Chapter Five: The Idler of the Courtyard

According to official regulations, within thirty days of discharge, veterans must report to the local placement office or the People's Armed Forces Department in the area where they enlisted to process their paperwork.

Three days after returning to the city, Cheng Kaiyan set out early in the morning, carrying his letter of introduction, discharge papers, and Xu Yuxiu’s monthly bus pass.

Once he left the alleyway, the snow on the main road had already been cleared, leaving only piles of slush mixed with leaves and plastic debris along the curbside. He walked a few steps to the bus stop.

It was Monday morning, rush hour. Many people were clutching their briefcases, craning their necks in anticipation, with everyone from the elderly to the young ready to scramble for a seat. Cheng Kaiyan opened a small blue booklet—the monthly bus pass. It had his mother’s photo pasted inside and was marked for municipal employees. Worried about being caught, he had taken a headshot of himself and kept his thumb over the original photo. The pass was strictly for the owner’s use; if he were caught, it would be confiscated. Moreover, these passes were notoriously difficult to obtain. From the last day of each month until the night of the third, the sales office was always packed with an endless stream of people. Waiting in line for hours was both time-consuming and a major inconvenience.

"Beep, beep, beep!"

The blue-and-white trolleybus, affectionately nicknamed "The Big Braid," arrived right on schedule. Seeing it, Cheng Kaiyan sprinted. He had learned his lesson while wandering around the day before; if you didn't fight for a spot, you wouldn't get on, and he had been forced to walk all the way back.

Cheng Kaiyan was tall and had kept up his military training. With a wide sweep of his hands, he pushed through the dense crowd, successfully boarding the bus amidst the complaints and shoves of other passengers.

"Ouch! Don't push! You stepped right out of my shoe! The Year of the Pig hasn't even arrived yet, why are you out here rooting around like a boar?" An elderly woman in front had her shoe stepped on in the chaos and cursed at the top of her lungs.

The elderly man behind her didn't hold back either. "The Year of the Dog has long passed, why is there still a dog barking?"

"You've got some nerve! You look just like a lamp!"

Cheng Kaiyan sat on the bus, amused by the verbal sparring. An outsider wouldn't even understand what they were insulting each other about.

The trolleybus swayed as it traveled along, and before he knew it, he had reached his destination. He spent the entire morning taking care of his discharge procedures.

On his way home at noon, he passed the street outside Xinjiekou and bought two skewers of traditional Beijing candied hawthorns to take home for little Zhan Xinyu. Mostly, it was because he couldn't afford anything else; he only had ten yuan in his pocket.

Passing by the gate of Beijing Normal University, Cheng Kaiyan saw Auntie Zhao from the western wing of his courtyard standing at the entrance. He walked over and asked, "Auntie Zhao?"

"Kaiyan? What brings you here? Looking for Ruixue?" Auntie Zhao turned around. Seeing it was Cheng Kaiyan from her own courtyard, her eyes darted around as she asked.

Auntie Zhao was at the university to see her daughter, Zhao Ruixue. Over the weekend, Ruixue hadn't come home, as she was busy with her classmates preparing for an English poetry recital. Devoted to her daughter, Auntie Zhao had woken up early that morning to boil a pot of traditional Beijing carrot and lamb soup, bringing it to the school at noon.

"Not really, just passing by on some business. Are you here to bring soup to Ruixue?" Cheng Kaiyan glanced at the vintage red insulated container in her hand and smiled. "They say people are still stuck in feudal ways, favoring boys over girls. But you—you're a pioneer in breaking down feudal traditions, favoring the girl over the boy, aren't you?"

Hearing this playful remark, Auntie Zhao couldn't help but chuckle.

"You bet. Ruixue is the most promising one in our family. Have you eaten? Why don't you come in and have some? Look, this is authentic Beijing carrot and lamb soup! It’s delicious. Why don't you come in and see Ruixue while you're at it?"

"I'm heading home to eat, I won't trouble you," Cheng Kaiyan said, waving his hand as he turned to leave. A single bowl wouldn't even be enough for a few gulps; Auntie Zhao would just end up complaining.

Auntie Zhao shook her head as she watched him walk away. For the past few days, Cheng Kaiyan hadn't stepped out of the house. Everyone in the courtyard saw him lounging in the sun the moment they got home from work; he was more relaxed than a retired grandfather. People were already starting to gossip, giving him the nickname "The Idler of the Courtyard."

"That boy probably didn't get a job assignment and just came back like that. Jobs are so hard to find these days. No matter how much his discharge pay is, it's not as secure as an iron rice bowl, is it? Is he really going to just sit at home and live off his parents?"

With that thought, Auntie Zhao shook her head and stopped dwelling on it. It wasn't her child, so why worry?

After waiting for a while under the teaching building, the bell rang. She finally saw some familiar faces: her daughter and her roommates.

"Wait for me, Ruixue!"

"You're in such a rush, are you off to see a boyfriend?"

"Let's go to the Xinhua Bookstore! I hear the new edition of world literature is out! Ruixue, is *War and Peace*, which you mentioned, really that good? Can you lend it to me once you're done?"

A group of female college students with long braids, holding books and wearing the vibrant smiles of youth, walked out of the classroom. A tall, thin girl with olive skin wearing a military overcoat was the most striking among them. Hearing her roommates' teasing, Zhao Ruixue gave a light huff.

"You're the one who's looking for a boyfriend! My mom is here. That book is excellent—it is one of the world's top ten classics, after all. Centered on the Patriotic War, it reflects major historical events from 1805 to 1820. The author interweaves the two lives of 'war' and 'peace,' creating a panoramic, encyclopedic epic. The fundamental theme of *War and Peace* is to affirm the just resistance of the Russian people during the war and to praise their patriotism and heroism. The author opposes war and expresses deep sympathy for the suffering of all sides. It gives us great inspiration even now; our counterattack in self-defense against Vietnam was entirely correct..."

Zhao Ruixue spoke eloquently, and the girls around her listened with great interest. She was one of the top students in their class.

"Ji Qinglan, that book was lent to Ruixue by Song Jianchun. Ruixue has to return it after she's done. Besides, it's in pure English. Can you even read it?" teased Zhang Chun, a girl with braided hair and glasses.

"Tu Manman, are you trying to undermine me on purpose? So what if my English is poor? We are college students! We must fully embody the spirit of fearing no hardship or setbacks! We must study diligently and tirelessly to absorb knowledge and contribute to the country!" Ji Qinglan retorted indignantly, raising her fist righteously.

Zhao Ruixue looked helpless. "Alright, alright, let's go. We have the English poetry rehearsal this afternoon. Have you all memorized the sections you chose? The competition starts on Friday!"

"Uh... not yet," the group awkwardly admitted, shaking their heads.

They walked up to Auntie Zhao and immediately became well-behaved, greeting her in unison.

"Hello, everyone! Have you all eaten?"

"We were just about to go eat. Goodbye, Auntie."

As the others left, Zhao Ruixue took her mother to an empty classroom to eat and chat.

"By the way, Cheng Kaiyan from the Cheng family is back," Auntie Zhao said suddenly, wanting to gauge her daughter's reaction.

"Is that so?" Zhao Ruixue looked up, surprised.

"Yes, he's been back for a few days. I just saw him outside the school a moment ago. Do you think he came here to find you?" Auntie Zhao muttered.

"What are you thinking? I haven't seen Cheng Kaiyan in years, we haven't even exchanged letters. How could he be here for me?" Zhao Ruixue shook her head, finding the suggestion from her mother absurd.

"I'm just giving you a heads-up. Even though Cheng Kaiyan came back with a commendation, he didn't get a job assignment. He's just idling at home all day now. You mustn't be like before..." Auntie Zhao looked at her daughter. There were no secrets between them. She knew her daughter had once had a crush on him. If things were as they had been before, Auntie Zhao might have thought the match was decent. But things were different now—her daughter was a top student at a prestigious university and destined to be a leader. How could she be with someone who...

"The past is in the past. I just want to focus on my studies now," Zhao Ruixue said with a frown. She wasn't a fool; she understood what her mother was implying. Still, she decided she would go home this weekend to see what the situation was. She was no longer the naive, ignorant girl she once was, but the flutter of her heart from back then still felt vivid when she recalled it. Moreover, as her mother said, Cheng Kaiyan was only a high school graduate and currently unemployed. Perhaps it was the lingering memory of a "white moonlight" that made her feel this way; she didn't view him as a vagrant, nor did she look down on him. She truly hoped he could find a good job and live well. She only felt that, as a college student, her primary goal was her education.

"Comrade Zhao Ruixue? You're here? And Auntie is here too!"

Just as Zhao Ruixue was lost in thought, a young man in a leather jacket walked over with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Comrade Song Jianchun?"