Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Looking at the swaying shadows of the trees in the distance, He Wenhui suddenly smiled: "Jianbin, thank you for thinking this through for me. I've made up my mind—to send them back. I've made up my mind about this."

In Liu Hongchang's words, these two were like ungrateful wolf cubs. Liu Hongchang had never lied to her, and a seed had long since sprouted in her heart—not the dazzling flame of her youth, but a vine forged from over six years of daily companionship and the mundane realities of life. Especially when her old fantasies shattered, she realized that some "innocence" simply couldn't withstand the fumes of cooking oil by the stove.

She didn't resent Liu Hongchang for not choosing her. If she were Liu Hongchang, she probably wouldn't have left Yu Qiuhua even a single dreg of medicine.

As soon as Li Jianbin and He Wenhui entered, they started unpacking—gathering and packing Wentao and Wenda's belongings one by one. Before the tea had even cooled down, the two brothers pushed open the door and saw their sister standing in the middle of the living room with a tense face, her eyes as cold as frosted glass. They stood there, stunned, completely unable to understand what had gotten into her.

He Wenhui stared at Wenda as if he were a stranger who had suddenly barged into her home. This child, whom she had raised single-handedly since he was seven or eight, with whom she had lived and eaten for over a decade, dared to pick up the very thing that had smashed the family's rice bowls and kick Liu Hongchang out? Could someone who could do such a thing and say such a thing have a heart made of rust?

Her gaze swept over them, filled with a bleak disappointment. She hadn't even touched the twenty yuan she'd just given Wenda for living expenses while she was in the hospital, sweating profusely from the pain, yet he'd clutched it in his pocket like it was gold. What about the future? If she always had plenty of money, the siblings would naturally be affectionate and welcoming; but what if one day she fell ill, grew old, or became poor? Would she, like Liu Hongchang, be kicked aside by them?

"Sis, what are you doing? Why did you pack all our things?" Wentao scratched the back of his head, looking completely bewildered.

"The house has been rented out. Your brother-in-law and I will move into the small apartment he was allocated—three rooms, not enough for four people. You're going back to the old house today." He Wenhui's voice was as flat as if measured with a ruler, without the slightest ripple.

"Oh no, sister! That old house is drafty and leaky, how can it compare to this bright and airy place? Let my brother go back, I'll stay with you and your brother-in-law!" Wenda grinned, his words full of flattery and slickness.

"Dream on!" Wen Tao shoved his younger brother on the shoulder, his temper flaring up instantly.

He Wenhui took in the true colors of the two brothers—if even blood relatives could behave this way, what about her, a woman who had married out of the family?

"Have you argued enough? Pack your bags and get out of here, now, immediately!" she cut off the argument, her voice firm and resolute.

"It's just two run-down houses, what's with the attitude? We don't care about living there! Wenda, let's go!" Wentao's neck veins bulged. "He Wenhui, if you dare step into my house, I'll break your legs!"

"Oh? Then I should thank you—it's good that you've broken your leg, so you can lie down and collect welfare instead of having to ride your bicycle around to the sales office every day." He Wenhui's lips curled up slightly, but her eyes were so cold they made people shiver. "You have backbone? Fine, carry your own burdens and slam the door yourself."

When she saw those two faces clearly for the first time, she was somewhat dazed—the most heartbreaking thing wasn't their falling out, but that she had been blind before. This performance was three parts real and seven parts staged: firstly, to give Li Jianbin a way out; secondly, because she didn't believe Liu Hongchang's words—could her younger brother, whom she had raised herself, really be so wicked? In the end, she was the clown herself.

Wen Tao opened the bundle, grabbed He Wenhui's newly bought clothes, threw them on the ground with a "thud," and dragged Wen Da out the door, making the door frame vibrate.

Li Jianbin had just bent down to pick it up.

"Throw it away, or give it away." He Wenhui's voice was as cold as ice shards scraping against sheet metal. "From now on, give my mother twenty yuan a month, enough for her and Wenda to eat grains and drink porridge. I'll shut my ears and weld my heart shut about their affairs."

What Wentao threw wasn't just clothes; he threw away over ten years of her hard work, tears, and the pain in her bones, smashing it all on the ground and stomping on it. Since that's the case, there's no need for her to reach out and help him up anymore.

The two brothers staggered across the courtyard, dragging their luggage, attracting the attention of the neighbors who peeked out and whispered among themselves. Even someone as gentle as He Wenhui could shoo them back—it was obvious to anyone that these two were no pushovers.

……

Yu Qiuhua watched her two sons carry their bundles into the courtyard without saying a word. She knew Wenhui's temper all too well. This morning, Wenhui had suddenly thrown herself into her arms, crying uncontrollably, her heartbroken appearance tearing her heart apart.

"Tell me, what happened?" She stared at her eldest son, her voice as soft as a sigh.

"My sister kicked us out! What's there to say? If she doesn't want to associate with us, she should just say so. Why give us that sour look?" Wen Tao said, his neck stiff, his temper still burning.

"Slap!" Yu Qiuhua slapped him hard across the face, the sound silencing the entire courtyard.

"How much money have you earned since you graduated? You said you work in a garment factory, but Jianbin has never seen you. In the past year or so, everything you wear, eat, and smoke has been paid for by your sister. She is your sister, not your wet nurse! She has no obligation to support you for life! I'm asking you one last time—what exactly happened today?" Her eyes were red and swollen, like two clusters of burning coals.

"My sister and brother-in-law had a fight... She chased after them and fell into a puddle. I took her to the hospital, and she came back like this..." Wen Tao's voice was weak, and his eyes darted around.

Yu Qiuhua suddenly turned to Wen Da: "You tell me—why are they arguing?"

"I...I don't know..." Wenda's throat tightened. "We've only been married for two months and we've already started arguing...My older brother is lazy, he doesn't go to work, his clothes are piled up and he doesn't wash them, my older sister has to wash them and then iron them for him; as soon as he gets his salary, he immediately asks for money to go out to eat, he'd rather eat out than go home...My brother-in-law says that we can't afford to support this kind of man at home." He trembled more and more as he spoke, his fingers twisting the hem of his clothes.

"Just because of an argument? And what about you? You consider yourself a good person?" Wen Tao had barely opened his mouth when Yu Qiuhua retorted, "Whatever you do to your classmates at school, you come home and throw a tantrum, lying on the ground and refusing to get up—that's just a child throwing a tantrum. How old are you?"

"Retribution... The He family has produced two living examples of retribution!" She looked up, her throat bobbing, but she forced back her tears. "I'm sorry to your father, and even more sorry to Wenhui... With such upbringing, how could I raise such beasts! The fault doesn't lie with you, it's with me—giving birth to you is the greatest sin of my life!"

Did you waste your time reading books? This is no different from raising wolves.

Wentao, how old are you this year? Your second sister was about your age back then, and she was already carrying sacks to the docks to work as a porter, and she would force me to give her twenty yuan every month! I don't care about your money. If you can't starve yourself, don't come to my house again!

Wenda, if you keep drifting like this, you might as well quit your studies and come with me to collect recyclables tomorrow—at least that will earn you two bowls of rice!

From this day forward, anyone who dares to ask your elder sister for even a penny will be kicked out of this house the moment I hear it! I'll pretend I never gave birth to you—do you understand?!

This was the first time in Wentao's life he had seen his mother so furious. Terrified, he nodded vigorously and turned to run to the garment factory. The workshop foreman, upon hearing that his sister and brother-in-law were both factory managers, thought for a moment and nodded in agreement to let him work as a temporary worker again.

Yu Qiuhua pulled out all of Wenda's brand-new clothes and meticulously patched them with dark gray coarse cloth, pressing the once crisp fabric down until it hunched over like a withered vegetable on a secondhand stall. His eyes had barely welled up with tears when a slap landed squarely on his face. The burning pain hadn't even subsided before he received a single explanation.

Yu Qiuhua stood there, her eyelids half-closed, her lips taut as if scraped by a knife, her whole face so gloomy it could ooze ink.

Wenda shuddered, his back instantly straightened, and he turned around to grab his homework and frantically wrote, not daring to even glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

Not long after, He Wenhui entered the courtyard carrying a bamboo basket and immediately saw her mother sitting in front of the loom under the window, the shuttle moving back and forth, making a creaking sound.

"Mom, you've already retired, why can't you stay idle?" She smiled and placed the basket on the octagonal table.

"My hands are itching, I can't stop." Yu Qiuhua looked up, her fingertips gently stroking her daughter's cheek. "Jianbin... have you made up yet? You two are living your own lives, don't let outsiders interfere and mess things up. From now on, stay out of Wentao and Wenda's business—the deeper you get involved, the worse the pit you dig. People won't grow strong bones or warm hearts without suffering a little."

"I understand, Mom." He Wenhui squeezed her mother's hand tightly. "Starting this month, Jianbin and I have agreed to send you twenty yuan every month. Please take good care of yourself. Wenyuan and I won't be around, so please don't try to tough it out."

"I'll visit you whenever I think of you. You married nearby, it's just a short walk." Yu Qiuhua's tone softened, and fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Wenyuan called today, saying he became a teaching assistant at the school, with a monthly stipend of fifteen yuan. He couldn't save any and wanted to send it back—I immediately stopped him! A young lady should wear bright clothes and apply rosy rouge. I'll support the family, she just needs to focus on her studies and walk her own path!" As she said this, a hint of warmth finally appeared on her face—Wenyuan was the brightest light in her heart: he got into university on his own, earned more than a hundred yuan in just over half a year to help support the family, and was down-to-earth, ambitious, and never complained.

"Mom, I'll head back now. Jianbin's waiting for dinner." He Wenhui stood up, her apron straps neatly tied.

Yu Qiuhua escorted her to the courtyard gate, and as she turned around, she saw her youngest son squatting against the wall, swatting at ants.

"Come on, let's go to the market with Mom." She pulled out an old cloth bag with frayed edges from somewhere, grabbed Wenda's wrist, and pulled him out.

Wenda slipped and tried to back away—

"There's no food for you in the stove tonight." Yu Qiuhua said this, then bent down and plunged into the garbage heap at the street corner, black mud immediately getting stuck under her fingernails.

Wenda gritted his teeth and shuffled over, slowly squatting down and stiffly picking up a deflated plastic bottle with his fingers.

She wanted him to understand firsthand that as long as he didn't steal, cheat, swindle, or rob, every penny he picked up was precious, hard-earned, and worthy of being a person with his head held high. From then on, every day after he finished his homework, she would take him out to collect recyclables—until he got into university; if he didn't get in? Then he could pack his bags and find his own way to survive, as long as he didn't starve.