The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

After hearing Darong say that the person who came to see her was Zhong Yunxing, Darong's mother was surprised. She had clearly rejected her cousin's request, and she couldn't understand how these two people could get in touch again.

"Are you two together?" Darong's mother asked Darong with a puzzled look.

"No, he always comes to see me, but I never said I was dating him." Darong muttered softly with her head down.

"When he came to you, did you tell him that you didn't like him?" Darong's mother asked again.

Darong was silent for a long time and her mother naturally understood what was on her mind.

"Since you haven't said you don't want to be with someone, that's tantamount to your consent. If you want to be with someone, then be a good friend to him/her. Don't keep him/her in suspense all day long. That's not what a girl from a good family would do." Darong's mother educated Darong seriously and righteously.

Darong's mother's definition of women still comes from the traditional ethical teachings before liberation. Darong's grandmother was a rural girl who grew up in the old society. The world she knew only had such a secular definition, and this was the only definition passed on to Darong's mother.

After spending the past few days with Zhong Yunxing, Darong actually didn't feel repulsed by him. Now, with the strong help of her mother, she finally acknowledged Zhong Yunxing as her "boyfriend".

"My mother asked you to come over to our house and visit her when you're off work." Darong pushed her car and stood at the factory gate and said to Zhong Yunxing who had brought her to work.

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow." Zhong Yunxing said in a calm tone, his expression was very stable.

After Darong turned around and entered the factory, Zhong Yunxing finally couldn't contain his excitement. He suddenly got on his bike and rode towards his unit, cheering all the way.

He knew very well what Darong's invitation meant.

"Wow, what's the matter? You're so happy. Look at those little white teeth. Are you afraid that others don't know that you have good teeth?"

As soon as Zhong Yunxing entered the workshop, he was teased and laughed at by the older ladies in the workshop.

"Hey, which machine did you report this for, Sister Liu?"

Zhong Yunxing scratched his head a little embarrassedly. He seldom played around with others, but because of his energetic appearance, the older female colleagues in the workshop liked to joke with him. However, the girls of the same age often blushed before they even talked to him.

"Well, the factory is full of these old antiques. Only you can repair them. Others are at a loss." Sister Liu pointed at the machines that had already stopped working and complained with a little dissatisfaction.

In fact, the textile factories in the southern suburbs are not important production bases, and the machines they use are mostly old models eliminated by first-tier large factories. The unit where Zhong Yunxing works is also a textile factory. Although the types of fabrics are slightly different, the processes are actually similar.

In the late 80s and early 90s, the large-scale establishment of textile factories was an important development process for Yutian in that era.

"Okay, Sister Liu, it should last for a while. I'll apply for a spare part from the factory. When I come over to replace it, this problem won't occur again in the future."

Zhong Yunxing turned on the power switch and made sure the machine was operating normally before he walked out of the workshop and returned to the repair shop with peace of mind.

"Hey, I'm going to my boyfriend's house tomorrow. What do you think I should pay attention to?"

After returning to the machine repair class, Zhong Yunxing asked his good friend for advice.

The machine repair class is full of young men, and several of them were taught by the same master. Zhong Yunxing has always been a key talent trained by the factory because of his good comprehension and strong hands-on ability. As soon as his master stepped down, he was promoted to team leader to manage the entire machine repair class.

"You really asked the right person. Don't you know about his glorious deeds of being kicked out by his future mother-in-law?"

Yu Xiaonian, who was sitting next to him, almost laughed like a pig when he heard Zhong Yunxing ask Yan Zeyou this question.

Zhong Yunxing looked at Yu Xiaonian in confusion, waiting for his follow-up explanation.

"Yu Xiaonian, are you itching for trouble?" Yan Zeyou took a quick step to Yu Xiaonian's side and grabbed the back of his neck.

“Ouch, ouch, it hurts… it hurts…” Yu Xiaonian’s neck shrank and his legs were lifted up unconsciously, and his whole body instantly curled up into a ball.

"Do you accept it?" Yan Zeyou held Yu Xiaonian down with both hands, making him unable to move.

"I am convinced... I am convinced! Brother You is so awesome, please spare my life!" After saying that, Yu Xiaonian clasped his fist towards Yan Zeyou.

Yan Zeyou then let go of Yu Xiaonian with a smug look on his face. Yu Xiaonian quickly stood up and took two steps behind Zhong Yunxing.

"You're so stupid! The fact that you went to your mother-in-law's house and gave her a big slap was almost shouted out on the dormitory video with a loud speaker, but you're not allowed to say it!"

Yu Xiaonian, who had just escaped from Yan Zeyou's clutches, had a wicked smile on his face and started shouting at Yan Zeyou at the top of his voice.

The two were playing and fighting in the machine repair room when Sister Liu suddenly pushed open the door of the lounge.

Sister Liu is none other than Yan Zeyou’s wife.

"I heard you two howling from far away. You have no manners at all." Sister Liu said to Yan Zeyou in a bad mood as soon as she entered the room.

"Sister-in-law, tell me yourself, was he chased out by Aunt Liu the first time he went to your house?"

When Yu Xiaonian saw Sister Liu coming, he asked directly to Sister Liu with great pride.

"This is all so old. What did you remember?" Big Liu looked at Yu Xiaonian, then at Yan Zeyou, who was speechless.

"Old Zhongzi is going to his mother-in-law's house tomorrow to seek advice from your uncle You!" Yu Xiaonian was still smiling playfully and didn't look serious at all.

"What kind of a name is that? When did he become your uncle? You have never been serious for a single day."

Sister Liu was sitting on a chair and raised her foot to sweep Yu Xiaonian's leg. He reacted quickly and dodged by jumping to the side.

Big Liu ignored Xiaonian and turned to look at Zhong Yunxing who had been sitting in a chair watching the show.

"I was wondering if something happy happened to you. You didn't close your mouth in the workshop all morning. Are you in a relationship?" Sister Liu looked at Zhong Yunxing with a smile on her face.

Zhong Yunxing, with his signature dimples and white teeth, nodded gently at Sister Liu.

"When you go to your mother-in-law's house, first don't go empty-handed, and second, have active eyes. Answer whatever they ask. It's always a good idea to leave a good impression of an honest person when you meet him for the first time. Xiaonian is right. If you ask him, you're blind."

After Sister Liu finished speaking, she looked up and glanced at Yan Zeyou who was standing beside her.

"So what on earth did he do?"

Zhong Yunxing's gossipy heart was completely ignited by the concerted actions of Sister Liu and Yu Xiaonian, and he was waiting for Sister Liu's reply with great curiosity.