Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

The hum of the wheels gradually faded away, and the sky over Beijing was a hazy gray, pressing down on the city. The noise on the platform was like a pot of boiling water.

Jia Dongming, carrying his worn-out military satchel, followed the flow of people out of the carriage.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of coal smoke and dust, a smell that was both strange and familiar, as if I had smelled it in some broken dream.

He stopped and took a deep breath.

The dry, cold wind of early winter in the north filled my lungs, temporarily suppressing the memories of iron and fire, smoke and shouts in my chest.

Within the body of a twenty-six-year-old lies two drastically different lives.

One story ends with shrapnel burning in a foreign jungle, while the other begins with a cold stone pillar on the street when I was eight years old.

The two fragments of Jia Dongming are intertwined and struggle within this flesh and blood, and the one who survives in the end is a complex soul that remembers jungle tactics and vaguely retains the outline of a courtyard house.

Father Jia Youcai, Mother Zhang Cuihua—their names are anchors, firmly anchored in the shallows of consciousness, but many more details, such as the direction the house faces and the faces of their siblings, remain sunk in the deep pool of memory, vague and indistinct, impossible to retrieve.

On the day I left the army, many familiar faces gazed at me from the platform.

There were no words of farewell, only neat military salutes, like a silent forest.

He turned and boarded the train, leaving behind his unfulfilled career as deputy regimental commander, the shadow of the military court, and the ferocious looks in the eyes of the Indian prisoners as they lay dying.

Killing prisoners of war—that cold military rule—cut off his usual path to advancement.

The protection from his superiors gave him a dignified exit, but it also took away the very soil he was most familiar with for survival.

Now, he stands on the edge of this vast and unfamiliar city.

The letter of introduction in my hand was slightly damp with sweat, and the edges of the paper were curled up a bit.

The few simple lines above determined his future destination: the security department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

The factory gate was tall, and the brick walls were covered with faded slogans.

The young man standing guard at the gate stood ramrod straight, his eyes filled with a vigilance and seriousness unique to this era.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?"

Almost instinctively, Jia Dongming brought his heels together and raised his hand in salute.

His movements were clean and efficient, a mark etched into his bones by years of military service. "Hello comrade, I'm Jia Dongming, reporting for duty at the factory."

He handed over that thin piece of paper.

The young guard took it, his gaze quickly sweeping across the paper before suddenly looking up and landing on his face.

The wariness in his eyes was instantly replaced by surprise, then transformed into a slightly tense respect. *Snap*

With a thud, the young man stood even straighter, his salute almost stiff with perfect form.

"Section Chief Jia! Hello! I'm Wang Jianjun, a member of the First Brigade of the Security Section, currently on gate duty!"

Section Chief.

This word stirred a very faint ripple in Jia Dongming's heart.

He was no longer Company Commander Jia, nor Battalion Commander Jia, but Section Chief Jia.

An identity that needs to be relearned and faced anew.

He looked at Wang Jianjun's young but tense face, which was filled with apprehension towards his "superiors".

A natural sense of distance.

Jia Dongming's face was expressionless; he simply nodded casually, his voice low but carrying a calmness that commanded respect: "Comrade Wang Jianjun, I haven't officially completed the formalities yet, so I'm not officially in office."

No need for that, let's just be casual.

The casualness in his tone

This is not just polite talk, but a kind of indifference towards such class differences after experiencing real life-or-death situations.

This calmness startled Wang Jianjun, and his tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly.

Wang Jianjun took the paper stamped with the red seal, examined it carefully, and then handed it back with both hands. "Section Chief Jia,"

His tone carried the cautious politeness typical of factory workers: "Personnel matters are directly under the jurisdiction of Deputy Factory Director Li in logistics."

You need to get his signature.

Why don't you sit inside for a while, and I'll find someone who knows the way to take you there?

Jia Dongming nodded and thanked him.

A short while later, Wang Jianjun returned, followed by a young man wearing a faded blue cotton jacket. "Sorry to keep you waiting,"

Wang Jianjun stepped aside to let him pass. "This is Guo Weiguo from our department."

Let him take you to Deputy Factory Director Li; it'll be convenient.

The young man immediately stepped forward, his back ramrod straight: "Section Chief Jia, Deputy Factory Director Li's office is on the second floor of the administration building."

Please follow me.

Jia Dongming followed Guo Weiguo out of the security room.

The sunlight was a bit too bright, so he squinted.

A few days ago, there were rumors in the department that the new department head had been on the battlefield and had made meritorious contributions.

Guo Weiguo had thought about it; such a character should be an elder who had experienced many hardships and had a melancholy look in his eyes.

But the man beside him walked briskly, and the lines of his profile even still showed some youthful energy, which was quite different from what he had imagined.

A faint smell of dust and old paper lingered in the administration building.

Guo Weiguo stopped in front of a dark-colored wooden door, bent his knuckles, and knocked three times, neither too hard nor too softly.

"Deputy Factory Director Li,"

He raised his voice slightly, "The newly transferred head of the security department, Jia Dongming, has arrived. He's here to complete his onboarding process."

The sound of a chair being moved came from inside the door.

Jia Dongming stepped inside, and the person behind the desk had already stood up.

In that instant, a strange sense of familiarity swept over me, so quickly that it was impossible to grasp.

He suppressed his unease, stepped forward, and handed over the letter of introduction he had been holding. "Director Li, hello."

"I'm Jia Dongming, reporting for duty."

Li Huaide's smile was perfectly warm as he walked around the table to greet Jia Dongming, shaking his hand. "Comrade Jia Dongming! We've been waiting for you!"

The ministry leaders personally gave instructions; we've been prepared for a long time, just waiting for you, a capable leader, to take charge.

These words were quite harsh, and Jia Dongming's face showed a hint of fear as he pushed the letter of introduction forward further. "You flatter me too much."

I will need your guidance in my future work.

"Of course, of course."

Li Huaide took the letter, turned around and handed it to Guo Weiguo, who was still waiting at the door. He spoke quickly and clearly, "Xiao Guo, go and take this to the personnel department and get all the paperwork done for Section Chief Jia."

After that, go to the warehouse and collect all the necessary work safety supplies according to the section chief's standards.

He paused, as if suddenly remembering an important trivial matter, and added, "Oh, right, before going to the personnel department, make a detour to the second canteen first."

Tell the cafeteria manager that there's an important reception at noon, and ask Sha Zhu to prepare a few of his signature dishes to welcome Section Chief Jia.

"Silly Pillar"

The two words, like a small key, gently and precisely unlocked a long-forgotten corner of Jia Dongming's memory.

Almost simultaneously, another string of names—Jia Youcai, Zhang Cuihua—emerged from the depths of my heart without warning, bringing a chill.

He suddenly remembered a noisy TV series he had watched many years ago, in which there seemed to be a character named "Silly Zhu".

There was a cook and a mean old lady, whose surname seemed to be Jia.

An absurd yet clear thought seized him.

He composed himself, looked at Li Huaide, and tentatively asked in a casual tone, "Director Li, this 'Silly Zhu' you mentioned... is his full name He Yuzhu?"

Li Huaide was about to sit back down when he heard this, he paused, a genuine look of surprise flashing across his face. "Huh? Section Chief Jia knows him?"

This question confirmed the absurd idea.

Jia Dongming's sliver of hope... *pfft*

The fire went out, like a piece of charcoal doused with cold water.

He actually fell into that story and even replaced a character whose name was never mentioned in the original work—the eldest son of the Jia family, who was supposed to be dead long ago.

An indescribable sense of suffocation welled up in his chest, but the situation before him prevented him from thinking about it in detail.

"I don't know him."

He shook his head and gave a flat smile. "It's just that the nickname sounds interesting, like I've heard it somewhere before."

Mentioning Sha Zhu, Li Huaide let out a barely audible snort, and his warm smile faded slightly. "His cooking skills are impeccable, but he's stubborn and has no sense of hierarchy."

He waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to talk more, and quickly brought the topic back, "Section Chief Jia, after your transfer order came down, the factory held a special meeting to discuss your treatment arrangements."

In the conference room, Director Yang gently pushed the documents aside, looked up and said, "According to regulations, officers at the battalion level who are transferred to civilian positions must be demoted by half a rank."

My suggestion is to set it at level sixteen, with a monthly salary of 115 yuan.

Sitting opposite, Li Huaide smiled slightly and waited for Director Yang to finish speaking before slowly saying, "Comrade Jia Dongming's situation is rather special—he has served in the military for more than ten years and has been awarded three military merits."

I suggest raising it by half a level, setting it at level 15, with a monthly salary of 135 yuan.

Let's vote.

In the steel rolling mill, everyone knows that Deputy Director Li has his flaws, but he also has his merits: he does things once he takes money, and he never shirks his promises.

Compared to some people who talk about principles but secretly scheme, they seem straightforward.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming immediately understood—this was an attempt to use his affair to put Director Yang in a difficult position.

The Security Section is under the dual leadership of the department and the factory's Party Committee, making its position sensitive.

The olive branch was offered at just the right time.

"Director Li, I won't say much more about my thanks."

Jia Dongming stood up and said calmly, "There's still a long way to go, take your time to see."

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was already conveyed.

A smile appeared on Li Huaide's face, and he took the opportunity to bring up another matter: "Regarding housing allocation, we should arrange dormitory-style buildings according to rank."

The building is currently full, and there aren't any vacant rooms available anytime soon.

He paused, then took out a set of keys from the drawer: "The factory has a separate courtyard next to No. 95 Tongluoguxiang, about 300 square meters, which was originally assigned to a senior engineer."

The person was transferred to Dongbei six months ago, and the house has been empty ever since.

"If you don't mind, you can stay here for now?"

Of course, living quarters are convenient.

But Jia Dongming knew in his heart: what price would a courtyard in Beijing be worth in a few decades?

His expression remained unchanged, and he simply nodded: "I will obey the organization's arrangements."

Li Huaide secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately picked up the phone and cranked the handle: "Is this the Housing and Construction Department? Send two teams to Tongluoguxiang immediately to clean up the courtyard; it must be habitable tonight."

He hung up the microphone and then opened a drawer to take out a brown paper envelope: "Having just returned from military service, all kinds of ration coupons and certificates must be in short supply."

This is just a small contribution I put together myself, please don't refuse.

The demobilization pay issued by the army was still sitting at the bottom of his drawer; what Jia Dongming lacked were hard currencies like grain coupons and cloth coupons.

He took the envelope and felt its thickness with his fingertips: "A timely help in need."

"Director Li, I'll remember that."

Around noon, the melody of "We Workers Have Strength" played over the loudspeaker.

Qin Huairu took off her sleeves, picked up the faded cloth bag, and walked towards the second canteen.

She had just reached the canteen entrance with the flow of people when she stopped in her tracks—not far away, Deputy Factory Director Li was walking side by side with a young man toward the canteen.

The young man's profile made her gasp.

so similar.

The way he walks, the curve of his shoulders...

"Huairu?"

A voice came from behind me.

Yi Zhonghai approached, carrying an aluminum lunchbox, and followed her gaze. "What are you looking at?"

Qin Huairu snapped back to her senses, and when she looked up again, the two people had already disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

She gripped the cloth bag strap tightly, her voice slightly shaky: "Uncle... that man just now looked exactly like Dongxu."

Yi Zhonghai squinted at the empty corridor as several cadres walked by, chatting and laughing.

He shook his head: "You must be seeing things."

"Go get the food quickly, the child must be hungry."

Qin Huairu stood still.

The midday sun slanted in through the high window, and dust particles swirled slowly in the beams of light.

She suddenly felt that something was quietly cracking open in an unseen place on this ordinary afternoon.

After hearing this, Yi Zhonghai thought that Qin Huairu had been momentarily confused, so he smiled kindly and said, "Huairu, Bang Geng and the others are still waiting for you to bring them food. Hurry up and go in to get the dishes."

Upon hearing about the child, Qin Huairu's doubts vanished instantly, and she hurriedly turned and walked into the cafeteria.