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

Liu Yuheng and Director Zhou went back to the Military Commission compound together and borrowed a jeep from the Logistics Department. The staff in the Logistics Department were very efficient and completed the procedures quickly, handing the car keys to Xiao Li in less than ten minutes.

Xiao Li drove the car, with Liu Yuheng in the passenger seat, heading towards Nanluoguxiang.

The car stopped at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang Hutong.

Xiao Li turned off the engine, and the two of them got out of the car, took their luggage from the back seat, and strode into the alley.

The gate to compound number 95 was ajar. Liu Yuheng pushed it open and went inside. The courtyard was quiet. Smoke was billowing from the chimneys of every household, rising in wisps through the snow. There was no one in the courtyard; even Yan Bugui, who was always guarding the gate, had retreated inside. It was probably because it was too cold, and no one wanted to freeze outside.

Liu Yuheng walked through the front yard and arrived at the door of the east wing.

He stood at the door, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock.

Footsteps came from inside the house, and the door was quickly opened.

It was Liu Erhe who opened the door.

He was stunned when he saw the person standing at the door. His eyes widened and his mouth was open for a long time.

"Brother? Brother! You're back!"

"You're back." Liu Yuheng said, reaching out to pat his younger brother on the shoulder, making him sway. "What, don't you recognize me?"

Liu Erhe then realized what was happening and quickly stepped aside, saying, "Come in, come in! Come in quickly! Father! Mother! Big brother is back!"

The room erupted in chaos.

Liu Tingting realized what was happening and immediately ran to Liu Yuheng's side, hugging his arm tightly and jumping excitedly, "Brother! You're finally back! We missed you so much!"

Wang Xiuhe came over and pulled Liu Yuheng inside, her voice urgent and rapid: "Come in, come in, it's cold outside. Have you eaten? Mother will cook for you. How long are you staying this time? Are you leaving again?"

Liu Yuheng was ushered into the house by his family.

Liu Shuanzhu pushed the quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed) further in, making room for Liu Yuheng to sit down. Wang Xiuhe poured a bowl of hot tea and handed it to him. Liu Yuheng took it and drank a sip; the warmth spread from his throat to his stomach, making him feel comfortable all over.

Wang Xiuhe sat opposite him, holding his hand: "Yuheng, are you still coming or not?"

The room fell silent as soon as the question was asked. All eyes were on Liu Yuheng; even Liu Tingting stopped jumping around and stood there obediently, waiting for his answer.

Wang Xiuhe held Liu Yuheng's hand, her voice trembling, "Are you still coming this time?"

"Let's go." Liu Yuheng nodded.

The room fell silent instantly. Wang Xiuhe clenched her fists tightly, and her eyes reddened again.

Liu Yuheng quickly added with a smile, "I'll work here for another six months and then I'll be transferred back. I won't be leaving again."

Wang Xiuhe paused for a moment, then punched her son's arm, both angry and amused: "You brat! Can't you stop talking so dramatically? Your mother's heart can't take this!"

Everyone in the room burst into laughter. Liu Tingting clapped her hands with laughter, and even Liu Shuanzhu grinned. The tense atmosphere vanished, and warmth returned.

Looking at his family's reaction, Liu Yuheng felt both bittersweet and warm inside.

He turned his gaze to the little one in Liang Fangfang's arms, his eyes full of smiles, and reached out his hands towards the round little thing.

"Come here, let your uncle give you a hug. This must be my nephew, right?"

When the little guy heard the words "uncle," he looked up at Liu Yuheng, his little mouth still full of sweet potato, his cheeks bulging, and he snuggled closer to Liang Fangfang.

Liu Erhe smiled as he took his son from Liang Fangfang's arms, bounced him a few times, and held him in front of Liu Yuheng, his tone filled with the pride and joy unique to fathers: "Yes, this is your eldest nephew. His name is Liu Yixuan."

Liu Yuheng took the little one and held him in his arms.

"Liu Yixuan." Liu Yuheng repeated the name, raising an eyebrow slightly. He looked down at the little one in his arms, then at Liu Erhe, "Which Yixuan?"

Liu Erhe scratched the back of his head, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face: "The 'Yi' in 'peaceful' and the 'Xuan' in 'Xuanyuan'."

"The 'Yi' of 'tranquility,' and the 'Xuan' of 'profound'." Liu Yuheng repeated it, savoring the meaning of the two characters, and nodded. "This name... you didn't choose it, did you?"

Liu Erhe's smile froze for a moment, revealing a hint of embarrassment. The tips of his ears turned slightly red, and he coughed dryly without replying.

Liu Tingting couldn't help but giggle, covering her mouth. She leaned close to Liu Yuheng's ear and whispered, "Brother, let me tell you, this name was obtained by my second brother giving five eggs to the third uncle across the street."

Liu Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "Third Uncle?"

"It's Yan Bugui," Liu Shuanzhu explained from the side, taking a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaling. "In early 52, the neighborhood committee asked us to select a few liaison officers, and they chose Lao Yi, Lao Liu, and Lao Yan. The younger generation started calling them 'Uncle One,' 'Uncle Two,' and 'Uncle Three.' We older generation still call them Lao Yi, Lao Liu, and Lao Yan."

Liu Yuheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

As for the titles like "Uncle One," "Uncle Two," and "Uncle Three," he knew them perfectly well. This was the standard setup in a courtyard house. Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui—the three of them together formed a small, unofficial community in the courtyard. But in his eyes, these things were nothing more than trivial matters.

"Alright, the name is nice." Liu Yuheng smiled, looked down at the little guy in his arms, and gently poked his chubby cheek with his finger. "Yixuan, Yixuan, it sounds nice. When you grow up, your uncle will take you to school."

Liu Yixuan was poked by him, stopped eating the sweet potato, tilted his head and looked at him for two seconds, then burst into tears.

Liu Yuheng frantically tried to soothe the little guy, bouncing him a couple of times and patting him a couple of times, but the little guy cried even harder, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly aggrieved.

Wang Xiuhe smiled and took her grandson from him, bouncing him a little. The little guy stopped crying, snuggled in his grandmother's arms, sobbed a couple of times, and then lowered his head to nibble on a sweet potato. Liu Yuheng watched this scene, both amused and exasperated, and said to the little guy, "Fine, you're closer to your grandma, your uncle can step aside."

Everyone laughed.

Liu Yuheng turned around and waved to Xiao Li, who was standing at the door: "Xiao Li, give me the bag."

Xiao Li handed over the large canvas backpack, which Liu Yuheng took, unzipped, rummaged through inside for a while, and first pulled out a few packets of chocolate.

He opened a bag of chocolates, broke off a small piece, and put it in Liu Yixuan's mouth. The little guy frowned at first; he hadn't tasted this before—it wasn't sweet, nor bitter, it was strange. But after chewing a couple of times, his eyes lit up, he opened his mouth, revealing a few tiny teeth, and mumbled, "More!"

Liu Yuheng smiled and broke off another piece for him. This time, the little guy was smarter; he didn't swallow it whole, but held it in his mouth and sipped it slowly, his eyes narrowed into slits, his little face full of satisfaction.

Liu Tingting stood to the side, staring longingly at the bag of chocolates. She swallowed hard and whispered, "Brother, I want some too."

Although Liu Erhe didn't say anything, his eyes never left the bag of chocolates.

Seeing his younger siblings' expressions, Liu Yuheng couldn't help but laugh. He took out a few more packets of chocolate from his bag and handed one to each of them. Liu Tingting took one, tore it open, broke off a piece, and popped it into her mouth. After chewing a couple of times, her expression changed three times: first, she frowned; then, she looked surprised; finally, she looked like she was enjoying it. She mumbled a comment, "The taste is a bit strange, but it's delicious!"

When Liu Erhe received the chocolate, he didn't rush to eat it. Instead, he broke off a piece and handed it to Liang Fangfang, saying, "Fangfang, have a taste."

Liang Fangfang took it, sipped it slowly, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

Liu Erhe then broke off a piece and put it in his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, he nodded and said thoughtfully, "The taste is definitely different."

Liu Yuheng then handed two more packets to Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe: "Dad, Mom, you should try some too."

Liu Shuanzhu took the chocolate, examined it from all angles, broke off a small piece, put it in his mouth, frowned for a moment, then relaxed and commented, "It's a bit strange, but not bad."

Wang Xiuhe also tried it, and she quite liked the taste. While eating, she said, "This is better than maltose, and it doesn't stick to my teeth."

Liu Yuheng then took something out of his bag, about the size of a palm—a small red car, made of sheet metal, with exquisite workmanship; the doors could open and the wheels could turn.

"Come here, Yixuan, look what your uncle brought you." Liu Yuheng handed the toy car to the little guy.

Liu Yixuan's eyes were immediately drawn to the red toy car. He abandoned the sweet potato, tossed it aside, and reached out with his chubby little hands to grab the car. He looked it over and over, poked the door with his finger, and it opened. He was startled, then poked it again, and it opened again. He giggled, overjoyed.

Liu Yuheng then took out several watches from his bag and laid them out one by one on the table. The watch faces reflected a soft light under the lamp, and they were clearly high-quality items.

He picked up a women's watch, its dial small and exquisite, and handed it to Liang Fangfang: "Fangfang, this is for you."

Liang Fangfang quickly waved her hand, her face turning red: "Big brother, no, no, it's too precious, I can't accept it."

"Take it." Liu Yuheng shoved the watch into her hand, his tone brooking no refusal. "What's a watch? Don't be so polite with your older brother."

Liang Fangfang glanced at her watch, then at Liu Erhe.

Liu Erhe nodded and said with a smile, "It's from your older brother, so just take it."

Liang Fangfang then accepted it, holding it in her hands and looking at it again and again.

Liu Yuheng picked up two more men's pieces and looked at Liu Shuanzhu and Liu Erhe: "Dad, Erhe, do you still want them? I have some more."

Liu Shuanzhu waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Why would a cook like me wear a watch? I'm always out in the oil and fire; I'd be heartbroken if I broke it. No, no."

Liu Erhe shook his head as well. He raised his wrist to show Liu Yuheng a watch on his wrist, the dial of which was a bit old: "Brother, the one you gave me last time is still in good condition, I don't need it."

Liu Tingting leaned closer, her eyes sparkling, and reached for the watch on the table: "I want it! Brother, give me one!"

Liu Yuheng glanced at her, put his watch away, raised an eyebrow, and said with a hint of teasing, "Dream on. I'll give you one when you get into a vocational school or high school. Let your mother keep it for now, so you don't lose it."

Liu Tingting pouted, but instead of being discouraged, she puffed out her chest and said confidently, "You have to keep your word! There are only two years left, I'm sure I'll pass the exam! You can't go back on your word then!"

"I won't renege on my promise." Liu Yuheng smiled and rubbed her head.

Wang Xiuhe frowned as she looked at the watches on the table and asked, "Yuheng, where did you get so many watches? They must have cost a lot of money!"

Liu Yuheng was fixing Liu Tingting's hair when he heard the question. Without thinking, he blurted out, "It was captured on the battlefield and didn't cost any money."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had said the wrong thing.

The room fell silent immediately.

Liu Yuheng slowly raised his head and saw that Wang Xiuhe's eyes were red.

Liu Yuheng's heart skipped a beat; he knew he'd let something slip. Three years ago, when he left, he told his family he was being transferred to another job, not that he was going to the front lines. He didn't want his family to worry, and he didn't want Wang Xiuhe to be anxious day and night thousands of miles away. But that phrase, "captured on the battlefield," had exposed everything.

"Mother, I..." Liu Yuheng opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't know what to say.

Wang Xiuhe's tears finally fell, one by one, silently landing on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Yixuan, quickly comfort Grandma," Liu Yuheng whispered in the little guy's ear.

Liu Yixuan blinked, reached out his chubby little hand to touch Wang Xiuhe's face, and called out in a childish voice, "Grandma."

Wang Xiuhe held her grandson, tears still streaming down her face, but her lips twitched slightly: "Grandma is fine, Grandma is just... worried about your uncle."

It took Wang Xiuhe a while to calm down. She wiped her tears with her sleeve, let the child go to Liang Fangfang's side, took a deep breath, and stood up: "You two sit down, I'll go cook. Yuheng is back, we need to make something good."

Seeing this, Liang Fangfang handed the child in her arms to Liu Erhe and followed, saying, "Mom, let me help you."

Liu Yuheng opened his mouth to stop her, but looking at Wang Xiuhe's stubborn back, he closed his mouth again.

Liu Shuanzhu, sitting opposite, said, "Your mother is just worried about you. Don't take it to heart."

Liu Yuheng shook his head, his voice low: "Father, I know. It's my fault, I shouldn't have kept it from you."

Liu Shuanzhu waved his hand and sighed, "Keeping it from us is the right thing to do. Knowing would only make us more worried. Which of you on the battlefield doesn't report good news and hide bad news? We're all the same."