Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The threshold of the hanging flower gate was worn down by footsteps.

He Yuzhu stood there, not going inside. There was no one in the courtyard. The dim light from the window of the west wing illuminated the paper-cut on the window paper—it was a rabbit, which He Yushui had cut out last year for the Spring Festival.

He heard voices inside the house. It was He Yushui's voice, chattering away, he couldn't tell what she was saying. Occasionally, another voice would break in, lower, it was Qin Huairu.

He went inside.

The door to the west wing was ajar, and light shone through the crack. He pushed the door open.

Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her back to the door. She had her head down, holding a small garment in her hand, and was sewing something. He Yushui squatted beside her, holding a bowl and bringing it to her lips.

"Sister-in-law, have one more sip. This soup has been simmering all afternoon."

Qin Huairu smiled and took a sip.

He Yushui was satisfied. She put down the bowl, looked up, and saw the person standing at the door.

The bowl fell to the ground. Soup spilled all over the floor, splashing onto her shoes. She ignored it.

"elder brother!"

She ran over and bumped into him. He Yuzhu was knocked back a step, his back hitting the door frame. He put his hand on the back of her head.

"Alright, alright."

He Yushui buried her face in his chest and sobbed silently. Her shoulders trembled, but she didn't make a sound.

Qin Huairu stood up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and stood there. She held onto the edge of the kang with one hand and placed the other on her stomach. She didn't move, but just looked at him.

He Yuzhu released He Yushui and walked over.

Qin Huairu watched him approach, her eyes reddening, but she didn't cry. He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, her hands gripping the back of his shirt tightly.

He Yushui wiped away her tears and ran out. The door wasn't closed properly, leaving a crack.

Qin Huairu stayed in his arms for a long time. He Yuzhu could feel her trembling. He pressed his palm against her back, stroking it gently.

After a while, she looked up. There were tears on her face, but they had dried.

You've lost weight.

He Yuzhu touched his face.

"Yeah?"

Qin Huairu nodded. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach.

"Touch it."

His hand was on her stomach. He could feel the warmth through her cotton-padded coat. After a while, something moved under his hand. It was very light, like being gently touched.

He paused for a moment, then looked up at her.

She looked at him without saying a word.

He placed his hand there, waiting. After a few seconds, it moved again. This time it was stronger than before, like a small fist gently tapping his palm.

Women's eyesight.

There were still tears in her eyes, but they didn't fall.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

In the end, he only said three words.

"I'm back."

She nodded.

"I know."

In the days that followed, He Yuzhu didn't go anywhere.

Old Sun came once, and he asked Old Sun to cancel his work. Ma Yuejin called, saying there was something at the research institute, and he said to contact Lin Jianguo. Commander Chen also sent a letter, which he glanced at and put in his drawer.

He gets up early every day to buy groceries.

The vegetable market wasn't far from the courtyard house, about a fifteen-minute walk. The market was crowded, and the ground was always covered in rotten vegetable leaves, making it slippery to walk on. The old woman selling vegetables saw him and paused for a moment.

"Are you the man from Huai Rujia's family?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

The old lady smiled.

"That girl talks about you every day. She said you went on a long trip and are finally back."

He didn't know what to say, so he bought two extra bunches of vegetables.

Go home and cook.

He'd fought wars, killed people, and dabbled in technology all his life, but cooking was truly hopeless. The first dish he made, braised pork, was burnt and had too much sugar, making it bitterly sweet. Qin Huairu sat at the table, picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, and chewed it.

"good."

He Yuzhu looked at her.

It's burnt.

Qin Huairu picked up another piece.

"It tastes better when it's burnt."

She kept her head down and ate bite by bite. He Yuzhu watched her eat, without touching his own chopsticks.

He Yushui chuckled beside her.

"Bro, even a dog wouldn't eat this stuff you made."

Qin Huairu looked up and glanced at her. He Yushui quickly shut up and lowered her head to eat.

After taking a couple of bites, he looked up and secretly glanced at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu didn't look at her, but at Qin Huairu.

In the evening, the two took a walk in the alley.

It was getting dark, and the streetlights had just come on. The dim light cast patches of light and shadow on the bluestone slabs. Someone rode past them on a bicycle, the bell jingled once, and then they were gone.

Qin Huairu linked arms with him and walked slowly. She was wearing his old coat, the sleeves of which were a bit too long, and she had rolled up the cuffs twice.

She stopped under the old locust tree at the entrance of the alley.

He stopped too.

She didn't look at him, but at the street lamp in the distance.

"Where have you been these past few days?"

He didn't speak.

She waited for a while.

"You didn't tell me when you left. You didn't tell me when you came back either."

He still didn't say anything.

She turned her head to look at him.

He stood there, his face half-lit and half-shadowed, making it impossible to discern his expression.

She suddenly regretted asking.

"Fine, don't tell me then."

He spoke.

"I took care of something."

She nodded.

"Is it dangerous?"

He thought about it.

"good."

She knew he would say that.

She leaned on his shoulder. A breeze blew by, and she buried her face in his clothes. He took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. She looked up and smiled at him. He didn't smile. She reached out and touched his face.

"It's good that you're back."

On the evening of the third day, Old Sun arrived.

He Yuzhu was chopping firewood in the yard. As he swung the axe, it struck, splitting the wood in the middle and sending a small piece flying out. He bent down to pick it up, and looked up to see Old Sun standing at the gate.

Old Sun didn't come in; he just stood there. He was wearing a gray jacket and holding a brown paper envelope. His face was tense, and his expression was unreadable.

He Yuzhu stuck the axe into the wooden stump and walked over.

Old Sun handed him the envelope.

He Yuzhu took the envelope and opened it. There was only one piece of paper inside. He glanced at it, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Qin Huairu stood at the door of the west wing, looking at him.

He Yuzhu walked over.

I'm going out for a bit.

She nodded.

Come back soon.

Her voice was soft and steady. But He Yuzhu noticed that her knuckles were a little white as she gripped the doorframe.

He nodded and followed Old Sun outside.

As he walked out of the hanging flower gate, he looked back once.

Qin Huairu was still standing there. She stood in the doorway, the light from the room behind her illuminating her silhouette. Her belly made her clothes look a little tight, and she was holding onto the doorframe with one hand.

He didn't say anything, turned around, and walked into the alley.

The streetlights weren't on yet, and the alley was pitch black. He walked in and was quickly swallowed up by the darkness.