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

The Military Commission Guesthouse is a three-story gray brick building located in a quiet alley in Xicheng District. A white sign with red characters hangs at the entrance, and sentries stand guard. Those coming and going are all cadres in military uniforms.

After checking in, Liu Yuheng received his room key and went upstairs.

The next morning, just after six o'clock, Liu Yuheng woke up.

He got dressed, went to the washroom at the end of the corridor to wash his face and rinse his mouth, and returned to his room to put on his grass-green military uniform neatly.

He went next door and knocked on the door: "Little Sun, are you up yet?"

The door opened immediately, and Xiao Sun, already dressed, was waiting for him.

"Commander, where are we going today?" Xiao Sun asked as he followed him downstairs.

"Go to the guesthouse canteen for breakfast first, then call the vehicle management office and ask for a jeep. We need to run some errands today."

Xiao Sun responded.

The guesthouse's canteen was on the first floor, serving communal meals. Today's breakfast consisted of millet porridge, cornbread, pickled vegetable shreds, and a boiled egg for each person. Liu Yuheng sat down and ate two large bowls of porridge, three cornbreads, and the egg as well.

After breakfast, Xiao Sun went to the vehicle management office to retrieve his car, while Liu Yuheng waited at the entrance of the guesthouse.

A short while later, a grass-green American Jeep drove up from the alley entrance and stopped in front of the guesthouse.

Liu Yuheng opened the passenger door, got in, pulled his military cap down, and said, "Let's go, let's go to the south city first."

The jeep started up, turned out of the alley, and onto the main road.

The jeep took nearly forty minutes to drive from the west side of the city to the south side. The alley Liu Yuheng remembered was in an inconspicuous corner of the south side of the city, surrounded by low bungalows and narrow lanes, winding and turning like a maze.

Fortunately, Xiao Sun was a good driver, and Liu Yuheng had a good memory. Although the roads had changed a lot, they could still find the general direction.

"It's right here, turn right." Liu Yuheng pointed to the narrower alley ahead.

The jeep turned into the alley, which was so narrow that the walls on both sides almost brushed against the rearview mirror. Xiao Sun slowed down and drove forward cautiously. Hearing the car, the residents in the alley all poked their heads out of their houses to look.

In those days, cars were still a rarity; ordinary people might only see one a few times a year, let alone in a small alley in the southern part of the city. A grass-green military jeep drove in, making quite a spectacle.

Several shirtless children chased after the car, shouting "Car, car!"

"Let's stop here," Liu Yuheng said, pointing to a slightly more spacious area ahead.

Xiao Sun parked the car and turned off the engine. Liu Yuheng sat in the passenger seat, took a deep breath, opened the car door, and jumped out.

Xiao Sun also got out of the car and stood behind him.

Two men in military uniforms appeared in this alley in the southern part of the city, immediately attracting a crowd. The old men and women chatting by the roadside stopped talking, and those picking vegetables stopped, all looking up at them.

Ignoring the stares, Liu Yuheng strode towards the direction he remembered. He remembered the courtyard; it was in the middle of the alley, with a narrow passageway leading to a small courtyard where three or four families lived. His family lived in the innermost room. To the left of the entrance was the stove, and to the right was a wooden bed. Further in was a small inner room where his family slept.

He slowed down when he reached the entrance of the passageway.

The passageway was still there, just as narrow as ever, making it difficult for two people to walk side by side. The bricks on the walls were no longer recognizable as their original color; they were all a dark, unrecognizable black. Several of the bluestone slabs on the ground were broken, creaking and groaning underfoot.

Liu Yuheng took a deep breath and stepped inside.

After passing through the corridor and entering the small courtyard, he immediately saw the spot where his house should have been—the small south-facing house. The door was open, and a man's back was visible inside, doing something unknown.

Liu Yuheng walked to the door and knocked three times on the door frame.

"Who is it?" The man turned around; he was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt and holding a broom. He was clearly taken aback when he saw two men in military uniforms standing at the door.

"Comrade PLA soldier, what's the matter?" the man asked cautiously.

Liu Yuheng smiled at him, trying to make his expression as friendly as possible: "Comrade, I'd like to ask, I remember there used to be a family surnamed Liu living in this courtyard, the Liu Shuanzhu family. Do you know where they moved to now?"

"Surname Liu?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head. "Comrade, I don't know. I rented this courtyard from someone surnamed Chen. I've only been here for two years, and I don't know much about what happened before that."

Liu Yuheng nodded, slightly disappointed, but didn't show it. He continued, "Do you know anyone who has lived around here for a long time? Are there any long-time residents who have lived in this alley for ten or twenty years?"

"Then go ask Old Li at the alley entrance." The man pointed outside. "Old Li has lived on this street for over ten years. There's nothing in this alley that he doesn't know. He should be sitting at the alley entrance right now. He chats with a few other old men there every morning."

"Thank you," Liu Yuheng said, turning and walking out of the courtyard.

After leaving the passageway and returning to the alley, Liu Yuheng led Xiao Sun towards the alley entrance. Sure enough, before they even reached the alley entrance, they saw several old men sitting on the steps by the roadside. Some were smoking pipes, some were fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, and some were holding teapots, chatting idly.

Liu Yuheng walked over, and the old men fell silent when they saw the two men in military uniforms approaching. They all looked up at him.

Liu Yuheng smiled, took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, opened the pack, took out a few cigarettes, and handed them to the old men one by one.

"Gentlemen, have a smoke, have a smoke."

The old men looked at each other, somewhat flattered. Having lived in the alley for most of their lives, this was the first time they had ever been offered cigarettes by the People's Liberation Army.

The old man on the far left, with completely white hair, was the first to reach out, take the cigarette, smell it under his nose, and say, "Good cigarette, Daqianmen."

The other old men also accepted the cigarettes, and smiles appeared on their faces.

Liu Yuheng lit one for himself, took a drag, exhaled the smoke, and then asked, "Which one of you is Grandpa Li?"

The white-haired old man who had accepted the cigarette first raised his hand, his voice a little hoarse: "That's me, my surname is Li, everyone in the neighborhood calls me Old Li. Comrade PLA, what can I do for you?"

Liu Yuheng squatted down by the steps, pointed in the direction of the courtyard in the alley, and said, "Uncle Li, I'd like to ask you about someone. A family named Liu Shuanzhu used to live in that courtyard; he was a cook. Do you know where they moved to?"

"Liu Shuanzhu?" Old Li squinted and thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "You mean Old Liu? I know him! Of course I know him! I know him very well. His family lived in that courtyard over ten years ago. He has a son named Erhe, nicknamed Ergou, and a daughter named Tingting, right?"

Liu Yuheng was stunned for a moment.

Daughter? Tingting?

When he left, only he and his younger brother Liu Erhe were at home. Where did his daughter come from? When did his parents have another child?

A strange feeling welled up inside him, a mixture of surprise, unexpectedness, and above all, a soft, bittersweet warmth.

He nodded quickly, his tone even more urgent than before: "Yes, yes, that's it! Uncle Li, do you know where they moved to?"

"I know, I know. He moved to Nanluoguxiang. I think it's the No. 95 compound. I even helped him move. What year was that... Let me think, it was probably 1946, yes, 1946, not long after the liberation."

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang Courtyard.

Liu Yuheng silently recited the address in his mind, stood up to thank Old Li, and walked towards the jeep with Xiao Sun. As he walked, he searched his memory for the address, feeling like he had heard it somewhere before.

He knew Nanluoguxiang; he'd been there as a child. It was a long alley, lined with courtyard houses on both sides, inhabited by all sorts of people. But why did the address, No. 95, sound so familiar to him?

He opened the jeep door, got in, and Xiao Sun started the car.

The car turned out of the alleyway in the south of the city and headed towards the north. Liu Yuheng leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and searched the sea of ​​memories for that familiar clue.

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, No. 95 Nanluoguxiang...

Suddenly, he remembered.

That's not just any place, it's that den of beasts.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, Banggeng, Shazhu, Uncle Yi, Uncle Er, Uncle San… those names flooded into his mind like a burst dam. It was a TV series he had watched in that world, a story set in a courtyard house, about everyday family matters and trivialities, but the characters were all so vivid, making him feel both hate and laughter and anger.

Liu Yuheng opened his eyes, and his lips twitched slightly.

isn't it?

He had always believed he had transmigrated into the world of "Bright Sword." Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, Kong Jie, Ding Wei, the old brigade commander—these were all characters from "Bright Sword." But now it seemed this world was far more complex than just "Bright Sword." The courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, the courtyard filled with birds—these two worlds had somehow overlapped.

But then I thought about it again and realized it wasn't so strange. This world is inherently complex, with great figures and small figures, with fierce battles on the battlefield and trivial matters in the courtyard. Li Yunlong fights on the front lines, while Yi Zhonghai schemes in the backyard; everyone has their own way of life, and everyone has their own destiny.

He was a little curious whether the people in that courtyard were really like the animals depicted in TV dramas.

Is Yi Zhonghai truly a hypocrite? Is Liu Haizhong truly obsessed with officialdom? Is Yan Bugui truly stingy to the extreme? Is Jia Zhangshi truly throwing a tantrum? Is Qin Huairu truly... well, never mind, it's none of his business anyway.

He went back to see his family, not caring about any of that beastly den.

Seeing Liu Yuheng's expression twitching and then laughing in the rearview mirror, Xiao Sun couldn't help but ask, "Commander, are you alright?"

"It's okay, drive your car." Liu Yuheng waved his hand and closed his eyes again.

Upon arriving at Nanluoguxiang, Xiao Sun parked the car and turned off the engine. The two of them got out of the car.

The No. 95 compound is easy to find. There is a stone block on each side of the entrance. The gate is vermilion, but the paint is peeling off, revealing the gray-black wood underneath.

Liu Yuheng stepped inside.

The front yard wasn't big, just a small, square courtyard paved with blue bricks. A man in his thirties was squatting next to the grape trellis, holding a watering can and watering several potted plants.

Liu Yuheng recognized the man at a glance. Yan Bugui, the Third Uncle.

Well, it really is that courtyard house.

Hearing footsteps, Yan Bugui looked up, squinted behind his glasses, and recognized the person. He paused for a moment, then quickly stood up, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, PLA comrade, what's the matter?"

Liu Yuheng was fully aware of the man's little scheme, but he didn't expose it. Instead, he asked directly, "Comrade, may I ask if there's a man named Liu Shuanzhu living in this courtyard?"

Yan Bugui was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, Liu Shuanzhu, Master Liu, I know him, I know him."

He pointed in the opposite direction, "Look, that's their family living in the east wing. But you've come at the right time; they're having a family reunion right now, there are a lot of people in the house. Just walk over there and you'll see them."

Liu Yuheng paused, turning back to look at Yan Bugui: "Meeting in-laws? What do you mean, meeting in-laws?"

Seeing that the PLA comrade was interested, Yan Bugui immediately perked up and stepped closer, saying, "You don't know? Master Liu's eldest son, Liu Erhe, works at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill and has apprenticed under a master. It just so happens that his master's daughter has taken a liking to him, and the two families are discussing marriage today. He's probably having dinner inside right now."

I hadn't seen my younger brother for twelve years. He had grown from an eight-year-old child into a twenty-year-old young man. He had also learned a skill, had a master, and a girl had taken a liking to him. They were about to get married.

Liu Yuheng took a deep breath and nodded to Yan Bugui: "Thank you."

Yan Bugui quickly waved his hand: "No need to thank me, no need to thank me, it's my pleasure."

He stood there watching Liu Yuheng walk towards the east wing, his eyes darting around behind his glasses several times, wondering when the Liu family had gotten to know someone in the People's Liberation Army. Judging from the officer's demeanor, he didn't seem like an ordinary soldier. He had a gun on his hip and a bodyguard with him; he must be at least a regimental-level officer.

He wondered to himself whether he should find an opportunity to get closer to Liu Shuanzhu and find out about their relationship.

Liu Yuheng stood at the door for a few seconds, listening to the voices and laughter coming from inside the house.

He raised his hand and knocked three times on the door frame.

The room fell silent. The door opened from the inside, opened by a young man. He was around twenty years old, of medium height, wearing a faded blue Zhongshan suit, his hair neatly combed, and his face was dark reddish-brown; he was clearly a factory worker.

Liu Erhe.

Liu Yuheng recognized him at a glance.

Liu Erhe clearly didn't recognize him. He stared at the tall, uniformed man standing in the doorway, paused for a moment, then showed a hint of nervousness and unease: "Comrade PLA soldier, who are you looking for?"

Hearing the commotion, everyone inside looked over. Five or six people were sitting around the dining table, eating a meal.

All eyes were on Liu Yuheng, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment. Liu Shuanzhu and Liang Cheng stood up simultaneously, their expressions shifting from confusion to an instinctive sense of awe.

"Comrade PLA, what's the matter?" Liu Shuanzhu put down his wine glass, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Before Liu Yuheng could speak, Wang Xiuhe suddenly stood up.

"Big dog... Big dog, is that you back?"

Liu Erhe stood there, stunned, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time. He looked at his mother, then at the man in military uniform at the door, his expression shifting from confusion to shock. Big Dog? His older brother? The older brother who had run away from home when he was eight, and had been gone for twelve years without a trace?

Liu Shuanzhu was also stunned, and almost dropped the wine glass in his hand.

Liu Yuheng stood there, looking into Wang Xiuhe's eyes, and finally spoke: "Father, Mother, I'm back."

Wang Xiuhe burst into tears and rushed over to hug Liu Yuheng, her whole body trembling with sobs.

"Where have you been? You heartless bastard! You left and never came back, without even sending a word home. Do you know how much your mother misses you...?"

Liu Yuheng stood there motionless, letting his mother hold him and cry.

"Mother, don't cry, I'm perfectly fine."

Wang Xiuhe cried for a long time before Liu Shuanzhu pulled her away.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. It's a good thing the child is back. Move aside and let the child sit down."

Wang Xiuhe finally let go, but she still held onto Liu Yuheng's arm tightly, afraid that he would disappear if she let go.

Liu Shuanzhu moved his chair around and pointed to the seat next to him, saying, "Big Dog, come sit down, come sit down quickly."

Liu Yuheng's lips twitched.

Big dog. Another big dog.

He took a deep breath and decided to postpone correcting the problem for the time being.