He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The autumnal equinox has passed, and the weather is gradually getting cooler. The old locust trees in the alley have begun to shed their leaves, and golden leaves twirl down, carpeting the bluestone slabs with a rustling sound when stepped on. In the side room of courtyard number 95, Liu Yan is sitting by the window doing needlework, holding He Yuzhu's padded jacket in her hand, mending the worn cuffs by the daylight.

Her eyesight wasn't very good; it was a chronic condition she developed while working in the countryside when she was young. Her eyes would become dry and itchy whenever the seasons changed. Right now, she was squinting, very close to the fabric, rubbing the corners of her eyes after sewing a couple of stitches, her brows furrowed into a knot.

"Mom, take a break, your eyes are practically covered up." He Yuyang came in with a cup of hot water and saw this scene, so she frowned.

"It's alright, just a few stitches left." Liu Yan looked up and smiled, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkling together. "That kid Yuzhu always wears out his clothes when he practices boxing. He's only worn this jacket for two months and the cuffs are already torn."

He Yuyang put the water glass on the table, picked up her hand and looked at it. Her fingertips were covered in calluses, and there were small blood spots from where she had been pricked by a needle. "Don't sew it up anymore. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to buy Yuzhu a new one."

"Why buy something new? You can still wear these." Liu Yan pulled her hand back and picked up the needle and thread again. "Life is better now, but we can't be extravagant. Your father said we should live frugally."

He Yuyang didn't try to persuade her further, but he made a mental note of it. He knew his mother's temperament; she was used to being frugal and would never spend money recklessly. He turned and went out, entered the main room, closed the door behind him, and with a thought, he entered the spatial dimension.

The space remained vibrant with life. Various vegetables grew on the ridges, and the goji berry tree in the corner was particularly thriving, its branches laden with lush foliage and ruby-red berries—a delightful sight. These goji berries were specially cultivated by him; they were larger and more nutritious than those from elsewhere, making them especially beneficial for eyesight and liver health.

He picked a small basket of goji berries and drew a bucket of spiritual spring water from the well before exiting the spatial dimension. He poured the goji berries into a clean earthenware jar and carried it to the side room: "Mother, these are goji berries that I asked a comrade to bring from the Northwest. He said that soaking them in water is good for the eyes, so you should drink some every day."

"Your comrade has spent money again," Liu Yan muttered, but his eyes were warm. "This stuff is expensive, isn't it? I heard it's not cheap in city pharmacies."

"It's worthless, there's plenty of it around here." He Yuyang smiled as she poured her a glass of warm water, added a handful of goji berries, and said, "Just drink this, I'll get you some more when you're done."

Liu Yan picked up the cup. The goji berries slowly unfurled in the water, turning it a pale amber color with a sweet aroma. She took a sip, smacked her lips, and said, "Mmm, it's quite delicious, and a little sweet too."

"Drink more if you like it." He Yuyang helped her put away the needle and thread. "It's getting late, get some rest, you can continue the work tomorrow."

Liu Yan was persuaded to put down her needlework and slowly sipped the goji berry water, thinking to herself: My son is so caring; he knows how to look after my old eyes.

At night, He Yuyang had just lain down when he heard He Yuzhu groaning from the next room, as if he was in pain and couldn't sleep. He put on his clothes and went over to take a look, only to see He Yuzhu lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), clutching his back and wincing, with cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"What's wrong? Is your back hurting again?" He Yuyang frowned.

"Yeah, I was teaching those kids somersaults this afternoon, and I slipped and twisted without noticing," He Yuzhu gasped in pain. "I thought I could just bear it, but it's getting more and more painful."

"Let me see." He Yuyang lifted his jacket and saw a red and swollen area on his lower back with some bruises. This was an old problem. He Yuzhu practiced boxing too hard and would twist his ankle from time to time. In the past, he would just apply a plaster to deal with it, but it was slow to heal and always recurred.

"Brother, could you find me some ointment?" He Yuzhu said, grimacing.

"The plaster works slowly," He Yuyang said. "You'll have to wait."

He returned to his room and entered the space again. The herb garden was planted with many herbs that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. He picked a few leaves of Panax notoginseng and dug up a piece of Angelica sinensis root. He washed them clean with spiritual spring water, put them in a stone mortar and pounded them into a paste. He then mixed some spiritual spring water to make a paste and put it in a small porcelain bowl.

He took the ointment back to the room, had He Yuzhu lie face down, wiped his lower back with a clean cloth, then carefully applied the ointment to the swollen area and gently wrapped it with gauze.

"What kind of ointment is this? It feels cool and refreshing, quite comfortable." He Yuzhu felt the pain in his waist had lessened considerably and couldn't help but mutter.

"I made this myself, let's see if it works." He Yuyang packed her things. "Don't move, just lie down and rest. You should be fine by tomorrow morning."

"Brother, you're amazing! This is much more effective than the plasters from the pharmacy." He Yuzhu chuckled twice, and soon started snoring, indicating that the pain had subsided.

He Yuyang tucked him in and tiptoed out. He knew that the ointment contained spiritual spring water, so its effects were far superior to ordinary ointments. He never easily revealed the secrets of his space to his family, but he felt at ease knowing that he could use the things in this space to lessen their suffering.

The next morning, He Yuzhu was indeed much better. His back pain was gone, and he was able to go to the martial arts school to teach again, full of energy. He praised He Yuyang's ointment as a "miracle drug" and kept pestering her for the recipe, but He Yuyang brushed him off with a simple "folk remedy I learned in the army."

Just two days after that incident, another minor problem arose at the Yan family's place. Yan Bugui's youngest son, Yan Jiefang, developed a rash of prickly heat all over his body, a bright red patch that itched so badly he cried and couldn't sleep all night. Yang Shi held the child and paced around the yard, trying several methods—rubbing him with mugwort water, applying prickly heat powder—but nothing worked, and the child cried until his voice became hoarse.

"What should we do?" Mrs. Yang's eyes reddened with worry as she looked at the child's arm, which was covered in red marks from scratching. She felt extremely distressed. "If this continues, it might get infected."

Yan Bugui squatted at the doorway, smoking, his brow furrowed. "I went to the pharmacy yesterday, and the doctor said there was no other way but to wait for it to cool down and heal on his own. But this child is suffering..."

Just then, He Yuyang returned from outside and, hearing the crying in the yard, stopped in his tracks: "Uncle Yan, what's wrong? Why is the child crying so hard?"

"Hey, Yu Yang, you've come at the right time." Yan Bugui quickly stood up. "Look at Jiefang, he's covered in heat rash, it's so itchy, nothing seems to help. You're knowledgeable, do you have any ideas?"

He Yuyang walked into the house and looked at the prickly heat on Yan Jiefang's body. It was indeed quite severe, and some parts had been scratched raw. He thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Yan, I have a bottle of homemade talcum powder. It's made from several kinds of herbs and it works quite well for prickly heat. I'll go get it for you to try."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Mrs. Yang was overjoyed and quickly expressed her gratitude.

He Yuyang quickly brought over a small porcelain bottle containing white powder with a faint herbal scent. "This is something I ground up with peppermint, honeysuckle, and some cooling herbs. You can apply it to your child; it should relieve the itching."

Yang quickly found a clean cloth, poured some powder on it, and carefully rubbed it on Yan Jiefang's body. After only a short while, the child, who had been crying incessantly, stopped crying, his little brows relaxed, and he even used his little hands to grab the powder from the cloth, giggling.

"Wow, it really works!" Mrs. Yang exclaimed, both surprised and delighted. "Look, she's stopped crying!"

Yan Bugui also came over to look, and seeing that his son had indeed stopped fussing, a smile appeared on his face: "Yu Yang, you really have a way with things! This stuff is much better than the prickly heat powder you buy at the pharmacy! How much is it? I'll pay you!"

"It's nothing, just some herbs ground up, it's worthless." He Yuyang waved his hand. "If you think it's useful, keep the rest."

"I can't accept this..." Yan Bugui rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed.

"It's alright, we're all neighbors." He Yuyang smiled. "It's good that the child is alright."

After He Yuyang left, Madam Yang, holding Yan Jiefang, looked at the porcelain bottle in her hand and couldn't help but say to Yan Bugui, "Look at Yuyang, so young, yet so thoughtful! She knows how to care for a child and even knows these folk remedies. Unlike you, all you do is scheme for a few coins. The child is crying like this, and all you do is squat there smoking and do nothing!"

Yan Bugui, rendered speechless by the scolding, rubbed his nose and said, "I had no choice... Besides, wasn't all my scheming for the sake of this family?"

"For the sake of this family, you should learn from Yu Yang!" Madam Yang glared at him. "She's capable and knows how to help the neighbors. What about you? All you know is to eye those little profits. The other day someone gave us a piece of cured meat, and all you did was give us a bottle of soy sauce in return. How dare you!"

Yan Bugui's face flushed red and then turned pale as he listened to her words, but he didn't say anything. In his heart, he also felt that Yang was right. He Yuyang was indeed much better than him. She was capable, not arrogant, and honest. No wonder she was doing so well.

In the afternoon, Yang made some sugar-filled pancakes and specially sent a plate to the He family as a "thank you gift." Liu Yan accepted them with a smile and asked her to sit and chat for a while. The two talked about their children and got along very well.

"...Your Yu Yang is so sensible. She's not only good to her own family, but also cares about the neighbors." Mrs. Yang sighed. "Unlike our Lao Yan, who is so stingy. Last time, when Jie Cheng wanted to learn boxing, he insisted on asking if the tuition could be cheaper. I scolded him, and he was too embarrassed to ask."

"It's a good thing that the kids are learning boxing, and Yuzhu said Jiecheng is learning very diligently," Liu Yan said with a smile. "We're all neighbors, so why talk about tuition? It's good for the kids to play together."

As the two were talking, He Yuyang returned from outside, carrying a paper bag containing fruit, including apples and pears, all of which were taken from his spatial storage. They were large and fresh.

"This is fruit from the army, let the children try some." He Yuyang handed the paper package to Yang Shi, "Aunt Yan, please take this back and give some to Jiefang to help him cool down."

"This has cost you so much again..." Mrs. Yang was a little embarrassed, but she knew she couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it. "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll have Jie Cheng send some of his father's newly pickled vegetables to Yu Shui later."

After seeing Yang off, Liu Yan looked at He Yuyang and said with a smile, "You're such a kind-hearted child."

"We're all neighbors, it's only right that we help each other out," He Yuyang said. "Besides, we've just arrived in Beijing, it's never a bad thing to make more friends."

He Daqing sat to the side, weaving a bamboo basket at a leisurely pace. Hearing his son He Yuyang's words, he stopped, smiled, and nodded in response, "Yes, you're right. Our lives are like that ancient locust tree; only when its branches and vines connect and intertwine can it grow strong and flourish! So, if we help others more often, they will naturally remember our kindness; and when we ourselves encounter difficulties someday, we might also receive help from others."

However, He Yuyang didn't respond to his father's words at this moment, though he had already thoroughly understood this principle deep down. His choice to use items from his spatial storage to help his neighbors wasn't to gain any tangible benefit or reward; it was simply because he believed that since everyone lived under the same roof, they should maintain a harmonious and mutually supportive relationship—after all, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative! In his previous life, he had lived for decades in that bustling metropolis surrounded by cold, hard reinforced concrete! Back then, neighbors often kept their doors closed, each going their own way, and you probably didn't even know who lived across the street… This feeling of alienation and indifference was something he loathed and didn't want to experience again!

In contrast, the current situation is quite good: whenever a family encounters difficulties and needs help, other families will readily lend a helping hand; or when a family cooks a delicious meal, they will also warmly and generously share it with their neighbors to enjoy together. As a result, the whole village is filled with a joyful atmosphere full of warmth and life, making people deeply intoxicated by it.

At night, He Yuyang lay in bed, thinking about the day's events. His mother's eyes seemed more comfortable, and she stopped rubbing them so often; Yuzhu's back was better, and he could go back to teaching boxing; the Yan family's youngest son had stopped causing trouble, and a smile returned to Yang's face. These were all small things, but they warmed his heart.

He quietly entered the space, gazing at the lush crops, the clear spiritual spring water, and the small hut filled with supplies, his heart overflowing with gratitude. This space was his greatest asset in this era, not only allowing him and his family to survive in the chaos but also giving him the ability to care for those around him.

He never thought of using the space to make a fortune or to gain power. For him, it was enough to use the things in the space to keep his family safe and healthy and to make the people around him more comfortable.

Moonlight streamed through the windowpane, falling on the ground like a thin layer of frost. The alley was quiet, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog, which emphasized the tranquility of the night.

He Yuyang rolled over, a smile playing on his lips. He knew that tomorrow, when he woke up, it would be another lively day. His mother would make goji berry tea, Yuzhu would be calling out his wares at the martial arts school, Yan Bugui would be calculating how to sell his goods at the general store, and Liu Haizhong would be strolling around the alley with his hands behind his back... These trivial daily routines, like beads, strung together his most authentic life in this era.

His space, like an invisible hand, quietly cradled these beads, allowing them to shimmer with a warm light in the sunlight.