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

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, just as dawn was breaking, the sky outside the window was still a pale gray-blue, carrying the crispness and cleanliness unique to winter. Liu Yuheng was already awake. He lay in bed with his eyes open for a while, and when he heard Liu Erhe getting up and Liu Yixuan's indistinct mumbling coming from the next room, he turned over and sat up.

When he got dressed and went downstairs, Liu Erhe had already stoked the stove and the pot on the stove was bubbling away. Liu Erhe was bending over adding a shovel of coal to the firebox when he heard the sound on the stairs. He straightened up and grinned at Liu Yuheng: "Brother, you're awake? I've started cooking the dumplings, they'll be ready soon."

Liu Yuheng nodded, walked over and glanced at the dumplings in the pot. The plump white dumplings were rolling around in the boiling water, each one round and plump, almost cooked.

He patted Liu Erhe on the shoulder and turned to call Liu Tingting.

Liu Tingting remained huddled in bed, refusing to get up. Only after Liu Yuheng knocked on the door twice did she reluctantly answer. It took her quite a while before she finally wrapped herself in her cotton-padded coat and went downstairs.

Just as the dumplings were ready, Yao Qingwan and Liang Fangfang got up. Liang Fangfang, heavily pregnant, slowly walked down the stairs, and Liu Yuheng quickly got up to pull out a chair for her, and also helped Yao Qingwan. The family sat around the table and ate their first meal of the Lunar New Year with the steaming dumplings.

After eating the dumplings, Liu Tingting suddenly leaned close to Liu Yixuan's ear and whispered a few words. Liu Yixuan was happily munching on a dumpling when he heard his aunt's words. His little face first froze, then he blinked twice, as if he understood something. He put down the dumpling and ran over to Liu Yuheng with his short little legs.

The little guy knelt down on the carpet with a thud, looked up at himself, and called out in a childish voice, "Happy New Year, Uncle!"

Liu Yuheng was drinking water from his teacup when he was startled by the sudden New Year's greeting, almost choking on the water. He put down his cup, glanced at Liu Yixuan's serious little face, then turned to look at Liu Tingting, who was grinning mischievously beside him, and immediately realized that Liu Tingting must have taught him this.

He smiled and shook his head, not exposing her, and gestured to Yao Qingwan.

Yao Qingwan, already understanding, pulled a pre-prepared red envelope from her pocket. The envelope was bulging, with a neat "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character pressed on top. She bent down and placed the envelope in Liu Yixuan's small hand, patting his head: "Yixuan, you're such a good boy, Happy New Year."

Liu Yixuan held the red envelope, glanced down at it twice, then looked up at his aunt. A bewildered yet satisfied smile appeared on his little face. He then clutched the red envelope tightly, as if afraid it would fly away.

Liu Yuheng bent down and beckoned to Liu Yixuan, his tone carrying a hint of elder's teasing: "Yixuan, just wishing your uncle a Happy New Year isn't enough, your aunt is here too, shouldn't you wish her a Happy New Year as well? Right?"

Liu Yixuan tilted his head and thought for a moment, then realized his uncle made sense. Clutching the red envelope, he ran back to Liu Tingting, knelt down without a word, and called out in a clear voice, "Happy New Year, Auntie!"

Liu Tingting's mischievous grin froze instantly. She glared at the little guy in front of her, then glanced up at Liu Yuheng and Liu Erhe, both of whom were grinning at her, each more smug than the last. Yao Qingwan and Liang Fangfang beside her also covered their mouths and laughed, even Liang Fangfang's shoulders were shaking slightly from laughing. Liu Tingting's face flushed red.

"Oh dear..." Liu Tingting stomped her foot and reached out to pull Liu Yixuan up, but Liu Yixuan lay on the ground and refused to get up. He looked up and called out "Happy New Year, Auntie!" His round eyes were full of innocent expectation. Liu Tingting really couldn't bring herself to be stern with such a little guy.

She gritted her teeth, took out the one yuan Liu Er had given her yesterday from her pocket, clenched it in her hand for a moment, then slapped it into Liu Yixuan's hand with a determined look: "Alright, alright, here you go! Happy New Year!"

Liu Yixuan took the one yuan. Although he didn't know how much it was, he still grinned when he saw that his aunt had given him something. He then ran back to Liu Erhe and proudly presented the money and the red envelope to Liu Erhe.

Liu Erhe laughed heartily, bent down, picked up his son, and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, his voice filled with a proud boast: "Good son! You've learned to make money for your dad!"

Everyone in the room laughed, the laughter mingling with the warmth of the heating and the lingering aroma of dumplings, echoing throughout the spacious living room. Even the cold wind outside seemed to be kept out of the glass by the warmth.

After laughing for a while, Liu Yuheng put down his teacup, stood up, and clapped his hands: "Alright, stop fooling around, those who need to tidy up should do so. I'll take Qingwan and Fangfang to the courtyard house first, I have something to do later, so I can't be late."

Liu Erhe put Liu Yixuan down and went upstairs to get his coat and scarf. Liu Tingting also stopped laughing, put on her cotton-padded coat, and wrapped the scarf around her neck twice.

Everyone filed out the door. Liu Yuheng opened the back door of the Volga, letting Yao Qingwan and Liang Fangfang get in first, then bent down and lifted Liu Yixuan into the car. The little guy was still clutching two red envelopes in his hands, holding them like treasures, and nestled quietly next to his aunt. Liu Yuheng closed the back door, turned around, and got into the passenger seat.

Liu Erhe and Liu Tingting each got on their bicycles parked by the door. Liu Erhe, holding the handlebars, turned around and called out to Liu Tingting, "Tingting, come with me to the Liang family's house to return the bikes. We'll ride Uncle Liang's bike there, and then we'll go back to the courtyard together."

Liu Tingting got on Liu Erhe's Phoenix brand bicycle, straightened the front of the bike, and replied with a hint of impatience, "I know, I know, you go your way, I can keep up." But she had already started pedaling.

Two bicycles rode out of the compound gate one after the other, Liu Erhe in front and Liu Tingting behind, their bicycle bells ringing a few times on the quiet street in the early morning.

The Volga sedan drove smoothly through the streets on a winter morning, and after more than half an hour, it turned into Nanluoguxiang. The alley was much livelier than usual, with red Spring Festival couplets pasted on the doors of every household, and firecracker debris scattered on the ground from the previous night. Red paper scraps covered the ground, gleaming festively in the sunlight.

Some people stood at the door with bowls in their hands, talking to their neighbors; others carried things into the courtyard; and several children, wearing new cotton-padded coats, ran around in the alley, their laughter ringing out all the way.

The car stopped at the gate of compound number 95. Liu Yuheng got out of the car and opened the doors for Yao Qingwan and Liang Fangfang. He then took the bags from the trunk and escorted the two of them into the compound.