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

Tens of thousands of workers erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Lin Fan held Ding Qiunan's hand and stood on the stage, looking at the pairs of eyes below filled with blessings, and at his younger brother beside him who was as reliable as a mountain.

His tears could no longer be held back and flowed down his cheeks.

These are not tears of grievance, but tears of extreme happiness.

He turned his head, looked at Ding Qiunan's stunningly beautiful face, and said affectionately, "Qiunan, thank you for being willing to marry me."

Ding Qiunan gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, her eyes sparkling, and her smile as beautiful as a flower: "Silly boy, this is the best decision I've ever made in my life."

Lin Yang and Tian Yu stood aside, watching the newlyweds who had finally tied the knot after going through so many hardships. They smiled at each other and clasped their hands tightly together.

"Yangzi, your brother has finally overcome all the hardships." Tian Yu leaned on Lin Yang's shoulder and said softly.

Lin Yang's deep gaze was fixed on the distance, where a vast new world lay, and where the new China was flourishing.

"Yes, after hardship comes happiness."

Lin Yang's lips curled into a firm and confident smile.

"Not just our eldest brother. Our country, our people, will all have better and better days ahead!"

The canteen was filled with the aroma of wine, and laughter and cheerful voices filled the air.

And at this moment.

This wedding of the century shocked the entire city of Beijing.

Amidst countless blessings, it came to a perfect end.

···········

Late summer and early autumn of 1950.

The sky over Beijing was high and clear, and the leaves of the old locust trees at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang Hutong were beginning to turn slightly yellow.

More than half a year has passed since that wedding of the century that shocked the entire city.

Over the past six months, the layout of courtyard house number 95 has been distinctly divided, like still water with barely a ripple.

The main room in the middle courtyard, with its large glass windows and red carpet, became the most sacred and inviolable forbidden area in the entire courtyard.

Every morning, Lin Fan would wear his crisp security chief uniform, push his gleaming Flying Pigeon bicycle, and carry Ding Qiunan, who wore a floral dress and had a cool and refined demeanor, out of the courtyard gate amidst a suffocating sea of ​​envious and jealous gazes.

Lin Fan has changed.

He was no longer the timid apprentice who walked with his head down and hugged the wall. The nourishment of power and a happy marriage gave him an aura of composure and authority.

At the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, he oversaw hundreds of security officers, and everyone had to respectfully address him as "Section Chief Lin." At home, Ding Qiunan was an even more virtuous and intelligent wife, managing the household impeccably and preparing a cup of hot tea and a steaming meal for him every day after get off work.

To the other residents of the courtyard, this idyllic life was worse than death.

Yan Bugui, who lives in the front yard, can only eat cornbread every day. His eyes are sour from looking at the meat and fine grains hanging on the back seat of Lin Fan's car.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong from the Intermediate People's Court were completely deflated. They didn't even dare to speak loudly in the factory, for fear of being caught by the security department. In the courtyard, they were even more subservient, and when they saw Lin Fan, even if they were more than ten meters away, they had to stop and force a smile to greet him.

As for Jia Zhangshi, she has been unusually well-behaved for the past six months. She no longer dares to spew nonsense, and spends her days huddled in her room, secretly worrying about Jia Dongxu's pitiful apprentice wages.

While the beasts in the courtyard were suffering from jealousy and fear.

Yuquanshan Military Region Compound, Building No. 6, Class A.

Lin Yang was wearing a thin white shirt and sitting at the large desk in the study on the second floor.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and his deep, sharp eyes were fixed on a copy of "Reference News" spread out on the table.

The front page of the newspaper prominently featured several startling words:

The Korean War has fully erupted! The flames of war are spreading rapidly!

The autumn wind blew in through the half-open window, making the edges of the newspaper rustle.

"Yoko, have some hot water. You've been sitting in the study all morning."

The study door was gently pushed open, and Tian Yu walked in carrying a steaming cup of tea. She was wearing a beige sweater, her long hair casually tied back, and her eyes were full of gentle concern.

Lin Yang put down the newspaper, took the teacup, and gently held his wife's slightly cool hand.

"Wife, the weather is about to change." Lin Yang's voice was low and heavy, carrying a sense of impending doom.

Tian Yu followed his gaze to the headline in the newspaper, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "The peninsula is in conflict? But isn't that an internal matter for them? The Yalu River separates us from here, so it shouldn't affect us, right?"

Lin Yang stood up and walked to a huge world map hanging on the wall.

His finger pressed heavily on the southernmost point of the peninsula, then traced a path along the coastline upwards, finally stopping on the Yalu River, which forms the border between China and North Korea.

"The civil war was just the trigger."

Lin Yang's eyes became as sharp as a hawk's.

"American imperialism will absolutely not stand idly by. They will soon intervene in this war under the banner of the United Nations. Once their army lands on the peninsula, the flames of war will rapidly spread northward!"

Lin Yang turned around, looked at Tian Yu, and spoke with an undeniable certainty.

"How can we allow others to snore beside our bed? The central leaders understand this principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' better than anyone. Once the enemy's artillery is positioned on the banks of the Yalu River, our heavy industrial base in Northeast China will be completely exposed to enemy bombers!"

"Therefore, our country will absolutely not stand idly by. We not only must fight this battle, but we must win it! This is the founding battle of our new China!"

Tian Yu felt a sudden tremor in her heart as she listened to her husband's insightful and powerful analysis.

She was a nurse in a field hospital, and she knew all too well what war meant. It meant that ordinary people who had just enjoyed a few days of peace would have to tighten their belts again; it meant that countless soldiers like Lin Yang would have to step onto the battlefield once more, amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Yangzi..." Tian Yu walked to Lin Yang's side, gently hugged his strong waist from behind, pressed her face against his back, and asked in a trembling voice, "If it really comes to a fight, will you... will you go?"

Lin Yang turned around and hugged his wife tightly, resting his chin on her forehead.

"I am the commander of the Fourth Field Army's Special Mountain Independent Division. If the country needs me, this sharp knife must be the first to plunge into the enemy's heart."

Lin Yang answered without the slightest hesitation.

Tian Yu didn't cry or make a scene. She simply tightened her arms around herself, as if trying to etch her husband's warmth deep into her bones.

……

As Lin Yang had predicted, the situation unfolded exactly as he had.