Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

Next Saturday, before dawn, the courtyard was already bustling with activity.

Liu Shuanzhu was the first to get up. He put on a jacket and went out into the yard. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was clear and bright without a single cloud. It was an auspicious day for a wedding.

He nodded in satisfaction, turned around and went back into the house to wake Wang Xiuhe.

"Mom, get up! It's Erhe's wedding day, don't sleep in."

Wang Xiuhe had actually been awake for a while. How could a mother sleep soundly on the day her son got married?

As soon as Liu Shuanzhu called out, she jumped up in a flash. She had two obvious dark circles under her eyes, but she was full of energy.

"Erhe! Erhe! Are you up yet?" Wang Xiuhe walked to Liu Erhe's door and pounded on the door, calling out.

Liu Erhe couldn't sleep last night, tossing and turning in bed, going over the things he needed to do that day in his mind several times. The more he thought about it, the more awake he became, and the more awake he became, the more nervous he became. He finally managed to doze off for a while in the middle of the night. When he heard Wang Xiuhe's voice, he sat up with a start and realized that it was already dawn. He hurriedly and frantically got dressed.

Liu Tingting was also woken up. Rubbing her eyes, she came out of Wang Xiuhe and Liu Shuanzhu's house. When she saw the big red "double happiness" characters and red lanterns in the yard, she was stunned for two seconds. Suddenly she remembered that today was the day her second brother was getting married, and she immediately woke up.

"Second brother! Second brother! Are you wearing new clothes today?"

Liu Erhe poked his head out of the house; he had already changed into his newly made Zhongshan suit. It was made of blue-gray khaki fabric, with a stand-up collar, five buttons, and a small red silk flower pinned to the left breast pocket, with two ribbons hanging below.

He had this outfit custom-made at a tailor shop in Qianmen Dashilan, which cost him almost half a month's salary, but it looked great on him, making him look several times more energetic.

"I've put it on, how does it look?" Liu Erhe stood at the doorway, somewhat embarrassed, tugged at the hem of his clothes, and turned around to show Liu Tingting.

Liu Tingting tilted her head and glanced at him, then commented earnestly, "Second brother, you look so good today! Even better than eldest brother!"

Liu Erhe laughed, squatted down and pinched Liu Tingting's cheek: "If your older brother heard you say that, he'd spank you."

"My older brother would never hit me!" Liu Tingting said matter-of-factly. "My older brother loves me the most!"

Liu Erhe straddled the bicycle borrowed from Liu Shuanzhu, with a red ribbon tied to the handlebars and a bright red cushion strapped to the back seat. Amidst the laughter of the neighbors, he sped out of the alley.

Liu Shuanzhu stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching his son turn the corner. He then turned around, rolled up his sleeves, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Neighbors, lend a hand! Bring out the tables and chairs, there's a celebration in our courtyard today!"

The courtyard gradually became lively. He Daqing was the first to arrive. He laid out the kitchen utensils in the backyard kitchen, tied on his apron, and began directing several middle-aged women who came to help to pick, wash, and chop vegetables.

"Aunt Chen, wash that cabbage and cut it into shreds, thick or thin is fine, but not too thick, otherwise it won't absorb the flavor."

"Aunt Li, has the meat been cut yet? Yes? Let me see it... Hmm, okay, the thickness is about right, that's fine."

"Old Liu! Old Liu! Have you fried that sauce yet? Hurry up and fry it! We need to get it ready before Erhe comes back from picking up the bride. The broth for the braised noodles also needs to be simmered in advance; the longer it simmers, the more fragrant it becomes!"

He Daqing was shouting orders in the backyard kitchen, his voice so loud that it could be heard in the front yard.

Liu Shuanzhu brought out an eight-immortal table from the house and placed it in the middle of the courtyard. After wiping it clean, he moved a few chairs. Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, Xu Fugui, and several others came over one after another and sat down around the eight-immortal table. Liu Shuanzhu offered cigarettes to each of them.

"Master Liu, congratulations!" Yi Zhonghai, sitting at the head of the table, accepted the cigarette Liu Shuanzhu offered. "Getting a daughter-in-law is a joyous occasion; your family will have one more member from now on."

Liu Shuanzhu sat down next to Yi Zhonghai, smiling and nodding: "Congratulations, congratulations! Master Yi, you're right. With one more person, it'll be more lively from now on."

Liu Haizhong chimed in, "Master Liu, Erhe is a hardworking and reliable young man. We've also met the Liang family's daughter; she's beautiful and has a good personality. You and your wife are truly blessed."

After smoking for a while, Yi Zhonghai suddenly asked, "Master Liu, it's Erhe's wedding today, isn't your eldest son coming back?"

Liu Shuanzhu took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and shook his head: "He's busy with work and can't get away. He doesn't have time to come back."

"Oh—" Yi Zhonghai drawled out the sound, nodded, and said nothing more.

Xu Fugui suddenly spoke up at this moment: "Master Liu, where does your eldest son work? Last time he came back, he was wearing a military uniform and had a gun on his waist. He was quite a figure."

As soon as the question was asked, everyone at the table perked up their ears.

Liu Shuanzhu stubbed out his cigarette and smiled, "I don't know either."

This answer clearly failed to satisfy anyone present.

"You don't know?" Liu Haizhong frowned, his voice rising a few decibels. "That's your son. Don't you know where he works?"

Liu Shuanzhu waved his hand: "Old Liu, to be honest with you, I really don't know. My eldest son left home when he was twelve and has been serving in the army for so many years. He hasn't written to us much. I asked him the day he came back, and he said he couldn't talk about things in the army, it's classified. I'm just a cook, I don't know anything about those things, so I didn't ask him anymore. Anyway, he's back safe and sound, that's better than anything."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, as if to show understanding, but the probing look in his eyes did not diminish at all.

He believed Liu Shuanzhu's words, but only half of them. It was true that the eldest son of the Liu family was a soldier, but he was definitely not just an ordinary soldier. Just from the uniform, the jeep, and the demeanor of the bodyguard that day, he could tell that the eldest son held a high position in the army. As for his specific rank, whether Liu Shuanzhu knew or not, that was unclear.

Yan Bugui spat out the sunflower seed shells, adjusted his glasses, and interjected, "Master Liu, your eldest son bought a lot of things last time he came back, right? Flour, canned goods, liquor, meat—that must have cost a fortune. I saw that case of Fenjiu, twelve bottles—tsk tsk, that must have cost a lot. Did you use all that stuff for the wedding today?"

The people at the table all glanced at Yan Bugui, their expressions subtle. Yi Zhonghai picked up his teacup and took a sip, trying to hide the twitching at the corner of his mouth. Liu Haizhong rolled his eyes and lowered his head to smoke. Xu Fugui stared expressionlessly at the teapot on the table.

Yan Bugui was known in the courtyard for being extremely frugal, always trying to stretch every penny in half. When Liu Yuheng came back last time and bought those things, he probably estimated the price of each item in his mind. Now that he was saying it, it was hard to tell if he was genuinely curious or just jealous.

Liu Shuanzhu didn't seem to mind, and said with a smile, "Old He has taken care of everything, and there's still a case of liquor left. Drink as much as you want today, plenty of Fenjiu!"

Upon hearing the words "all you can eat of Fenjiu," Yan Bugui's eyes lit up. He licked his lips and beamed with a smile: "Oh dear, I'll have to have a couple of drinks and share in Master Liu's good fortune."

Xu Fugui ignored Yan Bugui and turned to Liu Shuanzhu to continue asking, "Master Liu, what year did your eldest son join the army?"

Liu Shuanzhu thought for a moment and said, "37 years."

"37 years? That's twelve years!"

Yi Zhonghai nodded slightly, his expression becoming even more serious. Twelve years of military service, fighting since 1937 and still alive, and even returning alive—that in itself speaks volumes. Someone who fights for twelve years on the battlefield and emerges unscathed is either incredibly lucky, exceptionally skilled, or both.

Xu Fugui didn't ask any more questions, remaining outwardly calm, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. He quickly did some mental calculations: He joined the army in 1937, fought for more than ten years, and now it's 1949. According to the promotion speed in the army, if he had always been in combat units and hadn't made any major mistakes... he would at least be a regimental commander.

Considering the entourage he brought when he returned last time—jeeps, bodyguards, and that intimidating aura—even a regimental commander might not be able to control him; it could easily be a brigade commander or even a division commander.

The Liu family is about to prosper.

Xu Fugui silently re-evaluated Liu Shuanzhu's worth in his mind.

As the group was chatting, a bicycle bell rang out from the courtyard gate.

"Erhe is back! Erhe is back from his wedding!"

Liu Erhe slowly rode in from the alley entrance, with Liang Fangfang, dressed in a red wedding dress, tightly holding Liu Erhe's waist on the back seat.

Liu Erhe parked his bicycle at the entrance of the courtyard house, got off the bike first, and then carefully helped Liang Fangfang down.

Liang Fangfang was helped into the east wing by Liu Erhe.

Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe were already seated in the main room. Liu Shuanzhu sat on the left and Wang Xiuhe on the right, with a bowl of tea in front of each of them.

Liu Erhe helped Liang Fangfang kneel down on the prayer mat. Liang Fangfang first picked up a bowl of tea, held it with both hands, and respectfully offered it to Liu Shuanzhu: "Father, have some tea."

Liu Shuanzhu took the teacup, took a sip, put the teacup down, took out a red paper packet from his pocket, and handed it over.

"Erhe, you're married now, you're an adult. Treat Fangfang well and live a good life."

Wang Xiuhe's eyes were red as she took the tea Liang Fangfang handed her and took a sip. "Fangfang, from now on you're a member of the Liu family. If Erhe dares to bully you, tell your mother, and she'll deal with him."

Liang Fangfang gave a soft "Mmm".

After serving the tea, Liu Erhe helped Liang Fangfang to her feet, turned around, walked to the entrance of the main room, and called out to the courtyard, "Dear neighbors, relatives, and friends, today is my wedding day, Liu Erhe. Thank you all for coming! The banquet will begin soon, please take your seats!"