Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Ever since he hired someone to teach the Third Uncle a lesson, Xu Damao has been standing tall these past few days.

He had just returned from showing a movie in the countryside. Pushing his bicycle through the yard, with a large stack of local produce tied to the back seat: freshly peeled walnuts, dried wild mushrooms, and two lively speckled chickens—he stuffed them all into his house without batting an eye.

Showing movies in the countryside, that was truly enjoyable!

When he arrived at a commune, the villagers would surround him as if he were a distinguished guest; when he entered a brigade, the team leader would stuff wild rabbits and sausages into his hands; when he traveled all over the surrounding villages, as soon as the screen was pulled down and applause rang out, he was the most respectable "Master Xu" in the mountain valley.

The bump on his head is almost scabbed over. Once the country girl his mother introduced him to is born, the wedding can be arranged.

On the other hand, He Yuzhu is still the same as ever, listlessly drifting through life. Meanwhile, he seems to be living a more and more carefree life!

What's so great about a cook who's just flipping a wok by the stove? Sooner or later, he'll learn who truly has roots in this courtyard house!

Is Qin Huairu's minor injury really worth spending a dollar of her own money? It's just a waste of time!

As soon as Xu Damao entered the door, his mother greeted him: "Oh my, my son is back! Look at all this good stuff in the car! Tonight we'll steam some white flour buns and stew a chicken!"

"Mom, hurry up and steam some buns, use fine flour. We've been eating cornbread for days, and my mouth is so bland!"

"Okay! Mom will boil water and knead the dough right away!"

"By the way, who exactly is this blind date you mentioned?"

"It's a girl from Lijiatun in the countryside, your aunt arranged the match. She'll be going to the city in a couple of days. If you succeed, your father and I will immediately go back to our hometown to retire!"

"Okay, whatever you say."

Tonight I need to get together with a few brothers for a few more rounds of strong liquor—that old fox Yan Bugui's son, and have a few more rounds of that to make me feel better!

Sha Zhu needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise people will really think that his surname Xu is just a piece of paper!

The next day, He Yuzhu left the night school and walked back home under the moonlight.

There was a rustling sound behind me, but I assumed it was a student going home and didn't pay much attention.

Suddenly, a shout of "Shazhu!" rang out from behind him—he whirled around to find a rough, large hand tightly covering his mouth!

He instinctively threw a punch, but his arm was gripped tightly by another hand.

The three of them worked together to support him and drag him into the dark, narrow alley.

One of them suddenly shoved him, sending him crashing to the ground, his back throbbing painfully.

He instinctively curled up to protect his head, clenched his teeth, and held his breath, waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Punches and kicks rained down, and the three men had barely finished kicking him when He Yuzhu suddenly attacked!

He casually picked up half a brick from the ground and smashed it down on the top of the head of the person closest to him!

"Bang!" After being hit three or four times, the man screamed in agony, clutching his bloodied head and collapsing to the ground.

"You little bastard! How dare you touch your Third Master!" The other two pounced on him.

He kicked one of them away and took off running. After a few steps, he realized that only one person was chasing him, so he immediately twisted his body and threw a punch—right into the eye socket!

The man immediately knelt down, covering his left eye with both hands, blood gushing from between his fingers, turning a dark red in the moonlight.

He Yuzhu dared not linger, and dashed back to the courtyard house, his heart pounding and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Xu Damao! I'm not finished with you, you old man! I'll remember this beating you gave me today!

……

When the third uncle saw He Yuzhu step into the courtyard with his clothes torn and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, without even bothering to greet him, he knew perfectly well that Sha Zhu was in big trouble.

I advised him to be careful just a couple of days ago, but he ignored me! Sigh, young people, they don't listen to their elders, and they only learn their lesson when they've fallen and gotten bruised!

After returning to the house, He Yuzhu stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind racing: How can we remove Xu Damao, this thorn in our side, completely?

No one but him would make things difficult for himself.

During this period, I have been yielding to everyone and keeping a low profile.

Although the original owner had a sharp tongue, it shouldn't have attracted such a malicious attack.

The only possibility is that he ruined his blind date and also taught the Third Uncle a lesson. He's keeping track of every single grudge!

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, he got up, washed, and went to work.

His coworkers pointed and whispered on the street, but he pretended not to see them.

I arrived at the cafeteria earlier than anyone else today. When I pushed open the iron gate, the morning light had just spilled through the window.

Soon people arrived one after another. Seeing his bruised face and dark circles under his eyes, they all stared wide-eyed, but no one dared to ask any questions.

As soon as Liu Lan entered the kitchen, she froze: "Master He? You..." She pointed to the swollen, shiny face, her voice softening.

He Yuzhu stroked his chin and smiled wryly: "I was ambushed by some thugs when I came back from night school yesterday."

"Oh? Is it serious? Should we take a couple of days off?"

"It's nothing serious, just a minor injury. It won't stop me from working."

Upon hearing this, everyone began to wonder: Could it be that Master He had once again offended someone by speaking carelessly at night school? After all, his mouth used to be so sharp that it could make people choke and not eat for three days!

As soon as Ma Hua stepped into the canteen, he rolled up his sleeves and looked around. Not seeing He Yuzhu, he immediately called out, "Is my master off today? Where is he?"

He Yuzhu was squatting by the stove wiping the knife, not even looking up, and coughed twice: "What are you resting for? I'm fine."

Ma Hua squinted, sized him up for a long time, and then slowly said, "I was asking my master, why are you interrupting? New kitchen helper?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways, not even bothering to lift his eyelids: "Want to chop onions again?"

Ma Hua immediately put on a smile and took two steps closer: "Oh my, Master, you look radiant today—tsk tsk, glowing all over! What did you do? Did you smear some lard or secretly drink some ginseng soup?"

He Yuzhu rolled his eyes inwardly—this kid had no sense of propriety, yet he was honestly enthusiastic. Too lazy to reply, he simply threw the rag into the sink: "If you keep talking nonsense, you'll be cleaning the drain this afternoon and chopping onions until dark!"

If you don't dredge that ditch for three days, when you lift the lid and take a look, the sour and rotten smell hits you right in the head, so spicy that you can't open your eyes, even more pungent than a septic tank.

Upon hearing the unusual tone, Ma Hua immediately stopped his playful grin, grabbed a shovel, and ran to the kitchen.

It was almost lunchtime when Xu Damao strolled into the cafeteria.

Upon seeing He Yuzhu's swollen face and dark circles under his eyes, he couldn't help but curl his lips upwards—well, let's see how arrogant you are this time!

He leaned forward, feigning concern: "Hey, Sha Zhu, what happened? You've changed so much in just one day... Sigh!"

Ma Hua had been watching him for a while, and seeing this, he slammed the cleaver on the cutting board with a "bang": "Xu Damao! This is a restricted area in the canteen, no unauthorized personnel allowed! What's wrong with my master, what's it to you? Get out!"

Xu Damao's face darkened: "I'm talking to your master, what right do you have to interrupt? Do you know why I'm here today? What business is it of yours, a temporary worker like you?" He raised his chin, his eyes full of contempt.

He Yuzhu picked up his enamel mug, took a sip of water, and glanced at him indifferently: "If you're not going to see him out, then at least find a way to save face yourself. Whether he's a temporary worker or not is none of your business!"

Xu Damao chuckled twice: "Hey, buddy, I really care about you! We live in the same courtyard, how could I not care about you?" After saying that, he turned and left, his back view smug, but in his heart he was thinking: Just wait, you'll get what's coming to you!

While tidying up the stove, He Yuzhu pondered: he needed to finalize the MCA matter quickly. Firstly, he was getting married at the end of the year, and secondly, the word "temporary" sounded rather shabby. Director Zhang still had two permanent positions left; two packs of Feima cigarettes, a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and some candy and pastries would be enough to secure them.

Today I'm going to teach Xu Damao a lesson—how dare he show me such disrespect? Hmph, those marks on your face haven't faded yet, and my brothers aren't much better off than you.

At noon, he went straight to the black market general store, brought back the sack, and also asked for an old cloth bag.

The young man insisted on five cents, haggling for ages. He Yuzhu sighed: Is this what brothers are like? Arguing over five cents almost ruined their friendship.

After leaving the store, I stuffed my things into my storage space, turned around and went to the hospital, where I grabbed some anti-inflammatory pills and pain-relieving ointment.

Back in the cafeteria, he waved and called out, "MCA, come out for a second."

Ma Hua poked his head out and said, "Master, what can't you say in front of Sister Liu Lan? She's not an outsider."

He Yuzhu was speechless—what exactly did the original owner want from this kid? But then he thought about it again, and although Ma Hua was a chatterbox, he was capable, willing to run errands, and never fooled his master.

He pulled the man into a back alley and lowered his voice: "Go home tonight and talk to your dad. Buy two packs of good cigarettes, a bottle of wine, and some canned snacks. Tomorrow after get off work, I'll take you to Director Zhang's house for a visit, and we'll change your 'temporary' status to 'permanent'."

"You can decide how much to spend yourself, around ten dollars is about right."

Back then, a regular employee earned twenty-two yuan a month, while a temporary worker earned at most thirteen or fourteen. The difference wasn't just in wages, but also in food coupons, cloth coupons, year-end bonuses, and even future eligibility for housing—all separated by a significant hurdle.

With three months until the Chinese New Year, you can break even in the second month. Who wouldn't seize such a good opportunity?

These days, who doesn't want to use connections to get a permanent position? If you give too little, they won't even look at you; if you give too much, your rice jar will be empty.

Ma Hua's lips moved a few times, then she silently bit them back.

How could He Yuzhu not understand? After the betrothal gifts were delivered, his family relied on his mother's job sweeping floors at the textile factory to make ends meet. Both mother and son were on temporary assignments, and their lives were so tight they could practically wring water from the ground.

He pulled out ten yuan and handed it over: "Take this and exchange it for some coupons. Buy whatever you need. Don't worry about paying me back right away; we'll talk about it after the New Year when you have more money."

Ma Hua's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and her throat tightened: "Master...I..."

A thousand words stuck in my throat, finally culminating in just one: "Mmm!"

He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder: "Your master is like a father to you. If he doesn't think about you, who will he think about? Keep this to yourself. Go home and discuss it with your father."

—You're always so smug and smug around in front of me, so today I'll take advantage of your generosity too. I'll owe you one now and pay you back slowly later.

He wouldn't dare take MCA to the black market at all; that kid has a slip of the tongue, and if he accidentally blurted something out, a joke could turn into a catastrophe.

When we have more money, we can take him with us to do things, and that will be a steady and reliable way to go.

Back in the cafeteria, Liu Lan noticed that Ma Hua's eyes were slightly red and assumed he had been scolded again. She quickly and gently comforted him, "Hua Zi, Chef He is doing this for your own good. Scolding you a few times is to teach you how to make a living. Learn from him well, and you won't go hungry no matter where you go."