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

The sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Liu Yuheng got up very early and put on his military uniform neatly. Today was his first day of official leave.

Xiao Li had already filled up the Jeep with gas and was waiting downstairs.

"Let's go to the military academy first," Liu Yuheng said.

Xiao Li responded, shifted gears, and started driving. The jeep drove out of the military camp gate and headed east along the main road of Jinling City.

The Military Academy was located in the east of Nanjing, at the foot of Zijin Mountain. It was a large compound, with gray-tiled houses nestled among sycamore and pine trees, creating a tranquil environment. At the main gate stood sentries, fully armed and with upright postures; they were clearly handpicked soldiers.

Xiao Li parked the car at the gate, and Liu Yuheng got out, took out his military officer's identification from his pocket, and handed it over. The sentry took it, examined it carefully, then looked up at Liu Yuheng's face. After confirming it was correct, he snapped to attention, saluted, and handed the identification back with both hands: "Greetings, sir!"

Liu Yuheng returned the greeting, took the identification document and put it in his pocket, then asked, "Which direction is the dormitory building for senior cadets in?"

The sentry pointed into the courtyard: "Just follow this road, turn right after you cross the stone arch bridge, and it's the second gray building. There's a sign at the entrance, so it's easy to find."

Liu Yuheng nodded, turned around, and got into the car.

After the car crossed the stone arch bridge, it turned right, and the second gray building came into view. The building was not tall, only four stories high, made of gray bricks, with brightly polished windows. There was a wooden sign at the entrance that read "Advanced Student Dormitory".

Liu Yuheng got out of the car, told Xiao Li to wait downstairs, and went upstairs alone.

Halfway there, I ran into a familiar face.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the man asked about the situation at the front and where the troops were currently stationed. Liu Yuheng asked about the location of Li Yunlong's dormitory. After chatting for a while, they went their separate ways.

After walking a few more steps, I ran into another familiar face. Then another. Most of the students in the advanced class were officers at the division level or above, many of them familiar faces from various field armies.

He walked to the door at the end of the corridor. The door was ajar, and he could hear voices coming from inside.

Liu Yuheng didn't knock; he just pushed the door open and went in.

The room was small, about 20 square meters, with a single bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a washbasin stand against the wall, and a pair of old sofas in the corner.

Li Yunlong sat in a chair with his legs propped up on the edge of the bed, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, talking to someone. Ding Wei and Kong Jie sat on the old sofa, one holding an enamel mug, the other with his legs crossed.

The three of them saw Liu Yuheng at the door at the same time.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Old Liu?" The three of them called out almost simultaneously.

Li Yunlong was the first to react. He jumped up from his chair, rushed to the door, grabbed Liu Yuheng by the shoulder, and looked him up and down: "When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I thought you were still in the Northeast!"

"Just got back, just settled the troops in," Liu Yuheng said with a smile. "I just rushed over to see you three old comrades. And also to see how Commander Li is doing with his studies, and whether he's swearing in class again."

Kong Jie and Ding Wei burst into laughter at the same time, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

Li Yunlong's face darkened for a moment, then returned to normal. He waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness and self-deprecation: "Stop making fun of me! I'm a good student now, I listen attentively in class, hand in my homework on time, and I never swear. The teacher even praised me last time, saying I've made great progress."

"Praise you?" Ding Wei looked incredulous. "Praise you for what? For improving from last place to second to last?"

"You son of a bitch!" Li Yunlong glared at him, pretending to hit him, but Ding Wei dodged with a smile.

After a while of commotion, Li Yunlong suddenly remembered something, patted Liu Yuheng on the shoulder, and said in a loud voice, "Come on, come on, Old Liu's here. Shouldn't we have a drink? It's been three years since we last met, it wouldn't be right not to have a few drinks!"

Liu Yuheng smiled and asked, "Is it convenient? But don't break the rules. I heard you guys are strict here, and drinking alcohol will get you punished."

Li Yunlong waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Today is a rest day, no classes. The trainees are doing all sorts of things. Some are out shopping, some are studying in the dorms, some are playing cards, some are sleeping. What's wrong with having a couple of drinks? As long as you don't cause trouble, nobody will bother you."

Kong Jie nodded in agreement, adding in a much more serious tone than Li Yunlong: "Today is a rest day, so there are no classes. According to the rules, students are free to do as they please on rest days, as long as they don't leave the academy. Let's just have a drink in the small canteen in the academy, don't go out, don't cause trouble, and don't break the rules."

Liu Yuheng nodded in agreement: "Alright, let's go. It's been years since we last met, I'll have a few drinks with you guys today."

The four of them went out together, went downstairs, and walked along the path shaded by sycamore trees toward the small canteen.

The small canteen is located at the far west end of the college. It is a separate courtyard specifically for faculty, staff, and senior students.

The four of them found a private room and sat down. The waiter came over with the menu.

Li Yunlong took the menu, didn't even glance at it, and said directly, "Braised pork belly, scrambled eggs, peanuts, smashed cucumber, braised beef, chicken stew with mushrooms, and a bottle of baijiu." He then slammed the menu on the table. "Is that enough?"

Ding Wei nodded: "That's enough, that's enough. It would be a waste if we couldn't finish it."

The waiter noted down the names of the dishes and turned to leave. The four men sat around the table; Li Yunlong sat opposite Liu Yuheng, while Ding Wei and Kong Jie sat on either side.

Li Yunlong picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea for each of the four men, put down the teapot, leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and looked at Liu Yuheng.

"Old Liu, I'm so envious of you! You went abroad, fought for three years, earned merit, and don't even have to go to this lousy school. And me? I'm sitting in a classroom listening to those old professors lecture, my head is spinning. Who can I complain to?"

Kong Jie pointed at Li Yunlong: "You dare compare yourself to Lao Liu? Back in the Jin-Sui region, you avoided the training courses offered by the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University whenever you could, never attending a single one. Lao Liu, on the other hand, graduated from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and even completed two further studies! What are you comparing yourself to him for? What makes you think you can compare?"

Ding Wei chimed in, "Exactly. Old Li, if you hadn't made that mistake and disobeyed orders at Cangyun Ridge back then, I would have gone to the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University for further studies, and I wouldn't be suffering here with you. You've wasted your own time, and now you've wasted mine too!"

Li Yunlong, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed by their back-and-forth, glared at them and said, "Fine, fine, it's all my fault! I shouldn't have fought that battle back then, I should have just watched the Sakata Regiment slip right under my nose! You two didn't make any mistakes? You, Lao Ding, you, Lao Kong, are you all good people too?"

"Damn it, who hasn't made mistakes? Back in Jizhong, you, Old Ding, disobeyed orders and retreated without permission, almost getting shot! You, Old Kong, suffered a defeat in Shanxi-Northwest and got a severe scolding from the old brigade commander! And you're criticizing me? Your own hands aren't clean either!"

Liu Yuheng couldn't help but laugh as he watched the three of them bickering back and forth.

The waiter brought the dishes over, and the table was full of food.

Li Yunlong picked up the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and poured a glass for everyone.

"Come on, Lao Liu, let's have a drink!" Li Yunlong raised his glass.

Liu Yuheng also held up his cup and clinked it with the three of them.

The four men each took a big gulp of their drink. Li Yunlong put down his cup, picked up a piece of braised pork, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and said indistinctly, "Old Liu, are you on leave now? What did the army say?"

Liu Yuheng put down his wine glass, wiped his mouth, and said, "I'm on vacation, just came back to visit my family. I'll take the train back to the capital tonight."

"The capital?" Kong Jie picked up a peanut, chewed it, and said, "Your family is from the capital? How come I've never heard you mention it before?"

"I told you, you might have forgotten." Liu Yuheng smiled. "Old Zhao and I both went to the Holy Land from Beijing, but Old Zhao went to school from another place, while I am a native of Beijing. I only found my family when I was transferred to the garrison in 49."

"Leaving tonight?" Ding Wei frowned slightly. "So soon? You're leaving after just meeting us? We haven't even had a proper drink yet."

Liu Yuheng smiled and waved his hand: "There's nothing I can do, the train tickets are already bought. Let's do it another day. Aren't you guys going on holiday soon too? Let's make a date when you come back for the New Year, and drink until we're completely drunk."

Upon hearing the words "holiday," Li Yunlong's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously straightened his back a bit. His voice carried a hint of smugness: "We're on holiday next week, until the Lantern Festival. I'm going home to see my son then!"

Kong Jie glanced at him, shook her head with a smile, pointed at him, and said with a hint of teasing, "Look at him, look at him, he's showing off his son like this. Ever since he had the baby last year, he's been bragging to everyone he meets, saying 'My son is this and that' to everyone he meets. We're sick of hearing about him."

Instead of getting angry at being teased, Li Yunlong became even more emboldened. He puffed out his chest and said confidently, "I have a son, of course I have to show him off! Do you have one? Do you have one? Old Kong, do you have a son? Old Ding, do you have a son? Old Liu, do you have a son? None of you! I do! Why can't I show him off?"

After being snapped at by him, the three looked at each other and fell silent. Indeed, none of them had anything to say.

Seeing their silence, Li Yunlong became even more smug. He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, put it down, and began to count on his fingers: "Look at our old comrades from the Jin-Sui region back then, how many of them are married? Old Zhao got married last year, Old Zhang the year before, and Old Wang the year before that. They're all settled down and have kids. And look at you three, Old Ding, Old Kong, and Old Liu, not even a wife. Aren't you ashamed?"

Kong Jie was left speechless by his lecture, took a sip of wine, and shook his head helplessly.

Ding Wei, however, was thick-skinned and ate his food without changing his expression, as if Li Yunlong wasn't talking about him.

Liu Yuheng, holding his wine glass, listened to Li Yunlong's long-winded speech and couldn't help but laugh. He put down his glass and said slowly, "Well, another matchmaker has arrived."