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

After parting ways with Zhang Xiyue, Zhang Renfeng went straight to No. 95 Courtyard. Although he had already been in sync with his elder brother, he still wanted to share this important life event with him.

I had just gotten out of the car when Yan Fugui came right in front of me.

"Oh, Uncle's back?"

Upon seeing Zhang Renfeng, Yan Fugui immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, his hands tucked into his sleeves and his back slightly bowed.

"Master Zhang is in the courtyard, talking about you. Yesterday he said that if Second Uncle's marriage is settled, our Nanluoguxiang will be very lively for a while."

Zhang Renfeng nodded, which was considered a greeting, and stepped into the courtyard.

He knew in his heart that Yan Fugui's words sounded polite, but he actually wanted to find out information so that he could go back and figure out how much to give as a gift and how to avoid losing face or spending money in front of the neighbors.

He didn't point it out, just smiled and responded, after all, it wasn't like he was being invited to dinner.

"Big brother, sister-in-law."

Zhang Renfeng entered the courtyard and saw Zhang Rende sitting at the stone table flipping through a newspaper, while Mu Xiuhua was picking vegetables beside him. The couple were chatting casually.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Rende immediately put down his newspaper and stood up: "Hey, what's all the fuss about? What's making you so happy?"

Zhang Renfeng didn't keep anyone in suspense. He took the bowl Mu Xiuhua handed him, took a sip of water, and wiped his mouth. "It really is good news. I've discussed it with Xi Yue, and we'll hold the banquet on Sunday."

These words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere. Although Zhang Rende knew that good things were coming, he did not expect them to come so quickly.

He nearly dropped his pipe, and it took him two seconds to come to his senses.

"Sunday? That's the day after tomorrow! Why didn't you tell me beforehand!"

Even her sister-in-law, Mu Xiuhua, couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, that's really great! That girl from Xiyue is really something!"

She put down the vegetables she was holding, wiped her hands, and her face lit up with joy.

"We met that girl a couple of days ago. She's pretty and speaks very confidently."

The eldest brother's family had already met Zhang Xiyue, just when Zhang Renfeng brought her to Nanluoguxiang to get acquainted with the place last time.

Mu Xiuhua took a liking to her at first sight and whispered to Zhang Rende, "This girl has a lucky face." Zhang Guilin was even more sweet-talking, calling her "Second Aunt" all the time. Yulin held Zhang Xiyue's hand tightly and said, "Sister, you're so beautiful."

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When Zhang Rende learned about Zhang Xiyue's background, he was almost scared out of his wits—what did the position in the General Staff mean?

He was not only the head of the General Staff, but also the head of the Beiping Military Control Commission, the mayor of Beiping, and the commander of the North China Military Region with hundreds of thousands of troops under his command!

He had lived in Beiping for twenty years and knew the significance of these titles.

Mu Xiuhua was relatively simple and honest. "Second Uncle, Xi Yue is such a good girl. You must treat her well in the future. She doesn't mind that our family is not well-off, that's her character; if we mistreat her, then it's our fault."

Zhang Renfeng solemnly replied, "I will. Don't worry, sister-in-law. I may not be able to promise anything else, but I will never fail in my duty as a person."

The eldest brother, Zhang Rende, was thinking about what to do about the upcoming banquet.

He was the kind of person who never procrastinated when he had something on his mind. He turned around and went into the house, rummaged through drawers and cabinets for a while, and then took out two packages.

One was the ten silver dollars that Zhang Renfeng had given him back then, bulging and wrapped in red cloth with rope tied at the corners; the other looked newly prepared, wrapped in blue cloth, and heavy.

After placing the package on the table, he picked up his pipe, lit it, took a puff, and said casually:

"Our Zhang family is poor, while the Nie family is wealthy. This is the betrothal gift, and also the money for the banquet. You take it..."

Zhang Renfeng was about to decline: "Brother, no..."

Before Zhang Renfeng could speak, Mu Xiuhua also advised:

"You must accept this, Second Uncle. Your eldest brother hasn't touched a single penny of the money you brought; he's kept it all."

The other one is also a thousand silver dollars. After you came back, your older brother started saving up for your wife, saying it was something your parents asked you to do and you must do it properly.

Hearing that it was a girl from the Nie family, he became even more anxious. So he discussed with Boss Lou about withdrawing his wages for a period of time in advance, using our house as collateral, and without paying interest.

Although we're not from a wealthy or powerful family, we can't let others look down on us. If we can't offer anything, it will seem...it will seem..."

Seeing his sister-in-law's hesitant expression, Zhang Renfeng felt touched, but also amused.

His elder brother was a man of deep affection and loyalty, and he would give his heart to his younger brother.

My sister-in-law is a very honest person, and she is always thinking about the future of the family.

But they clearly misunderstood.

"So you all thought I was going to marry into the Nie family?" Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but laugh.

Zhang Rende was surprised, pausing with his pipe: "Huh? Isn't that right?"

This is not surprising, as there are indeed many such cases in Guangxi Province.

If a man with poor financial means wants to get married but can't afford the bride price, he has to marry into the woman's family.

Zhang Rende naturally assumed that in a family like the General Staff Headquarters, if the younger brother wanted to marry someone without losing face, he first needed to have a lot of money. If he couldn't afford it, then he would have to marry into the family.

He pondered for half a month and mortgaged his house to raise the money, just so his younger brother wouldn't be able to hold his head up in front of the Nie family.

Looking at his elder brother's face, which was full of concern, Zhang Renfeng felt a mix of sadness and warmth in his heart, and his tone softened:

"Brother, listen to me. The organization doesn't have so many formalities, like betrothal gifts or marrying into the family. Those are old-fashioned customs."

We are a revolutionary force, we believe in gender equality, and marriage is a matter between two people, not a transaction.

Director Nie already said that a simple event would suffice—just a meal with a few former leaders and comrades-in-arms, and that would be enough. You can all just come and have a meal without worry.”

Zhang Rende was still a little uneasy after hearing this, and clicked his tongue: "Then...then our family should at least contribute something, right? What kind of talk is it to go empty-handed?"

"Just send some men," Zhang Renfeng said with a smile, patting his elder brother on the shoulder.

"You're my elder brother, your presence is the greatest gift. What kind of people hasn't Director Nie seen? He cares about our family's character and sincerity, not those empty gestures."

Zhang Rende was slightly relieved, but he still pushed the two packages towards Zhang Renfeng:

"Keep the money for now. Whether you need it or not, it's safer to have it with you. There will be many expenses when you have children in the future."

Zhang Renfeng insisted on stuffing the package back into the box.

To make it easier for them to recognize the people attending the banquet, Zhang Renfeng specially brought out a group photo of all the officers above the regimental level of the main force of the 129th Division back in the Taihang Mountains.

The corners of the photo were yellowed, and there were several cracks in the creases, but everyone's face in it was still clearly visible.

He pointed to the people in the photo and introduced them one by one:

"This is the old political commissar, this is the instructor, this is Chief of Staff Li, this is Director Cai of the Political Department, Commander Pi of the Special Service Regiment, Political Commissar Leng, Commander Wang of the Cavalry Regiment, Principal Yi of the Military School, Commander Chen of the 385th Brigade, Political Commissar Xie, Commander Zheng of the 769th Regiment, Political Commissar Zhang, Commander Chen of the 386th Brigade, Political Commissar Wang, Commander Xu of the 771st Brigade, Commander Xu, Political Commissar Wu, and myself from the 772nd Regiment, along with my political commissar Xiao, Deputy Commander Wang..."

The eldest brother, Zhang Rende, was dazzled by the sight. He leaned close to the photos, his eyes almost touching them, and pointed at one person's face. His heart skipped a beat:

"Isn't this the one who ate so badly at your house the other day?"

He was referring to Commander Chen, who that night at No. 43 Lingjing Hutong, sat down and ate two bowls of rice, and even grabbed a few pieces of meat before leaving.

Zhang Renfeng laughed and said, "Yes, he's also my good older brother."

He spoke lightly, but he knew better than anyone else the deep affection he held for the old brigade commander.

That old guy may seem carefree and shameless, but his care for this young Red Guard has always been genuine. Back then, he taught him how to lead troops in the Taihang Mountains, and now that he's back in Beiping, he's even taken good care of him and arranged a house for him.

If his body hadn't been so physically exhausted, this old guy would have already brought two bottles of wine and Xiao Jian to cause trouble at No. 95 Courtyard.

Looking at the people in the photo, Zhang Rende was filled with emotion.

He pointed to several familiar names in the photo, his voice filled with the heavy respect only a veteran possesses:

"Renfeng, these people... are probably high-ranking military officers or above who are now famous throughout the world, right? In all my years in Beiping, I've heard their names in the newspapers."

Zhang Renfeng said, "There are highs and lows."

What he said was true. Of the regimental commanders and political commissars from back then, some have joined major military regions, some have transferred to civilian positions, some have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, and others have left the army for various reasons.

He spoke with a measured tone, leaving things unsaid.

Zhang Rende watched for a while longer, then suddenly seemed to have discovered something extraordinary, and turned to stare at Zhang Renfeng:

"Among the regimental commanders of that batch back then, you looked the youngest, but your position... why are you standing so close to Brigade Commander Chen and the others? Could it be that your position is higher than theirs?"

Zhang Renfeng laughed and said, "Yes, I guess so."

The photo was taken in 1939. He was 20 years old and had just been promoted to commander of the 772nd Regiment. This position was concurrently held by the division's chief engineer, which was essentially equivalent to a deputy brigade-level officer.

In that photo, he stood in the middle of the second row, flanked by brigade commanders and deputy brigade-level officers. He, a twenty-year-old young man, was sandwiched in the middle, with Brigade Commander Chen and Deputy Brigade Commander Xu of the 386th Brigade on his shoulders, looking quite out of place. Moreover, the old political commissar behind him was standing on a high chair, patting his head…

The eldest brother, Zhang Rende, laughed heartily, slapping his thigh so hard that the ash from his pipe fell out.

"Oh my! My younger brother is truly a champion!"

His words came from the bottom of his heart, and the pride and self-satisfaction on his face were impossible to hide.

He turned around and shouted at Mu Xiuhua, "Xiuhua, did you hear that? My younger brother became a deputy brigade commander when he was only twenty! Our Zhang family has produced a champion marquis!"