He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The moonlight on the fifteenth of August bathed the blue bricks of the military compound in a silvery glow. The peach tree, nourished by the spring water, had grown taller than the eaves, its dense foliage casting a dark green shade. Tiny slivers of moonlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled patterns on the ground. Xu Xiuli was squatting under the tree, setting out bowls and chopsticks. The rough porcelain bowls held sliced ​​mooncakes—five-nut filling bought from the supply and marketing cooperative—the oily sugar crust still speckled with sesame seeds.

"Mother, let me do it!" He Shouye snatched the vinegar bottle from her hand and tiptoed to place it on the stone table. Xiaoxuan followed behind him. The little girl was wearing a newly made red cloth jacket and clutched a scrap of cloth in her hand. It was left over from when Xu Xiuli taught her to sew a purse during the day. The character "moon" was crookedly embroidered on it.

Xu Xiuli straightened up, patted the dirt off her trousers, and her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the courtyard gate. Yesterday, she received a notice from the army saying that Jianguo had been approved to visit his family and would arrive this afternoon. She had made a special trip to her spatial dimension this morning—ever since He Yuyang had granted her access to the spatial dimension, she had gone in to check on it every day. The one-acre plot of land she had designated was planted with vegetables she had personally planted, and next to it, a small bamboo trellis had been built, covered with climbing purple beans. She had taken care of them according to He Yuyang's methods, and they were growing even better than the vegetable garden in the yard.

"What are you looking at?" He Yuyang came out of the house, carrying a tin bucket filled with live fish that he had just taken out of the space warehouse. The silvery scales shimmered in the moonlight. "Jianguo's truck is late. Staff Officer Wang just called and said it probably won't arrive until late tonight."

"Then I'll stew the mutton again," Xu Xiuli said, turning to walk towards the kitchen. "He loves my braised mutton the most. The dried mutton I brought back this time will be perfect after soaking and stewing." As she spoke, she walked briskly into the kitchen, the flames in the stove crackling and dancing, making her face glow.

He Yuyang watched her retreating figure with a smile on his lips. These past few days, he had been busy finishing up the spy case, reviewing and filing documents, and hadn't had time to manage his space. He was a little apprehensive when he gave Xu Xiuli access to it, worried that she wouldn't be able to adapt. Unexpectedly, she not only managed it very well, but also learned to access things with her mind. The last time he delivered herbs to the flood relief soldiers, it was she who secretly took them out of her space.

"Dad, shouldn't we harvest the corn in the space?" Shouye leaned closer and asked in a low voice. He had gone in with Xu Xiuli once before and was speechless at the sight of the vast golden rice fields. He had been thinking about it ever since.

"When your brother comes back, have your mother take us in to collect them." He Yuyang rubbed his son's head. "Your mother said the tomatoes inside are ripe and red, perfect for your brother to snack on." As he spoke, he suddenly heard familiar footsteps outside the courtyard gate, as light as a leaf falling to the ground—it was because Jianguo had practiced the light-footed skills he had taught him, which was why his footsteps were so steady.

"Father! Mother!" He Jianguo's voice burst through the courtyard gate, carrying a dusty, travel-worn air. He was wearing a faded military uniform, carrying a bulging canvas bag on his shoulder. His face under the brim of his military cap was tanned dark, but his eyes were bright. When he saw the people in the courtyard, his eyes immediately reddened.

"It's good to be back, it's good to be back!" Xu Xiuli ran over, her hands stroking her son's arm as if to check if he had lost weight. "You must be exhausted from the journey, come inside and rest!"

He Jianguo put down his bag and first gave He Yuyang a standard military salute: "Reporting to the Deputy Commander, border defense company soldier He Jianguo has completed his mission and is returning to his unit to visit his family!"

"You brat, still pulling this stunt now that you're home." He Yuyang laughed and punched him lightly, his fingertips brushing against the muscles in his arm, which were noticeably more muscular than last year. "You must have suffered a lot over there, right?"

"I'm not upset!" Jianguo grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "My comrades have taken good care of me, it's just... I miss home a lot." As he spoke, he took out something wrapped in oil paper from his canvas bag. When he opened it, he saw that it was snow lotus. "This was given to me by the local villagers. They said that drinking it as a tea can strengthen the body. I'm giving it to my mother to help her recover."

Xu Xiuli quickly took it and ran to the kitchen: "I'll put it in my storage space right now, and you can take some back with you when you leave!" She knew that the storage space was where time was frozen, so what was put in would be exactly what was taken out, which was perfect for preserving this precious item.

At dinner, the stone table was laden with dishes: braised dried mutton glistened with oil, steamed fish stuffed with cilantro grown in the space, and a plate of cold spinach salad, its green color shining brightly. He Jianguo ate voraciously, while Xu Xiuli kept piling food into his bowl, saying, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you, there's still soup simmering in the pot."

"Mom's cooking is so delicious!" Jianguo said, his mouth full, his words muffled. "On the border, we ate compressed biscuits every day, and I dreamed of this." He took a sip of snow lotus tea brewed by He Yuyang, the crisp aroma sliding down his throat. "Behind our outpost is a grassland, full of wildflowers in the summer, but the wind is so strong it can blow you away. Once, during a patrol we encountered a blizzard, and we spent the night huddled in a snowdrift, just thinking about the warm kang bed at home, and gritted our teeth and made it through."

"Are all my comrades like this?" Shouye asked, resting his chin on his hand, completely absorbed in the conversation.

"That's how it is." Jianguo put down his chopsticks, his eyes suddenly turning serious. "The old soldiers said that we're guarding that place to protect our families from the wind and snow. As long as we keep the borders firmly in place, you can eat mooncakes and watch the moon in peace." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the peach tree in the yard. "This tree has grown so fast. When I left last year, it only reached my waist."

"Your mother waters it every day," He Yuyang said, taking a sip of her drink. "She said that if you come back, it might bear fruit."

At night, Xu Xiuli was mending Jianguo's military uniform under the lamp. The knees of his trousers were worn through, so she found a durable patch and sewed it up tightly and evenly. Suddenly, she felt a piece of cardboard in the inner pocket of the uniform. She pulled it out and saw a crumpled drawing. On it was a crooked little figure drawn in crayon, holding a small red flag, with the words "Brother, come home early" written next to it—Xiaoxuan's handwriting.

"This child..." Xu Xiuli's tears fell onto the painting, blurring a small crayon mark. She remembered that last year, after Xiaoxuan finished this painting, she insisted that Jianguo take it with him, saying, "When my brother sees the painting, he won't miss home."

He Jianguo stood at the door, watching this scene, and scratched his head: "I carry it with me every day. When I'm tired from patrolling, I take it out to look at it, and it makes me feel energetic."

"Silly child." Xu Xiuli wiped away her tears and carefully stuffed the painting back into his pocket. "Tomorrow, have your mother take you into the space to pick some tomatoes and cucumbers to eat on the way."

"Space?" Jianguo's eyes lit up. He had heard Shouye mention a magical place in his home, but he had never had the chance to see it.

The next morning, Xu Xiuli led Jianguo into the space. The moment Jianguo stepped inside, he was stunned by the sight before him: thousands of acres of fertile fields shimmered like golden waves under the sunlight, the distant spring water steamed with rising vapors, and smoke still wafted from the chimney of the small villa, as if someone had lived there. "This…this is too amazing!" He reached out and touched the corn beside him; the kernels were so plump they seemed about to burst from their husks.

Although the spirit field appears vast, one can only move within this one acre; an invisible barrier blocks movement at the edge of the acre.

"Your dad said this is a blessing for our family and for the country." Xu Xiuli led him to the vegetable garden. "Look at these medicinal herbs. Your dad planted them specially. The anti-inflammatory medicine we sent to the army last time was made from these." She pointed to several plants with serrated leaves. "Your dad said he wanted you to recognize them so that if you encounter them at the border, don't mistake them for weeds and pull them out."

Jianguo nodded earnestly, memorizing the appearance of each medicinal herb. He suddenly realized that the "unconventional" supplies his father had received over the years all came from here, and most of these things had been given to the army and the country.

Before leaving, He Yuyang stuffed a small packet of dried snow lotus into Jianguo's bag: "This has been soaked in spiritual spring water, it's more effective than the ones you brought back. Soak it in water and drink it to prevent altitude sickness." He paused, then took out a short knife, "This is steel forged in the space, it's sharper than an ordinary military knife. If you encounter danger... protect yourself."

Jianguo took the knife; the heat of the hilt made his palms numb. He knew the knife's weight—not only because of its superior steel, but also because it held the unspoken worries of his father. "Father, rest assured, I will guard the nation's borders well. When I achieve great merit, I will return to bring honor to you and Mother!"

On the way to the station, Xiaoxuan held his hand, looked up at him, and said, "Brother, I'll draw you another picture. Come back soon so you can eat peaches."

Jianguo squatted down and gently pinched her little nose: "Definitely! I'll come back when the peach tree bears fruit!"

As the train started moving, He Jianguo leaned out of the window and saw his parents and siblings standing on the platform, like a still frame in a painting. He touched the painting in his inner pocket, then the bag of dried snow lotus, and suddenly felt that no matter how harsh the border region was, as long as he held his home and this land in his heart, there was no obstacle he couldn't overcome.

Xu Xiuli watched the train disappear into the distance, then suddenly said to He Yuyang, "The peach tree in the space has also borne fruit, and it's bigger than the one in the yard. When Jianguo comes back next time, we'll definitely be able to eat some."

He Yuyang gazed at the drifting clouds on the horizon and nodded. He knew that time passed quickly in the physical world, but the longing of family was more enduring than any flow of time. Just like the peach tree at the gate of the courtyard, although it had not yet borne fruit, its roots had already deeply penetrated this land, penetrating every day spent waiting for reunion.