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

Before dawn, the sound of firecrackers exploded in the alley.

It wasn't just one family setting them off; several families were doing it together, creating a cacophony of crackling sounds. He Yuzhu opened his eyes; the mother and daughter on the kang (heated brick bed) were still asleep. He Nianhua nestled in Qin Huairu's arms, her little mouth moving slightly, seemingly lost in a dream.

He quietly got off the kang (heated brick bed), put on his cotton-padded coat, and went out the door.

The courtyard was so cold it could freeze you to the bone. He breathed out a puff of air, and as the white mist dissipated, he saw He Yushui squatting in the middle of the courtyard, holding an incense stick and bringing it closer to a firecracker.

"Brother, you're awake?"

She glanced back, then turned back and held the incense stick out.

laugh--

The firecrackers didn't go off.

He Yushui tried again, but it still didn't go off. She got anxious and leaned closer to look. Just as she lowered her head, the firecracker suddenly exploded.

boom!

Shredded paper flew into her face. Startled, she shrank back, sat on the ground, froze for two seconds, and then laughed.

He Yuzhu smiled too.

He Nianhua's crying could be heard from inside the house.

As the sun rose, the courtyard began to bustle with activity.

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Yan Bugui was the first to arrive, carrying a bag of pastries. He stood at the gate of the courtyard and bowed.

"Zhu Zi, Happy New Year!"

He Yuzhu accepted the snacks and invited him inside to sit down. Yan Bugui took two steps inside and saw He Yushui comforting a child, so he went over to take a look.

"Wow, this child is really good-looking."

He took a red envelope out of his pocket and handed it to He Yushui.

"Give children lucky money."

He Yushui paused for a moment, then looked at He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu nodded.

"Uncle, you're too kind."

Yan Bugui waved his hand, glanced at the child again, and left.

Liu Haizhong and his wife came along. The second aunt carried a basket filled with a dozen or so eggs, neatly stacked. Liu Haizhong stood behind, rubbing his hands, seemingly saying nothing.

He Yushui took the basket.

"Second Aunt, what's wrong with you...?"

The second aunt waved her hand.

"Layed by our own chickens, it's good for the kids."

Liu Haizhong opened his mouth to speak, but only managed to squeeze out one sentence.

"Happy New Year."

He Yuzhu nodded to him.

Jia Zhangshi was the last to arrive.

She stood at the courtyard gate, peering inside, clutching an oil paper package in her hand. He Yushui saw her and walked over.

"Aunt Jia, come in and sit down."

Madam Jia hesitated for a moment, then came in anyway. She shoved the oil paper package into He Yushui's hand, but her eyes darted toward the west wing.

"It's for the baby. I didn't give anything when the baby turned one month old, and I felt bad about it."

He Yushui opened it and found several pastries.

"Thank you, Aunt Jia."

Madam Jia snorted and turned to leave. She paused at the hanging flower gate, but didn't turn back.

"Use that money... to buy my child a piece of cloth."

she left.

He Yushui watched her retreating figure and muttered something to herself.

"She's acting strange today."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

In the afternoon, a group of children came to the courtyard.

The children, aged seven or eight and the youngest three or four, stood in a row in front of He Yuzhu. The one in the lead was Yan Bugui's grandson, who held a notebook in his hand and began to read aloud.

"Happy New Year, Grandpa He! Wishing you good health, all the best, and a son soon..."

Halfway through his reading, a little girl next to him tugged at his sleeve.

"It's not 'May you have a son soon,' it's 'Congratulations on getting rich!'"

The leader scratched his head, unsure how to pronounce it.

He Yuzhu squatted down, took out a handful of red envelopes from his pocket, and handed one to each child. When he got to the smallest one, the child took it, clutched it tightly, and turned to run. After a few steps, he tripped over the threshold and fell to the ground.

He Yushui ran over and picked her up.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

The little girl shook her head, still clutching the red envelope, and smiled.

Qin Huairu saw it from inside the house and said to He Yuzhu.

"How many did you send out?"

He Yuzhu counted them.

"Twelve."

Qin Huairu nodded.

"Twelve yuan. That's enough to buy two jin of meat."

He Yuzhu looked at her without saying a word.

In the evening, He Yushui cooked a table full of dishes.

Braised pork belly, stewed ribs, scrambled eggs, and a bowl of dumplings. The deaf old lady sat at the head of the table, while He Nianhua lay sound asleep on the small bed beside her. The family sat around the small table, eating, drinking, and chatting.

Qin Huairu put a piece of meat on He Yuzhu's plate.

What are your plans for next year?

He Yuzhu chewed on the meat and thought for a moment.

"Send the satellite into space."

Qin Huairu was stunned for a moment.

"satellite?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"It's something that can fly in the sky. It can make phone calls, watch TV, and forecast the weather."

Qin Huairu smiled.

"Then you'd better keep it up."

He Yushui chimed in from the side.

"Brother, does that mean we can watch TV from now on?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"able."

He Yushui was happy and stuffed another piece of meat into her mouth.

He Yuzhu looked at them, then lowered his head and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth. He couldn't bear to eat the few pieces of meat in his bowl, thinking of saving them for Qin Huairu. She had lost a lot of weight in the past few years.

The deaf old lady ate a few bites, put down her chopsticks, and looked at He Yuzhu.

"Zhu Zi, you've suffered a lot this year."

He Yuzhu shook his head.

"good."

The old lady nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Around 11 p.m., the sound of firecrackers intensified again.

He Yuzhu stood in the courtyard, looking at the distant sky. Fireworks exploded, red and green, one after another, illuminating the night sky with flickering light. A gust of wind blew by, carrying the pungent smell of gunpowder.

He Nianhua fell asleep. Qin Huairu stayed with her in the room. He Yushui was also sleepy and leaned against the door frame, yawning.

He stood there alone.

I remember that night at Changjin Lake, just like this. Lying in the snow, listening to the distant sounds of artillery fire, I wondered if I would survive until dawn.

Now I'm standing in my own yard, listening to the sound of firecrackers, with my wife and daughter lying inside.

He glanced into the room. The light from the oil lamp shone through the window, a dim, yellowish glow.

The last firework in the distance exploded and went out.

He Yushui walked over and stood next to him.

"Brother, come inside, it's cold outside."

He Yuzhu nodded.

Just as she was about to turn around, He Yushui took out a piece of paper from her pocket.

"Someone delivered it this afternoon, saying you should go there after the holiday."

He Yuzhu took it and glanced at it under the streetlight.

The four characters at the top read: "Call from the Northwest."

He folded the note and stuffed it into his pocket.

He didn't say anything.

He went back into the house; Qin Huairu was already asleep. He Nianhua lay beside her, her little mouth moving slightly. He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, looking at the two faces.

Outside the window, there could still be sporadic sounds of firecrackers in the distance.

He touched the note in his pocket but didn't take it out.

Lie down and close your eyes.