He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The December wind seemed to have gathered its strength, howling across the gray tiles of the courtyard, whipping up snowflakes that stung and burned the face. He Yuyang was helping her mother gather the dried radishes into baskets; the white radishes, carrying the scent of sunshine, were a rare and refreshing side dish in this winter.

"Brother, look what I got!" He Yuzhu ran out of the house holding a bright yellow cornbread, his little face full of pride. The cornbread looked ordinary, but it was made by He Yuyang yesterday using flour from his space and half coarse grain flour. The texture was much finer than pure coarse grain flour, and it also had a natural sweetness.

He Yuyang looked up and reminded them, "Run slowly, don't drop it on the ground." This cornbread was specially saved by their mother for them as a morning snack. In the winter when food was precious, it was a rare treat.

He Yuzhu nodded, carefully holding the cornbread and taking small bites, his eyes narrowing into crescents. He had barely taken a couple of bites when footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate, and Xu Damao's mother walked in, carrying the four-year-old Xu Damao.

Xu Damao was wearing a slightly worn blue cotton-padded jacket. His chubby little face carried a spoiled and arrogant air. He immediately spotted the cornbread in He Yuzhu's hand, his eyes widened, and he pointed at it, shouting, "Mom! I want it! I want that!"

Xu's mother was a snob. She always felt that her husband's factory job was more respectable than those in the neighborhood who pulled rickshaws or worked as cooks, and she always spoke and acted with an air of superiority. Following her son's finger, she saw that it was just an ordinary cornbread. A hint of disdain appeared on her face, but she smiled and said, "Zhu Zi, what good stuff are you eating? Let Auntie see."

Feeling a little embarrassed by the stares, He Yuzhu shrank behind He Yuyang and hid the cornbread behind his back. Although he was young, he knew the cornbread was delicious and didn't want to give it to anyone else.

"Oh dear, still hiding it?" Xu's mother took two steps forward, holding Xu Damao, her tone teasing. "It's just a cornbread, Zhuzi, let your little brother have a bite. We're neighbors in the same courtyard, how could you be stingy?"

When Xu Damao saw that his brother wouldn't give it to him, he immediately started throwing a tantrum, kicking his legs and crying in his mother's arms: "I want it! I want it! I'll cry if you don't give it to me!" His little face turned red, and tears came easily, with big teardrops falling down his face. He looked quite pitiful.

Xu's mother patted her son's back to comfort him, but her eyes were fixed on the cornbread in He Yuzhu's hand, with a sense of entitlement: "Look at you, child, it's such a small thing, why are you crying like this? Zhuzi, quickly give your little brother a small bite, otherwise he'll keep making a fuss until dark."

Hearing the commotion from inside, Liu Yan came out and tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Da Mao, that kid, he's really getting stronger and stronger. Zhu Zi, how about..."

Before she could finish speaking, He Yuyang grabbed the hem of her clothes. He Yuyang took a step forward, standing in front of He Yuzhu, and looked up at Xu's mother with clear eyes, yet with a calmness beyond her years.

"Aunt Xu, this cornbread was made by my mother using the food rations she saved." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. "My mother gets up before dawn every day to spin thread, saving up money to buy some fine flour, which she mixes with coarse grains to improve the meals for my brother and me. Every bite of this is the result of several hours of hard work my mother put in through the night. Why should it be given to others?"

The smile on Xu's mother's face froze. She hadn't expected an eight-year-old child to say such a thing. While the words sounded like she was saying how hard it was to get the cornbread, they were actually a veiled insult, implying that Xu was taking advantage of her age to bully a child and even steal food from her.

"How can you talk like that, child?" Mother Xu's face darkened, and her tone sharpened. "It's just a cornbread! You're making it sound like some precious thing. My family doesn't even care about it! Da Mao, let's not ask them for it. Mom will buy you some candied hawthorns later!"

"I don't want candy! I want cornbread!" Xu Damao cried even harder, struggling in his mother's arms with his hands and feet. "If they won't give it to me, I'll snatch it!"

As he spoke, he actually reached out to grab the cornbread from He Yuzhu's hand, his fingernails almost scratching He Yuzhu's face.

"Stop!" He Yuyang reacted quickly, grabbing Xu Damao's wrist. He was much stronger than other children his age, and Xu Damao was unable to move, crying even harder.

"You dare to grab my son?" Upon seeing this, Xu's mother exploded, reaching out to shove He Yuyang. "You little brat, you've gone too far!"

"Aunt Xu!" He Yuyang took a step back, avoiding her hand, her voice suddenly rising several decibels, "Your son steals and still thinks he's right? Everyone in this neighborhood knows Uncle Xu works in a factory, earning half as much as my dad every month. He can buy as many cornbreads as he wants. Does he need to steal the food we've saved up?"

He spoke quite loudly, and the third aunt in the west wing and several neighbors in the middle courtyard heard him and peeked out to see what was going on. The third aunt, who loved to gossip, immediately whispered to the person next to her, "That's right, the Xu family man earns a lot, yet he's fighting with the child for food. It's shameful to talk about it."

Mrs. Xu's face flushed red instantly, both ashamed and angry. She had indeed thought the He family was easy to bully and was thinking of taking advantage of them if she could, but she never expected that He Yuyang's few words would leave her speechless and make her a laughingstock in front of the neighbors.

"What business is it of yours, a little brat, to interfere in our family affairs?" Xu's mother forced a smile, holding the still-crying Xu Damao. "Come on, Damao, let's not stoop to the level of someone with no manners!"

She turned and left quickly, her steps hurried, without even looking back. Clearly, she felt humiliated and wanted to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible. Xu Damao was still crying and begging for steamed buns; his cries were particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard, but no one paid him any attention.

Watching the mother and son disappear into the courtyard gate, Liu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She took He Yuyang's hand and said, "Yangyang, why did you talk to Aunt Xu like that just now? We're neighbors, we see each other all the time, don't ruin the relationship."

"Mother, they were the ones who took our things first." He Yuyang frowned. "Xu Damao is so spoiled that he's lawless. If we feed him today, he'll dare to come and steal our grain tomorrow. We can't let this happen."

He knew in his heart that Xu Damao was just the beginning. In the original story, Xu Damao and He Yuzhu were natural enemies, fighting since childhood. Xu Damao, relying on his family's slightly better conditions, had bullied He Yuzhu quite a bit. Now that he was here, he naturally couldn't let his younger brother suffer that injustice again.

The three older women walked over, patted He Yuyang on the shoulder, and praised, "Yangyang, you're such a sensible child! The Xu family spoils their child too much; they're bound to cause trouble sooner or later. You did the right thing; you have to be firm with these kinds of people!"

He Yuyang smiled but didn't say anything. He knew that the third aunt was just enjoying the drama, but what she said was true. In this courtyard house, simply giving in wouldn't earn respect; it would only make people think you were easy to bully, and they would take advantage of you even more.

"Zhu Zi, eat up, it'll get cold if you don't eat it soon." He Yu Yang pulled his younger brother to his side, looking at the cornbread in his hand, "If anyone tries to steal your things again, just tell your brother, and I'll get them back for you."

He Yuzhu nodded as if he understood, took a big bite of his cornbread, and mumbled, "Brother, Xu Damao is a bad guy."

"Yeah, stay away from him." He Yuyang patted her younger brother's head, but in her heart she was making plans. Xu Damao's father was a technician in the factory, and he did earn more than her father. Their family was also slightly better off and had a certain reputation in the neighborhood. If they offended them this time, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't find a chance to trip them up in the future.

Sure enough, trouble came soon after.

In the afternoon, He Daqing returned from the restaurant, looking rather grim. He pulled He Yuyang aside and whispered, "I ran into Xu Damao's father at the alley entrance today. He said sarcastically, 'What methods did our family use to make our child so 'powerful' that he even bullies the neighbor's little brother?'"

He Yuyang sneered inwardly; this was the guilty party accusing the innocent first.

"Dad, Xu Damao snatched Zhuzi's cornbread first, and his mother even chimed in, so I said a few words to him." He Yuyang told his father the whole story. "I'm not lying, Auntie San and the neighbors in the yard all saw it."

He Daqing frowned even more after hearing this: "The Xu family men know some people at the factory. Let's not go head-to-head with them. In the future, let Zhuzi stay away from Xu Damao to avoid trouble." He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he felt it wasn't worth making enemies over trivial matters and affecting his livelihood.

"I understand, Father." He Yuyang nodded, but he had no intention of letting it go so easily. The more you back down with the Xu family, the more they will take advantage of you. Rather than passively dealing with them, it's better to take the initiative and let them know that the He family is not to be trifled with.

At dinner, He Yuyang specially served an extra bowl of sweet potato porridge and carried it to the middle courtyard. The Xu family's door was ajar, and they could hear Xu Damao still crying and demanding this and that, while Xu's mother sighed and tried to soothe him.

He Yuyang deliberately raised his voice and said to the third uncle who was feeding the chickens in the yard, "Third uncle, my mother made sweet potato porridge today, and she put in some sweet potatoes that she had stored in the cellar. It's really sweet, would you like to try some?"

He was saying this to the Xu family. Sure enough, the Xu family's door creaked open, and Xu's mother peeked out. When she saw the sweet potato porridge in He Yuyang's hand, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes. Sweet potatoes are precious in winter, and not every family can afford to eat sweet potato porridge every meal.

"Oh, Yangyang is bringing porridge to Uncle San? How thoughtful of him." Xu's mother's tone was a little sour. "Our Da Mao was just saying he was hungry, but unfortunately we've already finished all the sweet potatoes at home."

He Yuyang pretended not to understand the meaning behind her words and said with a smile, "If Aunt Xu doesn't mind, there are still some in my pot. How about I serve you a bowl? But these sweet potatoes were bought by my dad in line at the market yesterday. There aren't many, just enough for two meals."

He specifically emphasized that the food was "obtained by queuing up," which was to tell Mrs. Xu that the food in the He family was hard-earned and not something that came by chance, so there was no way she could take advantage of it.

Mrs. Xu was taken aback and said awkwardly, "No need, we still have cornbread at home." After saying that, she slammed the door shut, clearly feeling hurt.

Looking at the Xu family's tightly closed door, the third uncle couldn't help but give He Yuyang a thumbs up: "You little rascal, you know how to handle things better than your father! That's how you deal with people like the Xu family—you have to let them know you're not a pushover!"

He Yuyang smiled but didn't say anything. He knew this was just a minor incident; the real trouble was yet to come. Xu Damao's father had some power in the factory, and if he really held a grudge and tried to trip up his father, that would be a much bigger problem.

At night, He Yuyang lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He thought of Xu Damao's actions after he grew up in the original story—cheating, swindling, and doing all sorts of things, ultimately ending up abandoned by everyone. But now he was still young, with his parents backing him up. If things really got out of hand, the He family might not necessarily come out on top.

"I need to think of a way to make them afraid to mess with our family so easily," He Yuyang thought to himself. His father's cooking skills at the restaurant were their biggest asset. As long as his father's position was secure, even if the Xu family wanted to do something bad, they would have to think twice.

He suddenly remembered what his father had said during the day: the restaurant owner was currently dealing with a major client, and if they could secure this client, his father's position at the restaurant would be more secure. The major client's favorite dish was "Braised Shark Fin" from the Tan Family Cuisine. This dish involved a complex process and required exceptional skill; there were very few chefs in the entire city of Beiping who could make it well, and his father was one of them.

"Perhaps, we can start from here." He Yuyang's eyes lit up. As long as her father could firmly grasp this big client, the shopkeeper would definitely treat her father like a treasure. At that time, not only the Xu family, but also Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong in the courtyard would have to show her father some respect.

He quietly got up and walked to his father's bedside. He Daqing was sleeping soundly, snoring softly. Looking at the white hair at his father's temples, He Yuyang secretly vowed: He must make sure his father's skills receive the respect they deserve, and that this family can stand firm in the courtyard house, so that no one can bully them!

The next morning, when He Yuyang went to fetch water, he ran into Xu Damao and his mother. Upon seeing He Yuyang, Xu Damao immediately hid behind his mother, looking at him timidly, his eyes still showing the fear he had felt the day before. Xu's mother turned her head away, pretending not to see him, and quickly walked away with her son in her arms.

He Yuyang watched their retreating figures, his eyes calm. He had won this minor skirmish, but he knew it was just the beginning. Xu Damao's arrogance, Xu's mother's snobbishness, and Xu's father's scheming hidden behind the scenes—these were all troubles he would have to face in the future.

But he wasn't afraid.

He has an inexhaustible supply of food and spiritual spring water in his space, his father's increasingly refined skills, and above all, his determination to protect his family. No matter what provocations he encounters in the future, he will stand tall and fight back resolutely, just like this time, protecting his family and the peace of this home in his own way.

As the sun rose higher, it dispelled the chill in the courtyard. He Yuyang carried two full buckets of water, walking steadily home. The thud of the buckets hitting each other sounded like a resolute drumbeat for this challenging winter.