Chapter 267: Another Meeting in the Courtyard

Deng Hairong and Fan Dashan practically wanted to curse their mothers; they strained and clumsily grabbed the thief, while Lu Cheng just wanted to pick up the leftovers.

"You damn righteous talk."

"Exactly, you never get a chance to be a captain, what good would that do for you."

"Come on, come on, let's ignore him, let's go find Captain Lei for judgment, dare you go?"

"What's there not to dare? Whoever doesn't go is a grandson…"

Watching the two drag the thief away, Lu Cheng, enjoying the spectacle, shouted loudly, "Don't fight! Speak nicely, harmony brings wealth, absolutely don't fight."

Clapping his hands, Lu Cheng shifted his gaze to the train parked on the Platform, about to depart; many passengers surged forward from the waiting room, lugging luggage ahead of schedule.

Liu Jian'an and his group were actively assisting passengers; when they saw Zhao Jinzhu helping a young lady with her luggage, Lu Cheng hurried over.

"What's the matter, big guy?"

Zhao Jinzhu was startled for a moment, scratching the back of his head in confusion; he was actively helping passengers, not slacking off.

Lu Cheng gestured toward the young lady, his face stern, and said, "You're about to get married; how could you not be aware of the impact?"

"Oh, sorry Group Leader, please don't tell Mei Ju."

Seeing Zhao Jinzhu's apologetic attitude, Lu Cheng nodded, "Alright, go help other passengers."

As soon as Zhao Jinzhu left, the girl, a bit frantic, said, "Comrade, why did you drive him away? What about all my luggage?"

"Comrade, don't worry, I've got this."

Lu Cheng tidied his clothes; he was still wearing the blue uniform of autumn‑winter, soon to be replaced by the summer uniform.

The summer one is a white shirt; there's a saying, in this innocent era, falling for someone isn't because they have a house or a car, but because on a bright sunny afternoon you see them wearing a white shirt.

Lu Cheng could already imagine that when summer comes, he'll don a spotless white shirt, and who knows how many young ladies he'll drive crazy.

He has also decided that, for societal stability, he'll stay out of the public as much as possible…

"Hey, Comrade, why are you standing there stunned? You said you have me, so go ahead and lift my luggage!"

Hearing the girl's voice, Lu Cheng snapped back, grabbed the luggage, and through the carriage window, he tossed it in.

"Hey, why did you throw it into the window? There's a door, hey, don't hug me!"

Lu Cheng waist‑grasped her and lifted her, "Don't move! There's a window, why use a door? I'll get you up."

The girl was completely bewildered; what does "there's a window, why use a door?"—shouldn't it be "there's a door, why use a window"?

"Comrade, is it one person per carriage?"

Lying in a big man's arms, the girl's mind was already a mess, and she involuntarily nodded.

Lu Cheng added, "If you ride alone, be extra careful; there are many bad guys at this station."

Before the girl could react, Lu Cheng changed his grip, hugging her from behind, then hoisted her up, patting her backside twice.

"Alright, get up."

The girl blushed, quickly scrambled up.

At that moment, Zhao Jinzhu shouted from the other carriage, "Group Leader, there's a female comrade here; she also wants to climb in through the window."

Lu Cheng turned his head and saw a middle‑aged woman, roughly as long, wide, and thick as a gas cylinder.

Lu Cheng, fearing a back injury, said, "Oh, that one's yours."

Zhao Jinzhu, worried about the consequences, replied, "Give it to me? But she's a woman…"

"Male or female, helping others is the Sixth Group's traditional virtue; serving The Masses can't be divided by gender. That's not good on your part; it's a flaw that must be corrected."

Zhao Jinzhu looked bewildered and said, "Got it, Group Leader."

"Alright, go help the passengers."

After a while of busyness on the Platform, once all passengers boarded safely, the train pulled away with a whistle.

Actually, duty on the Platform isn't as easy as on‑train duty; on‑train duty is basically just getting on and off the train for a short while, and as long as no one causes trouble, most of the time is quite idle.

But Platform duty is different; there are more trivial matters, and you can't stay idle.

He stayed busy until eight p. m., then changed shifts and went home.

"Lu San'er, you're back; later there's a meeting in the inner courtyard," Wu Guiwen said, hands behind his back, going door to door with the notice; having just left Wang Dama's house, he ran into Lu Cheng and slipped it in.

"Got it, Teacher Wu, I haven't eaten yet; you start without me, I'll go over after I finish eating."

He had a few hours of meetings at the Research Institute this morning, then was busy on the Platform until now; returning to the courtyard he still had to attend another meeting, so Lu Cheng used dinner as an excuse to decline.

But Wu Guiwen replied, "We'll be waiting for you."

Chen Xianglan was saving dinner; Lu Cheng, while eating, asked, "Mom, what meeting is Teacher Wu holding again?"

Chen Xianglan, folding clothes, replied offhand, "What meetings could he possibly hold? In our courtyard it's the same petty stuff every day; I've heard it so much my ears are calloused."

"When will Teacher Wu retire?"

Chen Xianglan set the clothes down, thought a moment, and said, "Probably this year, after this half‑semester…"

Speaking of that, Chen Xianglan sighed, "Ah, I'm only afraid that after Teacher Wu retires, the number of meetings will increase even more; if we don't go, we'd look out of place. Since we all live in the same courtyard and he's the decision‑maker, he'll hold meetings whenever he wants."

Lu Cheng understood his mother's view; although families sometimes clash, they all live in the same courtyard, constantly seeing each other, and living together is fate.

So the usual frictions remain frictions; when any family truly faces a difficulty, everyone pitches in, and during holidays they exchange food.

The warmth of Da Za Yuan lies in this interwoven, day‑to‑day trivial routine.

Chen Xianglan tidied the clothes and neatly placed them in the wardrobe: "San'er, you just finished work; if you're tired you don't have to go. After dinner, rest in your room. Our family just needs you and your dad as representatives; there's no big matter, no need to attend every meeting."

"Got it, Mom."

After dinner, Lu Cheng stood in the doorway stretching a bit, as people kept coming into the courtyard.

Wu Guiwen thought it over many times, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to sell the TV; the house was as lively as a cinema.

Every time it ended, Wu Dama would take up the broom and go on duty, inevitably cursing, but she couldn't stop Wu Guiwen from trying to cement his authority as the decision‑maker.

Originally planning to return to his room, Lin Qingyan also felt compelled to attend the meeting, so Lu Cheng sat with her on a long bench.

"You haven't rested well these past few days; why didn't you go to bed earlier?"

"I slept again during the day, rested well, and by the way Lu Cheng, why didn't you bring the magazine back?"

"I also can't rely on just you; the Research Institute has translators, let them handle the translation."

"Oh, that'll do…" Lin Qingyan fell silent, hesitating whether to tell Lu Cheng something.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an event with international friends; in a while they'll organize a Social Dance Ball, and she wants Lu Cheng to be her dance partner.

She hesitated a moment, just about to speak, when Wu Guiwen spoke first.