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

Yao Qingwan went downstairs, and the living room and yard were almost tidied up. The canteen staff loaded the borrowed bowls, plates, pots, and stoves onto a cart and were pushing it out. Wang Xiuhe and Liang Fangfang helped fold the last few tablecloths and put them into the bamboo basket next to them. The remaining dishes on the table were also put into clean basins, covered with gauze, and prepared to be taken back.

Seeing Yao Qingwan come down, Wang Xiuhe straightened up and asked, "How is Yuheng? Is he very drunk?"

Yao Qingwan walked over, took the rag from Wang Xiuhe, and wiped the table: "He drank quite a bit; his face is all red. I helped him upstairs to lie down, and he's already asleep."

Wang Xiuhe nodded and sighed, "That kid, he usually seems so calm, but today he just couldn't control himself when he got excited. His old comrades kept pouring him drinks, and he felt bad refusing, so he ended up drinking too much." As she spoke, she glanced at Yao Qingwan, her tone a mix of heartache and comfort, "Please bear with him, he's not usually like this."

Yao Qingwan smiled and said, "I know, it's okay."

As they were talking, Mr. and Mrs. Yao came out of the living room. Mrs. Yao had changed back into her coat and was carrying the small cloth bag. She stood at the door and waved to Yao Qingwan: "Qingwan, it's getting late, we should go back too." Mr. Yao followed behind, his coat draped over his arm. His face was still flushed from the alcohol, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

Yao Qingwan put down what she was holding and quickly walked to the door. "Mom and Dad, I'll have a car take you home." As she spoke, she waved to the side of the road. Three cars were waiting at the door, and one of them, a black sedan, slowly drove up and stopped in front of them.

Yao Qingwan opened the car door, helped her mother into the car, and waited until her father was seated before closing the door. She bent down and said through the car window, "Mom and Dad, go back and get some rest. We'll come to see you the day after tomorrow."

Yao's mother waved to her from inside, smiling, "I know, you should get some rest too." Yao's father nodded through the car window without saying anything more, and Yao Lei, who was standing next to her, got into the passenger seat as well.

The driver started the car, and the black sedan slowly drove out of the courtyard gate, turned onto the road it had come from, and quickly disappeared into the twilight.

Yao Qingwan straightened up and stood at the door watching the car drive away until it was completely out of sight before turning back. Wang Xiuhe and Liu Shuanzhu had already finished tidying up in the courtyard. Liu Erhe was carrying a cloth bag on his shoulder, while Liu Tingting was holding a bag of the remaining wedding candies and was peeling one and putting it in her mouth.

Wang Xiuhe dusted off the corner of her clothes and said to Yao Qingwan, "Then we'll be going too. It's getting late, you two should get some rest too." She glanced back at the window on the second floor with the light on, "Tomorrow morning, let him sleep in a little longer, don't rush to wake him. Drinking too much makes the next day the worst."

Yao Qingwan nodded: "Mom, we'll go to the courtyard house first thing tomorrow morning."

Wang Xiuhe smiled and waved her hand, "No rush, no rush, I'll take care of things over there. You just need to look after him." After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked with Liu Shuanzhu towards the car at the door. Liu Erhe put the cloth bag into the trunk, then turned back and waved to Yao Qingwan, "Sister-in-law, we're leaving now."

Liu Tingting turned around and called out, "Goodbye, sister-in-law," before getting into the car.

Yao Qingwan stood at the door, watching the two cars drive out of the courtyard one after the other. Their taillights grew farther and farther away in the deepening night until they were completely out of sight. Only then did she let out a soft breath, turn around, and walk back to the small building.

The next morning, when Liu Yuheng opened his eyes, he felt his head was still a little heavy and his throat was very dry.

He paused for a moment before getting up and going downstairs. Yao Qingwan was sitting on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a magazine. Seeing him come down, she looked up at him and asked, "Does your head still hurt?"

"Much better." Liu Yuheng went to the kitchen, ladled out a bowl of porridge, sat down on the sofa, and slurped it down. His stomach warmed up, and he felt much more comfortable.

After finishing their meal, the two tidied up. Liu Yuheng changed into a clean shirt and left with Yao Qingwan. As the car drove out of the compound in the north of the city, across half of Beijing, and stopped at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang Hutong, they could hear laughter and chatter coming from the No. 95 compound in the distance.

Liu Yuheng got out of the car, carrying the remaining pack of cigarettes from yesterday, and led Yao Qingwan into the courtyard. Sure enough, several tables had been set up in the open space in the front yard, with bowls, chopsticks, and several dishes of peanuts and melon seeds on them.

Several older men, including Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and Xu Fugui, sat at a main table at the back, chatting. Tea mugs and ashtrays were placed in front of them, creating a relaxed and casual atmosphere. Nearby were two other tables where women and children from various families sat, chattering excitedly. Several children were running and playing among the table legs.

As soon as Liu Yuheng entered the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai saw him first, put down his teacup, and stood up: "Yuheng is here! Come and sit down."

The others also looked up, their gazes falling on Liu Yuheng, then sliding from him to Yao Qingwan behind him, with a tacit curiosity and scrutiny.

Liu Yuheng stepped forward, took out cigarettes from his pocket, and offered one to each of the people at the main table.

Yi Zhonghai took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, saying with a smile, "Congratulations!" Liu Haizhong took the cigarette with both hands, brought it to his nose and smelled it, while Yan Bugui also took one, carefully holding it between his fingers without lighting it.

Xu Fugui was not a man of many words. When he accepted the cigarette, he nodded and said, "Congratulations."

Liu Yuheng responded to each of them, and the group, with cigarettes dangling from their mouths, seemed to create a more intimate atmosphere than usual amidst the swirling smoke.

At the women's table next to her, several middle-aged women had already gathered around Yao Qingwan.

Yi Zhonghai's wife held Yao Qingwan's hand, looked her up and down twice, and clicked her tongue in amazement: "No wonder Sister Wang praises her every day, she really is a beautiful girl, fair and clean, you can tell at a glance that she is the daughter of a scholarly family."

Liu Haizhong's wife joined in the fun, saying, "Her eyebrows and eyes are beautiful; she has the face of a lucky husband." Yan Bugui's wife was even more direct, pulling Yao Qingwan's hand over to look at her palm, and then said with certainty, "This palm is good; she has good fortune."

Surrounded by a group of middle-aged women, Yao Qingwan responded with a gentle smile, neither appearing flustered nor overly enthusiastic, striking the perfect balance. Qin Huairu, standing to the side, lingered on Yao Qingwan for quite a while.

Yesterday, she learned quite a bit from Wang Xiuhe and Liang Fangfang's casual conversation, such as "the two-story building in the north of the city," "the guests who come are all military commanders and ministers," and "jeeps are everywhere when they go out." These words were like needles pricking her heart, causing her pain over and over again.

Looking at Yao Qingwan in front of him, fair-skinned, refined, and poised, standing in the center of the crowd, surrounded by people praising her, he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart—whether it was envy or bitterness.