Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Before he finished speaking, the second and third brothers immediately pounced on him and grabbed his legs. One hugged his left leg and the other held his right leg, leaving He Yuzhu standing there like a crooked tree, unable to move.

Lou Xiao'e poked her head out of the kitchen, her apron still covered in flour: "Zhu Zi, you take the three of them with you. The fourth one still has a fever, and the fifth one has an upset stomach. I'll stay home."

He Yuzhu pushed the little hand away, his face hardening: "Want to watch a movie? Finish three steamed buns first! Go on an empty stomach, and if you come back crying, I won't care!"

The three boys slurped down their steamed buns, grabbed a cornbread and stuffed it into their mouths, then grabbed He Yuzhu's sleeve and dragged him out the door.

He Yuzhu took out the little ice sled he had made and followed slowly behind. When they arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the children scrambled to get on the sled. He bent down and gave it a push, and the ice sled, carrying the three little ones, headed straight for the factory playground.

When they arrived, the crowd had already surged like waves. He Yuzhu pushed the ice sled to the front row of the screen, let them huddle inside, and then pulled over a few old cotton quilts to wrap them up tightly. He then retreated to the back row and stood among the people, his eyes fixed on the ice sled, not daring to blink even once.

He glanced up and saw Qin Huairu standing side by side with Qin Jingru not far away, next to a young man in blue overalls. The three of them were chatting and laughing, their eyebrows showing a lightheartedness.

He Yuzhu quickly turned around and stared at his three children—especially He Aijun, fearing that the little monkey would get restless and run into the crowd again.

Qin Huairu introduced with a smile, "Xiao Chen, this is my younger sister, Jingru. She's very capable at housework and quite pretty. What do you think?"

Chen Wen straightened his back and smiled sincerely: "Sister Qin, I really like it! I'll discuss it with my parents when I get back, and I'll have to trouble you to make a few more trips."

Qin Huairu waved her hand: "If it's a done deal, we're family, no need to be so polite!"

Qin Jingru lowered her eyes and secretly sized up Chen Wen: tall, with a rosy complexion, and a shiny Shanghai-brand watch on his wrist—his salary must be high, and he was also good-looking, a typical good young man from the city!

She was a person without a backbone. She used to listen to Qin Huairu, and later followed Xu Damao. Her thoughts were very simple: as long as she could stay in the city and not have to go back to the countryside to dig in the soil, she would consider her life over.

Chen Wen took out five yuan and handed it to Qin Huairu with both hands: "Sister Qin, please accept this as a token of my appreciation. We'll discuss it when we get home tonight, and I'll give you a definite answer first thing tomorrow morning."

Qin Huairu smiled and accepted it, saying, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you!"

Qin Jingru felt a surge of warmth: the introduction fee alone is so much, their family must be well-off!

When the movie ended, the second and third children were already curled up in the ice sled, drooling as they slept. He Aijun's eyelids were drooping, and his little head was nodding off, looking like he was about to fall off. He Yuzhu grabbed one of them with each arm, and carried the ice sled onto his shoulder, dragging it towards the courtyard.

Once inside the courtyard, he gritted his teeth, used all his strength to lift the ice sled, and moved home, panting with every step.

First, I gently put He Yubing into my aunt's room, then turned around and put the eldest and second eldest on the kang (a heated brick bed). Beads of sweat dripped down my temples—these three chubby little guys together were heavier than half a bag of flour!

Lou Xiao'e greeted her: "Are you all asleep? Weren't you saying you wanted to see two shows?"

He Yuzhu wiped his sweat: "They all collapsed after the first round. I didn't plan to keep them for the second round at all, afraid they'd catch a cold from the wind."

Lou Xiao'e sighed, "If only we had a TV at home, we wouldn't have to run all over town to catch up on movies at night."

He Yuzhu grinned: "Who can afford it now? Not only do you need tickets, but you also have to queue up to grab one, not to mention the signal is so weak it's practically nonexistent—it's just a decoration. I heard that some old leaders pulled some strings and got a few big color TVs from White Bear, which they put in their living rooms, more precious than offerings to Buddha."

Lou Xiao'e nodded: "The day before yesterday, I saw a 14-inch TV at the department store. It cost 600 yuan plus remittance coupons! There were layers upon layers of people in front of the counter. Some people stood on tiptoe to look at it for a long time, and even turned back to stare at it three times before leaving, reluctant to leave."

He Yuzhu knew in his heart that televisions wouldn't truly enter ordinary households until the late 1970s. The island nation had phased out an old production line and sold it to us cheaply, producing 200,000 units a year, but it still wasn't enough to go around—back then, if a family could afford a black and white television, the neighbors would all stand on tiptoe and peek through the window.

He Yuzhu: "The good days are yet to come. Take a break now. If you keep going like this, the roof beams will be shaking from howling before dawn again in five days."

Lou Yue is like a living timekeeper—before the rooster even stretches its neck, her little voice will start blaring, punctual every day, more precise than an alarm clock's stopwatch.

The next day at noon, just after getting off work, Jia Zhangshi was already busy preparing meat and vegetables at the stove. The day before, Qin Huairu had secretly told her: if Qin Jingru's marriage went through, she would get five yuan. She was told to be diligent and greet the Chen family with a smile when they came to visit. If Liu Guangtian passed by, she shouldn't just stand there and watch; she should say hello and make herself known.

He Yuzhu carried Xiao Wu on his back, Lou Yue dangled her little feet on his back, and Lou Xiao'e walked ahead carrying a cloth bag. Qin Huairu led the Chen family behind at a distance. Xu Damao was already waiting at the gate, his face full of smiles. When he saw He Yuzhu and his wife, he immediately raised his voice to greet them—now that they were factory cadres, how could he dare to be negligent in the slightest?

As soon as she entered the house, Lou Xiao'e reached out and took Xiao Wu, then casually tucked the child into her arms.

"Aijun went to his aunt's house today," she muttered while patting the child's back. "I'm afraid that kid will cause trouble, so I have to go and check on him."

He Yuzhu shook his head with a smile: "If he had really caused trouble, Yushui would have brought him back long ago. When Yushui came to pick him up this morning, I told Aijun to behave himself and that when he came back tonight, I would put the new toy under his pillow."

Lou Xiao'e muttered to herself as she went to the backyard. Lou Xiaosi was lying on the old lady's kang (a heated brick bed) eating candy. The old lady had been helping to take care of the children lately, and her complexion was rosy, and her back was straighter than before.

As Liu Guangtian passed by Qin Huairu's house, he caught a glimpse of tea and hot dishes laid out in the courtyard, with guests taking their seats. Xu Damao, with his sharp eyes, immediately came out to stop him.

"Guangtian! Come in and have a seat, how about a couple of drinks?"

Before he finished speaking, he had already brought out a plate of braised beef and half a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), smiled a couple of times at the Chen family, and then turned around and pulled Liu Guangtian into his room.

After a couple of rounds of drinks, Xu Damao suddenly sighed heavily.

Liu Guangtian's heart tightened, and he looked up to ask, "Brother Da Mao, what's that sigh about?"

Xu Damao picked up a piece of meat, then put down his chopsticks, his voice heavy as if a stone were pressing down on it: "Sigh... Jingru originally had your heart set on you. But her family set their sights on the Chen family's dowry, and they forced you... Never mind, I won't say anymore."

Liu Guangtian's head buzzed, and he finally realized—this meal at the Qin family's house was for the purpose of finding a match for Qin Jingru. But he was penniless, and he hadn't even seen a trace of the money in Liu Haizhong's pocket. A surge of anger rushed to the top of his head, burning his ears.

He gave a bitter smile: "It's not my destiny to have this blessing; I can't force it."

In fact, Qin Huairu had mentioned before that the dowry Qin Jingru wanted was similar to that of Yu Haitang's family. But now he couldn't even scrape together a fraction of it.

Xu Damao shook his head, looking regretful: "I really don't understand what your father was thinking! He wholeheartedly helped someone like Liu Guangqi, who's utterly hopeless; and you? You're ambitious, intelligent, and the first in our compound to be awarded the 'Progressive Youth' plaque, yet he acts like he can't see it—he's blind to both!"

Liu Guangtian sneered: "We severed our father-son relationship long ago. If he can't pay back the money next month, I'll show him what it means for 'a son to turn on you faster than flipping through a book'."

Xu Damao feigned advice, saying, "Guangtian, blood is thicker than water. Even if he's confused, he's still your father. Just bear with it, the storm will pass."

He was practically begging Liu Guangtian to explode. Last time the father and son had their public falling out, he was so busy clapping and cheering that he hadn't had enough. Qin Huairu's move was even more brilliant: no blood was spilled, yet both sides benefited—perfect!

Liu Guangtian walked out of the Xu family's gate, his steps heavy. He glanced at Qin Jingru's figure swaying in the window of Jia Zhangshi's courtyard, then turned and slowly strolled back to his own room. His chest felt like it was blocked by a burning, suffocating lump of coal.

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was September 1, 1968. He Yuzhu took He Aijun to register for primary school. The little guy skipped and hopped all the way, and the backpack on his shoulder was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight—it was sewn by Lou Xiao'e according to the pattern drawn by He Yuzhu. A bright red five-pointed star was embroidered on the back of the backpack, and below it was a line of small blue words: Study hard and make progress every day.

At the school gate, a female teacher was sweeping the floor, her features strikingly similar to Ran Qiuye's. He Yuzhu glanced at her briefly, not stopping, and went straight to pay the registration fee. He handed over three yuan and received a pink receipt. He stood at the classroom door, watching his son being led inside by the teacher, his little body ramrod straight, his face tilted upwards as he waited for his textbooks. That earnestness was just like the way he used to teach his son to recognize "person, mouth, and hand" with a pencil.

He stayed until the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class. Books were being distributed today, and classes started this afternoon. He delivered them twice more, then let Aijun go by himself.

Back in the courtyard house, Lou Xiaosi cried with snot running down her face, insisting on having her brother's schoolbag. Lou Xiao'e couldn't soothe her, so she rummaged through scraps of cloth and hastily made a small cloth bag to appease her. Little Wu, almost two years old, stumbled over and hugged his older brother's leg, his little hands reaching upwards, mumbling "hug me." Looking at the lively yet warm atmosphere in the house, He Yuzhu felt a sense of peace, as if his heart was filled with warm water—he had a wife who understood and loved him, and a group of little ones who were sometimes angels and sometimes unruly; life was warm and full of hope.

Lou Xiao'e squatted down, brushed a small speck of dust off Ai Jun's forehead with her fingertips, and asked with a smile, "Was our eldest son well-behaved today? Did he get into a fight with anyone?"

Aijun raised his chin and answered crisply, "Mom, don't worry! I'm the tallest and strongest in the whole class, nobody dares to mess with me!"

Lou Xiao'e's face instantly fell, her eyebrows shot up: "I sent you to school so you could learn to read and write, not so you could be a little tyrant! Anyone who dares to bully a classmate without reason will come home and kneel on a washboard!"

Aijun stuck out his tongue, turned around and took out his textbook. He ran to his little desk, pointing at the words with his little finger and reading them one by one with great accuracy—those words were all taught to him by his mother.