Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

Jia Dongming smiled, took a key from his keychain, and handed it over: "The rooms here are fully furnished with furniture and daily necessities. You can stay in whichever room you like."

These past two days, her mother's illness has made her see Yan Jiecheng's heartlessness and made her experience the coldness of human relationships.

Only Jia Dongming, like a lamp suddenly lit in the night, reached out to her time and time again.

Looking at that key, the grievances of the past few days suddenly welled up in my heart.

Yu Li's nose stung with tears, and she suddenly threw herself into Jia Dongming's arms, her voice choked with sobs: "Brother Dongming... if I hadn't met you, I really don't know what I would have done... Thank you, really..."

Jia Dongming felt a pang of pity when she lunged at him.

He gently patted her back and whispered comforting words: "As the old saying goes, a tree dies when it's moved, but a person thrives."

Let bygones be bygones.

Regardless, we must always look forward; there will always be new hope.

Over the past two days, Jia Dongming's care has made Yu Li unconsciously develop a dependence on him.

Hearing his gentle words of comfort, she gradually stopped sobbing, looked up, and said again, "Brother Dongming, thank you."

At this moment, their bodies were pressed tightly together. Yu Li's body was soft and warm, and one could feel its delicacy even through her clothes.

Jia Dongming's breathing faltered slightly, and his body reacted involuntarily.

But he was not the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in distress.

Composing himself, Jia Dongming gently released his grip on her arms and changed the subject, trying to keep his tone natural: "Yu Li, now that you and Yan Jiecheng are divorced, what are your plans for the future?"

Yu Li didn't immediately let go of his waist. Instead, she gently rested her face on his shoulder, her eyes looking lost: "I don't know either... Let's take it one step at a time. We have to take care of our current life first."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming suddenly remembered the letter that Director Liu had given him during lunch at the textile factory.

He hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, I'll go get a winter drink."

Yu Li then realized that she was still leaning against him, her face flushed red, she hurriedly let go, lowered her head, and unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingertips.

Jia Dongming walked quickly to the bicycle and took an envelope from the briefcase hanging on the handlebars.

Upon opening it, it turned out not to be an apprentice's letter of introduction, but a formal job offer letter.

He walked back to Yu Li with the letter in his hand. Seeing that she was still looking down and didn't dare to look at him, he couldn't help but smile: "Director Liu of the textile factory treated us to lunch today and gave me this along the way."

Huairu already has a job, and there's no one else in my family who needs to be arranged for the time being—you can use this letter.

I hope that starting from Mingtian, you can have a fresh start.

Yu Li was stunned, almost unable to believe her ears.

She looked up, her eyes wide as she stared at Jia Dongming: "Brother Dongming... what did you just say? Could you... say it again?"

Jia Dongming handed her the letter of introduction, his tone gentle: "This is the textile factory's offer letter. Mingtian, you can take it directly to complete the formalities this morning."

Yu Li took the thin piece of paper, her fingertips trembling slightly, but she still reminded him, "But a job can sell for five or six hundred yuan these days... Brother Dongming, are you really going to give it to me?"

Jia Dongming waved his hand, looking nonchalant: "Five or six hundred sounds like a lot, but for me, it's just two or three months' salary."

Anyway, no one at home needs it urgently, so you can keep it.

Her once closest husband, Yan Jiecheng, would haggle with her over a few dollars, while her neighbor, Jia Dongming, who lived just a wall away, repeatedly reached out to help her when she fell into despair, and now gently placed a respectable job in front of her.

Yu Li's eyes welled up slightly, and a surge of warm heat welled up in her chest.

She tilted her head back, her gaze as soft as spring water reflecting Jia Dongming's features. Her fingertips unconsciously crept up his shoulders and neck, her voice as light as a feather: "Brother Dongming... take me."

That gaze was so intense, it made Jia Dongming's heart soften.

But he was not the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in distress.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and said with deliberate seriousness, "Yu Li, I'm helping you because I can't stand Yan Jiecheng's behavior, not because I want anything from you."

Don't make decisions you'll regret later just because you're grateful in the moment.

Yu Li shook her head, gently pressing her cheek against his neck, her breath warm: "I wasn't acting impulsively... Brother Dongming, let me go with you, okay?"

The last thread of reason snapped quietly with that whisper.

Without saying another word, Jia Dongming picked her up in his arms and turned to walk into the inner room.

The sun outside the window moved quietly.

More than an hour later, Yu Li curled up on the pillow, her cheeks flushed with a rosy blush, and her eyes were still clouded with a layer of mist that had not yet dissipated.

She savored the lingering, unfamiliar yet turbulent aftershocks within her body, and couldn't help but murmur, "So... this is good."

Jia Dongming pulled her closer to him, chuckling softly as he asked, "How do I compare to Yan Jiecheng?"

Upon hearing that name, a clear look of disgust flashed across Yu Li's eyes.

She recalled those hasty and fleeting nights from the past, and a sneer involuntarily appeared on her lips: "Him? He's not even worthy of carrying your shoes."

These words were like a spark, suddenly igniting something.

Jia Dongming rolled over, casting her into his shadow, his laughter tinged with a hint of hoarseness: "You've been holding back for the past two years, haven't you? Today I'll let you taste what real flavor is all about."

The room was soon filled with soft, intermittent sounds again, mixed with the suppressed swaying of the bed frame, until the sun began to set.

It was nearly dusk when Jia Dongming left.

Yu Li lay sprawled among the messy bedding, feeling as if all the bones in her body had been removed, too lazy to even move her fingertips.

She gazed at the gradually darkening roof beams, a smile curving her lips as she softly scolded, "So reckless... you almost broke someone's body."

She lay there for a while before finally managing to sit up.

When I went into the outer room, I immediately saw some tickets and change on the round table.

Upon closer inspection, a brand-new bicycle ticket was found hidden under the grain coupons and meat coupons.

Yu Li was stunned.

She clutched the thin stack of papers, and tears rolled down her cheeks without warning.

A deep, warm current flowed from my heart to my limbs—a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a long time, like a ship finally reaching shore, no longer tossed about by the wind and waves.

These days, divorced women have almost no options.

Even if life is tough, who doesn't grit their teeth and persevere? When she came out of the neighborhood office in the early morning, all she could see was a hazy fog, as if for the next few decades she could only make do with marrying a disabled, an old, or some other kind of incomplete person.

But she didn't expect that fate would take a slight turn at this moment.

Jia Dongming's appearance was like a lamp suddenly lit up in the night.

It doesn't need to be very bright, but it's enough to illuminate the path ahead and warm the heart that had long been frozen.

The next morning around 7 a.m., Yu Li woke up under an unfamiliar roof beam.

After a moment of stunned silence, memories of yesterday flooded back into my mind.

There was no fear, nor confusion.

She lay quietly for a while, then suddenly spoke softly into the air:

"Yu Li... From now on, you will no longer have to put up with other people's attitudes just to get an extra bite of pickled vegetables."

Before the first rays of dawn had completely dispelled the thin mist in the alley, Yu Li had already locked the courtyard gate.

The "click" of the key turning in the lock.

The sound was crisp and clear, like a small period, marking the end of an old chapter.

Clutching a few coins in her hand, she walked with a much lighter step than usual toward the bus stop at the alley entrance.

As I passed by that familiar breakfast stall, the steam rising from the steamer carried the aroma of noodles and meat fillings, filling the cool air with a warm and comforting fragrance.

She paused, and almost instinctively turned around and lifted the heavy cotton curtain.

The shop was noisy, so she found a seat against the wall and ordered two large, hearty meat buns and a bowl of piping hot soy milk.

The steamed buns have thin skins and generous fillings; with one bite, the rich juices melt on the tongue. The unique sour and salty taste of the fermented soybean juice, with its slightly fermented aroma, is also particularly comforting to the stomach.

After finishing her meal, she quietly packed another portion to go.

The air in the People's Hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

When Yu Li entered the ward carrying that inconspicuous cloth bag, her younger sister Yu Haitang was staring blankly by the window. Upon hearing the noise, she immediately turned around.

"sister!"

Yu Haitang's eyes lit up for a moment, then confusion returned. "Why are you like this today...?"

Before she could finish speaking, her small nose twitched, like an alert little animal, and her gaze immediately locked onto the cloth bag in Yu Li's hand. "It smells like meat! Sister, you brought meat buns?"

Yu Li walked to her mother's bedside, gently placed the bag on the bedside table, and a rare, relaxed smile curved her lips. "Your nose... is it like a puppy's?"

She teased her sister first, then leaned down to look at her mother, her voice softening, "Mom, how are you feeling today? I brought some food, please eat it while it's hot."

Yu's mother, lying in the hospital bed, was still pale, but her eyes were clear and bright.

She looked at her eldest daughter and keenly sensed something different.

The lingering melancholy between her brows seemed to have faded, and even her tone of voice became more relaxed.

She felt a slight sense of relief and said weakly, "I'm much better... I'm sorry to have tired you out these past two days."

"What are you saying?"

Yu Li unscrewed the jar of soy milk, and wisps of steam rose up.

Yu Haitang couldn't wait any longer and rushed to the bag. When she saw that there was more than one bun inside, her eyes widened in surprise: "Sister, you bought so many? How much did this cost... Brother-in-law..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly remembered something, and her voice stopped abruptly. She cautiously glanced at her sister's expression.

Yu Li paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the spoon, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable resolve: "From now on, don't mention that person again."

Yu Haitang immediately pursed her lips and nodded obediently.

However, Yu's mother, lying in the hospital bed, sensed something was amiss. The cold, distant tone in her daughter's words made her heart clench.

She sighed, her brows furrowed with self-blame and exhaustion: "Xiaoli, it's all my fault... If my health hadn't been so poor, you two wouldn't be in this situation..."

"mom,"

Yu Li interrupted her mother, her voice gentle yet firm, "This has nothing to do with you."

It was my own fault for not seeing people clearly back then.

It's a good thing we can see things clearly now, really.

She scooped up a spoonful of the perfectly warm soy milk and gently brought it to her mother's lips. "You, just focus on getting better and don't think about anything else."

After feeding her mother breakfast and carefully wiping the corners of her mouth, Yu Li glanced at the clock on the wall.

She called Haitang to the corridor outside the ward, took out two neatly folded yuan coins, a few grain coupons, and a particularly precious meat coupon from her pocket, and stuffed them into her sister's hand.

"Keep this money and ticket safe. Go to the cafeteria at noon and get Mom a nutritious meal. Don't be stingy."

Yu Haitang stared blankly at the tickets in her hand, still warm from her sister's touch: "Sister, why are you giving me this? Aren't you going to keep it for yourself?"

A sliver of bright sunlight streamed through the window at the end of the corridor, illuminating Yu Li's serene profile.

She paused for a moment, her gaze fixed on the blurry outline of rooftops in the distance outside the window, her voice low but clear:

"Haitang, I've divorced him."

From this day forward, I have absolutely no connection with the Yan family.

"What?!"

Yu Haitang gasped, her eyes widening instantly, and she couldn't help but raise her voice, "You and my sister—you and Yan Jiecheng divorced?!"

Yu Li quickly reached out and gently covered her sister's mouth.

Her palms were dry and warm, and her eyes held a hint of warning, as well as a sense of relief and calm.

"Keep your voice down."

She whispered, "Mom's still inside."

Upon being asked this, Yu Haitang remembered her mother still lying in the hospital room. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to ask, "Sister, how could you really divorce Yan Jiecheng? How will you manage on your own from now on?"

When Yu Li walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau yesterday, she felt completely lost, as if the road ahead was shrouded in fog and she couldn't see it clearly.

But at that very moment, she met Jia Dongming—just that one meeting, and everything that followed suddenly became clear.