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

It was late March evening, and the sky was still bright. The sun hung over the rooftops in the west, bathing the entire Nanluoguxiang in a warm, golden-red glow.

When Liu Yuheng's black Volga stopped at the gate of No. 95 compound, the courtyard was busiest at that time of day. He opened the car door and stepped into the courtyard, immediately noticing that the atmosphere was different. There were far more people gathered in the front yard than usual. A circle had formed in front of Yan Bugui's house, He Yuzhu was squatting on the threshold with a bowl in his hand, Xu Damao was peeking out from behind the hanging flower gate, and even Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were standing next to the hanging flower gate, looking towards the east wing.

Upon seeing Liu Yuheng enter, the crowd parted automatically, like water being stirred. Xu Damao was the first to greet him, "Brother Liu is back!" He Yuzhu nodded in agreement, and Yi Zhonghai smiled at him from afar.

Liu Yuheng nodded to everyone in response, and without stopping, walked across the courtyard toward the east wing.

At the entrance to the east wing, Liu Shuanzhu stood by the threshold, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. Liang Cheng stood beside him, and the two were talking in hushed tones. The curtain was slightly ajar, revealing Wang Xiuhe and Liang's mother bent over, busy at work on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Neither of them stopped working; one was stuffing something into a cloth bag, and the other was folding a thick quilt.

Liu Yuheng walked to the door, nodded to Liang Cheng and Liu Shuanzhu, called them "Uncle Liang" and "Father", and then turned to look into the house.

Wang Xiuhe was carrying a bulging cloth bag toward the door when Liang's mother followed, carrying a thick cotton quilt folded into a square. Both of them had that tense look on their faces, as if they were saying, "We're about to leave, don't delay."

Liu Yuheng glanced at the items and frowned slightly. The cloth bag was stuffed full, with half of a thermos and the edge of an enamel basin sticking out. Next to it on the ground were two bundles and a small pot, with a roll of straw paper on the lid.

He reached out and stopped Wang Xiuhe, who was about to leave, his tone a mix of helplessness and amusement: "Mother, are you moving or going to the hospital? You're carrying so much stuff."

Wang Xiuhe was stopped in her tracks, paused for a moment, looked down at the bulging cloth bag in her hand that looked like it was about to burst, then looked back at the pile of things on the ground, somewhat bewildered: "These are all useful... Look, we need to bring the thermos, the hospital might not have enough hot water. And this small pot, if Fangfang wants something hot, we can cook her some porridge or noodles. We also need to bring a blanket, the hospital is cold, new mothers can't get cold..."

Liu Yuheng shook his head, reached into the pile of things and pulled out the small pot, then pointed to the thermos and enamel basin on the ground: "Mom, the hospital has a cafeteria, and you don't have anywhere to cook. Even if you don't want to eat the cafeteria food, you can just have Erhe cook it from home and bring it over. Bringing this pot would be a burden. As for the thermos, there are hot water rooms in the hospital wards, so it's very convenient to get water. You don't need to bring your own. The enamel basin will work, but one is enough; you don't need to bring several."

He squatted down and rummaged through the two bundles, pulled out the thick cotton quilts, shook them out, folded them a couple of times, and put them back on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed): "Just bring a thinner quilt, for the person accompanying you to cover themselves at night. Fangfang's hospital has provided bedding, so you don't need to bring your own. What you need to pack is mainly toiletries, two or three lunch boxes, a few changes of clothes, and diapers and swaddles for the baby."

Wang Xiuhe and Liang's mother stood to the side, exchanging bewildered glances. Wang Xiuhe was still carrying the bulging cloth bag in her hand. After hesitating for a moment, she muttered softly, "Don't we need to bring any of this? I was thinking that having a baby is a big deal, so it's better to bring more things just in case... No one in the family has ever given birth in a hospital, so how would we know what they keep there?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuheng softened his tone, stood up, and dusted off his hands: "Mother, I know you're worried, afraid the hospital might lack this or that. But the hospital is much better off now than before; it has everything it needs. If we bring too much stuff, we'll have to find a place to put it, which will be inconvenient."

As he spoke, he picked up the enamel basin from the ground and handed it to Wang Xiuhe: "Here's what we'll do: bring a basin, two lunchboxes, a few towels, a change of clothes or two, diapers and a small blanket. That's all you need to bring. Aunt Liang, you can bring the same thing, just bring some of your own toiletries."

Upon hearing this, Liang's mother quickly responded, put the thick cotton quilt back on the kang (a heated brick bed), and began to tidy up the contents of a small bundle.

Although Wang Xiuhe was still a little worried, hearing Liu Yuheng speak so confidently, she had no choice but to take out the unused items from the cloth bag one by one, muttering to herself, "What if I need them?" while neatly tidying up the bag again.

Liu Yuheng stood at the door, looking at the busy people inside. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Liu Shuanzhu and Liang Cheng and said, "Dad, Uncle Liang, how about this? I'll take Aunt Liang, my mother, and my sister-in-law by car first. Erhe will follow behind on his bicycle to familiarize himself with the place. The rest of you don't need to go for now. You can go see the baby after it's born. Those who need to go to work should go to work, and those who need to go to school should go to school. Don't all crowd there and cause trouble instead of helping."

Liu Shuanzhu nodded: "Okay, I'll follow your arrangements." Liang Cheng also nodded, then glanced at Liang's mother who was packing things up inside the house. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something but didn't. In the end, he just smiled gratefully at Liu Yuheng.

Liu Tingting poked half her body out of the house. She had already changed her coat, as if she was preparing to go out with them. Hearing Liu Yuheng say, "Those who need to go to school should go to school," her face immediately fell, and she muttered under her breath, "I wanted to go and see..."

Liu Yuheng glanced at her, his tone carrying a hint of elder brother sternness: "What are you looking at? There are only two or three months left until the high school entrance exam. Have you finished reviewing? Whether you can even get into high school this year is still uncertain. Hurry up and go back to studying."

Liu Tingting's face fell even more when he said that. She rolled her eyes but didn't dare to argue back, and slunk back into the house. Liang Cheng and Liu Shuanzhu, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle.

Inside, Wang Xiuhe and Liang's mother finally finished packing everything: a cloth bag and two small bundles, neatly stacked on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Wang Xiuhe turned to help Liang Fangfang. Liang Fangfang, more than nine months pregnant, slowly stood up from the edge of the kang, one hand supporting her waist, the other resting on Wang Xiuhe's arm. Although her steps were a little clumsy, her spirits were still good.