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

The next day, Liu Yuheng got up very early.

"Team Leader Liu, today we'll go see the artillery regiment first, then the Second Division, and in the afternoon we'll go to the engineer regiment," Li Guoqiang read aloud from his notebook.

Liu Yuheng nodded: "Okay, let's go."

Li Wenying was already waiting downstairs. She smiled at Liu Yuheng and said, "I'll go with you today. I'm familiar with the situation at the artillery regiment, so it'll be easier to talk to you if I'm with you."

"You're coming with me?" Liu Yuheng glanced at him with a smile. "Old Li, are you keeping me company, or are you keeping an eye on me? Afraid I'll find out something?"

Li Wenying laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't give me that. I'm just worried that those brats down there won't know their manners and will upset you."

The two chatted and laughed as they got into the car, and the group left the military headquarters and drove along the highway toward the artillery regiment.

Upon arriving at the artillery regiment, Liu Yuheng remembered something and said to Li Wenying, "Let's go straight to the lower-level companies and take a look at one of them."

Li Wenying thought for a moment, then pointed to the east side of the camp: "Let's go take a look at the Third Company. The Third Company is a veteran company in the artillery regiment, and I heard their training is quite good."

"Okay, let's go take a look."

When the car arrived at the entrance of the Third Company's garrison, Liu Yuheng could see a large crowd gathered at the entrance from afar.

He rolled down the car window and leaned out to look. There were more than a dozen people standing at the gate, men and women. Some were holding sticks, some were crying and shouting at the gate, and some were squatting by the roadside smoking.

Several sentries stood inside the camp gate, not going out, but all gripping their guns, looking tense. Besides the sentries, only a young officer in military uniform stood in front of the sentries at the company gate, talking to the civilians, but his voice was drowned out by the noise of the crowd and could not be heard clearly.

Liu Yuheng frowned. He turned to look at Li Wenying, whose face also darkened, turning as black as ink.

"Stop the car," Liu Yuheng said.

The car stopped at the entrance, Liu Yuheng got out, and Li Wenying followed.

The two men strode to the door, and all eyes of the common people turned to them. Some noticed their clean military uniforms and neatly buttoned collars, and their eyes flickered, knowing that high-ranking officials had arrived.

Liu Yuheng strode forward and stood between the crowd and the sentries. He first glanced at the civilians carrying sticks, then turned to the young cadre at the door: "What's going on? What happened?"

Upon seeing Liu Yuheng and Li Wenying in their dark, high-ranking military uniforms, He Weiguo immediately stood up straight and gave a crisp salute: "Reporting, sir! I am He Weiguo, political instructor of the 3rd Company, 2nd Battalion, Artillery Regiment! This is...."

Before He Weiguo could finish speaking, the woman in her forties rushed out of the crowd, lunged at Liu Yuheng and Li Wenying, and grabbed Li Wenying's sleeve: "You must be leaders in the army! You have to do justice for us! My daughter can't have died in vain!"

Li Wenying's face had turned completely black. He glanced at Liu Yuheng beside him, the veins on his temples throbbing a few times, but he still suppressed his anger, bent down to support the woman's arm, and tried to keep his voice as gentle as possible: "Sister-in-law, please get up. I am their leader. If there is anything you need, just tell me, and I will definitely stand up for you."

The woman tried to kneel down, but Li Wenying firmly held her back.

The middle-aged man next to him stepped forward, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger: "That bastard Chen Tao! He married my daughter, and she was treated like a slave by his family, serving his parents and suffering so much! And what did he do? When he came back for the New Year this year, he insisted on divorcing my daughter! My daughter couldn't take it anymore and jumped into the river! The Chen family even lied to us, saying she drowned by accident! If someone from their village hadn't gotten drunk and let it slip a couple of days ago, we'd still be completely in the dark!"

"That heartless man Chen Tao divorced my daughter just to marry someone else! My daughter can't die like this!"

Li Wenying clenched his fist, then relaxed, then clenched it again. He took a deep breath and turned to look at He Weiguo: "He Weiguo, who is Chen Tao?"

"Commander... Chen Tao is our company commander."

Where is he now?

"At the company headquarters."

"Who did he marry?" Liu Yuheng asked from the side.

He Weiguo hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice: "She is... our regimental commander's sister."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. The villagers who were holding sticks also stopped, and all eyes were on Liu Yuheng and Li Wenying.

Liu Yuheng didn't look at Li Wenying, but shook his head slightly, remained silent for a second or two, and then said to Li Wenying, "Old Li, you handle this matter, but I have to report it."

Li Wenying nodded and pointed to the sentry beside her: "Go and call Chen Tao over here. Go for a run."

One of the sentries responded and ran into the camp.

Li Wenying then turned to He Weiguo: "Call your regimental headquarters and tell those two bastards, Zhang Zhenjun and Wenxu, to get over here right now."

He Weiguo was also covered in sweat, and quickly replied, "Yes!" He turned around and ran towards the company headquarters.

Li Wenying turned around and faced the dozen or so villagers in front of him, his voice steadying: "Fellow villagers, I will definitely investigate what you have said. If it is true, I will definitely give you an explanation." He gestured to the side, "Please come in and sit down, have a drink of water, and when the others arrive, we will confront them face to face."

The common people looked at each other. Some hesitated for a moment, and some were still wiping away tears, but seeing Li Wenying's solemn appearance and Liu Yuheng in his neat military uniform, they all followed her into the camp.

Liu Yuheng walked behind the crowd. He Weiguo had already arranged for several soldiers to bring over long benches and tables, and a pot of hot tea, pouring a bowl for everyone. The people sat down in the open space in front of the company headquarters, holding their teacups, their emotions calming down a little.

Not long after, Chen Tao was brought over by the sentry. He was wearing a clean military uniform, was in his early thirties, had a strong build, a square face, and looked like a spirited man.

He walked up to Li Wenying, raised his hand to salute, but Li Wenying waved her hand away, her voice icy cold: "Don't bother. You're really something, aren't you? You've really brought honor to our 64th Army."

Chen Tao's hand froze in mid-air. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Li Wenying glared at him, and he couldn't utter a single word.

After waiting for almost half an hour, the artillery regiment commander Zhang Zhenjun and political commissar Wen Xu finally arrived in a hurry.

After getting out of the car, the two jogged over, their foreheads covered in sweat. They had clearly heard He Weiguo explain the seriousness of the situation over the phone and hadn't dared to delay for a moment.