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

In early March, the weather in Nanjing was much warmer than before the Lunar New Year. Liu Yuheng sat in his office, a document he had just finished reading spread out in front of him. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the desk with the unique clarity and gentleness of early spring.

The phone on the table suddenly rang.

Liu Yuheng picked up the phone, but before he could speak, a familiar voice came from the other end, carrying the composure of someone long accustomed to high positions: "Liu Yuheng?"

"It's me. Hello, boss!" Liu Yuheng immediately sat up straight, his hand gripping the microphone slightly tighter.

"Get ready, come over here. The transfer order should have been sent to your unit by now."

Liu Yuheng's heart skipped a beat: "Yes! I'll prepare immediately!"

"And another thing," the commander paused, his tone carrying a hint of teasing from an elder to a junior, "after you come back, take care of your personal life first. Your name, Liu Yuheng, is quite well-known now. Among the senior officers in the entire army who are still unmarried, only those few rascals from Jin-Sui remain. Do the math yourself, where do you rank?"

Liu Yuheng couldn't help but laugh, but there was a hint of embarrassment in his laughter: "Boss, don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Two hearty laughs came from the other end of the phone, and then the call ended.

Liu Yuheng held the microphone, listened to the busy tone coming from the other end, paused for two seconds, and then slowly put the microphone back.

There was a knock on the office door, and before he could say "come in," the door was pushed open.

Old Li strode in, holding a document in his hand, his expression complex. He walked to his desk, placed the document on it, and pushed it towards Liu Yuheng: "Old Liu, your transfer order has come through."

Liu Yuheng glanced down at the document, but didn't pick it up. He simply nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

Old Li was taken aback: "You already knew?"

Liu Yuheng leaned back in his chair and pointed to the phone on the table: "The boss just called."

Old Li nodded without pressing further. He sat down opposite Liu Yuheng, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked, "When do you plan to leave?"

Liu Yuheng glanced at his watch; it was just past four in the afternoon. He thought for a moment: "Tomorrow morning then. I'll pack tonight and leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" Old Li frowned. "I was thinking of throwing you a farewell party. We've worked together for so many years, it wouldn't be right to leave without a proper send-off."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand casually, "We're all soldiers, we don't do those formalities. Farewell parties and farewell gatherings make it seem like a life-or-death separation, it's meaningless."

As he spoke, he thought for a moment and then added, "How about this, let all the officers at the division level and above from the headquarters come. We'll have dinner tonight in the small canteen; it'll be my treat. Consider it a farewell gathering. No formalities, just a meal and some drinks will do."

Old Li looked at him, opened his mouth as if to say a few more words of advice, but seeing Liu Yuheng's expression that said it all, he shut his mouth again.

He stood up, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll go inform them." Then he turned and left.

As evening approached, the headquarters' small canteen was packed with people. More than a dozen officers of division rank and above had arrived, filling the largest round table in the canteen to capacity. The dishes on the table were already laid out, a mix of meat and vegetables, hot and cold dishes; not lavish, but quite a good meal for those days.

When Liu Yuheng and Lao Li arrived, everyone was already there. The moment the two pushed open the door, the dozen or so people present stood up in unison, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a synchronized sound, and then a dozen hands were raised to the brim of their hats in a standard military salute.

Liu Yuheng stood at the door, looking at these familiar faces. He paused for a moment, then solemnly returned a military salute, lowered his hands, walked to the table, and sat down in the center. Old Li sat down next to him, and the others followed suit.

The wine glass was already full, and the clear liquid shimmered under the light.

"You should already know the news, and you should have expected it. My transfer is neither sudden nor unexpected."

He paused for a moment, then raised his glass: "I won't say anything more. This glass is for everyone here. From now on, the 45th Army is in your hands."

He picked up his glass, tilted his head back, and downed the entire glass of wine in one gulp. The dozen or so people at the table simultaneously raised their glasses and drank it all in one go.

The atmosphere immediately became lively. Some people stood up to toast Liu Yuheng, some came over with their glasses to clink glasses with him, and some offered a few words of blessing. Liu Yuheng accepted everyone's toasts without hesitation, drinking one glass after another, his smile never fading.

After several rounds of drinks, the dishes on the table were almost finished, and a second bottle of wine was opened.

Old Li sat to the side, watching Liu Yuheng clink glasses with each of the officers, without stopping him. Two deputy army commanders took turns offering toasts, and Liu Yuheng downed a glass each time. Several division-level officers also came over to offer toasts, drinking from each of them in turn.

Late into the night, Liu Yuheng leaned back in his chair, his glass empty, his eyelids drooping, and his head slumping slightly. He hadn't drunk this much in a long time. After the last glass, he couldn't even remember who had toasted him, only the crisp sound of the glasses clinking together.

Old Li shook his head at his appearance and waved to the side: "Two people, carry the commander back to the dormitory."

Two young guards came over, one on each side, and helped Liu Yuheng up, supporting him as they walked out.

The next morning, Liu Yuheng was awakened by the light shining through the cracks in the window.

He opened his eyes, his head still throbbing from the hangover, his temples throbbing. He propped himself up on the edge of the bed, rubbed his temples, and after a while, got out of bed to wash up.

Hearing the commotion, the guard Xiao Li brought in hot water, placed the basin on the washbasin stand, draped a towel over the rim, and then turned around to fetch his uniform. His movements were swift and efficient, showing that he had prepared everything in advance.

Liu Yuheng washed his face and applied a damp towel to his forehead, feeling much more refreshed. While wiping his face, he said to Xiao Li, "You were so busy with the troop reduction that you didn't get married. I've talked to the political commissar, and we'll give you some time off to go back and take care of things. If you encounter any difficulties, just let me know."

Xiao Li paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, her eyes slightly red. She took the towel from Liu Yuheng's hand, folded it neatly, and put it back.

Liu Yuheng packed a few changes of clothes into his bag, then gathered up the remaining cigarettes and alcohol on the table and handed them to Xiao Li: "Take these home for the old man."

Xiao Li wanted to push it away, but Liu Yuheng stopped him with a look. He had no choice but to take the things and mutter, "Thank you, Commander."

Liu Yuheng picked up his luggage, took one last look at the office he had lived in for several years, and then turned and went downstairs.

Downstairs, Old Li and his men were already waiting. A dozen or so men stood in the morning light, their military uniforms crisp and straight, standing in perfect unison, no one speaking. Upon seeing Liu Yuheng descend, they all simultaneously stood at attention and saluted, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Liu Yuheng returned the greeting, and then Old Li came over and handed him a train ticket, saying in a low voice, "I thought you might stop by to see Old Ding and the others, so I had someone buy you a ticket for the afternoon."

Liu Yuheng took the ticket, glanced at it, thanked him, and didn't say anything more. He walked to the car, opened the door, and got in.

The car slowly drove out of the camp gate. Old Li and the others stood in a row in the morning light, getting smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared around the corner of the road.