Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Okay," Hong Jingqiu replied readily. "I'll go home and get someone to handle it. I'll have to trouble the director to uphold justice later."

She turned and walked out of the courtyard gate, and the crowd dispersed like the receding tide. Xu Damao slumped on the threshold, his shoulders hunched, his eyes vacant, as if his spine had been removed. Qin Huairu quietly approached, handed him a cup of hot water, and gently patted his back. Seeing the commotion subside, He Yuzhu put his arm around Lou Xiao'e and turned to leave.

Lou Xiao'e chuckled as she walked, "This Hong Jingqiu is really something. She figured out Xu Damao's true colors in just a few months? Anyone else would probably be completely clueless for ten years."

He Yuzhu walked silently, the unspoken words churning in his mind: In the original story, you slept with him for years and knew exactly how he tied his belt, yet you didn't even notice he had a vasectomy, and in the end, he stabbed you in the groin.

……

When Qin Huairu stepped into the house, Jia Zhangshi was squatting in front of the stove, picking at the firewood.

"Huai Ru," she looked up, her eyes gleaming with a tentative light, "is Xu Damao really infertile? Is this true?"

"Mom, isn't this exactly what you wanted?" Qin Huairu's lips curled up slightly, her tone light and airy.

Madam Jia was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you worried that after I get married, no one will take care of my penis, and no one will care if I wet the bed at night?"

Madam Jia nodded sheepishly, no longer daring to bluff in front of her daughter.

Qin Huairu sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her voice lowering: "He can't have children, yet his salary is higher than the factory director's; when he gets old, no one will take care of him, and his two tiled houses will just sit empty and moldy. If I marry him, I'll have children, my job will be secure, and I'll even have enough money for Banggeng's future wedding—when he goes to the countryside to show movies, the villagers always give him eggs and cured meat; he's never gone empty-handed!"

After pondering for a moment, Jia Zhangshi's eyes suddenly lit up: That's right! Xu Damao has no biological children, so why doesn't he cherish these children like his own? Banggeng will be able to get two more rooms in the future, and Huaihua Xiaodang will also benefit from it.

"Then... what should I do?" she asked anxiously.

Qin Huairu looked up and sized her up, a rare hint of approval in her eyes—it turned out the old lady's brain wasn't completely dead yet.

"Don't rush. Ask Qi Laosan's mother to go and talk to him. If Xu Damao relents, just keep telling him: 'The child is only three years old and has only seen his father a few times. From now on, he will recognize you as his father, even closer than a biological father.'"

"I'll go right now!"

"Wait a minute." Qin Huairu raised her hand and pressed down on her arm. "Hong Jingqiu agreed too readily; there's definitely something fishy going on. I saw the look in her eyes when she left; it was like she was carrying a hook. There's more to come. Let's wait and see."

She leaned against the doorframe, a confident smile playing on her lips—heaven had truly opened its eyes this time, pushing a ready-made saint into her arms. No one knew she had already undergone tubal ligation, and no one knew that someone was actually willing to raise her child, shoulder her burdens, and act as her shield. Besides, she also wanted a man, a respectable, wealthy man who could support the family. Xu Damao… he was a perfect match for her.

After the thought process was complete, she was absolutely certain: he couldn't escape this marriage. Even if he threw a tantrum, she wouldn't be intimidated. The first thing she would do after he entered the house was to give him a dressing down: Stay away from that jinx. If you can't afford to mess with him, can't you at least avoid him? You'll only end up pleasing neither side and making a fool of yourself.

Old man Liu Haizhong was beaming today. He'd had a couple of ounces of baijiu (Chinese liquor) at the state-run restaurant, and someone had patted their chest and promised: if he could get that matter done, he'd immediately be promoted to deputy workshop director. The other party pulled out a red work ID and waved it around, and Liu Haizhong believed him on the spot.

Upon returning to the compound and hearing that Xu Damao wanted a divorce, he immediately went to his door, patted Xu Damao on the shoulder, and advised, "Damao, you're so young, it's not worth getting so hung up on a country girl! Your education, connections, and skills are all top-notch, aren't they? Don't worry, once I'm in power, I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury!"

He was talking animatedly, but Xu Damao was listening absentmindedly. His mind was filled with Qin Huairu's words and the old grudge of Liu Haizhong for making him drink swill years ago—he remembered that.

The next day, Hong Jingqiu arrived with her mother. The cloth bag contained new scraps of cloth, coins, and an enamel mug—everything was there. Director Hong oversaw the process, ensuring the items were inventoried and handed over efficiently and completely. Xu Damao handed Hong Jingqiu's belongings to Director Hong one by one, while Hong's mother presented the betrothal money and gifts in full. After both sides nodded in confirmation, Director Hong took his leave.

Banggeng stood on tiptoe, tugging at Xu Damao's sleeve, his eyes fixed on the bag of candy in his hand: "Uncle Xu, is this candy sweet?"

Xu Damao looked down into the child's dark, bright eyes and suddenly felt that fate had come full circle and pushed him back into this door.

"It's sweet, share half with your sister." He tore open the candy wrapper, took out two candies, put one into the palm of the stick, and gently placed the other in the child's palm.

Standing by the clothesline, Jia Zhangshi watched intently, a smile creeping onto her lips—Xu Damao was reliable, respectable, and a good catch; following him would be a sure thing. She gripped the washboard tightly, twice as hard as usual.

Xu Damao's gaze swept over three-year-old Xiao Dang, then landed on Huaihua, who was fast asleep on Jia Zhangshi's back. A breeze whistled through the eaves, and he swallowed hard, silently adding in his heart: In this life, one child is enough. Regardless of gender, as long as they call him "Dad."

……

Canteen kitchen

Ma Hua whispered a few words to one of the temporary workers, and the man actually nodded—he would switch jobs with his wife: he would go to the workshop, and Zhou Xue would go to the canteen. They were both temporary workers, so there was no question of permanent positions; but the machine tool workshop where Zhou Xue was going had lighter work, and she could learn to do it in two months. Her salary was actually one yuan more than that of the permanent canteen workers, plus a high-temperature allowance.

At lunchtime, Liu Lan had just stepped into her home when Liu Degui's second uncle came to her door carrying an old cloth bag. He had been busy with work the past few days and only had time today, so he brought along some things he was planning to take back to his hometown.

Liu Lan turned around and went back to the factory, found Liu Erdan and Liu Hu, and called Liu Hong along the way, and they walked home together.

Liu Degui rubbed his hands together and smiled憨厚ly, "I've been so busy the past few days, I can finally catch my breath today. Whatever you want to take back to the village, just give it to me!"

Liu Erdan took out nine yuan, then pulled out seven: "Second Uncle, these seven yuan are to make up for the work points in the team. Please take the remaining two yuan to Wang Ya for me."

Liu Hu didn't say much, but simply stuffed nine yuan into his father's hand, saying only, "Take it back, everyone can use it."

Liu Hong took out the banknotes and grain coupons he had prepared beforehand, and stuffed them, along with half a bag of cornmeal, into Liu Degui's hand, asking him to take them back to his hometown and deliver them to his parents.

As soon as Liu Degui entered the village, he first went into Liu Dequan's courtyard and handed him ten yuan and fifty jin of cornmeal; then he turned around and ran to Wang Ya's house and secretly slipped her two yuan.

From now on, I will go to the city once a month to bring them money and goods, and the round-trip fare will be split among the three of us.

The news quickly spread throughout the village. Everyone, savoring the experience of city life, crowded around Liu Dequan's house to inquire about connections. As they left, they all looked on expectantly, clutching his clothes and repeatedly urging, "If anything good happens, be sure to think of us!"

Twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye, and payday is approaching again.

As He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e stepped into the courtyard, before even reaching the central garden, they heard a commotion. He tightened his grip on Lou Xiao'e's hand and slowly pushed through the crowd—they saw Liu Haizhong and his two sons fiercely attacking Xu Damao, their fists and feet flying, locked in a fierce struggle. Fearing Lou Xiao'e might trip, He Yuzhu quickly shielded her a few steps away from the circle.

The three against one were evenly matched, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Qin Huairu rushed in as the get off work bell rang, grabbing Xu Damao's arm tightly and tearing a gap in the battle; Yi Zhonghai also frowned and squeezed forward, sternly stopping her.

"Xu Damao hired someone to impersonate a leader and swindled five hundred yuan from me! Most of it was borrowed from me through gritted teeth!" Liu Haizhong roared, panting heavily.

"Bullshit!" Xu Damao's neck veins throbbed. "When have I ever lied to you? Where did I lie? How did I lie? Explain yourself!"

"Still trying to cheat?" Liu Haizhong swung his arm and lunged, but his fist landed squarely on Qin Huairu's shoulder. Xu Damao's temper flared up, and he threw off Qin Huairu and lunged again. Liu Haizhong's two sons were already being held down by the neighbors and couldn't move, so how could he be a match for him alone? Qin Huairu ignored the pain and lunged at Xu Damao again, grabbing him tightly from behind.

Liu Haizhong collapsed to the ground, face up, and cursed, "You hired someone to pretend to be an official! I'm going to the police station to report you!"

"Then go ahead and go!" Xu Damao sneered. "Tell me, which 'leader' did I take you to see? And where did we meet him?"

Liu Guangqi couldn't break free from the pulling from both sides and could only stare helplessly as his father was pressed to the ground and rubbed.

Qin Huairu wiped her sweat, her voice low but clear: "Uncle, that's not fair. Da Mao goes to get off work on time every day, where would he find the time to accompany you all over town looking for 'leaders'? Making baseless accusations after something happens, what kind of logic is that?"

"Mind your own business! What right does a widow have to interfere!"

Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of condemnation erupted from all around—"They risked their lives to stop the fight, just so you could take less hits, and you repay kindness with enmity! You really don't know what's good for you!"

Liu Haizhong's wife had already run to the street office, grabbed Director Hong's sleeve, and then turned around and rushed to the police station to report the case.

Just as the commotion reached its peak, the police officer and Director Hong strode in one after the other.

Director Hong shouted, "Everyone, disperse! Aren't you cooking? Aren't you putting the kids to sleep? Why are you still crowding here watching the commotion?" The crowd reluctantly moved on, glancing back as they went. As soon as they saw the police arrive, Liu Haizhong, who was lying on the ground, immediately sat up and brushed the dust off his trousers.

The police officer flashed his badge: "Liu Haizhong, Xu Damao, come with us."

Watching the two men being led away, Director Hong immediately reprimanded the Liu brothers: "Instead of trying to stop the fight, you're taking their side! You're deliberately stirring up trouble between neighbors!" He then praised a few neighbors who had intervened, waved, and left.

As soon as Qin Huairu opened the door, Jia Zhangshi greeted her: "Huairu, does your face still hurt? Damao... he's probably going to face legal trouble this time, isn't he?"