Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Before the bell rang for Liu Lan to finish get off work, she had already left the factory gate with her cloth bag.

She carried fifty jin of corn that He Yuzhu had given her on her back, along with ten jin of flour, several packets of pastries, and pickled vegetables, and hurried towards her hometown. He covered her round-trip train tickets and would give her an extra ten yuan as a reward after the job was done.

At first, she absolutely refused to accept the money—Sha Zhu had helped her make the connection, and she felt it was just a small favor, why should she ask for payment? But He Yuzhu said, "This is someone else's money," and she finally nodded through gritted teeth. Having some cash on hand was better than having nothing.

As soon as Liu Lan stepped into her parents' home, she called out, "Mom! I'm back to see you!"

Hearing the sound, Sister-in-law Liu came out to greet her with a smile. In the past, she really looked down on this sister-in-law, often complaining that she came empty-handed to freeload, though she didn't say it aloud, her eyes were like knives. But ever since Liu Lan came to the door last time with eggs and noodles, and even took out five yuan to give to her parents-in-law, her attitude changed—she became as warm and welcoming as if she had burned three sticks of incense.

"Oh my, my sister-in-law's here! Come in and sit down!" She pulled her in while turning back to urge the child, "Say hello to your aunt! Don't you have any sense? Look at all the delicious food she brought!"

The two children called out "Auntie" in their clear voices, their little hands already reaching for the paper package.

Liu Lan smiled and patted their heads, then turned to ask, "Sister-in-law, where are my mom and brother?"

"They've gone to work, and Mom and Dad went with the team too." Aunt Liu wiped her apron. "I'm cooking right now, I'll bring it over in a bit. You probably haven't eaten yet, have you? There's still some hot porridge on the stove, hurry up and get a bowl! You rest first, I have to rush over, don't let them go hungry."

Liu Lan waved her hand: "No, I came here today because I have something to do and I have to rush back. Please keep the things safe." As she spoke, she placed all the flour and pastries on the table.

Sister-in-law Liu's eyes lit up, a bright green like a cat seeing cured meat: "Lanzi, your family isn't well-off either, don't spend so much! Take half back to help the kids. Your aunt isn't capable, so please accept this small token of your appreciation." She forcefully stuffed two yuan into her hand.

After much refusing, Liu Lan finally gave in and accepted the gifts. But she wouldn't let her sister-in-law touch the bag of flour or the package of pastries.

Sister-in-law Liu patted her on the shoulder: "Alright, I have to go deliver the food now, or they'll be starving and cursing! You focus on your work in the city, save money, and make sure the children are warm and well-fed. Your brother and I will come visit you in a few days!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already left with their lunchbox.

Liu Lan turned around and walked towards Liu Erdan's house again.

I could hear crying from afar, intermittent, like a chicken being strangled.

Wang Ya sat on the doorstep, wiping away tears. Her family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat. Yesterday, Liu Erdan was starving and had followed the old man to dig up clay to fill his stomach, but his belly was so swollen and shiny that he was writhing in pain on the ground. The village barefoot doctor said he needed to be given raw vegetable oil to clear his intestines, but she went from house to house borrowing oil, not even managing to get a drop from the bottom of a bowl. Everyone was careful with their money; a bowl of oil could last half a month. She had four children, and was pregnant with a fifth—who would dare lend her any?

Liu Lan crouched down and asked softly, "Second Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Wang Ya looked up and saw it was her. She sobbed as she told her what had happened.

Without saying a word, Liu Lan took out a dollar and stuffed it into her hand: "Buy oil to save Brother Erdan first. I have something else I want to discuss with you."

Wang Ya pulled her into the house. The smell inside was so strong that it was hard to open one's eyes—the stench of urine, spoiled food, and sweat mingled together; dried feces were smeared on the floor; a skinny man lay on the bed, his eye sockets so deep they could hold two dates; four children were curled up on the mattress, so thin that their cheekbones were sticking out of their skin, their hair dry, yellow, and tangled, they really looked like little monkeys peeling bark from trees in the mountains.

Hearing the noise, Liu Erdan struggled to sit up, his voice hoarse like sandpaper grinding iron: "Lan, you're back to see your parents? This house is really... embarrassing..."

Clutching the only two ounces of oil coupons and the remaining money in her home, Wang Ya hurriedly went out to exchange them for oil.

When she returned, she gave the ninety-odd cents back to Liu Lan intact, helped Liu Erdan up, and cried as she fed him, "Honey, drink up! Thanks to you, sister, otherwise you wouldn't have made it tonight!"

It turned out that Liu Erdan had left the last handful of wild vegetables and half a bran cake for his wife and children. He was so hungry that his eyes were practically glowing green. He followed the old man to dig for Guanyin clay, but not knowing the proper amount, he swallowed the whole handful in one gulp, almost choking on his intestines.

No sooner had she swallowed the oil than Wang Ya suddenly lunged at the cupboard like a madwoman, crying and shouting, "This child... I don't want it! I'm not having this baby!"

Liu Lan rushed forward and grabbed her arm tightly.

"Second Sister-in-law, listen to me—" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was as steady as a stone slab, "There's a family in the city who have no children and want to adopt a child. They're willing to pay and acknowledge the child as family. Here's fifty catties of corn for you to use first. Once you agree, I'll go ask them how much they can give. If you don't agree, then pretend I didn't say anything, and the corn is yours."

She unloaded the grain without waiting for a reply. Looking at this room full of people suffering, her heart felt like it was being soaked in salt water.

Wang Ya was stunned for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice, "Sister... will you still be able to see the child in the future?"

"Of course," Liu Lan answered readily. "They're recognizing a relative, not selling us off. We'll keep in touch regularly."

"...Then...how about two?" Her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

Liu Erdan lay there, a single, murky tear sliding down his temple and into his ear.

Liu Lan sighed, "I'll go back and ask first today. Sister-in-law, I have to catch the last bus, so I won't stay any longer."

Wang Ya suddenly stood up, tore off the only piece of clothing she was wearing, and wrapped it tightly around the swaddled baby in her arms: "Sister, child... take him with you today! Every day you stay is another day of suffering. As long as you can come and see them in the future... I'll... I'll be at ease!" Before she could finish speaking, she burst into tears.

Liu Erdan closed his eyes and gurgled, "Thank you for your trouble, Lanzi... We'll definitely go see them once things get a little easier..."

Liu Lan stood at the door, not saying a word, but simply raising her hand to wipe her face—tears had blurred her vision.

How desperate must one be to hand their child over to someone else?

After Wang Ya wrapped the baby up securely, Liu Lan knelt down and helped her tie one of the babies to her chest, while she took the other and gently held it in her arms. The two walked slowly towards the brigade headquarters, one after the other.

Liu Degui, the brigade leader, was an elder in their family. Upon hearing this, he choked up and sighed deeply. He immediately wrote a letter of introduction for Liu Lan from the brigade, then hitched up an oxcart and bumped along to take her to the commune to complete the formalities. Finally, he personally saw her off onto the long-distance bus to the city.

Without this certificate, the child cannot be registered, and the food ration book cannot be transferred—and in the future, they will not even be able to receive a proper food ration.

Throughout the journey, Liu Lan's eyes were red-rimmed, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her neighbor assumed she was forced by her family to take her child to the city to seek refuge with relatives. Such things were too common, and no one asked any further questions, simply assuming it was another tragic tale.

A kind old woman silently broke open a cornbread bun in her hand and stuffed it into the hands of the two children, shaking her head and wiping the corner of her eye as she said, "Look at these little faces, so thin they're like paper."

Liu Lan carried one child in her arms and another on her back, rushing into the courtyard. Her own kitchen was deserted; where would she find milk powder or malted milk powder? She could only entrust the children to He Yuzhu, hoping he would take care of things himself.

……

She stepped into the courtyard, holding her baby in her arms, with a droopy little head slumped on her back. Uncle San was squatting by the door picking vegetables when he looked up and saw that the woman was unfamiliar. The baby she was holding and carrying on her back was so thin that she looked like two undeveloped bamboo poles.

Liu Lan immediately asked, "Sir, excuse me, which courtyard does He Yuzhu live in?"

The old man's heart skipped a beat: Sha Zhu's distant relatives? But these two children were covered in dirt, their clothes were patched, and their eyes were timid, as if they had been pulled out of a mountain ravine—could they have been kidnapped?

But his mouth was itching and his heart was burning with desire, so he eventually led her through the hanging flower gate and straight to He Yuzhu's room.

When they pushed open the door, He Yuzhu was stirring the porridge in the pot, oil splattering everywhere. The third uncle pointed inside: "Look, he's right here!"

Liu Lan didn't exchange pleasantries. She went straight in and placed two pieces of paper stamped with a red seal on the table: "The household registration transfer form and grain ration certificate are here. I've delivered the child to you. We really can't afford any nutritional supplements at home, so you'll have to figure out what to do." After saying that, she turned and left without even drinking a sip of water—she was worried about her youngest son who had a fever on the kang (a heated brick bed) at home.

The old man stood there stunned for a long time before he came to his senses, his heart pounding: Good heavens! This was a real blow! Did those old grudges from Sha Zhu's past come back to haunt him? Now they've got something on him! He quickly slipped home to figure out how to get Sha Zhu to part with some real money so that this trip wouldn't be in vain.

He Yuzhu stared at the two children sitting side by side on the bed, his heart tightening. The two children were huddled under the covers, their little arms and legs so thin that you could see the veins. The certificate said "three years old" and "two years old," but they looked less than a year and a half old—two frightened little birds.

He didn't dare take it, turned around and ran to the backyard, pushing open the gate of an old man's house: "Grandpa! Grandma! Come here quickly!"

Before the words were even finished, the two men had already rushed out of the house, their legs moving more nimbly than those of young people. Once inside, the older woman just stared blankly at the child, saying nothing; the older man, however, immediately recognized the handwriting on the two pieces of paper, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold his pipe, his lips quivering: "Silly Zhu...Silly Zhu..."

He Yuzhu handed over the certificate. An old man had just finished scanning the first line when his vision went black and he collapsed on the threshold. An old woman snatched the paper, glanced at it, and her knees buckled, causing her to fall backward.

In a panic, He Yuzhu grabbed a water ladle and poured a ladle of cold water over the old man's head—if he fainted again, the neighbors would hear the noise and call the police, saying that he had angered the old man to the point of fainting!

The two slowly woke up, tears still on their faces, but their eyes were full of light. With their household registration settled, they could choose their own names, and their family line would continue. The void in their hearts that had lasted for half their lives was finally filled.

An old man sat up abruptly, grabbed his hat, and rushed outside: "Quick! Go borrow some malted milk powder from the old lady! Make it right away!"