Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The banquet hall simply couldn't hold so many people, so Zhang Jie and the others had no choice but to grit their teeth and squeeze forward, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, desperately protecting Xiao Yao as they moved inside.

Han Chunming spotted Xiao Yao and Su Man in the crowd at a glance, and rushed over in three strides, his voice booming: "It's good that you're here!"

"These three items were specially chosen for the child." Xiao Yao pushed the walker and shook the rattle drum. "They're stable, soft, and won't hurt the child's hands."

Before he could finish speaking, Han Chunming grabbed him and slapped him hard on the back, saying, "You showing your face is better than anything! We're drinking until we drop tonight!"

He could only spare a few moments to speak privately, which was already his limit. He also had dozens of colleagues to greet and seven or eight relatives to attend to, so he was constantly on the go.

Taozi was specifically tasked with keeping a close eye on Xiao Yao—his childhood friend and today's best man, this was no small matter.

"Taozi, you go about your business, don't worry about me."

Han Chunming hadn't invited Xiao Yao to be his best man at all. He knew perfectly well: this guy wasn't there for the wedding banquet; he was just there to make an appearance. When Xiao Yao mentioned going south to trade clothes, he'd agreed verbally, but after thinking about it at home, he realized what he meant—would someone from a classified unit really be buying fabric off the street? And look at those guys' posture, their backs straighter than a ruler, barely touching their chopsticks while their eyes kept sneaking glances through the crack in the private room door… What businessman would be so perceptive?

Han Chunming had been working at the docks for over a decade, and he could tell a person's character and aura at a glance. He didn't point it out at the time out of consideration; later, after understanding, he felt even more relieved—as long as Xiao Yao could come, he was content.

"Well... I'll head over now. Call me if you need anything!"

Taozi scratched his head and stammered in response.

……

As guests entered one after another, their eyes swept over the gleaming golden "double happiness" characters and the neatly tied colorful ribbons. Several relatives of the Su family immediately gathered around Mr. and Mrs. Su.

"Mengmeng is so lucky! Han Chunming is so young, earns a lot, and has a lot of influence. He's a real young talent! If he hadn't taken a liking to Mengmeng first, my Yingying would have been chasing after him!"

Gossip splattered like oil in a hot pan. Han Chunming had put on a grand show, subtly and overtly praising the Su family. The Su family valued this most; smile lines crept from the corners of their eyes to their ears, and they couldn't bear to even purse their lips, afraid that if their smiles faltered, their joy would dissipate.

Su Meng's lips were always upturned, and she felt sweet inside—the fact that he was willing to put in so much effort meant that she was not just for show in his eyes.

But in the corner, two faces remained tense, chugging down one glass of wine after another in silence. Cheng Jianjun's knuckles were white as he gripped his glass, while Cai Xiaoli stared at the bottom of her glass, her eyes red-rimmed.

"How much did you take the blame for him? And he just turned around and got married to someone else!" Cheng Jianjun's voice was low, but as hard as red-hot iron. "What do you mean to him?"

Cai Xiaoli didn't say a word, tilted her head back and downed the whole glass. A tear rolled down her throat and silently fell into the wine.

"In my opinion, it's just insatiable greed—wanting what's in the bowl while also eyeing what's in the pot."

Cheng Jianjun poured himself another glass, his words dripping with anger.

Cai Xiaoli suddenly stood up, turned around and walked out. Cheng Jianjun chased after her, and the two of them turned into a secluded alley next door, one after the other.

She slid down to the ground against the brick wall, arms wrapped around her knees, shoulders trembling slightly. Cheng Jianjun squatted beside her, offering no words of comfort, but silently taking out a crumpled handkerchief and handing it to her.

"Xiaoli, don't cry for him." He spoke softly. "You're not anyone's possession; you're someone who can stand on your own two feet. He doesn't understand your worth; he's blind. Leaving him will only make your life brighter. I can't compare to him now, but I won't give up—I'll go further than him, and I'll treat you a hundred times better than him."

Cai Xiaoli didn't look up or say anything; she just buried her face in her knees and cried, her shoulders heaving.

Cheng Jianjun didn't say anything more, just stayed quietly by his side, like a silent wall.

As soon as Su Man stepped into the wedding tent, her gaze was fixed on Xiao Yao—his faded blue work clothes, coupled with his unwavering stance in the crowd, made him impossible to ignore.

"You're here too?" Xiao Yao was somewhat surprised. He remembered that Han Chunming and Su Meng had never been close to Su Man.

"Mengmeng invited me. I happened to be free, so I thought I'd drop by." She gestured with her chin. "I guessed you'd be here."

Before the words were even finished, the kitchen had already brought out the first hot dish. The newlyweds then went on stage to offer toasts, and Taozi, carrying a wine jug, moved back and forth, but his eyes kept frantically scanning the crowd—Cai Xiaoli's seat was empty.

"Brother, I'll remember this gift for the rest of my life!"

Han Chunming stopped in front of Xiao Yao's table with his wine glass in hand. The glass clinked together with a crisp sound, and he tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.

This gesture carries immense weight—with hundreds of guests in the hall, if everyone were to perform this gesture of respect, even a deity would have to bow down.

Su Meng smiled and filled Su Man's glass. The two clinked glasses, the wine swirling, and drank it all in one gulp.

"You go about your business, let's not beat around the bush." ​​Xiao Yao turned his glass upside down to show the contents. "If you have something to say, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Taozi gripped the wine jug tighter, his heart clenching—he clearly remembered that Cai Xiaoli had just been sitting at the third table diagonally opposite him, and now she was gone.

After the wedding banquet ended, Xiao Yao followed the crowd to Han Chunming's new residence—a bright and spacious apartment in a dormitory building recently allocated by his work unit, a rare and respectable place to live at the moment.

He didn't go upstairs, but stood on the steps downstairs and chatted with Su Man. Upstairs was already bustling with noise, and even the corner of the stairs was crowded with colleagues and neighbors who had come to watch the excitement, making it difficult to even turn around.

After waiting for over an hour, the crowd remained bustling. Xiao Yao took Su Man's hand, turned around, and walked side by side through the shadows of the sycamore trees, quietly returning home.

The next morning, Han Chunming arrived on time as expected. The night before, Xiao Yao had told him: "Come early this morning, I have important business to discuss."

"Xiao Yao, can this really work out?"

Han Chunming frowned, his eyes filled with doubt.

Whether it succeeds or not depends not on whether it's reliable or not, but on whether you're willing to try and dare to take the plunge.

Xiao Yao spoke in a plain tone, yet every word resonated deeply.

Han Chunming gritted his teeth and nodded heavily—Xiao Yao himself wouldn't get involved in sales. He would wait until Xiao Yao returned to the research institute before testing the waters on a small scale; if it proved profitable, then they could expand the operation more aggressively.

As the holiday drew to a close, Xiao Yao was all packed and ready to return to the research institute. Su Man had also packed early; a car was coming to pick her up today. He used to commute by bicycle, braving wind and rain—that was two years ago.

Su Man sat in the back seat and looked around: "This car is brand new and shiny, Xiao Yao."

"Specially allocated by the military region, exclusively for leaders' daily travel."

Zhang Jie explained with a smile.

Su Man felt a slight tremor in her heart. She had long known that Xiao Yao's project was extraordinary, but she hadn't expected that the country would place such importance on a car.

"Will you provide me with a private car?"

Xiao Yao was stunned, as if he had been burned, and couldn't respond to those words for a moment.

Back then, bicycles were a rarity, and the country was in dire need of funds, with everything requiring investment and facing a severe shortage of capital. Yet, at this critical juncture, a car equipped with bulletproof features and military-grade tires pulled up steadily in front of his house.

Driver Zhang Jie, originally one of the four bodyguards, has now been officially promoted to the head of Xiao Yao's security team, responsible for his safety throughout the trip.

After leaving the lab, Xiao Yao's treatment suddenly improved—not out of pride, but out of a warm and reassuring feeling, like carrying a small stove of charcoal.

"The safety of our leaders cannot be taken lightly." Zhang Jie pointed to the vehicle, "Bulletproof steel plates, special tires, sealed fuel lines—it's all up to combat readiness standards."

The day Xiao Yao returned to the research institute, the courtyard was already bustling with activity. Everyone had just finished their morning exercise and gathered in twos and threes under the sycamore trees, waiting for his return so they could finalize the next research direction.

Almost simultaneously, a new trend quietly swept through the streets of Kyoto—a little gadget that could talk and move suddenly appeared.

To ordinary people, it's like a living creature that jumped out of a science fiction magazine: although it can only repeat three or four short phrases and take no more than seven or eight steps, its clumsy "movement" and "speech" are enough to make the whole street stop and watch.

The workers, drawn by the novelty, squatted in front of the stall, marveling at the sights; the children, however, were unable to move, clinging to the glass display case, staring intently, and threatening to throw tantrums and wail if they weren't bought.

"Boss, how much is this?" someone asked, peeking out.

"Five yuan each, not expensive."

Before the words were even finished, several parents gasped in shock, grabbed their children, and turned to leave; but with their children crying their faces in tears, their hearts ached as if being torn apart, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and pay up.

"It requires a special battery—department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives all have them."

Today, batteries and mobile phones account for the majority of exports, and 80% of foreign exchange earnings come from them; all other high-tech products are not exported.

For many families, five yuan is a luxury to buy a tin toy; but this year, the average wage of workers has increased by 40% - foreign exchange earnings are soaring, and the higher authorities have made a decision: it's time to loosen the belts of ordinary people.

However, some people find it unbelievably cheap: it's even more ingenious than imported toys, but the price is halved; most importantly, it doesn't require foreign exchange certificates, just RMB, clean and efficient.

Han Chunming's first batch of 200 trial production units were snapped up as soon as they were put on the shelves of the trade market.

He hadn't held out much hope; he was just testing the waters. The slightly higher price was purely a trial. But orders came pouring in like snowflakes, leaving him stunned as he stared at the ledger—the speed was astonishing.

……

A five-yuan toy, readily available—the worker's pockets truly bulged.

Han Chunming pondered silently, but he also knew that his real target wasn't in China at all. The "big client" Xiao Yao mentioned had never been on this land. He simply kept watch over the net, waiting for the fish to swim in on their own.

So he induced labor while controlling the amount of labor, never being greedy.

"Factory manager! A foreign guest has arrived!" The receptionist led a blond, blue-eyed foreigner quickly through the door.

Han Chunming remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was on edge. The humiliating stories told by the older generation still echoed in his ears. He had grown up listening to stories of the Nine Gates Admiral being shot by foreign guns, and he had never been particularly fond of foreign faces—but Xiao Yao had instructed him that this time, the "foreign face" was a signal that the bait had taken the bait.