He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

As the morning sun climbed over the alley wall, He Daqing went out with a cloth bag in his hand. Inside the bag were a few silver dollars that He Yuyang had given him—he was supposed to quit his job at the grain shop today, but he thought that he should get paid for every extra day he could, and besides, he wanted to take this last chance to see if he could "buy" some more fine grains.

Ever since He Yuyang said he wanted to quit, he'd been feeling uneasy. It wasn't that he was reluctant to leave the grain shop, but Manager Huang's gaze had been like a knife lately, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. But when he thought of his young daughter crying for milk at home, and of Liu Yan's frail body, he gritted his teeth and moved towards the grain shop.

The grain shop's door panels had just been half removed when Manager Huang, standing behind the counter fiddling with his abacus, saw He Daqing enter and didn't even lift his eyelids: "You're here so early today?"

"Good morning, shopkeeper." He Daqing said with a smile, placing the cloth bag on the counter. "I'd like to buy some more flour. My wife wants to make some steamed buns."

Shopkeeper Huang then looked up, his gaze sweeping over the cloth bag before landing on He Daqing's face. He suddenly smiled and said, "Old He, you're living quite comfortably. Buying fine grains every day, is your meager wages enough to cover your expenses?"

He Daqing's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare show it on his face: "How could that be? The baby was just born, and we wanted to give her mother some nourishment. We've been saving up for a long time to save up this money."

"Oh? Savings?" Manager Huang put down his abacus, leaned forward, and lowered his voice, "I heard that your Yu Yang is doing very well at the martial arts school? And he's close to Master Zhou?"

These words stung He Daqing like a needle, making him uneasy. He had long suspected that Manager Huang was acting strangely, as he had been constantly inquiring about his family, especially He Yuyang's whereabouts. He clutched the cloth bag tightly and mumbled, "A kid's just messing around; how can he compare to Master Zhou? Manager, are you going to sell it or not? If not, I'm leaving."

"Sell? Of course I'll sell!" Manager Huang's expression suddenly changed, and he shouted towards the back room, "Someone, weigh out five catties of flour for Master He and put it on his tab!"

He Daqing was taken aback: "No need to keep track, I brought money with me..."

"You don't appreciate my politeness?" Manager Huang slammed his hand on the counter, his voice suddenly rising. "Old He, I'm asking you, are all these fine grains you buy for your own consumption? Or... are they being given to people you shouldn't be giving them to?"

The last few words were emphasized heavily, and his eyes were like poisoned knives. He Daqing was so frightened that he took half a step back and stammered, "Manager... what do you mean? I don't understand."

"Don't you understand?" Manager Huang sneered, pulling a notebook from under the counter. "This is your grain purchase record for the past three months. You buy fine grains every month, better than I, the manager, eat. Your son is just an apprentice at a martial arts school, and you're just a handyman. Where did you get so much money? I bet you're a communist sympathizer!"

"You're talking nonsense!" He Daqing was both anxious and angry, his face flushed red. "My family is innocent, don't make false accusations!"

"Whether it's slander or not isn't up to you to decide," Manager Huang suddenly raised his voice. "Guards! Someone's a communist sympathizer! Arrest him!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than two men dressed in black short jackets rushed out from the back room, each with a gun at their waist; they were clearly Japanese civilians. He Daqing was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. The two men grabbed him by the arms and dragged him outside.

"Huang Laosan! You'll die a horrible death!" He Daqing struggled and cursed, "I've done nothing to you, why did you harm me!"

Manager Huang stood behind the counter, his face now completely devoid of the fierce expression from before. Instead, he wore a fawning smile and bowed towards the door: "Sir, we've caught him! It's him! His behavior was highly suspicious!"

He Daqing then saw clearly that a black sedan was parked in front of the grain shop, and a Japanese major wearing glasses was standing next to the car—it was the same guy who had his photo in the black market last time! It turned out that Manager Huang had been colluding with the Japanese all along, and today he had set a trap for him!

He was shoved into the back seat of the car, flanked by two plainclothes officers, gun barrels pressed against his lower back; he dared not move. Outside the window, the grain shop sign receded into the distance, and He Daqing's heart sank deeper and deeper. He wasn't afraid of getting into trouble himself, but he was terrified of implicating his family—Liu Yan was still in her postpartum period, and Yu Yang and Zhu Zi were still young. If anything happened to him, what would become of his family?

The car drove directly into the military police compound. He Daqing was dragged into a small, dark room, where cold iron chains locked his ankles and clattered to an iron ring in the corner of the wall.

"Tell me! Who did you give the fine grain to?" A plainclothes officer, brandishing a whip, demanded an answer.

"I'm eating it myself!" He Daqing gritted his teeth. "My son is expending a lot of energy practicing martial arts, and my wife just gave birth. What's wrong with eating some refined grains? Is it illegal?"

"Stubborn!" The plainclothes officer lashed his arm with a whip, making him wince in pain. "Manager Huang said you buy enough refined grains for five people every month, but your family only has four. Where did the rest go? Did you give it to the Communist bandits in the mountains?"

"I don't know anything about the Communists!" He Daqing was sweating profusely from the pain, but he still forced himself to endure it. "The rest... I'll make steamed buns and sell them at a stall! I want to save some money for my child's medical treatment!"

He came up with this idea in a moment of inspiration. A few days ago, He Yuyang had indeed mentioned wanting to do some small business to supplement his family's income, so he just made it up on the spot, and unexpectedly, it actually fooled the other party.

The plainclothes officer paused, then turned to look at the Japanese major beside him. The major adjusted his glasses and asked in broken Chinese, "You mean, making and selling steamed buns? Do you have any witnesses?"

"Yes! Of course!" He Daqing quickly replied, "Aunt Wang and Uncle Zhang in the alley can testify. I was just talking to them about it a few days ago! You can go ask them if you don't believe me!"

The major was silent for a moment, then gave the plainclothes officer a wink. The officer left, leaving only He Daqing, the major, and the dripping faucet in the corner of the small dark room, its sound particularly jarring in the silence.

He Daqing's heart was in his throat. He didn't know if this trick would work, and could only pray that Aunt Wang and the others would put in a good word for him. He even began to regret why he hadn't listened to Yu Yang yesterday and insisted on coming to the grain shop; now he was in deep trouble!

After an unknown amount of time, the door creaked open, and the plainclothes officer who had gone out returned, whispering a few words in the major's ear. The major's expression softened slightly, and he walked over to He Daqing, squatting down: "You...you're telling the truth?"

"Absolutely true!" He Daqing nodded quickly. "If I'm lying, I'll let the Japanese do whatever they want with me!"

The major stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed—a laugh more painful than a grimace: "You, a perfectly good citizen. Manager Huang, you lied about military intelligence, you're utterly wicked!"

He Daqing finally breathed a sigh of relief; his back was soaked with cold sweat. It turned out the plainclothes officers had indeed gone into the alley to inquire. When Aunt Wang and the others heard that He Daqing had been arrested, they quickly said that he really was going to set up a stall to sell steamed buns, adding that the He family was struggling financially and that doing small business wasn't easy. Before long, the Japanese soldiers actually believed them.

"You can go now." The major waved his hand, signaling the plainclothes officer to unlock the chains. "But remember, you're not allowed to buy so much refined grain in the future, or you'll be dead!"

He Daqing stumbled and crawled out of the military police station, the sunlight blinding him. The whip marks on his arms burned, and his ankles were chafed raw and bleeding from the chains, but he paid no heed to those things. He stumbled and ran home, his mind filled with only one thought: Go back quickly and tell Yu Yang that Manager Huang is a traitor, and the grain shop can't be left behind!

At the entrance of the alley, He Yuyang was pacing anxiously. He hadn't seen his father when he woke up that morning, and only after asking Liu Yan did he learn that his father had gone to the grain store. His heart sank – he had just told his father to quit his job yesterday, so why was he going there today? The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. Just as he was about to go to the grain store to check, he saw He Daqing stumbling towards him, his clothes torn in several places, and his face streaked with tears.

"Dad! What happened to you?" He Yuyang rushed over to support him, her eyes instantly reddening as she looked at the whip marks on his arm. "Who hit you?"

"Yu Yang... hurry... let's go home and talk..." He Daqing gasped for breath, his voice trembling.

When Liu Yan got home and saw He Daqing's appearance, she was so shocked that she dropped the needle and thread in her hand: "Dad, what happened to you?"

He Daqing drank a bowl of hot water before recounting the whole story of the grain shop incident. When he talked about Manager Huang colluding with the Japanese and how he almost confessed under torture, tears welled up in his eyes again: "It's all my fault. I didn't listen to you. I almost... I almost didn't make it back..."

"Father, it's not your fault." He Yuyang treated his wounds, his hands trembling slightly with anger. "It's all because Huang Laosan is a scoundrel, and that Japanese major too. He was the one at the black market last time, and this time he must have conspired with Huang Laosan!"

Liu Yan covered her mouth, tears streaming silently down her face: "How are we supposed to live like this... There are even Japanese soldiers in the grain store..."

"Mother, don't worry." He Yuzhu clenched her fists, her eyes filled with anger. "Once I've mastered martial arts, I'll settle accounts with Huang Laosan!"

"Don't be impulsive." He Yuyang pressed down on his shoulder. "Huang Laosan has the Japanese backing him up now. A head-on confrontation will only result in him suffering losses. But I've remembered this debt, and I'll make him pay for it sooner or later."

Looking at his father's injured arm, his heart felt like it was being torn apart. His father had always been honest and hardworking, never arguing with anyone, yet now, because of him, he was being bullied like this by traitors and Japanese devils. He secretly vowed to make Huang Laosan and that major pay the price!

"Dad, you rest well. I'm going to the martial arts school." He Yuyang stood up. "I need to talk to Master about this and tell him to be careful."

Inside the martial arts school, Zhou Zhengguo's face turned ashen upon hearing He Yuyang's words. He slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups jump. "That traitor Huang Laosan! I knew he was up to no good, but I never expected him to actually betray us! And that Japanese major, Matsui, is notoriously ruthless. He led the raid on the black market last time, and I don't know how many of our people he arrested!"

"Master, what do we do now?" He Yuyang asked. "Will Huang Laosan come looking for trouble again now that he knows about our family's affairs?"

"Definitely," Zhou Zhengguo said in a deep voice. "He won't let this go until he gets some leverage over us. Here's what we'll do: you take your family to my old house in the countryside for a few days. It's a remote place where the Japanese rarely go. I'll keep an eye on things in the city and let you know if anything happens."

"Hide?" He Yuyang frowned. "I don't want to hide. The more we hide, the more they'll think we're easy to bully."

"I'm not telling you to hide forever," Zhou Zhengguo said, looking at him. "It's about laying low for a while. Since Matsui has his eye on your family, he'll definitely send people to monitor you. It's unwise to confront him head-on now. After a while, I'll find an opportunity to deal with Huang Laosan and cut off Matsui's informants before you come back."

He Yuyang thought about it and agreed with his master. With elderly parents and young children at home, they couldn't afford to take any risks. He nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to you. When do we leave?"

"There's no time to lose, let's do it this afternoon." Zhou Zhengguo pulled an address out of his pocket. "This is the address of the old house. The key is hidden in the brickwork of the door frame. I've already had someone take care of it, so you can just go directly there."

Back home, He Yuyang told her family about her plan to go to the countryside for a few days. Although He Daqing was reluctant, he knew it was for safety and nodded, "Whatever you say, let's go."

Liu Yan quickly packed her things; there wasn't much to bring, just a few changes of clothes and some diapers for He Yushui. He Yuyang went to Grandpa Wang's house, briefly explained the situation, and asked him to look after the yard.

"Don't worry," Grandpa Wang patted his chest confidently. "I'll come check every day; I guarantee nothing will be stolen. If Old Huang dares to cause trouble, I'll fight him to the death!"

"Sir, please don't act rashly, be careful in everything you do." He Yuyang handed him two steamed buns. "We're leaving."

In the afternoon, He Yuyang hired a donkey cart, and the family quietly left the alley. The wheels rolled over the bluestone road, making a "clattering" sound. He Yuyang glanced back, the familiar courtyard gate growing farther and farther away, and a mix of emotions welled up in his heart.

He knew this wasn't running away; it was a preparation for a better return. When they came back, they would make those who had bullied them pay the price.

The donkey cart left the city, bumping along the country road. The wheat seedlings on both sides of the road were just sprouting, lush and green, like a carpet. He Yushui was fast asleep in Liu Yan's arms, while He Yuzhu leaned on the edge of the cart, looking at the wildflowers by the roadside, occasionally turning back to ask, "Brother, when are we coming back?"

"We'll come back after we drive the bad guys away." He Yuyang patted his head and looked into the distance. The distant mountain shadows were faintly visible in the thin mist; there lay their base, their comrades, and their hope.

He touched the jade pendant with the character "An" in his pocket, then thought of the map given to him by Grandpa Wang, his father's injured arm, Manager Huang's fawning smile, and Matsui's cold gaze. The fire in his heart burned brighter and brighter, but he forcibly suppressed it—now was not the time.

The donkey cart rounded a bend in the mountain valley, and a small village appeared ahead. Zhou Zhengguo's old house was at the eastern end of the village. He Yuyang took a deep breath and said to the old man driving the cart, "Grandpa, please hurry, we've arrived."

Sunlight streamed onto the village rooftops, wisps of smoke rose from chimneys, and the sounds of chickens and dogs filled the air—a scene of tranquility and peace. Looking at all this, He Yuyang secretly vowed to protect this peace, not only for his own family, but also for all those like Grandpa Wang and his father who simply wanted a peaceful life.

The betrayal of the grain shop served as a wake-up call for him. In this chaotic world, yielding would not bring peace; only resistance could ensure survival and allow him to see the dawn.

He looked up at the sky, where white clouds drifted lazily, as if telling him: the road ahead is long, but as long as you keep moving forward, there is always hope.