Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"What's the point? Just go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some cloth. I still have a few cloth coupons that I haven't used yet."

He Yuzhu touched his pocket and realized that if he didn't use it before the end of the month, it would go to waste. So he decided to buy He Yushui a new outfit.

"I'm so tired of those styles at the supply and marketing cooperative, I've worn them all! Brother, let's not go there, making one ourselves would be much more presentable!"

He Yushui immediately clung to him, hooked her arm around his, tilted her head up, stared at him with bright eyes, and kept shaking his hand.

He Yuzhu was so dizzy from being shaken that he had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, let's do it! There's a silk shop near Zhengyangmen that I heard has good craftsmanship, let's go there and order a piece."

He was actually a little worried – on his way back, he passed by that two-courtyard house and saw the house that Manager Huang had sold to him; he wondered how it was doing now.

It's fine to go and take a look while you're there.

"Alright! There it is!"

He Yushui was so excited she almost jumped for joy. The brother and sister pushed their bicycles and rode out the door.

It's not far from Nanluoguxiang to Zhengyangmen. The wind whips up dust that sweeps under the wheels of cars, and it takes less than half an hour to get there.

He Yuzhu first went around to the old house and took a look – the door was locked with a brass lock, and the courtyard was quiet and deserted.

He frowned, didn't linger, turned the car around, and headed straight for the silk shop.

The shop stands facing the street with a bright and spacious facade. The signboard is written in gold-stamped clerical script: "Ruifuxiang".

It not only sells silk, but also accepts custom tailoring, and many discerning people in the capital love to come here.

As soon as the car was parked, the curtain was lifted and a woman stepped out—her high heels clicked crisply, she wore a cheongsam, her hair was styled in a bun, her lips were painted bright red, but her eyes were very shrewd.

"Oh, two distinguished guests, what would you like to see? Our fabrics are renowned far and wide, made from genuine silk transported from Suzhou and Hangzhou, they won't lose their shape even after a year."

He Yuzhu immediately recognized that this belonged to the shopkeeper.

Although she's no longer called the boss, everyone knows that Chen Xueru is the actual person in charge of this store.

He smiled and pointed to his sister beside him: "Make a new dress for my sister. She can choose the fabric and size herself. You just do what you think is best."

Chen Xueru's eyes flashed, and her smile deepened: "Okay, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"So, brother, why don't you get one?"

"I don't need any. I have three outfits to rotate: work clothes, military uniform, and Zhongshan suit. That's enough."

He waved his hand, his tone relaxed.

Now, apart from the uniform he wears to work in the factory, he usually wears a green military uniform, which is neat and durable.

"Okay, please have a seat."

Chen Xueru turned around gracefully and led He Yushui inside, introducing the colors and patterns of the fabric while gesturing with a ruler.

The shop is spacious, with layers of colorful silks stacked on sandalwood shelves. Sunlight streams in through the carved windows, making the whole room shimmer and glow.

He Yuzhu strolled around with his hands behind his back, his fingertips brushing against a piece of moon-white plain satin. Just as he was lost in thought, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

"Manager Chen! Shouldn't you give me a definite answer about what you said last time?"

His voice was angry, and he urged her on before she had even stood still.

He Yuzhu turned around and saw Manager Huang, the man who sold him the courtyard house, standing at the door panting, sweat beading on his forehead, looking anxious, completely unaware of him in the corner.

"What's the rush?" Chen Xueru peeked out from the inner room, her eyelids twitching. "The customers are still choosing materials, we'll talk about it later."

After saying that, she turned and went back into the inner room, her high heels clicking on the floor like a rhythm, leaving Manager Huang standing there.

"Manager Huang?"

He Yuzhu spoke calmly.

Manager Huang looked up abruptly, paused for two seconds, then forced a smile: "Oh, Director He? You're here too?"

"Yes, I brought my sister here to have a dress made." He Yuzhu nodded, his gaze calm.

Manager Huang's eyes darted around, and he suddenly leaned closer, gesturing with his hand: "Shall we talk in private?"

The two walked to the other side of the counter, away from the blind spot.

Manager Huang lowered his voice and spoke rapidly:

"Director He, as you know, I'm currently short of cash... I still have some old items on hand, such as jade bracelets and gold hairpins. If you're interested, the price is negotiable."

"This Chen Xueru is too difficult to deal with. Why don't you take her in?"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of crisp footsteps suddenly sounded behind him—thump, thump, thump—approaching from afar.

The two turned around at the same time, and saw Chen Xueru walking over carrying a tea tray. A glimpse of her calf was revealed through the slit of her cheongsam, and a smile played on her lips.

"Oh, so you two know each other? What a coincidence! Let's sit down and have a cup of tea together. I just brewed some Longjing tea."

She had already noticed Manager Huang sneaking into a corner, and fearing he might secretly hire outsiders to sell the stolen goods, she quickly came out to disrupt things.

With the fabric chosen and the measurements taken, she invited the two to sit down.

The three sat around a small round rosewood table, with wisps of tea smoke rising from it.

"I never expected that you two would be old acquaintances," Chen Xueru said with a smile. "It really is true that you never know someone else in life."

Manager Huang chuckled twice: "Director He bought a few medicinal herbs from me before. I never expected to run into him here today."

As for the matter of selling the house, he kept quiet about it—after all, it involved too much, and talking about it too much could easily get him into trouble.

Chen Xueru's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

She had only learned from He Yushui that this older brother was not yet twenty years old.

But to everyone's surprise, he was not only a young man, but also a proper director! To be in a leadership position at such a young age, he must either be really capable or have someone backing him up; he is definitely not an ordinary person.

He Yuzhu smiled slightly and said casually, "Hey, it's because my sister thinks the fabrics from the supply and marketing cooperative are too old-fashioned and insists on picking out a good piece of material to make her clothes."

I happened to run into Manager Huang, so I just came in.

These words sounded casual, but to Chen Xueru they were like a heavy drumbeat.

He spoils his sister like this? He even takes her to the silk shop to buy a piece of cloth, not even blinking at the price.

For ordinary working-class families, who would be willing to buy ready-made clothes except during holidays? At most, they would buy a few yards of fabric and have their wives stay up all night cutting and sewing them.

But what about the He siblings? Fifteen feet of cloth ration coupons, plus seven dollars, directly bought them a bright silk dress.

It cost five feet of cloth coupons and two silver dollars more than the supply and marketing cooperative, more than half the price.

The key point is—they didn't even haggle over the price.

Her heart skipped a beat: Oh no, could it be that He Yuzhu, who suddenly appeared, has snatched away the batch of jewelry that Manager Huang had?

That was the real reason she rushed over.

"Manager Huang," she spoke immediately, her voice slightly hurried, "can we... talk alone?"

"Sure, let's talk." Manager Huang waved apologetically at He Yuzhu, then followed Chen Xueru toward the backyard.

That woman is very shrewd.

It was immediately clear that Manager Huang was eager to liquidate his assets in preparation for leaving the country, and it also gave them a sense of the potential profits behind those jewels.

I genuinely like it, and I also genuinely feel the pain of paying such a high price.

It's perfectly normal for her to want to lower the price.

But Manager Huang relied on this little bit of family wealth to make his way in the world, and he couldn't afford to lose a single penny.

If you suppress him, you're cutting off his path to survival.

Therefore, this negotiation was destined to remain deadlocked.

Chen Xueru's intelligence was just a little bit lacking.

Meanwhile, He Yushui had already taken the measurements and bounced back to He Yuzhu's side, her eyes crinkling with joy: "Brother, I've written down the measurements. Just come back in two days to pick it up! This time it's a size big, so you can still wear it next year and the year after!"

"Come on," He Yuzhu laughed and scolded, "When has it ever been New Year's without new clothes? Are you worried about not having anything to wear?"

He Yushui blushed slightly, gently tugged at his sleeve, and said nothing in a coquettish tone.

He Yuzhu didn't waste any time and got up to pay the bill.

Fifteen feet of cloth ration coupons, worth seven dollars, were exchanged for a dazzling silk dress.

As the receipt was handed to her, she looked up and asked, "Brother, shall we go home now?"

"No rush." ​​He glanced at the street corner. "I just ran into an acquaintance, and we agreed to meet at a nearby pub for a while."

Actually, he didn't want to buy any jewelry at all—those flashy but impractical things would just end up gathering dust in a drawer.

But since Manager Huang took the initiative to invite us, we should at least give him face and politely decline in person to avoid being impolite.

The tavern door was open, the curtains were rolled up, but it was deserted with hardly any customers.

This place is usually only lively in the afternoon; it's basically closed in the morning.

The house was tidy and clean, the tables and chairs were polished to a shine, and even the stove was spotless.

As soon as the brother and sister stepped inside, a middle-aged man in a greasy apron immediately greeted them with a sidelong glance: "Hey, you've got the time wrong, haven't you? We're not open for business yet."

He Yuzhu paused, his brows furrowing slightly. "The door's open, and you're saying you're not open for business? Are you taking a government salary and slacking off here? Did you do it on your own initiative, or is the neighborhood committee condoning it?"

"Hey! You—" Master Ma stiffened his neck, his anger rising.

"Shut up!" Zhao Yali stood up abruptly, grabbed his arm, and hissed, "Trying to cause trouble? One word from her and you're out of a job!"

She turned around, beaming with an almost excessive smile: "What would you two like to eat? Although this is a tavern, we also sell food. The menu is on the blackboard, would you like to take a look?"

The atmosphere froze for a moment, and He Yuzhu didn't press the matter further.

His gaze swept over the few dish names on the blackboard, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Rain, what would you like to eat?" he asked, turning his head.

"Forget it, bro," He Yushui glanced at it and pouted, "It doesn't look appetizing. Make me something nice to eat when we get back."

"Okay, I'll give you a special meal when we're done talking." He Yuzhu agreed readily.

The two of them spoke without any attempt to hide it from others, and every word they uttered reached Master Ma's ears.

His face turned bright red, and his fists were clenched tightly, but Zhao Yali calmly pressed his shoulder down and gestured towards the door with her chin.

It means: They're leaving, what are you still arguing about? Hurry up and see them off, then we can continue playing cards!

Master Ma gritted his teeth and endured it, staring at their retreating figures with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"Two ounces of baijiu and a plate of peanuts," He Yuzhu said casually after sitting down.

Zhao Yali immediately set to work, bringing over a wine pot and a plate.

After all, this is the first sale of the day, so even if it's slow, it can't look too bad.

He Yuzhu picked up a peanut, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and suddenly his expression changed. He spat it out with a "pui".

It was bitter and astringent, and had a musty smell.

He squinted, pushed the remaining half-plate of peanuts aside, and sneered, "This stuff is so bad even rats wouldn't want to eat it."