He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

On the morning of the eighth day of the first lunar month, the thin mist had not yet dissipated, and the snow in the alley glistened coldly in the sunlight. He Yuyang walked towards the martial arts school on the thin ice, his cotton shoes making a soft "crunch" sound on the ground. In his pocket was a sugar pancake that his mother, Liu Yan, had just baked, still warm.

Zhou Zhengguo's martial arts school was located at the end of the alley. Several rows of wooden dummy poles stood in the small courtyard, and stone weights for training were piled up in the corner. A faint smell of turpentine lingered in the air—the residue left by the master when he oiled the wooden dummy poles. He Yuzhu had arrived a step earlier than him and was practicing horse stance in the courtyard, shirtless. Sweat streamed down his back, freezing into tiny ice crystals in the cold winter.

"Brother, why are you so late?" He Yuzhu stopped his movements, grabbed the cotton-padded coat draped over his shoulder, and put it on. "Master said he's going to teach us a new move today, so he wants us to warm up early."

He Yuyang handed him the sugar cake: "Mom insisted that I bring two more for the master, which made me a little late. Eat it quickly, it's still warm."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion erupted outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by rude laughter and curses. The two men exchanged a glance and frowned. Jia Dongxu barged in with four or five shady-looking young men, each wearing ill-fitting cotton-padded jackets and fiddling with iron chains in their hands; they clearly came with ill intentions.

Jia Dongxu was a notorious troublemaker in the alley. Relying on his father's position as a minor leader in the factory, he acted arrogantly and domineeringly, especially disliking the He brothers—one worked steadily at the grain shop, and the other was highly regarded by Zhou Zhengguo at the martial arts school. He had been harboring resentment ever since he got away with the grain shop incident before the New Year.

"Hey, aren't these the two boys from the He family?" Jia Dongxu glanced sideways at the wooden stake in the yard, deliberately kicking the stone lock next to it. "What are they practicing so early in the morning? Don't tell me they're trying to learn to fight so they can steal people's jobs, huh?"

Young and hot-blooded, He Yuzhu immediately blushed and said, "Jia Dongxu, stop talking nonsense! The martial arts school is a place to practice skills, not a place for you to run wild!"

"Skills?" Jia Dongxu scoffed, winking at the people behind him. "I bet your skill is in causing trouble, isn't it? I heard your dad's pretty capable at the grain shop, managing to oust the old accountant? Today I'll teach you a lesson in manners!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the thugs behind him surrounded him. Some grabbed brooms from the corner of the wall, while others kicked the wooden dummy next to them. With a "crack," the arm on the dummy broke off.

"What are you doing!" He Yuyang stepped forward, shielding He Yuzhu behind him, his eyes turning cold. "You dare to smash things belonging to the martial arts school?"

"So what if we smash it?" Jia Dongxu leaned forward, spitting almost onto He Yuyang's face. "Today, either you kneel down and kowtow three times to me, or this martial arts school can forget about opening!"

He Yuyang clenched his fists. He knew Jia Dongxu was deliberately picking a fight, but his master hadn't arrived yet, and a direct confrontation would likely result in him being at a disadvantage. Just as he was about to try and reason with him, He Yuzhu couldn't hold back any longer, shoving him aside and charging forward: "I think you're asking for a beating!"

Although He Yuzhu had only studied martial arts for half a year, he had developed considerable strength. His punch landed squarely on Jia Dongxu's stomach. Caught off guard, Jia Dongxu doubled over in pain, and the thugs behind him immediately surrounded him. In an instant, chaos erupted in the courtyard—stone locks lay overturned, wooden stakes were knocked askew, and He Yuzhu, surrounded by three men, held his own despite his fierce strength, though he still took a blow to the arm, drawing blood.

Without a second thought, He Yuyang grabbed a wooden stick from the wall and, instead of striking the person, targeted their wrists and ankles. His moves were simple yet precise, all self-defense techniques taught by Zhou Zhengguo, aimed at subduing the enemy rather than injuring them. One blow struck the wrist of the thug holding the chain, sending it crashing to the ground; another horizontal slash forced back the person trying to ambush He Yuzhu. His movements were so fast that no one could react.

Seeing the situation was bad, Jia Dongxu pulled out a folding knife from his pocket, unsheathed the blade, and lunged at He Yuyang from behind. He Yuyang, with sharp ears, heard the sound of the wind and suddenly turned to the side, his elbow slamming into Jia Dongxu's chest. Jia Dongxu screamed and fell to the ground, the knife flying out of his hand.

Just then, an angry shout came from the courtyard gate: "Stop!"

Zhou Zhengguo strode in, followed by several apprentices. His face turned ashen when he saw the mess in the courtyard. Close behind him was Yi Zhonghai—wearing a brand-new cotton robe, leaning on a cane, looking surprised as if he had just happened to be passing by.

"What happened?" Yi Zhonghai walked over with feigned concern, his gaze shifting between the injured He Yuzhu and the fallen Jia Dongxu before finally settling on Zhou Zhengguo. "Zhengguo, it's the New Year, why did you start fighting? I thought Yuzhu was usually a pretty honest kid, why did he get into a fight?"

These words, seemingly meant to mediate, were in fact implying that the He brothers had started the trouble first. He Yuyang sneered inwardly; they were indeed after them.

"Uncle Yi, that's not right." He Yuyang helped He Yuzhu stand up straight, his voice clear and bright. "Jia Dongxu led a group of people to smash up the martial arts school and even used knives. We were just acting in self-defense. If you don't believe me, the wooden stakes and stone locks in the yard can testify to that. The neighbors heard the commotion too. Should we call them over and ask them?"

He emphasized the words "used a knife," his eyes sweeping over the folding knife that Jia Dongxu had dropped on the ground. Yi Zhonghai's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected this teenager to speak so succinctly, immediately pinpointing the crux of the matter—breaking into the building with a weapon was a completely different matter.

Zhou Zhengguo also realized what was happening and said to Jia Dongxu in a deep voice, "Take your men and get out! If you dare to cause trouble again, I'll send you straight to the police station!"

Jia Dongxu was helped up by the thugs. Clutching his chest, he glared at He Yuyang, said "You wait," and slunk away. Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai didn't know what to say and awkwardly said to Zhou Zhengguo, "The kid doesn't know any better. He was just playing around. Zhengguo, don't take it to heart."

"Uncle Yi, you jest," Zhou Zhengguo said coldly. "My martial arts school is for teaching skills, not for people to run wild. Please keep an eye on your juniors in the future and make sure they don't cause any more trouble."

Yi Zhonghai, having been rebuffed, left dejectedly. The courtyard finally quieted down. Zhou Zhengguo looked at the mess on the ground, then at He Yuzhu's bleeding arm, his brow furrowed: "Yuyang, why didn't you hit him harder?"

"Master," He Yuyang looked down at the broken wooden stake on the ground, "Just drive them away. If someone dies, it will only cause trouble for the family."

Zhou Zhengguo was silent for a moment, then nodded: "You're right. In chaotic times, fists alone aren't enough; you also need brains." He patted He Yuyang on the shoulder, "You handled today's matter well. But remember, you can never be too careful. Now that Yi Zhonghai has gotten involved, there's bound to be trouble ahead."

He Yuyang nodded, knowing in his heart that this was just the beginning. Jia Dongxu had Yi Zhonghai backing him up, and if he didn't get away with it this time, he would definitely come back again. He looked at He Yuzhu's injured arm, then at the white alley outside the courtyard gate, his eyes gradually hardening—no matter how much trouble came, he had to withstand it, protect his family, and protect this small courtyard where he could practice his boxing in peace.

The sunlight gradually rose, dispelling the thin mist and shining on the broken wooden stake, as well as on He Yuyang's tense profile. He bent down to pick up the wooden stick from the ground and handed it to Zhou Zhengguo: "Master, I'll go repair the stake. Please bandage Yuzhu first."

Zhou Zhengguo watched his composed figure and sighed inwardly. This child, so young, already understands how to weigh the pros and cons, and how to be patient and restrained. But in this chaotic world, knowing these things alone is not enough; one must also have the resilience to stand firm.

The wooden door of the martial arts school was closed again, blocking out the outside world's disturbances. He Yuyang picked up an axe and chopped at the new wood; wood chips flew as his movements were focused and powerful. He knew that peaceful days might be numbered, but as long as he was strong enough, he could provide for his family. The sporadic sound of firecrackers in the distance seemed to add a tense note to this silent contest.