He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

At dawn, just as the first rays of golden sunlight climbed over the slightly antique gate of the "Patriotic Martial Arts Club," He Yuzhu was already busy at work. He was shirtless, revealing his strong, muscular physique; in his hand, he gripped a heavy stone lock, swinging it with all his might. With each powerful swing, a dull, resounding clang echoed—thud! thud! thud! The sound was as loud as a war drum, even making the tenacious weeds growing in the corner tremble.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the training ground was exceptionally lively. Seven or eight young apprentices had already arrived early to begin their training. The youngest among them was a boy named Gou Sheng, only twelve years old, yet he was practicing his horse stance with utmost seriousness and focus. The oldest was the burly young man known as Tie Niu, who, although only in his early twenties, possessed a striking, imposing physique, like an iron tower. All the apprentices were full of energy, their foreheads covered in a dense layer of sweat, like glistening pearls rolling down their faces.

"Sink your legs a little harder! Don't bend your knees!" He Yuzhu put down the stone lock, walked behind Tie Niu, and gently tapped his knees. "Remember this well, stance training is the foundation. If your foundation isn't solid, learning all the fancy moves is useless!"

Tie Niu's face turned bright red. He quickly adjusted his posture and muttered, "Master, when are we going to learn new moves? My fists are itching to get started."

"Itchy?" He Yuzhu's eyes widened. "Go, punch that old locust tree a hundred times. Only when your fists are as hard as iron can you talk about learning something new!"

Tie Niu didn't dare to talk back, so he obediently walked to the old locust tree in the corner of the yard and started punching it. This locust tree was planted by He Yuyang when he was a child. Now it has grown lush and leafy, and its trunk is so thick that it takes two people to hug it. It has become the best "practice stance" in the martial arts school.

He Yuyang came out of the house carrying a rough porcelain bowl filled with steaming millet porridge that his mother had just cooked. He leaned against the doorframe, watching the bustling scene in the yard, and couldn't help but smile. His mother's health had gradually improved in the past few days, and she was now able to get out of bed and cook. The house was filled with the warmth of home cooking, and even the martial arts school seemed more vibrant than before.

"Brother, you're awake?" He Yuzhu's voice rose eight octaves upon seeing him. "Come and see, Tie Niu's punching power is much stronger than last month!"

He Yuyang walked over, just as Tie Niu punched a tree trunk, causing leaves to fall in a flurry. He shook his head: "The punching power is there, but the technique is far from perfect. You only teach them brute force, but you haven't taught them when to throw a punch and when to hold back."

"Isn't the point of boxing to be fierce?" He Yuzhu scratched his head, somewhat unconvinced. "That's what my master taught me back then."

"Times have changed." He Yuyang scooped up a spoonful of porridge and slowly drank it. "Back in the day, the key to survival in the martial arts world was to defeat your enemy with a single move. But this is a new society. Practicing martial arts isn't just about fighting; it's also about strengthening your body, learning rules, and understanding reason. Look at these kids, most of them are just teenagers from the neighborhood. Some can't even write their own names properly. What good is brute force alone?"

Upon hearing this, Tie Niu's face flushed red. He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I... I really can't read." His father was a cart puller, his mother died early, and he had never attended school. He even learned his own name by following his master's instructions, stroke by stroke.

He Yuyang put down his bowl and walked over to the apprentices, his gaze sweeping over their young faces. Most of these children came from ordinary families; some were the sons of factory workers, others the children of small vendors. They came to the martial arts school to learn boxing, partly to avoid being bullied, and partly to learn a "skill" from He Yuzhu so they could make a living in the future.

"I have a suggestion for you." He turned to He Yuzhu, his tone serious. "Add cultural classes to the martial arts school, and hire a teacher to teach them to read and do arithmetic. Brute force alone is not enough; they need to understand principles to go far. Whether they go to work in a factory or do other jobs in the future, being literate is always a good thing."

"Academic classes?" He Yuzhu frowned, looking troubled. "Isn't this just making things more complicated for me? My martial arts school teaches boxing, not a school. Besides, hiring a teacher doesn't cost money, does it? Our current tuition fees are barely enough to cover rent and rice."

"I'll figure out the money." He Yuyang had already made up his mind. "The army gave me a pension when I came back this time, so I don't need to be stingy. Besides, it's better for the kids to learn more than to just fight all day. Think about it, when people ask about the apprentices of the 'Patriotic Martial Arts Club,' they'll say they're not only good at martial arts, but they can also do accounts and recognize newspapers. Wouldn't that be more respectable?"

His words sparked He Yuzhu's interest. He admired his older brother the most; his brother had been an officer in the army, literate and able to read maps, something he had long envied. Besides, the martial arts school was called "Patriotic Martial Arts Club," and it would be truly unacceptable if the students couldn't even spell the word "Patriotic" correctly.

"Fine," He Yuzhu muttered, looking reluctant. "Then, who should we ask to be the teacher? The teachers at the nearby elementary schools are all very busy and might not be willing to come."

"I do have someone in mind." He Yuyang's gaze drifted towards the alley entrance, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "What do you think of Teacher Xu?"

"Xu Xiuli?" He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, but then wilted again. "She's an elementary school teacher, a proper cultured person. Would she come to our martial arts school to teach teenagers? Besides, we can't afford to pay her such high wages."

"How will you know if you don't try?" He Yuyang patted his shoulder. "Go ask around and tell them the kids want to learn academics. We'll calculate the tuition by the hour and give them a small subsidy. Teacher Xu isn't the kind of person who cares about money."

He Yuzhu was still hesitant, lingering without moving. Although he and Xu Xiuli were neighbors, he always felt that she was a scholar, not like them who practiced martial arts. Besides, she was someone his brother cared about, so he felt a little awkward asking her to speak.

"Master, I want to learn to read!" Gou Sheng suddenly raised his hand, his little face full of anticipation. "My mother said that if I can read, I can read picture books."

"Me too!" another apprentice shouted. "My father wants me to learn arithmetic so I can take over his job as accountant in the future."

The children started shouting excitedly, their eyes shining with longing. Looking at them, He Yuzhu's initial awkwardness vanished, and he slapped his thigh: "Alright! I'll take care of it! It's just hiring a teacher, right? Leave it to me!"

The next morning, He Yuzhu specially changed into a newly made blue cloth jacket, and even had Yushui comb his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror for a long time before leaving with a cloth bag in his hand. Inside the bag were two pounds of fruit candy that he had specially bought at the department store the day before, as a "greeting gift" for Xu Xiuli.

The morning exercises at Hongxing Elementary School had just ended, and Xu Xiuli was standing at the classroom door organizing the students into lines. He Yuzhu watched from afar, hesitating and not daring to go forward until the school bell rang and the students had all entered the classroom, at which point he finally steeled himself and walked over.

"Teacher Xu." He rubbed his hands together, his face flushed red, even more nervous than when he was boxing.

"Master He?" Xu Xiuli asked in surprise, putting down her lesson plan. "Is there something you need?"

"It's like this..." He Yuzhu took a deep breath and explained his purpose, then quickly added, "I know this is a bit difficult for you, but don't worry, we will definitely pay for the lessons, so you won't work for nothing. The children are all looking forward to learning something."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiuli's eyes lit up, and without the slightest hesitation, she said, "I'm willing to go!"

He Yuzhu was stunned, thinking he had misheard: "You...you're willing?"

"Yes." Xu Xiuli nodded, a genuine smile on her face. "Isn't the country calling for literacy campaigns right now? It's a good thing to be able to teach children. Besides, they're all neighbors, so I feel at ease. There's no need for tuition fees; I just want the children to learn as much as possible."

"No way!" He Yuzhu quickly waved his hand. "You have to pay what you're owed! My brother said we can't let you work for nothing. How about this, I'll give you 50 cents per class and a lunch, okay?" He originally wanted to say 30 cents, but then thought it was too little, so he changed his mind and added 20 cents. He figured he would save some money from his own food rations to make sure he paid the full amount.

Xu Xiuli wanted to decline, but He Yuzhu shoved the fruit candy into her hand, turned and ran, afraid she would change her mind: "It's settled then! I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon!"

Watching his retreating figure, Xu Xiuli couldn't help but smile. She looked down at the fruit candy in her hand, feeling a warmth in her heart. She had actually wanted to tutor these children for a long time. The last time she went to the martial arts school to find He Yuyang, she saw Tie Niu staring blankly at the wooden sign on the wall that read "Patriotic Martial Arts Club". When she asked him if he recognized it, he blushed and said that he only recognized the character "武" (wu, martial arts).

The next afternoon, Xu Xiuli arrived at the martial arts school on time, carrying a cloth bag. He Yuzhu had specially cleaned up the east wing, set out several desks he had found at the secondhand market, and hung a blackboard on the wall with the eight characters "Study hard and make progress every day" written in red paint. Although the strokes were a bit crooked, they conveyed a serious attitude.

The apprentices had already brought their small stools and sat down, their backs ramrod straight and their eyes wide open, much more focused than when they were practicing their boxing. He Yuyang also brought a small stool and sat in the last row, holding a small notebook in his hand, as if he wanted to learn as well.

"Today we'll learn our own names first." Xu Xiuli opened her cloth bag, took out chalk, and wrote the two characters "Tie Niu" on the blackboard. "Tie Niu, you read it."

Tie Niu stood up nervously, his face flushed red, and after a long while, he managed to stammer, "I...I'm called Tie Niu."

"Yes, those two characters are 'Tie Niu' (铁牛)." Xu Xiuli patiently taught him the strokes. "'Tie' (铁) has the metal radical because iron is a metal; 'Niu' (牛) refers to the old yellow ox you keep at home, remember?"

Tie Niu nodded, his eyes sparkling, and followed Xu Xiuli's lead, writing stroke by stroke. Although his writing was crooked, he was extremely earnest. He Yuzhu stood at the door watching, and suddenly felt that his brother was right. These children seemed to be different after they learned to read; they had lost some of their wildness and gained more refinement.

Halfway through class, He Yuzhu quietly slipped out and slipped an envelope into Xu Xiuli's cloth bag. Inside was the money he had specially withdrawn from the bank the day before. Originally, it was agreed that it would be 50 cents per class, but he secretly put in two extra dollars and two jin of grain coupons—he knew that the teachers' food rations were not plentiful either.

When school was over, Xu Xiuli found the envelope and chased after He Yuzhu to return it, but he stubbornly pushed it back.

"This is what you deserve!" He Yuzhu said stubbornly. "My brother said that teaching and nurturing students is a great virtue, what's a little money? Besides, if you teach the kids well, my martial arts school will benefit in the future, won't it?"

Looking at his honest and kind face, Xu Xiuli felt a warmth in her heart and stopped refusing: "Then I'll accept it. But I can't take the food coupons; the school provides them."

"Here, take it!" He Yuzhu shoved the food coupons into her hand, then turned and called out, "Brother, Teacher Xu is leaving, aren't you going to see her off?"

He Yuyang came out of the house and met Xu Xiuli's gaze. They both smiled. He naturally knew that his younger brother had secretly added money. He was both annoyed and amused. This kid, he seemed careless, but he was quite thoughtful.

"I'll take you back," He Yuyang said to Xu Xiuli.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two as they walked side by side through the alley. Neither spoke, yet there was no awkwardness. From the martial arts school came the sound of children reciting, "person, mouth, hand," their words, though halting, sounding like a string of clear beads rolling into the twilight.

"I didn't expect Yuzhu to have such a thoughtful side," Xu Xiuli said softly, a smile playing on her lips.

"He's all bark and no bite," He Yuyang laughed. "When we were kids, he always took my things, but when I was bullied, he was the first to rush up and fight."

The two chatted about their childhood memories and before they knew it, they had arrived at Xu Xiuli's house. She took out her key to open the door, turned to He Yuyang, and said, "I'll bring a dictionary tomorrow so the children can learn more characters."

"Okay." He Yuyang nodded, looking into her eyes. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work." Xu Xiuli shook her head, her eyes shining. "Seeing how serious they are makes me very happy."

He Yuyang gazed at the lit light outside her door, a sense of peace settling in his heart. He knew that this new chapter for the martial arts school wasn't just about adding an academic class. Just like his brother said, understanding principles is essential for going far. These children, this martial arts school, and he and she—it's all the same.

When He Yuzhu returned to the martial arts school, he was slumped over the table, staring blankly at the lesson plan written by Xu Xiuli. Seeing him return, she quickly hid the lesson plan and pretended to be wiping the table.

"Brother, do you think... these kids will amount to anything in the future?" he asked in a low voice.

"You definitely can." He Yuyang patted him on the shoulder. "As long as you're willing to learn, there's nothing you can't do."

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on the crookedly written sign that read "Study hard and make progress every day," and also on the brothers' faces. The martial arts school was quiet, save for the chirping of crickets in the corner, as if gently keeping time for this new chapter.