Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow: "Two hundred?"

Yang Chengyi nodded vigorously: "After deducting all expenses, there's a net profit of exactly two hundred. If you hadn't enlightened me back then, I'd still be accumulating seniority at the factory!"

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "You're the one who dared to take the plunge and try. How many tailor shops have you visited in total lately?"

"I have ten sewing machines of my own as a base, two from Aunt Liu Lan's house, and some spare ones from my old colleague at the steel mill. The production line runs fifty sets a day, steadily and surely. I earn four yuan per set by wholesaling them. I don't have to worry about anything or have any inventory to worry about. I make six thousand a month. I'm content."

He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Not bad, the first 'ten-thousand-yuan household' in our courtyard, who knows what kind of saga you'll become in the future!"

Yang Chengyi quickly waved his hand, "How could we forget our roots? If it weren't for your help, how could the three of us brothers have gotten married so early?"

He Yuzhu asked seriously, "How do you calculate the processing fees for your neighbors?"

"Uncle, Yubing told me long ago that money is like flowing water; you can't just let it flow to yourself. I pay one yuan for processing each set, plus Yubing's fifty cents for technical skills—their monthly take-home pay is not much different from that of the master craftsmen in the factory."

He Yuzhu nodded: "That's right. We should all walk this road together. We can't hog all the profits, or we'll attract attention. Once we have enough money, we should just set up a proper processing plant and work hard."

Yang Chengyi straightened his back: "I'll do whatever you say!"

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "Go and spend time with your family, the food's getting cold."

Yang Chengyi's ready-made clothes are now incredibly popular in the surrounding villages and towns outside Beijing—they are inexpensive, stylish, well-stitched, and made of durable materials, and they sell out every time they're on the market. People flock to his door every day looking for his products, but the only problem is that sewing machines are so hard to find; otherwise, he would have already sold his wares all over half of northern Zhili.

He made a point of arriving early today to show his support, only to find that the Prince's Mansion was even more popular than he had anticipated; he had managed to snag a private room ticket two days in advance.

As I walked toward the private room, I bumped into the head waiter, Liu Lan.

Now she manages the entire service team of the Prince's Mansion. When she saw Yang Chengyi, her eyes lit up immediately—this boy is the "god of wealth" for her two daughters: a sewing machine at home earns them more than forty yuan a month, more than the tailors in the department store.

Liu Lan grabbed his arm, smiling warmly, "Xiao Yi's here? Auntie will add a special dish for you later, put it on my tab!"

Yang Chengyi waved his hands repeatedly: "That won't do!"

Liu Lan patted the back of his hand: "Okay! Auntie's happy!"

The two exchanged only a few pleasantries before Liu Lan was urged to attend to new guests, forcing her to hastily depart. She treated the Prince's Mansion like her own restaurant, handling all matters personally and never letting Lou Xiao'e worry about the waitresses. In her heart, she considered He Yuzhu and his wife her benefactors: good food in the canteen was always reserved for her first, and she knew perfectly well that Ma Hua's lack of connections was the reason she received such preferential treatment—only four or five work slips a year. But she cherished this kindness even more—for ten years, whenever her family pickled new vegetables, steamed jujube cakes, or made a pot of braised pork hock, she always made sure to send a large bowl to He Yuzhu's family; and whenever she secretly brought back snacks from the factory to sell on the black market, she would always give a few pieces to the children. The two families got along even better than blood siblings.

He Yubing's lips curled up again today. At the end of each month, her face automatically gained a radiant glow. Today, Yang Chengyi brought her another 750 yuan—the "skills bonus" she had personally taught her. Now, among her children, she earns the most, yet her studies haven't suffered at all.

Lou Xiaosi was always busy, and He Yuzhu had no idea how much he earned each month—he just couldn't stay idle and would start a business whenever he had a spare moment. No one could figure out where this drive came from. According to He Yubing, just by selling boiled eggs at the university gate, Lao Si could steadily earn several dozen yuan a month.

He Yuzhu never forces his children's interests to conform. People are inherently different; different personalities lead to different paths. As long as they don't cross the line or do anything immoral, he's happy to stand by and watch. Why force a child to follow a path he's laid out for them? Absolutely not. If you're open-minded, don't argue, and are willing to listen to them, occasionally offering a glass of water, a helping hand, or a casual chat, the child is more likely to open up to you.

When it was almost dusk, He Daqing would stroll over to He Yushui's house right on time, take Lou Yue's little hand, and walk back—this was an unspoken agreement between grandfather and granddaughter, just in case they played too much and Lou Xiao'e would scold them. Every time, it was the grandfather who would pick them up; once inside the house, with the old man blocking the way, Lou Xiao'e would have to think twice before reaching out.

Lou Yue was glared at by Lou Xiao'e when she entered the room, but she didn't even lift her eyelids. She quickly washed up, turned around and went into the room, closing the door gently as if nothing had happened.

He Yuzhu had always wanted to visit the Zhengyangmen area to catch a glimpse of the protagonists in another grand drama of life. Unfortunately, he could never find the time. Cai Quanwu's life was far more successful than He Yuzhu's: Xu Huizhen was an exceptional woman, married early, raised several children, and the couple shouldered the burdens of life together—something He Yuzhu, the man who used to only know how to wield a ladle and bang on the table, could never compare to.

However, Yang Chengyi and Xu Huizhen often interacted. Every time he brought his homemade wine over there, Xu Huizhen would always buy it all with a smile and put it on the counter as "aged wine". Back in the 1960s, Yang Chengyi made quite a bit of money from her; Xu Huizhen didn't lose out either - it is said that she even bought a courtyard house.

Yang Chengyi had also mentioned to He Yuzhu that Xu Huizhen's side dishes for drinking were perfectly seasoned, even the old drunkard couldn't find fault with them. The fabric he was using now was all borrowed from Chen Xueru; the two families were on good terms. He Yuzhu had been to Zhengyangmen, but he never went into the street office where Cai Quanwu and his group lived.

……

The trainees, who had completed three months of intensive training at the Party School, were all dressed in crisp uniforms and sat upright in the auditorium today, waiting for Principal Xu to give a speech and issue graduation certificates—an unavoidable hurdle on the road to cadre advancement.

The auditorium was orderly, with an atmosphere as solemn as an opening ceremony. The only difference was that as soon as Principal Xu finished speaking, the students whose names were called went up on stage one by one to shake hands with the principal. In everyone's eyes, this brief contact was a heavy honor.

When it was He Yuzhu's turn, he immediately stood up, quickly smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes with his fingertips, walked steadily onto the stage, shook hands firmly with Principal Xu Xiangdong, and then received the gold-embossed certificate from Vice Principal Liu.

Xu Xiangdong: "Comrade He Yuzhu, I've heard about your work in Guyun Town. You've done a solid job. I hope you continue to work on the front lines and find more ways to make a living for the people."

He Yuzhu: "Please rest assured, Principal, I will never let the organization down."

He quickly left the stage after offering a few words of encouragement, leaving a long line of people waiting to come forward.

As soon as the graduation ceremony ended, everyone flocked to the cafeteria for a lively "graduation dinner"—even though it was only afternoon, rules are rules, and a dinner should be treated like a dinner.

Anyone who felt they had some connection to the leader eagerly raised their glasses to offer a toast. Each class monitor, representing their class, took turns toasting Principal Xu Xiangdong. He Yuzhu remained quietly seated, not moving. The banquet only slowly came to an end after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.

He strolled leisurely home. He wouldn't officially report for his new post until after the New Year—the official document from the Organization Department hadn't been issued yet, so for now, he could only focus on spending the New Year with his family. This group of trainees were promising talents that the country was closely monitoring; the First Branch of the Central Party School had always been the cradle of the backbone; the trainees from the Second Branch were at most considered the core echelon.

But this year's Party School graduates have a much stronger foundation than those from ten years ago. Just like when regular university graduates enter the workforce, those worker-peasant-soldier graduates immediately appear less confident—in terms of seniority, vision, and the art of speaking and acting, they are outmatched in every way. People gossip privately, saying that they only got their diplomas through connections; though they don't say it aloud, they already have a clear sense of superiority.

Halfway there, He Yuzhu suddenly turned and headed towards the Prince's Mansion. At this time, "Time Private Kitchen" was at its busiest, with all the family members there helping out.

He pushed open the door and went straight to the office. Lou Xiao'e, Zhou Xue, and He Yubing were engrossed in checking accounts. Hearing the noise, they looked up, and Lou Xiao'e spoke first:

"Zhu Zi, how was your graduation day?"

"What else could we do? Everyone was sitting up straight, more disciplined than a primary school assembly."

"And you? Are you a good girl?" Lou Xiao'e smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

He Yuzhu glanced at her sideways: "Not being good? There are eyes all over the stage watching!"

"Then go to the kitchen and lend a hand; we're short-staffed today."

He got up and walked to the kitchen, thinking to himself: No matter how good the business is, we can't rely on our own family members' health; we need to hire people as soon as possible.

After get off work, Lou Xiao'e accompanied He Yuzhu home, and he said as they walked:

"If it really doesn't work, hire two more chefs. Don't let your family members get sick from overeating."

"Perhaps there are more customers in winter, so let Yubing make her own decision after the New Year."

"Yes, we'll be leaving soon too. After keeping an eye on things for the past few months, Yubing has a clear understanding of everything. Once we leave, we can rest assured that the shop will be in her hands."

Lou Xiao'e nodded, not replying—her eyes were slightly moist, probably because she was reluctant to part with her daughter. He Yuzhu noticed this and gently patted her shoulder:

"Don't dwell on it. The kids will eventually go their separate ways, either to start their own businesses or to work in an office. Right now, we're just experiencing the feeling of an empty nest ahead of time."

"I know."

Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, He Yuzhu took the opportunity to change the subject and talk about serious matters:

"Xiao'e, you really haven't seen the people over there—a whole family only has two pieces of clothing, some even just one, which is worn by whoever goes out. When you take office this time, you have to find a way to bring some burlap sacks over, so that the adults and children can at least keep warm."

"Is there really such a poor place? Don't they issue invoices every year?"

"Tickets have to be exchanged for money! People need to be fed, able to work in the fields, and able to do jobs before they can afford to buy cloth to make clothes... Sigh."

"I heard the grain bureau just received a new batch of grain, all packed in large sacks. Let's buy a few thousand and take them with us when we leave."