He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The mornings in Nanluoguxiang are always tinged with a faint aroma of everyday life. The breakfast stalls at the entrance of the alley have just set up their oil fryers, and the fragrance of fried dough sticks wafts into courtyard number 95 on the wind. He Yuzhu rubs his eyes as he comes out of the side room and immediately sees He Yuyang practicing tai chi under the old locust tree.

The morning light filtered through the leaves and fell on He Yuyang. His movements were slow, but each move was as steady as a rock. His fists swept through the air with a soft "whooshing" sound. He Yuzhu watched with envy and also took a stance, mimicking the moves quite well. He had only practiced a couple of moves when He Yuyang called him to stop.

"Sink your shoulders, drop your elbows, don't let your arms look like hard sticks." He Yuyang stopped what he was doing and corrected his brother's posture. "When you throw a punch, you need to use the power of your waist, not just your arms."

He Yuzhu grimaced as he adjusted his posture, sweat quickly beading on his forehead: "Brother, when will I be able to crack a rock with one punch like you?"

"Let's talk about it after you've mastered the basics." He Yuyang smiled and patted his shoulder. "By the way, I asked about that shop at the alley entrance. The landlord is available today. Let's go sign the contract after breakfast."

"Really?" He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, instantly forgetting the fatigue of practicing boxing. "Then my martial arts school can open?"

"Well, I've also had the plaque made. The three characters 'Zhenyuantang' are on it. What do you think?" He Yuyang had already arranged this matter. The plaque was made from old wood that he found in his space and had an old craftsman carve it. The characters had a strong and vigorous feel to them.

"That sounds amazing!" He Yuzhu rubbed his hands together with delight. "When the museum opens, I'll show you my skills first, and I guarantee I'll impress everyone in the neighborhood!"

Breakfast consisted of millet porridge with pickled vegetables, made by Liu Yan, along with a few steamed buns. He Yushui held her bowl, sipping the porridge slowly, but her eyes kept glancing at the calendar on the wall—today was her school day. Her newly made blue cloth schoolbag, embroidered with a small sunflower, was placed by the kang (a heated brick bed), which Liu Yan had rushed to finish overnight.

"Don't be nervous, the teachers at the school are very kind." Liu Yan put a piece of pickled vegetable on her daughter's plate and said softly, "If anyone bullies you, tell the teacher, and tell your brother when you get back."

"I'm not nervous." Yu Shui puffed out her chest and secretly glanced at He Yu Yang. "My brother said I'm good at math, so the teacher will definitely like me."

He Yuyang smiled and patted her head, then took out a paper package from his pocket containing several biscuits made with wheat flour from his spatial storage: "Take these as snacks, eat them when you're hungry."

After breakfast, He Yuyang first took Yushui to school. The school was in a small courtyard at the end of the alley, with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance that read "Nanluoguxiang Elementary School." Several teachers in long gowns were standing at the door to greet the students. Yushui, carrying her schoolbag and clutching He Yuyang's clothes, stopped at the door.

"Brother, can I do it?" She looked up at him with a little fear in her eyes.

"Why not?" He Yuyang squatted down to look her in the eye. "My sister is so smart, she's definitely the best in school. I'll pick you up after school and buy you candied hawthorns."

Yu Shui nodded, clutching her schoolbag strap, and followed her teacher into the courtyard, glancing back every few steps. Watching her little sister's small figure disappear behind the door, He Yu Yang turned and walked towards the alley entrance, feeling a strange sense of unease—this was Yu Shui's first time leaving her family, and also the beginning of her truly stepping into this era.

The shop at the alley entrance wasn't big, about twenty square meters. The original owner was a shoemaker who cleaned out all his tools when he moved out, leaving only bare mud walls. The landlord was an old man surnamed Ma, leaning on a cane. He looked quite serious, but his expression softened when he heard that He Yuyang was in the military.

"I've rented this shop for most of my life, and I just want to find a decent person to take over." Old Ma looked He Yuzhu up and down. "You look quite robust, lad. Are you really going to open a martial arts school?"

"Don't worry, sir, I'll definitely run the business well and won't cause you any trouble," He Yuzhu quickly assured him, patting his chest and saying, "My brother is the regimental commander. If I do anything wrong, he'll be the first to punish me."

Old Ma was amused by him and waved his hand: "Alright, I brought the contract. The monthly rent is two yuan. Pay for three months first."

He Yuyang signed the document quickly, took out six Singapore dollars from his pocket and handed them over. Old Man Ma took the money, handed the key to He Yuzhu, and gave him a few more instructions, "Don't damage anything in the house," before slowly walking away with his cane.

"Brother, shall we pack now?" He Yuzhu asked, his palms sweating as he gripped the keys.

"Let's hang up the signboard first." He Yuyang took out the "Zhenyuantang" signboard from his spatial storage. The two of them moved a stool and carefully nailed the signboard to the lintel. Once the red signboard with black characters was hung up, the originally inconspicuous shopfront immediately gained a bit more vitality.

For the next two days, the two brothers frequented the shop. He Yuyang took out lime and paint from his spatial storage and whitewashed the adobe walls; He Yuzhu squatted on the ground, smoothing the surface with broken bricks. When neighbors passed by, they would curiously peek inside, and upon seeing the three characters "Zhenyuantang," they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Is this for opening a martial arts school?"

"That's right. I heard it was opened by that kid from courtyard number 95, the younger brother of that young regimental commander."

"What can someone so young teach? Are you just messing around?"

As Yan Bugui passed by, he peeked into the shop while carrying a cloth bag, and said with a smile, "Yuzhu, when is your martial arts school opening? Want me to help you promote it?"

"If Uncle Yan can come and support us, I'll definitely give you a discount." He Yuzhu was busy moving wooden stakes, which he was preparing to use to train his arm strength.

"No need for a discount." Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together. "If Jiecheng wants to come and learn, you'll have to keep an eye on him."

"No problem!" He Yuzhu readily agreed.

By the third day, the martial arts school was finally tidy up and looked presentable. Several rows of wooden stakes were placed against the wall, a thick straw mat was laid on the ground, and two stone locks were placed in the corner. He Yuyang looked at them, took out two mirrors from his spatial storage, and hung them on the east and west walls respectively: "Looking at yourself in the mirror while practicing your boxing will help you see your mistakes."

He Yuzhu looked at the bright and spacious martial arts school and was overjoyed. Just as he was about to tell He Yuyang about the opening, he saw a few teenagers peeking in at the door and whispering among themselves.

"I told you he wasn't good enough; this martial arts gym doesn't look up to standard."

"Exactly, how good can he be? He might not even be as good as my brother."

He Yuzhu heard this and immediately exploded. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to go out to argue when He Yuyang stopped him: "Why get angry with a child? If you want people to believe you, you have to rely on real skills."

He waved to the group of young men at the door: "Come in, I'll have him show you what he's got."

The boys looked at each other, and the one who was leading them mustered up his courage and walked in. The others followed suit, their eyes darting around as they examined the wooden stakes and stone locks in the room.

"If you can lift this stone lock, I'll admire you." The leader pointed to the stone lock in the corner. The stone lock weighed about thirty pounds. Even his father, a porter, had to put in some effort to move it.

He Yuzhu was about to bend over when He Yuyang stopped him again. "Lifting the stone weight is nothing," He Yuyang said, looking at his younger brother. "Show me your best long fist."

He Yuzhu nodded, took a deep breath, and assumed a fighting stance. He was a little nervous at the start, but after throwing the first punch, he relaxed and executed the "Wild Horse Parts Its Mane" move with fluid grace, followed by "Double Peaks Piercing the Ears" and "Cross Hands," the movements flowing smoothly and the wind from his punches growing stronger, even making the straw on the ground sway. In the final move, the "Closing Stance," he stood firmly in place, his face neither flushed nor out of breath, but beads of sweat dripped from his forehead like broken beads.

The room was quiet. The boys were dumbfounded. The leader, who had been defiant just moments before, now had his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg. Neighbors passing by in the alley were also drawn in, peering through the doorway and clicking their tongues in admiration.

"This kid's got some skills!"

"He's even better at fighting than those street performers on the overpass!"

"I would be at ease if my son could learn to do that."

He Yuzhu was a little embarrassed by the praise. He scratched his head and secretly glanced at He Yuyang. Seeing his brother nodding at him, he felt very happy.

"How about it?" He Yuyang looked at the group of young men. "Still don't think he's good enough?"

The boy in the lead blushed and scratched his head: "I...can I learn from him?"

"You can learn if you want, but you have to follow the rules," He Yuyang said. "Practice for an hour after school every day. No slacking off, and no fighting or causing trouble."

"I won't slack off!" the boy quickly promised, and the others echoed, "I want to learn too!"

Just as things were getting lively, Yan Bugui arrived with Yan Jiecheng, carrying a cloth bag in his hand: "Yuzhu, I brought Jiecheng. You must teach him well." He put the cloth bag on the table, opened it, and saw that it contained several white steamed buns. "Just bought them, for the children to have something to eat."

He Yuzhu smiled and pulled Yan Jiecheng to his side: "Don't worry, Uncle Yan, I'll definitely teach him to be even better than me."

Over the next few days, the reputation of "Zhenyuantang" gradually spread throughout the alley. Every day after school, seven or eight teenagers would come with their schoolbags to learn boxing. He Yuzhu, wearing the short jacket made by He Yuyang, took on the role of a proper instructor, and was quite strict when correcting the movements. He Yuyang would occasionally come over to check on things, give his younger brother a few pointers, and feel quite gratified seeing his earnest expression.

That afternoon, He Yuyang had just returned from the military office when he saw He Yushui carrying her schoolbag, skipping and hopping as she ran from the alley entrance, her little braids swinging high in the air.

"Brother!" she called from afar, running up to him and proudly presenting his schoolbag to him like a treasure. "Look!"

He Yuyang opened his schoolbag, which was bulging inside. When he emptied it out, he found more than a dozen small red flowers cut from red paper, neatly stacked together. Next to it was an exercise book with crooked pencil writing on it, and each page had a red circle drawn by the teacher at the end.

"My teacher said I'm the best at arithmetic and know the most characters." Yu Shui looked up, her eyes sparkling like they held stars. "She also said that if I study hard, I can become a female teacher in the future."

"Then you'd better keep it up." He Yuyang patted her head, took out a tin pencil case from his pocket with the words "Study hard and make progress every day" printed on it. He found it in his space. "Here, put your pencils and erasers in here from now on."

Yu Shui took the pencil case, carefully opened it, and saw two new pencils and an eraser inside. She immediately smiled, revealing her little tiger teeth: "Thank you, brother!" She carefully put the little red flower into the pencil case, stuffed the workbook back into her schoolbag, and took He Yu Yang's hand as they walked home. Her little mouth kept talking about what happened at school—who was punished by the teacher for dozing off in class, who spilled ink on their notebook, and the new songs the teacher taught them.

As they reached the alley entrance, they bumped into He Yuzhu seeing his students out. The boys were all sweating profusely from practicing, but full of energy. Yan Jiecheng saw Yushui and held up his little red flower, shouting, "Yushui, look, I got one too! Master said I practiced well today!"

Rainwater held up its pencil case: "Me too! My brother gave it to me!"

The two children huddled together, comparing their "treasures." He Yuzhu walked over and patted He Yuyang on the shoulder: "Brother, we took in three more students today. I've arranged classes for them; they'll practice separately in the morning and afternoon so it won't interfere with each other."

"Well done," He Yuyang said with a smile. "I'll have Mom make you some chicken soup tonight to help you regain your strength."

"No need, no need," He Yuzhu waved his hand, but his eyes glanced at the candied hawthorn stall at the entrance of the alley. "I'd be happy if I could have a skewer of candied hawthorn."

He Yuyang was amused by him and pulled Yushui's hand to walk towards the stall: "I'll buy some for you two, and also a few for those boys in the house."

The setting sun bathed the alley in a warm, orange-red hue. He Yuzhu, carrying a string of candied hawthorns, followed He Yuyang home, humming a tuneless little tune. He Yushui, meanwhile, held up her candied hawthorns, licking them little by little. The sweet taste of the candied hawthorns mingled with the lively atmosphere of the alley, slowly spreading in the air.

Looking at her younger siblings, He Yuyang suddenly felt incredibly at ease. The martial arts school had opened, Yushui had started school, and her family had settled down in Nanluoguxiang. The battles and dangers they had once experienced on the battlefield seemed to have been soothed by the gentle warmth of everyday life.

He looked up towards the direction of courtyard number 95. The branches of the old locust tree swayed gently in the twilight, as if silently proclaiming peace. Perhaps there will be storms in the future, but as long as the family stays together and there is this peaceful life to look forward to, that is enough.

"Brother, I want to teach them horse stance tomorrow, what do you think?" He Yuzhu's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Okay, we need to build a solid foundation." He Yuyang nodded with a smile, "But don't be too strict, they're all just kids."

"I know." He Yuzhu chuckled, took another bite of the candied hawthorn, and didn't bother to wipe the sugar crumbs off his clothes.

He Yushui suddenly stopped and pointed at the sunset, shouting, "Brother, don't those clouds look like cotton candy?"

He Yuyang looked up and saw that the sunset on the horizon did indeed look like fluffy cotton candy, making the whole sky look sweet. He smiled and ruffled his sister's hair: "It does. I'll take you to the park this weekend. They sell real cotton candy there."

"Yay!" Yu Shui cheered, pulling He Yu Yang's hand and running home quickly. He Yu Zhu followed with a smile. The three figures quickly disappeared into the depths of the alley, leaving only a string of crisp laughter, mixed with shouts from afar, becoming the most melodious tune in Nanluoguxiang.