He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

As dawn broke, Nanluoguxiang came alive. It wasn't the usual hawking cries or children's laughter, but the soft patter of footsteps and hushed whispers of advice from neighbors. A military jeep was parked at the alley entrance; the driver was checking the tires, its green paint gleaming heavily in the morning mist.

He Yuyang, backpack slung over his shoulder, stood at the courtyard gate, straightening his clothes one last time. Liu Yan held his hand, repeatedly stroking the buttons on his cuffs, her words echoing the same few phrases: "Remember to let me know you're safe when you get to the army, don't get cold, don't overwork yourself..."

"Mother, please go back, it's getting cold." He Yuyang pushed her into the yard, her gaze sweeping over He Daqing standing to the side—the old man stood with his hands behind his back, his back straight, but his eyes were red; He Yuzhu clenched his fists, his lips pressed tightly together, as if afraid that he would deflate if he opened his mouth; He Yushui hid behind He Daqing, only her wet eyes showing, still clutching the glass ball from yesterday in her hand.

"I'm leaving." He Yuyang took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards the alley entrance.

The neighbors were already waiting there. Yan Bugui was wearing a newly made cotton-padded jacket and carrying an oil paper package. When he saw him coming, they quickly handed it to him: "I just bought some sugar-coated sesame cakes. Have some on the way." Yang held Yan Jiefang and whispered in the child's ear, "Say goodbye to Brother He." The little boy, sucking his finger, waved his arm in a daze.

Liu Haizhong wore that Zhongshan suit on purpose, his hair was neatly combed, and he stood straight as if he were attending some kind of ceremony: "Yu Yang, do a good job in the army! We people from Nanluoguxiang can't be bad no matter where we go!" Zhang Guifen nodded beside him and stuffed a handful of roasted melon seeds into He Yu Yang's pocket: "Have some when you're free to relieve boredom."

He Yuyang responded to each request, his heart warming as if it were being heated by a stove. He hadn't expected that in just one year, the people in this alley would treat him like family. This affection was heavier than gold.

"Commander He, it's time to set off, or we'll miss the train," the driver leaned out to remind him.

"Okay, I'm coming." He Yuyang nodded and was about to get into the car when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing behind the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

It's Xu Xiuli.

She was wearing a light gray Lenin suit, her hair neatly combed, and clutching a blue cloth bag in her hand, her fingertips white with age. The morning light fell on her face, making the fine frost on her eyelashes sparkle like fallen stars. Seeing He Yuyang looking over, she hurriedly lowered her head, her ears burning red.

He Yuyang paused for a moment, then walked towards her. All eyes in the neighborhood immediately turned to him, filled with knowing smiles, and even the air seemed to warm up.

"Teacher Xu, you're here too." He stood in front of her, his voice softer than usual.

Xu Xiuli raised her head, her fingers gripping the cloth bag tighter. Her lips moved slightly before she whispered, "I heard you were leaving today, so I came... to see you off." She handed him the cloth bag, her fingertips accidentally brushing against his hand. She pulled back as if burned. "These are... insoles I made overnight. They're soft and comfortable for the journey."

The cloth bag wasn't large, but it was quite heavy. He Yuyang took it, and his fingertips could feel the fine stitches inside. He opened one corner and saw a pair of dark blue coarse cloth insoles, with several small five-pointed stars embroidered on them with the same color thread. The stitches were fine, and the edges were neatly sewn, showing that a lot of thought had been put into them.

"Thank you, it's very thoughtful." He carefully folded the cloth bag and put it into the outer pocket of his backpack, a gesture so considerate it felt like it could warm your heart.

"Be careful on the road." Xu Xiuli's voice was even lower, her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes, her cheeks as red as ripe apples. "Once we get there, take care of yourself, don't always think about rushing forward..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her words warmed the heart more than a thousand. He Yuyang knew that she had heard about his experiences on the battlefield, those days filled with gunfire and bullets, which had become a deep longing in her heart.

He took a half step back, straightened his back, and gave her a solemn military salute. His five fingers were together, palm facing forward, and his arm was taut, like a gun that would never bend.

"Wait for me to come back." His voice was clear and firm, carrying the promise of a soldier and the heartfelt sentiment of a man.

Xu Xiuli looked up abruptly, meeting his deep eyes. There was no sharpness in them, only a gentle light, like the rising sun in the morning mist. She nodded vigorously, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and instead gave a faint smile, like a spring breeze rippling across a lake.

"Get in the car!" Yan Bugui shouted from the side, breaking the brief silence. "If we don't leave now, we'll really miss our chance!"

He Yuyang glanced at Xu Xiuli one last time, then turned and got into the jeep. The moment the door closed, he heard Yushui's sobbing voice behind him: "Brother! Come back soon!"

"Let's go!" he shouted to the driver, his voice a little strained.

The jeep slowly started moving, and He Yuyang looked out the window—the neighbors stood at the alley entrance, like two neat rows of trees, waving and saying something. He couldn't hear them, but he could see the reluctance in their eyes. Liu Yan leaned on He Daqing's shoulder, her shoulder trembling; He Yuzhu ran a few steps after the car until Yan Bugui pulled her back; Xu Xiuli stood still, still clutching her empty cloth bag, looking in the direction of the car, her figure appearing particularly thin yet exceptionally clear in the morning mist.

As the car drove out of Nanluoguxiang, the familiar bluestone pavement became asphalt, and the gray walls of the alley were replaced by poplar trees lining both sides of the street. He Yuyang leaned back in her chair, took out the blue cloth bag from her backpack, and touched the insoles inside. The fine stitches pricked her fingertips, as if counting the stars she had worked through the night to finish them.

He remembered the first time he saw her in the park, when she was teaching the children to read, the sunlight falling on her hair, making her look as clean as a painting; he remembered the embarrassment when she came to his house to tutor Yushui and was forced to eat braised pork by Liu Yan; he remembered the light in her eyes when she said, "Not only should the children be fed, but they should also be able to read and write..." This girl, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, was like the spring of this new society, full of resilience and hope.

"Wait for me to come back," he murmured to himself, clutching the cloth bag tightly in his hand.

When he arrived at the train station, the platform was already packed with people. Soldiers in uniform, carrying their packs, were saying goodbye to their families; some were chatting and laughing, while others had tears in their eyes. He Yuyang's old comrade-in-arms, Staff Officer Wang, was already waiting for him on the platform. Seeing him arrive, Wang laughed and punched him on the shoulder: "You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you!"

"We were delayed a bit on the way." He Yuyang patted his shoulder, and the two smiled at each other, understanding each other without words. They were brothers who had crawled out of piles of corpses; they could know what the other was thinking with just a glance.

"Are your sister-in-law and sister-in-law doing well?" Staff Officer Wang asked.

"Everything is fine, thank you for thinking of me."

Just then, He Yuyang heard a familiar voice, turned around, and her heart warmed instantly—He Yuzhu had arrived with his family! Liu Yan was carrying a thermos, panting as she ran: "Yuyang! Wait! I just cooked some millet porridge, drink it while it's hot!"

"Mom, what brings you here?" He Yuyang quickly went to greet them.

"Your dad said there will be a lot of people at the train station, and he's worried you might forget to eat." Liu Yan handed him the thermos and then continued to nag, "Don't skimp on money when you get there. Buy lots of good food. Don't drink the porridge if it gets cold, or you'll get an upset stomach..."

He Daqing patted his arm and said the same thing again: "Don't worry about home, just focus on your work."

He Yushui ran over and handed him a small paper bag: "Brother, this is the candy I've saved up. You can eat it on the way." The paper bag contained a few fruit candies, neatly wrapped in candy wrappers.

He Yuzhu scratched his head, took something out of his pocket, and handed it over a little embarrassedly: "This... is for you. I got it from the last martial arts competition. They say it can ward off evil spirits." It was a wolf tooth tied with a red string, polished smooth and round, and it looked like it had been handled for a long time.

He Yuyang clutched the wolf fang in his hand, then looked at the thermos and fruit candies, his eyes welling up with tears. He put everything into his backpack, gave his family a tight hug, and said, "I'm leaving. Go home now, drive carefully."

"Woo-woo—" The train whistled, and the announcement for ticket checking came over the platform loudspeaker.

"Let's go, it's time to get in the car." Staff Officer Wang patted him on the back.

He Yuyang took one last look at his family, then turned and walked towards the carriage. After taking two steps, he turned back and waved to them. Liu Yan covered her mouth, tears finally streaming down her face; He Daqing turned his back, his shoulders trembling slightly; He Yuzhu, holding Yushui's hand, waved vigorously at him, shouting something, but the sound of the train whistle drowned out his words.

He entered the carriage, found a seat, and opened the window. Outside, his family was still standing on the platform, waving at him. Yan Bugui's family had also arrived. Yan Jiecheng held up a sign that read "Uncle He, keep going!", which was being blown crooked by the wind. Liu Haizhong stood with his hands behind his back, giving him a half-hearted military salute. Xu Xiuli stood a little further away, not waving, but just looking at him with clear eyes that seemed to hold the entire starry sky.

He Yuyang waved vigorously at them until the train slowly started moving.

The platform began to recede, the figures of family members grew smaller and smaller, the figures of neighbors grew smaller and smaller, until finally they shrank into blurry black dots and disappeared from sight. He Yuyang leaned against the car window, watching the scenery rushing past—familiar streets, familiar city walls, familiar trees, all receding, as if leaving behind the peaceful days of the past year.

He took out Xu Xiulin's insoles from his backpack and placed them on his knees. The five-pointed star stitches were fine and neat, as if she had embroidered them stitch by stitch by the light of a kerosene lamp countless nights. He then took out the wolf tooth, its rough texture rubbing against his palm, carrying He Yuzhu's honesty; and the few fruit candies, their sweet fragrance seeping through the paper wrapping, were Yushui's heartfelt wishes.

These things, like a string of heavy concerns, are tied to his heart and to the distant place he is about to embark on.

The train sped forward, blurring the scenery outside the window. He Yuyang gazed out the window, silently chanting, "Wait for me."

Wait for me, wait for me to protect this land, so that the lively atmosphere of Nanluoguxiang can always remain so peaceful; so that parents can bask in the sun and weave bamboo baskets in peace; so that Yuzhu's martial arts school can continue to operate, teaching children to strengthen their bodies and, more importantly, to be upright people; so that Yushui can go to school with peace of mind and grow up to be a knowledgeable and responsible person like Teacher Xu; so that Xu Xiuli's classroom will always be filled with children eager for knowledge, letting them know that this world is not just about alleys and fields, but also about a wider world.

Wait for me, I will make this place, and the whole country, a better place.

He remembered the small red flag that Old Wang from the neighborhood office had given him before he set off, saying it was "to add some joy to the troops." He took the flag out of his backpack, opened the car window, and let the wind make it flutter. The red flag was particularly bright in the morning light, and the five-pointed star on it looked like a burning flame, brightening his eyes and illuminating the road ahead.

The train traveled north, traversing plains and crossing rivers. Outside the window, the crops in the fields had been harvested, revealing the dark earth, like a sleeping giant, nurturing the hope for the coming year. Occasionally, wisps of smoke could be seen rising from village chimneys, stretching straight into the sky, mingling with the white smoke from the train, making it impossible to distinguish between the warmth of human life and the dust of the journey.

He Yuyang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Many images flashed through his mind—the smoke of battle, the moonlight in Nanluoguxiang, the smiling faces of his family, the neighbors' words of advice, and the image of Xu Xiuli blushing as she handed him the cloth bag... These images intertwined, like a warm net, supporting him and pushing him along.

He knew this was not the end, but a new beginning. From the war-torn past to the present, where everything was in ruins, and into the hopeful future, his footsteps were always directed towards where he was needed.

The train whistle echoed across the open fields, like a resounding bugle call. He Yuyang opened his eyes and gazed into the distance. The red flag fluttered outside the train window, like an inextinguishable flame, illuminating the path beneath his feet and the journey of a nation toward rejuvenation.

A new journey has begun.