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

1960 October.

As Liu Yuheng's Volga turned into Nanluoguxiang, he glanced at the scene in the alley through the car window. The street was much quieter than it had been two years ago. A few children squatting against the wall playing marbles looked thin and pale, wearing faded old cotton-padded jackets with frayed cuffs.

Two children looked up at the black car that drove in, followed it for a couple of seconds, then looked down and continued playing.

Liu Yuheng withdrew his gaze and straightened up slightly in the back seat. He hadn't been to the courtyard house for a while. Since taking over as Minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, his daily work and the advancement of several key projects had filled almost all of his time.

The car stopped at the entrance of compound number 95. Liu Yuheng opened the car door and took a deep breath while standing in the alley. A burst of laughter and chatter, mixed with the smells of alcohol and food, wafted out from under the door, creating a lively atmosphere.

He stepped into the courtyard, passed through the familiar row of bungalows in the front yard, walked around the old locust tree, and headed towards the east wing.

As Liu Yuheng turned the corner of the moon gate, he paused for a moment.

A large round table was set in the open space in front of the east wing, covered with plates, bowls, and chopsticks. Several bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor) had been opened, their caps resting on the edge of the table. Seven or eight people sat around the table. Liu Shuanzhu sat at the head of the table, next to Yi Zhonghai, then Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui sat on the outer edge. Xu Fugui sat on the other side, holding a wine glass and talking to Liu Haizhong beside him.

The younger generation sat on one side: Jia Dongxu, Xu Damao, He Yuzhu, and Liu Erhe. Their expressions varied. Jia Dongxu was picking at his food, Xu Damao and He Yuzhu were chatting casually, and Liu Erhe was pouring wine for the people next to him.

Liu Yuheng stood under the grape trellis beside the moon gate, his brow furrowing slightly. He wasn't against his family gathering for meals, but the scene before him didn't look like an ordinary family meal.

"Hey! Yuheng's back!" Yi Zhonghai was the first to see him, put down his wine glass, stood up, and put on a warm smile. This shout also drew the attention of the others. Yan Bugui was the second to stand up, Liu Haizhong followed suit, Xu Fugui put down his chopsticks, and several young people stood up in unison.

Liu Shuanzhu remained seated in the main seat, but when he looked up at his son, his smile was barely concealed. He waved to Liu Yuheng and asked, "You're back?"

Liu Yuheng stepped forward and nodded to the people present, "Uncle Yi, Uncle Liu, Teacher Yan, Uncle Xu." He then glanced at the younger people as a greeting. He turned to look at Liu Shuanzhu, lowering his voice slightly, "Dad, what's going on here?"

Liu Shuanzhu put down his chopsticks and said with a smile, "I've retired, you know. Old Yan insisted on throwing a feast, saying that after a lifetime as a cook, I've finally reached retirement and need to celebrate. It just so happens that your Uncle Xu also has something to host, so the two families decided to do it together."

Liu Yuheng was taken aback. Of course he knew about Liu Shuanzhu's retirement. At the end of last year, he mentioned it to Liu Shuanzhu, saying, "Dad, you're fifty-five this year. You've worked in the restaurant for most of your life. Standing at the stove for so long is taking a toll on your back and legs. Why don't you retire early and stay home to take care of your grandson?"

Liu Shuanzhu didn't respond at the time, but he still went to complete the formalities later. He knew about this.

But Xu Fugui is hosting a party? He turned to Xu Fugui, asking with some confusion, "Uncle Xu, is there some happy occasion at home that requires a party?"

Xu Fugui quickly waved his hand, his face plastered with an overly polite smile: "No, no, it's nothing to celebrate. It's just... Da Mao is getting older and it's time for him to get married. I was thinking of giving him my job at the steel mill, and then I'll go work at the Beijing Cinema. It'll be a change of livelihood and a change of job, so I'll have to move there too."

"Before leaving, I wanted to treat the old neighbors in the courtyard to a meal as a farewell. Since your father is retiring, we decided to do both things at the same time to save on having two separate banquets."

"Da Mao is getting married soon, congratulations!" Liu Yuheng said, without adding anything more.

Xu Fugui added a couple more sentences from the side, his tone carrying the warmth of old neighbors and a touch of deliberate intimacy: "Yes, he's not young anymore, it's time to settle down. It's hard to find a job these days, so I'm giving him my spot early so he can settle down. The work at the movie theater isn't too strenuous, and I'm getting older, so I'll switch to something easier."

Liu Yuheng nodded again and didn't ask any further questions. He waved to the people at the table, saying casually, "You all drink yours, I'm going in to check on the children."

Xu Fugui immediately chimed in, "Yuheng, why don't you sit down and have a drink? This wine is pretty good today; your father picked it out especially for you."

Liu Yuheng waved his hand, took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, lit one, and then casually tossed the remaining half pack to Liu Erhe: "You guys drink yours, I'm not joining in the fun. Erhe, spread the word for everyone."

Liu Erhe took the cigarette box, skillfully opened it, and stood up to hand it to everyone at the table. Liu Yuheng didn't linger; he turned and walked towards the door of the east wing, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

The east wing was much quieter than outside. A dim light bulb shone inside, and on the table were a few simple dishes, a bowl of cornbread, and a pot of thin porridge. Wang Xiuhe sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), holding Liu Qingyan in her arms, feeding her porridge with a spoon. Liang Fangfang sat on a small stool beside her, a rough porcelain bowl in front of her, the porridge almost finished.

Yao Qingwan sat by the window, holding one-year-old Liu Zhiyuan in her arms, coaxing him to eat. Liu Yixuan sat at the corner of the table, quietly picking at his porridge.

Hearing the curtain rustle, several people looked up at the same time.

"Yuheng? You're here?" Wang Xiuhe put down her spoon, a smile spreading across her face. "Have you eaten? Sit down quickly, there's still porridge in the pot, I'll get you a bowl."

Liang Fangfang had already stood up and quickly took a clean set of bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard, setting them on the table.

Liu Yuheng sat down at the table, took the bowl of porridge from Wang Xiuhe, broke open a cornbread, stuffed in a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks, and took a bite.

"Mother, when I came in just now, I heard Xu Fugui say that Xu Damao is getting married. Do you know which family's daughter it is?"

Wang Xiuhe shook her head, wiped the porridge stains from Liu Qingyan's mouth, and said with a hint of indifference, "I don't know. The Xu family is keeping it very secret, they're very tight-lipped. I asked around with my younger siblings in the courtyard, but none of them could get any information out of me. You know Xu Fugui, he keeps everything tightly under wraps, and he won't say anything until it's all settled."

Liu Yuheng nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He mentally considered the situation and concluded that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Xu Damao's blind date should be Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Bancheng, the owner of the steel rolling mill, has a bad family background. Xu Fugui wants his son to marry her, mostly because he's interested in the Lou family's wealth. The Lou family also wants their daughter to marry a worker to secure their status as capitalists. Xu Damao is arrogant and unrealistic, so marrying a wealthy woman with a bad family background is a perfect match for him.

"But there is one thing that is certain," Wang Xiuhe put down her spoon and looked at Liu Yuheng, "Liu Guangqi from Liu Haizhong's family is getting married next month."

Liu Yuheng's hand, still holding the bowl of porridge, didn't stop: "Liu Guangqi? With whom?"

"It's his classmate from vocational school, what was his name again..." Wang Xiuhe thought for a moment but couldn't remember the name. "Anyway, it's the girl he was dating when he was in school. Liu Haizhong mentioned it in the yard a couple of days ago, saying that the girl's family is urging them to get married, and they'll be getting married next month."

Liu Yuheng gave an "oh," his mind racing. In the original story, Liu Guangqi went to Shimen with his father-in-law after getting married; he wondered if it would be the same this time.

After finishing his meal, Liu Yuheng put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the four-year-old girl at the table. Liu Qingyan was standing on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tiptoeing to reach the cornbread on the table, when Liang Fangfang gently stopped her and slipped a small piece into her hand. The little girl clutched the cornbread, looking up at Liu Yuheng, her bright black eyes darting around.

Liu Yuheng beckoned to her: "Qingyan, come here."

The little girl ran over with her short legs, stood beside Liu Yuheng, looked up at him, and was still chewing the last bite of cornbread.

Liu Yuheng bent down, picked her up, and placed her on his lap to make sure she was seated properly: "How about you come home with your uncle for a couple of days? You can play with your little brother Zhiyuan and there will be lots of delicious food."

Liu Qingyan tilted her head and thought for a moment. She first looked at Liang Fangfang, then at Liu Yuheng, and then at Liu Zhiyuan, who was staring at them blankly in Yao Qingwan's arms. Then she nodded vigorously and said in a clear voice, "Go! Go to Uncle's house for some delicious food!"

Everyone in the room laughed. Liang Fangfang reached out and gently tapped Liu Qingyan's forehead: "You, you go with whoever has food. What if you run into a conman who can just kidnap you with a piece of candy?"

Liu Qingyan wasn't annoyed when her mother tapped her forehead; instead, she giggled and snuggled closer to Liu Yuheng.

Liu Yuheng held her for a while, then looked up at Wang Xiuhe, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Mother, now that Father has retired, why don't you move to my place? You can bring Yixuan and Qingyan with you too. My compound has everything, and it's convenient for them to go to school."

Wang Xiuhe paused in clearing the dishes, put down the bowl, and waved her hands repeatedly, "No need, no need, your father and I have already discussed it, and we'd rather not go. Your compound is full of generals and ministers, while your father and I are just two ordinary people. It would be too stressful for us to go. We're used to living in this compound; we know all the neighbors, and we can chat whenever we go out. It's comfortable here. Your place is nice, but if we go, we won't even have anyone to talk to. It'll be uncomfortable."

Liu Yuheng didn't insist and nodded, "Alright, I'll listen to you. Whenever you and Dad are free, bring Qingyan to my place to play. She can stay for a few days or come and go in a day. There's a movie theater and a supply and marketing cooperative in the compound there; the child will definitely like it."

Wang Xiuhe tidied up the dishes and chopsticks by the stove, turned around and nodded: "Okay, I'll bring Qingyan over to visit when I have time. Your dad's retired, he has plenty of time."