Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

As darkness fell, Su Yu quietly slipped out of the door and headed towards the cowshed. Once in a secluded spot, she discreetly took out everything she had stored in her spatial storage.

Professor Li immediately welcomed him into the room upon seeing him.

Su Yu put down her things: "The daily necessities are here, and everything sent by relatives is complete. I'll head back now. If you need to write, feel free to come to my house anytime."

Professor Li saw everyone off for quite a distance before turning back, inviting them to his room to distribute items sent by their relatives. Some people, holding faded photographs, had tears welling in their eyes.

The package was stuffed with money, food coupons, and thick cotton clothes, and the letter repeatedly instructed: Write often and let us know you are safe.

The atmosphere in the village is much more relaxed now, and no one comes to cause trouble. Everyone goes to work every day and cooks for themselves, but still no one wants to get close to them—but compared to before, life is much more stable and warm.

After learning to ride a bicycle, Secretary Liu hopped on and headed home, his face beaming with joy. He sighed that bicycles were still a rarity in the commune back then, and who would have thought that his family could benefit from his son's success?

As soon as he entered, he shouted, "I have to go to a meeting at the commune tomorrow. It's a long way, so I'll take the bike first—did you buy a lock? Give me the key."

Liu Yan was extremely unhappy, but dared not utter a word. He could only hand over the lock and key, his face tense as if he had been whipped.

Party Secretary Liu glanced at him sideways: "I'm just lending you my car, and you're still not happy about it?"

Liu Yan hurriedly shook his head: "No, really no."

Liu's mother tried to smooth things over, saying, "Let's eat! In a few days, I'll ask someone to help Xiaoyan find a husband. He's not getting any younger; it's time to settle down."

The family sat around the table for dinner. Liu Yan poked the bottom of his bowl with his chopsticks, looking angry and unable to swallow a single bite of rice.

……

As soon as it was light, Su Yu and Xiao Yulan finished getting ready, carefully checked the certificate issued by the village committee, and verified the letter of introduction issued by the state-run restaurant again—today, they were going to the county town to get their marriage certificate.

With everything packed, Su Yu carried Xiao Yulan on her bicycle and set off. Just as they reached the village entrance, they ran into Secretary Liu, who was also riding his bicycle out.

Party Secretary Liu asked with a smile, "Are all the certificates ready?"

—This proves that he opened the door himself, so he must know the important matter that is happening to the two of them today.

Su Yu nodded: "Everyone's here. Where are you headed?"

Party Secretary Liu patted the handlebars: "Let's have a meeting. With this scooter, our legs will be much less tired."

Su Yu smiled and said, "It's much lighter. Let's go first."

Party Secretary Liu waved his hand: "You're busy, we're not going that way."

(Please remember the website 20 ...

The two arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau early; it was quiet with only a few people at the entrance. As soon as the doors opened, they were at the front of the line and went inside to get their paperwork done.

Su Yu held Xiao Yulan's hand, and as soon as the staff sat down, they handed over the household registration book and a letter of introduction.

The other party read through the words, looked at the two of them for a moment, and then took out a bright red marriage certificate that looked like an award certificate. He neatly wrote the two of them's names, ages, and dates on it, and solemnly printed four big characters at the end: Mutual Help and Love!

After obtaining their marriage certificate, the couple went straight to a photo studio and snapped three photos together—that was their wedding ceremony.

Xiao Yulan tucked the red marriage certificate into her inner pocket, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Su Yu smiled at her, "The boss is very efficient; she got my promotion processed in just one month. We'll be assigned a room tomorrow, so let's move in, okay?"

Xiao Yulan smiled and said, "The pig hasn't been slaughtered yet. We'll divide the meat first and then move it around. It'll be a lively affair."

Su Yu: "Okay, whatever you say."

Before they knew it, it was December, and the educated youth received their letters of introduction to return to the city one after another. Before leaving, all the educated youth in the village gathered at Su Yu's house to say goodbye to him one by one and thank him for taking care of them over the past six months.

Su Yu had prepared small items beforehand—enamel mugs, handkerchiefs, and a few bars of soap—and handed them to them one by one with a cheerful smile and warm conversation. She walked them all the way to the old locust tree at the village entrance before stopping.

Wang Guifen carefully wrapped up the work points Su Jiang had earned over the past few days and placed them under the mat on the kang (heated brick bed). The wedding was set for the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day the New Year's pig was slaughtered and the banquet was held, and Su Yu was naturally invited.

He only gave one yuan as a gift, claiming he was too busy moving. The house in the county town had already been allocated to him, and Xiao Yulan had already cleaned it inside and out three times in the past two days.

Su Guang stepped through the snow.

Su Guang: "Sanzi, moving today? Is everything all packed?"

Su Yu: "The transport team's tractor will be here soon. The new house has already been prepared. Third Uncle, why don't you come and take a look too? That way, you'll know what to expect if anything happens in the future."

Su Guang: "That's a must! I'll save the pork from the pig slaughtered in the village for you, and send it over once you've settled in; before the summer grain is distributed, I'll calculate all your work points for the past six months and send them over along with the money and ration coupons. Here, this is what I saved from selling vegetables in the garden, just to cover the expenses first—everything costs money in the city, so be careful with your spending, understand?"

Su Yu: "Don't worry, Third Uncle, I know exactly what's going on."

Su Guang: "I know you're not someone to be trifled with. But the city isn't like our backyard. Everyone knows what you did before, even if they don't say it. Now that you're settled, Su Yun is able to study and earn money, all thanks to you. Your third uncle won't stop her from going to school, but you have to keep this in mind—know when to stop, don't push your luck."

Su Yu: "Third Uncle, I'm a full-time worker in the factory now, with a secure job. I've long since severed ties with the past."

Su Guang: That's right! Come back often; this will always be your home.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of a tractor, "putt-putt-putt," came from afar and grew louder outside the courtyard.

Su Yu: "Alright, the truck's here, I need to hurry and load the goods!"

Before long, seven or eight strong laborers rushed in, carrying boxes, cabinets, tables, and chairs onto the trucks. The two tractors were packed to the brim. Su Yu stood by the roadside waving, the frost on her hat still unmelted.

He hopped on his old-fashioned bicycle, with Xiao Yulan on the back, and the two followed the tractor towards the county town. Soon they stopped in front of their new home—a small courtyard of 65 square meters, with blue brick walls, wooden lattice windows, and a separate entrance; it was considered respectable in the county town. It was only through Director Zheng's connections and generous gifts that they had managed to squeeze this nice plot of land out of the collective dormitory.

Although the courtyard was a bit out of the way, it would only take a quarter of an hour to walk to the factory, which Su Yu was quite satisfied with.

The two drivers, surnamed Chen and Li, worked quickly and efficiently, laughing as they moved the loads, their sweat glistening on the ground.

As soon as the last bundle of bedding was brought into the house, Xiao Yulan was already busy at the stove. The rice smelled delicious, and the braised pork was glistening with oil. Su Guang and the two chefs sat around the table, their chopsticks never stopping, and their conversation never ceasing.

The room has three bedrooms and a kitchen. The toilet is located outside the yard and is shared.

After walking around the courtyard, Su Guang patted Su Yu on the shoulder and took his leave.

Xiao Yulan lowered her head and twisted the hem of her apron: "Third Brother... what should I do from now on?"

Su Yu: "The match factory is hiring box-gluing workers. I've already inquired for you. It's one yuan per box. If you're quick, you can glu two or three boxes a day."

He had inquired and found out that the women in the village who took odd jobs could earn seven or eight yuan a month if they were diligent. He didn't expect her to support the family, but he was afraid that she would feel anxious if she was idle. He wanted to find her some stable work so that she would have something to do and something to look at.

Xiao Yulan: "Can my cousin come too?"

Su Yu: "She can do her thing, you can do yours, let's not interfere with each other."

Xiao Yulan: "Then I'll go and call her first thing tomorrow morning. It's too hard for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old to still be toiling in the fields for a living."

Su Yu: "Go ahead."

He had already made an appointment with Professor Li and the others: to return to the village once a month to help them send letters and deliver items, rain or shine.

Su Yun stopped selling pastries a long time ago. She earned over a hundred yuan in the past two months, enough for two years of high school tuition with some left over; now that she's in university, she even receives a monthly stipend.

Wang Guifen persistently pleaded and finally got Su Yu's old house. After several months of renovations, the house was completely transformed—the exterior walls were reinforced with bamboo strips mixed with mud, the windows were replaced with clear glass, the interior was painted twice with whitewash, and the floor was entirely covered with tightly fitted wooden planks. Although it still had a thatched roof, stepping inside felt refreshing and bright, no less impressive than a brick house.

She had begged Su Guang several times to agree to let her have the house, and Su Guang had persuaded Su Yu several times before he finally relented. It was both to repay a favor and to shut up the gossips in the village.

Su Qing's eyes lit up the moment she stepped across the threshold—it was so much brighter than her third uncle's house! The snow-white walls reflected the winter sun; where in the countryside could you see something like that? She was so captivated that she couldn't tear herself away.

He planned to go into the mountains in a few days to select some good cedar logs. If the bride's dowry lacked anything, he would ask Wang Dingjiang and his son to come and make them.

Right now, the whole village is talking about this over tea and after meals: Su Yu has become the first person to settle down in the city. Everyone is saying that Xiao Yulan is truly blessed; she's already been blessed even before she's officially married.

Liu Yan was filled with regret—if only she had been more friendly to Xiao Yulan back then, she could have benefited from it now. But Xiao Yulan moved away without a word, not even a hint, making it impossible for her to find a way to establish a connection.

Xiao Yulan was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), opening the old tin box and counting the money she had saved over the past six months. Besides the wedding gifts she received when buying the house, there were three hundred yuan in cash and a stack of cloth coupons in the box—all bought by Su Yu from Hers Department Store for her to make clothes.

……

The next day at noon, Su Yu entered the house just in time for lunch and found a thin, frail girl in the main room. She was looking down, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her eyes timid, like a frightened little sparrow. He immediately understood: her family had a backward social class background, and she had suffered a lot of scorn in the village over the years, which had worn her down.

Su Yu: "Yulan, get the meat ration coupons out and get two pounds of pork belly. Wu Qun and a few of his colleagues are coming over tonight for some fun."

Xiao Yulan: "Okay, I'll go to the market after I eat." She took the aluminum lunchbox he handed her. It was a rule at state-run restaurants that leftovers could be packed up—a real perk. The chefs always added an extra half-spoon of oil and a handful of meat when cooking, so seven or eight people could bring home half a box of meat every day. The two lunchboxes were full of glistening braised pork and ribs; in the village, who would be willing to cook like that? They'd be called spendthrifts.

Su Yu turned to Wu Qun and said, "In our family, we always finish every meal. Leftovers get greasy after being left overnight, so we might as well eat them while they're hot."