He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

Summer rains come suddenly; one moment the sun is blazing, the next dark clouds gather, and large raindrops pound on the green tiles, splashing up a mist of water. He Yuyang squats under the eaves, watching the vegetable patch in the yard glisten after being washed by the rain—thanks to the gentle irrigation from the spring water, his vegetables are growing exceptionally well, their lush green leaves unfurling, their roots still clinging to fresh soil, looking more appealing than any other vegetable in the alley.

"Yangyang, bring the strips of cloth hanging on the line in, don't let them get wet," Liu Yan called from inside the house, her hands busy sewing shoe soles, the stitches fine and dense, for the new shoes prepared for He Daqing.

"Yes!" He Yuyang responded and got up to collect the strips of cloth. Just as he finished folding the last piece of coarse cloth, he heard a rustling sound coming from outside the courtyard wall, as if someone was pulling at the fence.

He raised an eyebrow and quietly walked to the fence, peeking out through the gaps—he saw Aunt Liu (Liu Haizhong's wife) crouching down, tiptoeing to reach into the vegetable patch, already clutching two handfuls of fresh, tender bok choy in her hand, while stuffing her other hand into her bosom, her movements hurried and flustered, as if afraid of being seen.

Liu Haizhong does odd jobs on the street. His family is doing well, but not rich, but not poor either. However, he has a bad habit of taking advantage of others, especially when he can't stand seeing other people's things being better than his own. Just a few days ago, Liu Yan was complaining to He Yuyang that Aunt Liu always "praised" her family's vegetables at the alley entrance, her eyes full of undisguised envy. Unexpectedly, she took action today.

He Yuyang remained silent, simply watching quietly. Aunt Liu, having stolen enough vegetables, hurriedly ran back to her yard, a leaf still clinging to her clothes. She nearly slipped on the puddles after the rain.

"What are you doing?" He Yuyang turned and went back into the house, and Liu Yan looked up and asked.

"It's nothing, it seems like Aunt Liu was just passing by." He Yuyang replied casually, putting the strip of cloth into the bamboo basket, already having a plan in mind. Directly confronting her would hurt their relationship, but if she just let it go, there was no guarantee she wouldn't come back to steal again. He had to think of a way to make her give up the idea herself.

After the rain stopped, the sun came out again, and the air was filled with the earthy smell of soil. He Yuyang found the half-bottle of herbal water left over from last year—it was brewed with herbs from his spatial dimension, effective at repelling insects and harmless to humans, though the smell was a bit strong. He diluted it with some water, put it in a spray bottle, and sprayed it a few times in the vegetable patch with a "serious" air, deliberately making a lot of noise, even startling the dog in the neighboring yard.

As evening fell, Liu Haizhong returned from outside carrying a tool bag. He paused as he passed the gate of the He family compound. A man who valued his reputation, he usually maintained a certain air of superiority when meeting He Daqing, but this time he unusually took the initiative to speak: "Is Daqing home?"

He Yuyang was chopping firewood in the yard when he looked up and smiled, "Uncle Liu is back? My dad hasn't come back from the restaurant yet."

Liu Haizhong hummed in agreement, but his eyes darted toward the vegetable patch, clearly having heard something.

He Yuyang pretended not to see anything, and while swinging the axe, he said "casually," "A few days ago, I found some bugs in the vegetable patch. They ate several leaves, and my mother was heartbroken. Yesterday, I asked Uncle Yan for some herbs, boiled them, and sprayed them on the plants. They smell quite strong, and I hope they'll work so that the vegetables won't be eaten up by the bugs."

He spoke casually, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slight change in Liu Haizhong's expression and a quickening of his pace. He mumbled "We should be careful" and entered his own courtyard without looking back.

Sure enough, not long after, they heard Aunt Liu cursing in her yard: "What kind of mess is this! Stealing some scraps of vegetables and they even smell of medicine. It's a waste to throw them away, but I'm afraid they'll get sick if I keep them..." Her voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard right into the He family's yard.

Liu Yan frowned upon hearing this: "How can you talk like that, Sister-in-law Liu? Who stole the vegetables?"

"Mom, don't take it to heart." He Yuyang put down the axe, patted the sawdust off her hands, and said, "She's probably upset because her vegetables got eaten by insects. We sprayed pesticides on our vegetables, so I'm afraid no one will dare to touch them anymore."

Liu Yan then realized what had happened and gave her son a reproachful look: "Why didn't you say so sooner? What if it really made someone sick..."

"Don't worry, Mom, that medicine won't harm anyone. It just smells bad. Let her feel bad about throwing it away for a few days, and she'll remember it after that." He Yuyang smiled, knowing that after this scare, even if Aunt Liu was greedy for small gains, she wouldn't dare to touch his vegetable patch.

Just two days after that incident, Aunt Yan came to visit again.

The Yan family was large and lived a frugal life, always trying to stretch every penny. That evening, Aunt Yan, carrying a small flour bag, stood at the entrance to the He family's courtyard, a smile plastered on her face: "Is Aunt Liu home?"

Liu Yan was making pancakes when she heard the voice and quickly came out to greet her: "It's Sister Yan, come in and sit down."

"No, no, I need to tell you something." Aunt Yan rubbed her hands together, glancing at the stone mill in the yard. "Look, we're out of flour. I'd like to borrow your stone mill to grind some coarse grains, just a small bag. I'll return it to you when I'm done. You see..."

The stone mill in the He family's house was handmade by He Daqing a couple of years ago. It is mainly used to grind cornmeal and sweet potato flour. It is easier to use than the stone mills in the outside mills. Occasionally, neighbors in the alley will come to borrow it, but Liu Yan has never been willing to refuse.

"Borrow the millstone? Sure, take it." Just as Liu Yan was about to agree, He Yuyang came out of the house, holding a half-eaten cornbread in his hand.

"Aunt Yan," he called out, his gaze falling on the small bag of flour. The bag didn't look big, but it was bulging.

Aunt Yan's smile grew even warmer: "It's Yangyang! This child is becoming more and more sensible. Your mother has already agreed, so I'll bring you two cornbreads as a thank you gift after I finish grinding them."

Two cornbread buns for a big bag of flour? That's quite a shrewd calculation. He Yuyang knew perfectly well that Aunt Yan wanted to use the excuse of "borrowing the millstone" to grind more flour. After all, the stone mill didn't cost much, so she wouldn't lose out.

"You're too kind, ma'am. It's no trouble at all to borrow something from a neighbor," He Yuyang said with a smile, taking the bag of flour and weighing it in her hand. "But Grandpa Yan always says 'a little goes a long way,' right? This bag of flour looks like a lot; one grind should be enough for several meals. My stone mill was just repaired a couple of days ago, and grinding too much might not last long. How about this, I'll pour some out for you, grind enough for today's meal, and you can come back for more tomorrow if you want?"

He spoke sincerely, and even emphasized "slow and steady wins the race"—a phrase Yan Bugui often used. Using his words to shut up his family was the perfect solution.

Aunt Yan's smile froze for a moment. She was a little unhappy, but her words were blocked, and she couldn't show it. She knew this child was shrewd and probably saw through her thoughts, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Alright... then let's have a meal first."

He Yuyang deftly found a small bowl, scooped out three bowls of coarse grains from the flour bag, just enough for a family of three for one meal, and returned the rest to Aunt Yan: "Auntie, is this enough? I'll scoop out some more if you need more."

"That's enough, that's enough." Aunt Yan took the bag of flour, feeling a little aggrieved, but could only smile and say, "Yangyang is so thoughtful, knowing how to use it sparingly."

Liu Yan watched from the side without saying a word. She knew her son had a point. The Yan family was struggling financially, but they couldn't always try to take advantage of others. This time, they were taught a lesson, and it would make things easier for them in the future.

He Yuyang helped clean the stone mill and boiled a kettle of hot water to scald the millstone before letting Aunt Yan use it. While Aunt Yan was grinding flour, he sat on the doorstep, seemingly playing with a slingshot, but his eyes never left the stone mill—he had calculated the amount precisely; three bowls of coarse grains would grind just enough flour for one meal, and there wouldn't be enough raw materials to grind more.

Yan Bugui appeared at the courtyard gate at some point, carrying a birdcage and squinting at the activity inside. He didn't speak until Aunt Yan finished grinding the flour and was about to leave with the flour bag, at which point he coughed and said, "Thanks to your Aunt Liu and Yangyang. I'll have your sister-in-law bring over a couple of brown sugar steamed buns later."

"Uncle Yan, you're too kind." He Yuyang stood up and said with a smile, "You taught me that 'even close brothers should keep clear accounts.' It's okay to borrow things, but you can't let people suffer losses or take advantage of them. Only in this way can neighbors get along well for a long time."

A hint of approval flashed in Yan Bugui's eyes, and he nodded: "You child, you've remembered what I said. Good, you're a sensible one." After saying that, he picked up the birdcage and turned to go home.

Aunt Yan followed behind, muttering under her breath, "That child is too shrewd; he won't suffer any loss..."

"What do you know!" Yan Bugui turned around and glared at her. "That's called having a sense of propriety! Much better than his father, that pushover. In the future, when dealing with the He family, don't try to be clever; their kid is very perceptive!"

Aunt Yan pursed her lips and said nothing more, but she made a mental note of it—she must not underestimate this young man from the He family in the future.

The story quickly spread throughout the alley. Some said He Yuyang was "stingy," haggling over even borrowing a millstone, while others said he was "good at managing money," knowing how to protect his family's belongings. When Yi Zhonghai heard about it, he sat in the courtyard for a long time, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan. He thought about how He Yuyang had taken out herbs to save Gou Dan a while ago, and how he had helped the restaurant make money by coming up with ideas. He felt more and more that this kid was not simple.

"This He Yuyang, though young, is more thoughtful than most adults," he said to his wife. "We need to be careful when dealing with the He family in the future, so they don't think we're trying to take advantage of them."

The daughter-in-law nodded: "I think that child is promising. The He family might be able to turn their fortunes around with him in the future."

Yi Zhonghai didn't speak, but just stared in the direction of the He family's house with a complicated look in his eyes.

In the He family courtyard, Liu Yan was mending clothes for He Yuyang. Watching her son helping He Daqing chop firewood, she felt both gratified and a little worried: "Yangyang, didn't you offend someone by treating Aunt Yan like that today?"

"Mother, we won't offend her, at most we'll just teach her to be more careful in the future." He Yuyang neatly stacked the chopped firewood. "You see, Aunt Liu was scared off stealing vegetables and won't dare to come again; Aunt Yan borrowed the millstone, we didn't let her take advantage of us, but we didn't say anything definitive either. We'll help her if she really has any difficulties in the future, so she'll remember. These days, if you're too close to your neighbors, it's easy to create discord; if you're too far away, no one will help you. You have to find the right balance."

Liu Yan listened, seemingly understanding but not quite, yet she knew her son made a good point. In recent years, the world has been chaotic, and people's hearts are complex. Being too honest makes one vulnerable to being bullied, while being too shrewd makes one prone to offending others. Finding a balance in between is not easy.

When He Daqing returned from the restaurant and heard about the two incidents, he neither criticized nor praised him. He simply patted He Yuyang on the shoulder and said, "You did the right thing. We shouldn't cause trouble, but we also shouldn't be afraid of trouble, and we certainly shouldn't let others bully us."

At dinner, Liu Yan heated up the two brown sugar steamed buns that Aunt Yan had brought over later. She gave one to He Yuzhu and cut the other into three pieces, which the family of three shared. The steamed buns weren't sweet, but they carried a touch of human warmth.

He Yuyang chewed on a cornbread bun, watching the sky darken outside the window. He knew that the summer of 1943 was not only filled with scorching sun and rain, but also with scheming and probing among neighbors. Every small confrontation was an effort to make this family stand firmer in those turbulent years.

He didn't seek to please everyone; he only wanted to protect his parents and younger brother, to live peacefully in this chaotic world, and for their lives to get better day by day.

As night deepened, the lights in the alley went out one by one, except for the kerosene lamp in the He family's courtyard, which still shone, illuminating the silhouettes of the family of three, warm and comforting. In the vegetable patch outside the window, the vegetables, washed by the rain, had grown taller, quietly growing in the night, much like this home that was slowly getting better, accumulating strength and waiting for a brighter future.