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

The next morning, Liu Yuheng was awakened by a soft knock on the door.

He opened his eyes. The ceiling of the guesthouse room was still that familiar white, and the light coming through the window paper was already quite bright, so he estimated it was not yet seven o'clock.

On the bed next to her, Liu Tingting was sleeping sprawled out, the blanket kicked off the bed, one foot hanging off the edge, her whole body in a twisted "X" shape, with a dried drool mark on the corner of her mouth.

"Commander, are you up?" Xiao Sun's voice came from outside the door.

"Get up," Liu Yuheng replied, putting on his clothes and opening the door. Xiao Sun stood neatly dressed at the door, holding two enamel basins filled with hot water, with towels draped over the rims.

"Put it on the table." Liu Yuheng pointed to the table and turned to call Liu Tingting.

"Tingting, wake up." He patted his little sister's face.

Liu Tingting groaned, rolled over, buried her face in the pillow, and stuck her bottom up high.

Liu Yuheng patted her shoulder again, his voice a few decibels louder: "Tingting, get up, it's time for breakfast."

The word "breakfast" was like a key, instantly turning on a certain switch in Liu Tingting.

The little girl suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes still closed, but her mouth already agape: "What do you want to eat?"

Liu Yuheng and Xiao Sun laughed at the same time.

Xiao Sun dipped the towel in hot water, wrung it out, and handed it to Liu Tingting. Liu Tingting took it and haphazardly wiped her face a couple of times, considering that a face wash.

Liu Yuheng helped her comb her hair again and tied it into two small braids.

After washing up, Liu Yuheng opened the military canvas suitcase that had been with him for many years by his bedside and rummaged through its contents. The suitcase wasn't large, and it contained mostly personal belongings.

He picked up the cloth bag, weighed it in his hand, and untied the drawstring. Inside were a few silver dollars and some loose banknotes. This was the money he had brought with him when he left the army; he had spent some along the way, and there wasn't much left.

He rummaged through the bottom of the box and pulled out a flat cloth bag. Inside lay a watch. It was a piece of spoils from a major battle he had won last year. He hadn't worn it yet, thinking of giving it to someone as a proper gift someday.

I just happened to use it today.

Liu Yuheng put his watch into his left trouser pocket and the few silver dollars into his right trouser pocket, patting them to make them bulge.

"Let's go eat." Liu Yuheng closed the suitcase, picked up Liu Tingting, and took Xiao Sun out the door.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Liu Yuheng brought two bowls of porridge and two pairs of chopsticks, found a seat by the window, and sat down. Xiao Sun followed with a plate of steamed buns and cornbread, while Liu Tingting carried a bowl of porridge herself.

"Eat up." Liu Yuheng handed her a steamed bun.

Liu Tingting took the steamed bun, took a big bite, and her cheeks bulged out like a little hamster.

She chewed a couple of times, her eyes lit up, and she said indistinctly, "Big brother, this steamed bun is so sweet!"

"Of course white flour steamed buns are sweet." Liu Yuheng smiled, peeled an egg and put it in her bowl. "Eat more, and I'll take you shopping later."

"What do you want to buy?" Liu Tingting's ears perked up immediately.

"You'll find out soon enough," Liu Yuheng said, keeping everyone in suspense.

Liu Tingting pouted, but her attention was quickly drawn to the eggs again. She finished the eggs in a few bites and then started munching on the steamed bun, enjoying her meal immensely.

After finishing their meal, the group left the guesthouse.

Xiao Sun started the jeep, and the roar of the engine broke the tranquility of the alley.

"Xiao Sun, let's find a shop first." Liu Yuheng got into the car and pulled his military cap down a bit.

"Yes!" Xiao Sun replied, and the car turned out of the alley and drove south along the main street for less than ten minutes before stopping in front of a fairly large store.

Liu Yuheng got out of the car with Liu Tingting, with Xiao Sun following behind. The shop assistant, a middle-aged woman in her forties, immediately smiled broadly upon seeing the two men in military uniforms and the young girl enter: "Comrades of the People's Liberation Army, what would you like to buy?"

Liu Yuheng strolled around the store. It wasn't big, but it had a fairly complete selection. Canned goods, tobacco, alcohol, and tea were displayed on the shelves against the wall, while on the other side were daily necessities like fabrics, towels, and washbasins. He first went to the canned goods section and looked at the variety on the shelves.

"This, this, and this, four of each, please," Liu Yuheng said, pointing to the braised pork, luncheon meat, and canned fruit.

The sales clerk deftly took the cans from the shelf, weighed them, and announced, "Four braised pork cans, four luncheon meat cans, and four canned fruits. We have peach and pear cans. Which would you like?"

"Two of the same kind," Liu Yuheng said.

"Okay." The salesperson packed the canned goods into a cardboard box and placed it aside.

Liu Yuheng then walked to the grain section, pointed to a bag of flour, and said, "I'll take this bag of flour."

Xiao Sun came over and picked up the bag of flour with one hand, placing it next to the canned food box.

Liu Yuheng stopped in front of the daily necessities counter and looked at the items under the glass display case. Hair ties, hair clips, combs, mirrors, sewing kits—all arranged in a colorful row. He pointed to a red hair tie and said to the sales clerk, "Take two of these."

The sales clerk pulled two red ribbons from the counter and placed them on it. Liu Tingting stood in front of the counter, standing on tiptoe but still couldn't see what was on it. Frustrated, she tugged at Liu Yuheng's sleeve, "Big brother, big brother, I can't see it!"

Liu Yuheng smiled and picked her up, letting her lean against the counter to look. Liu Tingting's eyes were immediately drawn to the colorful little things. Her gaze swept from the hair clips to the hair ties, from the hair ties to the small mirror, and then from the mirror to a box of colorful things. It was a box of colored rubber bands for tying hair, and there were several colors in the box, including red, yellow, blue, and green.

"Big brother, I want that!" Liu Tingting pointed to the box of rubber bands.

Liu Yuheng looked at them and said to the sales clerk, "Give me one box of this too."

The sales clerk placed the rubber band on the counter and asked with a smile, "Sir, is there anything else you'd like? Would you like a couple more combs?"

"No need, we have some at home." Liu Yuheng shook his head, his gaze falling on a jar of maltose.

"Give me half a pound of this maltose," Liu Yuheng said.

The salesperson used a pair of metal tongs to take the maltose from the jar, weighed it on a scale, wrapped it in oil paper, tied it with a paper string in a cross knot, and handed it to her. Liu Tingting's eyes shifted from the rubber band to the maltose, and her mouth stretched from ear to ear in a wide grin.

Finally, Liu Yuheng walked to the liquor section, pointed to a case of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and said, "I'll take this case."

That was a case of Fenjiu, twelve bottles. In those days, bottled liquor was a rare thing. Ordinary people drank loose baijiu, and bottled liquor was only used for banquets or as gifts.

The sales clerk calculated the total and quoted the price. Liu Yuheng took out the stack of banknotes from his pocket, counted them, and handed them over. The sales clerk gave him change, which he took, counted, and put back in his pocket.

"Xiao Sun, carry the stuff up to the car." Liu Yuheng said, picking up the case of wine himself while Xiao Sun carried the flour and canned goods. The three of them left the store together and put the things in the back seat and trunk of the jeep.

Liu Yuheng got into the car, leaned back in his seat, took out the stack of change from his pocket, counted it, then felt the silver dollars in the other two pockets, and sighed: "Xiao Sun, go find a nearby vegetable market, we still need to buy some meat and vegetables."

Xiao Sun started the car, glanced at Liu Yuheng in the rearview mirror, and asked with a smile, "Commander, are we running out of money?"

Liu Yuheng folded the banknote and stuffed it back into his pocket, his tone tinged with pain: "Damn it, this money went by so fast, I only have one silver dollar left."

Xiao Sun chuckled, saying as he drove, "Commander, last time you drank with Commanders Kong and Ding, you ordered two bottles of Moutai and a whole table of dishes; that cost quite a bit. And when you went to Quancheng to see Division Commander Li, you bought those bottles of Fenjiu and all those canned goods and cigarettes—that was another large sum. The month before last, when you visited Political Commissar Wu, you even bought clothes and toys for his children. All things considered, your allowance certainly isn't enough!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuheng turned and glared at Xiao Sun: "Alright, alright, I made you my bodyguard, not my housekeeper!"

Xiao Sun chuckled twice, not daring to reply, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

Liu Yuheng turned his head and looked at the street scene flashing past the car window. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly muttered to himself, "Damn it, did I really spend that much? Next time I have to get Lao Ding, Lao Kong, and Lao Li to come back. Damn it, I can't let my money go to waste."

Xiao Sun finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking.

Liu Tingting sat in the back seat. Although she didn't quite understand what her older brother was saying, she smiled when she saw Xiao Sun smile.

Liu Yuheng was a little embarrassed by her laughter, so he reached out and gently patted her head: "What are you laughing at? What do you know?"

"I don't know, I just find it funny," Liu Tingting said honestly, and then laughed again.

Amidst laughter, the car turned onto another street and stopped in front of a vegetable market.

The ground was wet, covered with vegetable leaves and mud. Liu Yuheng carried Liu Tingting inside, with Xiao Sun following behind. The three of them walked through the crowd.

Liu Yuheng stopped in front of a butcher stall. On the cutting board was half a pork carcass, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and clean white skin, looking very fresh.

The butcher wore a blue apron stained with oil, held a sharp cleaver in his hand, and had a fierce-looking face full of fat. But when he spoke, his voice was very friendly: "Comrade, want to buy meat? Today's meat is fresh, just slaughtered this morning."

"Give me two jin, pork belly, the fatty kind," Liu Yuheng said.

"Alright!" The butcher swiftly sliced ​​off a long strip of pork belly from the cutting board, weighed it on the scale, and it stood out high. "Two pounds, that'll do!"

Liu Yuheng took the meat, and Xiao Sun paid for it. Liu Yuheng then saw cured meat at a nearby stall. It was hanging on a rack, strips of it, smoked until it was a dark reddish-brown, the fat glistening in the sunlight, and it looked delicious.

"How much is this cured meat?" Liu Yuheng asked.

The stall owner was a thin, old man, wearing a drab gray jacket, his face full of wrinkles: "Comrade, this cured meat is smoked by myself using cypress branches; the flavor is authentic. How much do you want?"

"Cut one." Liu Yuheng pointed to one of the strips.

The old man deftly took the cured meat off the scale, tied it with straw rope, and weighed it: "One pound and two ounces, comrade."

Xiao Sun took out the money again.

At this point, Liu Yuheng had spent all the banknotes in his pocket, leaving him with only one silver dollar.

"Let's go back to the courtyard house." Liu Yuheng carried Liu Tingting, while Xiao Sun carried meat and vegetables. The three of them walked through the mud and water as they came out of the market and got into the jeep.

The car stopped at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang alley. Xiao Sun parked the car, and Liu Yuheng got out, carrying a canned food box in his left hand and holding Liu Tingting in his right. Xiao Sun carried flour on his shoulder and meat, cured meat and maltose in his hands, and followed behind.

As the two entered the No. 95 compound, they were spotted by Yan Bugui, who was watering flowers in the front yard.

Yan Bugui looked up when he heard footsteps, his eyes widening behind his glasses. Flour, canned goods, meat—the store was overflowing with goods, as if he had brought back half the store.

"Oh, Comrade Liu is back! Carrying so much stuff? Come on, let me give you a hand!" Yan Bugui put down the kettle, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to help.

Liu Yuheng turned slightly to the side, naturally avoiding Yan Bugui's outstretched hand: "No need, Teacher Yan, the things aren't heavy, we can handle them ourselves."

Yan Bugui's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He gave an awkward laugh, then withdrew it, muttering, "Oh, don't be so polite, we're just neighbors..."

Liu Yuheng ignored him and carried his things toward the east wing.

At the entrance of the east wing, Liu Shuanzhu, Wang Xiuhe, and Liu Erhe were already waiting. Wang Xiuhe had gotten up early to tidy up the house, cleaning the east wing inside and out. Standing at the door, she shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. When she saw Liu Yuheng carrying things in the distance, the wrinkles on her face immediately smoothed out, but she complained, "Why are you so late? What time is it?"

Liu Yuheng put the sack of flour on the ground by the door, took a breath, and said with a smile, "Mother, I had to buy something, it would be unseemly to come back empty-handed."

Wang Xiuhe walked over, looked at the things on the ground, and her eyes widened immediately: "Why did you buy so much stuff? How much did it cost?!"

"It's not much money, Mother, don't worry about it." Liu Yuheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Liu Erhe, "Erhe, there's still a case of wine in the car, go and bring it back."

Liu Erhe responded and strode out, but after a couple of steps he turned back and asked with a smile, "Brother, what kind of wine?"

"Fenjiu, twelve bottles in a case," Liu Yuheng said.

Liu Erhe's eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace, almost running out of the yard.

Liu Yuheng turned to Wang Xiuhe and said, "Mother, look, where should we put these things?"

Wang Xiuhe squatted down and rummaged through the items: canned goods, flour, meat, cured meat, maltose, and hair ties and rubber bands she had bought for Liu Tingting. She kept muttering, "Buying so much, how much money did it cost? You're a soldier out there, earning money isn't easy..."

"Mother, don't worry about the money." Liu Yuheng shouldered the flour. "Should we put it in the inner room or the kitchen?"

"Put it in the inner room, put it in the inner room, the kitchen is damp." Wang Xiuhe quickly led the way and pushed open the door of the east wing.

Liu Yuheng and Xiao Sun carried the things into the inner room and placed them next to the cabinet against the wall. Wang Xiuhe followed behind, directing, "Put the flour here, the canned goods on top of the cabinet, and give me the meat."

Liu Erhe returned just then, carrying the wine box, panting. He placed the box next to the table in the main room, opened it, and glanced inside. Twelve bottles of Fenjiu were neatly stacked. He picked up a bottle, examined it in his hand, and exclaimed in admiration, "Fenjiu! This is truly fine wine!"

Liu Yuheng came out of the inner room, looked at the box of wine, and said to Liu Erhe, "Keep this box of wine. Use it for the wedding. Open a few bottles during the banquet and give them to the guests. Keep the rest for future holidays and festivals."

Liu Erhe nodded repeatedly, carefully closed the wine box, picked it up, and carried it into his room.