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

Inside the house, the family was gathered around the dining table waiting for him to return. When Wang Xiuhe saw Liu Erhe lift the curtain and come in, she put down her work and her gaze fell on the cloth bag he was carrying.

Liu Erhe placed the cloth bag on the table, untied it, and inside were several jars of fruit and two packages of groceries wrapped in oil paper. He said to Wang Xiuhe, "Mother, these are things my sister-in-law gave us. She said they were some of the rations my brother was given to us, and since we couldn't finish them, she asked us to bring them back."

Wang Xiuhe took it and looked at it, saying "They've spent money on this again," while she quickly put the items into the cabinet.

The family sat down to eat again. Liu Shuanzhu picked up his bowl of porridge, took a sip, and casually asked, "Was the letter delivered? What did your brother say?"

Liu Erhe picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it before speaking: "It's been delivered. It's a letter from one of my brother's old subordinates. That person is getting married and wanted to share the good news. My brother was very happy when he read the letter, wrote a reply on the spot, and even gave me a hundred yuan to send along as a wedding gift."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuhe paused in her chopsticks, a hint of reluctance on her face: "One hundred yuan? That's so much."

Liang Fangfang, standing beside her, was also slightly taken aback, clearly shocked by the number.

Liu Erhe, however, didn't have much sentimentality. While eating, he said, "My brother earns 310 yuan a month now. 100 yuan is only a matter of ten days. His old subordinate has followed him for many years and is injured. Whatever he's willing to give is what he feels comfortable with."

Wang Xiuhe thought about it and agreed that it made sense, so she didn't say anything more, just shook her head and continued eating.

Liu Erhe shoveled a couple more mouthfuls of rice, then, as if remembering something, put down his chopsticks and said in a more serious tone, "Oh, right, my brother also mentioned something. He's been transferred to civilian work and officially moved to a local position a couple of days ago, working at the Second Ministry of Machine Building."

Several people in the room looked up at the same time.

Liu Tingting was the first to ask: "Retiring from the military? Brother, you're not joining the army anymore?"

Liu Erhe nodded: "Didn't he say before he was awarded his rank that he might transfer to civilian work? Now it's just been arranged. His new unit is also in charge of military industry, so it's still related to his previous work. It's not a complete career change."

Liu Shuanzhu held his bowl and thought for a while, then nodded and didn't ask any further questions. As someone who cooked in a restaurant, he really didn't know much about these ministries and departments; as long as Liu Yuheng thought it was good, that was fine with him.

Liu Tingting clearly wasn't very interested in the ministry's affairs; her mind was already on something else. She put down her chopsticks and eagerly asked, "Second Brother! What about the bicycle tickets? Do you have them?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Erhe couldn't suppress his smile. He put down his chopsticks, reached into his pocket, pulled out the bicycle receipt stamped with the official seal, waved it in front of everyone, and then handed it to Liang Fangfang: "Since you're in charge of selling bicycles at the supply and marketing cooperative, you know the quality of those bikes best. Tomorrow when you go to work, pick out a good one, and I'll come over after get off work to pay and pick it up."

Liang Fangfang took the ticket, examined it carefully, then folded it neatly and put it in her inner pocket, nodding: "Okay."

Liu Tingting was so excited she couldn't sit still. She leaned forward and said, "Second Brother! When you buy it, I want to learn to ride a bicycle too! Teach me when I have my vacation!"

Liu Erhe laughed and agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll teach you then, but you have to do well on your high school entrance exam first, otherwise I won't take care of you."

Liu Tingting pouted, but she couldn't hide the joy on her face. After eating a couple of bites of rice, she looked up at the pocket where Liang Fangfang had put her bicycle ticket, as if she was already planning to learn to drive after the holiday.

Inside, under the warm yellow light, the family ate dinner and chatted. The sound of chopsticks clinking against the rim of bowls and the occasional burst of laughter mingled together, creating a particularly comforting atmosphere in the late autumn night. A few distant voices and barks drifted from the alley outside the window, quickly swallowed by the darkness.

Wang Xiuhe wiped Liu Yixuan's mouth, then put a piece of food on Liu Erhe's plate, muttering "Eat more," her smile impossible to hide.

Liang Fangfang sat next to him, her hand unconsciously touching the pocket where the bicycle tickets were kept, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Erhe woke up.

He lay in bed with his eyes open for a while, and when he heard neighbors walking and talking in the yard, he sat up, quickly dressed, and went to the yard to wash up.

Wang Xiuhe was already busy at the stove. The porridge in the pot was bubbling and steaming, and there was a dish of pickled vegetables and two steamed buns on the stove.

Liu Erhe sat down at the table, picked up his bowl of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and took a big gulp. He glanced at Liang Fangfang, who was feeding Liu Yixuan across from him, and couldn't help but add, "Fangfang, don't forget to pick a good bicycle for work today. The frame should be sturdy, the chain smooth, and preferably without any scratches or dents..."

Liang Fangfang's spoon froze in mid-air. She looked up and glared at him, her tone a mix of helplessness and amusement: "Alright, alright, you've been talking about this since last night until this morning. I'm tired of listening, even if you're not. I sell bicycles at the supply and marketing cooperative. Do you think I don't know which bicycles are good and which are bad? Don't worry, I'll definitely pick a good one. I guarantee I'll be the most impressive one in the yard when I ride it."

Hearing her say that, Liu Erhe chuckled twice, stopped nagging, finished his porridge, took a cornbread and put it in his pocket, stood up and said, "Then I'm off. I'll go to the post office to mail the letter today."

He pushed the bicycle he had borrowed from his father-in-law out of the courtyard gate, got on, and pedaled hard, the bicycle wobbling as it rode out of the alley.

Liu Erhe rode for a while, making two turns, and stopped in front of the Dongzhimen Post Office. He propped his bike up under a locust tree by the entrance, locked it, and went inside.

The post office lobby was still somewhat dimly lit, with the lights behind the counter just turned on, emitting a warm white glow.

A young woman was standing in front of the counter, wearing the post office's blue uniform, her hair tied in a short ponytail. She was tidying up the forms on the table and didn't look up when she heard the door open.

Liu Erhe walked to the counter, took the envelope out of his pocket and placed it on the counter, and politely said, "Hello comrade, I'm here to send a letter and make a remittance."

The woman didn't even look up, her hands still busy with her work, her voice carrying the faint, businesslike quality typical of someone just starting work in the morning: "It's not time for work yet, you can wait here for a bit."

Liu Erhe was taken aback by her words. He opened his mouth, wanted to say something but then swallowed it back. He could only take the envelope back, retreat to the bench next to him, and take out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Just as he was about to smoke one to relieve his boredom, he suddenly heard someone call his name from behind.

"Futwa?"