He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The snow in the alley hadn't completely melted, and thick icicles still piled up in the shady corners of the walls. Sunlight filtered through the bare branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Inside the He family courtyard, however, there was an unusual warmth. Liu Yan, only three days postpartum, was in much better spirits and was leaning against the kang (heated brick bed) breastfeeding He Yushui. The baby's sucking sounds were as soft as a kitten's, making the whole room feel gentle.

He Yuyang was busy in the kitchen, with millet porridge simmering in the pot and two steamed white flour buns on top—he had specially taken them from his spatial storage to nourish his mother. He Yuzhu, on the other hand, squatted by the kang (a heated brick bed), staring at his little sister with wide, round eyes, barely daring to breathe, afraid of disturbing this tiny life.

"Brother, look how small my sister's hands are," He Yuzhu whispered, his fingertips wanting to touch them but not daring to.

"Be gentle, don't frighten her." He Yuyang carried in the porridge and placed it on the small table beside the kang (heated brick bed). "Mother, drink it while it's hot."

Liu Yan smiled, her eyes full of tenderness: "My dear child, you make me fine grains every day, is there enough food stored at home?"

"Don't worry, Mom, there's more." He Yuyang tucked the blanket around her. "The most important thing for you right now is to get better. Don't worry about these things."

No sooner had he finished speaking than slow footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by Yi Zhonghai's feigned concern: "Is Yu Yang home? I heard she had a big, healthy baby girl, so I came to check on her."

He Yuyang frowned almost imperceptibly. Yi Zhonghai had been recuperating at the clinic since he was kicked by the Japanese chicken last time, so why did he have to come now? He walked to the door and saw Yi Zhonghai leaning on a cane, his face still pale, but he was wearing a decent blue cotton robe and carrying a bamboo basket covered with a blue cloth, so he couldn't see what was inside.

"Uncle Yi, what brings you here? Please come in." He Yuyang stepped aside to let him in, his tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Yi Zhonghai staggered into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping around before finally settling on the main house entrance. He deliberately raised his voice, "This is truly a joyous occasion! The He family has gained a daughter, completing the Chinese character for 'good' (好), meaning a perfect family. Their future is sure to be increasingly prosperous!"

His voice was quite loud, and it quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors in the alley. Grandma Wang passed by carrying an empty basin, poked her head in, and asked, "Grandpa Yi has come to offer his congratulations too?" Soon after, Grandpa Zhang and a few other neighbors who didn't usually visit him also gathered around and stood at the gate of the courtyard to watch the commotion.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai's smile became even more "sincere." He lifted the blue cloth covering the bamboo basket, revealing a dozen or so golden eggs inside. In those years of scarcity, this was quite a generous gift.

"It's just a little something, to help your mother recover." He shoved the basket into He Yuyang's hands, but his eyes darted to the onlookers. "Speaking of which, raising children isn't easy. Especially girls. Clothes, food, marriage—all of that costs money. In this world, food is expensive, and money is hard to earn. The He family suddenly has another mouth to feed; I'm afraid..."

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was crystal clear—implying that the He family was in financial difficulty and couldn't afford to raise the newborn girl, and might have to rely on the neighbors for help in the future, or even mistreat the child because they couldn't afford to raise her.

The neighbors who had been watching started whispering among themselves. Some nodded in agreement: "That's right, these days you have to queue up to buy a pound of cornmeal. The more people there are, the more difficult it becomes." Others looked at the He family with a hint of sympathy, and even a hint of wariness, as if they were afraid that the He family would actually come to ask for help.

He Daqing stood to the side, his face flushed red. He wanted to retort but was tongue-tied, and he wrung his hands anxiously. Liu Yan heard this from inside the house, and her face turned pale instantly. Her hand holding the child trembled—what she feared most was people saying that they couldn't afford to raise a daughter. In chaotic times, that was enough to make a girl lose face.

He Yuyang sneered inwardly. Yi Zhonghai's move was insidious; under the guise of giving gifts, he was actually trying to ruin the He family's reputation. He wanted the neighbors to think that the He family couldn't even afford to raise a child, making them unable to hold their heads high in the alley, and possibly even leading to their ostracization and isolation.

He didn't take the basket of eggs. Instead, he turned around and went back into the house. He took something out of the cloth bag on the kang (a heated brick bed), walked to the center of the yard, and held it above his head.

It was a small silver lock with a thin chain and a polished body. A simple character for "peace" was engraved on it, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.

"Dear uncles and aunties," He Yuyang's clear voice overshadowed the surrounding chatter, "I thank Uncle Yi for his concern for my family. But to say that we can't afford to raise my sister is impossible."

He shook the silver lock in his hand: "This is something I prepared for my sister a long time ago. It's not worth much, but it's a token of my affection. My father works at the grain shop, and I can earn some money by practicing martial arts with my master. No matter how hard life gets, I'll sell everything I own to raise my sister, make sure she's well-fed and clothed, and that she doesn't suffer any injustice."

These words were spoken with such conviction, and the unwavering determination in his eyes stunned the surrounding neighbors. Aunt Wang spoke first: "What is this child saying? Raising a child is difficult for everyone, but as long as you're willing to put in the effort, you can always raise them. Yu Yang is so responsible, what is there to be afraid of?"

Grandpa Zhang nodded in agreement: "That's right! Back in the day, I raised three sons and was dirt poor, but I still made it through, didn't I? Grandpa Yi, you're not saying that right. They just had a new baby, you should say something auspicious."

Yi Zhonghai's smile froze. He hadn't expected He Yuyang to produce the silver lock, let alone that the neighbors would speak up for him. He had intended to use "concern" as a pretext to label the He family as "unable to raise their child," making things difficult for them in the alley. But his plan backfired spectacularly.

"I...I didn't mean that." Yi Zhonghai awkwardly withdrew his hand, still holding the bamboo basket, looking extremely embarrassed. "I was just...just happy for them, it was just a casual remark. Yu Yang, don't take it to heart."

"We appreciate Uncle Yi's kindness." He Yuyang didn't respond to his words, her gaze falling on the basket of eggs. "However, these eggs are too valuable; we cannot accept them. You've just recovered from your injuries; you should keep them for yourself to nourish your body."

His words left Yi Zhonghai speechless. Taking it back would make him seem petty; forcing it on would mean Yi had clearly refused. The neighbors around him were giving him strange looks, as if they were watching him make a fool of himself.

"This..." Yi Zhonghai's face turned red and white in turns, and his hand holding the cane was trembling.

"Uncle Yi, why don't you take it back first?" Aunt Wang tried to smooth things over. "The He family doesn't really need this right now. You can come back to see it when the child is a bit older."

Yi Zhonghai finally found a way out, muttering "Then I'll come back another day," and almost fled in panic, carrying the eggs, nearly dropping his cane.

Seeing his disheveled figure, the neighbors lost interest in watching the spectacle and dispersed, gossiping amongst themselves. Before leaving, Aunt Wang patted He Yuyang on the shoulder: "Good boy, you have guts. Take good care of your mother and sister, and tell me if you have any difficulties."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The courtyard finally quieted down. He Daqing breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow: "That Yi Zhonghai, he's really up to no good!"

He Yuyang put the silver lock back into the room and walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Liu Yan was looking at him, tears welling in her eyes: "Yangyang, I'm so sorry you had to go through this."

"Mom, what are you saying?" He Yuyang smiled. "This is nothing. Don't worry, with me here, no one will dare to bully our family."

He knew Yi Zhonghai wouldn't let it go so easily. If he didn't gain any advantage this time, he'd definitely find another way next time. But he wasn't afraid. He'd face whatever came his way; as long as his family was safe, he could overcome any obstacle.

Around noon, He Yuyang went to deliver medicine to Zhou Zhengguo—the minor injury he sustained while intercepting grain from the grain shop hadn't fully healed yet, and his master specifically instructed him to rest more. Inside the martial arts school, Zhou Zhengguo was instructing his students in their training. Upon seeing him arrive, he waved for his students to continue practicing on their own and pulled him to the backyard.

"Are your mother and sister alright?" Zhou Zhengguo handed him a bowl of hot water.

"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Master." He Yuyang recounted the incident of Yi Zhonghai's visit, "He's acting like a madman now, always trying to find fault with our family."

Zhou Zhengguo frowned and tapped his cigarette ash: "This old man, he used to seem like an honest person, I never expected him to be so wicked. He can't stand seeing your family living peacefully, he wants to disrupt your lives so he can take advantage of you."

"I understand," He Yuyang said. "I'm just worried that he might be colluding with the Japanese, and if there's another search, things will get really messy."

"Don't worry, I've already spoken to my friends in the city," Zhou Zhengguo said in a deep voice. "The Japanese haven't made any moves lately, but I heard that Yi Zhonghai has a lot of debt for medicine at his clinic and is trying to raise money everywhere."

He Yuyang's heart skipped a beat: "You mean, his visit this time might be related to money?"

"It's hard to say," Zhou Zhengguo shook his head, "but you can't be too careful. If he dares to come looking for trouble again, don't hold back, just fight him back. If things really escalate, I'll back you up."

After returning from the martial arts school, He Yuyang made a special detour to the general store at the entrance of the alley and bought two feet of red cloth—he wanted to make a small bib for his younger sister, for good luck. As he passed by the Jia family's door, he heard Jia Zhangshi arguing with Jia Dongxu inside the house, vaguely mentioning the words "eggs," "the He family," and "Yi Zhonghai."

He slowed his pace and listened carefully. It sounded like Madam Jia was scolding Jia Dongxu for being useless, not even daring to "borrow" a couple of eggs from Yi Zhonghai, and saying that "the He family has a silver lock, so they must have a lot of money hidden away," and that Jia Dongxu should find a way to "get some."

He Yuyang's eyes turned cold, and she quickened her pace home. It seemed that Yi Zhonghai not only wanted to cause trouble himself, but also instigated Jia Zhangshi and the others to join in. This courtyard house (referring to the neighborly relations within the alley) was truly a den of intrigue, not allowing anyone to live in peace for even a moment.

During dinner, He Yuyang told He Daqing about it, asking him to be more careful and lock the gate at night. He Daqing sighed, "What kind of world is this? Is it so hard to live a peaceful life?"

"Dad, don't worry." He Yuyang put a piece of pickled vegetable on his father's plate. "Once things calm down a bit, I'll try to get some money and we'll move out and live far away from this alley."

"Move out?" He Daqing was taken aback, then smiled bitterly, "It's not that easy. Rent is expensive now, and buying land is even harder. Besides, your mother just had a baby and can't handle the hassle."

He Yuyang didn't say anything more, but he secretly made up his mind. No matter how difficult it was, he would find a way to leave this place of trouble and give his family a stable environment.

At night, He Yuyang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to his younger sister's even breathing next door, feeling at peace. He touched the silver lock in his arms; the cool metal felt warm—he had bought it with the money he had left over from his first trade with Old Wang, thinking then that no matter how hard things got in the future, he would make sure his sister was safe and sound.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting long shadows on the floor. He recalled Yi Zhonghai's strange demeanor during the day, Jia Zhangshi's greedy face, and Yan Bugui's calculating eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

In this chaotic world, survival is difficult, and protecting one's family is even harder. But he cannot back down, nor will he. Just as his master said, only with backbone and a sense of responsibility can one stand firm in this chaotic world.

He gently got up, walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and looked at his baby sister in her swaddling clothes. The little one was sleeping soundly, her mouth slightly open, as if she were dreaming. He Yuyang gently touched her cheek with his fingertips; it was soft and warm.

"Rain, I promise I'll make sure you grow up well," he murmured to himself.

No matter how bumpy the road ahead, just thinking of his family's smiling faces and his sister's clear eyes gives him boundless strength. No matter how chaotic the world becomes, he will still strive to provide a safe haven for his family, even if it's just a small patch, enough to shelter them from the wind and rain.

As night deepened, the alley was quiet, save for the occasional bark of a dog. One of the lights in the He family's house remained on, like a tiny spark in the darkness, weak yet steadfastly burning, awaiting the arrival of dawn.