Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

The group went inside.

Lin Fan stood nervously by the table. He had heard everything clearly from inside the room; the person who came in was none other than the legendary Li Yunlong!

"Brother, let me introduce you. This is the one I often mention to you, Old Li, Commander Li Yunlong," Lin Yang said with a smile.

Lin Fan was so excited that he trembled all over. He wiped his hands vigorously on his clothes before daring to extend his hand: "Commander Li... Commander Li, hello! My name is Lin Fan, and I am Yangzi's older brother."

Li Yunlong grabbed Lin Fan's hand, looked him up and down, and laughed heartily, "Brother Lin! Since you're Yangzi's older brother, then you're my older brother, Li Yunlong's older brother! From now on, in this Beijing, if anyone dares to bully you, just say my name, Old Li! I'll take a whole guard company and wipe them out!"

These words, brimming with domineering power, brought tears to Lin Fan's eyes.

The group sat down. Tian Yu quickly brought out hot tea and took the leftover dishes to the kitchen to reheat them.

"Yangzi, I heard you've switched jobs and become the Party Secretary of a steel rolling mill? How's it going? Are those workers easy to manage? If there are any troublemakers, I'll send a few men to teach them a lesson!" Li Yunlong picked up his teacup and took a big gulp.

Lin Yang smiled and shook his head: "Local matters don't need the military's methods. I've already dealt with most of the factory's leaders. Even the former big boss, Lou Zhenhua, has obediently donated all his shares. This steel rolling mill can't escape my grasp."

After listening, Li Yunlong gave a thumbs up: "Brilliant! You're a smart kid! I wouldn't be able to do that. If I were in charge of the factory, I'd smash all those machines."

The two chatted about their recent situations for a while, and then the topic gradually turned to business.

Li Yunlong suddenly straightened his expression and looked at Lin Yang seriously.

"Yangzi, I've come today because I have something to ask you."

"In a few days, it will be my forty-fifth birthday."

Old Zhao, Old Ding, Old Kong, and the others are all coming. I'd like to invite you, your sister-in-law, and Brother Lin to my place for a drink!

Li Yunlong patted his chest and said, "We brothers crawled out of piles of corpses and are alive to see this peaceful and prosperous world. It's not easy! You have to drink this cup!"

Looking at the sincere emotions in his old comrade's eyes, Lin Yang felt a warmth in his heart.

"Okay! Old Li, I'll definitely be at your birthday party!"

Lin Yang readily agreed, then turned to Lin Fan and said, "Brother, come with me then, and get to know these real heroes."

Lin Fan nodded excitedly. Being able to attend a private banquet hosted by such a high-ranking figure was an honor he could never have dreamed of before!

Outside, the cold wind still blows.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, kneeling on the ground, listened to the hearty laughter coming from inside the room.

At this moment, I felt ice-cold all over, as if I were in an abyss with no light in sight.

········

Inside the main building of the central courtyard, it was warm and cozy, like springtime.

The dim light shone through the glass window, casting long shadows on the bluestone slabs. Inside, the coal stove burned brightly, and the water in the kettle bubbled and bubbled, making the lid clink and rattle.

Lin Yang pulled over a few chairs and asked Li Yunlong and Wei Heshang to sit down.

"Xiao Li, go and call He Daqing over." Lin Yang turned to the guard and instructed, "Tell him I have a distinguished guest. Tell him to bring out all his best dishes and prepare some hearty meals. The meat and grains are in the kitchen; he can use them as he pleases."

"Yes!" Xiao Li replied and went out.

Li Yunlong rubbed his rough hands together, looked at the simple but exceptionally clean furnishings in the room, and laughed heartily, "Yangzi, you're living a good life. It's like heaven and earth compared to when we were in northwestern Shanxi, sleeping in drafty, dilapidated cave dwellings every day."

Lin Yang took out the two bottles of special-supply Moutai from the cabinet and unscrewed the caps. A rich and mellow aroma of the liquor instantly filled the room.

"Old Li, this is some good stuff. I usually can't bear to drink it. But since you're here today, we have to drink until we drop."

Lin Yang took three large, rough porcelain bowls and filled them with clear, bright liquor.

Li Yunlong's nose twitched twice, his eyes fixed on the bowl of wine, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Good lad! I only smelled this special-supply Moutai when I was at the division headquarters! I'm getting it today thanks to you!"

Wei Heshang was also swallowing hard, but he was strict with himself and didn't dare to pick up the bowl directly. Instead, he looked at Li Yunlong with longing eyes.

"What are you looking at me for? Yangzi poured the wine, drink it!" Li Yunlong glared at him.

The three men picked up the large bowls and slammed them together with a loud clang.

"Dry!"

A sip of strong liquor felt like a thread of fire traveling down my throat to my stomach, then turning into a warm current that swept through my entire body.

"Ha—that's great!" Li Yunlong wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and exclaimed how satisfying it was.

Lin Fan sat to the side, looking extremely uneasy. He placed his hands on his knees, barely daring to breathe loudly. This was the legendary army commander! What he had just witnessed in the courtyard had completely shattered his understanding of the world.

Lin Yang noticed his older brother's nervousness and placed a peanut in his bowl: "Brother, don't just stand there, eat. Old Li may have a loud voice, but he's not a man-eating tiger."

Li Yunlong noticed Lin Fan's awkwardness, laughed heartily, and patted Lin Fan's shoulder heavily: "Brother Lin, Yangzi is right. We're all from humble backgrounds, we don't have so many fussy rules. Your brother is a combat hero registered in our entire army, as his older brother, you should stand tall!"

When the topic of war heroes came up, Li Yunlong's eyes suddenly became deep, and even the hand holding the wine bowl trembled slightly.

He turned his head and looked at Tian Yu, who was sitting next to Lin Yang and gently pouring water for him, and sighed deeply.

"Sister-in-law, I must toast you today. Not only you, but also on behalf of Xiuqin, I must toast you and your husband!"

Li Yunlong picked up the wine bowl, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

Tian Yu quickly picked up his water glass and stood up: "Commander Li, what are you doing? Please sit down."

"No, this drink must be drunk standing up!" Li Yunlong tilted his head back, downed the strong liquor in the bowl in one gulp, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Brother Lin, you probably don't know how crazy and reckless your brother was on the battlefield!"

Li Yunlong pulled out a chair, his voice hoarse with excitement, his thoughts seemingly instantly pulled back to the smoke-filled, blood-soaked Jin-Northwest.

"That winter, during the Battle of Ping'an County, I mobilized all the troops in northwestern Shanxi to save Xiuqin, and it turned into a complete mess."

Li Yunlong gripped the empty wine bowl tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"The Japanese special forces, led by Yamamoto, tied Xiuqin to the city wall of Ping'an County. I was so angry I almost went berserk. I pulled out our Independent Regiment's only Italian cannon and pointed it at the city wall!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan gasped, his heart pounding instantly. He had heard this story told in a teahouse before, but hearing it from the person himself now was an experience so suffocating that it was almost impossible to breathe.