Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

On the day of the exam, more than a hundred people squeezed into the campus, and many onlookers gathered outside the school gate. All of them were stopped by the comrades from the Armed Forces Department outside the iron fence and were not allowed to get any closer.

Gu Ting stood guard at the exam exit, conducting brief interviews with each candidate after they handed in their papers. Those she deemed suitable were noted down on the spot; only if the names matched the results were released was the job secured; otherwise, she would have to wait for the next round of recruitment to try her luck again.

Just as the exam papers were collected, the brick factory called He Yuzhu's desk: "The first batch of bricks has come out of the kiln!"

He Yuzhu immediately dialed Shaoqing's number: "The factory leaders and relevant personnel will be there this afternoon. From now on, you can report directly to them."

After hanging up the phone, he turned to Xiao Liu and said, "Go and invite Qin Feng over. I have something to say to him in person."

Liu Qiang turned and went out. Less than five minutes later, Qin Feng was already standing at the door and gently knocked twice.

"Secretary He, you wanted to see me?"

"The bricks from the brick factory are coming out, and the new accountant is worried about being unfamiliar with the process. You should send an experienced worker over to train her for a month as soon as possible, so I can feel more at ease."

"Okay, I'll get on it right away. Anything else?"

"That's all. Thank you for making the trip."

Qin Feng waved his hand, turned around and went to the finance department to count the people, and then arranged for a driver to take them there in a special car.

Lou Xiao'e led more than twenty young people and rushed into the Red Star Commune.

Looking at the dilapidated office and the few beds covered with old cotton quilts, she didn't frown at all; instead, the corners of her mouth turned up. She was really busy and really chaotic, but her heart felt like it was burning with fire, both hot and reassuring.

Gu Ting quickly followed in: "Director Lou, the bricks are all fired, but the buyer hasn't contacted us yet."

"I'll call right now!" Lou Xiao'e grabbed the phone, her voice crisp and decisive. "Get someone to come and pick up the goods immediately!"

Upon receiving her call, He Yuzhu immediately dialed the cement factory. Yang Wenhong, after listening, nearly dropped his teacup: "How many days has it been? Less than a month, and the bricks are already in production?"

He dared not delay and quickly dispatched two trucks to Hongxing Commune. In less than an hour, the bricks were piled up in the factory area. Yang Wenhong casually picked up a brick, tapped it twice with his knuckles, and his brow relaxed—the sound was solid, the cross-section dense; it was definitely not one of those brittle, crumbling inferior bricks. It seemed the clerk hadn't lied to him; even if he'd been cheated, he'd accept it!

He immediately contacted the construction team and started building the "Employee Home, Sexual Well-being Community" with great enthusiasm—the name was approved at a factory meeting, and he also paid out of his own pocket to reserve a spacious apartment.

The sound of pile driving was deafening, and the garment factory was also busy. As soon as the transport team arrived, the foundation of the factory building was started; the provincial government had already called, and the entire production line that was being phased out was being packed up and transported to Dongli County.

Zhou Min was frantic, the construction team was nowhere to be seen, so she had no choice but to ask He Yuzhu for help. Without hesitation, He Yuzhu picked up the phone and dialed Xiao Hongsheng, the director of the general office: "Old Xiao, keep a close eye on things and find a reliable team to come over as soon as possible!"

……

Dongli County suddenly came alive. The higher-ups quickly received the news—this construction project alone had recruited more than a thousand temporary workers. Although it was a short-term project, it was a large-scale undertaking with quick results and a united workforce.

As soon as the first pile was driven into the employee residential area, the garment factory in the provincial capital placed an additional order; the brick factory was also working day and night, with the kiln fires glowing red, and truckloads of bricks were being driven into the provincial capital by the transport team's trucks.

He Yuzhu made a phone call to Lou Xiao'e: "Xiao'e, can we increase production capacity any further? If we really can't keep up, we'll immediately build two more kilns. If we don't have enough manpower, we'll pull out all the stops!"

Lou Xiao'e sighed on the other end of the phone: "I was just about to tell you about this—the two kilns really can't keep up with the demand, and the foundation for the new kiln has already been laid today. But a little trouble has arisen: the Dongfang and Hongxing communes got into a fight at the registration point over recruitment quotas! Fortunately, Director Qin Feng happened to be there and quickly called the armed forces department and the police, which prevented a major incident."

"I didn't know about this! Was anyone injured? How was it handled?"

"Director Qin asked me to report to you immediately, and here you are on the phone!"

"I'm on my way! We need to calm things down; this is outrageous!"

He Yuzhu jumped into the jeep and sped towards the Red Star Commune. By the time he arrived, the scene was already firmly under control.

He strode into the crowd, his voice cold and hard: "Where are the secretaries of the Red Star Commune and the Eastern Commune?"

Su Qiang and Ji Yongqiang practically jogged up.

"How did you manage to lead your team? Hundreds of people were fighting in the street, why didn't you stop it immediately?!"

Ji Yongqiang wiped his sweat: "Secretary, I rushed here as soon as I heard, but when I got there they were already tangled up and couldn't be separated at all! Luckily, Director Qin called the comrades from the Armed Forces Department in time, otherwise someone could have been killed!"

"Who led the attack?"

Wen Xiangdong then strode in from the side: "Scribe, it's been investigated and it's all a misunderstanding—the Dongfang Commune heard that they were hiring here and came to line up early this morning. They got into an argument over cutting in line, and it escalated into a physical fight..."

He Yuzhu declared firmly: "Those who instigate trouble will be locked up for ten days to half a month, and after their release, they will have to go back to the factory to do unpaid work! The recruitment office should immediately post a notice: Anyone who engages in fighting or causing trouble will be disqualified!"

After saying that, he strode towards his office. Lou Xiao'e, along with several young people, followed silently behind him, their steps steady and firm.

He Yuzhu turned on the megaphone, his voice loud and steady: "Fellow villagers, comrades! We're all from Dongli County, we see each other all the time. Is it right to fight and hurt each other over trivial matters? Building the brick factory is for a better future, to let everyone stand tall and live a bright life, not for people to come here and throw punches and break dishes! From now on, anyone who dares to start a brawl or cause trouble will be fired on the spot and never hired again—their job offer will be cancelled! Today's incident has served as a reminder: in the future, if there are any disagreements or disputes, first try to get the factory cadres to mediate; if that doesn't work, ask the commune to step in; if that still doesn't work, the county will step in! Under no circumstances should you resort to violence!"

As the broadcast ended, the entire place fell silent. Everyone held their breath, their palms sweating, fearing that the clerk might be displeased and kick all those involved in the fight out of the factory gate—this brick factory was, at the moment, the lifeline for their entire families.

Wen Xiangdong gave He Yuzhu a few brief instructions, then followed the armed forces personnel back to the city with the two workers who had thrown the first punch. He Yuzhu turned and strolled to the newly built kiln, squinting as he examined the row of newly laid blue brick walls.

A new face appeared beside Lou Xiao'e, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slender figure and timid eyes, who followed Lou Xiao'e closely the whole time.

Her name was Su Qiao, from Sujia Village in Hongxing Commune. She dropped out of junior high school and went back to work in the fields. When the brick factory was hiring, she asked the brigade leader to intercede several times before the commune made an exception and hired her. After working for more than ten days, she was as thin as a bamboo pole, yet she carried mud bricks and pushed heavy carts every day, doing all the work of male laborers. Lou Xiao'e happened to see her and her heart tightened. She called her into her office for questioning. After Su Qiao washed the mud off her face, Lou Xiao'e was stunned—her eyebrows, her nose, were exactly like He Yubing's when he was young. One was writing reports in a bright and clean office in the county town, while the other was gritting her teeth and panting in the dusty brickyard. Lou Xiao'e didn't say much, but immediately asked Gu Ting to take her to learn the work of a clerical assistant, and also bought her a brand new set of clothes.

Su Qiao's family wasn't originally poor, but her father's serious illness dragged the whole family down: without the breadwinner, they were constantly on the verge of death, and life was getting worse every day. She had no choice but to drop out of school and return home to help her mother take care of her younger siblings, doing everything from fetching water and chopping firewood to feeding the pigs and working in the fields. When they were recruiting workers, if the village head hadn't vouched for her, she probably wouldn't have even been able to submit her application form.

She worked hard every day, never complaining even when her shoulders were chafed. Her thin frame was slightly hunched from the weight of life.

Lou Xiao'e stood by the kiln and said to He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, we're testing cement bricks now. The dimensions are exactly the same as sintered bricks. If it works, we'll be able to produce bricks faster, save on labor, and save on coal."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Shouldn't your office send a few people out to develop sales channels?"

Lou Xiao'e smiled and said, "Once this month's salaries are paid, I plan to hire another batch of people. The dormitory building also needs to be expanded as soon as possible; even the corridors are full right now."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "You decide these things, I won't interfere."

He walked around to the experimental pile, squatted down, and touched the newly solidified brick surface without saying much. This wasn't some kind of magic trick; it was just a matter of adjusting the formula, controlling the humidity, and pressing the mold repeatedly—after a few tries, you'd naturally figure it out.

On April 1st, the brick factory was bustling with activity and filled with joy. The finance department was so busy that they simply borrowed several experienced accountants from the county to help out.

The workers clutched their hard-earned money from the previous month, their faces beaming with joy: some received over a hundred yuan, while others received thirty or forty.

At this moment, Fang Huakun, Gu Hongtao and several other leaders from the province mingled in the crowd without alerting anyone—they had come quietly just to see the real scene.

Fang Huakun stopped a man with a beaming face and asked with a smile, "Comrade, how much salary did you get? You're so happy!"

Su Dahe looked him up and down, grinned, and said, "Oh, you're from out of town, aren't you? We'll have to wait for the next round of recruitment, but at your age, our factory can't afford to hire you."

Fang Huakun was taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "I meant to ask how much you received?"

Su Dahe patted the bulging cloth bag: "One hundred and twenty yuan!" It was only a few miles from Sujia Village, and he wasn't afraid of these white-haired old comrades robbing him; besides, he wasn't afraid of a fight if they really did—but those young cadres following behind didn't look like easy targets.

Fang Huakun's eyes lit up: "I've only just heard about this brick factory. It's only been open for a little over a month, how come the wages are so generous?"

Su Dahe straightened his back: "Our factory values ​​real physical strength! The more you work, the more you earn, not a penny less."

"How exactly is it calculated?"

"It's all written in the work log—how many bricks you move, how many stacks you pile up, how many truckloads you load, the foreman marks it for you every day. At the end of the month, we summarize everything, and the money goes directly into your account. My son comes to help out every day; the higher the pile of work, the higher the money piles up."