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

The courtyard suddenly became lively. He Daqing called out "Serve the dishes" from the kitchen in the backyard, and several middle-aged women filed out carrying trays, placing dishes of braised pork, shredded cabbage and pork, stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, cucumber salad, and fried peanuts on the table one after another.

Liu Shuanzhu arranged the main table at the entrance of the east wing, the best spot, sheltered from the sun and offering a clear view of the entire courtyard. He invited Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and Xu Fugui to the main table, and then sat down himself.

Liang Cheng sat next to Liu Shuanzhu. As the father-in-law, he was also one of the main characters today. He had a smile on his face the whole time, and his mouth never closed.

Liu Erhe was in charge of entertaining the young people at their table. Jia Dongxu, He Yuzhu, Xu Damao, Liu Guangqi, Yan Jiecheng, and several other young men of similar age filled the table.

At the other table were the women and children. Wang Xiuhe sat at the head of the table, with Liang Fangfang sitting next to her.

The deaf old lady sat next to Wang Xiuhe, Yi Zhonghai's wife sat next to the deaf old lady, and Liu Haizhong's wife sat next to her.

Jia Zhangshi sat at the very edge of the table, right next to where the dishes were served.

As soon as the dishes were served, Jia Zhangshi began to eat.

Her chopsticks moved like they were powered by a motor, darting quickly between the plates. When the braised pork arrived, she grabbed two pieces with one chopstick, popping one into her mouth and putting the other in her bowl. When the stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts came, she devoured half a plate of cured pork in one go.

Yi Zhonghai's wife sat next to her, watching her eat like this, opened her mouth as if to say something but then swallowed it back.

Liu Haizhong's wife glanced at Jia Zhangshi, frowned, but didn't say anything.

Wang Xiuhe's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. Today was Erhe's big day, and she couldn't let someone who didn't know the rules spoil the mood.

Although the deaf old lady was hard of hearing, her eyesight was excellent.

She sat across the table, several plates away, and could see Jia Zhangshi's every move clearly.

She slammed her chopsticks on the table: "Jia Erya, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Madam Jia paused for a moment, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air. She glanced at the deaf old woman, wanting to say something, but seeing the old woman's cloudy yet dignified eyes, she swallowed her words, gave an awkward smile, and slowed down.

The deaf old woman glanced at her, then turned to Wang Xiuhe and said, "Don't take her seriously. That's just how she is; she'll never change."

Wang Xiuhe quickly said, "It's alright, it's alright, ma'am, please have some vegetables. This braised pork is stewed until very tender, please try it."

The deaf old lady picked up a piece of braised pork, put it in her mouth and chewed slowly, but her eyes swept around the yard.

She had lived most of her life, and had seen warlords, Japanese devils, Nationalist Army officers, and all sorts of "big shots".

She could tell at a glance who was influential and who wasn't.

When Liu Yuheng came back last time, she was quite far away, but she still managed to get a general idea of ​​what was going on.

The young man stood there, and without saying a word, his aura alone was many times stronger than any of the gunmen she had ever seen before.

It's the kind of aura that only someone who has survived mountains of corpses and seas of blood possesses, someone whose hands are stained with countless lives, can cultivate such an aura.

"We can't afford to offend them." This was the conclusion the deaf old woman had drawn in her mind regarding the Liu family.

At the main table, after several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively. Liu Shuanzhu raised his glass and toasted everyone in turn, his wrinkled face beaming with joy: "Master Yi, Master Liu, Teacher Yan, Master Xu, my father-in-law, and my brothers, come on, let me toast you all again!"

Yi Zhonghai picked up his wine glass, clinked it with Liu Shuanzhu's, took a sip, put down his glass, and said with a smile, "Master Liu, now that Erhe is married, you've completed your mission. Next, it's time to start arranging things for your eldest son. He's twenty-five this year, isn't he? Time for him to get married."

Liu Shuanzhu waved his hand and said with a smile, "Let the boss decide his own affairs. We can't interfere, and it's none of our business. He might not even like the girls we find for him."

These words were very honest, but the people present each had their own thoughts after hearing them.

Liu Haizhong picked up his wine glass and raised it to Liu Shuanzhu: "Master Liu, your eldest son is promising, you're destined to enjoy life. Unlike us, Guangqi is a good student, but I don't know if he'll be able to get into university."

Yan Bugui was putting a piece of braised pork into his mouth when he heard Liu Haizhong mention children. He quickly interjected, "Our Jiecheng is still young, no rush. But speaking of which, Dongxu is seventeen now. Old Yi, as his master, shouldn't you start making arrangements for your apprentice?"

Yi Zhonghai paused slightly in his hand holding the wine glass, a smile on his face, but not in his eyes: "Dongxu is still young, no rush, let's talk about it in a couple of years."

He Daqing, holding a wine glass, stood up and toasted Liu Shuanzhu: "Master Liu, congratulations! This wedding was a great success. When my son, Shazhu, gets married, you'll have to come and help with the cooking!"

Liu Shuanzhu smiled and replied, "Of course, as long as you don't mind my poor cooking skills!"

Everyone laughed, and the laughter echoed in the courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai held his wine glass, took a sip, and then put it down. He stared at the amber-colored Fenjiu in the glass, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

Everyone present was talking about their children's weddings. Liu Haizhong was talking about Liu Guangqi, Xu Fugui was talking about Xu Damao, Yan Bugui was talking about Yan Jiecheng, and He Daqing was talking about He Yuzhu. Everyone was talking about their children, their future, and when they would get married.

Only he didn't have it.

It's not that he didn't want to talk, it's that he had nothing to say.

Yi Zhonghai is 36 years old this year and has been married for more than ten years, but he still has no children.

Everyone in the courtyard thought it was his wife's problem, but actually it wasn't; it was his problem. A few years ago, while working outside, he was injured in that spot. Although he saw a doctor afterward, it never healed. Over the years, he'd taken a lot of medicine, seen many doctors, and spent a lot of money, but nothing worked.

He glanced at Jia Dongxu, the "alternative" he had carefully selected over the years—an honest, obedient apprentice who could take care of him in his old age. He had treated Jia Dongxu well, teaching him his craft, looking after him, and helping him establish himself in the factory; none of this was for nothing. He needed security, someone to serve him tea and water while others were surrounded by children.

But he was not willing to give up.

He glanced at the others at the main table: Liu Shuanzhu, Liu Haizhong, Xu Fugui, Yan Bugui, and He Daqing. Each of them had their own flesh and blood, and each of them could confidently say, "My son" or "My daughter." But he could only look at his apprentice, wondering in his heart whether this apprentice could be relied upon in the future.

He picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and downed the entire glass of Fenjiu.

She's still young, only thirty-six, and can still have children. All those doctors she's seen and all those medications she's taken over the years, surely one of them will work. She absolutely must have her own child, she absolutely must.

No matter how much money or effort it takes, he wants to have a child of his own. Jia Dongxu is just a backup plan, a fallback, but not the path he wants.

He poured himself another glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.

Liu Shuanzhu was startled to see Yi Zhonghai drinking so quickly and hurriedly advised, "Master Yi, drink slowly. This liquor is quite strong. Don't drink too fast."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just happy today, so I'll have a couple more drinks."

But no one saw the bitterness in his eyes.

The banquet lasted from noon until after 2 p.m.

After the meal, several middle-aged women began clearing the table. There wasn't much food left, but it wasn't a small amount either. In this day and age, food is precious, and leftovers shouldn't be wasted.

Several middle-aged women skillfully gathered the leftovers together, divided them into several portions in bowls, and took them home.

Yan Bugui's wife was the quickest. She carried a stack of bowls and plates, moving among them, making sure not a drop of the braised pork sauce was missed, or the last few garlic shoots left in the stir-fried cured pork with garlic shoots.

Although Jia Zhangshi was initially suppressed by the deaf old lady, she regained her fighting spirit when it came to dividing the leftovers.

Holding a large bowl, she swiftly poured the rest of the braised pork into her own. Aunt Li, watching from the side, was furious, but Jia Zhangshi glared at her and said matter-of-factly, "My Dongxu is growing; he needs to eat more meat!"

Aunt Li snorted but didn't argue with her. There wasn't much food left, so she shoveled a few cucumbers and cabbage leaves into her bowl, turned around, and left angrily.

While Yan Bugui's wife and Jia Zhangshi were arguing over a plate of leftovers, their chopsticks clattered together. They stared at each other for a second, a subtle tension hanging in the air. Finally, Yan Bugui's wife gave in first, offering the plate to Jia Zhangshi, muttering, "Your Dongxu is growing, and my Jiecheng is growing too."

Jia Zhangshi pretended not to hear and left with the plate.