He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The December sun slanted into the main room, casting warm dappled light on the blue brick floor. Liu Yan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), needle and thread in her hand, mending He Yuzhu's old cotton-padded jacket. Her belly was already quite large, and her movements were much slower than before. She had to stop and catch her breath after only a few stitches, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

He Yuyang brought in a basin of warm water and placed it on a small stool by the kang (a heated brick bed): "Mom, take a rest and soak your feet." He took off his mother's cloth shoes and carefully put her feet into the warm water—this was something he learned from a medical book, which said that pregnant women could relieve edema and sleep soundly by soaking their feet more often.

"Hey, you're getting more and more thoughtful, kid." Liu Yan patted his hand with a smile, her feet soaking in the warm water, and she squinted her eyes comfortably. "Better than your dad, who can't do anything except cook."

"Dad's busy," He Yuyang said softly as he rubbed his mother's feet. "He's busy with the restaurant, so he just wants to lie down when he gets back."

"I know he works hard," Liu Yan sighed. "Being a father isn't easy. He has elderly parents to care for and young children to raise. He carries a heavy burden on his shoulders." She paused, then added, "I haven't spent the few cents he gave me the other day. I'm saving them."

He Yuyang's heart skipped a beat. Every month after her father received his wages, after paying rent and buying groceries, he would always leave her mother a few cents for pocket money so she could buy something she liked. Her mother always said she had "enough to spend," but she rarely saw her buy anything; it turned out she was saving it all up.

"Why save that? Just buy whatever you want to eat." He Yuyang picked up a towel and dried her mother's feet. "Dad and I both earn money; we don't need this little bit."

"How can it not be bad?" Liu Yan glared at him, but not with much force. "Your sister is coming soon, so we have to prepare everything in advance. Swaddling clothes, little cotton-padded jackets, diapers... everything costs money. I'll save up and buy her a piece of red cloth to make a swaddle, for a festive touch."

As she spoke, a hopeful smile appeared on her face, her hand gently stroking her belly, her eyes so tender they seemed to overflow with affection. Ever since she found out she was having a daughter, she had been talking every day about what she wanted to do for the baby, and she could even laugh out loud in her dreams at night.

He Yuyang felt a warmth in his heart, yet also a pang of sadness. He had everything he needed in his spatial storage; silks and satins were piled high, and baby blankets and clothes were already prepared, the fabrics even better than those sold in the best silk shops in the city. But he couldn't tell his mother; he could only watch helplessly as she meticulously calculated every penny.

"Mom, don't worry, I've thought about everything for my sister." He Yuyang said with a smile, "I've already told Dad that we'll get her the best fabric and make her the softest cotton-padded jacket."

"What's the best? Something decent will do," Liu Yan said reproachfully. "We have to be careful with our money. Your father doesn't earn money easily. Besides, red cloth is fine. It doesn't have to be silk. As long as we're ordinary people's children, we just need to be clean and warm."

As she spoke, she put down her needlework, shifted her body, picked up a faded blue cloth pillow from the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), carefully unwrapped a corner of the pillowcase, and took out a small cloth bag wrapped in a handkerchief.

"Look," she said, handing the cloth bag to He Yuyang with a hint of pride on her face, "I've saved quite a bit."

He Yuyang opened the cloth bag. Inside were a few cents and two warm copper coins, totaling less than a dollar. But he knew that every penny of this money was hard-earned—his mother usually wouldn't even buy a piece of candy. Once, when she had a bad cough, she stubbornly refused to see a doctor, saying, "I'll just tough it out."

"Mother..." His throat tightened, and he couldn't speak.

"Don't think it's too little," Liu Yan said quickly, thinking he felt the money was insufficient. "We've only just started saving. Once the baby is born, we'll definitely have enough to buy red cloth. If it's still not enough, I'll just take apart my blue dowry jacket and dye it red..."

"Mother, no need!" He Yuyang interrupted her, his eyes welling up with tears. "You really don't need to save up, we have enough money." He turned around and took out two silver coins from his pocket, stuffing them into his mother's hand. These silver coins were recast from silver ingots he had stored in his spatial storage, and they looked no different from ordinary silver coins.

"What...what is this?" Liu Yan was startled. The silver coins in her hand were heavy and cool. She had never seen so much money in her life.

"Silver dollars can be exchanged for quite a bit of money," He Yuyang said with a smile. "It's... it's the wages I got from working for Master Zhou. Take it, buy some good food to nourish yourself, and use the rest to buy red cloth for your sister, the best red cloth."

He didn't dare say it was from another dimension, so he had to make up an excuse. Master Zhou did often slip him money, calling it "pocket money," and his mother knew about it, so she shouldn't suspect anything.

"You silly child, how could you take so much money from Master Zhou?" Liu Yan pushed the silver coins into his hand. "Give them back! It's not easy for Master Zhou to raise so many apprentices, we can't take advantage of him."

"Mother, this is what I deserve." He Yuyang held her hand, her tone very serious. "I helped Master Zhou with the odd jobs at the martial arts school and even copied boxing manuals for him. This is the money he paid me, it wasn't given to me for nothing. Please take it, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

He knew his mother was stubborn and didn't like to take advantage of others, so he could only speak frankly.

Liu Yan looked at him with a skeptical expression: "Really?"

"Really!" He Yuyang nodded vigorously. "If you don't believe me, ask He Yuzhu. He also helps the master with his work, and the master pays him too."

Mentioning her youngest son eased Liu Yan's guard a little. He Yuzhu had indeed told her that Master Zhou would occasionally give them, his apprentices, "pocket money," saying it was a "reward for their work." She stroked the silver coin in her hand, feeling both happy and worried—happy that she had money to buy things for her child, but worried that there was too much money, and she always felt uneasy about it.

"Then...then I'll keep it for now?" Liu Yan carefully wrapped the silver coins, stuffed them into the cloth bag inside the pillow, and sewed the pillowcase back on, her movements as meticulous as if she were hiding some treasure.

"Please keep this. I'll get you more if you need more." He Yuyang helped her put the pillow back on the kang (heated brick bed), secretly relieved. At least her mother could feel a little more at ease.

Just then, He Daqing returned, carrying an oil paper package in his hand, a smile on his face: "Honey, look what I bought for you!"

He opened the oil paper package, inside were several shiny, hot meat buns, their aroma instantly filling the entire main room.

"Why did you buy this? It's so expensive!" Liu Yan scolded playfully, but her hand involuntarily touched her belly—she always craved something oily after getting pregnant.

"Why is it expensive?" He Daqing stuffed the buns into her hands. "The manager is in a good mood today and gave the staff two jin of meat. I specially saved some for you and had Chef Wang from the kitchen make it. Eat it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Liu Yan picked up a steamed bun, took a small bite, and the aroma of the meat juice spread in her mouth. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she suddenly felt like crying—ever since she became pregnant, she had been like this, and would often want to cry.

"You should eat too." She handed the steamed bun to He Daqing.

"I've already eaten at the restaurant," He Daqing waved his hand, watching her eat with a smile in his eyes. "You should eat more, to nourish our daughter as well."

Looking at his parents, He Yuyang felt a warmth in his heart. He quietly retreated to the kitchen, took out a small jar of brown sugar from his spatial storage, and then took out several steamed buns made from white flour—these were specially made by him, softer than those bought outside, and suitable for pregnant women. He put the buns in a pot to heat them up, and then added some spiritual spring water from his spatial storage to the brown sugar jar, which was said to replenish qi and blood.

By the time he brought out the warmed steamed buns and brown sugar, Liu Yan had already eaten two meat buns and was holding the third one, reluctant to eat it.

"Mom, have another steamed bun." He Yuyang handed her a steamed bun. "This is made with freshly ground flour. Please try it."

Liu Yan took a bite of the steamed bun, her eyes lighting up: "This flour is so fine, it tastes much better than the cornmeal we buy."

"That's right, this is some refined flour that I asked a relative in the countryside to get for me. There wasn't much, but I saved it especially for you," He Yuyang said with a smile, and then made her a bowl of brown sugar water. "Drink some of this to warm yourself up."

Liu Yan sipped her brown sugar water, the sweet warmth flowing from her throat to her heart. She looked at her husband, then at her son, and suddenly realized that no matter how hard life got, as long as the family was together, there was nothing to fear.

In the afternoon, Liu Yan dozed off on the kang (a heated brick bed), while He Yuyang sat beside her reading. He Daqing chopped firewood in the yard, the sound of the axe striking the ground even and powerfully. Sunlight streamed through the window paper, casting soft shadows on her mother's face. She slept soundly, a smile playing on her lips, probably dreaming of her unborn daughter.

He Yuyang put down his book and gently walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Looking at the new gray hairs at his mother's temples, he felt a pang of sadness. He had such a huge secret—his spatial ability—and inexhaustible resources, yet he couldn't tell his mother everything, leaving her still worrying about a piece of red cloth and a few steamed buns.

But he knew that what his mother wanted was not fine silks and jewels, but for the family to be safe and sound, and for her child to be born healthy. He could give her those things, and he had to give her those things.

He took out a piece of fine red silk cloth from his storage space, and also a set of baby clothes that had been made long ago—made of the softest cotton cloth, embroidered with simple peace lock patterns. He wrapped these things in old cloth and hid them in a hidden compartment in the cellar, right next to his mother's pregnancy-preserving medicine.

On the day the child is born, he will "casually" find these things and say that they were "sent in advance by relatives from the countryside." He imagines the surprise on his mother's face when she sees the red silk cloth, and the corners of his mouth can't help but curve into a smile.

In the evening, He Yuzhu returned from the martial arts school and shouted as soon as he entered the door, "Mom! Brother! Master brought me something good!" He was carrying a small cloth bag and was covered in sweat from running.

"Slow down, be careful not to fall." Liu Yan quickly sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

He Yuzhu opened the cloth bag; inside were several pieces of maltose, golden yellow and looking very sweet. "My master said this was for his wife to nourish her body, and he asked me to bring it back for you." He picked up a piece and handed it to his mother. "Mom, try it, it's very sweet!"

Liu Yan took the maltose candy, put it in her mouth, and felt the sweet taste melt in her mouth, but her heart was even sweeter than the candy. She patted her youngest son's head: "Your master is so thoughtful. Later, bring him some of the sweet potato chips I made, as a token of our appreciation."

"Yes!" He Yuzhu nodded emphatically, then leaned close to his mother's belly, pressed his ear to it, and listened. "The little sister is moving! She must have smelled the sweetness!"

The whole family laughed, and the atmosphere in the main room became warm and cozy, dispelling the winter chill.

At dinner, Liu Yan took out the two silver dollars He Yuyang had given her and handed them to He Daqing: "Honey, look at this..."

He Daqing was startled: "Where did these silver dollars come from?"

"It was Yangyang who helped Master Zhou with his work, and Master Zhou paid him for it," Liu Yan quickly explained.

He Daqing looked at his son, his eyes questioning.

"Yes, it was given to me by my master. He said it was an extra reward for copying the boxing manual well." He Yuyang nodded.

He Daqing held the silver dollar in his hand, weighed it in his hand, and then handed it to Liu Yan: "Since Yangyang earned it, you should keep it. Buy something for the child, and buy yourself something good to eat. Don't always think about saving money."

"I know." Liu Yan carefully put the silver coins away, feeling much more at ease. With these two silver coins, even if things get tough in the future, they can get by for a while.

At night, He Yuyang lay in bed, listening to his parents talking in the next room. His mother was talking to his father about what kind of quilt to make for the baby, and his father was agreeing with her, occasionally interjecting with "Whatever you say."

He thought of the secret stash of money his mother had hidden under her pillow, and the piece of red silk still in the cellar, and his heart was filled with strength. He might not be able to change this chaotic world, but he could protect his family, protect the smile on his mother's face, and protect his sister's impending cries.

The moonlight outside the window was bright, shining through the panes like a thin layer of silver frost. He Yuyang closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. Tomorrow, he would buy two old hens for his mother, stew them with the spiritual spring water from his spatial storage, and nourish her body.

As for her mother's secret stash of money, let her keep it. It's not just a few coins or a few coppers; it's a mother's deepest love for her child, the most precious memory in chaotic times.