Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The little pig has grown strong and round, probably weighing close to 90 pounds; thanks to the system's reward of a space butler robot last time—it only appears in the space and takes care of everything from planting medicine, watering, pest control, and temperature control, and even makes straw paper by fermenting corn stalks.

What he's most proud of is the wine he brews: clear and sweet, sealed tightly in every jar, it's the lucky charm he looks forward to most every day when he signs in.

He Yuzhu had visited the black market department store three times in the past two days, searching every nook and cranny, but he still couldn't find a stall selling medicinal seedlings.

He was thinking to himself that he should stock up on some seeds as soon as possible.

……

The next morning, fine snowflakes fell silently onto the gray-tiled eaves.

He Yuzhu walked towards the steel plant through the thin snow, his cotton hat and earmuffs pulled down tightly.

An old man leaned on an old bamboo cane and slowly followed beside him, his pipe glowing dimly.

"Silly Zhu, do you have any leftover cotton cloth coupons? I want to make two new padded jackets for Fangfang and Jiye."

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat: something was wrong.

The old man was a level seven fitter, and he was already well-off with his cloth ration coupons—each person received three feet each in summer and autumn, plus another three feet at the end of the year; workers also received an extra three feet as a Mid-Autumn Festival bonus. The third old man had always been stingy with his ration coupons, so why would he come here to ask to borrow some?

"Really, that's all. I already promised Rainwater." He waved his hand. "You can ask her later."

An old man sighed and tapped his pipe against the back of his shoe: "It's not for my own daughter... it's for those two kids—the older brother and the younger brother. Last time I went to visit them, I saw them wearing patched-up jackets, squatting against the wall eating cold cornbread... my heart ached. I wanted to send them two warm sets of clothes before the twelfth lunar month."

He Yuzhu recalled what Director Zhang had mentioned a while ago: "Director Zhang's cloth ration coupons are piled up and untouched. His children earn their own wages, and the couple even take the lead in wearing patched clothes, saving the coupons to support national construction."

"You want to change it? Shall I inquire for you?"

"Oh, you silly Zhu, then help me weigh this up—what would be a good trade?"

"I can't guarantee that. I'll ask for you when we get to work later."

How could he dare to actually take an old man to the black market? Director Zhang of that place was always staking out the area every few days to check on things, and if he caught him, he'd definitely get a scolding—the accusation of "undermining socialism" was no joke.

"Alright, this old man has been waiting for your message!"

The two men clasped hands at the crossroads in the workshop and then turned into different factory buildings.

Now, Ma Hua can stir-fry dishes in a large wok, while Chef Liu is in charge of the fire in another iron wok. He Yuzhu was assigned by Director Zhang to be the "eyes and ears" of the canteen, and he would rush to wherever was busy, carrying bowls, picking vegetables, and keeping an eye on the fire, doing everything perfectly.

As soon as I stepped into the cafeteria, the white steam from the steamers hit me.

He casually picked up the enamel mug, went to the boiler room to fill it with boiling water, and the steam rose directly to his eyebrows.

He turned and walked toward Director Zhang's office, knocked three times lightly, and a voice inside responded, "Come in," before he pushed the door open and entered.

Director Zhang was looking at the blueprints when he looked up and smiled, "Xiao He, you've come at the right time! There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Whatever your command."

"The factory is planning to open a guesthouse for the third branch, but there's been a lot of wrangling about whether the canteen will provide meals. I strongly oppose it—if we deliver the food there, it's a long and windy road, and the food gets as cold as ice crystals. When colleagues from other units come, their first impression will be bad. In my opinion, the guesthouse should be set up separately, with chefs, general staff, and supervisors all on a separate basis."

He Yuzhu scratched the back of his head: "Director, I'm not the factory manager, I can't get involved in this."

"What I mean is, you need to get the canteen up and running first! We're going to recruit a batch of new people in a few days, train them for a month, and send the qualified ones to the guesthouse. Keep an eye on them, pick out those who are steady, meticulous, and willing to learn, and give them special training. By the way, Deputy Factory Director Li was just transferred there to be the guesthouse director."

"Okay, I'll get right to teaching him." He Yuzhu paused, then lowered his voice, "Director, an old man in the yard wants to exchange some cloth coupons with you... What do you think would be a good exchange?"

Director Zhang waved his hand and laughed heartily: "Your sister and I don't lack anything, your presence is a token of our appreciation! Here, this is a job offer, take it—find a quick and efficient city person, give them a one-month trial period. Transferring household registration from out of town to grain rations is troublesome, don't cause any trouble."

He Yuzhu understood perfectly: the leader's words were loaded with hidden meanings; he ostensibly said "we don't lack anything," but in reality, he was implying "bring us supplies." He had to figure out the nuances of these subtleties himself.

"Then I'll keep an eye on the canteen first, and also keep an eye on the two new temporary workers—they'll be good at steaming buns, rolling out noodles, and tending the fire. If they pick things up quickly, they might stand out and get sent to the guesthouse."

Those two were sent in from other departments, and their backgrounds were unclear, but Director Zhang had already made it clear: follow the old rules—if you don't do a good job, you're fired.

Director Zhang nodded: "Okay! Whoever cooks quickly should be sent over first."

He Yuzhu strolled back to the cafeteria, sat down on a long bench, and unconsciously tapped his fingers on the table.

There are too many familiar faces, and it would be hard to let any of them go—but the guesthouse is really short-staffed, and someone has to fill in.

He turned to Chef Liu and asked, "Do you know any reliable chefs? As long as the small-batch dishes can be served, that's fine."

Master Liu's eyes lit up: "My younger brother! His skills are just like mine, but he's stuck because he doesn't have the necessary qualifications to get in!"

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow: He wasn't asking who would cook for him—if they were really going to have a banquet, the master and apprentice would have to invite both of them to make it a proper event.

He Yuzhu: "Call the people over this afternoon. They will be paid as temporary workers this month, and will be transferred to the guesthouse as permanent employees next month—the note was written by Director Zhang himself."

Without this note, you couldn't even get close to the factory gate. Now, You Zhengya is in charge of security, and the checks are more thorough than a sieve: except for when they're showing movies, they might let family members in for a quick look, otherwise, whether you're looking for someone, handling business, or delivering a message, without the note? No way. Want to see a leader? Security will make a phone call for you, but whether they're willing to see you is entirely up to luck; if you want to see an ordinary worker? Then you'd better wait patiently at the gate until the end-of-get off work bell rings.

Master Liu grinned as he clutched the note, clutching it tightly to his chest as if it were a precious treasure. Finding a job these days was harder than climbing to heaven. He had heard people talk about the guesthouse before—it was easy, with only a few simple home-style dishes on the stove, requiring little effort or mental strain.

He Yuzhu was mentally considering who to give the other slip of paper to. If there was no one else, he'd just slip it to Liu Lan. She'd really helped him out: she'd safely taken the two children to an old man's house, conveniently solving the old man's immediate problem of old age—in essence, this was paving a way out for him. "Grain relations are difficult to handle?" There was an underlying meaning to that: bring something decent to the finance department, and things would naturally become easier.

He also had to give Liu Lan a piece of advice: Deputy Factory Director Li's side doesn't recruit women for the LSP position at all, so don't make a wasted trip.

He Yuzhu: "Liu Lan, I have a job offer here. Do you have any suitable candidates at home? You can come work at the factory as a temporary worker for a month, and after that, you can be promoted to a permanent position at the guesthouse."

Liu Lan's eyes lit up: "Master He, I'd like my older brother to come, is that alright? My sister-in-law has to stay home to take care of our parents, she can't get away."

He Yuzhu nodded: "It's most suitable for male comrades. However, I've heard that the current director of the guesthouse, Li Zhengqing, doesn't have a very good reputation."

Liu Lan frowned: "Is it far from the factory? Can you arrange accommodation?" — Although they have a house at home, if the commute is too far, her brother will have to work from dawn till dusk and ruin his health.

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "It's right next to our steel plant, at the Third Factory Guesthouse. The dormitories are all ready, four people to a room, clean and tidy."

Liu Lan immediately stood up: "Then I'll ask for leave today to go back to the village, tell my family, and bring people to report for duty tomorrow morning!"

He Yuzhu smiled and agreed, "Okay, go ahead."

These days, anyone in the cafeteria who wants to take a day off has to get He Yuzhu's approval first; and even if He Yuzhu wants to take half a day off, he has to get Director Zhang's approval first.

He Yuzhu turned to Master Liu and said, "Assign those two newcomers to steaming buns and making cornbread first. Make sure they learn all the skills within a month. As for the cutting and preparation, have another chef come and train them later."

As soon as he finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves and began sweeping the floor and wiping the table—lunch was about to be served, and no detail could be overlooked around the stove.

……

Before getting lunch, an old man strolled to the back door of the cafeteria.

"Excuse me, is He Yuzhu here? I need to speak with him."

Upon hearing that the person was looking for the foreman, the worker who was mopping the floor wiped his sweat and ran inside, shouting, "Master He! An old man is here!"

He Yuzhu didn't even look up: "Go wash your hands and get the food. I'll clean up the rest. I'll go out and greet them."

He threw off his apron and strode out of the kitchen.

As soon as he saw the figure, an old man asked, "Shazhu, did Director Zhang give his approval?"

"You've ordered it, but you'll have to exchange it for grain coupons—sir, you'll have to make your own arrangements."

Upon hearing the word "agree," the old man felt relieved: he could find a few familiar coworkers to share some food coupons, buy some coarse grains and refined flour, and it would be done in no time.

After the old man walked away humming a tune with his hands behind his back, He Yuzhu bent down to continue wiping the floor. Otherwise, what would it look like if the factory leaders came to get their meals and the floor was still wet and splattered with oil?

At lunchtime, an old man was already waiting at the factory gate, carrying a bulging sack.

He Yuzhu was stunned: This is too fast! Did the old man come on wheels of fire? Actually, he got off work an hour earlier than the canteen and didn't come to eat at all. After receiving the news, he turned around and went to the grain store.

He Yuzhu had no choice but to accompany him to Director Zhang's house. Although business was not booming at the moment, colleagues could secretly exchange cloth coupons and grain coupons, each getting what they needed, and no one would say a word.

After exchanging the cloth coupons, the old man rushed off to the department store like a gust of wind, leaving no trace.

He Yuzhu rubbed his ears, which were red from the cold, and thought to himself: It's so cold outside, wouldn't it be nice to go home and snuggle under the covers?

It turned out that after the old man told the old woman about Liu Erdan's family situation in detail, the old woman nodded repeatedly: "This man is straightforward. He sent the child here, but he didn't even plan to acknowledge him. He has a good heart." Since they have become godparents, it is only natural to take care of them in the future. When the two elders pass away, the two children will have a godparent who knows them well, so their lives won't be too lonely.