Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Han Chunming nodded slightly, his steps uninterrupted. As he walked, he smiled at Xiao Yao and said, "This place is a joint venture between the two of us—Jinghua Yuyan Palace. Taozi and Xiao Guan thought it was too risky, so I sold the old shop to them. This place is just the two of us holding shares, and we even keep the company seal locked in my safe."

He pointed and began to describe the layout: the front hall greeted guests, and the two buildings on either side were all elegant private rooms; Xiao Yao glanced at them and found that they were much more substantial than the glittering but empty VIP rooms he remembered. Walking around to the back courtyard, the "Heaven" and "Earth" private rooms suddenly appeared before him—gray bricks and tiles, carved windows, winding corridors—it was as if a miniature courtyard house had been brought into the building.

"Tsk, just looking at this, they must have thrown in quite a bit of money, right?" Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow.

"Don't even mention it!" Han Chunming slapped his thigh. "I withdrew all the money I had saved for you, and then mortgaged the toy factory to take out a huge loan. I almost mortgaged my underwear. Fortunately, it wasn't all for nothing. Business is booming, and there are queues every day."

He grinned, his eyes shining brightly.

"Huh? Why are there foreigners here?" Su Man tilted her head and saw two blond guests being respectfully led to the second floor by the head waiter.

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Jie had already taken a half step closer without making a sound, his shoulders tense, his eyes scanning the surroundings like a hawk.

"Hey, you wouldn't believe it!" Han Chunming raised his voice, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. "These days, if foreign guests come to Beijing and don't have a proper meal of authentic Chinese cuisine at the Imperial Banquet Palace, it's like they've wasted their trip! I've invited top chefs from the eight major cuisines; they can order à la carte or try the whole set—people fly here specifically for this!"

As Zhang Jie pushed open the door to the private room, his breathing visibly relaxed, his fingertips resting on his knees, and he calmed down completely.

"Xiao Yao, I know you crave Sichuan cuisine, so I'll serve you a few of our family's traditional dishes today; Su Man, what's your preference?" Han Chunming turned and asked.

"I'm fine with anything, I'm not picky about food." Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang crisply.

"Feed? Mom!... Hmm, we're eating at a friend's restaurant. Don't worry, we'll come over after we finish eating!"

After hanging up the phone, Han Chunming stared at the old flip phone in her hand, its surface worn smooth, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother, you're so frugal! Your wife still uses this kind of 'antique' phone? The newest model is already in its third generation! I'll have someone deliver two new ones to your house later."

"It works, and..." Su Man lowered her head and stroked the phone, "This is the first phone Xiao Yao gave me, and I can't bear to replace it."

—In fact, the special terminal issued by the research institute didn't even have a camera button, and all the storage modules were soldered on, so she couldn't go shopping to buy a new phone at all.

"Okay, keep this card safe." Han Chunming deftly pulled out a black card and stuffed it into Xiao Yao's hand. "From now on, all the profits from the hotel and the toy factory will be deposited into this card."

Xiao Yao casually took it and stuffed it into Su Man's palm: "You keep it for me, my pay slip is practically covered in mold."

"Let's start eating! After we finish, I'll take you to a wonderful place." Han Chunming's eyes curved into crescents, his smile reaching his very core.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the three walked through the cobblestone street and turned into a small alley with a wooden plaque that read "Shuxinzhai" (meaning "Comfortable Heart Studio"). Han Chunming, familiar with the place, pushed open the door and entered. Inside, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood and the smoke of tea.

"This is Lord Guan, the Nine Gates Admiral, and this is Lord Hou, the Ragpicker—the three of us have partnered up to take over this tiny shop, collecting old items and selling some genuine antiques." He stepped aside, his smile hearty. "This is my sworn brother Xiao Yao, next to him is his lover Su Man, and the one beside him is Zhang Jie, Xiao Yao's sworn brother."

"Greetings, Grandpa Guan! Greetings, Uncle Hou!" Xiao Yao and Su Man greeted in unison.

Zhang Jie nodded slightly and sat down directly next to Xiao Yao, his back straight as a pine tree.

Having seen countless people, Grandpa Guan immediately recognized the young man's composure and resilience, but pretended not to notice his aloofness.

Grandpa Hou was even more straightforward—if you got along, you were drinking buddies; if you didn't, you just turned around and left, never bothering with formalities.

"Xiao Yao, even though you don't like these old things, I still left you a bunch." Han Chunming patted the antique shelf behind him. "When the children grow up, touching these things will be a way of getting to know their roots."

Upon hearing this, the two elderly people nodded in unison.

"Accepting gifts is just an excuse; drinking tea is the real purpose." Old Master Guan picked up the purple clay teapot, slowly poured himself a cup, and said, "I just want some peace and quiet, some freedom."

"The old man's level of understanding is truly admirable," Su Man said softly.

"Girl, you understand me." Old Master Guan smiled, his eyes narrowing.

The phone rang again. Xiao Yao glanced at the screen; it was his mother-in-law calling again.

"I was dragged here to meet people as soon as I walked in. My parents are urging me to get together. Shall we meet again tomorrow?" He stood up, his tone relaxed but not swaying.

Han Chunming immediately got up to see him off, escorting him all the way to the garage. After watching Zhang Jie drive away, he turned and strolled back to Shuxinzhai, his sleeves still carrying a lingering scent of tea.

"Your friend is something else—he always goes out with active-duty soldiers." Old Master Guan sipped his tea, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Sir, you can just pretend you didn't hear that," Han Chunming said in a low voice. "Even his own parents don't know what he does. We know what's going on, so it's better to keep quiet than anything else."

The last incident had even drawn the attention of military leaders who personally came to the scene. Han Chunming had long since figured out what was going on—Xiao Yao wasn't unwilling to speak, but rather afraid that speaking would harm him. If they really wanted to get to the bottom of things, he probably wouldn't even be able to get past the police station.

"Do you think I need to teach me this?" Old Master Guan glanced at him sideways, slowly swirling his wine glass. "I've had my eye on him since your wedding last time."

Now everything has been proven true: no wonder the Imperial Banquet Palace is doing so well that no one dares to cause trouble—it turns out the root of the problem was with Xiao Yao all along.

The old man tilted his head back and finished his drink. Gazing at the darkening sky outside the window, he murmured, "Young man, you're lucky. Your benefactor was already sitting right next to you."

The car stopped downstairs at the residential building of the Chinese-language mobile phone company. Xiao Yao carried out the rice, flour, oil, and thermos provided by her workplace. Zhang Jie took a bag of fresh rice from her and the two walked into the building side by side.

Su's mother stood on tiptoe at the entrance of the building, looking out. She had heard that her daughter was seven months pregnant, but she was always busy with work and could not see her. She was so worried that her heart was burning.

As soon as Su Man's figure came into view, Su's mother hurried forward, grabbed her daughter's arm, her palm warm but her grip light as if she were holding some fragile treasure.

"It's been seven months already, and the due date is at the end of this month! Has your company approved your leave? To let you rest at home?" Her voice trembled slightly as she looked up and down at her daughter's face, afraid of missing a trace of her exhaustion.

"The holiday has officially begun. I don't need to go back to the research institute to clock in anymore. I'll be transferred directly to the Institute of Chinese Language and Literature after giving birth," Su Man replied cheerfully.

The child was too young, and the research institute had strict access control, many experimental areas, and high radiation protection requirements, making it inappropriate to bring her in and out. The institute was understanding and simply transferred her personnel file and position to the Institute of Chinese Language and Literature.

"Now I feel relieved! You're in the same system as your dad, so we'll see each other all the time and look after each other." Su's mother's eyes relaxed, and her smile spread from her eyebrows to the corners of her mouth.

Xiao Yao and Zhang Jie seemed to have become shadows in the background—Su's mother's gaze was fixed on her daughter's bulging belly, and her smile was like a flood that could not be stopped.

"Sir, I won't go in. I'll wait in the car. Just call me if you need anything."

Zhang Jie was very sensible and wouldn't dare to squeeze in and disturb the family's warm conversation.

Xiao Yao nodded, picked up all the gift boxes with one hand, and silently followed behind the mother and daughter.

……

As soon as Su Man and her daughter stepped into the house, Su's mother casually slammed the security door shut.

"Mom, Xiao Yao is still behind us!"

Su Man was both amused and exasperated.

"Oh dear, what a forgetful thing I am! I got so excited that I forgot about the person in question—my own daughter's husband! How can I just let him go like the wind blowing past the door?"

As she muttered to herself, Su's mother yanked open the door, turned around, and went into the kitchen. The stove fire blazed up with a "whoosh," and the clay pot began to bubble and gurgle.

"Manman, the chicken soup will be boiling soon, have some first. After you finish eating, we'll go to the hospital for your prenatal checkup. Your mother-in-law is the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at a military hospital; she's highly skilled and experienced, we trust her."

While lifting the pot lid, Su's mother gave instructions.

"Mom, where do we put all these things the company gave us?"

Xiao Yao carried several large bags of rice, flour, oil, canned goods, and nutritional supplements into the kitchen.

"Leave it here! Go out and talk to Manman first, I'll take care of these."

Before she could finish speaking, she had already half-pushed and half-shoved him out of the kitchen.

Within two minutes, a steaming bowl of thick soup was served; then she turned and rushed into the kitchen, washing, tidying up, and wiping the countertop, her movements as swift and efficient as a wound-up spring.

Su Man winked at Xiao Yao discreetly, her eyes screaming for help—she was truly terrified of this soup. The research institute's cafeteria simmered it daily, with the kitchen director personally overseeing the process. The delivery staff were repeatedly instructed: "Old hen, apples, oranges—not a single one can be missing!" Even Xiao Yao was jokingly called "as strong as a calf" by Han Chunming; it was all the chicken soup and meat that Su Man couldn't finish, which he secretly took and ate himself.

"Just take a couple of sips, just to taste it—this is Mom's heartfelt gift, she made it with great care."

Xiao Yao gently persuaded her, and then took the opportunity to put the tenderest chicken breast from her bowl into her own.

Su Man smiled, picked out the chicken skin, bones, and tendons, and dumped them all into his bowl.

"You little rascal, you're as precious as a glass flower! When I was pregnant with you, I barely ate eggs once a month. The only time I ever had chicken was when your grandfather carried half a chicken and walked thirty miles through the mountains to bring it to me—the bones were crunchy and there was blood in them when I swallowed it! And you still complain about this and that?"

Despite her complaints, a radiant glow shone on her face, a confidence born from the increasingly bright and prosperous life she was living.

"Mom, didn't your workplace allocate you housing? Why did you move here? Where are Dad and Grandma? Why aren't they home?"

Su Man changed the subject at the right moment.

"The new apartment building just finished construction, and I figured it would be too empty for just the two of us, so I rented it out. Your dad and grandma went back to their hometown; they said it's their third uncle's son's wedding, and they insisted on going to attend. Hey, guess what? Before, a trip back and forth to their hometown would take three days and two nights on a slow, unreliable green train; now, the high-speed train 'whooshes' and lands in a day!"