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

The next morning, Yao Qingwan ate breakfast and then rode her bicycle out the door. Liu Yuheng stood at the gate, watching her push the bike across the yard, and called out, "Ride slowly." Yao Qingwan waved without turning her head, turned around the holly bushes, and disappeared outside the gate.

Liu Yuheng stood at the door for a few more seconds, his gaze following the departing figure until it was completely out of sight, before turning around and going back inside.

He tidied himself up, changed his clothes, and went out.

Upon arriving at the Central Military Commission compound, he entered the office building as usual, sat down at his desk, and just as he opened a document on the desk, the phone rang.

He picked up the receiver, and the boss's voice came from the other end, brief and direct: "Yuheng, come to my office."

Liu Yuheng responded with a "Yes," put down the phone, straightened his collar, and got up to leave the office.

He walked to the boss's office door, knocked twice, and heard a "Come in" from inside before pushing the door open and going in.

The boss was standing next to his desk, holding two documents. When he saw Liu Yuheng come in, he waved to him and said, "Come sit on the sofa."

He picked up the two documents himself and sat down on the sofa on the other side.

Liu Yuheng sat down on the sofa, his back straight, his hands naturally placed on his knees.

Without any further pleasantries or preamble, the boss handed him the first document in his hand: "Take a look at this first."

Liu Yuheng took the document and opened it. The heading was in clear boldface: "Notification Regarding Comrade Liu Yuheng's Retirement from Active Service." His gaze lingered on that line, his fingers pressing slightly on the edge of the paper as he flipped the page over and over, making sure he hadn't misread a single word.

The room was quiet for a few seconds. The boss leaned back on the sofa and looked at him without saying a word, as if giving him time to process the news.

Liu Yuheng slowly closed the document, placed it on his lap, and when he looked up, his expression had returned to calm, and his voice was steady and powerful: "I obey orders."

The general nodded, his tone amiable yet reassuring: "Revolutionary sons and daughters, don't worry about such trivial matters. In the past few years, at least one or two hundred high-ranking cadres have transferred from the military to local positions. Look at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; it's basically staffed by people transferred from the military. People trained in the military are just as capable in local areas." As he spoke, he handed over a second document, "Take a look at this too."

Liu Yuheng took the book and opened it. A line of text clearly came into view: "Comrade Liu Yuheng is appointed as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, Administrative Level 7".

The general picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down: "I won't go into the details. Once you get to the Ministry of Heavy Industry and meet Old Chen, you'll naturally know what to do next. You can go and complete your handover today, and report to the Ministry of Heavy Industry in the next couple of days. When you get to your post, do a good job and don't embarrass the military."

Liu Yuheng stood up, raised his hand in a crisp military salute, and said ramrod straight, "Yes, sir! Thank you for your concern, sir!"

He put his hand down, turned around and walked out of the office, gently closing the door behind him.

Standing in the corridor, he glanced down at the two documents in his hand, paused for two seconds, and then strode toward his office.

Back in his office, he stood in the center of the room, his gaze slowly sweeping over the room where he had spent almost a year. Then he sat down and began to organize the documents on his desk, categorizing the materials that needed to be handed over and placing them in the upper right corner. He picked up a pen and wrote a few notes on a sticky note, which he then pasted onto the cover.

The drawer was opened, revealing few personal belongings: an old fountain pen; an old notebook with its corners curled up; and a yellowed black-and-white photograph.

At noon, he went to the military commission's canteen for lunch. As soon as he entered the canteen, he saw several familiar faces: Lao Zheng, Lao Wu, Lao Liang, and a few old comrades he was close to, who were already sitting around a long table waving at him. He took his tray and went over, sitting down next to Lao Zheng.

Old Zheng picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, chewing as he mumbled, "Old Liu, I heard your transfer order came down? So quickly?"

Liu Yuheng nodded and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks: "The document has been approved. I will report to the Ministry of Heavy Industry in the next two days."

Old Wu sighed beside him, picked up his teacup, and said, "Time flies. It seems like only yesterday you were transferred back from Nanjing, and now you're leaving again."

Old Liang chimed in from the side, "Do a good job when you get to your post, and don't embarrass us old guys."

Liu Yuheng smiled and raised his teacup to clink with each of them: "I won't forget you all, I'll remember you all. Come find me at the Ministry of Heavy Industry when you have time, I'll treat you to drinks, plenty of Fenjiu."

The group chatted over lunch about their experiences over the years, from their journey to Northeast China as part of the disarmament team to the grand occasion of the rank conferment ceremony, and their future plans. Lunch lasted nearly an hour, and only after most of the people in the canteen had left did they put down their chopsticks.

Liu Yuheng put away the bowls and chopsticks, stood up, and shook hands with Lao Zheng, Lao Wu, and Lao Liang one by one.

He stood on the steps in front of the building, glanced at the gray office building behind him, then turned and walked towards the office building. He returned to his office, put the last few items into a cloth bag, locked the office door, and handed the key to the comrade on duty downstairs.

When the young soldier on duty took the key, he stood up straight and saluted him. Liu Yuheng returned the salute, then turned and walked out of the building.

The jeep waiting at the door was parked quietly. He bent down, got into the back seat, and said to the driver, "Go home."

As the car drove out of the Military Commission compound, Liu Yuheng watched in the rearview mirror as the gate grew smaller and smaller in his field of vision until it was completely obscured by the roadside trees and disappeared from sight.

The car stopped in front of the small building in the North City Compound around 3 p.m. Liu Yuheng got out of the car, picked up the cloth bag, and went inside. The living room was quiet; Yao Qingwan hadn't come home from get off work yet. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting warm golden patches on the floor.

He went into the bedroom, stood in front of the wardrobe, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly took off the military uniform he had worn for many years. He picked up the uniform in his hand, took one last look, his finger paused on the two stars on the epaulettes, then neatly folded it and put it in the top compartment of the wardrobe where important items were kept.

He glanced down at the dark gray Zhongshan suit he was now wearing, straightened his collar and cuffs in front of the mirror, and smoothed his hair. He looked much the same as before, except that he was missing two stars on his shoulders and the military uniform he had worn for over a decade was gone, giving him an indescribable change.

He stood in front of the mirror for a few seconds, then turned, went out the door, and got into his car. The car started its engine and drove along the quiet autumn afternoon streets towards Nanluoguxiang.