Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu didn't reply, but simply gestured with his chin toward the alley entrance: "If you trust me, come with me."

Liu Lan's heart skipped a beat: In broad daylight, and with colleagues from the same factory, he wouldn't possibly harm someone, would he?

But that moment of hesitation only lasted a moment before being suppressed by a heavier thought—she followed afterward.

Ever since Ma Hua mentioned Liu Lan's matter, He Yuzhu had already made up his mind: I'll help her this once, just this once.

So they prepared a "suit" at the factory well in advance - a simple mask cut from cardboard with thin cloth strips on both sides. They put it on their face, covered half of their face, and it was not eye-catching and was enough.

Why do people need to disguise themselves to enter the black market? Because red armbands are often seen inside.

You might not be able to catch someone if you bump into them, but if they get entangled with you, that's bad enough; and if someone sees you on the way back and asks what to say, you can't exactly say "I went to the black market to buy food," can you?

After paying and entering, Liu Lan glanced around and her heart suddenly lit up:

Rice, flour, oil, sugar, coarse grains and fine grains, everything is available; grain coupons, oil coupons, bean coupons, pastry coupons... not a single one is missing.

She clenched her fists and thought to herself: This trip was definitely worthwhile.

I'll try making mung bean cakes when I get back. From now on, I won't have to risk my life for those few bites of food in the cafeteria anymore—there's grain on the black market, and at worst, the whole family can just eat cornbread and get by.

She was a simple, honest person who had worked around the stove since childhood. She only started working in the factory after her husband passed away. She had never even been involved in the black market in her life, so how would she know these tricks of the trade?

After buying a few grain coupons, she and He Yuzhu left together.

"Thank you, Master He." Her voice was soft, carrying a genuine warmth.

"No need for thanks." He Yuzhu waved his hand, his tone calm. "Be more careful when you come in and out of here in the future. Don't bring unreliable people in, or you'll end up hurting yourself and others."

He wasn't afraid that Liu Lan might implicate him if she got arrested—because this was a deal that would be final: the first and the last time.

The path has already been paved for her; how she walks it is up to her own feet.

Even if she brings someone else to the black market someday, it will have nothing to do with He Yuzhu.

If no one is protecting them, who would dare to open a black market in this area? There's no tacit understanding between the people in charge on both sides; even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that.

……

After seeing Liu Lan off, He Yuzhu went back to the factory to rest for a while, as he still had to work in the afternoon.

When Liu Lan opened the door, her three children were already sitting on small stools waiting for her.

The eldest, Wan Liying, is ten years old; the second, Wan Jianjun, is eight years old; and the third, Wan Lili, is six years old.

Despite their humble circumstances, the children are incredibly sensible: the leftover cornbread from yesterday is still steaming in the pot, the stove still warm, waiting for their mother to bring back the vegetables from the factory. Once mixed, it will be a hot meal for the whole family.

She married into the Wan family when she was fifteen—that was before the founding of the People's Republic of China, when there was no marriage law or notarization; she was given twenty catties of sorghum rice in exchange for her entry into the family.

The man was an honest man. He joined the Lou family factory the year the country was founded, and she made all the decisions, big and small.

Unfortunately, she was unlucky and passed away early; her parents-in-law also passed away early, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. In the old society, they probably wouldn't even have been able to step out the door.

People from the Women's Federation came to her door to comfort her and explained the policies in detail: women from China have job security, and factories can take over their husbands' employment status... This finally pulled her out of the mire.

Her family advised her to remarry, fearing that her child would be mistreated. She shook her head and did not agree.

The first time she secretly brought food from the cafeteria, her hands trembled so much she could barely hold the lunchbox; later, seeing several other female workers doing the same thing, she gradually became bolder.

But He Yuzhu's words today were like a needle, gently piercing through that layer of wishful thinking—she knew very well how severe the consequences would be if things really went wrong.

After dinner, she took out the only two pounds of flour in the house, and added baking soda and mung bean powder that the supply and marketing cooperative had just bought—the recipe that her mother-in-law had taught her step by step before she passed away.

Boil a kettle of water to scald the dough, then knead, roll, cut, and steam it. The final step, solemnly handed to the eldest daughter, Wan Liying: "Watch the heat carefully, don't let it burn."

"Mom, are you making mung bean cakes for us?" Wan Lili looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"Okay, listen to your teacher. Mom has to go to the factory early tomorrow morning." She replied casually, her hands still moving.

Wan Liying had long since taken on the responsibility of handling all the household affairs, which gave Liu Lan peace of mind.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, she hurriedly headed to the black market with the freshly steamed mung bean cakes in her pocket.

After an hour, her doubts completely disappeared.

These days, non-staple foods are expensive and rationed, so there are only a few essential items to give as gifts. But a plate of soft and sweet mung bean cakes is so popular that people are scrambling to buy them, making her a net profit of one dollar and ten cents each time—two cents more than her monthly salary at the factory.

[Those "luxury meals" in Beijing, such as Jingdefu Roast Duck Restaurant and Xidan State-run Restaurant, cost around ten yuan for two people, which is equivalent to an adult's monthly grain expenses.] It's not that no one wants to spend the money, but rather that there's nowhere to buy it.

Her factory salary is 22 yuan per month.

A few customers who didn't manage to buy anything left a message saying, "I'll be waiting for you first thing tomorrow morning!"

She secretly replenished her supplies of flour and other ingredients at the black market, then hurried home with her cloth bag. She dared not buy too much, fearing she wouldn't be able to hide it; she only dared to weigh three jin at a time, cooking it at night under the cover of darkness, and selling it promptly at noon the next day—a sure thing.

The next day, as soon as Liu Lan arrived at work, she went to find He Yuzhu.

"Master He, this... please take it." She lowered her voice and stuffed a pack of cigarettes into his palm.

He Yuzhu looked down and saw: Harvest sign.

"I'm glad I was able to help." He took the cigarette and said in a low voice, "Be careful in the future."

Harvest brand corn was two cents a pack, and with black market coupons, three cents could buy three pounds of corn—this was the best Liu Lan could offer. There was also the cheaper Frugal brand, nine cents a pack.

"Well... I'll go get to work now." She turned around, her steps becoming lighter.

He Yuzhu didn't reply. This matter was no longer his concern. How much she could earn depended on her own hands, her courage, and her brain.

Ma Hua asked, "Master, what are you and Sister Liu Lan talking about?" Ma Hua leaned in and asked again, the timing of which was really unfortunate.

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways and teased with a smile, "Sister Liu said she'd set you up with a girlfriend, and I replied directly—your payslip is as thin as a piece of paper, and you're in such a hurry to get married?"

Ma Hua immediately panicked, waving her hands frantically: "Oh no! Master, I'll be a full-time employee next year! Right now I only get 13.50, but I won't waste a single penny! After I get married, I'll give all my salary to my family, not a single cent!"

"Then you can argue with Sister Liu Lan yourself." He Yuzhu pushed him away with a smile.

Ma Hua immediately sprang to Liu Lan's side like a firecracker that had been lit. Before he could even sit down properly, his face was already beaming with joy, and his eyebrows and eyes were full of undisguised smugness.

As soon as he finished work at noon, He Yuzhu headed towards Xinhua Bookstore.

Lou Xiao'e spotted him from afar, nodded to her colleague, and the two walked out side by side, strolling slowly along the street.

"The state-run restaurant has some new dishes today, shall we try them together?" she said as she walked, her voice light and cheerful, like spring water just dripping from the eaves. "The menu is all written on the blackboard, just order from it, you can't go wrong."

Back then, the rules for state-run restaurants were similar to those for movie theaters—

The blackboard is the menu; whatever you write is there, there's no choice. If you try to walk in and yell, "Waiter! A plate of braised pork and two bowls of rice, please!" you're guaranteed to get a frown and a glare, and if you're really aggressive, they might just kick you out.

Upon entering the store, the interior furnishings were not shabby at all.

The square tables were polished to a shine, and the white porcelain bowls were neatly arranged. The aroma of oil mixed with the smell of scallions and ginger wafted from the kitchen window, just like that old restaurant on the street corner in the 1970s or 80s.

The two found seats by the window and sat down.

"Comrade, what would you like to eat?" A waitress in a blue apron greeted him briskly.

Lou Xiao'e glanced up at the blackboard and crisply announced the menu: "Crispy pork ribs, braised pork belly, crispy red beans, a small bowl of bitter vegetable soup, and two steamed buns each. Thank you!"

"Three yuan and two jiao, four liang of grain coupons." The man quickly wrote it down, took the money and coupons, turned and walked inside, only saying, "Serving the people!"

Lou Xiao'e picked up a piece of crispy pork rib, took a bite, and her eyes crinkled into a smile: "These ribs are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the aroma is so enticing!"

He Yuzhu lowered his head, shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, and said with a smile, "I have this skill too. I'll show it to you another day."

He thought to himself: This price is really outrageous—a small table of dishes, less than a pound of meat in total, and it costs 3.2 yuan! Ordinary workers only earn about 40 yuan a month, who would dare to come here often? Even cadres who come to Beijing on business trips can only order a bowl of tofu soup and eat three steamed buns for 70 cents, just to fill their stomachs and keep warm.

Lou Xiao'e tilted her head and smiled, tapping the table lightly with her fingertip: "From now on, you're in charge of my stove, no excuses!"

He Yuzhu patted his chest and declared, "I guarantee I'll be there whenever you call!"

Lou Xiao'e's ears turned slightly red, her eyelashes lowered, but the corners of her mouth curled up even higher.

"Is it settled?" She looked up, her voice soft.

"Mm." He nodded, the two smiled at each other, got up and left the store.

He Yuzhu hurried to the factory with light steps, pondering in his mind: Who is the most suitable matchmaker?

Although we live in a new society, when it comes to marriage proposals, there still needs to be a respectable person to act as a matchmaker.

You can't exactly show up at Director Chonglou's door with cigarettes and alcohol, and he'll be all smiles and say, "Uncle, how about you give me your daughter in marriage?" That wouldn't just be adding insult to injury, it would be ruining the whole thing.

As he walked, he pondered, concluding that Director Ye was the most suitable candidate.

He was well-acquainted with the Lou family and had a good reputation. He never accepted gifts or favors at the factory and was very fair.

Director Yang is fine, but I've only ever nodding acquaintances with him. I can't expect him to run this important business for me after just a few words.

Once he made up his mind, he went into the supply and marketing cooperative, bought a bottle of liquor, a pack of Feima cigarettes, and a small bag of salted roasted peanuts, and then headed straight for Director Ye's office.

"Knock knock knock," three light knocks.

"Please come in!" A deep male voice came from inside the house.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and entered, placing his things on the desk with a sincere smile on his face: "Director Ye, I would like to ask you for a big favor."

Director Ye was taken aback, thinking to himself: This Master He just gave Director Zhang a gift a couple of days ago, and now he's showing up at my door again? The bicycle tickets are all gone... Everyone in the factory knows what's going on.