A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

The old brigade commander, still looking mysterious, stood at the entrance of courtyard number 43, winking at Zhang Renfeng.

"No, why don't you push the door open? Just give it a push!"

Zhang Renfeng was completely bewildered by his actions, and when he saw the old brigade commander's "look at this, look at this" expression on his face, his heart skipped a beat.

This old guy usually cheats people without batting an eye, so his unusual attentiveness today can't be anything good.

"Are you fucking going to give me a traditional courtyard house as a gift?"

"That won't do!" Zhang Renfeng turned to leave, taking quick steps, thinking to himself, "I'm not falling for your tricks."

Last time you said you'd treat me to donkey meat sandwiches, but you tricked me into doing a whole day of demolition demonstrations for the recruits. I didn't get to eat, and my voice was hoarse for three days.

This time it involves both a house and a yard; who knows what kind of elaborate scheme is hidden behind it?

Seeing that he was really about to leave, the old brigade commander panicked. He took a couple of steps and then stopped, stamping his feet in anger: "Ugh, some comrades, they just love to pretend! Pretend! Pretend! Aren't they just afraid I won't transfer the ownership to you? I'm already impressed by you, why do you always like to take advantage of me?"

Zhang Renfeng had been waiting for these words.

He knew the old brigade commander too well. The old man would always greet you with "Congratulations on your fortune" when giving you something, praising you to the skies first, and then suddenly taking your money.

If you refuse, he'll just take the things back and then say you're not very sensible.

But if he says something like "taking advantage," then he really means it.

Zhang Renfeng turned around with a grin, strode back, rubbed his hands together, and took the stack of papers that the old brigade commander took out of his pocket. The papers included house deeds, land deeds, and transfer documents, all complete.

He glanced down to check, making sure it was correct, and then, while stuffing it into his pocket, said seriously:

"Alas, some of the older comrades have questionable ideology and conduct. They tried to bribe me with houses in an attempt to sway my revolutionary will. This is unacceptable!"

He paused, then added, "But if it's all for the revolution, then if it's marriage for the sake of the revolution, then I will definitely follow in their footsteps."

The old brigade commander rolled his eyes in anger and pointed at him with his finger: "I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as you."

But even though he said that, he still leaned closer, put his arm around Zhang Renfeng's shoulder, and chuckled as he lowered his voice:

"Zhang Baopo, don't think you've gotten a great deal. This is money that your old political commissar has been collecting for you for so many years, it's all coming from someone else. Don't worry, this house is free, it was approved by Minister Yang of the General Logistics Department of the Central Military Commission."

He straightened up, his smile turning into a ferocious expression, and clenched his fists.

"Some comrades even think they've gotten a huge advantage, bah!"

We could have arranged accommodation further away, hey!

I'm going to make you my henchman for life! I'm going to exploit you mercilessly! I'm going to enslave you!!!

The smile on Zhang Renfeng's face froze instantly.

He belatedly realized that he had been tricked.

Given his rank, if he were transferred from a local area to Beiping, he could apply for an independent residence, let alone stay in the Military Commission compound, or even stay in a guesthouse.

He was the deputy commander of the Yunnan Provincial Military Region, a deputy corps-level cadre. No matter how difficult the country was, it would never allow him to sleep on the street.

Now things are fine. The old brigade commander used his "savings" to buy him a private house. The formalities are completed and the property deed is obtained, so he can no longer apply for public housing.

This means he'll have to live at No. 43 Lingjing Hutong from now on, and be the old brigade commander's neighbor for the rest of his life!

Zhang Renfeng's mind was already replaying the scenes of being tormented by the old brigade commander over the years—pulling him up in the middle of the night to talk about revolutionary history and not letting him sleep, fighting with him for the last bite of braised pork at the dinner table, and making him lead the charge during meetings while he hid in the back to watch the excitement.

To be neighbors?

Wouldn't he drive you crazy?

"You fucking bastard!"

Zhang Renfeng took out the house deed and looked at it carefully. The address on it was clearly written as "No. 43 Lingjing Hutong". It was next to No. 41, and the two houses were separated only by a flower wall.

Moreover, the property deed is registered in the name of the General Logistics Department of the Central Military Commission!

He looked up at the old brigade commander's smug face, and couldn't even cry.

The old brigade commander stood on the steps, hands on his hips, grinning like a fox who had stolen a chicken, his eyes narrowed into slits, waiting to see Zhang Renfeng's exasperated expression.

"Alright, alright, stop bullying Renfeng."

A warm voice came from the gate of courtyard number 43, followed by a middle-aged woman who came out wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket, with short hair that reached her ears and a kind face. She was none other than Sister Fu, the wife of the old brigade commander.

A little boy was following behind her; it was A-Jian.

A-Jian spotted Zhang Renfeng immediately, darted out a few steps, leaped onto Zhang Renfeng, wrapped his arms around his neck, and shouted:

"Uncle Wind!"

Zhang Renfeng staggered back half a step after being bumped by him. He quickly supported his waist, and the annoyance on his face lessened a lot: "A-Jian has grown taller again. In a few years, he will be taller than your father."

Ah Jian asked innocently, "Can't I be taller than you?"

Zhang Renfeng said with a loving expression, "A-Jian, don't overthink it. You can't possibly be taller than me because your dad is shorter than me. Blame your dad for being short!"

Ah Jian was internally devastated...

Sister Fu walked over and first glared fiercely at the old brigade commander.

His eyes held a mixture of reproach and tenderness. The old brigade commander, who had been standing proudly with his hands on his hips, immediately wilted after that glare. He lowered his hands with a grin and shrank back towards his own home.

Zhang Renfeng saw this and was secretly delighted.

This old man is all talk and no action outside, but when he comes home, he's a typical henpecked husband.

"You! Now! Immediately! Go back and rest!" Sister Fu pointed at the old brigade commander, her tone leaving no room for discussion. "A-Jian, take your father to rest."

The old brigade commander lowered his usually proud head and gave Sister Fu a salute: "Understood!"

Then he waved to Ah Jian, "Come on, help me home."

A-Jian jumped off Zhang Renfeng and ran over to support the old brigade commander's arm.

The old brigade commander limped toward the gate of No. 41 compound, and when he reached the gate, he turned back and winked at Zhang Renfeng.

Looking at his forced composure, Zhang Renfeng felt both angry and touched, and uttered three words to the old brigade commander's retreating figure:

"Hep-control!"

Feeling that wasn't hurtful enough, he uttered three more words:

"Coward!"

The old brigade commander had already stepped across the threshold when he heard this. He immediately couldn't hold back any longer, turned around, grabbed the cane leaning against the door, and rushed over.

As he raised his cane halfway up the ground, Sister Fu glared at him again.

The old brigade commander's hand, holding his cane, froze in mid-air for two seconds. Finally, he snorted, put the cane down, turned around, and limped into the courtyard, slamming the door shut behind him.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard, Zhang Renfeng looked at the closed door and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Sister Fu walked over and gently patted Zhang Renfeng's arm:

"Renfeng, don't blame Lao Chen for making decisions on his own. Housing in Beijing is really tight, and this is the best and most comfortable courtyard he could find."

"Sigh, right after liberation, a lot of cadres rushed into the city. Everyone was scrambling and fighting, and those of us who arrived later had no choice."

She sighed as she spoke, then continued, "Your older brother came back a while ago and spent a long time persuading the neighbor next door before they finally agreed to move out. He called me and said you were going to find a partner, and he was overjoyed."

Come on, let me show you the new house. The furniture and blankets are all new. The new house is all set up.

Many family members of former cadres from the Taihang Mountains, knowing that you, my little brother, are finally looking for a partner, have all come to help. Zhang Wanhe, in particular, is the most enthusiastic, wishing he could move his entire family over.

"Oh dear, you used to take Li Yunlong to the cotton-padded clothing factory to steal blankets, and you were the fiercest at it. Now, look at you, he's the one who cares about you the most."

A surge of warmth welled up inside Zhang Renfeng.

He followed Sister Fu as she pushed open the door to courtyard number 43, and upon entering, he stopped in his tracks.

This is a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). The front yard is not large, with stone tables and benches placed under the trees.

After passing the screen wall, we entered the second courtyard. There were three main rooms and two rooms each in the east and west wings. New paper was pasted on the window frames, and red lanterns hung under the eaves. They hadn't been lit yet, but they looked festive.

The wooden door to the main room was open, and inside there was an eight-immortal table, two armchairs, and a row of newly made wardrobes against the wall, their lacquer gleaming.

A pair of enamel mugs, polished to a shine, sat on the windowsill.

A new quilt, made of blue-printed cotton, was laid on the kang (a heated brick bed). It was folded neatly, and the corners of the quilt were folded, showing that someone had taken the time to tidy it up.

Zhang Renfeng stood in the middle of the room, looked around, and felt something stuck in his throat.

Sister Fu stood at the door, leaning against the doorframe, smiling at him: "Everything's arranged. Just tell me if you need anything. Oh, by the way, Director Nie's wife, Sister Zhang, even had someone deliver a pair of thermos flasks today, saying they're for the newlyweds. You see, everyone's looking forward to your marriage."

Zhang Renfeng took a deep breath, turned around, and nodded earnestly to Sister Fu: "Thank you for your great help, Sister Fu."

"Look at you, you're being too polite," Sister Fu waved her hand. "Over the years, if it weren't for you keeping an eye on Old Chen, I'd say he wouldn't have lasted this long. During his time in Vietnam, he couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning all night long. If it weren't for you talking to him, he would have collapsed long ago."

Zhang Renfeng did not respond.

He knew perfectly well that the old brigade commander was so stubborn that no one could persuade him otherwise.

Sister Fu added, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow, I've already spoken with Director Nie's wife, Sister Zhang. We'll go tomorrow, and Old Chen and I will go too. The old political commissar can't come from the Southwest, so we'll have to go in his place. I've spoken with Zhang Xiyue, and she said she's met you and has a good impression of you."

When Zhang Renfeng heard the second half of the sentence, his heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Xiyue had seen him before? When? Where? He quickly recalled in his mind that he had indeed met her once a few years ago when he went to North China on a business trip. She was only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time, with two braids, standing next to Director Nie serving tea and water.

He remembered that the girl was pretty, with a touch of heroism in her eyes, and spoke in a calm and unhurried voice.

But to say he left a good impression—back then, what kind of good impression could a rough, hardened soldier like him leave on a girl?

"She...really said that?" Zhang Renfeng was unusually unsure of himself.

Sister Fu laughed even harder: "Why would I lie to you? You'll find out when you get there tomorrow. Don't worry, I've arranged everything for you. Just show up and say what you need to say. Don't make a scene and start banging on the table all the time."

Zhang Renfeng grinned: "No way, I'm a civilized person."

"A civilized man?" Sister Fu looked him up and down. "Back in the Taihang Mountains, when the civilized man blew up a Japanese bunker with explosives, he wrote a letter to Old Chen to report it, signing it 'Civilized Demolitionist.' I remember that."

Having his secret exposed, Zhang Renfeng scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed.