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

At this moment, Liu Tingting was holding Wang Xiuhe's hand, chattering incessantly: "Mom, look at this hair tie, it's red, my older brother bought it for me! And this rubber band, a whole box of them, so many colors! And the maltose, look, such a big bag, I haven't eaten any yet, my older brother said I can eat it after dinner..."

Wang Xiuhe squatted down, looking at her daughter's flushed face with excitement, feeling a mix of emotions.

She looked up at Liu Yuheng, complaining but with a smile in her eyes: "Why did you buy her such expensive things? It's such a waste to waste such good stuff on a little kid."

"Mother, Tingting is eight years old now, it's time to dress her up." Liu Yuheng sat down on the steps at the entrance of the east wing.

Liu Shuanzhu moved a small stool, sat down opposite Liu Yuheng, took out a pipe from his pocket, filled it with tobacco, lit it with a match, and took a couple of puffs.

Liu Yuheng took out the watch wrapped in cloth from his left trouser pocket, weighed it in his hand, and then handed it to Liu Erhe: "Erhe, take this, it's your wedding gift."

Liu Erhe paused for a moment, looking at the flat cloth bag his older brother handed him. After hesitating for a second, he reached out and took it. He opened the bag, revealing a silver-white watch, its dial reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

He turned the watch over and looked at it. There was a string of foreign letters engraved on the case that he couldn't understand, but just the luster of the dial and the exquisite hands told him that this thing was not cheap.

"Big brother, this..." Liu Erhe looked up, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief, "This is for me?"

"Here you go." Liu Yuheng nodded. "You're getting married soon, so having a watch will be convenient when you're out and about. Wear it carefully and don't lose it."

Liu Erhe held the watch in his hands as if it were a rare treasure, looking at it over and over again several times, before carefully putting it on his left wrist.

He raised his wrist to look at it, grinned, and revealed two rows of neat white teeth.

Watching from the side, Wang Xiuhe said with some heartache, "Why give Erhe such an expensive thing? He works in a factory, what if he bumps into something and breaks such a nice watch? Erhe, take it off quickly, don't break it."

Liu Erhe's smile froze for a moment, and he instinctively covered his watch with his hand.

Liu Yuheng waved his hand, his tone resolute: "Mother, Erhe is twenty this year, and he'll be getting married soon. He's an adult now. What's wrong with an adult wearing a watch? It's normal. Besides, watches are meant to be worn, not displayed. It's normal for them to get bumped or scratched. Why shouldn't you wear them for fear of breaking them?"

Wang Xiuhe opened her mouth, glanced at Liu Yuheng's expression, then at Liu Erhe's shiny watch on his wrist, but ultimately said nothing more. She just sighed and muttered, "You soldiers, you spend money like water..."

Liu Erhe breathed a sigh of relief, then raised his wrist to look at it, his smile widening even further.

He turned his head and showed off to Liu Tingting: "Tingting, look, the watch my older brother gave me!"

Liu Tingting, who had been leaning against Wang Xiuhe's chest fiddling with the box of rubber bands, looked up when she heard Liu Erhe's words. Her gaze fell on the shiny watch and she was immediately captivated. She released the box of rubber bands, stood up from Wang Xiuhe's embrace, walked to Liu Erhe, squatted down, tilted her head, stared at the watch for several seconds, and then poked the dial with her finger.

Liu Tingting stared at the ticking second hand for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up at Liu Yuheng with pleading eyes.

"Big brother, I want a watch too."

Liu Yuheng looked at her and couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and ruffled her hair, saying, "Okay, when you get into university, your big brother will buy you one too."

Liu Tingting's smile vanished instantly, her lips pouting so much they could hang an oil bottle on them, and she said dejectedly, "University? That's a long, long time away..."

"It hasn't been long," Liu Yuheng said with a smile, teasing her on purpose. "You're eight years old this year, and you'll take the college entrance exam at eighteen. That's only about 3,600 days, or 80,000 hours. It'll be over in the blink of an eye."

Upon hearing this, Liu Tingting lowered her head earnestly and began counting on her fingers: "One, two, three, four, five..."

Liu Yuheng burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost fell over, and even Xiao Sun couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Wang Xiuhe laughed too, reaching out to pull Liu Tingting back into her arms, and said with a smile, "Stop counting, stop counting, your older brother is just teasing you. When you grow up, your older brother will naturally buy it for you."

Liu Tingting looked back at Wang Xiuhe, then at Liu Yuheng, her little mouth still pouting. She stared at Liu Yuheng for two seconds, then snorted, turned her head to the side, and hugged the bag of candy, ignoring him.

After Liu Yuheng finished laughing, he took out the note from his pocket and handed it to Liu Shuanzhu.

"Dad, please keep this safe." Liu Yuheng handed over the note. "I'm reporting to the garrison tomorrow and will be living in the barracks from now on. Once I get busy with work, it might not be as convenient for me to come back often. If anything happens at home, just call this number. If you can't get through, go to this address and have someone pass on a message to me, and I'll come over as soon as possible."

Liu Shuanzhu put down his pipe, took the note, and squinted at it. He carefully folded the note, put it in his inner pocket, patted it to make sure it was in place, and then nodded: "Okay, I understand."

Listening from the side, Wang Xiuhe's smile slowly faded. After hesitating for a moment, she still asked, "Yuheng, so you're not going to your brother's wedding next Saturday?"

The question caused a moment of silence in the courtyard.

Liu Yuheng shook his head, sighed, and said with a hint of apology, "Mother, Erhe, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be able to attend Erhe's wedding."

"I'm going to report to the garrison tomorrow. It's a newly formed unit with a lot of things to do and a lot of matters to attend to. As the commander, I can't not go."

"Erhe, I'm so sorry, I can't be there for your wedding, such a big event. I'll come back after this busy period and make up for it with a feast for you and Fangfang."

Liu Erhe quickly waved his hand: "Brother, what are you saying! You're doing important business, much more important than my wedding. You should be busy with your own things. After I get married, I'll bring Fangfang to visit you at the military camp!"

Looking at his younger brother's sincere face, Liu Yuheng patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

Wang Xiuhe opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words back.

Although she didn't understand anything about garrison commands or commanders, she knew her son was doing something important and important, and she couldn't hold him back. She simply sighed and said, "Then you must take care of yourself and not overwork yourself."

"Mother, don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy." Liu Yuheng smiled and sat back down on the steps.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Liu Shuanzhu, "Dad, I just came in and took a look, and the side rooms on the east and west sides seem to be empty? Nobody lives there?"

Liu Shuanzhu nodded, took a puff of his cigarette, and exhaled a plume of smoke: "It's empty. The side room used to be occupied by a distant relative of the deaf old lady, but they moved away last year, and it's been empty ever since."

Liu Yuheng tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, thought for a moment, and said, "Father, why don't you go and ask if we can rent those two side rooms?"

"Erhe is getting married soon. After the wedding, the young couple will need to share a room, right? Tingting currently shares a room with you and Mom, but Tingting is a grown woman now, and she can't keep sharing a bed with her parents forever, can she? In a few years, Tingting will also need her own room. Also, if Erhe gets married and has children, the children will need a place to live. Right now, these two east wing rooms are already cramped enough with you, Mom, Erhe, and Tingting. After Erhe gets married, it will be even more crowded."

He paused, then continued, "Let's rent the side room first, tidy it up, and whether we use it as a bedroom or a storage room, it'll be better than cramped living like this. It's best to rent a house while it's vacant; otherwise, it'll be too late."

After listening, Liu Shuanzhu nodded: "You're right, I've thought about that too. I even went to ask the neighborhood committee about it the day before yesterday."

"How so?" Liu Yuheng asked.

Liu Shuanzhu tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe and cleared his throat: "This house originally belonged to the deaf old lady in the backyard, but after liberation, she handed over the ownership of the house to the nearby military control committee. When I went to inquire, the people at the military control committee said that they were currently surveying all the vacant houses in the city, and it couldn't be rented out yet. We had to wait a while until the survey was completed and the policy was finalized before it could be rented out."

Liu Yuheng frowned, then relaxed. Beijing had just been liberated, and everything was in ruins; the government had too many things to do, so it was normal for these matters to be put on hold. He thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then keep asking around. Go to the military control commission every few days and see if it's possible to rent it out."

He reached into his pocket, intending to offer to pay, but the moment he put his hand in, he stopped. His pocket was empty except for a single silver dollar.

He gave an awkward laugh, pulled his hand away, and then said something that even he felt guilty about: "If you don't have enough money, I'll send it to you when I get my allowance this month."

Liu Shuanzhu glanced at him, then at the huge pile of things Liu Yuheng had just bought, and roughly knew that his eldest son's pockets were probably emptier than his face.

He waved his hand: "No need. I can still afford to rent two side rooms. I work as a cook at a restaurant now, earning a few dozen yuan a month. Erhe also earns money at the factory. We're not short of money at home. Keep your own money for yourself, don't be extravagant."

Hearing the words "extravagant," Wang Xiuhe immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, Yuheng, you can't spend money so recklessly. How much did you buy today? Flour, canned goods, wine, meat, sugar, hair ties—how much did that cost? How much is your monthly allowance? If you keep spending like this, you won't even have enough to eat by the end of the month."

She paused, her tone becoming more earnest: "Besides, you're not married yet! You'll have to save money to get married later! Look at your younger brother, he's getting married at twenty, and you're already twenty-five and still single. How can you manage without saving money? Getting married costs money, and buying household items costs money too. You can't end up empty-handed, can you?"

Liu Yuheng was completely overwhelmed by the barrage of nagging. He quickly raised his hands in surrender: "Mom, I know, I know. I won't spend money recklessly anymore, I'll spend it sparingly, okay?"

Before Wang Xiuhe could say anything more, Liu Yuheng quickly changed the subject, took out the last silver dollar from his pocket, placed it in his palm, and handed it to Wang Xiuhe: "Mother, this is for you. It's a Yuan Shikai silver dollar, from the third year of the Republic of China, in good condition. Keep it as a treasured keepsake."

Wang Xiuhe's eyes lit up when she saw the silver coin. She took it, examined it closely in her hand, and even bit it with her teeth to confirm that it was genuine. After confirming that it was real, her wrinkles widened into a smile: "This silver coin is of very good quality. I'll take it home and keep it for you to use when you get married."

"Alright, you all sit down, I'll go cook. Yuheng, what do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you."

Liu Yuheng thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I love everything you make. Just make whatever you like, no need to go to too much trouble."

Wang Xiuhe tilted her head and thought for a long time before saying, "Then Mom will make you Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)! You loved your dad's Zhajiangmian when you were little. Your dad's skills are much better now than before. The sauce is so fragrant and rich. You'll definitely love it. I'll also cook a few other dishes. I'll make sure you're full."

Liu Yuheng smiled and nodded: "Okay, let's have noodles with soybean paste."

Wang Xiuhe happily agreed, turned around and walked towards the kitchen in the backyard. After taking two steps, she turned back, pointed at Liu Shuanzhu and said, "Dad, stop sitting there smoking, come and help! You knead the dough, you fry the sauce, and I'll chop the vegetables."

Liu Shuanzhu reluctantly stood up, tucked his pipe behind his waist, rolled up his sleeves, and muttered, "You cook, so what are you calling me for? Can't I even talk to my son for a bit?"

"What are you talking about? We'll talk about it after we finish eating!" Wang Xiuhe said firmly, turning and walking towards the backyard.

Liu Shuanzhu sighed, glanced at Liu Yuheng, and then followed him away.