It felt as though the person sitting on the bicycle saddle behind him was truly his beloved.
The next day, He Yuzhu was leisurely making his way back from the Department Store, thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of the ride.
By the time he reached Nanluoguxiang, it was already well past closing time, and the alley was beginning to liven up.
The moment he reached the mouth of the alley, he rang his bicycle bell—partly to warn pedestrians to make way, but mostly to show off.
That was the simple era of innocence; whenever people encountered something joyous or fresh, they would display it without any reservation, without worrying too much about other people's feelings.
Even if the onlookers felt a twinge of envy, most would respond with looks of affirmation and praise.
When He Yuzhu arrived at the entrance of the Siheyuan, he immediately drew the gazes of many.
Sitting on the bicycle with one foot propped against the ground, his right hand pressed the bell again.
"Who's that? Coming, coming!" Third Aunt's voice floated out from the courtyard.
With a soft creak, the door swung open.
Before Third Aunt could finish speaking, her eyes landed on the bicycle beneath He Yuzhu, and she froze in her tracks.
She then eagerly hurried out the door, her hands gently and cautiously tracing the handlebars.
"Shazhu, is this a brand-new bicycle you bought?"
"Yup, Forever brand—top quality!"
Even though there were only two brands at the time, Phoenix and Forever, with little difference between them, He Yuzhu didn't bother arguing.
Seeing Third Aunt's excited expression, a deep sense of pride swelled within him.
"Third Aunt, I'm going to wheel it inside first. You can take your time looking later!"
"Alrighty!"
Third Aunt urged him on, "Shazhu, careful now, don't scratch it. You take the front, I'll steady it for you!"
Third Aunt's enthusiasm made it seem as though the bike belonged to her, terrified that it might suffer even the slightest blemish.
Like two people cradling a newborn infant, they carefully wheeled the bicycle into the middle courtyard.
He Yuzhu rang the bell once more, and the courtyard instantly bustled with activity as neighbors crowded around.
"Ooh, a classic heavy-duty twenty-eight!"
"Shazhu, you just bought this?"
"How much did it cost?"
"Got it from the Department Store, didn't you? Where else could you find one?"
"Forever is a good brand, sturdy and reliable. Phoenix might be trendy, but it's not as durable as Forever!"
"Sturdy is best. It'll last a few more years, and you can even use it when you get married."
"This is the first bicycle in our entire courtyard!"
"Shazhu, you're amazing, so stylish!"
"It's just a bicycle, nothing special about it!"
At that moment, Xu Damao returned.
Stripped of his clothes at the factory and made the laughingstock of everyone, he had suffered utter humiliation and waited until the path was completely empty before sneaking back into the courtyard.
He had meant to buy a bicycle himself, but hadn't gotten around to it, and now Shazhu had beaten him to the punch, leaving him thoroughly displeased.
A simmering annoyance festered inside him, and the more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt.
The elders had initially been too polite to crowd around and compete with the younger folks and women, but now they slowly ambled over.
A bicycle was such a rare treasure; they had only ever seen others ride them on the street—who wouldn't be tempted? At this point, they no longer bothered to back Xu Damao up.
"Damao, if you don't have a car yourself, stop giving others a hard time! If you've got the chops, go get one yourself, and we'll gladly praise you as a real man! Since you don't have one right now, just keep quiet and behave!"
Third Uncle's words left Xu Damao utterly speechless.
The crowd quickly parted to make way for the three elders, allowing them to walk right up.
Second Uncle placed one hand on the bicycle's rear rack and struck an official posture as he pontificated, "All the young people in this courtyard should learn from Shazhu. Look at him—diligent and hardworking at his job, becoming a kitchen supervisor at such a young age. And now he's the very first to buy a bicycle. Let's all keep working hard and strive to buy a few more back next year."
Having just been put in his place, Xu Damao seized the opening to interject, "Third Uncle, I think Second Uncle is right. You should learn from Shazhu too. Nearly every teacher at the school has a bicycle—how come you're the only one without?"
Hearing this, Third Uncle flushed slightly.
The truth was, he had envied them for a long time; the school had even distributed bicycle coupons, and by pinching pennies at home, they could scrape together nearly two hundred yuan, but he simply couldn't bear to part with the money.
Besides, what if it got stolen?
Yet faced with the crowd, and eager to save face, Third Uncle forced himself to say, "Buy one? Of course I'm going to buy one. If the school weren't so close to home, I would've bought one years ago."
Third Aunt immediately grew displeased upon hearing this. She nudged Third Uncle with her elbow and snapped, "Oh, old man, go ahead and brag. If you actually buy a bike, what are we going to do about Second's marriage?"
Frowning in annoyance, Third Uncle barked, "Go on, go on, this is no place for you to talk."
"Alright, alright," Elder Uncle chimed in, no longer able to watch. "Shazhu, hurry up and put the bike away. Everyone go on home and get dinner ready, you must all be starving."
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Third Uncle lingering behind in secret.
Once everyone else had cleared out, Third Uncle smiled and said, "Shazhu, I'm planning to buy a bicycle myself, but I don't know how to ride. Could I borrow yours to practice on first?"
Third Uncle had a clever little scheme: learning to ride on his own inevitably meant taking a few spills, but if he could master it using Shazhu's bike first, he wouldn't have to worry about damaging his own.
Seeing right through Third Uncle's petty calculations, He Yuzhu flatly refused, "Third Uncle, give up on that idea. Wait until your own bike arrives before you talk about practicing! If you wreck my bike, you won't be able to afford the repairs."
Looking rather awkward, Third Uncle scratched his head and slunk away in defeat.
After the crowd cleared, He Yuzhu's younger sister He Yushui had just returned from Yu Haitang's place.
Having previously brought up the idea of setting her brother up on a date, she had genuinely put her heart into it this time and made a special trip to find Yu Haitang.
Yu Haitang told her that a matchmaker had already introduced someone, but they hadn't met yet.
He Yushui had sung her brother's praises to the skies, hoping Yu Haitang would stand firm and not let slip a good match like He Yuzhu.
Yu Haitang was naturally a stubborn and strong-willed girl who had her heart set on finding a partner who could truly be the master of his own household.
Having spent years under the strict thumb of her grandmother at home, she knew all too well that He Yuzhu's status as an orphan with neither parents nor in-laws to pressure him made him an ideal choice.
And so, she agreed to meet He Yuzhu in private first.
Brimming with excitement, He Yushui hurried home with the good news, only to run straight into Qin Huairu the moment she stepped into the courtyard.
Catching wind that Xu Damao had run into trouble, Qin Huairu guessed that He Yuzhu must have lent a hand.
A flicker of secret satisfaction passed through her heart, making her think He Yuzhu still held feelings for her.
"Yushui, you look so happy today. Did something wonderful happen?"
For once keeping her wits about her, He Yushui kept Yu Haitang's matter under wraps and simply claimed nothing was wrong.
"Then how are things going with your brother's marriage prospects?"
"Sister Qin, let's not talk about that for now. My brother says he's busy pursuing Lou Xiaoe right now and is trying to save up money to get married, so he doesn't have the spare energy to help out our family."
"They're actually getting married?"
He Yushui noticed a flash of displeasure cross Qin Huairu's face; it seemed Qin Huairu truly did not want her brother to settle down.
Though she had previously harbored doubts about her brother's words, she now believed them completely.
Summoning a sharp wit, He Yushui pressed on, "Sister Qin, marriage is a major life event. With only my brother as the man of the house—and since 'of the three unfilial acts, having no heirs is the worst'—we simply have to prioritize this matter above all else."
Qin Huairu's heart sank at these words; this touched upon her deepest sore spot.
She had spent all this time comforting herself, leaning on Shazhu out of sheer helplessness—after all, how else were her three children supposed to survive?
Qin Huairu knew full well that her choices might mean cutting off Shazhu's lineage.
She had occasionally toyed with the idea of bearing another child for Shazhu, but ultimately dismissed it as impossible.
If Shazhu had a child of his own, would he still treat Banggeng and the others the way he did now? Always quick to justify herself to comfort her own conscience, Qin Huairu simply refused to believe Shazhu would continue to treat them kindly under those circumstances.
Usually quick-witted and sharp-tongued, Qin Huairu found herself entirely at a loss for words when confronted by He Yushui's sudden sharpness.
Delighted to have won the upper hand for once, He Yushui turned and headed toward her room.
Just as she reached the threshold, she stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze instantly hooked by a brand-new Forever bicycle.
Guessing that the bike might belong to their household, she surged into the house with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation.
Finding no guests inside, she dashed straight into her brother's room and demanded to know if the bicycle was hers.
Feigning ignorance, He Yuzhu decided to tease his sister.
He Yushui became convinced her brother had bought it as a gift for her, whereas He Yuzhu worried that she might eventually have to move far away for work, hence why she needed a vehicle.
Realizing in the end that her brother was gently hinting at her eventual departure, He Yushui couldn't hold back her tears; even though she knew it was all in good fun, a wave of warmth washed over He Yuzhu.
When people lived together long enough, genuine bonds were bound to form.
It wasn't that He Yuzhu couldn't bear to see her leave; he was simply worried about her being led astray by Qin Huairu's influence.
"I'm doing all this for your own good! Since you've just started at the factory, you need to get along well with your colleagues. Living over there means you can chat and interact after work, making it much easier to fit into the collective. Besides, this place is still your home—it's not like you're never coming back; you'll be back every weekend and holiday."
"Hmph! I'm never believing you again. I went and talked to Yu Haitang, and she even agreed to meet you, but look how you're treating me! I'm going right now to tell her not to come!"
Never expecting He Yuzhu to care so deeply about her own affairs, He Yushui quickly moved to comfort her.
Wiping away her tears, He Yushui declared, "You don't need to worry about that. I know I was blinded by Qin Huairu before and couldn't see her true intentions. I already ran into her just now and made things completely clear—I told her not to come sniffing around our family ever again!"
"Well done! Our Yushui is truly growing up!"
He Yuzhu stood up and patted her head affectionately. "Once you start working, your big brother will buy you a brand-new bike of your own. I'll use this one for everyday commutes, but if you ever need it in a hurry, just let me know—what's mine is yours."
"Mmm!"
He Yushui threw herself into her brother's arms, savoring this rare warmth of family affection.
……
……
Seeing Shazhu swaggering proudly as he wheeled his bicycle through the courtyard, the neighbors showered him with compliments.
This left Xu Damao feeling intensely miserable.
He felt as though his luck had taken a terribly sour turn lately.
Ever since they were kids, he and Shazhu had bickered and fought countless times, clashing almost daily, yet he had never felt so utterly defeated as he did right now.
Thinking back carefully, it seemed that recently, whether in verbal sparring or petty schemes, he invariably ended up on the losing end.
This puzzled him deeply—had something gone wrong with his intelligence? Try as he might, the self-proclaimed genius Xu Damao simply couldn't figure it out.
At the factory, to say nothing of ordinary workers, even the factory director occasionally invited him over for a couple of drinks, and the section chiefs frequently dropped off little gifts.
Within his own unit and neighborhood, he was considered a man of standing and respect.
Yet right now, when facing He Yuzhu, Xu Damao felt thoroughly helpless.
What kind of miraculous elixir had this Shazhu swallowed lately to suddenly grow so sharp and completely overshadow him?
He simply couldn't wrap his head around it! Muttering to himself for a long while, Xu Damao finally mustered up his courage.
It looked like he had to fall back on his own area of expertise to salvage the situation.
The factory was screening a movie again tonight, and that was his absolute turf.
If He Yuzhu dared to show his face, he would make sure to humiliate him publicly right in front of everyone.
Surely someone would back him up.
If Shazhu really wanted to push the issue and lock horns with him, he'd just throw a tantrum and refuse to run the projector—let's see who'd get to watch a movie then!
Slap!
Xu Damao clapped his hands together, a ruthless determination settling in his heart.
In truth, Xu Damao wasn't the only one in a foul mood lately.
Qin Huairu was also left reflecting on things at home.
After finally managing to smooth things over with He Yushui last time, the whole situation had unraveled again just a few days later.
Qin Huairu found herself in an extremely tight spot.
She had wanted to bide her time and observe how things played out before making a move, but someone was always breathing down her neck demanding a quick decision.
During dinner, her mother-in-law Jia Zhangshi slammed her cornbread back down onto the plate and sneered, "You get to eat and drink your fill out there, while the family at home has to choke down this pig swill day after day. I'm old so it doesn't matter, but my grandsons are still growing! Eating this garbage every single day—I won't stand for it!"
Qin Huairu wasn't one to be easily pushed around either. "If you don't want to eat it, don't. At least it'll save some leftovers to feed the pigs."