Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Xu Damao smiled: "Then I thank you in advance, sir! What Director Lin means is, you get a high salary, but you've never given away a single pound of meat or a bottle of wine. The leaders don't even know what you look like, so how can they promote you? And why should they remember your name?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Haizhong froze, staring blankly at his wine glass. Less than two minutes later, he abruptly looked up: "Guangqi's mom! Quickly heat up the leftover meat from the day before yesterday! What kind of hospitality is it to just eat peanuts? Wait for your aunt to cook a proper dish, and then the two of us brothers will down three more drinks!"

Xu Damao smiled and raised his glass: "Then thank you very much, sir!"

The two drank and chatted until late into the night before reluctantly seeing Xu Damao to the door.

early morning.

Yan Bugui rode his bicycle slowly towards school, the wheels feeling like they were filled with lead. Elementary school started yesterday, and he hadn't shown up for registration. A colleague had taken care of it for him all day, and he agreed to teach a day as compensation—but he ended up getting himself into trouble because of his greed: he insisted on going to catch those few fish… If he had just gone to work honestly, he wouldn't be in all this trouble.

When he pushed open the school gate, panting, Director Hong was already sitting in the principal's office waiting for him.

Today, the whole school will gather for the flag-raising ceremony. The principal will also give a speech under the national flag, and teachers and students must all stand in line.

After the national flag was slowly raised, Principal Yan walked steadily onto the stage.

The loudspeaker was already set up in the propaganda room—a routine task they were very familiar with every week.

Principal Yan cleared his throat: "Today is the first day of the new semester! May all students study diligently, think critically, and grow strong; and let us also pay tribute to our respectable teachers—who, with the perseverance of silkworms spinning silk and the passion of candles burning themselves out, illuminate the tomorrow of every child!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the teacher from the publicity office prepared to go on stage to collect the equipment—the opening remarks were always just these few sentences, but then Principal Yan changed the subject:

"But we must also remind some comrades: the consequences of a breach of professional ethics among teachers are far-reaching. Children need guidance and correction when they make mistakes, and teachers should set an example and learn from their mistakes. Yan Bugui, please come up and say a few words—tell us where you went wrong and how you plan to correct it."

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The teachers knew perfectly well that the principal was serious; he wasn't even calling her "Teacher Yan" anymore, but addressing her by her first name.

Yan Bugui's legs felt heavy as he slowly made his way onto the stage, his palms sweating profusely. He knew that if he couldn't get through this today, his entire family's livelihood would be completely ruined.

His voice trembled: "I...I deeply regret my mistakes! From now on, I will strictly abide by discipline, work diligently, and sincerely accept the supervision of the organization and the masses! Please give me a chance to correct my mistakes...I repent, I admit my mistakes, I am sorry to everyone!"

After saying that, he walked down the steps with a hunched back, his figure seemingly collapsing halfway overnight.

Principal Yan, his face grim, slammed the ruler on the podium: "Yan Bugui, you're responsible for toilet cleaning for two months, and five yuan will be deducted from your salary! During this period, anyone who sees him slacking off or shirking his duties should report him on the spot—everyone is a supervisor. This time, we'll make sure he learns this lesson the hard way: rules aren't just for show, and mistakes really hurt!" Before he finished speaking, he turned and walked away, his leather shoes clattering on the cement floor.

Yan Bugui followed behind with his head down, gritting his teeth as he signed the guarantee at the desk. Principal Yan casually changed his class—to the first grade, where he would be assigned to sweep. Children have short memories; they'll forget what they've done. But fourth and fifth graders are much more sensible; they need to see for themselves: whoever misbehaves will have to squat in the stench and obediently scrub the tile grout for a month.

Director Yang walked in through the wind at the entrance of the steel plant's canteen.

"Xiao He!" he said in a loud voice, "My old comrade's son is having a wedding and we need someone to cook. Could you spare a moment?" — This was a private matter, asking someone for help without going through the official channels or using public resources.

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up: "Should I bring a helper? With two people working together, the heat will be more stable and the dishes will be ready faster."

"That's exactly what I wanted!" Factory Director Yang slapped his thigh. "The place is packed with guests, the food is being served non-stop, the stoves are all heated up, just waiting for you two to get to work!"

He Yuzhu immediately cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your kind offer, Director Yang. I'm very confident taking on this job!"

After a few more casual words, they agreed to go to their old boss's house to cook together the day after tomorrow. Director Yang left as soon as he finished speaking, his clothes still fluttering in the wind.

He Yuzhu turned around and saw Ma Hua leaning against the window, lost in thought, his eyes as empty as a dry well. Should he offer advice? He didn't know where to begin; should he ask? He hadn't even grasped the whole story. The root of the problem lay with Liu Lan; he had to get to the bottom of it from her. But there were too many people around right now, so he could only put it aside—waiting until lunchtime to find a quiet corner to talk.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when a mountain of work piled up at his feet. The number of new factory workers had nearly doubled this year, but the canteen staff hadn't been mobilized at all; pots and pans were being scrambled for, and even taking a breath was a struggle. He needed to report to Director Zhang immediately.

……

As soon as the lunch bell rang, He Yuzhu, Lou Xiao'e, and Liu Lan met at the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Liu Lan," He Yuzhu said bluntly, "what exactly is the sticking point in the Ke family's decision to annul the engagement?"

Liu Lan sighed: "It all started when the MCA got engaged."

It turned out that just as Ma Hua pasted the red paper on the door frame, Ke Yujuan's cousin returned from Jinshi with a college student. The man, named An Zixin, was twenty-five years old and a key technical worker at the agricultural machinery factory. He took a liking to his cousin, Ke Yuhong, at first sight. However, Ke Yuhong was already a mother of two and simply smiled and pointed to her cousin: "She looks like me, even more beautiful than me, and she's not married yet." An Zixin immediately took out thirty yuan as a referral fee and promised: once they got married, he would immediately give up his permanent position at the factory for his wife, provide a dowry of one hundred yuan and one zhang of cloth, and ask for no dowry whatsoever.

Ke's parents' eyes lit up, but their hearts were still uneasy. They decided to accompany their daughter to Tianjin to secretly meet and see who was the best match. Unexpectedly, the two hit it off—just two days before He Yuzhu's wedding, Ke's family came to their door and broke off the engagement.

He Yuzhu understood immediately: They've climbed the social ladder; it's nobody's fault but theirs. People strive for higher positions, water flows downhill—it's just human nature. If you really want to blame someone, just think that Ma Hua (Ma Hua's Chinese community) wasn't destined for that.

Liu Lan clutched the corner of her apron, her voice strained: "I, the matchmaker, am now too ashamed to face Ma Hua. My uncle's family is so irresponsible, making that child work in silence all day, even his smiles seem forced... It's so hard for me to bear."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "They've only met once, how could there be any deep affection between them? It's clearly because he's embarrassed—he's incompetent and can't even keep a girl around. The neighbors are gossiping behind his back, and it feels like needles are pricking him."

That really hit the nail on the head. Ma Hua had indeed only met An Zixin once, and to say he was smitten was pure nonsense. He was just a greenhorn looking up at a swan, but before he could even flap his wings, the swan flew right into someone else's yard. He was seething with anger, hating himself for not being assertive enough, and even more afraid of what his neighbors would say behind his back.

"You go ahead and get busy," He Yuzhu patted Liu Lan on the shoulder, "Xiao'e and I are heading back."

As soon as Liu Lan left, He Yuzhu carried Lou Xiao'e onto the back seat, the wheels creaking as they rolled over the blue brick road.

Upon entering the courtyard, Yan Bugui was hunched over, sweeping the yard; his back was as thin and frail as a withered leaf. He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids—no sympathy. This old fox, always quick to lick his wounds, had been thoroughly humiliated by Hong Jingqiu for trying to take advantage of him last time, and now, just a few days later, he'd run into trouble again. He deserved it; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was written all over his forehead.

He gave a perfunctory greeting with a smirk, then turned and put his arm around Lou Xiao'e's waist as they walked home.

"Better to provoke a gentleman than a petty person"—this saying is learned through countless lessons.

Pushing open the door, Lou Xiao'e took off her apron: "You're helping in the kitchen this afternoon. The canteen's letting you leave early?"

"It won't interfere with our work," He Yuzhu poured a glass of water. "We're not on duty, but the stove will still be running as usual. Take a smaller portion at noon, and I'll bring the meat back tonight and stew it until it's very tender."

"I'll remember," Lou Xiao'e tiptoed to brush some flour off his shoulder, "Go back early."

After lunch break, He Yuzhu went straight to Director Zhang's office.

"Director, the number of workers has doubled, but we still have the same old staff." He spread his hands. "We need to hire ten more temporary workers and open two more service windows—even with staggered meal times in the workshop, the hands of those carrying trays are shaking."

Director Zhang, a cigarette dangling from his lips, exhaled a puff of white smoke: "The factory meeting just made the decision this morning! The workshop directors jointly complained that our food production is as slow as a snail's pace. Director Yang went straight to the head office, and the document will be issued in the next couple of days. This time, it's approved for twelve people per line. If you know anyone, hurry up and gather them. The new stoves should be steaming hot by the third day after the document is issued!"

Nowadays, changing one's status from rural to urban isn't too difficult; all you need is a stable job. There's also no strict restriction on hiring temporary workers in rural areas. But by 1966, the door to moving to the city was completely closed—no matter how well you had connections, it was useless unless you accumulated enough luck to get into a worker-peasant-soldier university in 1970.

He Yuzhu's mind went blank: there was really no one he could recommend right now. Yang Chengyi was only fourteen, two years shy of the sixteen-year mark; this mess could only be handed over to Liu Lan.

"I don't have anyone suitable at hand," he said honestly.

Director Zhang pulled three job postings from his drawer: "Take these to the canteen and pick the quickest ones—hurry! The other eight are already being eyed by all sorts of relatives. My sister-in-law wants to come too; these are the job postings. Get her into the kitchen within three days!"

He Yuzhu had just turned around when Director Zhang called him back: "Wait! Take two people and run to the logistics department to bring that big iron pot back. Set up the stove, and have the cleaning team thoroughly clean the old canteen next door—start cooking tomorrow! Even if you only cook two vegetarian dishes, it will reduce your workload by half."

That building used to be a warehouse, but it's been abandoned since the new canteen was built. The roof hasn't been put up yet, but right now the sky is clear and bright, so you can still take your food into the hall to eat after you get it, so it's no problem.

He Yuzhu found Liu Lan and shoved the job posting into her hand: "Three positions. If no one in the cafeteria signs up, give them to your old colleagues. They must start work tomorrow afternoon—finalize the job tonight!"

Liu Lan was planning to go home and discuss it with her father to see if her sister-in-law would be willing to move to the city. She knew her parents well—the older generation was attached to their homeland and were reluctant to move easily, at most they would come to the city for a visit when they had time. Besides, her parents were getting old, and if they really moved, they probably wouldn't even be able to step over the threshold.