Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

As soon as the pot lid was put down for dinner, the yard became quiet.

He Yuzhu stopped urging everyone to listen to his old, outdated radio. Without the excitement, life suddenly became as bland as dishwater.

The fires in each household had been extinguished, and a dim yellow light shone through the paper windows, but an undercurrent was surging beneath.

That evening, the Yan family held a meeting behind closed doors for the first time ever, and even Yan Jiefang, who was still in elementary school, was called into the room.

According to Yan Bugui, at this age, in the old society, he should have been working to support his family long ago.

Although people study nowadays, bookkeeping should be taught from a young age.

"Ruihua," Yan Bugui lowered his voice, his eyes darting around slightly, "Did you get any information from Old Lady Li? How exactly is the house going to be divided?"

The three women snorted and shook their heads: "I can't get the answer."

Old Mrs. Li's mouth was as tight as an iron can; she didn't utter a single word.

The move was bizarre; the scrap collector and the old man came together, and in one afternoon, they cleared everything out, people and belongings, leaving nothing behind, not even a hair.

Yan Bugui's eyes flashed, like a cat smelling fish: "I think, apart from He Yuzhu, no one knows the details of this matter."

He came back in the afternoon and whispered to Old Lady Li for a long time. Did any of you hear him?

"Dad, where did you hear that from?" Yan Jiecheng scoffed. "The moment Sha Zhu shows his face, everyone in the compound runs away faster than mice."

Now, nobody in the whole courtyard pays him any attention. They've isolated him to death! Sooner or later, he'll have to beg you, his third uncle, to step in and smooth things over.

Before Yan Bugui could even speak, the third aunt nodded in agreement: "That's right, now only the Wang family dares to say a word, everyone else avoids him."

Yan Jiecheng got angry as soon as he heard that.

Both are young people, but he graduated from high school, is bright, and has a stable job at the neighborhood office; what is Sha Zhu? Clumsy and clumsy, always wandering around with a lunchbox, how come he lives a better life than him?

"Just you wait and see, the Wang family won't last more than a few days."

If they keep hanging around with Sha Zhu, all the kids in the neighborhood will avoid them!

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Yan Bugui's face darkened. "You think you can just make up stories about three old men like that?"

"Who disrespected us first?" Yan Jiecheng retorted, "Besides, aren't the eldest and second eldest uncles thinking the same thing? How can you remain unscathed?"

Yan Bugui's brow twitched, and he quickly interrupted, "Stop with this nonsense, let's get down to business." Although he somewhat agreed with his son, he couldn't save face by having his son call him out on it.

He cleared his throat and got to the point: "You know our family's situation. I, the third uncle, only have two rooms."

One room is for me, your mother, and Jie Di; the other room is for the three of you brothers to squeeze into.

You've now officially joined the neighborhood committee, but you're still a temporary worker; there's no sign of you becoming a permanent employee.

So I'm thinking—why don't we just get married first?

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Jiecheng's eyelids twitched.

Marriage? Those two words were like sparks, instantly igniting a simmering fire in my heart.

A man in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor, might dream of marrying a wife in the middle of the night.

"Dad, just tell me straight, what do you want me to do?"

Yan Bugui nodded in satisfaction and said slowly, "The meaning is very simple—if you want to start a family, you need to have a house."

Otherwise, what girl would be willing to marry into the family and live in the same room as her brother-in-law? It would be so embarrassing.

Renting a house is not only expensive, but also undignified.

The most suitable place right now is Old Lady Li's empty room.

Yan Jiecheng's heart raced, but he feigned composure: "So you mean... I should try to get that apartment?"

"Smart." Yan Bugui squinted. "I'll have the neighborhood office check in a couple of days. If the house is registered under a government name, I'll help you apply to buy it as your wedding home."

But this money…”

"Dad!" Yan Jie immediately interrupted, "Don't say anymore, I'll lend you the money, one percent interest per annum, I promise!"

His voice rose, as if he could already see himself wearing a new wedding gown and bowing to the altar.

"Oh my eldest son," Yan Bugui couldn't help but laugh out loud, "You're trying to fool me with this 1% annual interest rate? These days, bank deposits have a monthly interest rate of 3.3%, which adds up to almost 4% per year."

You're going to give me even a single cent as a token of your respect? Do you think I've never seen money before?

He spoke with a smile that never faded.

While others hid their money in rice bins or stuffed it into the seams of their mats, he had long ago secretly deposited it in the bank, faithfully throwing in seven yuan every month—all for the steady interest.

These days, money can still generate revenue even if it doesn't move.

"If I take the money out of the bank, the 3.3% interest will be wasted, and you'll have to make it up to me; besides, which loan doesn't charge interest? We're father and son, I won't rip you off, I'll just calculate it at 1% per year as you said..."

"So the monthly interest rate is 4.1%."

Upon hearing the amount, Yan Jiecheng's face immediately fell: "Four-one percent? That's so harsh! I can't afford it! I won't lend it to you!"

"Not lending it?" Yan Bugui didn't even lift his eyelids. He slowly picked up his teacup, blew on it, took a small sip, and then said leisurely, "Then you can forget about getting married for the rest of your life. You'll be a bachelor forever."

His tone was light and casual, yet it felt like a thorn piercing Yan Jiecheng's heart.

"Look around, who else can scrape together nearly two hundred yuan for you? Only I, as a father, am soft-hearted."

Whether you get married or not is your own business. It's fine if you don't want to lend me the money; we can always postpone it for another seven or eight years.

Seven or eight years?

Yan Jiecheng felt a sudden surge of anger, a burning urge that made him both itchy and restless, and he longed to immediately pull his wife into the quilt to warm her up.

But right now, there's not even a trace of it.

"Fine, fine! Four percent it is!" he said through gritted teeth. "But if I stop doing odd jobs, can we ease things off a bit? The interest rate can't go up any further!"

Yan Bugui hesitated for a moment, looking at his eldest brother's embarrassed expression, and finally relented: "...Alright then."

That's true. This guy does odd jobs here and there all day long, and his pockets are emptier than his face. If you really push him too far, he won't even be able to eat.

But he still couldn't resist giving him a piece of advice: "Boss, stop wasting your time. Go talk to the neighborhood committee more often. If you can get a permanent job, wouldn't it be more respectable to get married?"

"Easy for you to say!" Yan Jiecheng rolled his eyes. "Are permanent employees like cabbages, something you can just pick up anytime?"

While complaining, he secretly glared at Sha Zhu—if that kid hadn't acted aloof and refused to say a word, his entry into the steel rolling mill would have been a sure thing.

……

It was a weekend morning, just as dawn was breaking.

He Yuzhu heated up some porridge and fried an egg for his younger sister, He Yushui, and then casually placed a dish of pickled vegetables on the table before looking up and asking, "Where are you planning to go today?"

He has to go to Bai Danyu's house to cook and prepare the banquet himself, and he estimates he won't be back until two or three in the afternoon.

He Yushui ate a few mouthfuls of rice, thought for a moment and said, "I'll just stay at home, brother, can you leave the radio for me to listen to for a while?"

"Okay." He Yuzhu nodded with a smile, took out a few grain coupons and a few cents from the drawer and put them on the table. "Don't skimp on lunch, go out for a bowl of noodles."

Remember, always lock the door when you leave! If anyone dares to bully you, go tell Uncle Wang, and I'll deal with them one by one when I get back.

After giving his instructions, he hopped on his bicycle, pushed off, and the wheels spun as he sped out of the alley.

The wind whistled past our ears, and in less than half an hour, we arrived at the government compound that Bai Danyu had mentioned.

There were sentries standing guard at the gate, but compared to the heavily guarded compound of Li Huaide's father-in-law, this place was much more relaxed; even the iron gate wasn't completely closed.

At exactly 9:30, He Yuzhu stopped steadily in front of the door, while Bai Danyu stood on the steps looking around.

Seeing him get out of the car, she smiled and said softly, "Director He, thank you for your trouble. It's Sunday, and you still have to make the trip."

"Don't mention it," He Yuzhu said nonchalantly, flicking his sleeves. "We're all from the steel mill, it's just a meal, nothing at all."

As they talked, the two pushed the cart into the building.

This is a newly built staff housing building with gray walls and red tiles. It was only built a few years ago and is four stories high. It houses the families of long-term employees from several merged departments.

Bai Danyu's grandfather was a veteran military doctor who came during the Long March. Now he is a leader in the Ministry of Health. The entire Bai family basically lives in this building.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Bai Danyu said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Director He, the space is a bit cramped..."

"Don't mention it!" He Yuzhu looked around and grinned. "It's much better than my courtyard house."

When I cook at home, I use just one pot for everything; there's not even enough room to set up a cutting board.

Before he finished speaking, he had already rolled up his sleeves and was about to look for an apron when Bai Danyu, quick as a flash, handed him a blue cloth apron.

Taking the rope, He Yuzhu glanced at the stove and said, "Section Chief Bai, could you bring a stove over? Some dishes need to be kept warm, otherwise they'll turn into cold dishes when we serve them."

Bai Danyu nodded: "There should be a furnace... I'll go look for it."

"No, I'll go with you." He Yuzhu waved his hand. "That thing doesn't look big, but it'll break your back if you lift it."

The two walked one after the other to the end of the corridor, where old furniture, cardboard boxes, and broken baskets were piled up in the corner, and the air was thick with dust.

He Yuzhu squatted down and rummaged through the pile of junk for a long time before finally finding a blackened kerosene stove, which he then carried away on his shoulder.

"Thank you so much..." Bai Danyu followed behind, her tone becoming increasingly embarrassed.

It's absurd that the deputy director of the canteen would come to her house to move a stove so early in the morning.

"It's nothing." He Yuzhu waved his hand, dusted himself off, and said, "When people come, they have to work. Standing around doesn't count as a skill."

After sending her off to do other things, He Yuzhu began to count the ingredients.

There was meat and vegetables, so it was fairly complete; as for the seasonings... they were a bit lacking, the star anise was missing cinnamon, and the soy sauce was still dark soy sauce, but it was still passable.

He rolled up his sleeves, his eyes narrowed, and his hands moved deftly.

Today's menu appears to be just ordinary home-cooked meals, but he can still make them look amazing.

Bai Danyu said that there are more than ten people in her family, so they serve four different cuisines in rotation, with three main dishes from each cuisine, and finally add a pair of soft and sweet longevity peaches and a bowl of noodles symbolizing longevity—it's dignified, lively, and heartwarming.

This is what a true "family feast" should be like.

Before long, an irresistible aroma wafted from the kitchen where He Yuzhu was cooking. The smell of stir-fried scallions and ginger, and the aroma of soy sauce wafted around, and the smell seemed to have grown legs, climbing up the stairs floor by floor.