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

As the vehicle entered the camp gate, the sentry saluted and slowly let it pass. The camp was quiet; it was the third day of the Lunar New Year, and most officers and soldiers were on leave. Only the sentries on duty and a few personnel remaining were moving around the camp. The training ground was empty, devoid of the usual sounds of commands and footsteps, making it seem exceptionally deserted.

Liu Yuheng got out of the car at the entrance of the office building, carried his luggage up to the second floor. He walked to the political commissar's office, knocked twice, and without waiting for a response, pushed the door open and went inside.

Old Li was sitting behind his desk, with a pile of documents spread out in front of him and a pen in his hand, flipping through the pages one by one.

Seeing Liu Yuheng enter, he put down his pen, looked up, and smiled with a hint of relief: "You're back?"

Liu Yuheng put his luggage by the door, walked to the desk, sat down opposite Lao Li, and glanced at the pile of documents on the desk: "Did you receive the documents regarding the troop reduction?"

Old Li nodded, reached for a document on the table, and handed it over: "Received it, received it several days ago. I've already transferred the lists of each unit as requested." He pointed to the pile of documents on the table, "They're all here, a preliminary summary of the organization, personnel, and equipment of each division and regiment."

Liu Yuheng took the document, flipped through it, glanced at the densely packed numbers and names on the pages, then closed it and placed it on the table: "Alright, leave the rest to me. You should go home and visit your family first; your sister-in-law and nephew are waiting for you there."

Old Li paused for a moment, then said, "No rush, the matter of demobilization..."

"Alright," Liu Yuheng interrupted him. "You go back first and spend the New Year with your sister-in-law and nephew. I'll get a feel for things here first, and we'll officially begin when you come back from your leave. While you're away, I'll look through these lists to get a general idea."

Old Li thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. But before I go, there's something for you."

He took a document from his drawer and handed it to Liu Yuheng: "This is my preliminary demobilization regulations. Take a look. I've been thinking about it for several days and I think we should start with those who have serious injuries or illnesses, as well as those who have been disabled on the battlefield. These people make up a small portion of the troop strength, but they are relatively easy to deal with, and there is a policy basis for it."

Liu Yuheng took the document, flipped through it, and saw that it was densely written, with annotations following each point, all logically and clearly organized. After reading it, he nodded: "Hmm, that's pretty much what I was thinking. My plan is also to mainly reduce the number of staff in the military headquarters and its subordinate division and regimental headquarters, followed by older veterans and officers, while retaining as many young soldiers and officers as possible. The army needs to be streamlined, but not crippled."

Old Li nodded: "That's what I think too. There are too many people and not enough work in the government offices, which is an old problem. This time, we can take advantage of the downsizing to straighten it out. Veterans and retired cadres who can be transferred to civilian jobs should be transferred, and those who want to retire should retire. We should try to make the transition as smooth as possible. We'll discuss it in detail after I come back from my leave."

Liu Yuheng carefully put the document away and placed it on the table in front of him: "Okay, you can go now. I'll wait for you to come back before we have a formal meeting to discuss it."

Old Li stood up, dusted himself off, and prepared to pack his things. Liu Yuheng waved, and Little Li walked in from the doorway, carrying a bulging canvas bag, which he handed to Liu Yuheng.

Liu Yuheng took the bag, unzipped it, and took out a few items: a packet of Beijing pastries wrapped in oil paper; two small wooden toys, a rocking horse and a rooster, both exquisitely crafted; and a soft, brightly colored floral fabric, clearly made for children. He placed these on the table and pushed them toward Old Li.

"Didn't I take my nephew's toy car before?" Liu Yuheng smiled. "This time when I went back, I bought some trinkets in the capital as a way of making up for it. Here's a bag of pastries for you and your sister-in-law to try, and some floral fabric to make a dress for your sister-in-law. It's nothing valuable, just a token of my appreciation."

Old Li stared at the things on the table, then paused for a moment. He reached for the small wooden horse, twirled it in his hand, and looked up at Liu Yuheng: "Then I won't be polite."

"Don't mention it," Liu Yuheng waved his hand. "Let's go."

Old Li tidied up the things on the table, stuffed them into his bag, picked up the bag, walked to the door, glanced back at Liu Yuheng, nodded, and then turned and left.

Liu Yuheng sat alone in his office, a pile of documents spread out in front of him. He opened the list of troop reductions and began to read it page by page. Numbers, names, unit numbers, organizational structures—the pages were densely packed, making his eyes dizzy.

There was a knock at the door, and Xiao Li's voice came through the door: "Commander, should I go back and pack my things too?"

Liu Yuheng looked up, remembering something: "Wait a minute."

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, opened the door, and took out a few things: a pack of cigarettes and two bottles of wine, which he placed on the table.

"Take these with you and bring them home for your father to try. It's almost Chinese New Year, so show him some respect."

Standing at the doorway, Xiao Li stared blankly at the things on the table, then quickly waved his hand, "Commander, this is unacceptable, please keep it..."

"What are you keeping?" Liu Yuheng's face hardened, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "Just take it. You've been running around with me for over a year, and you haven't even had a proper New Year's celebration at home. This stuff is for your parents, not for you. Hurry up and take it, don't dawdle."

Seeing Liu Yuheng's uncompromising expression, Xiao Li knew that saying anything more was useless. He took a few steps forward, packed the things on the table into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, stood at the door, and gave Liu Yuheng a solemn salute: "Thank you, Commander. I'll be going now."

"Let's go back and spend some time with our families," Liu Yuheng waved his hand.

Xiao Li turned and left the room, his footsteps fading into the distance along the corridor.