Chapter 436 He Yushui's Wedding

Chen Zhihong stood in the middle of the courtyard, the corners of the guarantee in his hand already damp with sweat. He Yuzhu wasn't wearing a military uniform; his navy blue Zhongshan suit was buttoned up tightly, and he stared at him for five seconds.

"Zhihong, Yushui has been fatherless since she was little. If she suffers any injustice, tell me—" He Yuzhu paused, swallowed the rest of his sentence, and picked up the wine bowl on the table.

Chen Zhihong's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice tightening. "Brother, I can't guarantee it. But if I really do something reckless, you can break my legs, but I absolutely won't go to the hospital."

He Yuzhu didn't reply. He folded the guarantee in half, then in half again, stuffed it into the inner pocket of his Zhongshan suit, and patted it. "Keep it."

The courtyard wasn't large, with a few withered grasses growing in the cracks between the blue bricks. The red double happiness character was cut by Qin Huairu and He Nianhua last night and pasted on the window frame of the east wing. Too much paste had seeped down, leaving a white stain. He Yushui came out of the house, wearing a dark red cotton-padded jacket, not bright red—an old coat from last winter, washed twice, its color dull. Her hair was tied up, with a velvet flower tucked in it; the stem was broken and tied with black thread.

Qin Huairu removed a pair of jade bracelets from He Yushui's wrist. The bracelets had been worn on her wrist for almost ten years, and the insides were worn dark. They swayed precariously as they slipped onto He Yushui's thinner wrist.

"When Mom gave it to me, she said it was to be passed down to my daughter-in-law." Qin Huairu didn't look at her, but lowered her head and pushed the bracelet deeper into her wrist, only stopping it after two tries. "You've been with my brother for over ten years, and you haven't given him a single child—"

"Sister-in-law." He Yushui's throat felt like it was blocked by something.

"Here you go." Qin Huairu looked up, her eyes red, but she didn't let the tears fall. "I'll pay for Nianhua's future marriage separately."

He Nianhua stood at the door and shouted, "Mom, I'm only sixteen!"

No one laughed. He Yushui couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they streamed down her cheeks. Afraid of getting them on her new clothes, she tilted her head back and wiped them with the back of her hand.

There were about a dozen people standing in the courtyard. Yang Xiaobing leaned against the grape trellis, a cigarette dangling from his lips, the scar on his face darkening in the shade. Ma Yuejin squatted on the threshold, his face propped up by his hand, watching He Yushui wipe away her tears. Lin Jianguo stood next to Yang Xiaobing, holding a bulging red envelope in his hand—which he had later hidden under the cupboard when no one was looking.

Qin Huairu began serving dishes on the table. Braised pork, stewed chicken, scrambled eggs, stir-fried greens, cucumber salad, and peanuts—six plates in total. It wasn't a lavish spread, but the portions were generous. The liquor was Fenjiu, which He Yuzhu had bought from the research institute's cafeteria three days ago. It came in a three-jin (1.5 kg) white porcelain bottle, and the red cloth around the bottle's opening had been sealed with a candle to prevent leakage.

He Nianhua hung the firecrackers on the locust tree by the courtyard gate, striking three matches before finally lighting them. The fuse hissed for two seconds before exploding. Red paper scraps flew up, landing on the blue brick ground, on He Yuzhu's shoulder, and on Qin Huairu's hair. He Yushui covered her ears and shrank into Chen Zhihong's arms. Chen Zhihong shielded her head with one hand, leaving a red dot on the back of his hand.

After the firecrackers stopped, the courtyard was filled with the smell of sulfur. He Yuzhu picked up a wine bottle and poured a full bowl for Chen Zhihong.

"To you."

Chen Zhihong held the bowl with both hands. "Brother, I'd like to toast you."

The two men clinked bowls together. He Yuzhu downed his drink in one gulp, the bowl empty. Chen Zhihong also downed his, choking and bending over, coughing several times. He Yushui tugged at his sleeve from below, whispering, "Drink slowly." Chen Zhihong waved his hand, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

Yang Xiaobing brought over a bowl of wine and toasted Chen Zhihong. "Engineer Chen, from now on, you'll be a family member of the research institute. Just let me know if you need anything."

Chen Zhihong wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth. "Captain Yang, please don't be so polite."

Ma Yuejin leaned closer, but before he could speak, He Yushui glared at him. Ma Yuejin swallowed back the words he was about to say and instead said, "Engineer Chen, eat more vegetables, eat more vegetables."

Old Sun walked over to He Yuzhu with his wine glass and lowered his voice. "I had someone send fifty yuan to Jia Dongxu. Yu Li accepted it without letting him know. She said, 'I'm happy for Yushui.'"

He Yuzhu didn't say anything and drank the rest of the wine in his bowl.

After a few rounds of drinks, the sun moved from the rooftop to the courtyard wall. He Nianhua was helping his mother pick vegetables at the kitchen door when Qin Huairu, with flour on her fingers, smeared some on He Nianhua's face. He Nianhua tried to dodge, but couldn't.

Chen Zhihong's parents didn't come. When He Yushui toasted, she bypassed the empty seat, and no one mentioned it.

Lin Jianguo stood up, patted his trouser legs, and said he had something to do in the yard and would be leaving first. He walked to the door, glanced back at He Yushui, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything, and pushed the door open and went out.

He Yushui carried the wine bowl and went from table to table offering toasts. When she toasted He Yuzhu, her hand trembled, and a few drops of wine spilled from the bowl and landed on the table.

"Brother, I—"

"Stop talking." He Yuzhu took the bowl from her and downed it in one gulp. "Just live a good life."

He Yushui's tears welled up again. This time, she couldn't hold back; her shoulders heaved as she sobbed. Qin Huairu ran out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula, and pulled her into the house.

Chen Zhihong stood in the middle of the courtyard, at a loss. He looked at He Yuzhu, wanting to follow him in, but dared not move.

He Yuzhu lit a cigarette and took a drag. "Let her cry. She'll be fine after she's cried."

Chen Zhihong stood there for a while, then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and offered it to He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu waved his hand. "I don't smoke."

Chen Zhihong tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

The light in the courtyard began to dim, casting long shadows. Yang Xiaobing, his face flushed from drinking, was helped away by Ma Yuejin. Old Sun left early, saying he needed to go back and handle some documents. He Nianhua cleared away the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash.

He Yushui came out of the house, her eyes swollen and tears still clinging to her eyelashes. Chen Zhihong walked over and tried to hug her, but she pushed him away. "You've had too much to drink."

"I didn't do much." Chen Zhihong stood there, unsure of what to do with his hands.

He Yuzhu stood up, buttoned up his Zhongshan suit, and walked to the courtyard gate. He glanced back—He Yushui was wiping her eyes with her sleeve, and Chen Zhihong looked down at the pair of dangling jade bracelets on her wrists. Qin Huairu was washing pots and pans in the kitchen, the water splashing loudly. He Nianhua was squatting in the yard, gathering firecracker debris into a pile.

The old jeep stopped at the entrance of the alley. He got in, started the engine, and the headlights came on, illuminating the bumpy road ahead.

In the rearview mirror, the courtyard gate was closed, and the half of the red double happiness character on the threshold was blown up by the wind.

He pulled out the guarantee written by Chen Zhihong from his inner pocket, glanced at the creases without opening it, and stuffed it back in. The paper was stacked together with Qin Huairu's letter and He Nianhua's report card.

He shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and the car turned out of the alley and merged into the main road. Winter nights fall early; the streetlights weren't on yet, but all the cars on the road had their lights on. He held the steering wheel with one hand, the other resting on the window sill, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

Yang Xiaobing once said that the human heart is harder to guard against than technology. But at this moment, he wasn't thinking about technology, nor about the human heart. He was thinking about Chen Zhihong standing helplessly in the middle of the courtyard when He Yushui was crying. He looked alright, though.