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

The group stood in the middle of the courtyard and didn't go anywhere else. They found a sheltered spot next to the grape trellis. Yi Zhonghai spoke first: "I heard from the factory office that the eight-level worker system will really be implemented after the New Year."

Liu Haizhong's voice was a little louder than usual, tinged with anticipation and nervousness: "I've heard about it too. If we're going to rank people, what standards will be used? Will it be based on seniority or skill? Who ultimately decides?"

Yan Bugui peeled a peanut, tossed it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and slowly interjected, "Your factory is doing a grading system, and it seems our school is going to grade teachers too. I wonder what grade I, a primary school Chinese teacher, will get."

Yi Zhonghai didn't answer Yan Bugui's question. His gaze went past Liu Haizhong's shoulder and landed on Liu Yuheng and Liu Erhe, who were standing at the door of the east wing. He gestured with his chin in that direction: "Comrade Liu is over there. Why don't you ask him? He's seen a lot in the army and has more experience than us."

The three men looked at Liu Yuheng together: "Comrade Liu, come and sit down for a while? We were just discussing the rank assignments and would like to hear your opinion."

Liu Yuheng stubbed out his cigarette, threw it into the snow, and walked over. Liu Erhe followed behind, stopping in the middle of the group.

Yan Bugui was the first to speak, adjusting his glasses: "Comrade Liu, how is rank determined in your unit? Is it based on years of service or ability? Or is there some kind of exam?"

Liu Yuheng shook his head, his tone frank: "The military is different from the civilian sector. We still operate on a supply system; our food, clothing, and daily necessities are all allocated by higher authorities. There's no such thing as rank assignment. Rank assignments don't concern us much."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face: "The military is different from civilian life, that's true."

Liu Haizhong clicked his tongue and returned to the topic of Grade 8 workers: "No matter what, being able to get a grade is a good thing. The higher the grade, the higher the salary, and we workers have something to look forward to. I've worked in the forging workshop for almost ten years. I wouldn't say my skills are amazing, but they're not bad either. Getting a Grade 5 or 6 shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him and said calmly, "Passing CET-5 or CET-6 should be a sure thing."

Liu Yuheng stood to the side, listening to the group discussing the ranking, but his own thoughts were racing.

He knew, of course, that the eight-grade worker system was real, and that it was a good thing; workers had hope and a future. But that wasn't what he was thinking about; he was thinking about something else entirely: with the implementation of the eight-grade worker system, the military's salary system wouldn't be far behind.

Tomorrow will be 54 years, and next year will be 55. It's time to award ranks. But he knew in his heart that there was a bottom line for awarding ranks: those who do not work in the military will not participate in the awarding of ranks.

He still doesn't know where he'll be next year. Will he go to headquarters or transfer to a local unit? If he stays in the military, he can participate in the conferment of ranks and wear stars on his shoulders; if he transfers to a local unit, those stars will be irrelevant to him, and he'll have to start all over again.

He wasn't someone who cared about empty titles, but military rank was more than just an empty title for a soldier. It was recognition of your more than ten years of military service, an honor you earned with your blood and life, and proof that you stood firm in this army.

Just as everyone was discussing the ranking, a roar suddenly came from the courtyard.

"Xu Damao! You fucking stop right there!"

Everyone turned their heads at once, and saw He Yuzhu rushing out from the backyard, holding a rolling pin in his hand, his face red, his eyes blazing with fire, as if he wanted to devour Xu Damao alive.

Xu Damao ran ahead at breakneck speed, turning back to laugh as he ran, shouting, "Silly Zhu, silly Zhu, you can't catch me! You can't catch me!"

He Yuzhu chased after him through gritted teeth, and the two ran one after the other in the yard.

Yan Bugui shook his head as he watched this scene, his tone tinged with helplessness: "These two kids are at it again. They fight every three days, and every five days they fight a big one. There's never a moment of peace."

Liu Yuheng stood by and watched without saying a word.

He Yuzhu is straightforward and has a fiery temper; he wears his heart on his sleeve. Xu Damao is clever, sweet-talking, but also sarcastic, and loves to provoke He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu's biggest weakness is that he can't resist being goaded, and Xu Damao excels at hitting his sore spots. When the two of them get together, they're bound to cause some trouble.

Sure enough, Xu Damao ran a few steps, then turned back and added, "Silly Zhu, your dad ran off with the widow, aren't you going to hurry up and chase after him? Maybe you can still catch him! Hahaha!"

These words were like stirring up a hornet's nest. He Yuzhu's face instantly turned from red to black, his grip on the rolling pin tightened, and his steps quickened as he cursed, "Xu Damao, you won't leave this yard alive today!"

Seeing that things were going badly, Xu Damao took off running, and the two of them started circling around the center of the courtyard. Xu Damao ran fast, and He Yuzhu chased closely. One ran in front, circling the crowd, while the other chased after him, cursing. Several children who were watching the commotion clapped their hands and ran along, and the courtyard instantly turned into chaos.

Liu Yuheng watched for a while and felt that if things continued like this, the two would inevitably start fighting. On New Year's Eve, if they made such a scene, it wouldn't look good for either of them. He took a step forward, sidestepped, and stood right between the two.

He Yuzhu couldn't stop in time and almost bumped into him. The rolling pin in his hand was halfway up when he saw it was Liu Yuheng, and he stopped abruptly in mid-air. Xu Damao also stopped and stood three steps behind Liu Yuheng, panting and with a gloating smile on his face.

Yi Zhonghai spoke up at this point: "Alright, alright, it's the New Year, stop making a scene. Sha Zhu, put your things down. Xu Damao, don't cause trouble either. It's not a good look to fight on New Year's Eve."

He Yuzhu, panting heavily, glared at Xu Damao, still clutching the rolling pin in his hand, but didn't rush forward again. Xu Damao's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but a glare from Yi Zhonghai made him a little intimidated, and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

However, the commotion caused quite a stir in the courtyard. Doors opened one after another, some people peeked out to ask what was going on, while others came out to watch the commotion. Before long, a large crowd had gathered in the front and middle courtyards, young and old, some standing, some squatting, some holding teacups, some eating melon seeds, all looking in this direction.

Liu Yuheng stood in the middle of the crowd, feeling somewhat helpless. He had only come out for some fresh air, but unexpectedly, he had been caught up in a farcical fight among teenagers and had become the focus of attention for the entire courtyard. Just as he was about to turn back to his east wing, he caught a glimpse of a figure moving at the Jia family's door.

Jia Zhangshi came out of the house.

She stood at her front door, first looking at the dispersed crowd, then at Liu Yuheng standing in the center of the yard. Her eyes darted around twice, then a smile spread across her face as she walked towards Liu Yuheng.

Some people in the crowd noticed her movements and turned to look.

Madam Jia walked up to Liu Yuheng, her face beaming with a smile: "Eldest son of the Liu family, I heard you don't have a girlfriend yet?"

Liu Yuheng was stunned. Standing in the courtyard, he was caught off guard by Jia Zhangshi's sudden question. He looked at Jia Zhangshi's smiling face, then at the people around him who were listening intently, and for a moment he didn't understand what she wanted to do, but he still nodded: "Not yet."

Madam Jia's smile deepened, and she took half a step forward: "That's perfect! Our Huai Ru has a younger sister from her family. She's incredibly beautiful, fair-skinned and delicate, with impeccable looks, and she's also very hardworking. Would you like to meet her?"