He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

On the morning of the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the snow melted into trickles under the eaves, dripping onto the bluestone slabs, mingling with the faint cries of vendors from the alleyways, revealing a touch of early spring languor. He Yuyang was drying last year's corn in the yard, the golden kernels gleaming warmly in the sunlight, the air filled with a faint aroma of grain—this was old grain he had specially taken from his spatial storage, deliberately displaying it in the yard to dry, partly to show the neighbors, and partly to reassure his family.

He Daqing went to work at the grain shop, while Liu Yan sat on the veranda sewing shoe soles, glancing up every now and then at her son drying grain, her eyes full of smiles. He Yuzhu, on the other hand, squatted in the corner, drawing little figures on the ground with a twig, muttering to himself, clearly still savoring the novel experiences of his training in Xishan.

"Brother, do you think the wild rabbits in the mountains are really that big?" He Yuzhu suddenly looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Next time we go on a training expedition, shall we bring a trap?"

"Get your stance solid first." He Yuyang chuckled and tapped his head. "Master said your lower body is unstable. If you keep slacking off, he won't teach you the new moves."

He Yuzhu stuck out his tongue, about to retort, when a rough kicking sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by Jia Zhangshi's signature loud voice: "He family, open the door! Open the door!"

Liu Yan paused in her needlework, her brows furrowing. He Yuyang's heart skipped a beat—this Jia Zhangshi, ever since Yi Zhonghai's accident before the New Year, hasn't had a moment's peace. What's she up to today?

He walked over and unlatched the door, only to see Jia Zhangshi standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, followed by Jia Dongxu, who looked resentful. Both mother and son were wearing patched cotton-padded jackets, but their eyes were fixed on the corn in the yard, like hungry wolves eyeing fatty meat.

"Oh, nephew Yu Yang, are you home?" Jia Zhangshi barged in with a forced smile. "Auntie's just dropping by. What's drying in your yard? It smells really good."

He Yuyang stepped aside to block her: "Aunt Jia, let's get down to business. Don't barge in. My mother is pregnant and doesn't like noise."

"What? Now that you have grain, you're ignoring your neighbors?" Madam Jia immediately raised her voice, deliberately making sure the surrounding neighbors could hear. "Let me tell you, this courtyard house isn't just for your family. If your neighbors are in trouble, you should help them out!"

As she spoke, she pushed her way into the courtyard, and Jia Dongxu joined in, shoving and muttering, "Get out of the way! My mother is only talking to you out of respect!"

Upon seeing this, He Yuzhu jumped up from the ground: "Jia Dongxu, what are you doing! This is my house!"

"What happened to your family?" Jia Zhangshi plopped down on the doorstep, slapping her thigh and wailing, "Oh dear, we can't live like this anymore! We're starving! My husband's wages have been docked at the factory, and we don't even have cornmeal left! We're starving to death, and our neighbors have grain but won't help us..."

Her voice was high-pitched and loud, and soon attracted seven or eight neighbors to watch. Aunt Wang and Yan Bugui from the outer courtyard stood at the door, peeking and looking around, their eyes darting back and forth between the corn and Jia Zhangshi in the yard, clearly wanting to see what was going on.

"Aunt Jia, you should speak from your conscience." He Yuyang looked at her coldly. "A few days ago, your family received five catties of relief grain. How come you can't even afford to eat?"

"What good is that little bit of grain?" Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes. "Dongxu is growing so fast, he can eat two cornbread buns in one meal! I see you've dried quite a lot of corn, lend your aunt twenty catties first, she'll pay you back next month after she gets her wages!"

"Twenty pounds?" He Yuzhu jumped up. "Why don't you just rob me?"

"Hey, you little brat, how dare you talk like that!" Jia Zhangshi glared at him. "What do you mean by 'robbery'? Don't you understand the concept of neighborly help? Back when your father was unemployed, who didn't help you out? Now that you're successful, you've forgotten your roots?"

Her words were pure nonsense. Back when the He family was going through the most difficult time, not only did Jia Zhangshi not help them, but she also always spoke ill of them behind their backs, calling He Daqing a "lazy bum" and "good-for-nothing."

He Yuyang sneered inwardly, knowing that the mother and son wouldn't let it go unless he used some tricks today. He turned and went back into the house, took out something wrapped in oiled paper from the stove hole, walked to Jia Zhangshi and opened it—inside were several colorful candy wrappers with the words "Fruit Hard Candy" printed on them, the edges still a little sticky, obviously they had been thrown away recently.

"Aunt Jia, you said you're struggling to make ends meet," He Yuyang said, picking up a candy wrapper. Her voice was so clear that every neighbor could hear her. "What's the story behind this candy wrapper? The day before yesterday, I went to the grain store and saw Jia Dongxu taking money to the grocery store to buy candy. He bought half a jin (250 grams) at a time, saying he was 'eating it for fun.'"

Jia Dongxu's face flushed red instantly, and he retorted, "You're lying! I didn't buy it!"

"Didn't buy any?" He Yuyang raised an eyebrow. "Manager Li from the general store saw you haggling with him, saying, 'Give me two more pieces and I'll tell my mother your candy is sweet.' Should I go and call Manager Li over for a confrontation right now?"

Upon hearing this, the neighbors who had been watching all showed expressions of disdain. Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses: "Sister-in-law Jia, isn't that a bit unfair? You have spare money to buy candy, but you come to borrow grain. Isn't that just playing games with people?"

Aunt Wang nodded in agreement: "Exactly. Just a few days ago I saw Dongxu spinning a top in the alley with a brand new whip. That whip didn't look cheap at all; he didn't look like he was starving at all!"

Madam Jia's face turned pale and then red. She hadn't expected He Yuyang to have such a trick up her sleeve. She had heard that the He family had "gotten" a lot of grain from the grain shop, and she was also envious of the corn drying in the yard. She wanted to use the pretext of "borrowing grain" to extort some benefits and ruin the He family's reputation. However, she ended up losing more than she gained.

"You...you're spouting nonsense!" Madam Jia tried to argue, but He Yuyang's next words shut her up completely.

"Aunt Jia," He Yuyang said, putting away the candy wrappers, her tone calm yet authoritative, "if your family is truly in trouble, my mother can spare you two jin of cornmeal. But if you're trying to use 'borrowing grain' as an excuse to act like a rogue, then don't blame me for being impolite. Hasn't Jia Dongxu learned his lesson from what happened at the martial arts school the other day?"

Mentioning the martial arts school, Jia Dongxu subconsciously touched his still throbbing chest, his eyes darting away. Jia Zhangshi also recalled her son being beaten and herself being glared at by Zhou Zhengguo, and her arrogance immediately diminished.

"Who...who's being unreasonable!" She forced herself to stand up, brushing the dust off her clothes. "I just came to ask, and since your family won't lend it, then forget it! Humph, so what if you have grain? You'll be targeted by thieves sooner or later!"

These words were clearly an insult, and He Yuyang's eyes turned cold: "Aunt Jia, watch your mouth. My family's grain comes from honest and upright sources, so we're not afraid of anyone coveting it. But your family should keep an eye on their own people and stop thinking about petty theft, lest you suffer the consequences one day."

He emphasized the words "petty theft" and his gaze swept over Jia Dongxu, startling the latter into shrinking back.

Knowing that continuing the commotion would only bring trouble and make her a laughingstock among the neighbors, Madam Jia glared fiercely at He Yuyang, then grabbed Jia Dongxu and left, saying, "Let's go! There's no point in talking to such heartless people!"

Watching the mother and son slink away, the neighbors who had been watching dispersed, whispering amongst themselves. Before leaving, Yan Bugui gave the corn in the yard a meaningful look, his eyes gleaming.

"Brother, you're amazing!" He Yuzhu leaned closer, his face full of admiration. "You chased that old hag away in no time!"

"Don't let your guard down." He Yuyang put the corn away. "She definitely won't let this go so easily."

Liu Yan walked over and stuffed a roasted sweet potato into his hand: "We really owe you a lot just now. That Jia Zhangshi is just jealous because we're doing a little better; she's got no good intentions."

"Mom, I know." He Yuyang took a bite of sweet potato. "We have to be more careful from now on. We can't leave the grain out to dry like this anymore."

He knew in his heart that Jia Zhangshi's request to borrow grain this time was probably not just her own idea. Yan Bugui's gaze earlier had been suspicious; he might have been fanning the flames as well. In chaotic times, grain was more precious than gold, and families with grain were like holding a hot potato, inevitably attracting the covetous eyes of others.

In the afternoon, He Daqing returned from the grain shop and, upon hearing what had happened that morning, slammed his fist on the table in anger: "That Jia Zhangshi has gone too far! I'm going to confront her tomorrow!"

"Dad, don't go." He Yuyang stopped him. "Trying to reason with her is like talking to a brick wall. She just wants to provoke us so the neighbors can laugh at us. If we ignore her, she'll get bored."

"But we can't just keep putting up with this," He Daqing frowned. "They borrow grain today, who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause tomorrow."

"I'll be patient, but there have to be limits." He Yuyang's eyes darkened. "If she dares to cause trouble again, I'll expose all the things Jia Dongxu did, like stealing money to buy candy and smashing up the martial arts school, so she'll never be able to hold her head up in the alley."

Looking into his son's determined eyes, He Daqing sighed inwardly—this child had truly grown up and knew how to use his brain to protect his family. He nodded: "I'll listen to you. But you also need to be careful not to make a big fuss, after all, we'll see each other all the time."

"I know my limits."

As evening fell, He Yuyang went to take out the trash. Passing by the Jia family's house, he heard arguing coming from inside. Jia Zhangshi's shrill voice came through the crack in the door: "You useless thing! You can't even get a little grain! And that brat has something on you! How could I have given birth to such a good-for-nothing!"

Then came Jia Dongxu's defense: "Who knew he still had the candy wrappers... Besides, if you hadn't insisted I go buy candy, this wouldn't have happened..."

"You dare talk back!" Madam Jia's voice rose even higher. "I sent you to buy candy to nourish your body! And what have you done? You've given them leverage! Let me tell you, this isn't over. Sooner or later, that He family brat will pay the price!"

He Yuyang's eyes turned cold as he turned and went home. He knew Jia Zhangshi wouldn't let this go easily. It seemed he would have to be even more careful from now on.

At night, He Yuyang lay in bed, listening to the wind outside the window, pondering. The food in his spatial storage was enough for the family to eat for several years, but he couldn't flaunt his wealth. He had to find a "reasonable" way to take some out to avoid arousing suspicion. Perhaps he could have his father discuss with Manager Huang about "buying" some coarse grains from the grain shop each time, mixing them with the refined grains in his spatial storage. This way, it wouldn't be conspicuous, and the family's nutrition would be guaranteed.

He also thought of his comrades at the Xishan stronghold. The medicine sent this time should last for a while, but food was definitely running low. Once things calmed down a bit, he would have to find a way to send another batch of food. Those who bled and sacrificed their lives in the mountains were more deserving of his sacrifice than his calculating neighbors in the courtyard.

"Brother, are you asleep?" He Yuzhu's voice came from next door, tinged with fear. "I think I just heard Jia Dongxu pacing outside the window..."

"Don't be afraid," He Yuyang raised his voice, "If he dares to come in, I'll break his legs. Go to sleep, I'm here."

The house next door fell silent. He Yuyang gripped the slingshot under his pillow, its wooden handle smooth and warm from being rubbed. He knew the tranquility of this courtyard was merely a facade; beneath the surface, undercurrents never ceased to surge. But he wasn't afraid. As long as his family was there, as long as that sliver of faith remained in his heart, he could endure even the hardest days.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor. He Yuyang closed his eyes, his mind already racing with plans for the next steps—reinforcing the courtyard gate, taking inventory of the supplies in the storage space, and arranging the next contact with Old Wang…

The night was still long, but he knew that dawn would eventually break. And what he had to do was protect his home and those who deserved to be protected before dawn.