He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

In early winter, the sunlight is no longer as scorching and dazzling as in summer, but becomes soft and warm. At this time, the sun, like a lazy giant, leans against the horizon, casting its light on every corner of Nanluoguxiang. Especially the ancient bluestone pavement, bathed in this golden light, seems to have been given life.

At this moment, He Yuzhu was quietly squatting on the threshold of the martial arts school, intently polishing the spear in his hands. Various tools and materials were laid out beside him, the most eye-catching of which was a vibrant red silk ribbon—the raw material for making the spear tassel. He Yuzhu skillfully wrapped the red ribbon around the spear shaft, then pulled it tight and secured it. With his movements, the originally soft and weak red ribbon gradually transformed into a vibrant and agile spear tassel, like a butterfly fluttering joyfully in the breeze.

Meanwhile, turning one's gaze to the top of the martial arts school's main gate, one can see a tall wooden plaque with three powerful characters boldly engraved on it: "He Family Martial Arts School." However, due to the frost that fell last night, the surface of the wooden plaque gleamed with a faint, cold light, which made the entire plaque appear even more solemn and dignified, revealing an ancient and weathered aura.

"Master! Master!" Apprentice Gou Sheng shouted as he came running breathlessly from the narrow, dark alleyway. He carried a tattered cloth bag on his back, as if it contained some priceless treasure.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that Gou Sheng's thick cotton trousers were worn and tattered at the knees, and the patched undershirt was clearly visible underneath. However, none of this seemed to dampen his excitement and eagerness to share the good news.

Finally reaching his master, Gou Sheng slammed the bright red silk certificate he was holding onto the stone table and excitedly shouted, "Master! Yesterday, after I helped Grandpa Wang catch that wicked thief, the police station actually gave us a huge certificate!"

Sunlight streamed onto the certificate, making the four large golden characters "Heroic Act" shine brightly. Beside the certificate lay a small package wrapped in oil paper. As Gou Sheng gently unwrapped it, an enticing aroma wafted out—it was a steaming hot sugar-coated sesame cake, a gift from Grandpa Wang to the martial arts school!

He Yuzhu slowly straightened up, gently picked up a clean rag, and carefully wiped the tip of the spear in his hand. As he continued to rub it back and forth, the already incredibly sharp spear tip shone even brighter, so bright that it could clearly reflect the contours of a person's face.

After finishing wiping, he glanced at the certificate hanging on the wall not far away, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. He first slightly pursed his lips in disdain, but then couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips: "Tch! What a small matter, why make such a fuss!"

Despite saying that, his actions betrayed his words. He Yuzhu carefully picked up the certificate from the table, then walked steadily to the wall, preparing to post it. This spot happened to be right next to the letter He Yuyang had left earlier; it seemed as if the two pieces of paper were secretly competing, vying to see whose glory was more dazzling!

This is the second time this month that our martial arts school has received this honor! Just recently, our student, Stone, displayed remarkable courage and successfully rescued Er Ya, who had fallen into a freezing icy hole. His act of bravery garnered widespread attention and praise, ultimately earning high recognition from the local street office, who celebrated his good deed with a grand and solemn ceremony—beating drums and gongs—and presenting him with a bright and dazzling banner. Now, that banner, symbolizing honor and gratitude, hangs high above the main hall of the martial arts school. The four large characters "Serving the People," gleaming with golden light against the red silk background, seem to illuminate the entire room with their brilliance.

"Master, everyone outside says our martial arts school is the 'Guardian of the Alley'!" Another apprentice, Tie Niu, came over, carrying water he had just drawn from the well, with a thin layer of ice on the rim of the bucket. "This morning, Aunt Li came to say that she wanted her son to come and become an apprentice, saying that he could learn skills from the master, not only to fight, but also to learn etiquette."

He Yuzhu placed the sharpened gun on the weapon rack, making a crisp "clang". His martial arts school had been open for three years. At first, the neighbors just thought it was a training ground for making a living. Until last month, when Gou Sheng caught a wallet thief in the market, he used the grappling techniques he had learned to subdue the man without hurting him. Then, when Shi Tou saved Er Ya, he used the "carp leap" to jump across the ice with clean and neat movements without any hesitation. Only then did the reputation of the He family martial arts school truly take hold.

As they were talking, the sound of footsteps and a child crying came from the alley. He Yuzhu peeked out and his brows immediately furrowed.

Liu Haizhong stood with his hands behind his back, followed by his son Liu Guangtian. Guangtian was wearing a newly made blue cotton-padded jacket, but his face was covered in snot and tears, and he was clutching half a candied hawthorn in his hand, obviously having just lost a fight over something.

"Yuzhu, busy?" Liu Haizhong smiled broadly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling into creases. He glanced into the martial arts school, his eyes lighting up when he saw the certificates of merit on the wall. "I heard your martial arts school has become quite famous lately, even the police station praised it. Impressive, impressive."

He Yuzhu didn't get up, but spat on the threshold, which froze into small ice pellets: "Uncle Liu, is there something you need?" He knew that Liu Haizhong was the kind of person who wouldn't come to the temple without a reason, especially when he had that kind of smile on his face.

"Hey, I was thinking of having Guangtian come here to learn from you?" Liu Haizhong pushed Liu Guangtian forward. Guangtian was still sobbing, his feet scraping the ground and sending mud flying everywhere. "Look at this kid, he's already ten years old, and he's still running around all day. If he learns martial arts, he can calm down and become a successful person like your brother in the future."

His words hit the nail on the head. These days, who in the courtyard doesn't envy the He family? He Yuyang has distinguished himself on the front lines, He Yuzhu's martial arts school is thriving, and even their little girl, Yushui, has been admitted to Hongxing Primary School—she excels in everything. Especially on the day He Yuyang's commendation report arrived, the neighborhood committee walked around the alley three times, banging a gong, making Liu Haizhong envious and constantly rubbing his hands together, muttering, "If only Guangtian were half as successful as Yuyang."

He Yuzhu glanced at Liu Guangtian sideways. Just last week, this kid had broken Yan Jiefang's head, all because he lost a marble-grabbing contest; the day before, he tore Er Ya's floral cotton-padded jacket because "she laughed at me for not running fast enough." What would happen if this kind of brat went to a martial arts school? Wouldn't he tear the roof off?

"Uncle Liu, it's not that I'm being disrespectful." He Yuzhu stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "My martial arts school has rules: learn to be a good person first, then learn to practice martial arts." He pointed to the "Martial Ethics" rules posted on the wall, which Xu Xiuli had helped write. The handwriting was delicate yet powerful. "The first rule is 'Don't bully the weak.' If your Guangtian doesn't correct this bad habit, I can't accept him."

Liu Haizhong's smile froze, and his lips twitched. "What's wrong with a kid being a little mischievous? Isn't the point of learning martial arts to intimidate people? Besides, in broad daylight he..."

"Learning martial arts is to subdue bad guys, not to bully good people." He Yuzhu interrupted him, his voice deepening. "My brother is fighting on the front lines to protect our country, not to let our family take advantage of his reputation. If you want Guangtian to learn skills, first teach him to greet elders and not to steal from children—come back to me when he can do that."

These words felt like a slap in the face to Liu Haizhong. The thing he hated most in his life was being told he was "not as good as the He family," especially coming from He Yuzhu's mouth, which made him extremely uncomfortable. He grabbed Liu Guangtian, who was still crying, his face flushed red: "Hey! He Yuzhu, what do you mean by that? You think my Guangtian is useless? Let me tell you, countless martial arts schools want to take my son in, but I don't even want to go!"

"Then take care, I won't see you out." He Yuzhu turned and walked into the courtyard without even lifting his eyelids.

Liu Haizhong stomped his foot angrily, pointed at the door of the martial arts school and cursed, "You don't know what's good for you! Just you wait! I'll have the neighborhood committee investigate your martial arts school and see if you're operating illegally!" After cursing, he grabbed Liu Guangtian and left. Guangtian was still crying for candied hawthorns, and Liu Haizhong slapped him hard on the butt, making him cry even louder.

Gou Sheng and Tie Niu watched in astonishment. Only after Liu Haizhong had walked away did they approach and ask, "Master, is Liu Haizhong up to no good?"

"He dares?" He Yuzhu patted the broadsword on the weapon rack, the back of the blade making a dull sound. "We've done nothing wrong, what kind of nonsense can he spout? If he really dares to cause trouble, I'll report his son bullying children to the neighborhood committee and see who loses face."

Despite saying that, he still kept a watchful eye on things. At lunchtime, he specifically asked Gousheng to keep an eye on things at the alley entrance to see if Liu Haizhong really went to the neighborhood office. As a result, Gousheng ran back and reported that he saw Liu Haizhong loitering in front of Zhang the butcher's house, muttering "What is He Yuzhu?", but he didn't go in the direction of the neighborhood office.

"I told you he wouldn't dare." He Yuzhu shoveled the sorghum rice in his bowl, eating it with pickled vegetables with relish. "That guy, he's all talk and no action, but when it comes to something serious, he's more of a coward than anyone else."

Unexpectedly, although Liu Haizhong didn't go to the neighborhood office, he stirred up trouble in the courtyard. That afternoon, He Yuzhu went to fetch water and overheard people in the courtyard gossiping: "Have you heard? The He family martial arts school is so arrogant, they won't even accept Director Liu's son..." "That's right, just because they got two awards? They really think they're something special..."

He placed the bucket on the well platform, coughed, and the chatter immediately stopped. Yan Bugui poked his head out of the house and winked at him, meaning, "Don't bother with them."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything and carried the water home. When he reached the middle courtyard, he bumped into Zhang Guifen distributing cabbages to the neighbors. When she saw him, she quickly hid the cabbages behind her back, her face turning red and white in turns.

"Aunt Zhang, serving the vegetables?" He Yuzhu deliberately shook the bucket, splashing water onto the ground which froze into small ice shards. "I heard Uncle Liu has been talking about me in the yard lately? Is it because he thinks my martial arts school has too high a bar, or that my rules for teaching disciples are too strict?"

Zhang Guifen stammered, unable to speak, while several neighbors nearby lowered their heads, pretending to look at the ants on the ground. He Yuzhu sneered, carrying water straight past, the buckets slamming against the doorframe with a loud "bang," as if putting an end to this silent discussion.

Less than three days later, Liu Haizhong ambushed He Yuzhu at the alley entrance again. This time, he didn't bring Liu Guangtian, but he was carrying a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and had an unnatural smile on his face: "Yuzhu, I was wrong the other day. I spoke a bit harshly... Take this liquor, consider it my apology."

He Yuzhu glanced at the bottle; the label was almost falling off, clearly the cheapest kind he'd bought from a grocery store. He didn't take it, crossing his arms and looking at Liu Haizhong: "Uncle Liu, just say what you want to say, no need for this."

Liu Haizhong put the wine bottle on the stone stool next to him and rubbed his hands together. "Actually, I've thought it through. You're right, Guangtian needs to be taught a lesson... Why don't you be lenient? Let him try it out for a month. If it doesn't work out, I'll take him away immediately."

His soft words surprised He Yuzhu for a moment. Just then, he saw Liu Guangtian run past the alley entrance, a wooden stick in his hand, chasing and hitting a stray cat, shouting, "I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death!"

He Yuzhu pointed to the figure's back and said to Liu Haizhong, "See? Is this what you mean by 'having figured it out'? Uncle Liu, instead of trying to teach him martial arts, why not teach him to hold back even when he's a cat? When he can do that, come find me."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back. Liu Haizhong stood there, looking at the Erguotou in his hand, then at his son chasing the cat. His face turned pale and then red. Finally, he smashed the bottle on the ground and cursed, "You little brat! I've been groveling for you for nothing!" His voice was so loud that half the alley could hear it.

After that, Liu Haizhong started to compete with He Yuzhu. Every day when they met in the courtyard, he would either turn his head away and pretend not to see her, or say in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, is the head instructor going to teach his disciples to do good deeds again?" As a result, Zhang Guifen always avoided the He family members.

But the martial arts school's reputation grew better and better. Not only did the children in the alley want to become its students, but even people from the neighboring alleys would brave the snow to inquire about it. He Yuzhu set even stricter rules: students had to learn to read before learning martial arts, and Xu Xiuli would come to teach them three nights a week; after practice, students had to help the neighbors carry water and shovel snow, and anyone who was lazy would be punished by having to stand in a horse stance for an hour.

That evening, He Yuzhu was teaching his apprentices "Plum Blossom Pole" when Gou Sheng suddenly pointed outside the wall and shouted, "Master! Look!"

A red ribbon, tied to the old locust tree outside the wall, fluttered merrily in the wind. Beneath the tree lay a basket containing eggs and brown sugar collected by the neighbors, with a note tucked under it in Yan Bugui's handwriting: "The martial arts school works hard; these are some to help you recover."

Looking at the string of red silk, He Yuzhu suddenly remembered what He Yuyang had said before leaving: "Practicing martial arts is not just for fighting, but also for protecting—protecting your home, protecting your neighbors, and protecting the principles in your heart." He looked down at his disciples' backs, which were red from the cold but still straight, and suddenly felt that the wooden plaque of this martial arts school was heavier and brighter than ever before.

As dusk deepened, the lights in the martial arts school came on, casting a warm glow on the four characters "He Family Martial Arts School." The shadows of the students practicing their forms were projected onto the wall, each movement precise and disciplined, much like how He Yuyang had led him through horse stance training in the courtyard years ago. The alley was quiet, save for the shouts emanating from the martial arts school, mingling with the distant wind, creating a solid and powerful melody in the winter night.