Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

When Liu Yuheng returned to the room, Yao Qingwan was standing next to the dining table, stacking the bowls and plates one by one. Liu Yuheng walked over, stood next to her, took the plates from her and stacked them together, then picked up a rag to wipe the oil stains on the table.

The two tidied up in silence for a while. Yao Qingwan took the dishes into the kitchen and turned around to come out. She saw Liu Yuheng bending down to put the chair back in its place.

She stood at the kitchen doorway for a while, then suddenly said, "I never imagined that Brother Li, who seems so carefree, has so many things on his mind. He's usually all smiles and speaks loudly, but seeing him like that today, it's really..."

Liu Yuheng pushed the last chair back under the table, straightened up, shook his head, and said with a weary calm, "It's not just Li Yunlong. The regiment I led in Shanxi back then replenished its ranks countless times from the mid-War of Resistance against Japan to the end of the Liberation War. But of the original batch of veterans who followed me from Shanxi, less than a fifth are still alive today. Most of the rest fell on various battlefields, some without even leaving a name."

"Which of us generals didn't leave behind a trail of white bones? Some may appear glamorous, but in the quiet of the night, all they think about are their fallen brothers. Those names will never be forgotten."

Yao Qingwan walked over and sat down next to him. She didn't say anything, but simply reached out and gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head on his shoulder. Liu Yuheng raised his hand and patted her back lightly, but his hand lingered on her back for several seconds, as if using this action to slowly suppress the surging emotions within her.

Just then, a series of hurried little footsteps came from the side. Liu Zhiyuan, who had woken up at some point, toddled to the middle of the living room, rubbed his eyes, and saw Liu Yuheng sitting on the sofa. He immediately stretched out his little arms and rushed towards them, calling out indistinctly, "Daddy, hug me."

Liu Yuheng was stunned for a moment, then the gloomy expression on his face seemed to break through. He reached out and scooped his son up from the ground and held him in his arms. The little guy immediately buried his head in the crook of his neck, his chubby little hands gripping his collar tightly, mumbling something indistinctly before falling silent, his breathing quickly becoming even and long.

Liu Yuheng held his son, looked down at the little face resting on his shoulder, then looked up at Yao Qingwan. Yao Qingwan was also looking at him, a gentle smile on her lips. He took a breath, temporarily putting aside the heavy, unresolved things of the past, stood up with his son in his arms, and walked upstairs.

After Liu Zhiyuan fell asleep, the bedroom became quiet. Occasionally, a breeze would sweep past the window, causing the windowpanes to creak slightly. The lamp was turned down to its lowest setting, its dim light only enough to illuminate a small area near the bed, casting soft, blurred shadows of the two people on the wall.

Liu Yuheng leaned against the headboard, flipping through a document he hadn't finished reading during the day, but his gaze was clearly not on the paper; his mind was obviously still on the meal downstairs.

Yao Qingwan came out of the bathroom, gathered her hair back, walked to the bedside, lifted the covers and sat down, leaning against the headboard. After a while, she turned her head to look at him, as if thinking for a long time before asking, "By the way, what do you think about that in-law thing Brother Li mentioned earlier?"

Liu Yuheng closed the file in his hand and placed it on the bedside table. He turned his head to look at her, paused for a moment, then seemed to just remember the matter. He smiled and waved his hand, his tone casual and indifferent: "It was all drunken talk. You actually took it seriously? Don't you know Old Li? After a few drinks, he'll say whatever comes to mind. He'll forget about it in a couple of days."

He paused, leaned back on the pillow, looked at the ceiling, and said in a more serious tone, "Besides, isn't free love encouraged now? I'm not some old-fashioned person who still holds onto that whole arranged marriage thing. When the kids grow up and reach marriageable age, they can choose whoever they like, and I won't interfere. We live our own lives, and the next generation has to live their own lives too."

He turned his head to look at Yao Qingwan again, a teasing smile on his lips, as if he were saying something funny: "Don't worry, even if we have a daughter in the future, unless she's willing, I won't force her to marry that idiot Li Yunlong's son..."

He laughed out loud halfway through his sentence, feeling that the matter was so distant that it seemed like he was talking about someone else.

After hearing this, Yao Qingwan first nodded, then rolled her eyes, her tone a mix of helplessness and amusement: "It's not even close to being settled yet, and you're already thinking so far ahead. Who gave birth to your daughter? You certainly know how to arrange things for yourself."

Liu Yuheng chuckled at her words, put the documents aside, turned to look at her, and said in a tone that was both serious and joking, "Hey, you've reminded me. Zhiyuan's getting older, he's two and a half now. It wouldn't be bad to have another brother or sister for him. One child is too lonely, and when he grows up, he won't even have anyone to talk to. While we can still have children, let's have another one, preferably a daughter, I don't have a daughter yet."

Yao Qingwan was taken aback when he steered the conversation to this point. She paused for a moment, then rolled her eyes, pulled the blanket up to cover half her face, and lay down with her back to him, as if to say that the topic was over.

Liu Yuheng watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but chuckle twice more. The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet bedroom. He didn't ask any further questions, but simply reached out and turned the lampshade to its dimmest setting, plunging the room into deep darkness.