Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

As dusk fell, Old Sun led his men to the entrance of the alley.

People were eating in the courtyard when they heard a car and immediately put down their chopsticks to look out. Two jeeps stopped under a streetlamp, and seven or eight people got out. They were in plainclothes, and the way they walked made it clear they weren't ordinary people.

He Yushui stood at her door with a bowl in her hand, watching those people enter the yard.

They went straight to the Jia family's house.

As Jia Zhangshi was counting money on the kang (a heated brick bed), she heard the door open. Looking up, she saw several people rushing into the room. Her hand trembled, and the money and banknotes scattered all over the kang.

"What...what are you doing?"

Old Sun stood at the door, his ID flashing briefly.

"We're checking your household registration. Please cooperate."

Jia Zhangshi's face turned pale.

"Checking household registration? What kind of household registration check are you doing so late at night?"

Old Sun ignored her and walked towards Yu Li.

"Comrade Yu Li, please come with us."

Yu Li stood there, her face deathly pale, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned blue.

"I...I didn't do anything wrong..."

Old Sun looked at her.

"We didn't say you committed a crime. Cooperate with the investigation, you'll be back after a few questions."

Jia Dongxu rushed out from the inner room and stood in front of Yu Li.

"What right do you have to bring her along? She's my wife!"

Old Sun looked at him.

"Comrade Jia Dongxu, calm down. I just want to ask you a few questions."

Jia Dongxu tried to lunge forward, but was restrained by two plainclothes officers. Yu Li was led out of the house, and when she reached the courtyard, her legs went weak, and she almost fell.

Jia Zhangshi chased after them, collapsed to the ground, and wailed while slapping her thigh.

"Damn it! This is outrageous! They arrested my daughter-in-law! Is there no law anymore?!"

Everyone in the courtyard came out. Yan Bugui stood on the steps, holding a bowl, adjusted his glasses, and remained silent. Liu Haizhong huddled inside, not even lifting the curtain. Aunt Erda stood under the hanging flower gate, holding her child, craning her neck to look this way.

He Yushui stood at her door, watching Yu Li being shoved into the jeep.

The car drove away, its taillights flashing briefly at the alley entrance before disappearing.

Jia Zhangshi was still sitting in the courtyard wailing. No one went to help her up.

He Yushui turned around and went back into the house, closing the door behind her.

The interrogation room was in that small room. The light was so bright that it made people's faces look pale.

Yu Li lowered her head, placed her hands on her knees, and dug her fingernails into the fabric of her pants, leaving white marks.

Old Sun sat opposite her and put a form on the table.

"Yu Li, 23, from Hebei, got married last year. Your cousin Yu Dehai went to Taiwan in 1950."

Yu Li's shoulders twitched.

Old Sun looked at her.

Has he contacted you recently?

Yu Li shook her head.

"No...no."

Old Sun pushed a piece of paper in front of her.

"This is the letter you received last year, forwarded from Hong Kong. The address is here."

Yu Li stared at the paper, her lips drained of color.

Old Sun leaned back, and the chair creaked.

"Yu Li, we know about your situation. Now we're giving you a chance to speak for yourself."

Yu Li's tears fell. She covered her face, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

"I...I was just asking around for my cousin...He said he wanted to know what was going on at the factory...I didn't know he was a spy...I really didn't know..."

Old Sun didn't say anything.

Yu Li cried for a while, then raised her head.

"I asked my son Dongxu to...look at the factory documents...but he didn't dare look...he didn't see anything..."

Old Sun looked at her.

"How did your cousin ask you to contact him?"

Yu Li sobbed.

"He asked me... to give the things to a technical consultant at a steel rolling mill surnamed Zheng... saying he would come to find me..."

Old Sun stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.

He Yuzhu came in and sat in the seat that Lao Sun had just been sitting in.

Yu Li looked up, saw him, and paused for a moment.

"Director He... Director He..."

He Yuzhu looked at her.

"Yu Li, do you know what your uncle does?"

Yu Li shook her head.

"He said he was doing business in Hong Kong... and asked me to help him find out something... I'd pay him..."

He Yuzhu remained silent for a few seconds.

"Do you know who got those things?"

Yu Li fell silent.

He Yuzhu pushed the paper forward.

"Your uncle's superior is the Taiwan Security Bureau. They want that data to bomb our factory and destroy our machinery."

Yu Li's face turned completely pale.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

He Yuzhu looked at her.

"Yu Li, you just got married and just moved into this hospital. There are some things you don't know, and I don't blame you for that. But now you know."

Yu Li looked at him.

"Director He... I... what should I do?"

He Yuzhu took the paper back.

"Make amends for past mistakes with merits."

Yu Li was stunned for a moment.

"How to replenish it?"

He Yuzhu looked at her.

"If that guy surnamed Zheng comes looking for you again, just do what you were supposed to do. But every time you meet him, every time you pass on a message, you have to tell me."

Yu Li's tears started falling again.

"Director He, I...can I do it?"

He Yuzhu stood up.

Whether it works or not is up to you.

He walked to the door, then turned back.

Yu Li was still sitting there, her shoulders hunched, like a frightened rabbit.

"Yu Li," He Yuzhu said in a low voice, "think about it, if this gets out, do you think your mother-in-law will let you off the hook? Do you think the people in the neighborhood will tolerate you? And how will your husband manage, caught in the middle?"

Yu Li's shoulders jerked violently.

He Yuzhu looked at her.

"You're not helping your uncle right now, you're helping yourself. Understand?"

He pushed open the door and went out.

Old Sun was waiting outside.

"Put it back?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Let her go. Let's see what she does."

Old Sun smiled.

"That's a brilliant move. Let her be our eyes and ears."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything and walked out.

He walked to the door, then turned back.

"Keep a close eye on that guy surnamed Zheng."

Old Sun nodded.

"Know."

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and stepped into the night.

Yu Li was brought back around midnight.

The courtyard was dark except for the Jia family's windows, which were still lit. When Jia Zhangshi heard the car, she ran out to see what was happening. When she saw Yu Li get out of the car, she rushed over, hugged her, and cried.

"My daughter-in-law, you're finally back..."

Yu Li didn't say anything, pushed her aside, and went into the house.

Jia Dongxu was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). When he saw her come in, he stood up.

Are you alright?

Yu Li shook her head.

"fine."

She lay down and closed her eyes.

I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see He Yuzhu's words.

"Do you think your mother-in-law will let you get away with that? Do you think the people in the neighborhood will tolerate you?"

She turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

Jia Dongxu lay down beside her, reaching out to hold her hand. She didn't move. Jia Dongxu held it for a while, then let go, turned over, and went to sleep.

Yu Li stared at the paper window with her eyes open. The moonlight shone in from outside, casting a white glow.

She remembered washing clothes in the yard during the day, and how her second aunt glanced at her sideways as she passed by without saying a word. She remembered how Yan Bugui's daughter-in-law would avoid her whenever she saw her. She remembered how Jia Zhangshi had been gossiping to people in the yard these past few days, but as soon as she came out, they stopped talking.

He Yuzhu is right. If this gets out, she'll really have no way to survive in this courtyard.

She only dozed off for a short while as dawn approached.

The next morning, He Yushui went to school and ran into Yu Li in the courtyard.

Yu Li stood by the tap washing clothes. The water was cold in early autumn, and her hands were red from the cold as she rubbed them.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, saw He Yushui, and smiled.

"Rain, off to school?"

He Yushui nodded.

Good morning, sister-in-law.

Yu Li hummed in agreement and lowered her head to continue washing.

He Yushui took a few steps, then turned back to look at her again.

Yesterday evening, when this woman was being led into the car, her legs went weak and she almost knelt down.

This morning, she was washing clothes; her hands were very steady.

Yu Li's silhouette is different from yesterday's.