Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He found the team leader, who was wiping mud off the front of the truck.

He Yuzhu: "Brother, I'll have to trouble you to make two more trips tomorrow—the trucks from the provincial capital that deliver ducklings can't get into the mountains, so I'll have to rely on you to pick them up and deliver them to the duck shed."

The captain grinned: "It's been explained before! The higher-ups said it was Secretary He's order, and as long as it's done, we'll do it without hesitation."

He Yuzhu turned and walked towards the duck shed. Under the eaves, piles of green grass resembled small mountains—all tender grass cut from the mountain yesterday, chopped finely and mixed with grains, ready to feed the first batch of ducklings. The villagers were full of energy, and even the air seemed to exude a warm atmosphere.

Back at the factory, He Yuzhu sat in his office for a long time, pondering repeatedly: What will be most sought after in the future? Not production volume, but reputation; not cheapness, but a catchy and memorable name. A brand is a living advertisement, a hard currency. He picked up the phone and dialed the county printing factory directly, his tone crisp: "Print twenty packaging bags, they must be delivered this afternoon—print the three big characters 'Gu Yun Duck' on the bags, along with a lifelike duck head design. Make it spirited, make it eye-catching, don't make it look like a dead duck."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, everything was ready. He Yuzhu walked into the workshop as the bell rang. Before him stood a dense crowd of people, about a hundred workers standing in unison on the cement floor, even their breathing was rhythmic. The announcer, Wu Tingting, had already tuned the loudspeaker. She nodded to him and invited him to come up on stage.

"Everyone!" He Yuzhu's voice wasn't loud, but it steadily cut through the noise. "From today onwards, Guyun Duck Factory is officially open for business. The factory won't grow overnight, but rules must be established from the outset—I'll emphasize only one thing: cleanliness is the lifeblood of our food factory! Hats must be pulled up tight, masks must be worn properly, and every task, even something as simple as peeling duck feet or scraping duck necks, must be done with care. This isn't for me; it's for our own livelihoods, for the reputation of the entire town! Everyone, can you uphold this principle?"

"Yes—!" The roar soared into the sky, making the window frame vibrate.

He Yuzhu stepped off the stage and went straight to Chen Yan.

"From now on, you'll be in charge of everything in the factory, big or small. Stop sitting in the office copying and writing all the time; everyone's a jack-of-all-trades these days. Security is Wang Dajun's responsibility, and sanitation is Chang Xiu'e's responsibility. They'll be checking twice a day, morning and evening, without any leniency."

Chen Yan's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded emphatically. He Yuzhu waved his hand: "I'm afraid I'll be running all over the place from now on. If no one is keeping an eye on me, this business will fall apart in the blink of an eye."

The next day, just as dawn broke, several large green trucks rumbled into the town and stopped right in front of the factory. The villagers, young and old, were already waiting there. They quickly and efficiently loaded baskets of ducklings, still covered in down, onto the tractors, and followed the three men returning from the provincial capital, hurrying back home.

The factory wasn't idle either—adult ducks had already been transported to the slaughterhouse, and the braising liquid had been bubbling on the stove yesterday afternoon, just waiting for the ducks to be cooked today. He Yuzhu kept the quantity under control, making twenty sample ducks first, then carrying them to the provincial capital: "Without seeing the real thing and tasting it, who will believe your wildly exaggerated claims?"

He set off in the afternoon with his packaged braised duck on his cart, boarded a slow train, and bumped his way into the provincial capital. By then it was already dark. He slept soundly for the night at a guesthouse, using his work ID.

In the county compound, Bai Yutong carried an enamel mug into Yan Xudong's office: "Secretary Yan, do you think He Yuzhu's antics with the Guyun Duck will actually lead to a breakthrough?"

Yan Xudong slowly blew on his tea foam: "We won't ask for favors or block anyone's way. Whether it succeeds or fails, someone above will back us up. The region is watching this; we can't shoulder the responsibility, and we certainly won't try anything crooked."

"Then... can our county factory lend a hand?"

"They had to make their way out themselves. If we really wanted to help them, the higher-ups would have sent a purchasing team long ago."

Bai Yutong nodded—if everything relies on superiors to stall, what's the point of a pilot program? Just give them the money and be done with it.

He Yuzhu arrived at the department store before dawn, took out his ID and handed it over: "Comrade, could you please find Director Tan to discuss some cooperation?"

The staff member glanced at his ID, led him through the corridor, opened the door, and said only, "From Guyun Town, let's talk business," before turning and leaving.

Director Tan, who was bent over his desk reviewing reports, looked up and smiled, "Comrade He, please have a seat. What good news has come your way?"

He Yuzhu untied the cloth bag, took out a glossy and fragrant braised duck, broke off a duck leg and handed it over: "Please have a taste."

Director Tan took a bite, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Mmm, delicious! The duck meat is firm, and the braised flavor is penetrating to the bone—is it trying to get into our counter?"

"We don't just want to stock the counters; we want to set up a dedicated counter, hang the 'Guyun Town' sign, and sell our own products. We also have Sichuan pepper duck, braised duck, and spiced duck gizzards, each with an authentic flavor."

"Two-month trial sale, okay. How do we calculate the price?"

"Five yuan and fifty cents each, shipping costs to be shared in segments: we'll cover the delivery to the county train station, and you can pick up the remaining segment."

Director Tan calculated for half a second—earning fifty cents per bird, a sure thing. "Let's send out a hundred first and see how it goes."

"I'll call right now, the duck will be here by tomorrow morning!"

After finalizing the deal with the department store, he immediately rushed to the factories. The steel mill, with its deep pockets, immediately approved the welfare benefits for 2,000 employees; the textile factory squeezed out 500; the rest waved their hands, saying, "We really don't have any cash on hand."

After running down two streets, I went to the local furniture factory and placed an order for another 500 pieces.

I had barely returned to Guyun Town when the department store called: "Urgent! Send another five hundred, the sooner the better!"

When He Yuzhu relayed the news, Chen Yan grinned broadly. Having someone willing to pay for it was the biggest reassurance; if he were stuck with it, it would be a real disaster. However, he was confident—he had personally crafted the recipe and controlled the heat himself; the taste couldn't be off.

He immediately turned around and headed to Wangjia Village; the ducklings couldn't afford any mishaps.

According to the provincial technicians, when the ducklings are four to five days old, on a sunny and warm day, they should be moved to the outdoor play area to roam around. Let them splash, wade, and shake their feathers by themselves in the shallow water, but never force them into the water—that would harm them.

Ducklings shouldn't be dragged around in the water; if they are, their feathers will become wet and cling to their bodies, and they'll still catch a cold and sneeze in spring and autumn. These tricks were taught to the people of Wangjia Village long ago by an experienced craftsman from the provincial capital.

He Yuzhu stepped into the duck shed area and immediately saw the water surface covered with fluffy little yellow dots, splashing and nibbling at their feathers, a lively scene like scattered gold dust. He found Wang Kaihua and asked as soon as he spoke:

"Captain Wang, have you had any sick or dead ducks lately?"

Wang Kaihua patted his chest and said, "Not a single one! Xiao Dong and the other two studied in the provincial capital for a month, and the day before yesterday, the provincial animal husbandry station sent three more people, bringing medicine and notebooks, teaching them sentence by sentence and instructing them again and again."

He Yuzhu: "The chicken coop and duck shed must be spotless. We must keep a close eye on the food, energy, and color of the droppings of each duckling. We cannot be negligent in the slightest. These duck droppings are very valuable. They are good materials for composting, nourishing the soil, and applying fertilizer to chestnut trees."

After taking a walk around the duck farm, I saw the villagers gently tending to the ducklings, speaking in hushed tones, their eyes full of tenderness. I also visited the village's collective pigsty, which was clean and bright, with even the original blue bricks still visible at the base of the walls.

A long queue formed outside the provincial capital's department store, filled with students in blue cotton shirts, clutching their meager coins as they vied to buy duck necks, duck feet, duck intestines, and duck wings—the packaging simple, but the taste irresistible: salty, savory, and slightly spicy, with a lingering sweetness that made it impossible to stop eating once you started. The village children were short on money, but which family hadn't saved a few cents for pocket money? One boy carried a bag of duck intestines into the school gate, broke them open during break, and shared them with his deskmate. In the blink of an eye, the name "Gu Yun Duck" became a buzzword on campus, and even parents were pulling out their wallets to buy the braised duck to satisfy their cravings.

Anping had just sat down in her office when the phone started ringing incessantly—seven or eight supply and marketing cooperatives from the provincial capital were calling in turn, urgently wanting to order braised duck and Guyun duck snacks; the orders were as thick as a stack of corrugated cardboard.

She was originally a cashier in charge of accounts, and this kind of purchasing work was not her responsibility. But right now, the town was short-staffed, and everyone was doing multiple jobs: she was busy with the abacus beads, answering order calls, and keeping an eye on every transaction in the factory's accounts. Her fingers were practically sparking from typing.

An Ping raised her hand and knocked on the door of He Yuzhu's office. Upon hearing the word "Come in," she pushed the door open and entered.

An Ping: "Secretary He, I just received another call from three supply and marketing cooperatives in the provincial capital urging us to deliver more ducks. We're completely out of stock! The ducks in Wangjia Village won't be ready for market for another three months. What do you think—should we quickly send a batch of adult ducks from the provincial capital to tide us over?"

He Yuzhu: "How much cash is left in the account?"

Anping: "Fifteen thousand three hundred and sixty yuan."

He Yuzhu: "If we settle the debts owed to the farm first, how much will be left?"

Anping: "There's only 1,020 yuan left."

He Yuzhu: "Okay, pay off the debt first, then immediately place an order for 5,000 adult ducks. The steel mill needs 2,000, and the furniture and textile factories in the area are also due by mid-next month—if we can't meet the deadline, hire people immediately! Two shifts a day, no rest for the machines! You go find Comrade Chang Xiu'e right now; hygiene is paramount, we must guard it to the death, there can be no sloppiness whatsoever!"

An Ping turned and left, her steps quick and swift: first, she rushed to the factory to get Wu Hua to help with recruitment, then she ran to the bank to settle the debts owed to the breeding farm, and finally she went straight to the processing workshop to relay He Yuzhu's instructions to Chang Xiu'e without missing a single word.

She knew perfectly well that ever since He Yuzhu arrived, everyone had been like a tightly wound spring, with one thing after another piling up, keeping them so busy they barely had time to breathe. Many tasks were new to them, requiring them to learn on the spot. She, a high school graduate, used to work as a cashier in the commune, her days so leisurely she could count the sparrows flying by. Now, she was busier than a mule during spring plowing, even the old donkey in the production team shook its head in dismay. She, on the other hand, was relatively relaxed—Chen Yan, that obsessive-compulsive college student, had a stubble beard, a stiff collar, and eyes that were now as black as if covered in ink; he had lost a lot of weight.

The job postings spread like wildfire, reaching more than twenty villages overnight. The villagers were eager to get involved, their faces beaming, but when they heard that "literacy is a major hurdle," many immediately hung their heads.

Standing on the threshing ground, Wu Hua's voice was hoarse, yet he still slapped his thigh and shouted, "You think you can't read? Then why didn't you send your kids to school in the first place? From now on, when the town recruits workers, there's an ironclad rule: only those who can read will be accepted! Whether it's a daughter or a son, they're all your flesh and blood. Earning wages in the factory, choosing a wife—isn't that respectable? Stop clinging to the old almanac! Secretary He has already set the rules: educated youth who settle in this team and are willing to become literacy teachers will receive a five-yuan subsidy from the town every month! Seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youths will gather in the evenings to study literacy. Before the next recruitment, you must be able to recognize characters and master the abacus!"