Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Early in the morning, He Yuzhu pushed open the meeting room door, which was already packed with people—several factory directors were waiting early, and the ashtray was piled with half-smoked cigarette butts.

"There are only two things to discuss today." He Yuzhu stopped and scanned the room. "First, the dock will be built. The land has been acquired, and the funding will be shared by the county and the factories. Whoever invests will be able to use the dock warehouse for free for twenty years—the savings in transportation costs, storage time, and transshipment losses will be clear once the accounts are reviewed. If you have any different opinions, speak up now."

He paused for two minutes, and the room fell silent.

"Second, we'll designate an industrial zone." He pointed to the planning map on the wall. "The entire area from the dock to the tractor factory will be designated as a new industrial zone. All new factories must be located here in the future. Finally, some good news: the regional government has approved the road construction. The regional government will pay for the section from the county boundary to the dock; the section from the dock westward to the main road will be funded by our county."

Before he finished speaking, a burst of applause erupted.

He Yuzhu rose and left his seat, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Several factory managers, however, remained, gathering in twos and threes near the door to discuss the matter in hushed tones. The cement factory was indeed out of the picture in this dock game—their goods were at most delivered to regional construction sites. Zhang Wenhong turned and walked alone towards the county committee building, raising his hand to knock on the door of He Yuzhu's office.

"Secretary He, with the dock construction, our cement plant is really struggling to get a share." He rubbed his hands together. "Other plants get orders from other provinces, while we barely even cross the county border... Could we perhaps loosen the investment ratio a bit?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer immediately, but instead pushed over a sketch: "Look, this newly built storage area, you don't need it? You can rent it out. Once all the goods gather here, the rent alone will pay for it in two years, and double it in five years—don't believe me? Do the math, with the recent road construction in the region and building construction in the county town, every shovel of mortar needs your factory's materials!"

Zhang Wenhong pondered for a moment, then smiled and got up to leave. In the past few months, their factory had been operating day and night, the recruitment notices had been changed three times, and even the village store had added two more cases of chilled soda because of the increased number of cement trucks.

He quickly caught up with the factory managers ahead of him, and together they turned into the conference room on the second floor of the furniture factory. On the table were blueprints, an abacus, and teacups. Su Qiao opened her notebook and got straight to the point: "This time, the county will cover half of the dock's funding, and the remaining companies will share proportionally. Whoever contributes more will get a larger share of the warehouse—it'll all be in black and white, signed on the spot."

Zhou Min: "Our garment factory is too weak to compare with yours."

Now the garment factory has been relocated entirely—the employees' housing complex remains standing, while the old factory area has long been leveled and transformed into a bustling farmers' market; the new factory occupies a much larger area, fully equipped with the latest automatic cutting beds and intelligent sewing threads, and the workforce has expanded to over 2,300 people. However, compared to the brick factory, furniture factory, Guyun duck factory, tractor factory, and cement factory, it still appears somewhat insignificant.

Although the Guyun Duck Factory is located in Guyun Town, its freight has to be transported through the county town. In order to avoid being accused of "favoring one side over the other" in the future, and to keep the news under wraps, they were specially invited to participate in the construction of this branch factory.

Gu Yun from the tractor factory made the decision: "We'll contribute one-third. Tractors take up a lot of space, so we'll choose the largest warehouse location—you decide how to divide the rest."

Anping laughed and replied, "We invest the same amount as the garment factory. Our goods are lightweight, so it's no problem for them to be stored in the same warehouse as the clothes."

Once the investment was finalized, Lou Xiao'e immediately dragged Su Qiao to the region. Today was the day of the opening ceremony for the furniture branch factory, and the leaders of the head office had to be present to cut the ribbon; Peng Mu also had to be there—he had been officially appointed as the deputy director of the branch factory, in charge of production and quality control.

After Su Qiao graduated from the Party School, the Organization Department issued an official document appointing her as the deputy director of the furniture factory. When Lou Xiao'e was away or in meetings, she took on all the factory's affairs, big and small.

Yan Shuji arrived at the site early. This was the second factory he had personally built in the region, and the earnestness on his face was impossible to hide. The tractor factory had also stabilized under his leadership—though not as large as the one in Dongli County, providing seven or eight hundred people with stable jobs was no small matter. Under his guidance, the entire region was becoming more vibrant and promising every day.

When Lou Xiao'e and Su Qiao arrived in the factory's shuttle bus, the factory gate was already packed with people. Villagers, young and old, came to see the brand-new factory building. Some stood on tiptoe to look inside, while others peeked through the cracks in the iron gate, wondering if their children would be able to get a job once the recruitment notice was posted.

At 1:00 PM sharp, Comrade Yan Xudong took to the stage. His voice was loud and clear as he expressed his high hopes for the furniture factory and offered his sincerest blessings. Next, Lou Xiao'e took the stage, speaking concisely; Su Qiao followed, her tone steady yet passionate. Finally, the branch factory director took the microphone and solemnly declared—"From this moment on, the furniture branch factory is officially inaugurated!"

The factory leaders accompanied Yan Xudong to the conference room. Everyone sat down, and tea was just served.

Yan Xudong began by saying, "The furniture factory has come this far thanks to Comrade Lou Xiao'e's courage and Comrade Su Qiao's tenacity. I believe in them, and even more so in this team—as long as we follow Director Lou's lead, taking each step firmly and steadily, the road ahead will surely be bright!"

Before he finished speaking, thunderous applause filled the room.

Yan Xudong raised his hand in a gesture of greeting and said with a smile, "Please, Comrade Lou Xiao'e, say a few more words."

Lou Xiao'e stood up and waited for the applause to subside before speaking: "Everything the furniture factory has achieved today is thanks first to the strong support of our superiors; second to the hard work of our frontline workers day after day; and third, especially to Comrade Su Qiao, who led the publicity team, running themselves ragged and talking themselves hoarse, managing to make our brand known throughout the province!"

The applause rang out again and lasted for a long time.

Subsequently, Yan Xudong announced the cadre appointment on the spot—Peng Mu was appointed as the deputy director of the branch factory as he wished. Lou Xiao'e had talked to him about this a month ago: he was skilled, willing to study at night school, and never slacked off in his work. The factory leadership unanimously nodded in approval, saying that he was a person who "had sawdust on his hands but a heavy heart."

When Peng Mugang first joined the factory as a production team leader, relatives from his hometown took turns trying to set him up with potential partners, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find anyone he liked. He remains single to this day.

Now that his career is stable and he has more responsibilities, the thought of "settling down and starting a family" has quietly begun to resurface in his mind.

Surrounded by a group of cadres from the branch factory, they escorted Lou Xiao'e and Su Qiao to the factory gate, waving goodbye with reluctance.

Su Qiao suddenly said, "Factory manager, I'd like to ask for leave tomorrow—I haven't been home for several months, and I want to go back and see my parents."

Lou Xiao'e nodded: "It's time to go back. You've been working too hard; you should have taken a break and spent some time with the elderly."

Su Qiao smiled and said, "I only dared to go all out because you trusted me. Now that the factory is running smoothly, I feel much more at ease."

Lou Xiao'e turned and went into the house, carrying out a blue cloth bag: "Take these local products with you and give my regards to your parents."

Su Qiao nodded silently, her eyes already shining, her heart already flying back to Su Family Village.

……

At dawn, a silver-gray sedan slowly drove up to the entrance of Sujia Village in Hongxing Commune. The villagers all rushed out at the sound—tractors and dump trucks were common in the commune, but this sleek and stylish sedan was a first for them. Everyone craned their necks, wondering which important leader had arrived.

The crowd was so dense that the car moved slower than an oxcart. When it finally stopped in front of Su Qiao's house, she got out, and the crowd erupted in a clamor.

"That girl Su Qiao has been learning from Director Lou for so long, she's bound to become a factory leader soon!"

"That's right! Back in 1979, owning a 'Forever' car was a rare thing, and now they're driving a car!"

The village elders greeted her with smiles, calling her "Qiao Yatou" (meaning "clever girl") and treating her as their own daughter.

Su Qiao's mother, Wang Dahua, pushed through the crowd and quickly stepped forward, taking her daughter's hand as she called out, "Qiao'er just got back; she's tired from the journey! Everyone go ahead with your work. This afternoon, once she's recovered, she'll visit every household!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd slowly dispersed—those who were going to work carried their hoes and left, while those who were not working carried their baskets up the mountain to cut pig feed.

Su Qiao turned to the driver: "Sir, you can go back to the factory first, and come pick me up tomorrow morning."

The driver readily agreed: "Sure thing, Deputy Factory Director! I'll be there at this time tomorrow!"

Wang Dahua quickly ran into the house, and a moment later chased after her with two boiled eggs in hand: "Comrade, have something to eat on the way!"

The driver glanced shyly at Su Qiao, and seeing her nod with a smile, he took the bag apologetically, turned around, got into the car, and drove towards the furniture factory.

It turned out that the factory was doing well and had a lot of business, so the provincial government, understanding that the factory leaders often traveled to other places to discuss cooperation, specially approved two cars—of course, the factory raised the money for the cars itself. The rules for using the cars were also simple: whoever was on business trips could use them. Su Qiao went out the most often, so Lou Xiao'e immediately decided: "This car is for her exclusive use."

As soon as the car drove away, Wang Dahua took her daughter's arm and led her into the yard, asking in a low voice, "Qiao'er, are you... really the factory manager now?"

Su Qiao adjusted her handbag strap and said softly, "It's the deputy factory director. Without Director Lou's support, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Wang Dahua: "We really have to thank Director Lou—she's kind-hearted and generous. If she hadn't set up her factory in our village, where would your father have gotten the money for medical expenses? Now, whose stove isn't burning the firewood she brought in? Whose child's tuition isn't paid from her salary? You were lucky to be chosen by Director Lou at first glance. From now on, you have to be loyal and hardworking, always thinking of her needs. We, the Su family, will remember this kindness for a lifetime!"

Su Qiao: "Mom, don't worry, I'll never forget how good Factory Director Lou was. Have my younger brothers gone to school? Where's Dad?"

Wang Dahua: "Your dad was feeling a bit better yesterday, and he went to the brick factory to help out before dawn—I had to hurry and deliver the rice I had just cooked. Your two younger brothers went to the commune middle school this morning with their schoolbags."

Su Qiao: "Dad, why don't you rest for a few more days? Your body has just recovered; what will happen if you collapse from exhaustion again?"