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

Half a month is neither a long nor a short time, but with Wang Xiuhe's busy preparations, the days seemed to fly by, and in the blink of an eye, the wedding day arrived.

Liu Yuheng woke up just as dawn was breaking. He sat up, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains. After standing there for a moment, he turned and went to the bathroom to wash his face, carefully shaving his beard in front of the mirror and smoothing his hair with his hands.

The new clothes were hanging outside the wardrobe. It was a dark gray Zhongshan suit, made of crisp fabric and with a good fit. It had been specially made at a tailor shop a few days ago. Liu Yuheng was used to wearing military uniforms, so when he suddenly changed into civilian clothes, he looked in the mirror twice and felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He straightened the buttons on his collar, dusted off the loose threads on his shoulders, and made sure he looked neat and tidy before turning around and going downstairs.

The downstairs living room has been tidied up. Wedding candies and cigarettes are laid out on the coffee table, and two potted plants bought from the flower market sit on the windowsill, their lush green leaves adding a touch of life to the room. On the wall hang two calligraphy and paintings that Zhao Gang sent a few days ago, written by an old calligrapher from the Ministry of Electric Power. One reads "A Hundred Years of Harmony," and the other "A Harmonious Union," the calligraphy strong and vigorous, and they look quite fitting on the white wall.

Liu Yuheng had just sat down on the sofa when he heard the sound of a car and a burst of lively laughter from the doorway. He put down his teacup, stood up, and went to the door. He saw that the car he had arranged to pick up Liu Shuanzhu's family the day before had returned.

Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe walked in front, followed by Liu Er and his family of three. Liu Tingting rushed up to Liu Yuheng, tilted her head back, and looked him up and down several times before her eyes lit up: "Brother! You look really handsome today!"

Liu Yuheng laughed and flicked her forehead: "You have such a sweet tongue."

Wang Xiuhe and Liu Shuanzhu also arrived at the door. Wang Xiuhe looked Liu Yuheng up and down, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion, but she only said, "He's alright, quite energetic." She paused and then added, "You should hurry up and greet them, don't keep your in-laws waiting. The guests here should be arriving soon, your father and I will take care of things here."

Liu Yuheng nodded, turned around, grabbed his car keys, and went out.

As the car turned into the alley where the Yao family lived, a crowd could be seen gathered at the gate. Children were running around in the alley, while adults were huddled in twos and threes against the wall, all peering towards the Yao family's gate. Liu Yuheng slowed down, stopped at the gate, and got out of the car.

As soon as he appeared, all the neighbors and children who had been watching the spectacle turned their attention to him.

A little girl with pigtails took the lead and shouted, "The groom is here!" The other children joined in, and their laughter and shouts echoed through the alley.

Liu Yuheng smiled and pulled a cloth bag from the back seat of the car, filled with wedding candies he had prepared in advance. He grabbed a large handful and handed it to the children. The children swarmed forward, their little hands reaching out eagerly, and the bag of candies was quickly snatched up.

The adults around him laughed along, and someone said "Congratulations!" Liu Yuheng responded to each one, then grabbed a handful of candy and handed it to several elderly people next to him before stepping into the Yao family's courtyard.

The door to the main house was open, and Mr. and Mrs. Yao had changed into new clothes and were sitting in the main room. Mr. Yao was wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit, Mrs. Yao was wearing a dark blue cheongsam, and Yao Lei had also changed into a clean white shirt. Standing next to his parents, he looked much more reserved than usual.

Yao Qingwan stood beside her parents, wearing a red coat with a small brooch at the collar.

Liu Yuheng stepped across the threshold, stood in the center of the main room, and bowed respectfully to Yao's parents: "Dad, Mom, I've come to pick up Qingwan."

Mr. and Mrs. Yao exchanged a glance, their expressions showing a mixture of relief and satisfaction. Mrs. Yao smiled and nodded, saying nothing more, but simply straightened Yao Qingwan's coat collar and said softly, "Go ahead."

Yao Qingwan glanced at her parents, then at Yao Lei, before walking to Liu Yuheng's side. Liu Yuheng extended his hand, and after a half-second hesitation, she took it. The two walked side by side out of the main room, across the courtyard, and into the car amidst the laughter of neighbors and the cheers of children. Yao's parents and Yao Lei followed behind, getting into the car behind them. The two cars drove out of the quiet alley, one after the other.

In the northern courtyard, two cars stopped in front of the small building. Liu Yuheng got out of the car first and went around to the other side to open the car door for Yao Qingwan. She got out of the car and looked around. Several round tables and stools had been set up in the courtyard, and the bowls, chopsticks and wine glasses were all neatly arranged. There was also a temporary shed next to it, with several large pots inside, steaming and emitting white vapor. Several workers wearing white aprons were busy cooking.

Liu Yuheng led Yao's parents and Yao Lei into the living room. Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe were already seated inside. Upon seeing their in-laws enter, they quickly stood up to greet them. The two families exchanged pleasantries, the atmosphere warm and polite. Wang Xiuhe held Yao's mother's hand and chatted for a few moments, while Liu Shuanzhu and Yao's father sat at the other end chatting.

Liu Yuheng exchanged a few words with him, but before he could even sit down for a drink of water, the sound of a car engine came from the doorway. He put down his teacup and hurried to the door, where a black sedan was parked in front of the building. The door opened, and Zhao Gang got out of the car, then helped his wife, Feng Nan, out as well.

Liu Yuheng strode forward to greet him, but before he could even speak, Zhao Gang had already extended his hand to him with a smile: "Old Liu, congratulations! You've finally waited for this day."

Liu Yuheng grasped his hand and shook it vigorously, then greeted Feng Nan beside him, "Old Zhao, sister-in-law, please come in, please come in!"

As Zhao Gang walked inside, he said, "By the way, yesterday Lao Li and the other two called me. They said that when you were in Nanjing, you agreed to wait until they came to Beijing to get it done, but you did it all by yourself in secret. Lao Li was cursing on the phone, saying that when they come to Beijing, they're going to make a good fuss about it."

Liu Yuheng burst into laughter: "Let him rip me off! Do you think I'd skimp on Old Li's two jin of sweet potato liquor? When he comes back, I'll make sure he's got enough. If he can't drink me under the table, it's on me."

Zhao Gang laughed along, "Then you'd better prepare more wine yourself. You know how much Old Li can drink; he can't hold his liquor without drinking three to five jin (1.5-2.5 kg)."

The two entered the living room chatting and laughing. Liu Yuheng led Zhao Gang and his wife to the sofa area and introduced them to Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe: "Dad, Mom, this is my old comrade-in-arms from the army, Zhao Gang, who now works in the electrical engineering department." He then turned to Zhao Gang, "Old Zhao, these are my parents."