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

Yan Bugui reacted the fastest, immediately picking up the thread: "Two stars? A lieutenant general is two stars! That's for sure!" He paused for a moment, then turned to look at He Yuzhu with a hint of uncertainty, "But two stars could also be a lieutenant colonel. I read in the newspaper that a lieutenant colonel is also two stars."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "It shouldn't be. If he were a lieutenant colonel, how could Brother Liu live in a two-story building in the north of the city? You guys haven't been there. I don't think even a senior colonel could afford to live in that place, let alone a lieutenant colonel. I told you about it after I came back. That area is probably inhabited by high-ranking officers."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. They all knew the level of that compound in the north of the city; it wasn't a place just anyone could live in. Those who could live there were at least officers of division rank or higher. A lieutenant colonel certainly didn't meet that threshold.

Yan Bugui's wife came out of the house at this moment and saw a large crowd gathered at her door. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What's going on here? Why are you all blocking the doorway?"

None of them paid any attention to her, each silently smoking, but their eyes were all glancing in the direction of the courtyard gate.

Nearly an hour later, it began to get dark. Liu Erhe finally appeared at the courtyard gate, with Liang Fangfang beside him. The two walked in side by side, carrying things in their hands, their expressions no different from usual.

As soon as Liu Erhe stepped into the courtyard, he noticed that the courtyard was different from usual. Eight or nine people were gathered in front of Yan Bugui's house: Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Xu Fugui, Jia Dongxu, He Yuzhu, and almost all the men in the courtyard. They all had cigarettes in their hands and were staring at him.

Liu Erhe paused, glancing instinctively at Liang Fangfang beside him. The two exchanged a look, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, Yan Bugui was the first to squeeze through the crowd, his newspaper almost poking Liu Erhe's nose.

"Erhe! You've come at the right time! Take a look, isn't this Liu Yuheng your older brother?" Yan Bugui's voice was filled with barely suppressed urgency as he tapped incessantly on the newspaper next to the three characters "Liu Yuheng".

Liu Erhe took the newspaper and glanced at it. Liang Fangfang also came over, and their eyes lingered on the name for half a second before they looked at each other simultaneously.

Liang Fangfang nodded slightly, and Liu Erhe then raised his head and calmly replied to the group of neighbors staring intently at him, "That's my brother."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. Absolutely silent; even the rustling of the locust tree leaves in the wind could be clearly heard.

Yan Bugui's newspaper trembled slightly, then he took a deep breath, a smile spreading across his face, his voice several degrees warmer than before: "Oh my! Such a joyous occasion! Why isn't your family celebrating? You should have a proper feast!"

Liu Erhe waved his hand and replied in a flat tone, "It's not up to me to decide what to do about the celebration, nor is it up to my father. You'll have to ask my brother. If you want him to celebrate, you'll have to ask him yourself." After saying that, he turned to the side, grabbed Liang Fangfang's wrist, and quickly walked through the crowd toward the east wing.

Yan Bugui was taken aback by his words, and stood there awkwardly, rolling up and unfolding the newspaper in his hand repeatedly, his smile stiff. Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai and the others dispersed, but as they turned around, their eyes invariably glanced towards the east wing.

Liu Erhe pushed open the door to the east wing. Wang Xiuhe was standing at the door, looking out, and had obviously also seen the scene in the courtyard. Seeing the two enter, she asked, "What's going on outside? Why are so many people gathered there?"

Liu Erhe took off his coat and hung it up, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Uncle Yan saw the news about my brother being awarded a rank in the newspaper and came to ask me if it was true."

Wang Xiuhe said "Oh," her expression unchanged, and simply turned and went back to the stove to continue her work.

On the other side, when Yi Zhonghai pushed open his own door, his steps were heavier than usual.

His wife was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) sewing shoe soles when she saw him come home looking upset. She put down her work and stood up: "What's wrong? You come home from get off work with a long face. Who upset you?"

Yi Zhonghai sat down at the table, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and remained silent for several seconds before speaking: "The eldest son of the Liu family has been awarded a rank."

His wife was taken aback: "A rank? Isn't that expected? He was originally a soldier. By the way, what rank was he awarded?"

"Lieutenant General." Yi Zhonghai put down his teacup, his voice carrying an indescribable complexity. "He's many ranks higher than our steel mill director. Everyone in this compound, from now on, will be scrambling to Liu Shuanzhu's family. As an old man, who can I possibly control in the future?"

His wife froze, the shoe sole in her hand hanging in mid-air: "Lieutenant General...such a high-ranking officer?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "I reckon it's at least administrative level seven or above. Our factory director is only level fourteen, a whole half lower." He sighed again after he finished speaking, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

His wife stared at him for a while, then suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "You're not planning to go against the Liu family, are you?"

Yi Zhonghai suddenly looked up and glared at her. "Am I stupid? If I wanted to deal with the Liu family, Liu Yuheng would crush me like an ant. I just want to retire, not die." He paused, his tone softening. "I just feel uneasy. Before, my word carried weight in this courtyard. Now that such a big shot has emerged from Liu Shuanzhu's family, who will respect an old man like me?"

His wife sat back down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her needlework resumed, and her tone was much calmer than Yi Zhonghai's: "Let them fawn over the Liu family if they want. We just need to keep the Jia family in check. Look at Jia Dongxu, that kid, honest and simple, not very capable, he'll still have to rely on you, his uncle, to take care of him in the future. And there's Shazhu, our family has always treated him well, he won't side with anyone else."

She paused, then said, "Besides, Liu Yuheng is a man who does great things. He's been back in the capital for so long, how many times have you seen him come to the courtyard? He's so busy he barely has time to breathe, how could he have time to bother with these trivial matters in the courtyard? We should just keep to ourselves and not interfere with the Liu family, and no one will get in anyone's way."

Yi Zhonghai was silent for a moment, his fingers pausing on the table, then he sighed, "I hope so."

He thought for a moment, then muttered to himself, "The eldest son of the Liu family has become such a high-ranking official, why doesn't he bring Old Liu and his wife to live with him in their old age?"

Upon hearing this, the couple were both taken aback.