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

He Daqing quickly stepped forward, handing over two packets of pastries with both hands, his face beaming with a smile as sweet as honey: "Second Uncle, I, He Daqing, don't have any special skills, I just know how to stir-fry. When you're free to come to Zhengyanglou sometime, I'll make you a few of my signature dishes. The pastries contain jujube paste pastries; please take them home and try them."

Zhang Renfeng accepted the pastries: "Master He, you're so kind. Your son, Shazhu, ran errands this afternoon and called me 'Big Brother.' He's a clever kid."

He Daqing smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Oh, you're praising him! That kid's a monkey, always jumping around."

Finally, it was Yan Fugui's turn. Without waiting for introductions, he took a half-step forward, grinning, "Commander, I'm Yan Fugui, I live in the west wing of the front yard, I'm a teacher, a teacher. I was the one who showed you the way when you first entered the yard, do you remember?"

Zhang Renfeng nodded: "I remember, I remember, Master Yan is a very kind person."

Yan Fugui chuckled, and as he stepped back, he flicked his sleeve, revealing half of his hand, which was clearly empty. He said, "I don't have anything special at home, just a small token of my appreciation."

Zhang Renfeng thought to himself that this old Yan was indeed a man who was strict on the outside but relaxed on the inside. He didn't take anything himself, and he was content just to come in and get acquainted with the people. He was quite the talent to be so frugal.

Zhang Rende tapped the table: "Alright, alright, stop standing, sit down and let's talk."

Mu Xiuhua brought out a few more benches, and the five of them sat down in turn, filling the courtyard to capacity.

After they were seated, Yi Zhonghai first opened the pig's head meat, spread the oil paper on the table, and then earnestly poured Zhang Renfeng a full glass of wine: "Second Uncle, please try this. It's braised pig's head meat from an old brand in Nancheng. I queued for half an hour to buy it."

Zhang Renfeng picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The aroma of the braised meat was enticing, and the meat was firm and delicious. "Excellent skill! This pig's head meat is very flavorful."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes narrowed with laughter, and he was about to say something more when Liu Haizhong spoke up first: "Second Uncle, I heard from Yulin that you're a military commander? My goodness, a military commander is a high-ranking official!"

Yi Zhonghai chimed in from the side, "Old Liu, you're wrong. What 'corps commander'? That's a commander-in-chief!"

"It's all the same," Liu Haizhong waved his hand, puffed out his chest, "Anyway, he's a high-ranking official, in charge of tens of thousands of people, right? Second Uncle, let me tell you, I've admired soldiers since I was a child. Back when Beiping was still called Beiping, I would run after soldiers passing by on the street. Second Uncle, what kind of training does your unit usually do? Do you do a lot of live-fire exercises?"

He asked the questions with such seriousness, as if he were a leader genuinely learning about the military's development.

Zhang Renfeng was suppressing his laughter so hard his stomach hurt, but he replied, "Training is definitely necessary; live-fire shooting is a fundamental skill."

Yi Zhonghai nudged Liu Haizhong with his elbow: "Alright, Lao Liu, stop asking about military secrets." He then turned to Zhang Renfeng, his smile becoming even more ingratiating, "Second Uncle, don't pay him any attention. That's just how he is; he can't take his eyes off officials."

Second Uncle, you're in charge of combat affairs in the army. With you constantly traveling, have you taken care of things at home?

This question was asked subtly, showing both concern and a hint of probing.

Zhang Renfeng thought to himself that Yi Zhonghai was indeed quite capable. He always did things in secret, and you couldn't find fault with him when he was there to your face. Only after you thought about it later did you realize his true intentions.

But he didn't care about such petty thoughts and casually replied, "Revolutionary soldiers consider the whole world their home; they will go wherever they are needed."

Jia Gui hadn't spoken until now, then he picked up his bowl and offered a toast: "Second Uncle, I'd like to offer you this bowl. I'm a rough man, not good at empty talk, but your visit to my master's house makes you a benefactor to me, Jia Gui. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed the entire bowl of briefcase-sized liquid without batting an eye. Zhang Renfeng also picked up his bowl: "Master Jia is a straightforward man, I'll finish it."

He Daqing also came over to offer a toast, his tongue slurring, "Second Uncle, listen to me, the people I respect most in my life are soldiers! My son, He Yuzhu, keeps saying he wants to be a People's Liberation Army soldier when he grows up. Let me tell you, if they recruit soldiers in the future, you have to give him a special favor and let him go to war with you."

Zhang Renfeng smiled and said, "The child is still young. He should focus on his studies first. He'll have plenty of opportunities to join the army when he grows up."

The group chatted and drank for a while, and the smells of alcohol and food mingled together in the Zhang family's courtyard, making it as lively as a stage.

While Zhang Renfeng was entertaining the "neighbors" of the courtyard house, he was secretly observing everyone's behavior and found the whole thing quite interesting.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Renfeng stood up: "Brother, it's getting late, I have to go."

Zhang Rende was taken aback: "Leave? Leave where?"

"The higher-ups arranged a guesthouse for me, and I'm staying there."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rende became anxious. The alcohol was taking effect, and his face flushed red: "What guesthouse?! We have six rooms at home, are you worried about not having a place to sleep? Tonight, I'll send your sister-in-law to sleep with Yulin, and you'll sleep in the same room as me!"

Little Zhang Yulin jumped down from Mu Xiuhua's arms, ran to Zhang Renfeng, tugged at his clothes, and looked up at him as if she was about to cry: "Second Uncle, if you leave, I...I'll cry for you!"

Zhang Guilin chimed in, "Yes, Second Uncle, why don't you stay the night? My dad..."

Zhang Renfeng looked down at Yulin's big, watery eyes, then at his elder brother's face etched with the marks of time, and felt a mix of sadness and warmth in his heart: "Alright, alright, Second Uncle won't leave. He'll stay tonight."

Zhang Rende nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, then waved to his apprentices, "Alright, you can all leave now. You have to work tomorrow, so don't linger here."

Yi Zhonghai was the first to stand up: "Yes, yes, Master is right. Then, Second Uncle, you rest, we're leaving." Before leaving, he added, "Second Uncle, if you need anything in Beiping, just send someone to Nanluoguxiang and let me know, and I, Yi Zhonghai, will take care of it for you."

Liu Haizhong, his belly bulging, followed behind, turning back to wave at Zhang Renfeng before leaving: "Second Uncle! I'll treat you to drinks another day! Just the two of us! I'll take you to try some time-honored restaurants!"

Jia Gui clasped his hands in a fist salute, said nothing more, and strode away.

He Daqing bowed and scraped as he left, while Yan Fugui lagged behind, saying "I'll see you off, I'll see you off" but he was faster than anyone else, disappearing through the courtyard gate in a flash.

After everyone left, Zhang Rende said to Xiuhua, "Xiuhua, clean up the west wing room for Sun Bing. The child has been running around with Renfeng all day; let him rest early."

Sun Bing quickly waved his hand: "No need, Uncle, I'll just make do with a makeshift bed at the door."

"What kind of sleeping place is this!" Zhang Rende glared. "Guests are guests in my house, how can I let them sleep on the floor! Xiuhua, hurry up and tidy up."

Mu Xiuhua responded and went to tidy up the room, while Zhang Rende led Zhang Renfeng into the east room.

This is a small room with a kang (a heated brick bed) against the north wall. The kang is covered with a blue-printed cotton quilt, which is folded neatly.

There was an enamel tea mug on the kang (heated brick bed), half-filled with tea leaves.

A kerosene lamp sat on the windowsill, its lampshade polished to a shine.

Zhang Rende lit the kerosene lamp, and by its dim light, he took off his outer garment, shirtless, and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed): "Take off your clothes to sleep. We southerners aren't as particular as northerners; we don't feel comfortable sleeping without taking off our clothes."

Zhang Renfeng also took off his shirt and got onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhang Rende's gaze swept over the hideous scars on his back, and then suddenly stopped.

He saw an old scar below his brother's shoulder blade, extending from the back of his neck to his waist, as if it had been cleaved from a height by some sharp weapon. After the skin and flesh healed, it formed a raised ridge of flesh, much lighter in color than the surrounding skin, and felt hard to the touch.

Further down, there was a dense cluster of small, round scars on his left rib area, the marks left by shrapnel, at least twenty or thirty of them.

There is also a sunken scar on the side of his waist, with the surrounding skin wrinkled up.

Zhang Rende's hand froze in mid-air, his lips trembling, tears welling up unexpectedly, veins bulging on his face, and his lips turning down: "These...these are all gunshot wounds? Hanyang rifles! Damn it! These were from the civil war, weren't they?"