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

Three years passed in the midst of gunfire and smoke, in the snow and blood, in the relentless marches and battles.

In December 1953, the train sped across the plains, with endless white snow stretching as far as the eye could see outside the window. The distant hills, fields, and villages were all covered in a thick blanket of white, leaving only black and white in the sky and earth: black rails, a black train, and an endless white snowfield.

Liu Yuheng sat by the car window, a cigarette between his fingers, the smoke rising from between his fingers and condensing into a thin layer of moisture on the cold car window.

"Commander, what are you thinking about?" Old Li walked over from the opposite side, sat down next to him, and handed him a cup of hot water.

Liu Yuheng took the water glass, warmed his hands, took a sip, and said nothing.

Old Li glanced at his expression, then at the snow outside the window, and roughly guessed what was going on.

He didn't press further, but changed the subject: "The next stop is Beijing; we'll stop for two hours to resupply. Do you want to go home and check on things?"

Liu Yuheng tapped his fingers lightly on the rim of the cup twice, then shook his head: "I'm not going back."

"Really not going back?" Old Li looked at him. "Once this opportunity is gone, it'll be gone forever. Once the troops have settled in Nanjing, it won't be a two-hour trip back to Beijing. You'll have to ask for leave and it'll take several days to get back."

Liu Yuheng stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, sat up straight, and his tone regained the decisiveness characteristic of a commander: "The troops aren't even settled yet. What kind of order is it for me, the army commander, to run home halfway through? The soldiers haven't been home for three years. What will they think if I go back first?"

He paused, picked up his water glass, and took another sip: "Once the troops are settled in Nanjing and everything is on track, I'll take leave and go back. I'll stay home for a few more days and spend some quality time with my parents."

Old Li nodded and didn't try to persuade him any further.

"Okay. You can take leave first, and I'll stay here at the military base. Take care of things at home before you come back, there's no rush."

The train continued its journey across the snow-covered plains, the atmosphere inside the carriages quiet and warm.

Old Li sat opposite Liu Yuheng, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and took a puff.

"Old Liu, now that you're back, shouldn't you start thinking about your personal life?"

"You're already twenty-eight. Twenty-eight, in my hometown, your child should already be in elementary school."

Liu Yuheng was embarrassed by what was said, scratched his head, and showed a rare look of embarrassment.

"I'll consider it, how can I not consider it?" Liu Yuheng's voice lowered, tinged with a hint of guilt. "If we don't get married soon, I won't dare go back to see my mother."

Upon hearing this, Old Li's smile faded, replaced by understanding and sympathy.

"Then you should hurry up. When you go back this time, settle things at home first, and then seriously look for a partner. Don't put it off any longer, or you'll be thirty."

Liu Yuheng nodded, then picked up his water glass and took another sip. His gaze fell on the seat opposite him, then suddenly remembered something, abruptly put down his glass, turned around, and called out to the other end of the carriage, "Xiao Li!"

Xiao Li is a new security guard, in his early twenties, from Hebei. He is tall and big, doesn't talk much, but is very efficient.

The former bodyguard, Xiao Sun, had been promoted to officer during the war and was now a platoon leader, leading a group of soldiers into battle. He was no longer the bodyguard who followed Liu Yuheng around serving tea and water.

Xiao Li jogged over from the other end of the carriage and stopped in front of Liu Yuheng: "Commander, did you call me?"

"Bring that canvas bag over here." Liu Yuheng pointed to the faded canvas backpack on the luggage rack.

Xiao Li reached out and took the bag off, handing it to Liu Yuheng with both hands.

Liu Yuheng took the bag, unzipped it, and reached inside to rummage through it. There weren't many things inside: a few watches, several packets of chocolate, two binoculars, a few documents, and a map.

"Alright." Liu Yuheng pulled his hand out of his bag, leaned back in his seat, and slapped his forehead. "I've completely forgotten everything."

Old Li couldn't help but laugh at his expression: "Forgot what?"

Liu Yuheng sighed, his tone tinged with self-reproach: "My sister-in-law was pregnant before I left. Judging by the days, the child should be over two years old now, able to run and call out to people. I even said I was going to get some nice things to bring back as gifts for the child—toys, dolls, I had it all planned out. But what happened? I completely forgot about it."

He patted the canvas bag, his voice tinged with helplessness: "Look at what's in this bag? A few old watches, a few packets of chocolate, two binoculars. That's all. If I take it back as a gift for the kids, they won't even recognize it."

Upon hearing this, Old Li couldn't help but laugh out loud, the sound echoing through the carriage. He stood up from his seat, walked to the luggage rack, took down a canvas bag, unzipped it, rummaged through it, and pulled something out.

"Alright, don't worry anymore." Old Li handed the item to Liu Yuheng. "I'll give you one."

Liu Yuheng looked down and saw a small, red, tin car about the size of a palm. The doors could be opened, the wheels could turn, and the workmanship was exquisite.

This thing is obviously not made in China; it has a string of foreign letters printed on it, so it was probably a war trophy captured from the enemy during the war.

"Where did this thing come from?" Liu Yuheng took it, examined it over and over in his hand, and his eyes lit up.

"I found it in the luggage of an American officer during the battle last year," Old Li said casually. "I've kept it, thinking of taking it back for my son to play with sometime. You take it to your nephew first, and I'll get something else."

Liu Yuheng, holding the red toy car, suddenly laughed: "My nephew won't be angry with me, will he? I, as his uncle, stole his toy."

Old Li smiled and shook his head.

The train continued its journey across the snow-covered plains.

The train stopped at Beijing Station for two hours for supplies. Liu Yuheng stood at the carriage door, watching the crowds coming and going on the platform, watching the people wearing thick cotton-padded clothes and carrying large and small bags, watching the people holding up signs to welcome passengers, and felt a mix of emotions.

He took a deep breath of the dry, cold air of Beijing's winter and turned back to the carriage.

The train departed the capital city under the cover of night, heading south.

After rattling and clattering for a full day and night, the train finally came to a stop at Jinling Station.

Liu Yuheng led his troops off the vehicle and made contact with the military region personnel. The other party was a staff officer in his early thirties who was very efficient in both speech and action. He reported the location of the camp, the troop deployment, and the supply situation in detail.

"Commander Liu, the camp is ready, arranged according to the organizational plan you sent earlier. The three divisions are stationed in the north, east, and south respectively, with the army headquarters in the middle. They are all within a 30-minute drive. Water and electricity are connected, the kitchen can be used, and beds and bedding are all prepared. The troops can move in as soon as they arrive." The staff officer said, handing over a thick folder.

Liu Yuheng took the document, flipped through it, nodded, and turned to Lao Li: "Lao Li, have the troops set off. Each division should move into its respective barracks according to plan. Officers at the regimental level and above should first go to the army headquarters for a short meeting to arrange the recent plans."

Old Li responded and turned to give the order. The soldiers lined up and walked out of the train station, lined up in the square in front of the station, and then boarded the trucks sent by the military region.

A long line of grass-green military trucks stretched through the streets of Nanjing, heading towards their respective barracks.

The camp was located north of Jinling City, covering a large area. The surrounding wall was made of blue bricks, and inside were rows of neat barracks with gray bricks and tiles, square and sturdy without any superfluous decorations.

In front of the barracks was a large training ground, paved with gravel and sand, and very smooth. The ground was already marked with training lines and various signs, and training facilities such as horizontal bars, parallel bars, and obstacle walls were all available. A flagpole stood at the edge of the training ground, and the red flag fluttered in the winter wind.

Liu Yuheng walked around the camp, from the army headquarters to the various divisions' garrisons, from the barracks to the mess hall, from the ammunition depot to the medical team—he didn't miss a single place. He inspected every unit, confirming that every soldier was living in a warm barracks, that every mess hall had hot meals prepared, that every military vehicle was parked in the garage, and that every piece of equipment was registered and stored.

Old Li was busy arranging supplies and the staggered leave for officers and soldiers. The battle was over, the troops needed rest, and the soldiers wanted to go home and visit their families. Three years had passed; too many people hadn't been home for far too long.

"For the first batch of leave, I suggest prioritizing veterans and officers whose homes are far away. They've been on the front lines the longest and are furthest from home, so they should be the first to go back," Old Li said, handing a list to Liu Yuheng.

Liu Yuheng took it, glanced at it, wrote "Agreed" on it, and handed it to Lao Li: "Execute according to this. Each batch of leave is twenty days, and they will come in rotation to ensure that the troops are always in a state of combat readiness. Cadres and soldiers whose homes are nearby will be arranged in the last batch."

"Understood." Old Li took the list and turned to make the arrangements.

After finishing all this, it was January 1954, the middle of the twelfth lunar month.

The Lunar New Year is just two weeks away.