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

Liu Erhe led Liang Fangfang into the east wing. As soon as the door closed, it shut out the gazes and whispers from the courtyard.

The aroma of food filled the room. Wang Xiuhe was busy at the stove when she saw the two enter. She immediately put down the spatula, turned around, and looked Liang Fangfang up and down. "You're back? Quickly wash your hands and eat. It's your first day at work. Are you tired? Are you feeling unwell?"

Liang Fangfang took off her coat and hung it behind the door, smiling as she said, "I'm not tired, not at all. Director Li took special care of me, putting me in charge of selling bicycles and radios. Not many people came all morning, and I spent most of the time sitting. At noon, I forgot to bring my own lunch, and Director Li even gave me his to eat."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuhe was taken aback at first, then laughed, her tone filled with pride at her son's capable handling of the matter: "Alright, this Director Li is truly a reliable person."

Liang Fangfang washed her hands and sat down at the dining table. Wang Xiuhe placed a bowl of hot porridge in front of her, and pushed a plate of pickled vegetables and a plate of stir-fried greens toward her.

Liang Fangfang picked up her bowl and took a sip, then remembered something and looked up at Liu Erhe, saying, "By the way, Erhe, you don't need to pick me up every day anymore. You get off work more than an hour earlier than me, and you have to wait for me at the door for so long after work, which is such a waste of time. I can walk back by myself; it's not far."

Before Liu Erhe could say anything, Wang Xiuhe spoke first: "That won't do. You're not alone anymore, you're pregnant. There are lots of people and cars on the road after dark, how can I feel at ease letting you walk alone at night? Erhe doesn't have much to do after work anyway, let him wait for you, and you two can come back together after work, I'll feel at ease."

Before Liang Fangfang could say anything more, Wang Xiuhe waved her hand, her tone leaving no room for negotiation: "It's settled then. Don't find him annoying, let him go pick him up."

Liang Fangfang glanced at Liu Erhe, then at Wang Xiuhe's unyielding expression, and nodded without insisting further: "Alright then, I'll listen to Mother."

Liu Erhe chuckled twice, picked up his bowl, and took a big gulp of porridge. When he lowered his head, the smile lines at the corners of his mouth were impossible to hide.

......

A month flew by. Before we could even catch the last vestiges of summer, autumn had already arrived silently.

Liu Yuheng has been busy with the final work of the military downsizing group at the Central Military Commission. He has revised several thick summary reports several times, verified the figures repeatedly, and supplemented the materials as needed. He has been extremely busy.

That afternoon, Liu Yuheng was sitting at his desk flipping through a summary sheet when the black telephone on the desk suddenly rang. He put down the document in his hand, picked up the receiver, and before he could even say "feed," a rough voice came from the other end, loud enough to make the receiver vibrate.

"Old Liu! You son of a bitch, you finally answered the phone! I've been trying to call you for ages!"

Upon hearing the voice, Liu Yuheng paused for a moment, then a smile crept onto his face. He leaned back in his chair and slowly replied, "Old Li, what the hell made you decide to call me? Did your wife upset you again?"

Li Yunlong chuckled twice on the other end of the phone, then raised his voice by half an octave: "Stop giving me that nonsense! Old Liu, let me tell you, I'm remembering that you got married before me! Tomorrow I'm going to Beijing with Old Ding and Old Kong, you'd better treat us! If you don't, I'm not letting you off the hook!"

Liu Yuheng couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I'll treat you, of course I'll treat you. You're here, how could I let you go hungry? There'll be plenty of sweet potato liquor, and you can drink as much as you want."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong chuckled: "Sweet potato liquor? This isn't the Jin-Sui region anymore! Me drinking sweet potato liquor now? No way! I need Fenjiu! You'd better get me some Fenjiu!"

Liu Yuheng laughed and replied, "You, Old Li, can't even read a single word, and you dare to drink Fenjiu? I'm already being generous by giving you sweet potato liquor, and you're still complaining?"

"Bullshit!" Li Yunlong cursed on the other end of the phone, but his tone was full of laughter. "I've studied at the military academy for several years, so I'm considered a cultured man. Why don't I deserve to drink Fenjiu? Stop talking nonsense, the Fenjiu is ready. I'll go drink it when I arrive tomorrow!"

The two argued for a few more minutes, just like back in the Jin-Sui region. Even through the phone line, one could imagine Li Yunlong's glaring eyes, sleeves rolled up, and the way he seemed ready to jump out of the phone to argue.

After joking around for a while, Li Yunlong finally steered the conversation back to business, his tone still nonchalant: "Seriously, tomorrow all the cadets from our military academy are going to Beijing for their rank conferment ceremony. Old Kong, Old Ding, and I are all going together. We'll arrive this afternoon, settle in, and then we'll get together at your place tonight. You'd better prepare some drinks, don't let me make a wasted trip."

"Okay, come over tonight. I'll tell Zhao Gang to come too, and we old comrades can have a good drink together."

Li Yunlong hummed in agreement on the other end of the phone, then added, "By the way, how's Zhao Gang doing lately? Last time I called, we barely exchanged a few words before he hung up. He's been incredibly busy."

"He's the deputy director of the electrical engineering department now, so it's normal for him to be busy. Do you think everyone's like you, just writing papers in the college and that's it?"

Li Yunlong cursed again, "Stop messing with me, kid," then laughed twice and said, "Alright, alright, I'm done arguing with you. See you tomorrow night! Bye!"

A click came from the other end of the line, followed by a busy tone. Liu Yuheng put down the receiver, shook his head, but the smile lingered on his lips for a long time. He sat in his chair for a few seconds, thought for a moment, then picked up the phone again and dialed Zhao Gang's office number. After the call connected, he said briefly, "Old Zhao, Li Yunlong and the other two are coming to Beijing tomorrow. Let's get together at my place tonight. Are you free tomorrow night?"

Zhao Gang paused slightly on the other end of the phone, as if checking his schedule, then said, "I should be free tomorrow night. Okay, I'll come over."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Liu Yuheng hung up the phone, sat for a while, and looked at the sky outside the window. The afternoon sun slanted in, casting golden spots of light on the desk.

After getting off work in the evening, Liu Yuheng didn't go straight back to the north of the city. Instead, he asked the driver to take a detour to Nanluoguxiang. When the car stopped at the entrance of the alley, it was dinnertime. The courtyard was filled with the aroma of food from each household, all mixed together, making it impossible to tell which family had cooked what.

Several elderly men sat on small stools in the courtyard, enjoying the cool air, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, and chatting about the weather and the grain station's supplies.

Upon seeing Liu Yuheng enter, the group looked up and greeted him, to which Liu Yuheng responded in kind.