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

Half a month is neither a long nor a short time, but in this gray office building of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, many things have quietly completed the transition.

Since Liu Yuheng took over all the day-to-day work of the ministry more than a month ago, the heads of various departments were already aware of the situation, only lacking a formal order. Therefore, when Minister Song announced the transfer at the conference, there was no surprise on the faces of the audience; everyone knew exactly what was going on.

That afternoon, the conference room of the Second Ministry of Machine Building was packed. Two vice ministers sat on either side of the long conference table, followed by the director of the General Office, heads of various departments and bureaus, and several technical supervisors of major projects.

Liu Yuheng sat to the right of Minister Song, with a notebook open in front of him and a pen lying across the paper. He sat upright, and his expression was no different from when he was in a meeting.

Minister Song sat in the main seat, a document in front of him, and his usual enamel mug in his hand. He took a sip of water, put the mug down, looked around at everyone present, and then spoke.

"Comrades, I've gathered you all here today mainly to announce two things."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the quiet faces below the stage, before continuing, "First, according to the decision from above, I will soon be transferred from the Second Ministry of Machine Building to work at the Northeast Bureau. The appointment document has already been issued, and I will officially report for duty at the beginning of next month."

A moment of silence fell over the audience; no one whispered or showed any surprise. Rumors of Minister Song's impending transfer had been circulating within the ministry for some time, and today it was officially confirmed.

Minister Song didn't pause for long before continuing, his tone carrying a solemn air, as if he were giving his final instructions: "The second matter is that, according to the decision from above, Comrade Liu Yuheng will succeed me as Minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building. The appointment document has been issued and is effective immediately."

After he finished speaking, all eyes in the audience turned to Liu Yuheng. Liu Yuheng sat up straight, nodded slightly to the crowd, and said nothing, but his expression became more solemn than before. Then applause rang out.

First, the two vice ministers led the applause, followed by the director of the general office, the heads of various departments and bureaus, and several technical supervisors, one after another. The applause rang out in the conference room for a short while, not enthusiastic, but very orderly, with a tacit understanding of "it should have been done long ago".

Liu Yuheng stood up, bowed slightly to Minister Song, nodded to the audience, and then sat back down. The entire process took less than a minute, was swift and efficient, and contained no unnecessary words.

After the meeting adjourned, several vice ministers and directors-general gathered around.

Zhang Ruxian extended his hand and shook hands with him: "Old Liu, congratulations."

Lin Jiang nodded beside him and offered his congratulations, his expression calm and as if he had expected this. Several other department heads followed suit, shaking hands and exchanging polite words. Liu Yuheng responded to each of them with a smile and a nod, saying nothing more.

After most of the people had left, Liu Yuheng personally escorted Minister Song downstairs. The two stood at the entrance of the office building for a while. Minister Song glanced back at the building where he had worked for several years, without saying anything, but simply extended his right hand to Liu Yuheng.

"Alright, Lao Liu, that's enough. The Second Ministry of Machine Building is now in your hands. Call me anytime if anything comes up. I've settled down in the Northeast; I'll leave you my address."

Liu Yuheng grasped his hand and shook it vigorously: "Minister Song, don't worry. I will continue to do a good job in the ministry. Please take care of yourself in the Northeast. I'll come visit you when I have time."

Minister Song nodded, released his hand, and turned to walk towards the car parked at the door. The car started and slowly drove out of the Second Ministry of Machine Building compound. The taillights gradually shrank in the afternoon sunlight and disappeared from sight after turning the corner.

Liu Yuheng stood on the steps and watched the car disappear at the end of the street before turning back into the building.

He went up to the second floor, pushed open the door to his old office, and found his secretary, Xiao Wei, leading a few people bustling about inside. Stacks of documents were being packed on the desk, materials in the cabinet were being packed into cardboard boxes, and the map that had been hanging on the wall had been taken down and was leaning against the wall, waiting to be moved.

When Xiao Wei saw him come in, he quickly stood up straight and reported, "Minister Liu, your office is almost packed up. In another hour or so, everything will be moved upstairs. Would you like to go take a look first, or wait until it's all packed up?"

Liu Yuheng waved his hand: "No rush, move slowly, just don't make a mess." After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked down the corridor to the end, went upstairs, and entered Minister Song's former office.

The room was much larger than his, with a wider south-facing window that let in more light. The desk had a dark solid wood tabletop, which was spotless, and only contained a telephone, a pen holder, and a calendar. The bookcase took up half a wall, but it had been emptied out, with only a few old document compilations that Minister Song hadn't taken with him.

Liu Yuheng walked behind the desk and sat down in the large chair. He placed his hands on the desk, spread his fingers, and gently pressed the smooth surface. Then he leaned back in the chair and let out a long breath.

I couldn't quite describe the feeling in my heart. There was joy, a sense of accomplishment, and a feeling of relief that "we've finally reached this point," but also an indescribable heaviness.

The three great joys of life are promotion, wealth, and the death of one's wife. When this thought popped into his head, he first shook his head, his lips twitching involuntarily, and then muttered to himself, "Pah, pah, pah, I've got the wrong idea."

He sat in the chair for a while, gathering the jumbled thoughts in his mind, then stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

He stood by the window for a while, looking down at the courtyard, before turning around and leaving the office. He went back to the old house that was still being moved and, together with Xiao Wei and a few others, sorted out the last few boxes of documents.

When Liu Yuheng got off work, he left a little earlier than usual. He stopped his car at the entrance of the Chengbei compound, pushed open the door, and went inside. The living room was quiet; Yao Qingwan was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine, while Liu Zhiyuan was playing by himself on the carpet. The little guy heard the door open, looked up, saw Liu Yuheng, immediately dropped his toys, and ran over with his short legs, calling out, "Daddy, Daddy!"

Liu Yuheng bent down, scooped him up, and hugged him tightly. He laughed loudly, so loudly that Yao Qingwan looked up from the magazine.

Yao Qingwan put down her magazine and looked at his beaming face, asking with some confusion, "What's wrong? What's making you so happy?"

Liu Yuheng sat down on the sofa with Liu Zhiyuan in his arms, placed his son on his lap, and then turned to look at Yao Qingwan, his tone filled with a sense of relief and satisfaction at finally seeing this day come: "Today I officially took over Minister Song's position and am now the Minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building. My administrative rank has also been set at Level 5."

Yao Qingwan was taken aback at first, then a smile bloomed on her face. She put the magazine in her hand on the coffee table, stood up, walked over to Liu Yuheng, patted him on the shoulder, and said with genuine joy, "Really? It's settled? That's great. I'll go make a couple more dishes later, let's celebrate."

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves and headed toward the kitchen. After taking a couple of steps, she turned back, looked at Liu Yuheng's still smiling face, and couldn't help but smile again before turning and going into the kitchen.

Liu Yuheng sat on the sofa with Liu Zhiyuan in his arms, watching Yao Qingwan's busy figure in the kitchen, then looked down at the bewildered little guy in his arms, and the smile on his lips didn't fade for a long time.