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

As soon as the car lights went out, the entire Liujiazhuang village was plunged into darkness.

He Yuzhu stood at the village entrance and looked back. It was pitch black there; he couldn't see anything except the outline of a mountain, which was even darker than the night. The wind blew from that direction, carrying the smell of rotting weeds and something else, which he couldn't quite put his finger on.

The village official, in his fifties and wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, led the way. He would look back every few steps, as if afraid they would lose their way. He didn't say anything, and He Yuzhu didn't ask either.

After walking for twenty minutes, we arrived.

The cemetery was nestled at the foot of the mountain, a dozen or so mounds huddled together, overgrown with weeds. Some of the graves had collapsed, revealing the rotten, blackened coffin boards inside. The grass was taller than a person, its leaves serrated, stinging the back of your hand.

The wind blows, and the grass blades rub against each other, rustling softly, as if something unseen is whispering secrets.

Yang Xiaobing stood next to He Yuzhu, leaning on his cane, and lowered his voice.

"Commander, this place is terrifying."

He Yuzhu ignored him and stared at the largest mound in the middle.

"dig."

The shovel made a dull thud when it went down.

Several soldiers took turns digging, throwing soil out and piling it into a small hill. After digging for half an hour, they reached the coffin lid. Old Lu jumped down, dug around with his hands, and suddenly stopped.

"Commander, it's empty."

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat.

He jumped down and shone his flashlight into the coffin. The lid was rotten, and when he shone the flashlight inside, it was empty. There was nothing there.

Old Lu's face flickered in and out of the light.

"Is the intelligence incorrect?"

Yang Xiaobing lay prone on the edge of the pit, sweeping his flashlight around.

"Could it be another grave?"

He Yuzhu didn't speak. He squatted down, staring at the empty coffin, his mind racing.

Where would someone like Tan Ming hide things?

He recalled what Tan Ming had said during the interrogation—"It's my ancestral grave in my hometown, the most conspicuous one."

Most conspicuous.

wrong.

He stood up and swept his flashlight across the graves. They were of various sizes, some collapsed, some still standing. He stopped when he reached the one at the very edge.

The grave wasn't large, but the tombstone was new, stood perfectly upright, and the words on it were still legible.

"that."

He pointed to the grave.

Old Lu was stunned for a moment.

"Commander, that's not the most conspicuous one."

He Yuzhu did not explain.

"dig."

They dug for another half hour.

This time, the shovel didn't go very deep before hitting something hard. Old Lu dug away the soil with his hands and revealed an iron box. It was square and rusted beyond recognition, with a lock on top that was completely rusted shut.

He Yuzhu picked up the box and weighed it in his hand.

Shen.

"Walk."

It was already the second night when I got back to Beijing.

Old Sun was waiting in the office, with lock-picking tools on the table. His eyes lit up when he saw the metal box.

"Is this it?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

Old Sun took it and used tools to pry open the lock. After prying for a while, with a click, the lock opened.

The lid was opened, revealing a stack of yellowed, neatly folded papers inside.

He took them out one by one.

When I took the first one, my hand paused for a moment.

When I took the second card, my knuckles started to turn white.

When he took the third card, he looked up at He Yuzhu. His lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

He Yuzhu took the stack of papers and looked at them one by one.

The Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Grain, and several other departments he didn't recognize. Their names were followed by their positions; some were already section chiefs.

He counted them.

Fifty-three people.

He put the list down and looked at Lao Sun.

Old Sun lit a cigarette, his hand trembling slightly.

"I had a meeting with him last month, and he offered me a cigarette."

He pointed to the name in the middle of the list.

He Yuzhu glanced at it but didn't say anything.

The operation lasted three days.

The first person arrested was a section chief from the Ministry of Transport. He was in a meeting when he was taken away. As he stood up, his teacup fell to the ground and shattered. Everyone in the meeting room froze, no one daring to move.

The second was a section chief from the grain bureau, who had just gotten home from get off work and was stopped at the door. His wife stood inside, holding a bowl of food, staring blankly, not reacting for a long time.

The third was an engineer from the Ministry of Industry, who was supervising production in the workshop. Upon seeing the newcomer, he dropped the wrench he was holding with a clatter. He didn't run or shout; he simply lowered his head and followed.

One after another, forty-nine in total.

One of them ran away.

After chasing him for two days, they finally caught him at the Tianjin dock. He ran towards the sea, intending to jump in, but Old Lu grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back. He lay on the concrete ground of the dock, panting heavily, as seawater washed over him, soaking his shoes.

He Yuzhu stood on the dock, looking at that person.

The man looked up and glanced at him.

He'd seen that look before. Hate, and something else.

the phone is ringing.

He Yuzhu answered the phone, and He Yushui was on the other end.

"elder brother!"

The voice was quite loud, and it was accompanied by laughter.

He Yuzhu held the microphone but didn't speak.

He Yushui said.

"The well in the yard is full again! There's been so much rain this year, it's almost overflowing. Uncle San says that this year the weather has been favorable, and the crops will have a bumper harvest."

He Yuzhu looked out the window.

It was pitch black outside the window, but I could hear the sound of rain, a soft, pattering sound.

"elder brother?"

He Yushui called out.

"Um."

"Your sister-in-law wants you to come home early. Nianhua can call you 'Dad' now."

He Yuzhu tightened his grip on the microphone.

"Did you call out?"

"Yes. She called out several times. You weren't here, so she was calling out to the photo."

He Yuzhu stood there without saying a word.

He remembered that photo. A family portrait; Qin Huairu was holding Nianhua, standing under the locust tree in the yard. Nianhua was still very small then, her eyes barely open.

He can say "Dad" now.

He Yushui waited for a while.

"elder brother?"

"understood."

He hung up the phone.

He stood there, listening to the busy tone on the microphone. After a while, he took the photo out of his inner pocket. The edges were frayed, and it had been soaked with sweat many times. He looked at the small face in the photo, his fingers gently stroking it.

The rain is still falling outside the window.

It was drizzling.

The door was pushed open.

When Old Sun came in, He Yuzhu had never seen the expression on his face before. It wasn't anger, nor excitement, but a deep worry weighing on his brow.

He handed me a telegram without saying a word.

He Yuzhu took it and glanced at it.

"Seven days until the test explosion. Weather forecast: Rain is possible on the day."

He pressed his hand on the paper.

The sound of rain outside the window suddenly increased, pattering against the glass.

He had just been looking at his daughter's picture, thinking about how she would call him "Dad." Now this piece of paper tells him that in seven days, fate might not be on his side.

He clutched the telegram in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

Looking out the window at the thick, impenetrable night.

"Seven days later."

He said in a low voice.

"God, please do me a favor."