Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Factory Director Yang's gaze swept over the lunchbox, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

After asking a few more questions about the details, the answers were exactly the same as those given by Director Zhang.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly reached for the phone on the corner of the table, dialed an outside line, and spoke in an unquestionable tone:

"Connect to Li Huaide's office."

"Director Li, is Deputy Director He from the canteen at the factory? If so, have him come over here. I have something to ask him. Okay, it's settled then."

The office fell silent the moment the phone call ended.

Yi Zhonghai and the other two exchanged glances, their hearts sinking – this matter seemed to have blown up.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in!"

The door opened, and Li Huaide and He Yuzhu walked in side by side.

Li Huaide walked steadily, a familiar smile on his face: "Factory Director, I just told Deputy Director He I'd come back later. He just got back to the factory. What's wrong? What happened?"

Factory Director Yang raised his eyes, his tone calm but weighty: "Master Yi and Jia Dongxu from the fitter workshop, and Lao Liu from the forging workshop, have jointly reported that they have been targeted by the 'shaking spoon' when serving food in the canteen recently."

The blame is now being placed on Deputy Director He, so I've called you all here for a face-to-face talk.

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide frowned immediately: "Absurd! Factory Director, you don't know, Deputy Director He established a strict rule on his first day in office—anyone in the kitchen who dares to shake their ladle is fired immediately! Now these people are turning the tables on me? I have a good personal relationship with Director He, so I shouldn't have said anything... but there's clearly something wrong with this."

He paused, then stopped talking, adopting an attitude of detachment.

Factory Director Yang turned his gaze to He Yuzhu: "Director He, what are your thoughts?"

He Yuzhu remained calm, took half a step forward, and said in a measured tone: "Factory Director, they said they've been under pressure for a week, why are they only jumping out today? What were they doing all this time? Besides, these three people have a grudge against me—last weekend, they wanted to use my position as deputy director to send people into the logistics department, but I flatly refused."

He then went to find Director Wang of the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office, only to be scolded instead.

He smirked and sneered, "Now you're turning your back on me and biting me? Fine, I'm not afraid."

I suggest the security department immediately launch an investigation. True gold fears no fire; if they find nothing, it's a false accusation; if they do find something, I'll resign on the spot!

He paused, then added, "Besides, I've been on leave and out of town lately, and haven't stepped foot in the cafeteria at all. They say I'm ordering the ladle to shake? What a joke."

Li Huaide immediately chimed in, "That makes sense! Let the security department investigate; the truth will be revealed quickly!"

Before he finished speaking, the expressions of Yi Zhonghai and the other two changed completely.

Originally, I just wanted to cause a little trouble to feel better and force the cafeteria to behave. Who would have thought that things would escalate to the level of the security department? Once this is investigated, it's not just about the weight of the rice spoon anymore; I might end up with a disciplinary action!

But look at He Yuzhu again, his back is straight, his eyes are open and frank, and he shows no fear.

He knew very well that the current atmosphere in the cafeteria had long been cleaned up by his own hands.

Apart from these few troublemakers, no one else received any "special treatment".

Their reputation is growing steadily, a fact that is evident to everyone in the factory.

Factory Director Yang's gaze was sharp as he swept it back and forth across both sides of his face.

On one hand, he remained calm and composed, proactively requesting a thorough investigation; on the other hand, his eyes darted around, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he didn't even dare to lift his head.

The answer is self-evident.

He sighed softly and waved his hand: "Forget it, this is just a misunderstanding."

It's normal for an apprentice's hand to shake a couple of times when serving food; don't make a big deal out of it, and certainly don't label them unnecessarily.

Before Yi Zhonghai could speak, Liu Haizhong had already bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "Yes, yes, Director Yang, we were wrong, we overthought things..."

Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of anger—"We've clearly done nothing wrong, why are you panicking!" But once the words were spoken, he couldn't take them back and could only agree.

"Alright, go back if there's nothing else." Director Yang waved his hand, his tone turning cold.

The three of them slunk out, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed as soon as the office door closed.

Li Huaide didn't leave. He took out a document from his briefcase and gently placed it on the table: "Factory Director, I was originally planning to bring this up at the leadership meeting. Please take a look first."

This is the project plan for the greenhouse, which was spearheaded by Director He.

He smiled and glanced at He Yuzhu: "Who would have thought that a cook who used to wield a spatula could come up with this kind of thing by studying agricultural science halfway through his career? Several university professors have called to say that the plan is forward-thinking, and some even want to transfer him to be their graduate student supervisor—I'm not bragging, our factory is full of hidden talents."

When Director Yang opened the cover, he saw four names prominently displayed, all of whom were well-known agricultural experts from Beijing, and all of whom came from key universities.

His eyes flickered slightly, and he looked up at He Yuzhu: "Well done."

Next Monday, you will also attend the team meeting and personally report on this project.

He Yuzhu nodded slightly, his tone steady: "Understood, Director Yang."

Before leaving get off work, He Yuzhu was tidying up his desk, and several agricultural books he had borrowed from the library were already worn out.

I finally finished this week's meal, so I'll just return it and get a new batch.

My agricultural skills are almost maxed out, but I don't have time to practice during the day at the factory, and I have to stay up late to practice when I get home at night.

Just as I was about to leave, there were two light knocks outside the office.

"Please come in."

The door opened, and Bai Danyu walked in, wearing high heels. Her elegant suit accentuated her mature charm, and although her eyes and brows were gentle, she possessed an aura that could not be underestimated.

"Director He." She smiled slightly, her voice as gentle as spring water flowing over stones, yet measured and tactful.

"Section Chief Bai? Is it for tomorrow's banquet?" He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow, his tone relaxed. "Don't worry, I've already prepared the stove and all the ingredients. We're just waiting to start cooking."

"Things are almost all arranged on our end," Bai Danyu nodded gently, her tone mild. "Is there anything else you need our cooperation with?"

"No need, I'll take care of it." He waved his hand. "I'll be there at 9:30 tomorrow, just meet me at the door."

Bai Danyu lived in the Geological Bureau's family compound, an old-fashioned compound that outsiders couldn't get into without someone picking them up.

"Okay, I'll definitely wait." She smiled, her gaze falling on the stack of books in his hands, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "You study agronomy? That's quite rare."

He Yuzhu grinned: "It'll come in handy for now. I've scoured around for some good stuff."

"But—" he said, keeping everyone in suspense, "you'll understand at the leadership meeting on Monday."

Bai Danyu's eyes flashed, but she didn't ask any more questions.

She was two ranks higher than him, a powerful section chief with the待遇 of a deputy director, and she was required to attend the weekly meetings without fail.

Since he said he would reveal the answer later, then we'll just wait and see.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, she turned and left.

I came here just in case he's too busy to cook tomorrow, so I'll give him a heads-up.

He Yuzhu locked the door, rode his old-fashioned bicycle straight to Hongxing Elementary School, picked up his younger sister He Yushui, and drove through the streets and alleys back to the courtyard house.

As soon as I turned into the alley, I sensed something was wrong.

There was a commotion in front of Old Lady Li's house. The cart was piled high with boxes and packages. The valuables were already neatly bundled up, and the furniture had been disassembled. It was clear that she was going to move out completely.

A crowd gathered in the front yard, craning their necks to ask questions, their eyes shining like searchlights.

"Oh my, are you really moving? Why are you suddenly leaving like this?"

"The house was sold? Who sold it to? How much was it worth?"

"Where will you be staying from now on? Leaving an address will make it easier to contact you, right?"

Of the more than twenty households in the courtyard, only five were privately owned, and Old Lady Li was one of them.

Now that she's gone, the news has caused an uproar.

Even Jia Zhangshi was scrambling to get in, smiling broadly as she tried to get information out of them, her true intentions clear—she wanted to secure a house for her future grandson.

But who is Old Lady Li? She's a seasoned veteran, standing there with a smile, refusing to utter a single word no matter how much you try to persuade her.

"Grandma, are you leaving today?" He Yuzhu stepped forward, his voice clear and bright.

When everyone turned around and saw it was him, they scattered as if they had seen a plague god, standing at a distance to watch.

He Yuzhu ignored her and turned to He Yushui, saying, "Go inside and take down that bag of candy from the top of my cabinet for your younger siblings."

He Yushui nodded and ran quickly into the house.

Grandma Li waved her hand: "Zhuzi, no need to see us off. We'll take the bus; it'll be more convenient."

Before she finished speaking, He Yushui rushed out with a bag of fruit candies and stuffed them into the hands of the two children from the Li family.

The child hesitated, looking up at his mother. Old Mrs. Li sighed and smiled, "Take it, thank you, brother and sister."

The two children then thanked them in their childish voices.

"This little token is nothing," He Yuzhu shrugged. "You really won't let me deliver it?"

"Really, there's no need," Grandma Li shook her head. "It's too far, and it'll be too much trouble for you to travel back and forth."

"Besides..." She glanced around and lowered her voice, "You should be careful lately."

She paused, her eyes serious: "Now that the house has been sold to you, it's inevitable that some people will be envious."

There are definitely people gossiping behind people's backs and plotting against them.

Be careful in your conduct, and don't give anyone a handle to use against you.

He Yuzhu smiled, a smile that was neither hurried nor slow, yet it revealed a sharp edge: "Don't worry, I walk upright and stand straight, I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door."

"Someone's really blind to cause trouble—" He squinted, "Then let's see who ends up getting hurt."

Grandma Li looked at him, nodded after a long while, and said nothing more.

After chatting for a few more minutes, she handed over the front door key.

"This will be your yard from now on."

He Yuzhu took the heavy string of iron keys; they were not just keys, but also a token of trust.

As the sun set, Grandma Li shouldered her luggage, pushed her cart, and slowly walked out of the courtyard house under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The wheels creaked as they rolled over the cobblestones, as if the old days were being dragged away little by little.

He Yushui stood at the door, watching the receding figure, a thin mist rising in her eyes.

The old lady who always washed her clothes until they were almost white and who would carry an extra umbrella on rainy days is gone.

Tonight, the courtyard house is destined to be a restless night.

That empty room, like a steaming hot bone, whetted the appetites of everyone in the courtyard.

Buy it? Who would be willing to spend over a hundred yuan to buy a roof? Families who are frugal even with pickled vegetables on a daily basis would never just throw their money away into the bricks and tiles. But if it's free—that's a different story. Their eyes would light up, and they would rush to get it at all costs.