Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu felt like a mule pulling a millstone, with his wife watching him like she was watching him closely, waving and greeting him with a smile.

By the time he dragged the heavy iron pot to the canteen entrance, a cleaning lady had already efficiently cleaned it up, sweeping away even the dust around the stove.

The three of them worked together to lift the pot onto the stove—it was an old stove in an old kitchen. Although it had been abandoned for two or three years, the brick seams were not cracked and the firebox had not collapsed. It still burned fiercely and was in no way inferior to the new stove in use.

He Yuzhu was busy until the end of the workday. He patted Lou Xiao'e on the shoulder and said, "Help the canteen staff clean up. Ma Hua and I have to rush to Director Yang's comrade's house to cook." He paused and added, "Help me wipe off the dust. If others gossip, it will only make us look innocent."

He let Ma Hua get on his old bicycle, while he sat sideways on the back seat, and Director Yang rode a borrowed old bicycle, leading the way in a hurry.

He Yuzhu glanced sideways at Ma Hua: "Kid, I've heard the gist of your little affair. It's nothing serious, don't get hung up on it. Work hard, and you'll marry a reliable wife. Then who would dare spit on you?"

Ma Hua kicked at the pebbles at his feet, looking down: "Master... I wasn't thinking about those things. I'm just afraid that my parents will be gossiped about behind my back."

"Then marry someone who's sensible—if life goes well, the gossip will naturally die down."

Ma Hua opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He Yuzhu deliberately leaned closer: "How about it? Do you want your master to help you find one?"

He himself wasn't sure where to look, but at least he had an older sister who was the director of the Women's Federation, so he wasn't worried about not finding a few suitable girls to introduce to him.

Ma Hua's eyes lit up immediately: "Master, you're not kidding me, are you?"

What he hopes for most right now is to bring a wife back to the village and stand tall in front of the neighbors—to show them that Ma Hua is not someone who has no suitors, nor is he a discarded piece of trash!

"I'll go see my sister first thing tomorrow morning. You know her, Director Peng, the one from the Women's Federation."

The muffled feeling in Ma Hua's voice lessened considerably, and the two chatted and laughed all the way, arriving at their destination before they knew it.

Following Director Yang, we plunged into the host's kitchen. The ingredients were already neatly arranged, and the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all laid out, just waiting for the chef to start cooking. Outside, guests had already taken their seats, and the aroma of food wafted out of the room, making it lively with voices.

Factory Director Yang patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder: "Go for it! We'll have a drink tonight, you and I!"

"Just hold your wine glass and wait!" He Yuzhu replied with a smile.

He and Ma Hua rolled up their sleeves and started cooking. The wok heaped steam and the smoke billowed as they worked until 8 p.m., when the guests gradually left. The host gave them three dollars, and the two of them ate a few bites of the leftovers, sipped a small glass of wedding wine, and then quickly packed up the leftovers and pushed their carts home.

……

After steaming the buns in the afternoon, Liu Lan said goodbye to the workshop staff and left.

When we arrived at Liujia Village, it was time for people to finish work and have lunch. Smoke was rising from the drying ground at the village entrance, and people were talking all around.

Upon seeing his daughter, Liu Dequan forgot to dust off his pipe: "You silly girl, I don't even know what to say to you!"

Liu Lan wiped her sweat and said directly, "Dad, our factory is hiring temporary workers. If my sister-in-law moves to the city and gets the rural-to-urban residency permit, my two nephews will have proper urban residency, they won't have to squeeze into rural primary schools, and it will be much easier for them to find jobs."

Liu Dequan took a drag on his cigarette, his eyes brightening slightly through the smoke: "Your mother and I can manage at home. That's good. My biggest mistake in life is not having had much schooling—otherwise, I would have become a brigade cadre, dah dah. It's better for the child to be able to attend school nearby! If you need any paperwork, I'll get a certificate from the brigade leader."

"My brother's grain ration has been transferred a long time ago, and my sister-in-law has to work for a full six months before she can become a permanent employee. There just happens to be a vacant apartment in the factory, which was left over from the family that was transferred away recently. If my brother gives some gifts to the logistics department, there's a good chance he can get one. The child's household registration is currently stuck, but once my sister-in-law is officially registered, we'll transfer it together immediately."

Liu Dequan nodded: "The child has to wait another six months? Okay, let them settle down first, and it's not too late to bring them over after you've settled in."

Liu's wife listened from the side, seemingly understanding but not quite, but she understood one thing: she was really going to move to the city, and from then on she would be a city dweller who ate government-subsidized grain, and like her husband, she could receive rice, flour, oil, and salt every month with ration coupons.

Liu Dequan suddenly lowered his voice: "Lanzi, could you also bring your second uncle's son, Huzi? Your second uncle helped our family a lot back then, and we can't forget that kindness."

Liu Lan had already made up her mind: "I was just about to discuss this with you—I have two job offer slips, one for my second uncle and one for my second brother, Erdan."

Liu Dequan let out a long sigh. When Liu Erdan was mentioned, who in the village didn't shake their head and sigh?

Everyone in the village survived, except for his family—

The couple hadn't even been married a month when the old man passed away, leaving behind a mountain of debts.

My first child had just been born when my mother fell ill and passed away. Before I could even settle down with the debts, I had to prepare for her funeral.

That time, it was only through the collective efforts of the Liu clan that we were able to bury the person, but new debts piled up again.

Those with some surplus grain would lend a hand, and those without grain would borrow a few pounds of sorghum flour. But as time went on, and every family struggled to make ends meet, who would dare to open their mouths to lend?

What's worse, her father-in-law has passed away. Both families are dirt poor, with only Wang Ya as their daughter. She herself is struggling to make ends meet, yet she still sends half a scoop of cornmeal to Erdan's house every now and then.

Erdan had to arrange his father-in-law's funeral, which was painstakingly pieced together by the entire village contributing a handful of rice and a bundle of firewood.

The old mother-in-law, who was left behind, was so thin and frail that she didn't even dare to eat her fill. She would secretly dig up some wild vegetables and tree roots, saving her food rations to send to Erdan's house.

When villagers mentioned Liu Erdan's family, they would avoid them—not because they were heartless, but because they were afraid that the grain they lent out would never be returned; yet no one went to their door to collect the debt, for fear of losing face.

Last year, we arranged a marriage between our families through a mutual acquaintance, and things slowly started to get better. We brought my mother-in-law into our home to take care of her, and we gradually paid off our debts. Just when we thought we were about to collapse, our luck turned around again.

So Liu Dequan's sigh was a lament for fate—the unpredictability of life.

"It makes me feel so good that you're thinking of your family. Have something to eat first, I'll go to your second uncle's house now and have him get you letters of introduction for your sister-in-law, Hu Zi, and Er Dan—you can take them with you to the factory to report for duty tomorrow morning!"

After saying that, Liu Dequan got up and walked towards the brigade leader's house.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Liu Degui was squatting on the threshold, eating his rice with a bowl in his hand. Seeing his younger brother arrive, he quickly stood up and greeted him, "Sanzi, come in quickly! The rice is just served, have some with us."

Liu Dequan followed him into the house. When the younger generation saw their third uncle enter, they immediately moved chairs to make room for him, and hurriedly cleared out the middle seat.

Liu Dequan sat down and got straight to the point: "Second Brother, Lanzi is back from the city. She said the factory has job openings and wants Huzi to work as a temporary worker, along with Erdan and Xiaoli. The three of them will go to the city together. What do you think of this...? Is it feasible?"

Liu Hu is the eldest son in his family, and he just got married last month.

Although Liu Degui got married earlier than his younger brother, his children were born later.

In terms of age, Liu Hu is actually two years younger than Liu Lan.

Liu Degui has two children: his daughter is in junior high school, and his son dropped out of school early to return to the village to farm. Tomorrow is the day he'll be getting married to his son.

Liu Degui knew perfectly well that even if he only received fourteen yuan a month from government-subsidized grain rations, it was still much better than toiling in the fields for a living. How much could a quarter's work points be worth in cash? At most, he'd earn seven or eight yuan over three months. Did he really need to break it down into such small details?

Liu Degui turned to ask, "Sanzi, how are the accommodations arranged at the factory? Did Lanzi mention it?"

Liu Dequan answered readily: "I heard from Lanzi that temporary workers are assigned dormitories, and this year there are so many people that six or seven people are crammed into one room."

Liu Degui slapped his thigh: "As long as I have some bedding to put down, that's enough! What isn't tough? I'll go get a letter of introduction first, then drop by Erdan's house on the way. Tiger, hurry up and thank your third uncle!"

Liu Hu hurriedly bowed and thanked him, his heart burning with excitement—getting a factory job was something he had longed for for a long time, but he had no connections or introductions, and even his father had shamelessly visited his third uncle's house several times. Now that it had really come to fruition, he couldn't suppress his smile, his eyes narrowing into slits as he walked.

The two quickly went to the brigade office to get the certificate, and then headed towards Liu Erdan's house. Who wouldn't want to lend a hand to a relative? Those of the same clan and lineage live more easily, and future interactions are less cumbersome; seeing someone fall from grace is a painful experience for oneself.

As soon as I stepped into Liu Erdan's house, they were setting out their bowls and chopsticks.

Aunt Wang is Erdan's mother-in-law, and she is truly grateful to Liu Degui. When her family ran into trouble recently, he helped her a lot and even spent a lot of money, but he never came to urge her to come over.

Aunt Wang quickly greeted them, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, please sit down. What's the good news?"

Liu Degui waved his hand with a smile: "Great news! Lanzi has a recruitment quota in hand and wants to bring Erdan to work in the city. I've done the math: the factory will give the team a subsidy of seven yuan a month, and if Wang Ya works all the work points, you can choose any easy job you want. Cutting pig feed and feeding the pigs will earn you six work points a day, which is a sure thing. Erdan doesn't eat at home, so he can bring back a few yuan every month. With more money in hand, life will naturally be more comfortable."

A strong laborer can only earn ten work points a day if he works his full quota; a man carrying manure can earn two extra work points at most; Aunt Wang can earn six work points a day without fail if she does some light work; Erdan lives and works at the factory and sends some money back home every month—isn't this situation much better than before?

The Erdan family was completely confused, so Liu Degui explained it to them several times in detail. Finally, the three of them smiled broadly and immediately began rummaging through their belongings to pack their luggage. Actually, there wasn't much to pack: a few old clothes, a thin quilt, and two enamel mugs, all stuffed into a worn-out wicker basket, and that was it.

Before going to bed, Erdan took out the remaining fifty yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into his mother-in-law's hand: "We still need you to support us in handling all the big and small matters at home." He only took ten yuan with him into the city, and bought a pack of cigarettes and two boxes of pastries to give to Lanzi—the courtesy could not be neglected.