He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

Several months after parting ways with Zhou Zhengguo.

The heavy snow fell for three days and three nights, covering the entire valley in a white blanket. He Yuyang huddled behind a rock, his breath being swept away by the wind and snow as soon as it dissipated. The thin cotton quilt wrapped around his coarse military uniform was already frozen stiff, like an ice shell stuck to his body.

"Brother, Squad Leader Zhao... he's delirious from the cold." Sun Erzhu's voice was choked with sobs. He was holding Zhao Dayong in his arms. The man's face was bluish-purple, his lips were cracked, and he kept muttering "Mom, I'm cold," his body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

He Yuyang's heart sank like lead. They had been trapped in Eagle's Beak Valley by the enemy for three days. Three days ago, to cover the main force's retreat, their company was ordered to hold off the pursuing troops, but unexpectedly, they had run into the enemy's encirclement. The entrance to the valley was blocked by heavy machine guns, and there were steep cliffs on both sides. The only water source had been destroyed by artillery fire yesterday, their food sacks were long gone, and now they couldn't even find firewood to burn—the cotton quilts in the soldiers' arms were the only thing that could keep them warm.

"Give this to him." He Yuyang took off his own quilt and handed it to Sun Erzhu. The quilt was made from cotton from his spiritual spring space, and it was thicker and warmer than ordinary quilts. He had been using it sparingly for the past three days, but he couldn't care less now.

"Brother, what are you going to do?" Sun Erzhu asked anxiously.

"I'm fine." He Yuyang patted his shoulder, her fingers touching Sun Erzhu's arm, which was as cold as a stone. "You should wrap yourself up tight too, don't try to tough it out."

He got up and walked towards the company's temporary command post. The snow was up to his knees, and every step required a great deal of effort. Most of the soldiers along the way huddled behind rocks or trees, some huddled together for warmth, and some had already lost consciousness from the cold. The medic, Xiao Li, was holding the last bottle of liquor and wiping the hands of the frostbitten soldiers one by one, but the liquor had long since lost its potency, and even his own hands were covered in frostbite.

"Squad Leader He, you've arrived." The company commander sat under a sheltered rock, his face ashen and coughing incessantly. His leg had been grazed by a stray bullet in the last battle, and after being exposed to the cold snow for the past few days, the wound had become inflamed and festered, causing excruciating pain with every movement.

"Company Commander, how is the situation?" He Yuyang squatted down and tucked the blanket around him.

The company commander gazed towards the valley entrance, where the enemy's campfires flickered like will-o'-the-wisps in the wind and snow. "The scouts just came back and reported that the enemy has reinforced the valley entrance with a battalion, and their heavy machine gun positions have moved forward another fifty meters. A direct assault is definitely not going to work." He coughed twice, his voice hoarse. "If we keep dragging this out, we'll freeze to death here before the enemy even attacks."

The squad leaders around him all kept their heads down, and no one spoke. The cold wind whipped up snowflakes that stung their faces like knives, but no one uttered a sound—they all knew that the company commander was telling the truth.

He Yuyang's gaze swept over the soldiers huddled in the snow, and his heart ached as if something was tearing at it. The new recruit, who was only sixteen years old, had told him yesterday that he would go home and learn carpentry after the war; the old soldier with the broken arm still had a red string he had brought for his child in his pocket... They couldn't just freeze to death here like this.

"I'll go check out the terrain." He Yuyang suddenly stood up, brushed the snow off his clothes, and said, "We'll find a way out eventually."

"No!" The company commander grabbed his arm abruptly. "The snowstorm outside is too fierce, and the cliff is all ice. It's too dangerous!"

"It's better than sitting and waiting to die." He Yuyang pried his hand away, her eyes unusually firm. "Company Commander, tell everyone to hold on a little longer. I'll be right back."

Before the company commander could say anything more, he turned and plunged into the snowstorm. His internal energy circulated slowly within him, barely dispelling some of the chill, but the snow beneath his feet grew deeper and deeper, reaching up to his thighs. Every step felt like walking on cotton, unsteady and powerless.

He remembered that when he first entered the valley, there seemed to be a depression under the cliff on the right, hidden by dense bushes. He hadn't paid attention to it then, but now it had become his only hope. He trudged towards that spot, his eyes blurred by the wind and snow, and could only rely on his memory to find his way. Several times he almost slipped and fell down the steep slope beside him.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, he finally found the depression. The bushes were bent low by the weight of the snow. Peeking through the branches, he discovered a dark hole hidden inside, covered by ice, which was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

"It's an ice cave!" He Yuyang was overjoyed. He tapped the ice with his bayonet; it wasn't too thick, and he could break through it. He leaned closer to the entrance and sniffed; there was no musty smell, but rather a damp one—this cave must lead to the outside!

He hurried back, a fire burning in his heart, making even the wind and snow seem less cold. When he returned to the temporary command post, he was covered in ice, his hair shards of ice clinging to him, making him look like a snowman, but the light in his eyes was astonishing.

"Company commander, we've found a way out! There's an ice cave at the bottom of the cliff on the right; it leads out!"

The company commander suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Really?"

"Really! I checked, the ice isn't thick, we can break through it!" He Yuyang rubbed his frozen hands. "Let's do it now, under the cover of night and snow, the enemy definitely won't expect us to come from that direction."

The company commander immediately gathered the squad leaders and assigned tasks: "First platoon, break through the ice to clear a path; second platoon, take the seriously wounded and cover the rear; third platoon, follow me to cover the rear! Move quietly, don't alert the enemy!"

The soldiers perked up when they heard there was a way out. While everyone was preparing, He Yuyang quietly slipped into the nearby dense forest—he needed to retrieve something from his spatial storage.

The spiritual spring space was warm and cozy, a stark contrast to the icy, snowy landscape outside. The warehouse was piled high with cotton quilts and clothes he had prepared long ago, along with dozens of hot water bottles filled with spiritual spring water—these bottles were made from fabric from within the space, providing excellent insulation. He had also picked some warming herbs from the herb garden, boiled several large pots of medicinal soup with the spiritual spring water, and stored them in gourds.

When he returned to the camp carrying quilts and cotton-padded clothes, the soldiers were all stunned.

"Brother, where...where did this come from?" Zhao Dayong had regained some consciousness and stared wide-eyed at the thick quilts.

"Stop asking questions, just distribute them!" He Yuyang stuffed cotton-padded coats into the hands of the soldiers who were shivering the most. "One for each of you, and distribute hot water bottles too, so you can take turns warming your hands and feet!"

Holding the medicine soup, Xiao Li's eyes reddened: "Squad Leader Xiao He, this..."

"Quickly give it to the seriously wounded; it will warm them up." He Yuyang interrupted him, gesturing for him not to ask any more questions. Xiao Li immediately understood and hurriedly told the soldiers to drink the medicinal soup.

After swallowing the warm medicinal soup, a warm current spread from their stomachs throughout their bodies, and their frozen hands and feet gradually regained feeling. The soldiers, wrapped in thick cotton quilts and holding hot water bottles, finally regained some color in their faces.

"Let's go!" the company commander shouted in a low voice.

A line of soldiers used bayonets and entrenching tools to chisel through the ice. The clanging sounds were muffled by the wind and snow. He Yuyang also joined the ice-chising team. With his profound inner strength, he used his bayonet to cut through the ice as if it were tofu, quickly widening the opening to a size that allowed one person to pass through.

"I'll go in and scout ahead!" He Yuyang, carrying a lantern, was the first to enter the ice cave. The cave wasn't deep, only a dozen meters long, and sure enough, there was an exit at the end, blocked by weeds and snow, leading to the dense forest outside the valley.

"Safe! You can walk!" he called back.

The soldiers entered the ice cave one by one, supporting each other with movements as light as cats. The seriously wounded were carried on stretchers, with those behind them padding the stretcher legs with cloth to avoid making a sound. He Yuyang stood guard at the cave entrance, watching familiar figures pass by, and felt much more at ease.

Just as the last group of seriously wounded soldiers were about to emerge from the ice cave, an unexpected incident occurred—a burst of rapid gunfire came from the direction of the valley entrance!

"Damn it! We've been spotted!" the company commander shouted. "Third platoon, hold them off! The rest of you, retreat!"

Enemy searchlights swept across, illuminating the snow-covered ground. Bullets whizzed past, striking the rocks and sending sparks flying. Seeing that several soldiers were still trapped in the ice cave, He Yuyang grew anxious, grabbed his rifle, and began firing to cover their retreat.

"Brother, let's go! We'll cover their retreat!" Zhao Dayong and Sun Erzhu raised their guns and fired towards the valley entrance.

"You guys go first! I'll cover the rear!" He Yuyang kicked aside a loose rock, blocking half of the cave entrance. "Quick!"

Zhao Dayong wanted to say something, but Sun Erzhu grabbed him and dragged him away: "Listen to your brother! Let's go!"

As the last soldier emerged from the ice cave, the enemy had already rushed over, only a few dozen meters from the entrance. He Yuyang watched their approaching figures, gritted his teeth, and pulled out his last grenade from his pocket—this was one he had deliberately saved, far more powerful than a regular grenade.

He lit the fuse and threw it at the pursuing enemy, then turned and ran out of the ice cave. With a loud bang, the grenade exploded at the cave entrance, blocking the entrance completely with rubble and snow, and triggering a small avalanche that buried the pursuing enemy underneath.

Using the shockwave from the explosion, He Yuyang leaped out of the ice cave and landed on the snow. He took a deep breath, circulated his internal energy, and pushed off with his feet, gliding across the snow like a nimble cat—this was the light-body skill Zhou Zhengguo had taught him, which was particularly energy-efficient and fast on the snow.

Behind him came the enemy's angry curses and gunfire, bullets hitting the snow around him and kicking up clouds of snow. He didn't turn his head, just kept rushing forward, and soon disappeared into the dense forest, leaving the enemy far behind.

The dense forest was pitch black, and the wind and snow had lessened somewhat, allowing the distant shouts of soldiers to be heard. He Yuyang ran towards the sound and soon spotted the company's figures.

"Brother! Are you alright?" Zhao Dayong ran over, looked him up and down, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was not injured.

"It's alright." He Yuyang patted the snow off his clothes, panting heavily. "The enemy is blocked and can't catch up for the time being."

The company commander walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a slightly choked voice, "Yu Yang, thanks to you."

He Yuyang smiled but didn't say anything. He looked at the soldiers around him; although they were all exhausted and covered in snow, their eyes shone with the light of relief after surviving a disaster. They supported each other, struggling forward in the snow, like a string of tenacious footprints etched on the white earth.

The wind and snow gradually stopped, and the moon peeked out from the clouds, gilding the snow-covered ground with a layer of silver light. He Yuyang looked up at the sky; the cold wind on his face didn't hurt as much anymore.

He knew that this breakout was only temporary, and there was an even more difficult road ahead. But he was not afraid. With his brothers fighting side by side, the supplies in the spiritual spring space, and the concern of his family far away, he had the confidence to keep going.

"Head south and rejoin the main force!" The company commander's voice rang out in the snowy night, firm and powerful.

"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison, their voices echoing through the valley.

He Yuyang wrapped his cotton coat tighter around himself and followed the group forward. The snow crunched under his feet, as if providing accompaniment. He touched the hot water bottle in his arms; the spiritual spring water inside was still warm, like a small flame, warming his hands and his heart.

As long as they live, there is hope. As long as they keep walking, victory is not far away.

For the comrades who couldn't leave the valley, for their families waiting far away, for this land covered in snow, they must survive, they must win this battle.

The snowy night was long, but dawn would eventually break. He Yuyang gazed at the distant horizon, where a faint light had already begun to appear.