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

A green train was parked on the platform. It had fewer carriages than a regular passenger train and looked shorter, but there were no markings on the train body, only a few signs with numbers hanging at the junctions between the carriages. This train had been specially arranged, with entire carriages chartered for this special transport.

The train conductor, standing at the carriage door, immediately straightened up and nodded to Liu Yuheng when he saw Liu Yuheng and his group approaching.

Xiao Wei quickly stepped forward, first confirming the carriage number with the train attendant, and then led everyone to the middle sleeper carriage. The carriage was very clean, and the berths had newly changed sheets and pillowcases; the white fabric looked exceptionally neat under the lights.

Standing in the middle of the carriage, Xiao Wei raised his voice slightly and addressed the passengers: "Dear passengers, the berths in this carriage have been assigned. I will call out names. Those whose names are called will proceed to their assigned carriage. Please place your luggage under your berth or on the luggage rack, and keep your valuables with you. If you need anything, please tell the train attendant or contact our staff."

One by one, everyone entered the carriage. Liang Cheng also found his berth, a lower berth by the window. He stuffed his canvas bag under the berth, sat down, and looked out the window.

People were coming and going on the platform. Railway workers pushed carts past, and security guards walked back and forth at both ends of the platform. The sounds of bus horns and crowds could be heard from outside the station, but they seemed very far away when they came in through the train windows.

Fang Tie was in the upper bunk opposite Liang Cheng. After throwing his luggage up, he didn't rush to climb up. Instead, he stood in the aisle and peered into both ends of the carriage. There was a figure standing at each end of the carriage, with a gun at his waist and standing ramrod straight—clearly guards.

Fang Tie pulled his head back and muttered to Liang Cheng in a low voice, "This is quite a show of force. They've even set up sentries on the train. What are they going to do?" Liang Cheng didn't answer, but just gestured with his chin towards the window, indicating that he shouldn't ask.

Liu Yuheng didn't go to his compartment immediately. He walked around the carriage to make sure everyone was settled, then headed towards the carriage door. The guard sergeant standing at the door saw him approaching and immediately stood at attention and saluted.

Liu Yuheng concisely instructed the guard sergeant: "Both ends of this sleeper car must be manned, with proper shift arrangements. Two people per shift, rotating every two hours, and this must continue throughout the night. No one other than the train attendants and our own staff is allowed near this car."

"The guards will be stationed at both ends of the sleeper car, and the berths in the middle will be reserved for the workers. When it's mealtime, you will send someone to fetch the food from the dining car. Don't let the workers go to the dining car on their own, to minimize contact with people in other cars. Report any situation to me immediately."

The guard sergeant listened and nodded, then stood at attention and replied, "Minister Liu, don't worry, I'll arrange it right away." After saying that, he turned and walked towards the other end of the carriage to begin assigning tasks to his guards. Liu Yuheng stood at the carriage door for a while, making sure the sentry posts had been set up, before turning and walking towards his own compartment.

His compartment was at the very front of the sleeper car. A guard stood at the door, who quickly stepped aside when he saw him approaching. Liu Yuheng pushed open the door and placed his briefcase on his berth.

He took a couple of sips of water, rummaged through the documents he carried in his briefcase, and glanced at his watch. The train wouldn't depart for a while, and remembering he had something to do, he got up, opened the compartment door, and walked towards the next carriage.

The carriage next door was occupied by people from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and there were guards standing at the door as well.

Liu Yuheng walked to the door, nodded to the guard, and said politely, "Comrade, please announce that I am Liu Yuheng from the Second Ministry of Machine Building. I would like to see your team leader."

The guard glanced at him, then immediately turned and went into the carriage, his footsteps echoing a few times in the aisle before stopping. A few minutes later, a man emerged from the carriage. He was in his forties, of medium build, wearing a dark gray cadre uniform, the two stars on his shoulders gleaming a dark gold under the carriage's overhead lights.

He stretched out his hand from afar and shouted loudly, "Old Liu!"

Liu Yuheng smiled, went up to shake hands with him: "Old Wu, I didn't expect you to be leading the team this time."

Wu Cheng shook his hand, his expression warm with the joy of reuniting with an old comrade: "I didn't expect you to personally escort me. You're a very busy man these days, I thought you'd just send someone from the General Office to accompany me and that would be it." As he spoke, he stepped aside to make room for him in the carriage, "Come on, let's sit in my compartment, it's not convenient to talk standing here."

The two entered Wu Cheng's private room one after the other. Wu Cheng closed the door and gestured for Liu Yuheng to sit down on the berth: "By the way, I haven't congratulated you yet. I was at a meeting at the Science and Technology Commission a couple of days ago, and I heard that you're about to take over Minister Song's position."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand, his tone casual, as if unwilling to elaborate: "It's still early. The official documents haven't come down yet; there's no point in talking about this now." He paused, then steered the conversation back to business. "So, you're staying in the Northwest to work this time?"

Wu Cheng nodded immediately, his expression changing from joking to serious: "Yes, I'm going there this time to be the base commander, in charge of all the work there. The base's construction, security, logistics, and personnel management will all be under my jurisdiction."

He sighed, his tone tinged with a half-serious, half-joking helplessness: "Old Liu, you're still enjoying your life in Beijing, while I, Old Wu, am going to the Northwest to eat sand. You know how bad the sandstorms are there. In spring, a sandstorm blows through, and your mouth, nose, and ears are filled with sand that you can't wash off. Next time you come to the Northwest, you'd better bring me two bottles of good wine to treat this sand-eating man."

Liu Yuheng smiled and replied, "No problem, two bottles aren't enough, I'll bring you a whole case." The two exchanged a few jokes, and the atmosphere relaxed a bit.

But Wu Cheng quickly wiped the smile off his face, looked at Liu Yuheng seriously, and said in a more earnest tone, "Old Liu, seriously, there's something I need to discuss with you. Can your Second Ministry of Machine Building coordinate another batch of supplies to the Northwest? To be honest, the supplies that the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry has mobilized so far aren't quite enough. The number of people at the base is increasing, and the existing reserves won't last long."

After listening, Liu Yuheng's expression became serious: "I'll try my best to squeeze out a batch for you. The Second Ministry of Machine Building is also short of funds, and various projects are asking for things. I can only try to get some from other sources. The quantity is probably not very large, so you should be prepared."