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

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. Then a low hum arose from the crowd; some gasped, some chuckled, and some whispered among themselves.

Some people felt a little resentful. How could Jia Zhangshi have gotten such a good opportunity first? Liu Yuheng is young, capable, and has a high status. If he could get married into this family, what would he have to worry about in the courtyard in the future?

Some people were already calculating how many good things Liu Yuheng had sent to Liu Shuanzhu's family during this time: meat, canned goods, wine, pastries, and even the watch on Liang Fangfang's wrist—it was obvious to everyone that it was from Liu Yuheng. If their families could establish a kinship with Liu Yuheng, how could they not receive benefits?

Some people even thought that if they could establish a connection with the Liu family, their children's future would be secure. She felt a pang of regret, wondering why she hadn't spoken up sooner.

Liu Yuheng's expression froze for two seconds, and a string of black lines immediately flashed through his mind.

Marry Qin Huairu's sister? Has he gone mad or lost his mind? Madam Jia's plan is shrewd. If he really marries the Qin family's daughter, won't the Jia family be able to do whatever they want in this courtyard? It's likely that even Liu Yuheng's family fortune will be used as her personal ATM.

As he pondered, his thoughts drifted further afield. Qin Huairu's younger sister… was her name Qin Jingru? No, no, Qin Jingru should still be young, not old enough for marriage. She was probably some distant niece from the Qin family. But whoever she was, he dared not get involved with anyone from the Qin family.

Did he not know what Qin Huairu was thinking? She appeared gentle and virtuous on the surface, but was incredibly shrewd, capable of scheming people until they were utterly ruthless. The daughters of the Qin family were easily swayed; a little manipulation from Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu would lead them to do anything. If he married such a wife, and she gave him a couple of bottles of wine today, slipped him some money tomorrow, and then used connections to pull strings the day after, what would Liu Yuheng become?

He had witnessed the fates of Liu and Zhang. A wife could be uneducated or not beautiful, but she had to be intelligent, know what was acceptable and unacceptable, uphold moral principles, and shield him from malicious people when he was busy. As for someone like Jia Zhangshi, whose mind was full of scheming and manipulation, he should stay as far away as possible.

Liu Yuheng took a deep breath, forced a polite but unfriendly smile, and said firmly, "No need. My marriage is being taken care of by the organization; you don't need to worry about it."

When Jia Zhangshi was rejected so decisively, her smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered: "Don't be in such a hurry to push her away! That girl is very pretty, you won't lose anything by meeting her..."

"No."

Jia Zhangshi wanted to say something more, but Liu Yuheng's gaze had already shifted away from her. He glanced around at the other people in the courtyard. He knew that if he didn't completely put an end to this matter, even if he got rid of Jia Zhangshi today, Li Zhangshi, Wang Zhangshi, and all sorts of Zhangshi would come knocking on his door tomorrow.

There are plenty of people in this courtyard who want to claim kinship with him, and plenty of people who are eyeing his wealth and connections. Once that door is opened, there will be no peace and quiet in the future.

"As I just said, my marriage is arranged by the organization. At my current rank, my wife must be vetted by the security department."

The courtyard fell silent, even quieter than before, and the barking of dogs in the distant alley could be clearly heard.

"If Aunt Jia insists on introducing us, I'm fine with meeting her. But even if we meet, the organizational vetting process won't be skipped. The entire Jia family will be thoroughly investigated by the security department, including their background, connections with enemy agents, lifestyle, and financial matters. If they fail the vetting, they could be paraded through the streets or even shot. Don't blame me for not warning you then."

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Jia Zhangshi's smile had completely frozen; her lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't utter a single word.

She had only wanted to marry into a wealthier family, but Liu Yuheng had escalated the matter to the level of a security department investigation. Words like "family background," "connections to enemy agents," and "lifestyle" made her legs weak just hearing them. Even if she wanted to marry into a wealthy family, she didn't need to risk her entire family's lives.

Yi Zhonghai was the first to react. He quickly walked over and grabbed Jia Zhangshi's arm, saying, "Alright, alright, hurry back. Comrade Liu already said that his marriage is being taken care of by the organization. Why are you getting involved? Hurry back and don't cause any more trouble here."

Pulled back to her senses by Yi Zhonghai, Jia Zhangshi wanted to say something, but seeing Yi Zhonghai's serious face and Liu Yuheng's indifferent expression, she didn't dare to speak again. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, gave an awkward smile, and turned to leave.

Yan Bugui chimed in from the side, his voice carrying a hint of deliberate support: "That's right, that's right, Sister-in-law Jia, you didn't handle this properly. Why are you, a mere neighbor, meddling in Comrade Liu's affairs? Go home quickly, don't delay everyone's New Year celebrations."

He spoke words of support, but in his heart he was plotting something else. Yan Bugui came from a small business background; his family had run a small grocery store back in the day, and his class background had always been a source of anxiety for him. He couldn't bear the consequences if it were discovered because of this.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Liu Yuheng's words were no joke, and a chill ran down his spine. Liu Haizhong didn't say anything, but his expression also changed. He came from a working-class background, so there wasn't anything wrong with his class background, but it wasn't a secret in the neighborhood that he beat children. Although it wasn't illegal, if the security department took notice, he might lose not only his official position but also his current job as a neighborhood liaison officer.

He also felt that Liu Yuheng's words made a lot of sense, and it was best not to provoke him.

Jia Dongxu squeezed through the crowd, his face not looking too good. He quickly walked to Jia Zhangshi's side, grabbed his mother's arm, and said in a low voice, "Mother, stop talking, let's go home quickly."

Jia Zhangshi was pulled back by her son. After a few steps, she was still unwilling and turned around to say something. However, Jia Dongxu pulled her hard, causing her to stumble. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

The mother and son entered the Jia family's house one after the other, and the door closed behind them with a muffled thud.

The courtyard was quiet for a while. Then the crowd slowly dispersed, but the expressions on everyone's faces carried a subtle, indescribable change. Some looked at Liu Yuheng with more awe, some whispered among themselves, and some lowered their heads and hurried back to their rooms.

The once bustling front and middle yards suddenly became much quieter, as if someone had poured cold water on them.

Liu Yuheng stood in the center of the courtyard, watching the departing figures, his heart unmoved. His words were half true, half false. It was true that the security department was vetting marriage partners, but he didn't consider it as serious as he'd described. What major financial problems could these people possibly have, and connections to enemy agents were simply out of the question.

He just needed a bucket of cold water to extinguish these people's unrealistic fantasies. The effect seems good; at least for the time being, no one should be eyeing him anymore.