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

Ten days later, the air in the North City compound already smelled of early autumn.

Liu Yuheng sat in a chair in his study, with two or three cigarette butts already in the ashtray in front of him. He held a third cigarette between his fingers, and the smoke curled up from between his fingers, spreading into a thin layer of grayish-blue in the afternoon light.

Ding Wei has been dismissed from his post.

The news reached the Second Ministry of Machine Building yesterday afternoon. When he went to the General Office to get the documents, he overheard two staff members whispering in the corridor, saying that the General Staff had issued a notice that Ding Wei had been officially dismissed from his military post and transferred from his original position because he had said and done things he shouldn't have in the recent incident, and his whereabouts were currently unknown.

Liu Yuheng was standing at the corner of the corridor when he paused for a moment, but his face did not show any particular expression. He simply took the document and turned back to his office.

But after returning to his office, he closed the door, sat in his chair for a long time, and then slowly exhaled.

He knew Ding Wei too well. They had known each other since the Jin-Sui border region; they had fought together, drunk together, and even camped together in the trenches.

Ding Wei is a smart man with a keen eye; he often sees things more deeply than others. However, he just can't control his mouth. He dares to say anything, in any situation, and spills out whatever he thinks without ever considering what he can or cannot say.

Liu Yuheng kept his distance from all those things that happened a while ago, not daring to even touch them. Ding Wei, on the other hand, not only didn't avoid them, but he also went forward, only to step into the mud.

Dismissal and transfer are considered lenient punishments. In earlier years, such a big fuss could have cost someone their life.

Liu Yuheng finished his third cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, leaned back in his chair, looked at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Yao Qingwan was upstairs coaxing Liu Zhiyuan to take a nap when she heard the knock and went downstairs to open the door. Liu Yuheng was sitting in the study without moving. He heard voices coming from the doorway, followed by Yao Qingwan's voice: "Brother Zhao is here? He's in the study. You can go straight there."

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the study door was pushed open from the outside. Zhao Gang stood in the doorway, wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit. His expression was even more somber than when he last visited; his brows were furrowed, and his lips were tightly pressed together.

He stepped across the threshold and saw Liu Yuheng sitting behind his desk, with a few cigarette butts in the ashtray next to him. The smell of smoke in the room had not yet dissipated, so he sat down in the chair opposite Liu Yuheng.

He was silent for a few seconds before speaking, his voice lower than usual: "Old Liu, you already know about Ding Wei's matter, right?"

Liu Yuheng nodded, not denying it. He took out another cigarette from the pack, lit it, took a puff, and then said, "I know. I heard it from someone in the ministry yesterday afternoon. He's been dismissed and transferred."

Zhao Gang sat opposite him, his hands resting on his knees, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together. His tone carried an barely suppressed anxiety and frustration: "I only found out after receiving a call from Lao Li. Lao Li is the kind of person who talks like a cannon, his voice on the phone is so loud it could shatter the receiver. He said he only heard about Ding Wei's matter yesterday, and he was so angry that he couldn't sleep all night. He wanted to call you, but he was afraid it wouldn't be convenient for you, so he called me first."

When Liu Yuheng heard the name "Li Yunlong," he frowned slightly. He didn't reply immediately, but instead took two puffs of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, stood up, walked to the desk, picked up the receiver of the black telephone, cranked the handle, and said a number into the receiver.

The call was transferred twice, and it took almost a minute before the other end answered.

Li Yunlong's signature loud voice came through the receiver, urgent and rough, as if he had been waiting for a while: "Old Liu! You've finally called! I have something to tell you about Old Ding—"

Liu Yuheng interrupted him before he could finish, his voice deeper than usual, his tone carrying an uncompromising decisiveness: "Li Yunlong, listen to me."

Li Yunlong paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, lowering his voice slightly, but still clearly carrying a simmering anger: "Go on."

"You just stay put in the Southwest," Liu Yuheng said, enunciating each word clearly. "Take care of things in the Southwest. Don't ask about anything else, and don't make any random phone calls. As for Ding Wei, you know what you know, but don't mention it to anyone else. Your mouth is no better than Ding's. Ding has already fallen; don't follow him into that mess."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Liu Yuheng could hear Li Yunlong's heavy breathing, as if he was suppressing something. After a while, Li Yunlong finally replied in a muffled voice, "Okay, okay, I know. You're busy over there, I'll hang up now."

There was a click on the phone, followed by a busy tone. Liu Yuheng put the receiver back, stood by the desk for a few seconds, then turned around, sat back down in his chair, and took out a cigarette from his pack and lit it.

Zhao Gang sat opposite him, having listened to the entire phone call. He looked at Liu Yuheng's face, somewhat blurred by the smoke, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Old Liu, what's going on...?"

Liu Yuheng took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. His tone carried a frankness that spoke volumes, and a heavy weight: "Alright, we can't get involved in this. It's also Old Ding's fault; he had no self-control and blurted out everything."

"Everyone else would have avoided those things that happened recently, but he went straight for them. The higher-ups didn't investigate it too deeply; they just dismissed him and transferred him. That's already because of his past achievements."

He paused, his gaze shifting from Zhao Gang's face to the old locust tree outside the window that was shedding its leaves, and his voice lowered a few decibels: "Things are different now, Old Zhao. Back when we were fighting, if you said or did something wrong, the old brigade commander or division commander would cover for you. At most, you'd get a scolding or be demoted, but you could always get back on your feet after a while."

"Things are different now. Rules are rules, and discipline is discipline. Anyone who crosses the line has to step down. If you look on the bright side of Ding Wei's situation, he didn't deserve to die. Being dismissed from his post and transferred to another position to calm down might not be a bad thing."

Sitting opposite him, Zhao Gang listened to these words, and the expression on his face slowly changed from anxiety to silence.

He went over Liu Yuheng's words in his mind again and again, then sighed deeply, nodded, and said with a weary and self-deprecating tone, "You're right. I was blinded by my own involvement. When I first heard the news, my mind was buzzing, and all I could think about was why Lao Ding was dismissed and why no one spoke up for him."

"But now that you've mentioned it, it's dawned on me. People like us who have already taken off our uniforms can't really get involved in these kinds of things. If we insist on getting involved, we won't be able to help Lao Ding, and we'll just end up getting ourselves involved."

He looked up at Liu Yuheng, his tone more relaxed than when he had just entered: "Alright, I'll head back now. Old Liu, don't worry too much. We can't be of much help to Old Ding, but we'll keep an eye on things for him if we can in the future."

Liu Yuheng nodded, stood up from his chair, and saw Zhao Gang out. The two left the study one after the other, crossed the living room, and reached the door.

Liu Yuheng stopped at the door, looked at Zhao Gang, and added, his tone more serious than before: "Old Zhao, there's something else. After all, we've both taken off our uniforms. Don't get too involved in military affairs anymore. It won't do us any good. Your work at the electrical department isn't easy either. Focusing on your own work is better than anything else."

He paused, then added, "Also, if Lao Li calls you again, tell him not to talk nonsense on the phone. Anyone can hear what you say on the phone; his loud voice can be heard from a mile away. If you have something to say, wait until you meet in person, or just don't say anything at all."

Zhao Gang looked at Liu Yuheng and nodded solemnly: "I understand. Don't worry. I'll talk to Lao Li about it later."

Liu Yuheng nodded without saying anything more. Zhao Gang waved to him, turned and went down the steps, walking along the cement path in the courtyard towards the gate.

Liu Yuheng stood at the door, watching his figure walk further and further away in the afternoon sun until it disappeared completely after turning the corner past the row of holly bushes, before turning back into the house and closing the door behind him.