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 gives Qin Huairu's family considerable help with their living expenses, but also cares for the elderly and childless Granny Deaf until the end of her life. Through his relationships with his neighbors, Silly Zhu gradually matures and learns to shoulder the responsibilities of a man. As the tide of reform and opening up sweeps the country, Silly Zhu opens a restaurant and turns the courtyard into a nursing home, where he lives happily and peacefully with all his “neighborly family.”
