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

Yao Qingwan took the letter, glanced at it, then handed it back to him, nodding: "So, what are your plans?"

Liu Yuheng folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll write him a reply and give him a gift. After all, he's been my subordinate for many years, and I can't let him feel disheartened." As he spoke, he turned to Yao Qingwan, his tone somewhat pleading, "Could you go and get me a hundred yuan? Consider it our gift."

Yao Qingwan nodded and turned to go into the bedroom.

Liu Yuheng turned to Liu Erhe: "Erhe, wait for me a moment. I'll write a reply. Please mail it for me tomorrow." After saying that, he went into the study and sat down at the desk.

He opened the drawer, took out letter paper and a pen, thought for a moment, wrote a few lines, then read them over again. He folded the letter paper, put it in a new envelope, wrote Wang Sanyong's address on it, and got up to leave.

Just then, Yao Qingwan came out with the money. Liu Yuheng put a hundred yuan into an envelope and handed it to Liu Erhe: "Erhe, this contains the money and a reply. Please find some time tomorrow to mail it to me by registered mail. Don't lose it."

Liu Erhe took it and carefully tucked it into his pocket: "Don't worry, brother, I'll mail it to you first thing tomorrow morning when I pass by the post office."

Liu Yuheng nodded and then said, "Stay for dinner. Your sister-in-law cooked several dishes today; there's enough for us."

Liu Erhe quickly waved his hand, "No, no, I'll eat at home. The food's ready at home." He hesitated for a moment, rubbed his hands together, and then spoke up a little embarrassedly, "Brother... um, there's something else I wanted to ask you. Do you have any bicycle vouchers? I want to buy a bicycle."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuheng laughed, "You've come at the right time. I just reported to my new workplace today, and they gave me one." He turned and went back to his study, took out a small receipt stamped with the company seal from a drawer, walked back, and handed it to Liu Erhe, "Take this. It's good that you're here, so I don't have to bring it to you later."

Liu Erhe took the ticket, looked down at it, and finally felt relieved.

He was about to thank him when he suddenly remembered something and looked up at Liu Yuheng: "Brother, you just said you were reporting to your new unit? You've been transferred?"

Liu Yuheng nodded, his tone calm: "He has already transferred to civilian work, from the military to a local job."

Upon hearing this, Liu Erhe's expression immediately changed, and his voice carried a hint of nervousness: "Transferred to civilian work? What...what happened? Did you do something wrong?"

Liu Yuheng was both amused and exasperated by his words. His face darkened slightly, and he said irritably, "What are you thinking! Didn't I tell you before I was awarded the rank that I might be transferred to a local job? This is just an arrangement."

Liu Erhe then realized that Liu Yuheng had indeed mentioned this before, and breathed a sigh of relief, scratching the back of his head: "Then...where was he transferred to?"

Liu Yuheng smiled and said, "The Second Ministry of Machine Building will be in charge of the military industry from now on. Alright, don't worry about it, I'm doing fine here."

Liu Erhe was finally relieved, nodded, and carefully put the bicycle ticket into his pocket.

Liu Yuheng then said, "By the way, do you want me to have the driver take you home? It's getting dark, and the road isn't short."

Liu Erhe quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, I came by my father-in-law's bicycle, I'll be home in a bit. Brother, sister-in-law, I'll be going now." He turned and walked towards the door.

As if remembering something, Yao Qingwan quickly went into the inner room, took out some things, and called out to him, "Erhe, wait a moment."

She was carrying a cloth bag containing several canned goods and two packets of groceries, and said, "Take these back to your parents."

Liu Erhe quickly declined, saying, "Sister-in-law, no need. We have food at home; you can keep it for yourselves."

Yao Qingwan stuffed the bag into his hand, her tone gentle yet firm: "Take it, it's all some stuff your brother was issued. We can't finish it all at home, so it's just sitting there."

Liu Erhe looked at the bag in his hand, then at Liu Yuheng. Liu Yuheng nodded to him, and he accepted it, thanked him, and turned to leave.

When Liu Erhe turned into Nanluoguxiang on his bicycle, it was already completely dark. He slowed down, and the cloth bag hanging on the handlebars swayed gently with the movement of the bicycle, the canned goods and groceries inside occasionally clinking together with a soft tinkling sound.

Lights were on in every window of the house in the courtyard, warm yellow light filtering through the paper windows and casting blurry shadows on the blue brick floor. As Liu Erhe stepped into the courtyard, he heard a greeting from beside him: "Oh, Erhe's back?"

He glanced to the side and saw Yan Bugui squatting on the stone steps in front of his house, holding a large tea mug in his hand, with a pair of scissors and a few pruned flower branches at his feet. It looked like he had just finished watering the flowers and was taking a break at the door.

His gaze fell on the bicycle that Liu Erhe was pushing, and then swept over the cloth bag hanging on the handlebars. A hint of curiosity appeared on his face: "Erhe, where did you go? You're only coming back so late at night."

Liu Erhe slowed his pace, pushing the cart toward the east wing as he replied, "Going to my brother's place, something's come up." He didn't stop walking, clearly not wanting to linger in the courtyard.

Yan Bugui, however, had no intention of letting him off so easily. He put down his teacup, stood up, took two steps forward, his gaze still sweeping back and forth between the bicycle and the cloth bag, his tone carrying the usual mix of probing and enthusiasm: "Oh, your brother gave you something again? I see your handlebars are completely covered."

He glanced down at the bicycle again, as if suddenly remembering something, and raised his voice by half an octave, saying to Liu Erhe, "Erhe, this bicycle of yours... it wasn't a gift from your brother, was it? He's such a high-ranking official now, giving you a bicycle is a piece of cake for him, isn't it?"

Liu Erhe was both amused and exasperated by his words. He stopped and turned around to look at Yan Bugui: "Teacher Yan, what are you thinking? This bike belongs to my father-in-law. I just borrowed it for a bit, and I have to return it tomorrow."

He added, with a hint of sarcasm, "But don't worry, my brother gave me a bicycle ticket, so I'll have my own bicycle tomorrow."

After saying that, he didn't even look at the complicated expression on Yan Bugui's face, turned around and walked towards the east wing, pushed open the curtain and went into the room.

Yan Bugui stood there, holding his teacup, not moving for a long time. The words "bicycle ticket" kept swirling in his mind, and a string in his heart seemed to have been plucked, buzzing incessantly.

He stood at the door for a while before slowly squatting back down. He picked up the now-cold tea, took a sip, and stared at the light coming from the east wing. He wondered: Since Liu Yuheng could give his younger brother a bicycle ticket, if I could get on that bandwagon, could I get one too?

Once that plan popped into his mind, it grew wildly in his head like vines, impossible to suppress.