This drama tells the story of life in a Beijing courtyard from the 1960s through the 1990s. He Yuzhu is a cook in the steel mill cafeteria. Kindhearted and loyal, but unable to keep his mouth shut, he is known as Silly Zhu. Qin Huairu, a steel mill worker, lives in the same courtyard. She is filial and capable, and has a son and two daughters, but life is difficult for her after her husband dies in a workplace accident. Xu Damao, a steel mill projectionist, also lives in the courtyard. Selfish and self-serving, he is Silly Zhu's rival. Three respected old workers also live there, known as the Three Elders. Whenever a dispute breaks out among the neighbors, they step in to mediate and settle it. Silly Zhu may seem unreliable, but he has a kind heart. He not only
