Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The older brother patted him on the shoulder: "The fact that you think this way shows that you're really sensible. Taking care of Mom is the responsibility of the two of us brothers. You two should live your lives well and come back to visit Mom often. That's more important than anything else."

Yang Maixiang immediately replied, "Don't worry, brother, I'll come every two days!"

Liu Hongchang immediately joked, "You want to eat all of Mom's pickled vegetable jars?"

The whole room burst into laughter.

Liu Hongchang's pursuit of He Wenhui caused a rift between his brothers and a strained relationship between father and son.

"You call this love?" Liu Hongchang thought to himself, his doubts growing. Anyone with eyes could see through He Wenhui's intentions: her heart was always set on her classmate, Li Jianbin.

Even his own brother, who has always protected him since childhood, can raise his hand to hit him. Who wouldn't feel scared and cold if they had such a younger brother?

Liu Hongchang grabbed Yang Maixiang's wrist and said in a light voice, "Come on, let's go take a look at the new house that Mom and Dad just finished decorating. We can buy whatever we need while we're at it."

The two walked side by side through the alley. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Uncle Yang carrying an old camphor wood box onto a cart, while Aunt Yang tiptoed to stuff quilts and enamel mugs into a bamboo basket.

Liu Hongchang went up to them: "Dad, Mom, are you two... in a hurry to move?"

Uncle Yang wiped the sweat from his brow: "We're waiting for you! As soon as you move in, we'll set off immediately to the provincial capital to live with our eldest son."

Liu Hongchang was taken aback: "Why are you leaving so suddenly? It would be so reassuring to have you here, with us looking after you every day!"

Aunt Yang sighed and said while folding the bundle, "His sister-in-law just gave birth, and no one is helping her; this time, when Maixiang got married, she simply couldn't find the time to come."

Before he finished speaking, Uncle Yang had already pushed the cart, and Aunt Yang followed closely behind with her blue cloth bag slung over her shoulder, her steps hurried and heavy, as if the wind was chasing after them.

Yang Maixiang chased after them to the courtyard gate, calling out, "Dad—Mom—slow down!"

Liu Hongchang and his wife escorted the two elderly people to the village entrance, watching the creaking cart disappear at the end of the dirt road.

On the way back, Yang Maixiang suddenly gripped Liu Hongchang's hand tightly: "This house can't be left empty. We'll stay here tonight and not go back."

Liu Hongchang nodded with a smile: "I'll listen to you. It's up to Madam."

Before they knew it, it was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, just past the Little New Year, and Yang Maixiang was already more than two months pregnant. Liu Hongchang accompanied her back to the Yang family home for the New Year. As soon as Wang Cuilan saw Maixiang, her hand never left her arm, showering her with compliments. Wu Xiaoying stood beside her, her ears burning red. Liu Yunchang also rubbed his hands nervously, his smile a little stiff.

Liu Hongchang plunged into the kitchen, where firewood crackled and danced in the stove. As the spatula flew across the pot, the aroma of the New Year's Eve dinner gradually filled the air—in just a few hours, the 1980s would rumble in, a golden age when everyone was striving to move forward.

After the New Year's Eve dinner was cleared away, Liu Hongchang took Maixiang's hand and walked home along the slightly hardened dirt road after the snow.

"Do you like children?" he asked casually.

"How wonderful! I love it from the bottom of my heart!" Mai Xiang lowered her head and touched her lower abdomen, her lips curving into a smile.

"Then... shall we take two more?" He paused. "You know, the Liu family is poor. My eldest brother and sister-in-law have been married for several years, but their home is still cold and quiet."

Mai Xiang paused, frowning as she stared at him: "Liu Hongchang, what are you up to? I'm not falling for this!"

"What I mean is—we'll have our first child adopted by my older brother and sister-in-law, then we'll have two more and raise them ourselves." He spoke casually, as if discussing grocery shopping.

"Do you think having children is like molding clay? You can mold as many as you want?" she scoffed.

"I already told you—my older brother secretly talked to me a couple of days ago, hoping that this child will carry on his family line."

"No way." She said firmly, "I will feed and teach the child myself."

"Silly girl, someone is carrying your diapers and staying up all night to lull you to sleep, and you still hold them in your arms every day. What's the point? Isn't it better than you working yourself to death?"

She didn't reply, but gazed at the red paper-cut window decorations on the windows of houses in the distance, and sighed softly: "...Let me think about it."

On New Year's Day morning, just as dawn broke, Liu Hongchang knocked on Liu Zi's gate. The two of them, carrying over seven hundred digital watches—all old stock stored away in their storage space—headed straight to the Cultural Square. Each watch was wholesale for ten yuan and retailed for eighteen. Liu Hongchang first set up a demonstration at the cinema entrance, showing Liu Zi how to start a conversation, how to hand over the watch, and how to pique someone's interest.

Just as I stood still, a young man wearing glasses strolled over, his leather shoes gleaming, with a girl in a red sweater by his side.

Liu Hongchang smiled broadly and handed over a pink watch strap: "Comrade, look! A relative brought this digital watch from the south. Department stores are all sold out! It's more accurate than an old pocket watch, and you can set the time with just one press. It's a presentable gift for your partner, and it's also a good present for your parents!"

The bespectacled man raised an eyebrow: "How much?"

"The original price was twenty-five. We're not looking to make a fortune. We just have two extra dollars at home, so we'll use it for convenience and to earn some pocket money—twenty dollars, take it!" Liu Hongchang deliberately loosened his grip, leaving room for negotiation.

The man glanced around, said nothing more, pulled out two ten-yuan bills, grabbed the watch, turned around and put it on the girl's wrist, muttering, "What a coincidence, this thing sells for 120 yuan at the department store!"

Liu Hongchang quickly demonstrated the time-adjusting method twice, his movements crisp and efficient. Liu Zi's eyes widened in disbelief—was it really that easy to sell? No haggling at all? He had originally planned to test the waters with fifteen yuan for his first order, but now he immediately changed his mind: he'd ask for a higher price, leaving room for negotiation, so the buyer would feel like they were getting a good deal and be willing to pay!

The two immediately split up. They chose to come during peak hours and only worked half a day—the goods were too popular, and camping out every day would only attract attention.

When they met again in the evening, Liu Zi grinned as he counted his money: "Five yuan! A net profit of fifty!"

"No wonder the streets are full of businesses." He clicked his tongue in amazement.

Liu Hongchang patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Wake up! It's because the goods are in short supply, not because you're so capable—give me the money for the purchase."

Liu Zi deftly handed over fifty yuan: "It's already prepared!"

"We're moving to a different location tomorrow. See you at the department store entrance."

"Alright, sir! Just give me a call and I'll be right there!"

What they earned in one day was equivalent to what an average person earns in three months. This business had little risk; at most, they might be stopped by street patrols and have a few watches confiscated. They had already planned ahead: they would only carry two watches with them, and once they sold them, they would immediately return to their watch store to restock. If something went wrong, the losses would be minimal.

As soon as Liu Hongchang entered the door, he stuffed a wad of cash into Mai Xiang's hand.

Mai Xiang was taken aback: "Where did this come from? A thick stack!"

"Let's tinker with digital watches, and get Liu Zi involved too." He said casually.

"We don't lack that much at home, it's too risky! You're not allowed to go there again!" Her brows were furrowed tightly.

"Don't worry, I would have run away long ago if anything went wrong." He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Don't we still need to save money to buy a house? This little bit of trouble won't even fill the gaps between the bricks."

"Next year is enough."

"Oh dear, didn't we agree to 'take several'? How are we going to settle everyone down without a few houses?"

She rolled her eyes at him and slammed the money on the edge of the bed: "You're so unreliable!"

……

The next day, as soon as the rooster crowed, Liu Hongchang was dragged up by the ear by Mai Xiang.

"The sun's already high in the sky! You promised to go visit Mom after work on New Year's Day, are you still lying around?"

He grimaced as he got up, grumbling to himself: "Not even a moment's rest on the first day of the Lunar New Year, this is killing me."

I hopped on my bicycle and rode the bumpy ride to the second canteen. As soon as I stopped, I saw He Wenhui carrying an aluminum lunchbox, walking towards me with a smile.

"Master Liu!" she called out, "I said I'd treat you to dinner, but I only just found the time today—what would you like to eat? It's on me!"

Liu Hongchang waved his hand: "No need, save the money to buy something practical for your younger siblings—eggs, pork floss, fruit candy, aren't those better than empty things? How's life at university? How's it different from our small town?"

He Wenhui smiled and said, "It's not anything special, just that the canteen is bright and spacious, the activity hall is lively, and with more people, things get more complicated."

Liu Hongchang gazed at the green train flashing past on the distant railway tracks and said slowly, "I've heard people say that life is like a slow train journey, with scenery passing by the window in turn, and platforms one after another. People get on, people get off, and some only accompany you for three stops, but quietly steer your life onto another track—university is like that first major station. No company to manage you, no mentor to watch over you, but you're surrounded by living, breathing people. You have to learn to talk to them, compromise, and uphold your bottom line, right?"

He Wenhui was taken aback: "You... went to university?"

Liu Hongchang tugged at his sleeve: "It's just hearsay. Alright, I have to go to the factory, you go ahead with your work."

He Wenhui watched his retreating figure, her heart pounding – this man was truly unfathomable.

You might say he didn't have much formal education, but the things he said offhand were more hurtful than the notes she took in class.

Furthermore, during my mother's follow-up examination, even the attending physician shook his head, saying, "Even the top hospitals in Beijing can't suppress this disease with their medications." But the disease was stabilized, which amazed the doctor on the spot.

She quietly asked the cafeteria chefs, the neighborhood aunties, and the garment factory security guards, but no one had ever seen the "friend" Liu Hongchang mentioned, nor had anyone heard of such a person.

She opened her mouth several times, wanting to ask, "Is the person you're talking about... yourself?" But the words stuck in her throat, like a sour, unripe apricot in her mouth, too bitter to chew.

That morning, she hurriedly ate a bowl of soy milk and fried dough sticks in the cafeteria and never saw Liu Hongchang again.

As dawn broke, Wentao and Wenda chased after the puppy in the back alley of the factory, when they were spotted by a few thugs loitering at the street corner.

The other party reached out to snatch the dog, and Wen Tao, with his neck stiff, rushed forward to tear at it. In just a few moments, he was pinned to the ground and kicked hard, his nose bleeding profusely, his clothes torn in several places, looking like he had just crawled out of a junkyard.

He Wenhui was accompanying Liu Jianbin to the factory to visit his mother when she saw this scene from afar. Liu Jianbin shouted, "Let go! If you move again, I'll call the police station immediately!"

Before he could finish speaking, several boys pounced on him, grabbing Liu Jianbin by the hair and slamming him onto the concrete ground, while another boy blocked He Wenhui's arm, holding it firmly in place.

A dozen minutes later, Liu Jianbin had a bump the size of a steamed bun on his forehead, Wen Tao's mouth was split open, and Wen Da was huddled in the corner trembling, his face covered in tears and ash.