This is the courtyard house I wanted, and a dream from my childhood, too. From the late 1950s to the late 1990s, He Yuzhu, a chef in the cafeteria of Beijing's Third Steel Rolling Mill, is known as Shagen. Amid the tangled relationships of the courtyard and the tides of the times, he stands by his principles: never take advantage of public property, and never let morality be used to manipulate him. The widow Qin Huairu repeatedly tries to tie him down to secure her own livelihood, even sabotaging his relationship with Lou Xiao'e. But step by step, he learns to set boundaries and follow the rules without losing his kind heart. Over the decades, the courtyard residents weather the rebel factions, the mass relocations, reform, the rush into business, and demolition. In the end, Shagen and Lou Xiao'e turn the old courtyard house into a "Happy Home," holding fast to the right path through life's changing fortunes.
