Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"I just glanced over there, and I could barely find you in the crowd."

"I saw you too, you're so busy you barely have time to breathe."

"Shall we schedule a time to discuss this in detail tomorrow?"

"Okay! See you tomorrow." Xiao Yao nodded and smiled, then turned and left.

……

Chang Zhengchao was the most hardworking member of Xiao Yao's team. He was tall and thin, with oil stains that were hard to wash out often stuck under his fingernails, but his eyes were bright and piercing. Xiao Yao had talked to him a few times and knew that he came from a small village in northern Anhui, studied physics so hard in college that he lost his hair, and was selected into the team exceptionally because of his outstanding grades when he graduated.

He knew perfectly well that scientific research wasn't like teaching; for the first six months, there was no salary or subsidies, and they had to endure it by eating only steamed buns and drinking cold water. Unexpectedly, Xiao Yao not only secured a base salary and quarterly bonuses for them, but also, for the first time ever, granted them ten days of leave to visit their families.

On the first day of his holiday, Chang Zhengchao dialed his hometown phone, his voice extremely low: "Dad, Mom, my company is organizing a training trip to Beijing, and they're reimbursing travel expenses... Could you two come and help me look at apartments?"—In reality, he was just bluffing his parents into coming. He had already planned it out: he would use the two bonuses to buy a small two-bedroom apartment here so his parents could retire in Beijing; once settled, he would accompany them back to their village for the Spring Festival.

The two elderly people had never left the county town in their entire lives, but now that the high-speed rail network is extensive, Chang Zhengchao made a remittance in the morning, and his mother bought a ticket in the afternoon, clutching the confirmation message.

Although she couldn't figure out what her son was up to, she hadn't seen him for almost a year and a half, and she was getting impatient. As soon as the train stopped, Liu Yan clutched the last two hundred yuan in her pocket tightly—her son had sent five hundred, and she had spent three hundred on the journey. This was the first time in her life that she had counted so many banknotes with her own hands.

"Mom and Dad—over here!" Chang Zhengchao jumped and waved at the exit, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his smile stretching to his ears.

He took his parents on the subway, passing through glass curtain walls and ginkgo-lined avenues, until they arrived at the Xingfu residential complex. This apartment was the one he had finally decided on after visiting seven different developments and comparing more than thirty different floor plans.

"Son, how much does it cost to ride this 'tram' once?" Chang Kaijiang asked, peering out the window.

"One yuan and twenty cents, for one person," Chang Zhengchao replied with a smile.

"Let's get off the bus and leave! We'll save three yuan and sixty cents, enough for two days' meals." Wang Kaihui grabbed his arm and made a move to get up.

"Mom, the card has already been swiped, and the money has been deducted. Besides, it would take three or four hours to walk back." Chang Zhengchao gently pressed his mother's hand.

The two elders finally sat down reluctantly, and spoke much less on the way back, constantly wondering to themselves: Why is their child so bad at managing money? How will they save up for a bride price in the future?

The subway stopped at Xingfu Community Station. Chang Zhengchao helped his parents step onto the ground, and only then did they dare to look up and take a closer look—tall buildings pierced the clouds, their glass windows reflecting the sunlight so brightly it was hard to open one's eyes.

"Which building is ours?" Liu Yan asked softly, her heart pounding: She had heard that building a house here would cost at least ten thousand yuan.

As she entered the residential compound, she subconsciously tugged at the hem of her faded blue cotton shirt and glanced down at her muddy rubber boots. Neatly dressed residents brushed past her, and she hunched her shoulders, afraid of embarrassing her son.

Chang Zhengchao, however, didn't seem to care. Supporting his father with one hand and linking arms with his mother with the other, he said in a clear voice, "Mom, that's our house over there! The property management center is on the left, the senior activity room is on the right, and there's an emergency call button in the elevator..."

He spoke earnestly, as if he were not pushing open the apartment door, but rather the first crack of a brand new life.

While riding the elevator, the mother and daughter gripped the handrail so tightly that they trembled. It wasn't until their son explained the principle with a smile that their hearts gradually calmed down.

Pushing open the door to Chang Zhengchao's newly purchased home, the two hesitated to take a step, feeling as if they were walking on cotton. The gleaming floor tiles reflected their images, so bright they were dazzling, and even the dust on the soles of their shoes was clearly visible.

"Dad, Mom, what are you standing there for? If it's dirty, just wipe it clean and it'll be bright again. This place will be your home from now on." Chang Zhengchao took one arm in each hand and gently led them inside.

"Son...did you buy the whole building?" Chang Kaijiang finally couldn't hold back any longer, his voice low.

"How could that be! This 180-square-meter apartment emptied my entire savings, and I even had to shamelessly borrow money from my colleagues to barely manage to finish the renovation."

"How much does this house cost?" Wang Kaihui asked in a low voice.

Before he finished speaking, Chang Zhengchao came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly washed apples and oranges, with fine water droplets still clinging to the peels.

"Not too expensive, a total of 80,000."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two apples in Wang Kaihui and Chang Kaijiang's hands slammed onto the tiles with a "thud," rolling a few times. The village chief's family couldn't scrape together a thousand yuan after searching high and low, but his son had given them eighty thousand yuan in one go. They couldn't even count the number on their fingers; it felt like a heavy cloud in the sky, pressing down on their chests.

"Where did you get so much money? Don't go astray!" Chang Kaijiang's brows furrowed, his tone tense.

"I work in a TV factory. My base salary is two thousand, plus monthly performance bonuses and year-end dividends. From now on, you two can just relax and enjoy your lives."

The elderly couple stared in disbelief, unable to close their mouths for a long time—their son could actually build a television! This was a treasure ten times more valuable than the buzzing radio in the village, a rare find even in the county's supply and marketing cooperative.

"Look, this is what our factory produces." Chang Zhengchao raised his hand and pointed to the thin LCD screen on the wall.

Wang Kai stared at it for a full half minute, then subconsciously reached out to wipe the dust off the "mirror".

Chang Zhengchao couldn't help but chuckle. He pressed the remote control, and the screen suddenly lit up. The static flickered twice, and then the picture appeared clearly—he was teaching his parents how to adjust the volume and change the channel, his movements as slow as if he were coaxing a child.

During their three days in Kyoto, Chang Kaijiang and his wife felt as if they had stepped into a dream: the elevator rose and fell silently, the glass curtain wall reflected the blue sky, and the roar of airplanes pierced through the clouds... On the way back, they actually boarded a Silver Eagle, and the bumpy train ride of the three days was gently smoothed out by two hours of flying through the clouds.

Upon arriving at the provincial capital's bus station, Chang Zhengchao quickly bought tickets, stuffed his bags into the luggage rack, and smoothed out the wrinkles in his parents' new cotton-padded coats before hailing a taxi: "Dad, Mom, I have dinner appointments with my colleagues. I'll be back in the village later!"

The couple, dressed in brand-new navy blue jackets and carrying seven or eight bulging woven bags, entered the village. Even the dogs circled them, sniffing them twice—no one dared to recognize them as Chang Kaijiang and his wife: their complexions were rosy, as if they had just been sunbathing, and their eyes were so bright they could reflect images. It was only after they greeted everyone with smiles that a neighbor exclaimed, slapping his thigh, "Oh my goodness, isn't this Auntie?! How come you're back from Kyoto so quickly? What good stuff are you carrying?"

"Zhengchao bought a house in Kyoto and invited us to live there permanently! These are New Year's goods. We'll bring our parents over later and move there together to enjoy a comfortable life!" Wang Kaihui's voice was clear and bright, and the corners of his mouth were always turned up.

Grandma Chang came out of the house upon hearing the noise. She immediately noticed the heavy bags in her daughter-in-law's hands, rushed forward to take the two large bags, and helped her inside while saying, "Come in and rest, the tea's already warmed up!"

Grandpa Chang returned from the fields carrying a hoe. From afar, he saw the pile of brand-new luggage at the gate of the courtyard and paused in his tracks: "Why are you returning after only a few days? Has Zhengchao finished his business over there? Who's rushing you like this?"

"Dad, you have no idea!" Chang Kaijiang's eyes lit up, and he started talking non-stop. "That house was so bright you could see your reflection in it! It cost 80,000 yuan! It's only a two-hour flight to the provincial capital, faster than going to the market..."

"Where did Zhengchao get so much money?" Grandma Chang frowned suspiciously. Her nephew had just graduated from university and was working as a teacher in the county town. His monthly salary of 600 yuan was already something the whole village praised. How long had this grandson been out of school?

"He said he works as a technician in a TV factory and earns 2,500 yuan a month," Wang Kaihui quickly added.

Grandpa Chang's hand trembled, and the chopsticks fell into the rice bowl with a "plop," splashing soup onto his clothes without him noticing.

"What? Zhengchao... he can really make televisions?" The old man's voice trembled, his fingers unconsciously digging into the edge of the table.

"Absolutely true!" Chang Kaijiang nodded vigorously.

Good heavens! His grandson can actually operate a television! This is a rare item locked in a glass case in the county department store. Even if you have money, you might not be able to get your hands on one. The village has never even seen a black and white television!

"That TV was as thin as paper, hanging on the wall like a painting!" Chang Kaijiang couldn't help but pick up his chopsticks and gesture to show the thickness of the famous screen. "Compared to the 'big CRT' TV at my uncle's house in the county town, it's like comparing heaven and earth!"

"Didn't Zhengchao come back with you two?" Grandpa Chang was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands, wishing he could grab his grandson and ask him everything right away.

"He's back early! He's meeting with colleagues in the provincial capital and said he'll be home before dinner," Wang Kaihui replied with a smile.

……

As evening fell, a gleaming car slowly drove into the village entrance. Before the engine had even stopped, the entire village seemed to be thrown into boiling water like dumplings—bowls were left on the stove, bamboo chairs were overturned, adults were pulling children along, and old men were leaning on their canes, all rushing towards the village entrance, tiptoeing and craning their necks, moving forward step by step to keep up with the car's wheels.

Village chief Chang Kailei tugged at his newly made indigo Zhongshan suit and whispered to someone nearby, "See that? Old Chang's son, Zhengchao! He's only graduated a few months ago, and he's already driving a car back to the village!"

"Hey, you probably didn't see what happened this morning!" The man next to him grinned. "Wang Kaihui and his wife's outfits, wow, I heard they've already handed over the keys to their house in Kyoto!"

"They really bought it? What kind of business is so profitable? I have to go and ask them right away!" The village chief pushed through the crowd and rushed toward Chang Kaijiang's house.

"Second Uncle! Zhengchao is back in his car—" The voice rang out before he even entered the door.

Grandpa Chang jumped up: "Lei Zi, did you see it clearly?"

"Right under my nose! I'm less than an arm's length from the car door!" Chang Kailei patted his chest and assured him.

"Good lad! You've really made the Chang family proud!" Grandma Chang smiled so much that fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, like blooming chrysanthemums.

The house was packed with villagers, and everyone's face was filled with envy.

"Zhengchao's kid has already made it to the capital; it looks like Uncle's family will be living in a high-rise building soon!"

"That apartment in the county town is spacious enough; how big must the house in Kyoto be? Big enough to run a horse across!"

Everyone chuckled and chatted with the two elders, but their eyes all drifted towards the door.