Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The third uncle tentatively asked, "How about... we have a meeting tonight, and everyone can discuss it together?"

The old man didn't even lift his eyelids: "Call everyone together first, then I'll go over."

The old man choked: "Didn't you used to be the one carrying an enamel mug, knocking on doors and shouting for meetings? Why is your voice hoarse today?"

During the evening meeting, an old man was carrying a baby in his arms, leaning back on the stool, his eyes already darting out the window. The second and third old men exchanged a glance and shook their heads—this wasn't a meeting to discuss matters, it was clearly a meeting to appease a child! When it came to taking out money, it was even more extreme: taking out a single coin was like cutting off a piece of flesh; he counted the coins three times before he would finally let go.

Where's that middle-aged woman? She's squatting against the wall, holding her baby, poking the child's cheek with her fingertips and giggling, completely oblivious to what's being said on stage.

An old man dusted off his trousers and stood up: "The money's been lent, the meeting's over, everyone go home!"

Without even saying hello to Qi Laosan's family, the two of them, one carrying the baby in front of the other, slipped out of the yard as if their feet were greased.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts pounding: Could this have been switched out?

He Yuzhu got up and stepped out of the door, only to bump into Xu Damao.

Xu Damao grinned: "Zhuzi, I'm having my wedding banquet in a few days! What do you think I should prepare?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways: "Are you delirious from the fever? You should ask the old hand who's been around in the hospital for decades for this, not me? Have I ever been married?"

Xu Damao scratched his head: "Sigh, you're right! Then remember to come lend a hand as soon as possible!"

He Yuzhu nodded in agreement, but inwardly scoffed: As long as you don't sabotage me behind my back, I'm not going to bother arguing with you. Making money is the real deal; arguing? That's just idle chatter!

Today, the old man shocked everyone's values ​​to shreds; Jia Zhangshi was even more outrageous—she had no money and wouldn't give him her life either. In the end, Qin Huairu dragged her lame leg and managed to scrape together three yuan to give to him.

Madam Jia Zhang was rolling around on the ground. If Qin Huairu hadn't squatted down and whispered a few words in her ear, she probably would have rolled around until dawn.

Qin Huairu's move won applause from the whole courtyard: it's an old saying that neighbors lend a hand when someone is in trouble; but no one wanted to talk to Jia Zhangshi anymore, even the usually gentle old lady turned her back and pretended not to see her.

He Yuzhu sighed inwardly: Qin Huairu is much more sensible than Jia Zhangshi. If her family also refuses to lend money today, the family's reputation will be completely ruined—the money that was just donated hasn't even been warmed yet, and they turn their backs on us. Who would dare to associate with such a cold-hearted person?

When He Yuzhu got home and opened the door, He Yushui was nowhere to be seen. No need to guess, she was probably stuck at Uncle Yi's house again; that girl probably hadn't even forgotten which way her own door faced. He Yuzhu hadn't seen her all day.

……

When He Yushui returned, her fingers were deftly winding yarn, and she was chewing on a candy wrapper, making a rustling sound.

He Yuzhu glanced at it and asked, "Where did this yarn come from?"

"It was given to me by an older woman!" she said without looking up. "I promised to knit a sweater for Fangfang and Jiye yesterday."

He Yuzhu took out two yuan from his pocket: "Take this and buy some new thread, and knit one for yourself too."

He handed it over, and waved his hand as soon as he finished speaking: "Go to sleep early, don't stay up late."

early morning

As soon as He Yuzhu pushed open the door, he saw an old woman squatting on the blue brick ground in the yard, holding the child under the armpit with one hand and gently supporting the lower back with the other, patiently teaching the child to walk.

The two children were so thin that their ribs were barely visible. A while ago, they were so hungry that they couldn't even get out of bed, let alone have the strength to learn to walk. These past two days, their food has become more plentiful, and the older woman immediately took charge of the task. The older man wasn't idle either; he tied a wide cloth belt around the children's waists and half-supported, half-guided them, helping them move step by step.

He Yuzhu greeted them with a smile, "Good morning, sir and ma'am!"

The two gave a mumbled reply, their eyes still fixed on the child's toes, afraid that he would fall if they relaxed their guard.

Jia Zhangshi squatted by the pool washing clothes, her eyes constantly glancing in that direction: new cotton-padded jackets, cloth shoes with multi-layered soles, wooden rattles, candy wrapped in cellophane... She had never even heard of Banggeng, let alone seen it! She muttered something like a mosquito's buzz.

It's not that Banggeng doesn't have any—in the entire courtyard, you can count the number of children who can wear a whole new set of clothes and play with new toys on your fingers. Others only manage to scrape together a few feet of cloth ration coupons for the New Year, and their new clothes are all altered from the eldest child's size and passed to the second child, and then patched and patched again before being passed on to Banggeng; as for the few cloth ration coupons he'll have at the end of this year, he'll probably have to wait in line to get them again.

He Yuzhu didn't look at it for long and turned to walk into the factory.

These past few days, Deputy Factory Director Li has been living as if he were walking on ice.

Two days ago, at a factory meeting, two transfer orders came down on him from the steel mill and the organization department of the main plant. He immediately felt like he was being roasted on a fire.

The conference room of the Third Factory was filled with smoke, and the department directors and section chiefs were all seated there.

As soon as the door opened, Director Yang led in a middle-aged man with a shiny slicked-back hairstyle.

Factory Director Yang cleared his throat: "Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Deputy Secretary Huang of the Organization Department for his guidance! Thank you, Secretary Huang, for taking time out of your busy schedule to come!"

Huang Shuji raised his hand to suppress the applause: "I'm here today on orders, not to provide guidance—Director Yang is too kind. According to the general factory's appointments: Comrade Wu Qun will serve as the director of the factory's women's federation; Comrade Peng Mei will be transferred from the local women's federation to serve as the deputy director; Comrade Liu Xiong will be transferred to serve as the head of the general factory's security department; and Comrade Wei Guangyu will be transferred to serve as the chairperson of the district political consultative conference's women's federation."

As soon as the applause subsided, Director Yang escorted Secretary Huang all the way to the main gate, then turned back to the conference room.

Director Yang looked around and said, "The position of head of the security department is vacant. Everyone, please recommend a suitable candidate."

Deputy Factory Director Li immediately chimed in, "I recommend Comrade Yang Wen, the deputy head of the Publicity Department!"

Qiao Weimin, the deputy secretary of the Party branch, said calmly, "I propose that we protect Comrade Ke Youzhengya."

Factory Director Yang tapped the table: "If opinions differ, then let's vote. Those who agree with Comrade Yang Wen, please raise your hands."

The room was full of people, some smoking cigarettes and squinting as they exhaled smoke, others holding teacups and blowing on them while sucking on their lips. They looked at each other as if they had just heard a piece of cryptic knowledge. Only Deputy Factory Director Li stood alone with one hand raised, the air so still that you could hear the soft sound of cigarette ash falling.

Factory Director Yang paused for a moment: "Those who agree with Comrade You Zhengya, please raise your hands."

With a whoosh, everyone except Director Yang and Deputy Director Li stood up straight, like a tall reed bed.

Bai Jianjun, the director of the Organization Department, suddenly stood up: "The candidate has been chosen. I'll go back to the department now to draft the appointment and submit it to the head factory for record-keeping!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already grabbed their bag and left, leaving the conference room half empty in the blink of an eye.

Deputy Factory Director Li remained frozen in his chair, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, unable to recover for a long time: Comrade Wu Qun, shouldn't you at least give me a look?

After You Zhengya officially received Bai Jianjun's appointment notice in the afternoon, Deputy Factory Director Li completely lost his authority in the security department.

Almost everyone in the department sided with You Zhengya—although Deputy Factory Director Li was two ranks higher, he was now their undisputed superior; anyone who dared to defy him could wait until You Zhengya was overthrown before taking sides; but if You Zhengya remained firmly in power, those who opposed him would likely face increasingly difficult times. With a shift in sentiment, the winds of change turned, and everyone naturally gravitated towards the new master.

This morning at the meeting, Deputy Factory Director Li had just criticized You Zhengya by name for "promising on the surface but undermining behind people's backs." Before he could finish speaking, his subordinates started to chime in one after another, each word like a nail, almost making him so angry that he felt dizzy.

Logistics Director Zhai Junhui said slowly, "Comrade Zhengqing's instructions... was there something he didn't explain clearly?"

Director Zhang of the canteen added with a smile, "You Zhengya has worked in the security department for more than ten years, so he knows the basics very well."

Production director Qin Aidang chimed in, "I heard he made decisions quickly and accurately on several matters these past two days."

The others chimed in, their meaning clear: you're not familiar with this area, so don't overstep your bounds and interfere.

Factory Director Yang was completely bewildered—why had everyone suddenly put Deputy Factory Director Li in such a precarious position overnight? But recalling how everyone had raised their hands in agreement when he made the decision, if he were to forcefully suppress it now, he would only appear isolated and helpless, and the situation would be even more embarrassing than that of Deputy Factory Director Li.

Factory Director Yang could only wave his hand and say, "Then let's see how Comrade You Zhengya performs first, and correct any deviations in time."

The meeting adjourned.

Yu Zhengya soon heard about what was said at the meeting, and his posture straightened even more. Director Yang's words were like giving a green light—as long as one didn't cross the red line, Deputy Director Li's instructions could be listened to but not followed.

Deputy Factory Director Li sat in his office all morning, racking his brains but unable to find a way to deal with You Zhengya. He dared not disturb his father-in-law—calling for help over such a trivial matter would make him lose face in the future. If he really had no other choice, he might as well go back to the pig farm and feed the pigs.

Deputy Factory Director Li frowned, while Director Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as their group acted in unison, they would be invincible—this was their tacit consensus.

I've been checking up on people every day after get off work lately. Now that this has started, it'll have to last at least a month before it slowly comes to an end.

As soon as the meeting ended, Director Zhang went straight to the cafeteria and called He Yuzhu over.

"Xiao He, a new colleague is reporting for duty today. Cook a couple of simple home-style dishes to welcome her. Your sister-in-law just transferred to the factory's women's federation, remember—keep it simple, nothing fancy!"

The implication is clear: He's in charge of purchasing, and his wife is already eating lavish meals right after starting her job—isn't that giving others a handle to use against her?

He Yuzhu nodded: "Understood."

When lunch was served, only a few female comrades from the Women's Federation were sitting around eating; no one else was to be seen. Director Zhang had already given instructions—to avoid suspicion and not to get involved.

Peng Mei spotted him immediately and greeted him with a smile, "Little He, you're here? Sit down and have a bite to eat with me!"

He Yuzhu scratched his head and smiled, "Sis, then I really won't be polite!"

Peng Mei blinked: "That's more like it! From now on, when I work here, your 'wife problem'—I'll take care of it!"

He Yuzhu quickly waved his hand: "Oh, sister, I'm already engaged! I'll even invite you to my wedding banquet during the New Year!"

Peng Mei laughed loudly, "Just kidding! I know exactly what's going on!"

Several unmarried female colleagues nearby blushed deeply.

The Women's Federation had fifteen members, and out of seven or eight dishes, only one contained meat; the rest were all vegetarian—a shabby sight. Peng Mei knew this perfectly well but didn't bother to argue. The others, however, were not having it, grumbling that He Yuzhu looked down on the Women's Federation. It was only Peng Mei's intervention that silenced the murmurs.