He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The summer night finally brought a touch of coolness. The cicadas in the alley gradually fell silent, leaving only the tireless chirping of crickets in the corner, making the night even quieter. He Daqing sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and by the dim light of the kerosene lamp, carefully took out an oil paper package from his pocket, unfolding it layer by layer—inside lay two silver dollars, gleaming white, gleaming warmly in the lamplight.

"This is... another tip from the shopkeeper?" Liu Yan was fanning He Yuzhu when she saw him take out silver dollars and looked up in surprise. Although the family was better off than before, silver dollars were something they rarely saw even once a year.

"It wasn't a reward. I saved up my wages from the past few months and exchanged it with the accountant." He Daqing gently rubbed the silver dollar with his rough fingers, the clear lines on it tactilely. "This stuff is more reliable than copper coins, it doesn't depreciate, and it's a safe bet."

He paused, lowering his voice even further: "I was thinking that as your health gradually improves, you might be able to have another baby next year. Childbirth and postpartum care—everything costs money. Consider these two silver dollars as a reserve for you and the baby, so you'll have some hard currency on hand and won't be worried."

Liu Yan's face flushed instantly, and she gave him a reproachful look: "You're just talking nonsense." But she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. She reached out and gently touched the silver coin. The cold, hard touch on her fingertips warmed her heart. Although the man was not good with words, he kept every matter at home in his heart.

Drawn by the light of the silver coin, He Yuzhu sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes: "Dad, what's this? It's sparkly."

"These are silver dollars, enough to buy lots of candied fruit." He Daqing gathered the silver dollars back together, smiled, and playfully pinched his youngest son's nose. "When your mother has a younger brother or sister, she'll use these to buy you candy."

"I want a little sister!" He Yuzhu immediately perked up, clapping her hands and saying, "I want a little sister, not a little brother!"

"You silly boy, you've got a problem with that." Liu Yan laughed and tucked him back into bed. "Go to sleep, we have to get up early to gather firewood tomorrow."

He Yuzhu yawned, mumbled "want a little sister," turned over, and fell asleep.

The flame of the kerosene lamp flickered, casting the shadows on the wall in an alternating pattern. He Daqing rewrapped the oil paper package but didn't put it back in his pocket; his brows were furrowed, as if he were struggling with a problem.

"What's wrong?" Liu Yan noticed his preoccupation. "You don't have anywhere to put these silver dollars?"

"That's right," He Daqing sighed. "The house is so small, the cabinets are old, and the locks are broken; we can't put anything in the kang (heated brick bed) well, it's too damp, we don't want it to rust. And that old box in the yard, last time Yan Bugui came to borrow a plane, I saw him staring at the lock for ages..."

These days are turbulent; anyone who keeps anything valuable at home has to live in fear. Old Li's family in the front yard had half a sack of millet saved up last year, but someone broke into their house and stole it in the middle of the night. Old Li's wife cried for three whole days. Silver dollars are much more valuable than millet; if they were stolen, it would be devastating.

Liu Yan was also troubled. She looked out the window and lowered her voice, saying, "How about... hiding it under the stove? There's a fire burning there every day, so no one will suspect anything."

"No way," He Daqing shook his head. "There's a lot of ash in the stove. If a spark gets in, the oil paper will burn, and the silver dollar will be blackened. Besides, you cook and move the pot every day; you might accidentally knock it over."

"Then... bury it in the vegetable garden in the backyard?" Liu Yan suggested again. "Find a deep spot, bury it under the cabbage roots, who would guess?"

"That's not a good idea either." He Daqing shook his head again. "It's been raining a lot these past few days, and the soil is very loose. If it gets dug up by wild dogs or washed out when we water it, it's still not safe."

The couple discussed several points back and forth, but none of them seemed quite right. The kerosene lamp was almost out of oil, and the flame was growing dimmer. He Daqing clutched the oil paper package tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so hard.

"Father, Mother, how about we hide in the cellar?"

He Yuyang's voice came from the small kang (heated brick bed) opposite. He hadn't spoken, as if he were asleep, but he had actually heard his parents' words.

"A cellar?" He Daqing was taken aback. "That place is drafty and damp; silver coins will rust if left there for too long."

The cellar in the house is in the corner of the kitchen. It used to be used to store cabbages in the winter. It's only about half a person tall. It's dark and damp inside all year round, and mold grows in the corners.

"You can first wrap the silver dollars tightly in thick oiled paper, then find an old earthenware jar to put them in, seal the mouth of the jar with mud, and place it on the stone platform at the very back of the cellar." He Yuyang sat up and looked at his father in the dim light. "No one usually goes there. The stone platform is high, so the moisture won't get in. It should be able to keep them."

He paused, then added, "Besides, who would have thought we'd hide our valuables in that dilapidated cellar? The more conspicuous the place, the less safe it is; the more inconspicuous the place, the better it is to hide things."

He Daqing thought about it for a moment and felt that his son made sense. The cellar was a place that even he was too lazy to go down to except for storing vegetables in winter, so it was indeed not easy to attract attention. Putting it in an earthenware jar and wrapping it in oil paper should also prevent moisture.

"This method... works!" He Daqing slapped his thigh, the worry in his eyes dissipating considerably. "Yangyang is so clever; why didn't your father think of that?"

"Shall we hide it now?" Liu Yan asked impatiently, as if the longer she held the silver coins, the greater the risk.

"No rush, let's wait until it's late." He Daqing put the oil paper package back into his pocket. "There might still be people awake in the courtyard. It'll be safer to go later tonight."

For the next few hours, the couple didn't sleep well. He Daqing would get up every now and then to look out the window, while Liu Yan would repeatedly stroke the kang mat, as if counting the patterns on it. He Yuyang seemed to be sleeping soundly, but in reality, he was keeping a close eye on his parents' movements—he had already planned that once his parents hid the silver dollars in the cellar, he would quietly take them out at night and put them in the storage warehouse in his spatial dimension.

The storage warehouse in this space is absolutely safe. It's not only moisture-proof and fireproof, but it can also freeze time. Not to mention silver coins, even a piece of fresh meat placed inside will look as fresh as when it was first put in, even after ten years. Storing silver coins there is safer than any cellar or earthenware jar.

After enduring until the wee hours of the morning, the alley was completely silent; even the crickets had stopped chirping. Under the moonlight, He Daqing tiptoed off the kang (a heated brick bed) and rummaged through the corner of the kitchen to find an old earthenware jar the size of a palm—this jar used to hold pickled vegetables; it had a small mouth and a large belly, just big enough to hold two silver dollars.

Liu Yan also got up, found the two thickest sheets of oil paper in the house, carefully wrapped the silver dollar in three layers, stuffed it into the earthenware jar, and then sealed the mouth of the jar tightly with the prepared mud, smoothing out the edges, making it look like an ordinary empty jar.

"I'll be right back." He Daqing picked up the pottery jar and crouched down as he walked towards the backyard. He Yuyang heard the creaking sound of the wooden door of the cellar being lifted, followed by the rustling of footsteps. Not long after, the footsteps returned, and the wooden door was gently closed again.

"Hidden well?" Liu Yan asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it's on the innermost stone platform, covered with a tattered cloth, so no one can see it." He Daqing patted the dust off his hands, let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders, "Now I feel at ease."

The couple lay down again, and soon their even breathing could be heard—they were exhausted from days of hard work and the weight lifted from their hearts.

About an hour later, He Yuyang quietly sat up. Moonlight shone through the window paper, casting soft shadows on the floor. He glanced at his sleeping parents and younger brother, then gently pushed open the door and slipped into the kitchen.

The cellar door was old, with a rusty iron hook hanging on it. He Yuyang unhooked the hook, lifted it forcefully, and the wooden door made a slight creaking sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet night. He held his breath and waited for a moment, and when he saw that no one had been woken up, he bent down and crawled into the cellar.

The cellar was filled with the damp smell of earth and a faint musty odor. He Yuyang adjusted to the darkness and, using the sliver of moonlight filtering in from the doorway, groped his way to the stone platform at the far end. Sure enough, there was an old earthenware jar on the platform, covered with a dusty, tattered cloth.

He picked up the earthenware jar; it felt heavy in his hand. He opened the mud seal, revealing a tightly wrapped oil paper package inside. He Yuyang took the package out and, by the moonlight, confirmed it contained two silver dollars. With a thought, he stored the silver dollars in his spatial storage.

The warehouse was empty, except for the few bags of grain and some tools he had put in earlier. The silver coins had just been placed in when they floated in mid-air, their surface luster unchanged, as if time had frozen there.

He Yuyang nodded in satisfaction, picked up a few stones of similar size from the corner of the wall, wrapped them in the same oil paper, stuffed them into the pottery jar, then sealed the mouth of the jar with mud again, put it back on the stone platform, and covered it with a rag.

These stones were prepared in advance. They weighed about the same as two silver dollars and felt equally heavy. Even if his parents wanted to check them later, they wouldn't suspect anything by weighing them.

After doing all this, he climbed out of the cellar, closed the wooden door, hung up the iron hook, and quietly returned to the house. Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), he could hear his parents' steady breathing, and he felt at ease—with the space as a "safe haven," the family's meager possessions could finally be preserved.

The next morning, He Da woke up exceptionally early. While cooking, he quietly went to the cellar to take another look. He didn't open the earthenware jar, but just touched it through the cloth. It felt heavy, and the last bit of doubt in his heart disappeared. He hummed a little tune as he went to work at the restaurant.

Watching her husband's lighthearted figure, Liu Yan smiled and said to He Yuyang, "Your dad is just a worrywart. Even after hiding it well, he's still not at ease; he has to go and check it again to feel at ease."

"Dad's afraid of losing them," He Yuyang said without looking up as she helped her younger brother tie his shoelaces. "Those two silver dollars are enough for our family to live on for three months."

"That's right." Liu Yan sighed, took out a small cloth bag from her bosom, and opened it layer by layer. Inside were dozens of copper coins strung together with thread, jingling. "This is what I've saved up, from sewing and washing, and the pocket money your father occasionally gives me. Yangyang, can you help your mother find a place to hide it too? If I leave it here, I'm always afraid I'll lose it while I'm working."

She used to hide the coins in her pillowcase, but she didn't sleep well at night, always worried they would fall out when she turned over; she hid them in her sewing basket, but she was afraid they would be accidentally taken out when she was doing needlework for her child. Yesterday, seeing that her son's suggestion to hide the silver coins in the cellar seemed very safe, she also had the idea—this child is meticulous, he is definitely more reliable at hiding things than she is.

He Yuyang looked at the string of copper coins and a thought struck him. His mother had worked hard to save this money; although copper coins weren't worth much, they added up and were a small part of the family's savings. He could hide them for his mother first, and then exchange them for silver dollars and put them in his spatial storage when he had enough.

"Mother, let me hide it at the very back of the kang (heated brick bed) for you." He Yuyang took the copper coin. "There's a loose brick there. I'll stuff the coin in and then cover it up with the brick. No one will find out."

The kang (heated brick bed) hole was indeed a good place to hide things. It was dry from the constant burning of the fire, and who would think of looking for money in the scorching heat? Liu Yan watched as her son skillfully pried open a brick in the corner of the kang, stuffed the copper coin inside, and then plugged the brick back up so that not even a crack could be seen. She couldn't help but gasp, "You child, how did you know there was a loose brick here?"

"I found it when I was cleaning the ash from the kang last time," He Yuyang said casually, patting the ash off his hands. Actually, he had noticed it long ago—after transmigrating, he had checked every nook and cranny of the house, knowing exactly where things could be hidden and where there were potential hazards.

Looking at her son's composed profile, Liu Yan suddenly realized that this child was more sensible than she had imagined. He was only nine years old, but he was much more thoughtful than other children his age. Not only could he help the family come up with solutions, but he could also handle the matter of hiding things so well. It was both heartbreaking and gratifying.

"From now on, all the spare change at home will be in your care." Liu Yan patted He Yuyang's head, her tone full of trust, "Mother trusts you."

"Mm." He Yuyang nodded, not saying anything more. He knew that his mother's trust didn't come out of thin air; it was earned little by little through his actions.

From then on, Liu Yan indeed entrusted all the copper coins she had saved to He Yuyang for safekeeping. Sometimes it was three or five, sometimes it was ten or so, and He Yuyang carefully collected them. Once he had enough, he would hide them in the cracks between the bricks of the kang (heated brick bed) at night. Every now and then, he would quietly take out the copper coins, exchange them for whole silver dollars, and put them into his spatial storage space—unbeknownst to him, there were already three silver dollars and a small bag of copper coins wrapped in cloth in the storage warehouse of his spatial storage space.

That evening, He Daqing returned from the restaurant with a small packet of brown sugar in his hand, saying it was a gift from the manager to help Liu Yan recover. Liu Yan happily made a bowl of brown sugar water, scooped a small spoonful for He Yuzhu, and gave the rest to He Yuyang.

"Mom won't drink it, but you will grow taller if you drink it," Liu Yan said with a smile.

He Yuyang pushed the bowl back: "Mother, drink it. It's good for your health. I want to grow taller, so I'll just do more work."

He Daqing sat to the side watching, feeling a warm glow in his heart. He recalled the hard times when they would break a piece of candy into three pieces. Now, although they weren't rich, at least they could drink brown sugar water, and their children were sensible and filial. Life was truly getting better and better.

"Oh, right," He Daqing seemed to remember something, took out two copper coins from his pocket and handed them to He Yuyang, "This is the reward money he gave me for running an errand for the accountant today. You can save it for your father."

He Yuyang took it, put it in his pocket, and nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll hide it tonight."

Watching his son carefully put away the coins, He Daqing suddenly felt that entrusting the money to this child for safekeeping was more reassuring than hiding it in the cellar. This child had a light in his eyes and a heart for his family; with him around, the He family's life would surely get better and better.

As night deepened, He Yuyang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to the wind outside the window. He quietly entered his spatial dimension, looking at the silver coins in the warehouse, his heart filled with a sense of security. These were not just a few silver coins, but the hope and confidence of his family.

He knew that in these turbulent times, having savings alone was not enough; one also needed the ability to cope with unforeseen events. The food in his space was enough, the spiritual spring water could regulate his body, and he himself was slowly cultivating his internal strength. As long as his family remained united, even if there were any more storms in the future, they would be able to stand firm.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating He Yuyang's face, and a slight smile played on his lips. Tomorrow, he planned to check on the vegetable patch in the backyard; the cucumbers, watered with the spiritual spring water, should be ready to be picked soon. He planned to have his mother make a cucumber salad, served with some cornbread, for a refreshing dinner.

That's how life goes, accumulating little by little, passing by day by day, ordinary yet fulfilling. And those silver coins hidden in the space are like reassuring pills, protecting this ordinariness and supporting this sense of security, giving the He family more peace of mind and more hope for the future in this gradually warming summer.