He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The winter of 1977 was exceptionally gentle and warm, as if nature itself was infected by some kind of joy. The November snowflakes fell intermittently, as light and delicate as fine flour sprinkled from the sky, silently covering the rooftops of every house in the military family compound, like a layer of pure white gauze gently enveloping the entire compound.

At this moment, the tall peach tree in front of He Yuyang's house had shed its full green leaves, leaving only bare branches shivering in the cold wind. Yet, amidst this desolation, a cluster of vibrant, ripe crabapples hung from a thick branch. It turned out that Xiaoxuan had specially picked them in the autumn and strung them here. After the long winter, these crabapples had become incredibly hard, like strings of translucent agate beads, radiating a captivating glow under the soft golden sunlight, utterly enchanting.

That morning, Sister Li, carrying a freshly steamed sweet cake, walked through the thin snow towards He Yuyang's house. Her cotton shoes crunched softly on the snow, the snowflakes clinging to the uppers quickly melting into water that seeped dark stains onto her trouser legs. Reaching the courtyard gate, she saw Xu Xiuli standing by the well, drawing water. The well rope was wound evenly in her hand, and the water in the bucket steamed—it was drawn from the spatial well, carrying a hint of warmth even in the dead of winter.

"Beautiful girl, busy?" Sister Li placed the sugar cake on the stone table. The cake, wrapped in oil paper, was still warm, and its sweet aroma mixed with the snowy air wafted out. "Try the ones my old man just steamed. He added some osmanthus sugar."

Xu Xiuli wiped her hands, picked up a sugar cake, and took a bite. The soft, chewy glutinous rice mixed with the delicate fragrance of osmanthus was just the right amount of sweetness. "Brother Li's skills are getting better and better. I heard he was retiring the other day?"

Mentioning this, Sister Li's smile faded a little: "That's right, the factory wants him to complete the paperwork this month. He can't stay idle; he was talking to me yesterday about wanting to set up a stall, selling bowls of noodles or something." She rubbed her hands, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, "Do you think... this policy allows it? I don't want people gossiping."

Xu Xiuli placed the sugar cake on a plate and handed Sister Li a cup of hot water: "Didn't the radio say it? The policy has been relaxed, and individual businesses are allowed. Besides, Brother Li's cooking skills are amazing; his noodle soup is so delicious it makes kids cry. It's a shame he doesn't open a restaurant." She thought of the flour piled up in her spatial storage—it was made from wheat irrigated with spiritual spring water, very chewy, so it wouldn't fall apart when boiled into noodles, and could rise like clouds when steamed into buns. "If you're missing any ingredients, just let me know, and maybe my family can get some."

Sister Li's eyes lit up, but she quickly lowered her head again: "How can I trouble you so much..." Her husband used to be a cook at a state-owned restaurant. After the restaurant closed down, he went to work in a factory. He had been honing his culinary skills for more than ten years and always said that he "wanted the neighbors to taste the authentic old flavors."

"We're all neighbors, no need to trouble yourself." Xu Xiuli stuffed a package into her pocket, wrapped tightly in oil paper. "This is pepper powder sent from my family home. It's genuine Hainanese. Have Brother Li try it. Sprinkle some on his soup noodles, it'll taste amazing." Actually, it was pepper ground from her space, ten times more fragrant than what's available on the market, and the grains are even finer.

Sister Li clutched the paper package, her heart filled with warmth. The snowflakes fell on the white hair at her temples, like sprinkling salt: "Then... I'll have him try making a few bowls at home first? If you and Lao He don't mind, would you like to try some?"

"Why would I mind?" Xu Xiuli smiled and patted her hand. "Let's set it for the day after tomorrow. I'll have Lao He come back early."

After seeing Sister Li off, Xu Xiuli turned and walked into the house. She saw He Yuanchao squatting in front of the stove, adding firewood frequently. The flames licked the bottom of the pot, making his face glow red. This boy had just graduated from junior high school. His grades weren't bad, but he refused to continue studying, saying, "I want to join the army like my older brother and protect our country."

"Yuanchao, the fire's too strong, the porridge's going to burn." Xu Xiuli added a damp piece of firewood to the stove, and the flames immediately died down. "Tell your mother, do you really not want to go to school anymore?"

He Yuanchao slammed the fire poker into the ground, sparks flying onto the blue bricks: "Mother, I'm not cut out for this. My older brother can fight spies on the border, so if I go there, I can carry a gun too. Isn't that better than memorizing texts in the classroom?" His shoulders were growing fast, almost as tall as He Yuyang, but his eyes still held the stubbornness of a young man.

Xu Xiuli was about to say something when the sound of military boots crunching in the snow came from the courtyard gate. He Yuyang, wearing a training uniform with snow on his hat brim and carrying a canvas bag, had just returned from the training field. "Yuanchao, come with me." He hung the bag on the wall, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.

He Yuanchao hesitated for a moment, then followed his father outside. Xu Xiuli chased after them to the door and saw the father and son walking through the snow toward the military training ground. He Yuyang's back was straight, like a white poplar tree covered in snow, while He Yuanchao followed behind, his steps a little heavy.

The snow on the training field wasn't cleared properly, and a thin layer of ice covered the track. He Yuyang pointed to the obstacle wall in the distance: "Go, climb it three times." The wall was over two meters high, covered with ice shards; just looking at it was daunting, let alone climbing it.

He Yuanchao gritted his teeth, took a few running steps, and lunged at the wall. His hands had barely grasped the top when he slipped on the ice and fell, his back slamming into the snow, making him wince in pain. "Dad, this wall is too slippery!"

"The walls on the battlefield are ten times slipperier than this, and there are bullets flying around you." He Yuyang crossed his arms. "Let's climb again."

The second time, He Yuanchao learned his lesson. He wiped the ice off the wall with his gloves and managed to grab the edge, but he didn't have the strength to climb over; his arms were shaking like leaves. He Yuyang didn't urge him; he just took out a military water bottle from his pocket and took a sip of hot water—it contained some spiritual spring water from his space, which could ward off the cold.

The third time, He Yuanchao's cotton trousers were worn through, and blood was seeping from his knees, but he still managed to flip over by sheer willpower, landing on the snow on the other side of the wall, where he didn't get up for a long time. He Yuyang went over, helped him up, and pointed to the shooting range not far away: "Do you know why those targets are shaped like human figures?"

He Yuanchao clutched his knee and shook his head.

"Because you're fighting enemies who want to harm our people." He Yuyang walked towards the firing range, the snow crunching under his feet. "But a soldier's responsibility isn't just about fighting. Your older brother is on the border, patrolling and helping herders repair houses and find cattle and sheep; during disaster relief, soldiers carry shovels to dig through rubble and carry the elderly to safety. These are things that can't be solved by carrying a gun."

He pointed to a vegetable patch at the edge of the training ground, where soldiers were shoveling snow: "See that? Spring is coming, and this place will be used to plant cabbages and radishes for the mess hall. If you can't even learn the agricultural knowledge from your textbooks, how will you help the villagers take care of their crops when you get to the army?"

He Yuanchao's face flushed red, and he clenched his fists without saying a word. Snow fell on his eyelashes, melted into water, and streamed down his cheeks, indistinguishable from snow water or something else.

"Joining the army is not a way to escape." He Yuyang patted his shoulder, the warmth of his palm passing through his cotton coat. "Think carefully about what you really want. Do you want to be a soldier who only knows how to carry a gun, or do you want to be a soldier who can protect people? If you can't figure it out, then stay at home and take good care of the experimental fields your mother grows."

As the father and son walked back, the snow stopped. Sunlight peeked through the clouds, shining brightly on the snow-covered ground, making it hard to open one's eyes. He Yuanchao suddenly said, "Dad, can I go help out in the mess hall? Uncle Li said he wants to open a shop. If I go, I can learn a skill so I can cook for my comrades in the army someday."

He Yuyang turned to look at him. The boy's eyes brightened, no longer stubborn as before, but with a more grounded light. "Okay," he nodded, "but don't forget, whatever you do, you have to put your heart into it."

Back home, Xiaoxuan skipped and hopped towards elementary school, carrying her new schoolbag. The schoolbag was made by Xu Xiuli on a sewing machine; it was made of blue cloth with a small red flower embroidered on it using silk thread from her spatial dimension, making the colors very bright. Inside the side pocket were several walnut cookies, baked by Xu Xiuli using walnuts and flour from her spatial dimension. They were so crumbly and sweet but not cloying.

"Xiaoxuan, wait for me!" Yaya, a classmate, caught up from behind, her braids askew. "Do you still have the cookies your mom gave you yesterday? My mom said they were so delicious."

Xiaoxuan took a walnut pastry out of her pocket and stuffed it into Yaya's hand: "This one is even tastier, my mom just made it." Like a little sparrow, she then distributed it to the other classmates, "Here you go, here you go, have a taste." The children gathered around, holding the pastries in their little hands, eating with beaming smiles, and the snowfield suddenly became lively.

The classroom stove was burning brightly, and the teacher was teaching new words at the podium. Xiaoxuan sat upright, her eyes sparkling. Whenever the teacher asked a question, she was always the first to raise her hand, her voice clear and melodious like a silver bell. After the bell rang, the teacher called out to her, "Xiaoxuan, did your mother make the snacks you brought for your classmates?"

Xiaoxuan nodded, her little face full of pride: "My mom is the best. She can make cookies, make sweet cakes, and even grow sweet tomatoes."

The teacher smiled and patted her head: "You're willing to share good things with everyone, which shows you care about your classmates. That's called friendship. You're the 'Star of Friendship' this week." She took a small paper red flower from her drawer and pinned it to Xiaoxuan's lapel. "Keep being a friendly and good child."

Xiaoxuan touched the little red flower, feeling sweet inside. On her way home from school, she ran all the way, eager to tell her mother the good news. Passing by Sister Li's house, she saw Uncle Li setting up a shed. A few bamboo poles supported a canvas with "Old Li's Noodle Shop" written on it in red paint. The characters were crooked, but they exuded a joyful atmosphere.

"Xiaoxuan's back?" Grandpa Li straightened up, his face covered in paint. "Come and try the noodles I made for our trial run!"

Xiaoxuan squeezed into the shed and saw two small tables with rough porcelain bowls on them. The noodle soup in the bowls was steaming and topped with bright green scallions. Sister Li was sprinkling pepper powder into the bowls—the same packet Xu Xiuli had given her—and the aroma immediately filled the shed. "This is something good your mother gave me. Just a little bit, and it smells so good you'll want to swallow your tongue."

Xiaoxuan held the bowl, sipping the soup slowly. The noodles were made with flour from her spatial storage, smooth and slightly sweet; the soy sauce in the soup was secretly given to her by Xu Xiuli, brewed from soybeans dried in her spatial storage, and incredibly flavorful. "Grandpa, this is better than the cafeteria food!"

"That's right!" Grandpa Li smiled so much that the wrinkles around his eyes deepened. "When we officially open, have your mother send over more flour so we can let all the neighbors have a taste."

In the evening, He Yuyang returned with He Yuanchao. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they smelled the aroma of noodles. Xu Xiuli was placing a bowl on the table; it contained a sample of noodles that Sister Li had brought, along with a poached egg—made from a free-range egg from her spatial storage, with a runny yolk—that looked incredibly tempting. "Try it quickly, Brother Li's cooking is really good."

He Yuyang took a bite; the noodles were chewy, and the broth was rich and flavorful—it definitely tasted like an old-fashioned restaurant. "If this noodle shop opens, it'll be a hit." He looked at He Yuanchao, "Didn't you want to help in the kitchen? Starting tomorrow, go early and lend a hand to Grandpa Li, learn how to knead the dough and how to make the soup."

He Yuanchao, holding his bowl, ate with sweat pouring down his face, and mumbled, "Um! I can also help carry water, chop firewood, I can do anything!"

Xiaoxuan ran to her father, holding up the little red flower on her clothes: "Dad, the teacher named me the Star of Friendship! Because I shared the snacks Mom made with my classmates."

He Yuyang picked up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek: "Our Xiaoxuan is so amazing. Remember to share good things with everyone, they'll taste even sweeter."

At night, the snow began to fall again, lightly and gently, as if afraid to wake anyone. Xu Xiuli sat under the lamp, sewing a cotton-padded coat for He Jianguo. She used new cotton from her spatial storage, evenly quilted, thin yet exceptionally warm. He Yuyang sat beside her, polishing his gun until the barrel gleamed, reflecting his image.

"Yuanchao fell several times on the training field today, but he didn't complain of pain," He Yuyang suddenly said. "This kid, just like you, stubborn but kind-hearted."

"It's good that he's come to his senses." Xu Xiuli turned the cotton coat inside out, the stitches were neat and even. "Whether he joins the army or learns a trade, as long as he's on the right path, I'll support him." She looked out the window, the snow made the yard bright, and the peach tree branches cast sparse shadows on the snow. "Look at this snow, no matter how heavy it falls, it will melt in the spring, turn into water, and water the seeds in the ground to sprout."

He Yuyang put down his gun and walked to the window. In the distance, the lights were still on in Sister Li's shed, and he could vaguely see Uncle Li tidying up the dishes inside, his shadow flickering on the window. The sewing group's warehouse was also lit up; Aunt Zhang and the others were still rushing to finish foreign trade orders. The "clattering" sound of the sewing machines, mixed with the soft rustling of falling snow, was like a gentle song.

"Yes, the ice and snow will eventually melt away." He Yuyang's voice was soft, but it carried a strong message. "Things will get better and better."

The snow was still falling, settling on the peach tree branches, coating the clusters of frozen red crabapples with a layer of white frost, like a bunch of fruit sprinkled with sugar. The light inside the house was bright, casting the long shadows of the family of three on the wall, like two trees closely huddled together. This winter wasn't as cold as in previous years, because everyone carried a warmth in their hearts, like seeds buried under the snow, waiting for spring to break through the soil and sprout branches full of hope.