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

4:30 PM.

Liu Yuheng stepped into the courtyard. He was wearing a dark blue woolen overcoat with a scarf loosely draped over his neck, and he looked much more relaxed than when he left in the morning.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he heard a burst of giggling laughter coming from the yard.

Liu Yixuan was chasing after two children of similar age in the open space in the front yard. The three little ones were all wearing new cotton-padded jackets, their little faces rosy, and they were clutching some kind of treasure in their hands. They chased each other around the old locust tree, their cheerful laughter ringing out loudly in the quiet yard.

Liu Yixuan was the first to see Liu Yuheng. He immediately abandoned his two friends and ran towards Liu Yuheng on his short legs, bumping into his leg and looking up at him, shouting, "Uncle!"

Liu Yuheng bent down and patted his little head, then smiled at the other two children. The two children recognized Liu Yuheng and took two steps back timidly, looking over curiously, but not daring to come forward.

At the other end of the courtyard, next to the hanging flower gate, four people were playing cards around a small square table.

Liu Erhe sat with his back to the courtyard gate, Jia Dongxu and He Yuzhu sat facing each other, and Xu Damao sat to the side. The four of them each held a hand of cards, and several playing cards were spread out on the table. There were also several empty tea mugs and a dish of melon seed shells next to them.

Hearing the noise from the direction of the courtyard gate, everyone turned around at the same time. Liu Erhe was the first to see Liu Yuheng, and quickly slammed the cards in his hand onto the table, stood up, and called out, "Brother! You're back?"

Jia Dongxu and He Yuzhu also put down their cards, and Xu Damao even stood up, his face beaming with smiles.

Jia Dongxu spoke first, his tone polite and warm: "Brother Liu is back?"

He Yuzhu nodded and greeted him, "Hello, Brother Liu."

Xu Damao raised his voice by half an octave: "Brother Liu is back! Come, come, sit down and rest for a while!"

Liu Yuheng waved to the group, his tone casual and calm: "You guys do your thing." He nodded to Liu Erhe, glanced at the others, and added, "Keep playing, don't stop just because I'm here."

Upon hearing this, the group sat back down, but they were clearly less focused on the cards they were holding than before.

Liu Yuheng didn't linger and turned to walk towards the east wing. The curtain was lifted, and a wave of warmth wafted out, making it much warmer than the courtyard.

Wang Xiuhe was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), sewing something with a piece of cloth in her hand. Liang Fangfang sat on a small stool next to her, seven months pregnant, also busy with her needlework. Yao Qingwan sat on a chair on the other side, holding a half-finished baby outfit.

The three people sat together, each busy with their own things, talking in hushed tones, with the occasional soft laugh. The peaceful and reassuring atmosphere in the room made one not want to leave once inside.

Wang Xiuhe was the first to see Liu Yuheng lift the curtain and come in. She quickly put down her needlework and waved to him, "Yuheng, you're back? Are you done with your work? Sit down and rest for a while, have some water." As she spoke, she got up to pour some water.

Liu Yuheng took off his coat and hung it on the coat hook by the door. He walked to the stove, sat down, took the hot tea that Wang Xiuhe handed him, warmed it in his hands, and let out a long sigh: "I'm done with work. I can stay home for the next few days and don't need to go out."

Hearing this, Wang Xiuhe smiled with satisfaction and sat back down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), picking up her needle and thread: "That's alright, at least I can rest for a few days. Look at you, you haven't rested at all on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you're even more tired than when you're working."

Yao Qingwan smiled and put down her work. She glanced at Liu Yuheng and said, "By the way, Director Li from the Dongzhimen Supply and Marketing Cooperative came by this morning with some snacks. He said he was here to wish my parents a Happy New Year, and also to wish you a Happy New Year. I told him you weren't here, and he left after sitting for about ten minutes. When he left, I asked Erhe to give him two bottles of wine."

Liu Yuheng's hand holding the teacup didn't pause; he simply nodded and said calmly, "Understood."

Seeing that he spoke calmly, Yao Qingwan didn't say anything more and lowered her head again to continue sewing the little jacket in her hands.

Liu Yuheng took a couple of sips of water, glanced around the room, and suddenly noticed that two people were missing. He asked, "Where are Dad and Tingting? I can't find them."

Wang Xiuhe continued her needlework without stopping, casually replying, "Your father went to play chess with Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong at that stone table in the courtyard. Tingting went out to play with her classmates, saying that she and her girlfriends had made plans to go to the temple fair, and she should be back before dinner."

Liu Yuheng nodded without asking any further questions. He sat for a while longer, and seeing that Wang Xiuhe and the other two were busy with their needlework and he couldn't help, he got up, put his coat back on, and left the east wing.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Liu Er and a few other people had finished a round of cards and were sitting around the hanging flower gate, smoking and chatting.

When Xu Damao saw Liu Yuheng come out, he immediately stood up, moved his stool aside, and waved to Liu Yuheng solicitously, "Brother Liu! Come sit here! I'll give you my seat!"

Liu Yuheng waved his hand and said in a casual tone, "No need, you guys sit down, I just came out for some fresh air."

As he spoke, he walked over to the group, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out and put it in his mouth, lit it with a match, and then casually tossed the remaining half pack onto the table: "Have a smoke, don't be shy."

The group glanced at the pack of cigarettes, then looked at each other. He Yuzhu reached out and took one first, saying, "Thank you, Brother Liu." Jia Dongxu also took one, hesitated for a moment, and then lit it. Xu Damao was the last to arrive, smiling broadly as he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and his eyes lit up.

Seeing that everyone else had taken one, Liu Erhe also took one and lit it. While smoking, he glanced at Liu Yuheng, as if he remembered something, and casually asked, "Brother, did your wife tell you about Director Li's New Year's visit this morning?"

Liu Yuheng flicked his cigarette ash and nodded: "I told you."

Seeing that he understood, Liu Erhe said nothing more and continued playing his cards. The group shuffled and drew cards again, and the crisp sound of cards hitting the wooden table and occasional arguments filled the air.

Liu Yuheng stood by and watched for a while. The smoke rose in the cold air of the winter afternoon, scattered and gathered again by the wind, mixed with the low voices of a few people, creating a normal and down-to-earth atmosphere in the quiet courtyard.

Suddenly, Liu Yixuan ran over from the other end of the yard. He had just been chasing and playing with his two friends, but they had run off at some point. Now he was rushing towards Liu Yuheng, clutching something in his little hand. He looked up at Liu Yuheng with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Uncle! I want to play with the toy cannon!" Liu Yixuan's voice was crisp and clear, carrying the kind of expectation that children have only in common sense.