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

Yao Qingwan ladled the food from the pot onto plates, placed them on the table, wiped her hands, and sat down on the sofa. Looking at their expressions, she asked, "Did you need him for something? Did something happen at home?"

Liu Erhe quickly spoke up: "Sister-in-law, that's my father-in-law. Today, he suddenly came home, packed a few clothes, and left, saying he was going on a business trip. He was followed by a young man with a gun. My mother-in-law is very worried at home alone, and she doesn't know what happened. She asked me to ask my brother, but he's not here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yao Qingwan suddenly clapped her hands, a look of realization dawning on her face, her tone becoming lighter: "Oh! You've come to ask about Uncle Liang, haven't you?"

Liu Erhe and Liang Fangfang looked up at the same time, their eyes lighting up instantly.

Liang Fangfang leaned forward, her voice filled with barely suppressed urgency: "Sister-in-law, do you know? Do you know where my dad went?"

Yao Qingwan shook her head, her expression carrying a frank apology: "I don't know exactly where he went. But last night Yuheng specifically told me that if you two come to ask about Uncle Liang, I should tell you that Uncle Liang went on a mission, so you don't need to worry and don't make Aunt Liang anxious."

Liu Erhe paused for a moment, then asked, "That's all? Did my brother say anything else?"

Yao Qingwan shrugged, spread her hands, and smiled helplessly: "That's all he told me. You know your brother; he won't say a word more about work than necessary. He just told me to pass this on to you, and didn't mention anything else."

A few seconds of silence filled the room. Liu Erhe sat on the sofa, going over Yao Qingwan's words in his mind. After pondering for a while, the expression on his face slowly relaxed. He turned to look at Liang Fangfang: "Fangfang, since my brother mentioned this beforehand, it means he knew about it beforehand. If he didn't know where Dad was, he wouldn't have specifically told my sister-in-law that."

After hearing this, Liang Fangfang lowered her head and thought for a while, then nodded gently. Although her expression still carried some worry, it was much more relaxed than when she had just entered the room: "Yes, you're right. Since my brother told us not to worry, let's not scare ourselves."

She paused for a moment, then added, "But Mom is still waiting. We need to hurry back and tell her, so she doesn't overthink things at home alone."

Liu Erhe nodded and stood up. Yao Qingwan also stood up and reached out to stop him, saying, "What's the rush? Eat before you leave. I've already cooked the dishes..."

Liu Erhe glanced at Liang Fangfang, waved to Yao Qingwan, and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "Sister-in-law, I'm not eating. My mother-in-law is still waiting at home. We need to hurry back and tell her so she can feel at ease."

Yao Qingwan found his reasoning sound and didn't insist further, nodding in agreement.

The two said goodbye and left. Liu Erhe pushed out his bicycle, and after Liang Fangfang was settled on the back seat, he pushed off and the bicycle rode out of the Chengbei compound along the same route they had come from.

On the way back, it was already dark. Liang Fangfang sat in the back seat and remained silent for a while before suddenly saying, "Erhe, what kind of mission did Big Brother go on this time? Even my dad went with him, and they have to keep it a secret."

Liu Erhe pedaled his bicycle, thought for a moment, and said, "My brother works in the Second Ministry of Machine Building, which is in charge of military industry, factories, and equipment. The mission he's on is most likely related to these things. Our dad is an eighth-grade fitter, one of the best in the factory, so he might have been assigned to do some important work. Don't overthink it; everything will be clear when my brother comes back."

Liang Fangfang hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

Liu Erhe parked the car at the entrance of No. 95 compound, set up the car frame, and walked through the front yard with Liang Fangfang, lifting the curtain of the east wing room and going inside.

The lights were already on inside. Liu Shuanzhu was sitting at the dining table, slowly sipping a bowl of porridge. When he saw the two of them come in, he looked up and asked, "You're back." Liu Yixuan had just come home from school and was doing his homework at the table, his pencil scratching his name on the paper. Hearing the door open, he looked up and called out, "Dad, Mom," before lowering his head to continue writing.

Mother Liang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding Liu Qingyan in her arms, playing with a small cloth tiger. The little one reached out to reach the cloth tiger, giggling when she couldn't, her cheeks flushed. Although Mother Liang's expression was more relaxed than in the afternoon, she was still clearly somewhat absent-minded.

Hearing the door open, Liang's mother immediately looked up and saw Liu Erhe and Liang Fangfang enter the room one after the other. She quickly handed Liu Qingyan to Wang Xiuhe beside her, stood up and took two steps to greet them: "How is it? What did Yuheng say? What exactly happened to your father?"

Liu Erhe walked up to Liang's mother and waved to her, "Mom, don't worry. My brother is away on a business trip. He left early this morning and isn't home. But—" He paused, then, seeing the expression on Liang's mother's face fall, quickly finished his sentence, "But before my brother left, he specifically told my sister-in-law that if we went to ask about Dad, she should tell us that Dad went on a mission, so you don't need to worry or be anxious."

Liang Fangfang sat down next to her mother and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear: "Mom, please stop scaring yourself. My brother is always a reliable person. Since he told my sister-in-law about this beforehand, it means he knew what he was doing and had already made arrangements. Think about it, my brother went on a business trip, and my dad went with him. Maybe they'll travel together and come back in a few days."

Mother Liang paused for a moment, then her expression slowly relaxed. She said "good" a few times: "Good, good... It's good that he's alright, it's good that he's alright. I was just worried that something might happen to him while he was out there alone. He never tells me anything, and I'm always on edge all day."

"Okay, then I'll head back now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuhe quickly put down her chopsticks and stood up. She walked a few steps to Liang's mother and grabbed her arm, saying, "Mother-in-law, why are you in such a hurry? It's already this late. If you go back, you'll have to cook for yourself, which is too much trouble. The food is all ready at home. It's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks. Please eat here before you leave. It's so lonely and quiet at home all by yourself, with no one to talk to. It's so boring."

"From now on, you can come every day. Come in the morning and help Fangfang and me take care of Qingyan. Go back after dinner in the evening so you won't feel bored at home alone. If you think it's too tiring to travel back and forth, you can stay here. Although the house is cramped, there's still enough room."

Standing at the door, Liang's mother glanced back at the warm light inside the house, and finally nodded, her voice carrying a warm feeling of being cared for: "Then...then I'll stay for a meal. I'll come over tomorrow morning and help you take care of Qingyan."