Courtyard House: Home Alone

Long Xiaoni paused as she was tidying the bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed). The blue and white floral quilt spread out on her lap, like a frozen lake.

"Xiao Fan is eight years old this year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning)."

Without looking up, she said, twirling a loose thread from the corner of the blanket, "'The Wolf' lived next door to me for four years. I watched him grow up. At first, I just thought he was smarter than other kids, but after his parents left a year ago, I realized he was becoming increasingly incomprehensible."

"I understand it less and less! Yeah, just this morning, my underwear was soaked with sweat. Being with him is even more tiring than facing the principal."

Chen Gongshu gave a wry smile and sat down on a small stool by the stove. The light from the charcoal fire flickered on his face. "Xiao Ni, do you think there are really people in this world who are born with knowledge?"

Long Xiaoni finally raised her head, turned around, and sat on the edge of the bed: "I don't know anything about being born with knowledge."

She pushed the folded clothes further onto the kang (a heated brick bed), "But I know that whenever he goes out, Japanese soldiers will suffer. First the patrol teams, then the overseas Chinese quarter, the consulate, the headquarters, the airport, the military camp. I dare not ask, nor dare I guess."

She turned around and looked at Chen Gongshu: "Until one day, Jiaxing came to Beiping and told me that if I wanted to live a good life, I should leave the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Actually, he already knew that I had betrayed "Azure Wolf." My two men disappeared without a trace, and I... I was terrified. Later, I threatened to kill myself, and Jiaxing finally found a way to let me escape.

Only after that did I feel like I was living like a human being, and only then did I truly understand what Xiaofan meant by wanting to live well.

Chen Gongshu listened quietly, the occasional soft crackling of the charcoal fire in the furnace sounding like some distant response.

The next morning, Lin Yifan was awakened by a commotion. He rubbed his eyes and released his spiritual energy, discovering that it was He Daqing and his wife, along with Zhu Zi, who had come over.

Lin Yifan had arranged with He Daqing a few days in advance that they would celebrate the Chinese New Year together this year, along with He Daqing, Long Xiaoni, and Grandpa Zhang's families. Lin Yifan would provide all the ingredients, and He Daqing would be in charge of cooking.

He Daqing had a booming voice; you could hear him directing his wife as she moved things across the yard: "Be careful with that jar of pickled cabbage! Zhuzi, hang that cured meat in the kitchen; don't leave it in the way!"

Lin Yifan got up, put on his coat, and pushed open the window. Through the morning mist, he saw He Daqing wearing an oil-stained cotton-padded jacket, stamping his feet to ward off the cold at the gate of his own courtyard.

His wife, Han Fengzhi, carried a bamboo basket containing several frozen cabbages; He Yuzhu, on the other hand, held half a piece of cured meat, his nose red from the cold, yet he still looked around curiously.

"Xiao Fan! Xiao Fan!" He Daqing looked up and saw the figure at the window, immediately putting on a smile. "Uncle, you're early, aren't you? Your aunt insists that the pickled vegetables need to be soaked early, otherwise they won't be flavorful."

Lin Yifan smiled and said loudly, "It's not early. It only happens once a year, so let's all have a good time."

When Lin Yifan finished washing up and came to the front yard, Chen Gongshu was already sitting by the stove. He had changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes, blue-gray, with worn-out cuffs, but they were clean. His hair was also neatly combed, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed the fact that he hadn't slept the night before.

"Uncle Chen gets up early." Lin Yifan sat down opposite him.

"I'm used to it." Chen Gongshu added a piece of charcoal to the stove. "I usually sleep with one eye open."

He Daqing then poked his head out of the kitchen, holding a cleaver. His gaze swept over Chen Gongshu before settling back on Lin Yifan: "Xiao Fan, should we stew this chicken whole or cut it into pieces? I see we also have a few pigeons; how about we make a 'Three Whites in a Sauce' dish?"

"Uncle He, I don't know anything about these things. You can handle it yourself. There's plenty of chicken, duck, goose, fish, beef, mutton, and pork. They're frozen in the big vat by the kitchen door. Just let Xinyi get whatever she needs," Lin Yifan replied without hesitation.

"By the way, Grandpa Chen prefers salty food, so add more hazelnut mushrooms and less goji berries when stewing the chicken."

Chen Gongshu paused slightly as he added charcoal. He had never mentioned his own tastes, and even the chicken soup he had eaten yesterday morning, he had only silently finished it without uttering a single word of comment.

"Alright!" He Daqing replied cheerfully, the cleaver tapping rhythmically on the cutting board. "Xiao Fan, your palate is even more discerning than that eunuch who tasted the food!"

Han Fengzhi laughed and scolded from the kitchen, "What nonsense are you spouting! You're talking nonsense to the children too!"

Lin Yifan didn't mind, picked up the copper kettle from the stove, and poured Chen Gongshu a cup of hot tea. The tea leaves were ordinary jasmine tea, but they smelled particularly fragrant in the winter of Beiping.

"Grandpa Chen didn't sleep well last night." This is not a question.

Chen Gongshu took the teacup, feeling the warmth emanating from the porcelain with his fingertips: "I was thinking about what Young Master Lin said... about changing the way we live."

"Have you figured it out?"

"I've figured out half of it." He looked down at the jasmine petals floating in the tea. "The other half, I want to see with my own eyes."

"What are you looking at?"

"Let's see if 'Ghost' is really as legendary as it is." Chen Gongshu raised his eyes, his gaze carrying the cautiousness unique to a Kuomintang agent.

Lin Yifan smiled, a composure beyond his years: "Let's celebrate the New Year together today. Tomorrow we'll go out to visit relatives and friends. After tomorrow, I'll take you out to see the world."

Chen Gongshu's brow twitched slightly: "Insight?"

"Let's witness the methods of 'Ghost'. It's a bit of a pity, though, because 'Ghost' has an agreement with the Japanese and cannot kill Japanese soldiers around Beiping."

So... there are some things I can only show you later. Lin Yifan's voice was very soft, but it was like a pebble thrown into still water, creating subtle ripples in Chen Gongshu's eyes.

He Daqing's knife work paused in the kitchen for a moment, then resumed with a steady tapping sound, though slower than before. Han Fengzhi's addition of firewood to the stove also became quieter, as if even the smoke from the fire had held its breath for that moment.

"Brother Xiao Fan!" He Yuzhu suddenly jumped out from behind the pillar in the west wing.

"Brother Xiao Fan, I've mastered everything you taught me before. Can you teach me something new?"

"Zhu Zi, remember this saying: 'Don't bite off more than you can chew.' Just learn what I teach you well, practice it thoroughly, and master it." Lin Yifan's voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down He Yuzhu's spine.

When he looked up again, he met Chen Gongshu's gaze—there was no murderous intent in his eyes, only a weariness born of worldly experience, like a dry well, bottomless.

"Hello, Uncle Chen!" He Yuzhu offered the sesame candy, his voice unconsciously rising a half-octave. "Have some candy! It's from Daoxiangcun, it's super sweet!"

Chen Gongshu looked at the piece of candy that had become soft from being warmed by body heat.

"Thank you." He took the candy. Smelling the lively atmosphere in the courtyard, he suddenly felt a little unreal.

"Something sweet," he said, unwrapping the candy, his voice slightly hoarse, "something Mr. Chen hasn't touched in ten years."

"Uncle Chen," Lin Yifan added a piece of charcoal to the stove, causing sparks to crackle, "For today's New Year's Eve dinner, Uncle He is making braised three whites, braised pork knuckle, braised sea cucumber with scallions, and his specialty, a mixed stew. If you have any dietary restrictions, you can still tell me now."

Chen Gongshu folded the candy wrapper into a neat little square and stuffed it into the pocket of his coarse cloth clothes: "I don't have any dietary restrictions. Sometimes, the food provided by the Military Intelligence Bureau is so bad that we even have to swallow moldy cornbread."