for a good price, making a net profit of three yuan and two jiao;

The second time, Qin Huairu brought some snacks to the door, her smile sweeter than honey.

This third time, he ran into Xu Damao again, who was "giving him money," and he was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to his ears.

"There might be more good news tomorrow..." The third uncle squinted his eyes, thinking happily.

He Yuzhu quickly raised his glass: "Then I must thank you properly, Uncle San!"

……

In the early morning, as the sunlight just began to filter through the window...

"System check-in," He Yuzhu read softly.

"Sign-in successful, reward: 10 jin of meat coupons."

His hand trembled, and he almost dropped the enamel mug on the ground—how could he dare to take this thing out to buy meat?

I'm not a purchasing agent for the cafeteria, and I don't have those connections;

If you were to swagger into a grocery store with ten pounds of meat coupons in your pocket, the butcher would glance at you, immediately grab a cleaver, pin you against the wall, and call the police to arrest you as a "speculator."

What did the previous Director Li do? He secretly bought pig trotters from outside, had the canteen cook them, and sold them for three cents each.

As a result, the workers complained about the high price and reported it to the factory's Party Committee. Director Li was dragged onto the stage that day to make a self-criticism and was transferred to the workshop as deputy director. He never touched the stove again.

Nowadays, in the factory canteen, vegetarian dishes start at two points, and you can only find a tiny bit of meat in dishes that cost five points or more.

Pork prices remained stable at around 75 cents, with minimal fluctuations.

Since I had no acquaintances or connections, I compromised by exchanging my money for cloth coupons on the black market and keeping a pound of meat coupons for emergencies.

When he took roll call this morning, Director Zhang nodded and smiled at him, his tone much more relaxed.

Looks like that four-cent pack of Pegasus cigarettes I gave you yesterday wasn't a waste of money.

While the iron is hot, I'll take two more bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and sound out the possibility of getting a bicycle ticket quota for myself this year.

There are indeed quite a few spots for model worker in the factory, but who gets nominated or not depends entirely on whether the leaders are willing to write your name on their names.

If the relationship isn't right, why would they give you a quota? Do you expect you to ride your new car past his office window every day to annoy him?

At noon, He Yuzhu went straight to Xinhua Bookstore.

I've already read through the "Three Old Articles" countless times; today I need to master "Quotations from Chairman Mao"—so I can have something to say when I chat with people in the future.

Lou Xiao'e wasn't at the counter today. Wearing light blue overalls, she stood next to the high bookshelf, tiptoeing to help people get books from the top shelf.

"Oh my, what a coincidence, Comrade Silly Moth!" He Yuzhu deliberately dragged out his words.

The girl reading next to me couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Lou Xiao'e glanced at him sideways, a slight smile playing on her lips, but her voice was as cold as well water: "What a coincidence, Silly—Zhu—Comrade."

The word "stupid" was pronounced heavily and crisply, like a broken bean.

He Yuzhu immediately shut up, turned around and handed the book back to the staff member, and quickly asked, "Could you please find me a copy of 'Quotations from Chairman Mao'?"

Lou Xiao'e stood on a small stool, tiptoed, and pulled out a red-covered book with gold lettering from the top shelf. After registering the information, she gently placed it on the table.

He Yuzhu took half a step forward: "Are you... free today?"

"What's up?" Lou Xiao'e asked in a flat tone, her gaze sweeping over several colleagues not far away, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Would you do me the honor of having a meal with me?" He stared into her eyes, unwilling to give in.

"That woman isn't your girlfriend, so why is she coming to your house every day?" she asked casually.

Lou Xiao'e shook her head: "Let's do it another day, I'll treat you."

"It's a deal then—see you tomorrow."

You can't get anyone to come? But they've already invited you first. No matter how you look at it, it's a good deal.

He rushed to the black market, paid the entrance fee, and went straight inside. Today's main task was to exchange meat coupons for cotton cloth coupons.

As autumn deepens, cotton cloth coupons become more sought after than ordinary cloth coupons.

The man squatting in the corner held a stack of colorful tickets in his hand, his eyes scanning the passing crowd like an old cat waiting for food.

He Yuzhu squatted down and lowered his voice: "How much for cotton cloth coupons? How much for meat coupons?"

"Ordinary cloth coupons are eight cents a foot, cotton cloth coupons are one mao, and meat coupons are one mao." The man answered crisply without looking up.

He Yuzhu nodded, exchanged the cotton cloth coupons on the spot, and then took out three cents to buy a cigarette coupon and two liquor coupons.

This guy has all the necessary documents, so he probably has connections in the supply and marketing cooperative, but—it's none of his business.

Back at the factory, he knocked on Director Zhang's office door, placed two bottles of Fenjiu liquor on the table, and the bottles clinked together with a crisp sound.

Director Zhang's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing it: "Wow! Three yuan a bottle of Fenjiu? This is top-quality stuff!"

He didn't rush to accept the gift. Instead, he leaned back and said slowly, "Xiao He, just say what you need to say. Don't beat around the bush. If I can't do it, it would be awkward for me to accept your gift."

Ordinary workers drink either bulk dried melon liquor (60 cents a pound) or Jingzhi baijiu (1.1 yuan).

Above that, only Red Star Erguotou (1.5 yuan) is considered the highest price.

He Yuzhu grinned and cut to the chase: "Director, could you spare one of the next batch of bicycle tickets...?"

Director Zhang waved his hand: "This batch of names was submitted a long time ago. Our steel plant has several thousand people, and there are only ten slots in total. Work hard these next two months, and next time I'll definitely move your name up the list!"

He didn't dare to say anything definitively, only saying, "Whether this matter succeeds or not depends entirely on fate—if it succeeds, you can give me a bottle of wine, and I'll accept it; if it doesn't, don't blame me."

There are no quotas available right now, so you can take your things anytime.

"Then please have Director Zhang try this wine first! I've been looking after you for so long, I remember it all." He Yuzhu smiled and pushed the wine forward.

"He who takes a bribe is bound to be obligated to serve it," as the saying goes.

……

Stepping out of Director Zhang's office, He Yuzhu slowed his pace. He suddenly realized that things didn't need to be rushed; as long as the stage was quietly set up, the show would naturally begin, it was just a matter of scale.

In the original story, Sha Zhu was always impatient and easily angered. He would slam his fist on the table and glare at the slightest dissatisfaction. He couldn't stand the slightest injustice from his superiors and would rush in to take the blame and shield others from bullets at the drop of a hat, only to end up looking foolish and getting nothing but a bad word in return.

He didn't accept any of this from the bottom of his heart. Everyone has their own way of living, and no one owes anyone anything. There's no need to force yourself into someone else's miserable life as a stepping stone.

Like Qin Huairu—her way of life relies on clinging to the pity of others. But if she didn't have Sha Zhu's soft heart, would she really just sit and wait to starve to death? Not necessarily. A person lives for their pride, and the path is always forged by themselves.

……

After chatting with the veteran ticket scalper on the black market today, He Yuzhu felt much more at ease: as long as the grain could be produced, the other party would swallow it whole without hesitation.

Previously, he was completely clueless about the black market, but today he simply grabbed a few regulars and asked, "What's the maximum weight you can exchange at once?"

We've arranged to discuss this in more detail tomorrow, and then we'll make long-term plans.

With this income, money was more readily available, and many things could be easily put aside—for example, the 1958 Golden Wheel brand Guizhou Moutai in the department store, eight yuan a bottle, no coupons required. This wasn't just liquor; it was clearly a lifeline right under our noses.

……

Ma Hua jogged up to him: "Master! The factory's showing a movie today, in the auditorium, are you coming?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "Who notified me?" — No one had mentioned this at all.

Ma Hua grinned: "The comrades from the publicity department just came by! They said they were showing 'Liu Sanjie.' Do you know Liu Sanjie?"

He Yuzhu laughed out loud: "I do know Sister Liu Si, but her proper name is Sister Liu San."

He paused, then raised his voice, "Since there's a show tonight, everyone hurry up and finish so we can get our seats! Front row seats are the best; getting one is a steal!"

Upon hearing this, the workers immediately erupted in chaos, dropping everything they were doing and rushing to the auditorium.

Autumn is in full swing, the wind is chilly, and a fine autumn rain is falling from the sky, but who cares?

Movies were the brightest light at the time, illuminating people's hearts and brightening their lives.

The phenomenon of tickets being hard to come by at the end of the year is something that has been built up little by little.

"Hey old Zhang, where did you get this ticket? Did you queue up to get it?" someone asked, getting closer.

"Forget about queuing! Shoes were blown away long ago!" Old Zhang waved his hand. "My son's friend gave them to me. We're in for a good show tonight!"

"Tsk tsk, that's really enviable."

……

As usual, after dinner, everyone carried their own stools and headed straight to the screening venue.

Those who arrived late had nowhere to sit, so they simply stood in a circle; the children had been told by their parents to bring their little stools with them before leaving the house.

Back then, televisions were still a rarity. Being able to watch a movie was as exciting as putting up paper-cut window decorations or making dumplings during the Lunar New Year.

As soon as the screen lit up, everyone's eyes lit up.

As soon as the plot shifted, a buzz of discussion broke out below; if a detail was missed, someone would immediately fill it in; even a minor character raising an eyebrow would be scrutinized for a long time.

He Yuzhu watched for a while, then got up and left—the night school was waiting for him.

Sure enough, the classroom was sparsely populated; most of the students had gone to watch a movie. The teacher didn't say much and continued the lesson as usual.

Teacher Gao first spent more than an hour teaching the multiplication tables, and then led everyone to learn forty new characters, writing each character on the blackboard and teaching each stroke carefully.

As soon as get out of class ended, the remaining students took off running, chanting, "Hurry, hurry, the show might not have started yet!"

He Yuzhu turned straight into his house—it was too cold, and the wind felt like knives on his face.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the courtyard was quiet, with hardly anyone in sight; I guessed they were all over at the auditorium.