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

The car stopped at a pastry shop. Liu Yuheng parked the car on the side of the road, and Wang Xiuhe carried Liu Yixuan out of the car. The three of them went into the shop. Behind the counter stood an elderly chef with gray hair, wrapping pastries in oil paper. Seeing customers enter, the chef looked up and greeted them with a smile, "You've arrived? What would you like to order?"

Wang Xiuhe walked to the counter, bent down and looked at the pastries neatly arranged in oil paper. She mentally calculated the gifts she would give when she went to propose marriage tomorrow, and decided that jujube paste pastries and walnut pastries were essential. She also bought two packs of sesame cakes. She picked up each one to look at it, then put it back, and it took her a long time to decide.

Liu Yuheng stood behind and paid for the food. He also bought Liu Yixuan a bunch of fruit candies. When they passed by the straw bundle with candied hawthorns hanging at the door, the little guy pointed at the bright red candied hawthorns and refused to leave, so Liu Yuheng bought him another skewer.

After leaving the pastry shop, Wang Xiuhe tore off a few feet of red cloth by the roadside, saying it was for wrapping gifts during the marriage proposal, for good luck. Liu Yixuan sat in Wang Xiuhe's lap, his left hand clutching a candied hawthorn, his face covered in sugar crumbs, while his right hand held a handful of candy, his cheeks bulging, his little face full of satisfaction. The three of them then got into the car and drove back to Nanluoguxiang.

The car stopped at the alley entrance. Liu Yuheng unloaded large and small bags from the back seat, while Wang Xiuhe led Liu Yixuan by the hand.

The three entered the courtyard and happened to run into Yan Bugui's wife, who was carrying a basin out of her house to pour water.

Upon seeing the bulging oil paper packages and red cloth in Liu Yuheng's hands, Yan Bugui's wife immediately put down the basin she was holding and greeted Wang Xiuhe warmly, "Oh, Sister-in-law Wang, your eldest son has bought you nice things again? He's so filial!"

Just as Wang Xiuhe was about to speak, she took another half step closer, glancing at the things Liu Yuheng was holding: "What good stuff did you buy? It looks bulging..."

Liu Yuheng's lips twitched involuntarily. These two, Yan Bugui and his wife, were truly a match made in heaven, each more eager to take advantage of others than the last. He didn't reply, but simply nodded to Yan Bugui's wife, stepped aside, and walked straight towards the east wing.

Wang Xiuhe chimed in, "I just bought some pastries and red cloth. Yuheng is going to propose marriage tomorrow, so we need to prepare."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's wife's eyes lit up: "A marriage proposal? Your eldest son is getting engaged? Which family's daughter is she from? What does she do?"

Wang Xiuhe stood in the center of the courtyard, as if she had finally waited for this moment to be "asked," and unconsciously straightened her back a little: "The girl's name is Yao Qingwan, she works at the Women's Federation! Her parents are both university teachers, from a respectable scholarly family!"

Her words were like a stone thrown into a calm pond, causing ripples to spread immediately.

Not long after, Yi Zhonghai's wife came out of the courtyard, Liu Haizhong's wife also came out, and even Jia Zhangshi opened her window, looking around with her eyes darting in this direction. Qin Huairu also came out carrying a baby who was one or two months old.

Wang Xiuhe got more and more excited as she talked. Originally, Liu Yuheng had only mentioned her twice, that her name was Yao Qingwan, that she worked at the Women's Federation, and that her parents were university teachers. But in Wang Xiuhe's mouth, after this period of fermentation, it had become "that girl is beautiful and virtuous, speaks softly, and is especially filial. She knows how to greet her elders." Hearing this, Liu Yuheng's lips twitched a few times.

He stood at the door of the east wing, glanced at Wang Xiuhe, then at the group of people gathered around him, shook his head, turned around and went inside first, put his things down, and then came out again.

Seven or eight people had already gathered in the courtyard. Standing at the window, Jia Zhangshi occasionally chimed in, "The daughter of a university professor? She's got high standards, why would she be interested in your eldest son?"

Wang Xiuhe immediately replied, "That's because our Yuheng is capable, and that's why the girl took a liking to him."

Jia Zhangshi pursed her lips, but didn't say anything more.

Liu Yuheng stood on the periphery of the crowd, leaning against the door frame of the east wing, watching Wang Xiuhe chatting enthusiastically with the middle-aged women in the center of the courtyard. He felt both amused and helpless.

He glanced at Liu Yixuan, who was being led by the hand by Wang Xiuhe. The little guy had only one candied hawthorn left on his string, and there was a ring of reddish-brown sugar stains around his mouth. He was left outside the crowd and watched the lively scene in the courtyard for a while. He probably got bored, let go of Wang Xiuhe's hand, and strolled back to the east wing by himself.

The older women in the courtyard were still chatting. Wang Xiuhe had repeated the name "Yao Qingwan" countless times, talking about everything from her workplace to what subjects her parents taught, and then to which school her younger brother attended. Although Wang Xiuhe didn't actually know what subjects Yao Qingwan's parents taught, she had the ability to "fill in" these details perfectly, making her words sound more real than the truth itself.

Liu Yuheng stood at the door, listening to Wang Xiuhe's endless description of her "ideal future daughter-in-law," shook his head, and turned back into the house.

The conversation lasted until lunchtime. The women from each household gradually dispersed, heading home to cook. When Wang Xiuhe returned to the east wing, she still had a lingering, contented expression on her face.

After lunch, Wang Xiuhe cleaned up the dishes, dusted off her apron, and prepared to go out, saying, "I'm going to sit with a few old friends in the backyard for a while." Without waiting for Liu Yuheng's reply, she went straight out the door.

Liu Yuheng watched her figure disappear into the courtyard, and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. He really couldn't understand how these middle-aged women could talk so much; they chatted for so long in the morning, and still had things to say in the afternoon.

As evening approached, Liu Shuanzhu returned home early from get off work, carrying two large lunchboxes filled with leftovers from the restaurant. Liu Tingting also came home from school, and soon after, Liu Erhe and the rest of the steel mill workers returned as well.

When Liu Erhe pushed open the door and entered the room, Liu Tingting was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), examining a small piece of red cloth. Upon seeing Liu Erhe, she exclaimed with a smile, "Second Brother! Eldest Brother is going to propose marriage tomorrow! We're going to have a sister-in-law!"

Liu Erhe was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Liu Yuheng: "Really? When did this happen?"

Liu Yuheng leaned back in his chair and nodded: "We met yesterday for a blind date, I'll come over tomorrow."