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

The car drove along the streets in the twilight, and the carriage was quiet for a while. After hesitating for a moment, Yao's mother finally couldn't help but ask, "Yuheng, what are you doing on this business trip? Why are you in such a hurry? Why do you have to go out at this time?"

Liu Yuheng turned his head slightly from the passenger seat, remained silent for two or three seconds, then shook his head apologetically, "Mom, this... I can't say. Please don't ask. Some things are better left unsaid."

Hearing this, Yao's mother sighed and didn't press further. She simply said softly, "Alright, I won't ask anymore. Take care of yourself while you're away, and don't overwork yourself. Don't worry about Qingwan; I'll take care of her."

Liu Yuheng hummed in response, his gaze returning to the road ahead, and said nothing more.

By the time the car stopped at the entrance of the Chengbei compound, it was completely dark. Liu Yuheng pushed open the door and went inside. Yao Qingwan was sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a book. Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw her mother following behind Liu Yuheng. Her face showed surprise, and she quickly put down her book and stood up: "Mom? What brings you here?"

Yao's mother had already taken a few steps forward, supported Yao Qingwan's arm and pressed her back onto the sofa, saying, "Sit still, don't move. You're so far along in your pregnancy, why did you stand up so quickly?" As she spoke, she looked Yao Qingwan up and down, making sure her daughter looked alright before sitting down next to her with peace of mind.

Liu Yuheng sat down opposite her and briefly explained the situation. Yao Qingwan frowned slightly after listening, but her expression quickly returned to calm. She nodded to him, "Okay, go ahead. My mother is at home, so you don't need to worry."

She paused, then added, "Take care of yourself when you get there. Don't neglect your meals because you're so focused on work."

Liu Yuheng nodded, about to say something, when he remembered something else and stood up, saying, "I'll call the cafeteria and have them send some food over. Let's not bother cooking tonight, let's eat early and get some rest."

Yao's mother quickly stopped him, saying, "No need, no need. I'm here to take care of people, how can I let the cafeteria deliver food? You sit and rest for a while, I'll go cook. What dishes do we have at home?"

As she spoke, she got up and walked towards the kitchen. She opened the cupboard, where there were some vegetables and a piece of meat. She then took out a handful of noodles, neatly tied on an apron, and began to get busy. The faucet gurgled twice, the cleaver clattered on the cutting board, and the kitchen lights shone warmly.

Liu Yuheng stood at the kitchen door for a while, and seeing that Yao's mother was already busy, he turned around, walked to the door, and put on his coat: "Mom, I'm going out for a bit to check on my brother and sister-in-law and the children at the courtyard house. We'll eat when I get back, you guys eat first, don't wait for me."

Yao Qingwan looked up at him and said, "Come back soon."

"Hmm," Liu Yuheng responded, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked out.

Liu Yuheng left the compound in the north of the city, bent down and squeezed into the Volga waiting at the door, and told the driver, "Go to Nanluoguxiang."

When we arrived at Nanluoguxiang, the alley was already quiet. Warm yellow light shone from the windows of each house, and occasionally we could hear opera excerpts coming from someone's radio, their soft, melodious sounds seeming like they came from another world through the courtyard walls.

Liu Yuheng got out of the car, told the driver to wait at the entrance of the alley, and walked alone towards the No. 95 compound.

The gate was ajar. When he pushed it open and went inside, the courtyard was quiet. There was no one in the front yard, only the shadow of the old locust tree spread across the ground under the streetlights, its branches already sprouting dense new leaves that swayed gently in the night breeze.

The window of the east wing was lit, and through the paper window, one could see shadowy figures moving inside. The sounds of bowls and chopsticks clattering and Liu Yixuan's indistinct voice could be faintly heard.

Liu Yuheng walked to the door of the east wing, pushed it open, and went inside.

Liu Shuanzhu was sitting in a chair by the window, holding a bowl of porridge. Wang Xiuhe was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tearing a piece of steamed bun into small pieces and putting them into her mouth. Liu Yixuan was sitting on a small stool, with a small bowl in front of him, clumsily shoveling rice grains into his mouth with a spoon, his lips smeared with rice water.

Liu Tingting sat next to him, a piece of food between her chopsticks. When she saw Liu Yuheng come in, she was taken aback at first, then put down her chopsticks and stood up: "Brother? Why are you here at this time?"

Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe both looked up at the same time, and when they saw Liu Yuheng standing in the doorway, their faces showed surprise. Liu Shuanzhu put down his bowl of porridge, and Wang Xiuhe immediately stood up and went to greet him, saying, "Yuheng? Why are you here so late? Have you eaten?"

Liu Yuheng sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and shook his head: "I haven't eaten yet. I came straight over after I finished my work."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuhe immediately turned around and called out to Liu Tingting, "Tingting, go get your brother a set of chopsticks and a bowl!"

Liu Tingting responded and quickly took a clean set of bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard, then moved a stool to the table.

Liu Yuheng didn't stand on ceremony. He took the bowl and chopsticks, ladled himself a bowl of porridge, and ate it with a bite of pickled vegetables.

He took a couple of sips of porridge, put down his chopsticks, and looked up at Wang Xiuhe: "Mother, how are Fangfang and the baby? Are they recovering well?"

Wang Xiuhe sat down opposite him, a smile on her face, her tone light: "She's doing great! Fangfang is young and has a good constitution. She was able to get out of bed and walk around just two days after giving birth. The baby is healthy too, eats and sleeps well, and has a loud cry. He's even stronger than Yixuan was when he was little." As she spoke, she gestured towards the next room, "Erhe is with her right now. He just finished feeding the baby, so he probably hasn't gone to sleep yet."

Liu Yuheng nodded, picked up a bite of food, put down his chopsticks, and said in a casual yet serious tone, "I have to go on a business trip for a while, maybe a week or two or even longer."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room fell silent. Liu Shuanzhu paused, his hand holding the bowl of porridge twitching slightly. He frowned slightly, put down the bowl, and glanced at Liu Yuheng: "Why are you going on another business trip? Qingwan is about to give birth, and you're leaving at this time..."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand, his tone reassuring: "Father, don't worry, I've arranged everything. I've already invited my mother-in-law to stay with us, and she'll be taking care of Qingwan these next few days."

Wang Xiuhe, who was listening nearby, was stunned for a moment, then a complex expression appeared on her face, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little uncomfortable. She knew that Liu Yuheng was right, it was indeed more appropriate for Yao Qingwan's mother to go and take care of her, as Liang Fangfang had just given birth and could not be left alone during her postpartum period, so she really couldn't be in two places at once.

She nodded and asked the question that had been troubling her most: "Where are you going on this business trip? Will it be dangerous?"