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

Liu Yuheng was taken aback for a moment, glanced at Liu Shuanzhu, and seeing that his expression was serious and not just a polite remark, he hesitated for a moment.

Li Yunlong quickly waved his hand, "Uncle, no need to trouble you. We can just eat something simple. How can we let you cook for us?" Kong Jie and Ding Wei echoed his sentiment.

Liu Shuanzhu waved his hand, his tone carrying an unyielding insistence: "No trouble at all, no trouble at all. I've worked in restaurants for so many years, cooking is a piece of cake for me. You two can just sit and chat, don't worry about anything else."

Wang Xiuhe also stood up, patting the wrinkles on her clothes: "That's right, you guys chat, I'll go with Lao Liu and Qingwan." As she spoke, she turned to Yao Qingwan, "Qingwan, you take us there."

Yao Qingwan glanced at Liu Yuheng, and seeing him nod, she got up, grabbed her cloth bag, and led Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe out the door. Liang Fangfang followed, carrying Liu Yixuan. The door of the small building closed gently behind them, leaving their voices inside.

After the door closed, the living room was quiet for a moment. Liu Yuheng leaned back on the sofa, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said to Li Yunlong and the other two, "Alright, my parents are gone, let's talk about our own things."

Kong Jie put down his teacup and spoke first: "Old Liu, has your transfer been finalized? I heard you say last time that you were going to do it by the end of the year, do you have a specific date now?"

Liu Yuheng nodded and placed his teacup on the coffee table. "It's settled. Around December, I'll be going to the Ministry of Heavy Industry to participate in its restructuring. I probably won't be wearing this uniform anymore." As he spoke, he glanced down at his dress uniform, touched the two gold stars on his epaulets, and said with a complex tone, "After wearing it for so many years, it's really hard to take it off all at once."

Li Yunlong snorted beside him, his tone as straightforward as ever: "Don't act all innocent now that you've gotten a good deal. If you go to a local government, you'll be a deputy minister, won't you? What's there to be reluctant about?"

Liu Yuheng smiled and didn't deny it: "That's true. My salary has increased, my life is more stable, and I don't have to travel around anymore."

He straightened his expression, looked at Li Yunlong, and said in a more serious tone, "Old Li, I'm being serious. You really need to think carefully about the suggestion I gave you last time. I suggest that before you go back this time, you talk to the old brigade commander first, and when you pass through Nanjing, inform the division commander as well, and go to the Northwest or Southwest. Although it's tough there, it suits you. Staying in these inland troops will only lead to trouble sooner or later."

Li Yunlong, unusually, didn't immediately refute. He remained silent for a moment, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and when he put the cup down, his expression was much more solemn than before: "To be honest, I've already thought it through. Before I go back, I'll go see the old brigade commander, and when I pass through Nanjing, I'll report to the division commander. I've thought about what you said for a long time, and it does make sense."

Liu Yuheng nodded, relieved. Just as he was about to say something more, Li Yunlong spoke again, his voice a few decibels lower than before: "I'm just a little worried about Zhao Gang."

Upon hearing this, Kong Jie and Ding Wei also looked over. Li Yunlong continued, "You all know Lao Zhao, he's a bit too... too idealistic. He's doing well in the electrical engineering department now, but I always feel that his personality makes him prone to offending people. Unlike you, Lao Liu, you know how to be flexible, and you won't get blamed. With Lao Zhao's stubborn nature, I'm afraid he'll suffer sooner or later."

Liu Yuheng was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Don't worry about Lao Zhao. I'm still in Beijing, and I'll help him out where I can. He's in the Ministry of Electrical Engineering; although he can be a bit blunt sometimes, his work ability is undeniable, so he shouldn't have any major problems for the time being." He paused, his tone carrying a tacit understanding only old comrades-in-arms could have, "However, if the timing really isn't right, I'll find a way to transfer Lao Zhao. I won't let him stay in that position any longer."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong's expression shifted slightly. His gaze lingered on Liu Yuheng's face for a couple of seconds before he picked up his teacup and raised it towards him, saying, "Old Liu, thanks."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand: "Old Zhao is also my old comrade-in-arms, so it's too formal to say such things."

Kong Jie and Ding Wei nodded in agreement, saying nothing, but their eyes held the kind of trust that only old comrades-in-arms have.

On the other side, after the group left the small building and walked a distance away from it, Liu Shuanzhu finally let out a long breath, as if the tension he had been holding in for so long had suddenly been released.

He slowed his pace, glanced at Wang Xiuhe walking beside him, and whispered, "Damn it, I was really nervous inside just now. Those three are all generals, right? Even though they're Yu Heng's comrades-in-arms, I didn't know where to put my hands when they were sitting there."

Wang Xiuhe nodded repeatedly, patting her chest: "Who says otherwise? I didn't dare to say much, afraid of saying something wrong and embarrassing Yuheng. Those generals sat there with their backs ramrod straight, and their voices were loud and clear. They were obviously people who had seen a lot in the world."

As she spoke, she glanced back at the small building behind her to make sure no one had followed her out, before lowering her voice to add, "How has Yuheng gotten used to spending all these years with these people?"

Yao Qingwan walked a few steps ahead and couldn't help but chuckle when she heard the elderly couple's words. Liang Fangfang, carrying Liu Yixuan, walked beside her and also laughed.

Yao Qingwan slowed her pace to wait for Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe to catch up, and said gently, "Dad, Mom, don't be nervous. They are Yuheng's old comrades-in-arms. They had a very good relationship when they were in the army. They usually speak casually and don't stand on ceremony."

Liu Shuanzhu shook his head: "That's true, but he's a general after all, and we're just ordinary people. It always feels awkward to sit together with him."

Wang Xiuhe chimed in, "Exactly! People like us who've never seen the world, sitting with those big shots, we don't even know where to put our hands and feet."

Liang Fangfang chimed in from the side, "Dad, Mom, you'll get used to it after a few more times. Big brother is living here now, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to come over in the future."

Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe exchanged a glance but didn't say anything, though their expressions clearly relaxed a bit.

After walking a short distance, Liang Fangfang suddenly remembered something and turned to Yao Qingwan, asking, "Sister-in-law, did you attend the military parade this morning?"

Yao Qingwan nodded, her steps unwavering: "I went. I arrived at the square early this morning with Yu Heng."

Although Liu Shuanzhu and Wang Xiuhe did not speak, they noticeably slowed their pace and quietly perked up their ears.