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

October st.

Liu Yuheng woke up just after five o'clock. Yao Qingwan, who was next to him, also woke up. The two didn't say much and went to wash up and get dressed.

Liu Yuheng took out the neatly hung military dress from the wardrobe, carefully put it on, straightened his epaulets and collar in front of the mirror, and then smoothed out the almost invisible wrinkles on the hem. Yao Qingwan had also changed into a dark blue coat, her hair neatly pinned up behind her head, making her look dignified and elegant.

Liu Yuheng finished dressing and stood in front of the mirror, glanced at himself, and suddenly laughed. He turned to Yao Qingwan, who was adjusting her clothes, and said, "Just a couple of days ago I was lamenting about not knowing when I could wear this dress again, and I forgot about today."

Yao Qingwan came over and straightened the buttons on his collar, chuckled twice, then rolled her eyes at him: "Stop joking around, hurry up and put your clothes on, or it'll be late."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand: "We won't be late, we arrived early." He glanced down at Yao Qingwan's shoes, then at her coat, "It's windy in the square today, aren't you cold in that? Do you want to put on another coat?"

"It's not cold, that's enough."

Liu Yuheng walked over and stood next to her: "By the way, the old brigade commander's wife is also here today. You can go with her. I have other activities to attend, so I can't come with you."

Yao Qingwan looked up at him, nodded, and said calmly, "Okay, I understand."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and straightened the buttons on her cuffs, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Liu Yuheng noticed her deep breath and a smile appeared on his lips: "Don't be nervous, just follow your older sister, it's nothing serious. You'll get used to it after you participate a few more times."

Upon hearing this, Yao Qingwan looked up and glared at him, but couldn't help but curl her lips into a slight smile.

The two went out together. The car drove along the quiet streets in the early morning, and along the way, they could see many people in neat uniforms gathering towards the square. When the car reached the vicinity of the square, they could see the large open area illuminated by the morning light, with a flag at the top of the flagpole fluttering in the wind.

Upon arriving at the designated location, Liu Yuheng got out of the car and led Yao Qingwan through the crowd to find the old brigade commander's wife.

Several military spouses and family members of officers had already arrived, standing in twos and threes talking, their faces bearing the solemn yet expectant expressions unique to this day. The old brigade commander's wife, wearing a dark gray coat, was talking to an older woman next to her. When she saw Liu Yuheng and Yao Qingwan approaching, she smiled and waved to them.

Liu Yuheng stepped forward, greeted the old brigade commander's wife, and then took Yao Qingwan half a step forward: "Big sister, this is Qingwan's first time participating in this kind of activity, she doesn't know anything, so I'll have to trouble you to take good care of her."

"Don't worry, leave it to me. Xiao Yao, just follow me from now on, don't be nervous."

Yao Qingwan nodded, greeted her with "Hello, elder sister," and stood beside the old brigade commander's wife.

Liu Yuheng glanced at Yao Qingwan again and said in a low voice, "Then I'll go over there. You go with your older sister." Then he turned around and walked quickly towards the general's viewing area.

A considerable number of people had already arrived at the viewing area. Generals in dark brown uniforms gathered in twos and threes, the stars on their shoulder insignia gleaming with a dark gold light in the morning glow.

As Liu Yuheng walked over, several familiar old comrades waved to him.

His gaze swept across the square below the viewing area. In the distance, the marching contingents were assembling, their rows of neat figures appearing particularly solemn in the morning light.

As the sun fully rose, the military parade officially began. The moment the military music started, the atmosphere in the entire square suddenly became solemn and dignified.

Liu Yuheng stood on the reviewing stand, watching the rows of neat formations march in from afar, their steps resounding and their slogans echoing through the air. This was only the second time in his life he had watched a military parade. The first time was in 1949, around the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China. After that, he went to Korea, and upon his return, he was busy with troop reductions, so he never had the chance to watch one again.

As the generals' contingent marched past the reviewing stand, Liu Yuheng's gaze followed the row of figures intently. Although he couldn't make out each face clearly, he knew that Li Yunlong and his men were among them.

After the military parade ended, the crowd began to disperse. Liu Yuheng didn't rush to leave. He stood in the viewing area for a while, waiting until the crowd thinned out, before turning and walking towards the family viewing area. Yao Qingwan had already retreated to the open space next to them with the old brigade commander's wife and the others, and was standing there waiting.

When Liu Yuheng walked over, several older women were talking to Yao Qingwan. When they saw Liu Yuheng, one of the women laughed and joked, "Oh, you came looking for someone as soon as it ended? Newlyweds are really something else, getting anxious after being apart for so long."

Liu Yuheng's face didn't show any unusual expression; he just smiled and said, "I'm afraid she won't be able to find her way," his thick skin remaining completely unfazed. Yao Qingwan, standing to the side, blushed as the older women teased her, and called out softly, "Big Sister," with a hint of reproach in her voice.

The women laughed a few more times, and the old brigade commander's wife waved her hand, saying, "Alright, alright, let him take her away quickly." Liu Yuheng smiled and said goodbye to the women, then led Yao Qingwan towards the parking lot.

The two walked side by side through the gradually dispersing crowd and were just reaching the edge of the parking lot when they saw three figures in military uniforms walking towards them from the other side.

Li Yunlong walked at the front, his face still showing the relaxation that followed the tension of the military parade. As soon as he saw Liu Yuheng and Yao Qingwan, he grinned and called out loudly, "Old Liu! Sister-in-law!"

Liu Yuheng led Yao Qingwan to greet them, looked Li Yunlong and his two companions up and down, and patted Li Yunlong's arm with a smile: "I saw your heroic figure, Commander Li, up there just now. You looked very spirited, and your steps were quite synchronized."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong immediately puffed out his chest, raised his chin slightly, and said with undisguised pride, "That's right! Old Li is now the talk of the town, marching in formation? That's a piece of cake!"

Kong Jie shook his head with a smile, and Ding Wei couldn't help but scoff.

After a few laughs and banter, Li Yunlong seemed to remember something, his smile fading slightly. He said to Liu Yuheng, "By the way, Lao Liu, we're leaving Beijing by military train early the day after tomorrow, heading straight back to our unit's base."

Kong Jie chimed in, "We've been discussing it, and we haven't visited your parents yet since we came all this time. We happen to have some free time today, so if it's convenient for us, we could go and see them."

Liu Yuheng paused for a moment, then looked at the three of them. Seeing their composed expressions, it was clear that this trip had been planned beforehand. He nodded: "Okay."