Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Wu Jun stepped across the threshold carrying a cloth bag: "I brought you two jin of meat. It's hard to buy meat coupons in the city, so don't go hungry."

"Oh, what a perfect timing! Dinner's just started!"

As soon as the two entered the house, Wu Qun immediately served his father rice, took the meat, turned around and went into the kitchen, where he neatly sliced ​​it and put it into the pot.

After lunch, Xiao Yulan tapped the table with the tip of her chopsticks and said softly, "We earn twenty-one a month. I'm a bit slow, so I'll only take ten. The remaining eleven will all go to Wu Qun."

Wu Qun took the money and immediately stuffed it into Wu Jun's palm.

Wu Jun clutched the crumpled stack of banknotes, his throat bobbing as he spoke, his voice tight: "Work hard with your sister. You know what your mother is like. Don't go back. Once you've made something of yourself, I'll have your brother-in-law help you find a reliable family—Dad is useless, doesn't keep his word, and she's the one who calls the shots at home."

His eyes reddened, and he turned his head away before finishing his sentence. The issue of his family background weighed heavily on his shoulders; he didn't dare raise his voice even to speak up for his daughter. Zhou Yan favored sons over daughters, and in her ruthlessness, she could force her fourteen-year-old daughter to be a child bride. It was Wu Qun's grandfather who gritted his teeth and came up with the idea: send her to Su Yu's place; at least she'd have enough to eat and wear, better than being buried in a ravine too soon. Now, with ten yuan a month, Zhou Yan's desire had faded—she longed to squeeze every last drop of value out of her daughter, but she couldn't bring herself to ask Su Yu directly. She'd agree to thirty jin of grain, and would readily accept an extra twenty jin, just to maintain a semblance of dignity in front of her relatives.

Wu Jun silently put the meat into the kitchen, then carried in the bags of grain he had brought. Looking up, he saw Wu Qun—dressed in clean, crisp new clothes, her complexion radiant, her eyes relaxed—no longer the timid, shy girl he once was. His nose stung, and tears welled up unexpectedly. This child had only been here a month, yet she had blossomed so much; walking down the street, he almost didn't recognize her.

Fourteen-year-old Wu Qun is almost 1.6 meters tall. His body has grown taller and his skin has a long-lost fair and radiant glow. He wears his new clothes with confidence and naturalness. His face is no longer timid, but only bright and energetic like a young man.

"Dad's gone." He gently ruffled Wu Qun's hair, his voice low as a whisper. "Listen to your sister and brother-in-law, don't come back unless it's absolutely necessary. Leave a dollar a month for yourself; buy candy, books, whatever you want. Don't worry about things at home. You can come back after you've established yourself in the city and started your own family."

Wu Qun watched her father walk out of the courtyard gate with his hunched back, tears streaming silently down her face. Her grandfather and father doted on her, but neither dared to offend her mother; secretly giving her half a cornbread or hiding a small piece of dried sweet potato was all the tenderness they showed her. This time, she wanted to thank her grandfather; it was he who, with a single breath, pulled her out of the mire. When she became successful, she would make sure her grandfather slept on a soft bed and wore a thick cotton-padded coat, and that her father could stand tall and speak with dignity.

When Wu Jun returned to the house, Zhou Yan had just finished serving the rice.

"Why aren't you going to call your grandfather? You're all just standing there like statues! Without me, this family can't even cook a proper meal! I'm worried about you three going hungry when I go back to my parents' house!"

The seven-year-old son dashed out, afraid of being slapped if he was even a second late.

Zhou Yan glanced sideways at Wu Jun: "Did you see him? How's it going?"

Wu Jun took out ten yuan and handed it over. Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, and she immediately pinched the corner of the coin, twisting it repeatedly: "So much? Didn't you buy Yulan and the others anything as a token?"

"Ten yuan a month. They know what kind of situation my family is in. Besides, you need ration coupons to buy things, and I was in a hurry and didn't have time to get them. I delivered two pounds of meat today, and they didn't complain."

"Alright, from now on, Xiaoqun can focus on working in the city. You can set aside two yuan each month to buy some pastries and fruits and send them over—we can't let him lose face!"

"I'll listen to you."

Before he finished speaking, Wu Jun led his second son and followed Wu Jun into the house.

Zhou Yan quickly put on a smiling face: "Dad, come and eat! I heard that you didn't even cook anything after I left, so I rushed back... Sigh, the stove is so empty without Xiaoqun at home."

Wu Jun had his ears perked up and had overheard most of the conversation.

He leaned closer to his elder brother: "Brother, my daughter is fourteen now. I was thinking of sending fifty catties of grain and two catties of meat, and asking Su Yu to help take care of her—what do you think?"

Wu Jun nodded: "Let's go together tomorrow and ask Yulan what she thinks first."

"Okay! I'll go back and discuss it with Xiaofang."

As soon as Wu Jun entered, he saw Li Fang bending over and mending, her needle and thread moving swiftly across the coarse cloth. He stepped forward and explained the situation in a low voice.

Li Fang paused, the needle resting on the cloth, a smirk playing on her lips: "Tomorrow, bring twenty extra catties of grain, and half a catty more meat! Nizi is even smarter than Xiaoqun; she can earn ten yuan, our Nizi can easily make twelve!"

The couple exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with hope, and the room instantly brightened.

As dawn broke, the two brothers led thirteen-year-old Wu Ni toward the county town. Wu Ni skipped and hopped along the way, her eyes shining like black grapes dipped in dew—this was her first time in the county town; before, the furthest she had ever been was the commune, where she had squeezed into the drying ground to watch a few open-air movies.

Wu Jun stopped outside Su Yu's courtyard gate and knocked on the door knocker three times. The door creaked open a crack, and Wu Qun poked his head out. He immediately recognized his second uncle and Ni Zi, pulled them inside, picked up Wu Ni, spun her around halfway, and laughed until his cheeks turned red.

Su Yu left early. Today, the guesthouse was doing inventory and preparing meals, so he went to the match factory at 5:30 to pick up the goods and also brought back the work materials the two of them needed. He wouldn't be back at noon; he would have to stay at the county committee guesthouse until the meal was over.

When Wu Jun saw that Wu Qun was dressed neatly and looked healthy, the weight on his heart suddenly lifted—it was so much better than in the village, truly a world of difference.

As they were talking, Xiao Yulan came out from the inner room. Wu Jun froze on the spot, his throat tightened, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Big sister..." he called out in a hoarse voice, tears streaming down his face. He was only in his early twenties when his eldest sister passed away, and more than a decade has passed since then.

The person before her was no longer the thin, haggard figure from her memory. She had a fuller figure, more relaxed features, and even the smile at the corner of her mouth resembled that of her deceased mother—a gentle strength tempered with resilience, a beauty that was both serene and striking.

Xiao Yulan smiled gently: "Second Uncle, it's me, Yulan."

Wu Jun hurriedly wiped his face, his voice trembling, "Oh dear, Second Uncle is confused, confused..."

Years ago, Xiao Yulan's mother died in the Xiao family's old house. Wu Jun chased after Xiao Dong all the way to the village entrance, pinning him to the ground and beating him mercilessly more than a dozen times. Each time, the man lay in bed for three or four days, his bones aching from the pain. Unlike his elder brother, he didn't hold back. Even after being taken to the ancestral hall and locked up, he would still punch Xiao Dong whenever he saw him. In the end, it was Wu Shangyong who, fearing that Yulan would hold a grudge later, forcibly restrained his hands.

After everyone was seated, Wu Qun and Xiao Yulan were seen diligently pasting matchboxes, cardboard flying everywhere and glue glistening in the air. Wu Ni joined in, clumsily but earnestly learning how to fold the edges and glue the corners.

Wu Jun rubbed his hands together and tentatively asked, "Yulan, your second uncle wants your daughter to do this work with you. What do you think?"

Xiao Yulan didn't hesitate at all: "We're family, why distinguish between 'yours' and 'mine'? Now that Nizi's here, Xiaoqun will have someone to talk to. Which other neighbor's child can keep her company and chat every day?"

Wu Jun paused, then lowered his voice: "I'm just worried that Su Yu... won't be able to bring it up."

These days, if the wife's family moves in, eats there, and needs someone to look after them, the couple is bound to have disagreements if they don't discuss it beforehand. Wu Jun's concerns are very real.

Xiao Yulan waved her hand, her tone light: "Second Uncle, don't worry, Su Yu is very open-minded. He'd love for the house to be more lively, and he also hopes I can talk more."

Wu Jun nodded, stood up to say goodbye, and said, "Alright, we'll head back now. Nizi, listen to your sister and stay put—Dad and Uncle come to see you every month."

Wu Ni tilted her head up and replied crisply, "Mmm!"

Xiao Yulan escorted them all the way to the alley entrance, watching their backs turn around the corner before turning back.

Wu Ni's life at home was actually smoother than Wu Qun's—her father was the one in charge at home, and she always got to choose the best things first. But she absolutely refused to go to school. As soon as she entered the school gate, she felt tense all over, feeling that the gazes were like needles pricking her, making her heart feel suffocated.

Xiao Yulan offered them a meal, but they insisted on not eating and hurried back home.

As soon as Wu Qun entered the house, he asked, "Nizi, have you had breakfast? There's still some porridge in the pot."

"No, we set off as soon as it was light!"

Wu Qun nimbly darted into the kitchen to heat up the porridge, while Wu Ni squatted by the table, her fingertips covered in glue, and joined in pasting matchboxes.

While tidying up the fabric, Xiao Yulan asked, "Did you bring enough clothes?"

"I brought two sets."

"I'll go with you to buy a new outfit at noon, then I'll take you around the town, and we'll watch a movie together in the evening."

Upon hearing the word "movie," Wu Ni's eyes lit up—showing a movie in the village required a two- or three-hour journey over mountains, returning in the dark with blisters all over her feet.

Xiao Yulan was thinking: get a set for Wu Qun, and also get one for Nizi. She had plenty of cloth ration coupons; they had few relatives, so any leftovers would be a waste.

Sending things to the Wu family now would only harm them—the villagers are very sharp-eyed and eager to find any trouble to gossip about, so how could they allow the Wu family to live too comfortably?

Su Yu didn't come back at noon. Wu Qun and Wu Ni were busy at the stove. They had already experienced Xiao Yulan's cooking skills before—last time she stir-fried meat slices and they were burnt like charcoal ash. So the two of them simply took over the spatula, cut the meat, blanched it, and stir-fried it. The aroma soon filled the small courtyard.

After dinner, the three of them headed straight to the department store. The streets were packed with people before the holiday; you had to stagger your breathing to catch your breath.

After buying the clothes, the three of them, sweating profusely from the crowded shopping, hurriedly headed back, clutching their paper bags.

At this moment, Su Yu was tending to the oil in the wok, frying crispy pork. The oil sizzled and splashed everywhere. They had to prepare enough food for two days. Cadres from various communes who came to attend the meeting were all gathered at the guesthouse for a meal, making it as lively as a New Year's celebration. Many people also wanted to pack some to take back home for their elderly parents and children to try. They had to chop two large basins of meat just for the filling.

The restaurant only had one head chef and one waitress left—the customers had been few and far between these past few days, but once they got through today, they would be able to take a full week off.