Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Section 1: The Warm Autumn Sun Shines on the Road to Rehabilitation

October 6, 1958, Beijing, autumn is in full swing.

Morning light pierced through the thin mist, illuminating the white walls of the military hospital. Inside the maternity ward on the third floor, the smell of disinfectant was diluted by several pots of blooming chrysanthemums on the windowsill. Lou Xiao'e leaned against the headboard, color finally returning to her pale face. She gazed down at the sleeping infant in her arms—her daughter, Yan Yan, curled up in her swaddling clothes, breathing evenly and deeply, her delicate pink face rising and falling gently with each breath.

"Xiao'e, you look great today!" The nurse pushed open the door, holding a bunch of wild chrysanthemums. "The expert consultation results are in. You and your baby are recovering even better than expected." She opened the medical record book, the pen scratching on the paper. "Director Zhang of the Military General Hospital and Director Li of the Health Bureau jointly signed: Discharge approved, home rest and recuperation."

Lou Xiao'e's eyes welled up with tears. The past seven days had been like walking on a knife's edge—premature Yan Yan weighed less than five pounds, had underdeveloped lungs, and had struggled on the brink of death several times. She clearly remembered that late night: her daughter's face was bluish-purple, and the ventilator was blaring its piercing alarm. In her despair, a warm hand covered her forehead, and pale golden light seeped into her body like fireflies. In her hazy consciousness, she heard Wang Huanbo's whisper: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The sun was shining brightly at that moment. She gently touched her daughter's warm little feet, and tears silently streamed down her face.

Section Two: The Journey Home Begins

At 9:00 AM, at the main gate of the Military Region General Hospital

Three cars were parked in a triangular formation, with armed guards standing at attention beside the doors. The driver, Xiao Zhao, dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, quickly stepped forward and opened the rear door of the Hongqi sedan with textbook-perfect precision. The gold-plated "Hongqi Star Shine S600L Guard" emblem on the car body gleamed in the morning light—this was China's first domestically designed head-of-state-level bulletproof sedan, overseen by Wang Huanbo, with armor plates eight centimeters thick, a special vehicle built specifically for high-ranking leaders.

"Huanbo!" A clear voice broke the solemnity. Sha Zhu drove his grass-green Red Star brand car and came to a stop with a beautiful drift. He jumped out of the car and patted the roof. "Thanks to my brother, I can now be considered someone who can come and go in the General Hospital of the Military Region!" He was wearing brand-new work clothes, with flour stains on the cuffs—for the past week, he had been making different kinds of hospital meals for Lou Xiao'e and He Daqing, making more than 30 trips between Xiehe Hospital and the General Hospital of the Military Region.

Wang Huanbo, dressed in a crisp military overcoat, approached and carefully helped Lou Xiao'e to her feet. She was still recovering from childbirth, her steps unsteady as if she were walking on clouds. Lou Tanshi, carrying a tiger-head hat she had prepared beforehand, greeted her with trembling, wrinkled hands stroking her granddaughter's face: "Oh, my dear granddaughter, Grandma made you new clothes..." Tears welled in the old woman's eyes as she smiled, almost dropping the baby.

"Old woman, slow down!" Lou Zhenhua hurriedly helped his wife up, but stumbled and bumped into the car door. The retired accountant was at a loss, his glasses slipping down to his nose, but he didn't bother to fix them, only staring at little Yan Yan in his wife's arms: "That little nose, those little eyes... how come she looks more and more like Xiao'e in her childhood photos!"

Battalion Commander Duan Peng arrived with two soldiers carrying a tin box. Inside, neatly arranged, were baby formula, sterilized gauze, and specially supplied brown sugar. "Engineer Wang! The commander instructed that Xiao Yan Yan's supplies will be provided monthly by the Central Committee." As he saluted, the star insignia on his shoulder insignia flashed coldly. "The guard battalion will provide full escort."

Section 3: Warmth on the Wheels

The convoy headed towards Nanluoguxiang.

The Hongqi sedan started smoothly, and driver Xiao Zhao's driving skills were comparable to those of a professional race car driver. The interior was as spacious as a living room, and the independent heating dispelled the chill of late autumn. In the middle row, Lou Tanshi held Yan Yan on her lap and hummed a nursery rhyme, the baby babbling in response in her arms.

Wang Huanbo smiled and nodded. Through the bulletproof glass, he saw the Lin brothers, Zhan and Wei, vigilantly scanning the street—these two bodyguards, though young, had eyes as sharp as eagles. Behind the convoy, two military jeeps formed a wedge formation, followed closely by Red Star brand Liberation trucks loaded with supplies and soldiers from the guard battalion. Such a display attracted the attention of passersby, and a newspaper boy chased the convoy for two blocks.

In the back of the carriage, Lou Xiao'e leaned on her husband's shoulder, resting with her eyes closed. Wang Huanbo's hand remained protectively around her waist, his fingertips occasionally emitting faint golden light, quietly repairing her damaged meridians. She suddenly asked softly, "That night... was it really you who saved Yan Yan?"

Wang Huanbo gazed at the flowing street scene outside the window: "I told you, I won't let you and the children get hurt again."

Section 4: Waiting in Nanluoguxiang

In front of No. 95 Courtyard

Xu Damao squatted in front of the mottled vermilion gate, his cigarette butt leaving a trail of scorch marks on the bluestone slab. He stared at the newly pasted "囍" character on the gate—it was pasted up for Sha Zhu's wedding, most of the gold powder peeled off, like a scabbed scar.

"Damn it!" He stubbed out his cigarette butt and shoved it into the crack between the bricks. The wedding, originally scheduled for National Day, was postponed due to an attack by enemy agents. Now, the entire city was under martial law, and the wedding banquet was nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, Qin Jingru cried and complained every day, saying that he had ruined her life.

"Da Mao," Aunt Wang from the tailor shop next door peeked out, "I heard the eldest daughter of the Lou family has been discharged from the hospital? That girl is really lucky..."

Xu Damao abruptly stood up, his Zhongshan suit hem flipping over a stool. He rushed into the courtyard, heading straight for the west wing—where timber and lime for building the house were piled up. With each swing of the axe, a beam cracked open. "Make it a second floor! Give me a wider balcony!" he roared at the craftsmen. "I'm getting married and moving into a new house tomorrow!"

The sound of the trowel striking the roof startled the sparrows under the eaves. Xu Damao wiped his sweat, glaring at the gray sky and gritting his teeth: "Shazhu! Yu Li! What right do you have...?"

Section 5: The Harbor of Returning Home

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang Courtyard

The convoy slowly came to a stop in front of the courtyard gate. Wang Huanbo got out of the car first, bent down and carried Lou Xiao'e out of the sedan. She was as light as a swallow after giving birth, and in his arms she was like a feather.

Hearing the commotion at the front door, Xu Damao rushed out of the house with an axe in hand, but froze when he saw Lou Xiao'e in Wang Huanbo's arms. Suddenly, a baby's loud cry rang out—Yan Yan was being placed in a cradle by her grandmother, waving her little fists in protest against the unfamiliar environment.

Lou Zhenhua and his wife were busy settling their luggage when Sha Zhu leaned over to the cradle and exclaimed in amazement, "This girl has such bright eyes! She'll definitely grow up to be a beauty!" He then turned to Xu Damao and winked, "Maozi, when are we going to your wedding?"

Enraged by Sha Zhu's words, Xu Damao turned and walked away, his face turning ashen. The axe slammed heavily onto the wood, and flying wood chips cut the back of his hand.

Wang Huanbo settled Lou Xiao'e in a grand chair in the main room and personally served her longan and jujube tea. Sunlight streamed through the carved wooden window, gilding the tips of her hair. Yan Yan babbled in her cradle, her little hands reaching out and scratching in the air, as if trying to grasp the warm autumn light.

The cries of a candied hawthorn vendor echoed from outside the courtyard. Wang Huanbo looked towards the courtyard gate, where the newly built brick wall gleamed bluish-gray in the sunlight—the construction of Xu Damao's two-story house had already begun.

Section Six: The Undercurrents of Old Dreams

As night falls, courtyard number 95

After putting Yan Yan to sleep, Lou Xiao'e sat alone on the veranda. The autumn wind blew her wisps of hair across her forehead, revealing her smooth brow. Wang Huanbo silently draped a coat over her shoulders and gently placed his palm on her back, sending warmth through her.

"Huanbo," she said, gazing at the newly built brick wall in the corner of the courtyard, "Xu Damao seems to hate us a lot."

"Some people live in the shadow of the past," Wang Huanbo said calmly, "like moss in a corner, unable to bear the light."

A few sporadic firecrackers drifted from afar—the sounds of a wedding at the neighbor's house. Lou Xiao'e gently stroked her lower abdomen, where the scar from childbirth still remained. Moonlight, like water, spilled across the courtyard, illuminating the tenacious wild chrysanthemum in the corner, its golden blossoms blooming between the bricks.

Epilogue: A New Beginning in Golden Autumn

October in Beijing is crisp and clear. Inside the courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, the cries of a baby and the clanging of trowels create a unique symphony. Wang Huanbo stands under the veranda of the west courtyard, gazing into the distance, where the moat shimmers with golden light in the setting sun.

New beginnings and old dreams converge at this moment.