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

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, it was just getting light.

Liu Yuheng got up a little later than usual.

He sat on the edge of the bed, got dressed, glanced at Yao Qingwan who was still fast asleep beside him, and without waking her, tiptoed downstairs. He went to the kitchen, lit a fire, and reheated the leftover dumplings from last night.

Just as the dumplings were bubbling and steaming in the pot, footsteps came from the stairs. Yao Qingwan had already gotten up, wearing a light purple sweater with her hair loose. She walked to the stove, glanced at him, and had a lazy smile on her lips, as if she had just woken up.

After the two finished breakfast, Liu Yuheng started moving things towards the door. He first took out two bottles of Fenjiu liquor from the cabinet, then took two cartons of cigarettes. After thinking for a moment, he went back and took out two cans of food and a bag of pastries, put them in a cloth bag, stacked them on the stone steps at the entrance of the small building, and then opened the trunk and put them in one by one.

Yao Qingwan walked over and glanced at the increasingly full trunk, then couldn't help but stop him: "Isn't that enough? Bringing so much cigarettes and alcohol is pointless; my dad can't drink much anyway, it's just sitting there at home."

Liu Yuheng, who was bending down to stuff the last pack of cigarettes into the corner of the trunk, straightened up upon hearing this, dusted off his hands, and smiled. "There are still few people who don't drink these days. Who knows, Dad might be secretly drinking behind your back. Besides, even if he doesn't drink, we can't go back to our parents' home empty-handed. What would we do if we went back empty-handed on the second day of the Lunar New Year?"

Yao Qingwan was speechless after his words. She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. Without saying anything more, she turned around, went back to get her scarf and gloves, locked the door, and got into the car.

The black Volga drove out of the compound and headed towards the Yao family's house on the quiet streets on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

As the car turned into the alley where the Yao family lived, several neighbors who had just come out of their courtyards were standing at the entrance. A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue cotton-padded coat was about to push his bicycle out when he saw a black sedan slowly driving in. He paused for a moment, but when he saw the license plate and the person in the driver's seat, his expression changed immediately, and he quickly pushed his bicycle to the side of the road to make way.

The car stopped in front of the Yao family's house. Liu Yuheng got out and went around to the other side to open the door for Yao Qingwan. Yao Qingwan got out of the car, adjusted her scarf, smiled at the neighbor pushing a bicycle, and nodded.

The neighbor quickly returned a smile, saying, "Qingwan's back for the New Year!" But his gaze lingered on the gleaming Volga for several seconds longer.

Liu Yuheng took the bags out of the trunk, and Yao Qingwan walked beside him as they headed towards the gate. Behind them, they could faintly hear the hushed conversation of their neighbors; though indistinct, they could make out words like "car," "married well," and "so lucky." Yao Qingwan didn't turn around, but her steps quickened.

The courtyard gate was ajar. Yao Qingwan pushed it open and, just as she stepped across the threshold, heard hurried footsteps coming from inside the house.

Yao Lei was the first to rush out of the main house, running a few steps to the courtyard gate. Without saying a word, he took the two heaviest cloth bags from Liu Yuheng's hands, shouting, "Brother-in-law is here! Mom and Dad, brother-in-law is here!"

Liu Yuheng smiled and glanced at him: "Xiao Lei has grown taller again."

Yao Lei chuckled twice, picked up his things, and went inside first.

Immediately afterwards, Yao's father and mother also came out from the main house to greet them.

Wearing a dark red cotton-padded jacket, with her hair neatly combed and a smile that she couldn't hide on her face, Yao's mother walked up to Yao Qingwan in a few steps. She first looked Yao Qingwan up and down, then reached out and touched her shoulder, as if to check if her daughter had lost weight: "Were you cold on the way? Did you have breakfast? Come in quickly, come in quickly, it's warm inside." As she spoke, she pulled Yao Qingwan's arm and led her into the house.

Yao's father stood at the door, nodded to Liu Yuheng, and although his smile was restrained, the lines at the corners of his eyes relaxed: "You've arrived? Come in and sit down. It's cold outside, don't stand in the yard."

Liu Yuheng responded and followed Yao's father into the main room.

A stove had already been lit inside, and the warm steam rushed over them, instantly dispelling the chill from their bodies.

On the coffee table were peanuts, melon seeds, and candies, as well as a pot of freshly brewed hot tea. The aroma of the tea mingled with the warmth of the charcoal fire, making the whole room feel comfortable and cozy.

Yao's mother gently helped Yao Qingwan sit down on the sofa cushions, then sat down beside her, holding her hand. Her gaze swept back and forth between Yao's face and her slightly protruding belly several times, her tone filled with a mother's unique mix of concern and joy: "How are you? Is your morning sickness still bad? Is your appetite good? Is there anything bothering you?"

Yao Qingwan was a little overwhelmed by her mother's barrage of questions. She smiled and patted her mother's hand, "Mom, I'm fine. I have no symptoms at all. I'm eating well and sleeping well. I've even gained a few pounds since before I got pregnant."

Hearing this, Yao's mother felt somewhat relieved, but she still held on tightly, carefully examining Yao's complexion to make sure it was indeed rosy and radiant before nodding with a smile.

On the other side, Yao's father sat down in the chair next to Liu Yuheng, picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea, his tone casually concerned: "How's work? Still busy even during the New Year?"

Liu Yuheng accepted the teacup and thanked him, not hiding anything: "I was busy on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but I'm finally free today. The department was just established, so there's a lot of work piling up, but things will get better after this period."

Mr. Yao nodded, asked no further questions, and took a sip of his tea.

Yao Lei sat there for a while, peeling and eating a handful of peanuts, when he suddenly heard Liu Yuheng ask him, "Xiao Lei, you're taking the college entrance exam this year, right? How's it going? Are you confident you can get into Tsinghua or Peking University?"

Yao Lei paused in his peanut-peeling motion, his relaxed expression turning slightly embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head: "Well... it's really hard to say. The cutoff scores for Tsinghua and Peking Universities are too high. I'll do my best."

Liu Yuheng smiled, his tone gentle yet encouraging: "Just do your best. But I have something to tell you. Among the group of scientists who came back with your second uncle, several are planning to officially start teaching at Tsinghua University and Yenching University this year. They are all cutting-edge international programs. If you can get in, your future will be very bright."

Yao Lei's eyes lit up, and he stopped peeling the peanuts in his hand, looking intently at Liu Yuheng.

Liu Yuheng continued, "Of course, this is not something you can force. If you are interested, then work hard; if you are not interested, we will not force you. But if you can get into these majors, your future career prospects will be much greater."

Yao Lei nodded vigorously, gritted his teeth and said, "I will definitely work hard," then stuffed the remaining half peanut into his mouth and chewed it with extra force.

Yao's father watched from the side without saying much, but his eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.