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

At 5:50, He Yuzhu arrived at the entrance of Beihai Park.

The sun was scorching, making one feel wilted. The leaves of the two old locust trees by the entrance drooped, motionless. An old woman selling popsicles squatted under the shade of the trees, pushing her cart, fanning herself with her palm-leaf fan a couple of times, pausing, her voice weak and feeble: "Pops—three cents each—"

Qin Huairu stood next to the pillar on the left. She wore a light blue dress, and her hair, which was a bit longer than when he last saw her, was casually tied back with a hair tie. She was looking down, engrossed in reading a small notebook, and didn't notice him.

He Yuzhu walked over and stood in front of her.

She looked up, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

"You're here?"

He nodded.

"Let's go."

The park wasn't crowded. A few children ran around by the lake, chasing a paper boat. A young couple sat on a bench; the man said something, and the woman covered her mouth and laughed. In the distance, someone was rowing a boat, the small boat swaying slowly on the lake.

Qin Huairu walked beside him, her pace neither fast nor slow.

"Have you been busy lately?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."

She glanced at him and said, "It's alright, just very busy."

He did not refute it.

When she reached the boat rental area, she stopped: "Let's go boating."

The small wooden sampan required paddling. He Yuzhu looked at the other boats: "Okay."

The boat had barely reached the center of the lake when trouble struck.

Two boats approached from the left, carrying four or five young men. Their hair was slicked back, and they wore floral shirts; they clearly weren't respectable people. The tall, thin man in the lead whistled at them.

"Oh, are you two rowing a boat?"

Several people nearby joined in the commotion.

Qin Huairu frowned and ignored her.

He Yuzhu continued paddling, moving towards the other side.

The tall, thin man pulled the boat closer to them: "Hey girl, don't row with him, come row with us guys. Our boat's fast, we'll take you to the other side of the lake."

Qin Huairu looked up: "Please show some respect."

The tall, thin man paused for a moment, then laughed: "Wow, you're pretty impressive. I like impressive people."

He stood up. The boat rocked, almost capsizing. He steadied himself and reached out towards Qin Huairu.

He Yuzhu stopped paddling.

He looked at the tall, thin man and said in a low voice, "Take your hand back."

The tall, thin man froze, then laughed: "Who the hell are you?"

He waved his hand: "Hey guys, let's put this kid in the water to cool him off."

Two people on the boat next to them stood up and moved closer.

Qin Huairu's face turned pale. She instinctively shrank back, causing the boat to rock. She grabbed the side of the boat, her knuckles turning white.

He Yuzhu put down the oar and stood up. The boat rocked slightly, but he remained steady.

The first person reached out to grab him. He Yuzhu grabbed the wrist and twisted it. The person screamed and fell into the water with a splash. Water splashed up and landed in the boat. Qin Huairu's skirt was soaked. She bit her lip and didn't make a sound.

The second man hesitated for a moment, then swung his fist. He Yuzhu dodged to the side, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qin Huairu lean to one side—the boat was rocking violently, and her hand gripping the side of the boat slipped.

His heart tightened.

In that moment of distraction, the fist slammed into his shoulder with a dull thud. He Yuzhu didn't dodge a second time; instead, he grabbed the man's neck and slammed his knee into him. The man's eyes nearly bulged out, and he was kicked into the lake while bent over.

The tall, thin man's face turned pale.

He tried to run. He Yuzhu had already grabbed him by the collar and dragged him off the boat. The tall, thin man struggled in his grasp, flailing his arms and cursing, "Do you fucking know who I am? My brother works for the police station!"

He Yuzhu ignored him, pressed him against the side of the boat, his face pressed against the wood. The rough wood poked at the thin, tall man's face, and he dared not move.

The two people in the lake struggled to swim to the shore, and people on the shore were already shouting.

He Yuzhu turned to look at Qin Huairu.

She was still gripping the side of the boat, her face pale, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her skirt was soaked and clung to her legs. She shook her head at him, meaning she was alright.

He nodded and rowed the boat toward the shore.

The police station is not far from the park.

Old Zhou was on duty when he saw He Yuzhu come in and was taken aback: "Factory Director He? This is—"

He Yuzhu shoved the tall, thin man forward: "A few hooligans are harassing women on the lake."

The tall, thin man was behaving himself now, head down. His accomplices stood behind him, soaked to the bone, water dripping all over the ground.

Old Zhou looked at them, then at He Yuzhu: "Okay, I understand. Leave it to me."

He Yuzhu nodded and turned to leave.

The tall, thin man looked up and glanced at him.

He Yuzhu had seen that look in his eyes many times.

hatred.

When he came out of the police station, Qin Huairu was waiting for him at the door.

"Are you alright?"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "It's nothing."

She looked at him, something gleaming in her eyes.

The two walked out side by side. After a few steps, Qin Huairu said she was a little thirsty.

He Yuzhu bought two popsicles, three cents each, made with mung beans. The two sat on the stone steps at the park entrance, each eating one slowly.

The sun had begun to set slightly in the west, and the old locust tree by the door still looked withered. The old lady who sold popsicles was nowhere to be seen; a puddle of melted popsicle liquid remained on the ground.

After Qin Huairu finished eating, she held the popsicle stick in her hand without throwing it away. She took out the small notebook from her bag and handed it to him: "Take a look."

He Yuzhu took it and opened it.

It's his own story. From Chosin Reservoir to Shangganling to Jincheng. Those battles, those people, those things he thought no one remembered, are written there page by page.

He turned to the last page and stopped.

The last sentence reads: The peace they won with their lives, we must defend with our lives.

He closed the notebook and handed it back to her.

"Did you write this?"

Qin Huairu nodded: "It's been two years of writing. Almost finished."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Qin Huairu looked at him: "I wrote down all those things about you. Some I read in your letters, some I found out from Yushui, and some I guessed myself."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment: "Why did you write this?"

Qin Huairu put the notebook away and looked into the distance. Below the stone steps, a child was squatting on the ground playing with mud, his hands covered in black grime.

"Because we can't let those things be forgotten."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Qin Huairu turned her head and looked at him.

"He Yuzhu, I have something to tell you."

He looked at her.

The distant noise of children seemed to fade away suddenly. The boats on the lake remained motionless. He could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump.

Qin Huairu blushed slightly, but she didn't lower her head.

I like you. I've liked you since we were in the field hospital.

He Yuzhu tightened his grip on his knee.

The paper boat in the distance drifted to the middle of the lake and sank. The child let out a cry of regret.

Qin Huairu continued, "I know you're busy, I know your situation is dangerous, and I know you're afraid of implicating me. I'm not afraid."

She looked at him, her eyes bright.

"Are you willing?"

He Yuzhu stared at her for a long time.

He broke the leftover popsicle stick in his hand. He broke it in two, then in four pieces, and threw it on the ground.

"I'm scared."

Qin Huairu was taken aback for a moment: "What are you afraid of?"

He Yuzhu lowered his head: "I'm afraid something will happen to you. You don't know about my past."

Qin Huairu didn't speak. She bent down and picked up the pieces of the small wooden stick from the ground one by one, held them in her hand, and spread them out for him to see.

"Look, even if it's broken, you can pick it up."

He Yuzhu looked at the short sticks covered in dirt in her palm. His Adam's apple bobbed.

In the distance, sunlight shone on the lake, making it sparkle.

He reached out and placed his hand over hers. Her hand was cold, but steady.

Neither of them spoke.

Old Sun's man squatted under the shade of a tree, his cigarette almost burned out.

He stared at He Yuzhu, his lips twitching slightly.

Xiao Li, standing nearby, asked in a low voice, "Brother Sun, should we retreat?"

Old Sun didn't answer. He stubbed out his cigarette, the butt hissing on the bluestone slab and sending up a wisp of acrid white smoke.

Xiao Li followed his gaze. Behind the locust tree across the street, a figure in a gray jacket flashed by and then disappeared.

"I see them. Brother Sun, are they one of ours?"

Old Sun squinted, staring at the spot where the gray-clad man had disappeared.

He's not one of his people.

Whose people are they?

He stood up.

"Xiao Li, you go around to the east, I'll go this way. Don't disturb Director He."

The two separated, like two fish swimming into a crowd.

The area behind the locust tree is now empty.