He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The early autumn wind rustled the locust leaves against the blue brick walls of Hongxing Elementary School. He Yushui, carrying a faded canvas schoolbag, gripped the straps tightly until her knuckles turned white. Standing at the entrance to the administration office, she could hear the arguing inside, like pebbles hitting glass, making her heart clench. He Yushui had originally attended a private school. Now, she had to formally enter elementary school.

"Teacher Zhang, this child's grades are good enough, but her family background..." The head of the teaching department's voice came through the door, hesitant and drawn out, "Her mother Liu Yan's family were capitalists in the old society. Although they later donated their family property, family background is something that has to be handled according to policy..."

"Policies also emphasize seeking truth from facts!" Xu Xiuli's voice was clear and resolute, carrying an undeniable firmness. "Liu Yan's family were red capitalists! During the War of Resistance against Japan, all the men in her family went to the battlefield, and very few returned alive! They donated all their assets to the Eighth Route Army; the IOUs for donated grain alone filled a whole box! How could a child raised by such a family have any problems?"

He Yushui pressed her ear against the door, her braid hanging over her shoulder, swaying gently with her breath. She knew why she almost couldn't go to school—when she registered yesterday, Teacher Zhang, who was in charge of registration, flipped to the "family background" column filled in by her mother, and her brows never relaxed. She kept muttering, "The capitalist's grandson, we have to check again."

She clutched her report card in her schoolbag, the "Excellent" mark on it worn smooth from being rubbed between her fingers. This was the result after Ms. Xu had given her extra tutoring; Ms. Xu had said, "Yushui is so smart, she'll definitely get into Hongxing Elementary School." But now, she was a little scared, afraid that she would end up like Er Ya from the alley, only able to attend a private elementary school far from home, a journey that would take her an hour each way.

"Teacher Xu, you can't say that," Teacher Zhang's voice was a bit sharp. "Class background is a matter of principle! Besides, her brother He Yuyang is fighting on the front lines. What does that have to do with her going to school? She can't just take advantage of her brother being a soldier to get special treatment, can she?"

"How can it not matter?" Xu Xiuli's voice suddenly rose. "Her brother shed blood and sacrificed his life on the front lines to protect their country, and her sister in the rear wants to go to school and receive an education. This is only natural! If even the descendants of anti-Japanese war heroes and the sisters of volunteer soldiers are made difficult, then who will be willing to contribute to the country?"

He Yushui's nose suddenly stung with tears. She remembered that yesterday evening, when Teacher Xu went to her mother's house, Liu Yan pulled out a red cloth bag from the bottom of the camphor wood box. Inside were yellowed white slips of paper with faded red stamps on them. Her mother said, "These are the receipts for the grain and money your grandfather and his comrades donated back then. They were handwritten by the Eighth Route Army comrades."

When Ms. Xu held those slips of paper, her eyes reddened, and she said, "These are more effective than any proof." Looking back now, Ms. Xu did bring those slips of paper with her, but the head of the teaching department and Ms. Zhang still didn't seem to believe her.

With a "whoosh," the door was pulled open. Xu Xiuli walked out, her face showing a hint of anger. But when she saw He Yushui at the door, her expression immediately softened. She knelt down and straightened He Yushui's crooked collar, saying, "Yushui, don't be afraid. I'll talk to the headmaster again."

The head of the teaching department followed behind, looking troubled: "Xiao Xu, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, it's just that Teacher Zhang complained that this child..."

"I didn't!" He Yushui suddenly mustered her courage, looked up at the head teacher, and spoke in a trembling but loud voice, "My mother said that my grandfather and the others are heroes! My brother is a hero too! I got first place in the exam, why can't I go to school?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it startled everyone present. Teacher Zhang poked her head out of the room, pursing her lips: "What do kids know? Class background isn't something you can just change..."

"Who said there's a problem with his family background?" Xu Xiuli suddenly stood up, pulled a folded piece of red paper from her canvas bag, "This is Comrade He Yuyang's commendation for meritorious service, just sent from the front! Second-class merit! To cover his comrades, he was wounded but still insisted on commanding the battle! How could such a hero's family have any problems?"

The commendation notice was unfurled, its gold lettering gleaming in the sunlight. The signature read "A Certain Unit of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army," the red seal clearly visible. The head of the teaching department leaned over to look, his brow gradually relaxing. Teacher Zhang, looking somewhat embarrassed, took a half-step back, muttering, "That's not what I meant either..."

"Teacher Zhang, you teach history." Xu Xiuli handed her the congratulatory letter, her tone calm yet weighty. "You should know better than anyone that if it weren't for patriotic capitalists like Liu Yan's family donating money and supplies, and without the support of so many ordinary people, could the War of Resistance Against Japan have been won? Now that the new China has been established, isn't the purpose of construction and education to ensure that the descendants of heroes can live a good life and learn to read and write?"

She paused, then took out a few more photos from her bag. They were paintings by He Yushui—one of springtime in a courtyard house, one of He Yuzhu holding a spatula, and one of a little figure in a military uniform with a five-pointed star painted on his chest. That was He Yushui's brother.

"This child is not only academically gifted, but also kind-hearted." Xu Xiuli pointed to the painting, her voice softening. "Every day after school, she helps the elderly in the alley carry water. When she was learning to read with me, she always said, 'I must learn good skills so that I can serve my country like my brother in the future.' How could our school live with itself if we didn't accept a child like her?"

The head of the teaching department looked at the photo, then at He Yushui's stubborn little face, and finally sighed, "Alright, Teacher Xu, stop talking. This child... I'll take her in." He turned to Teacher Zhang, "Teacher Zhang, please go through the normal enrollment procedures. Make a clear note in the 'family background' column, specifying the revolutionary contributions of her family."

Teacher Zhang pursed her lips, didn't argue further, and turned to get the registration form. He Yushui looked at Xu Xiuli, her eyes shining like fallen stars. Suddenly, she rushed over and hugged her waist, burying her face in Xu Xiuli's clothes, her tears soaking a small patch of her shirt.

"Thank you, Teacher Xu..." Her voice was muffled, trembling with tears.

Xu Xiuli patted her back, feeling relieved. Yesterday, when she went to the He family, Liu Yan, with red eyes, told her, "If Yushui can't go to school, I'll be letting down her grandfather, and even more so, Yuyang." Her appearance reminded her of her brother who sacrificed his life on the battlefield against the Japanese. Her mother had been like that, crying for three days and three nights while holding her brother's belongings.

"Silly child, you should thank yourself." Xu Xiuli wiped away her tears. "It's because you did well on the exam, you're capable. Study hard at school from now on, don't embarrass your brother."

He Yushui nodded vigorously, her little braids swinging high. As she followed Teacher Zhang to fill out the registration form, her steps were as light as if she were walking on the wind. When she passed the playground, she saw many children in blue school uniforms jumping rope, their laughter like silver bells filling the entire yard.

As school let out, the setting sun painted the sky orange-red. He Yushui, carrying her brand-new Red Star Elementary School badge, ran home, the five-pointed star on her schoolbag dancing in the light. Xu Xiuli followed beside her, carrying a new pencil she had bought for Yushui, with the words "Study hard and make progress every day" printed on the pencil.

"Teacher Xu, when is my brother coming back?" He Yushui suddenly stopped and looked up to ask. She had learned the word "hero" in class today. The teacher said that "a hero is someone who does great things for the country." She felt that her brother was a hero, and so was Teacher Xu.

Xu Xiuli gazed northward, where the distant horizon was edged with gold by the sunset, much like the "dawn at the front" described in He Yuyang's letter. She gently patted Yushui's head and said softly, "After we win the battle, your brother will be back. He'll be even happier to see Yushui wearing his red scarf than if he'd received a medal."

"Really?" He Yushui's eyes lit up even more.

"Really." Xu Xiuli nodded with a smile, but secretly sighed in her heart. Yesterday, when she went to the neighborhood office to pick up the mail, Old Wang secretly told her that the fighting on the front lines was fierce, and He Yuyang's unit had suffered heavy casualties, so mail had been coming in less lately. She didn't dare tell Liu Yan, afraid she would worry, and she didn't dare tell Yushui either.

As they approached the courtyard house, He Yuzhu was standing outside, looking around. Seeing them return, he quickly came to greet them: "How did it go? Did you get into school?"

"I did it!" He Yushui proudly puffed out her chest, holding up her school badge. "Teacher Xu spoke to the principal on my behalf, and the principal said I can get into Hongxing Elementary School!"

"I knew my sister was the best!" He Yuzhu lifted her up and spun her around, beaming from ear to ear. Then he said to Xu Xiuli, "Teacher Xu, thank you so much for today. Come over for dinner tonight, I'll make your favorite braised pork!"

"No, I have something to do." Xu Xiuli waved her hand and handed the pencil to Yushui. "Remember to practice your calligraphy every day. I'll come and check on you this weekend."

She turned and walked towards the alley entrance. The setting sun cast a long shadow of hers, which fell on the bluestone pavement like a gentle line. He Yushui leaned on He Yuzhu's shoulder, watching Teacher Xu's back, and suddenly remembered her brother's words in his letter: "Teacher Xu is a good person, you should listen to her."

At dinner, Liu Yan pinned the school badge with raindrops to her lapel, touching it repeatedly, her eyes red-rimmed. "If your grandfather were still alive, he would be overjoyed. He always said that even if our family didn't become capitalists, we should still be learned and principled people." She took out the red cloth bag from the camphor wood chest, placing the commendation certificate and the white slip together. "These are our family treasures; we must keep them safe and show them to your brother when he comes back."

He Yushui rummaged through the rice in her bowl and suddenly said, "Mom, Teacher Xu said that my brother will be very happy to see me wearing a red scarf. I want to join the Young Pioneers quickly, wear the red scarf, and wait for my brother to come back."

He Daqing sat at the head of the table, puffing on his pipe, a rare smile appearing on his lips: "Good, that's ambitious. Our He family's children should not only be literate, but also sensible and know what national righteousness is."

As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard house came on one by one. He Yushui lay on the kang table practicing calligraphy, writing "China," "Hero," and "Brother." Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on her small hands. The pencil drew fine lines on the paper, as if depicting a distant yet warm dream—a dream in which her brother, dressed in a military uniform, smiled as he accepted her red scarf, saying, "Yushui has grown up."

The sound of Xu Xiuli's footsteps echoed through the alley, light and firm as she headed home. Tomorrow, she was going to buy Yushui a new workbook and also apply to the principal to have Yushui become the class's study monitor. She knew there wasn't much she could do, but at least she wanted the child to know that while her brother was protecting their country on the front lines, someone was protecting her dreams back home.

A breeze swept through the alleyways, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, causing the paper windows of every household to tremble gently. On this ordinary autumn night, a little girl's dream of going to school finally came true. Behind this dream lies the perseverance of countless ordinary people, a nation's yearning for education, and its anticipation for the future.