I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Li Jing'an walked along the uneven cobblestone path, occasionally kicking up loose bricks. The deeper he went, the dimmer the light became, and the makeshift houses were crammed together, making it difficult to breathe. Every door and window was tightly shut, with only the occasional sound of a child crying or an adult scolding escaping. Unable to identify which house belonged to Jiang Yuebai, he stood at the alley entrance and called out, "Comrade Jiang Yuebai, are you home?"

"Hey, coming!" A soft voice responded from the innermost darkness. Immediately afterwards, the curtain was lifted, and a slender figure peeked out.

Jiang Yuebai was wearing a faded blue cotton-padded jacket with frayed cuffs; her hair was tied in a simple bun, secured with a smooth wooden hairpin. Upon seeing Li Jing'an, a slightly awkward smile appeared on her face, and she quickly stepped aside to let him in: "Comrade Li, please come in."

"Hehe, I came here today to see your actual living conditions so I can report back to the factory," Li Jing'an said, following her across the threshold. A damp, musty smell mixed with a faint medicinal odor wafted over, and he subconsciously frowned.

The room was already small, and the addition of the roof further reduced the natural light, making it even darker and more cramped. Large water stains covered the walls, and green mold had even grown in the corners; the winter chill, mixed with dampness, seeped into the bones. The furnishings inside were extremely sparse: a wooden table with a missing leg propped up by bricks, and several low stools beside it, either with cracked seats or crooked legs. The only bed was a few planks pieced together, covered with a thin mattress, without even a decent quilt.

"Comrade Li, please have a seat." Jiang Yuebai was a little flustered. She quickly picked up the only stool in the house with an intact surface and no patches, carefully wiped it with her sleeve, and handed it over with both hands.

"Okay." Li Jing'an took the seat and sat down. As soon as he settled down, his gaze inadvertently swept to the bed and he suddenly stopped—it had been too dark in the room earlier, and he hadn't noticed that there was a small figure curled up on the bed, staring at him with big, dark eyes.

"This is my youngest daughter. Quickly, call her uncle." Jiang Yuebai greeted her gently when he saw that his daughter was awake.

"Uncle," the little girl called out timidly, her voice soft and sweet. After saying that, she quickly buried her head in the blanket, leaving only her eyes showing.

"Oh, that's a good child." Li Jing'an smiled and rubbed his nose. "How old is the child?"

"It's three years old." Jiang Yuebai responded softly, turned around and picked up a chipped rough porcelain bowl from the table, poured a bowl of warm water and handed it over, her face full of apology, "I'm really sorry, we don't have any decent cups at home, please make do with this water."

"It's alright, don't be so formal." Li Jing'an took the bowl, about to bring it to his lips, but suddenly stopped, looked up at Jiang Yuebai, and asked, "Comrade Jiang, I forgot to ask, what illness does your wife have?"

"It's pneumoconiosis, a disease I developed while supporting construction in southern Xinjiang." Jiang Yuebai's voice lowered, and a trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes.

"Oh, pneumoconiosis." Li Jing'an breathed a sigh of relief—secretly thankful it wasn't an infectious disease like tuberculosis—but outwardly feigned regret. "You must have had a hard time. By the way, where's your spouse? And your child? I haven't seen him."

"He went to the street to deliver the pasted matchboxes, and his eldest son went with him to lend a hand," Jiang Yuebai said, still standing to the side, twisting the hem of her clothes helplessly.

"Hey, Comrade Jiang, sit down too. Don't stand all the time, it's tiring." Li Jing'an said, suddenly grabbing Jiang Yuebai's hand and pulling her to a low stool next to him without saying a word.

Jiang Yuebai was weak and caught off guard, unable to break free from his grasp, and was forced to sit down by him. Her hands were slender and icy cold. After settling in, she forcefully pulled her hand away.

Jiang Yuebai sat to the side, a wave of panic washing over her. She stealthily glanced at Li Jing'an, only to be met with his undisguised gaze—a gaze filled with undisguised scrutiny and covetousness, like a poisoned needle, making her extremely uncomfortable. She quickly lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, unable to look any further.

"Comrade Jiang, your life has really been tough." Li Jing'an looked at her downcast eyes, his tone deliberately tinged with heartache. "You're a woman from the South, and you've traveled thousands of miles to Beijing with your husband, dragging him along on his sickbed, while also raising two children. You've really suffered. I can't bear to see women suffer, and seeing you like this breaks my heart."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Jiang Yuebai's hand again. Jiang Yuebai instinctively dodged to the side, and his hand missed its mark, instead resting on her leg. Jiang Yuebai stiffened and quickly moved her leg aside to avoid his touch.

Li Jing'an awkwardly withdrew his hand, feeling somewhat displeased but not wanting to go too far. He simply maintained his earnest tone: "Comrade Jiang, don't worry, I've seen and remembered your family's situation. When I get back, I'll definitely report your difficulties to the steel mill and try to secure you a place in the guesthouse so you can have a stable income."

"Thank you, Comrade Li." Jiang Yuebai kept her head down, her voice barely audible.

Li Jing'an was about to say something more when he suddenly heard footsteps and a child's voice outside. Then, two figures, one tall and one short, lifted the curtain and entered. The man was thin and pale, coughing as he carried a bundle; his older son followed behind, also carrying a small bag, his face red from the cold.

Jiang Yuebai seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, quickly stood up, walked briskly to the man's side, and introduced him softly: "Wang Shu, this is Comrade Li Jing'an, whom I told you about. He's a leader from the steel rolling mill and came here specifically to see us."

Xu Wangshu was stunned for a moment, then quickly put down the matchbox in his hand, stretched out his hands which were cracked from the cold, and smiled gratefully: "Comrade Li, hello, hello! I'm so sorry, I just went to the neighborhood office to hand in the matchboxes and came back late."

Li Jing'an also stood up, smiling as he reached out to shake hands with him, but quickly let go after a light touch, saying warmly, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just arrived too. I just came to check on things so I can report back to the factory."

"You've gone to so much trouble, making a special trip for our family." Xu Wangshu thanked her repeatedly, then coughed a few times, her face turning even paler.

"Oh, you're being too polite," Li Jing'an waved his hand. "I'm a People's Congress representative from Dongcheng District. Isn't my job to serve the people? Otherwise, what's the point of being a representative?"

"Yes, yes, you are a really good cadre," Xu Wangshu quickly echoed.

"By the way, how's your condition? Are you feeling any better lately?" Li Jing'an asked, feigning concern, but his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Jiang Yuebai beside him.

"Sigh, it's still the same old story. I get out of breath after just a little bit of activity and can't do any heavy work." Xu Wangshu sighed, his face full of helplessness.

"Then you must get some rest and not overwork yourself." Li Jing'an said, then looked at Jiang Yuebai with a direct gaze, "The first time I met Comrade Jiang, I felt she was a good woman; seeing her today, I understand even more deeply. A girl from the south, following you to this unfamiliar place, supporting this family, it's truly not easy."

"Yes, it's all thanks to her." Xu Wangshu looked at his wife, his eyes filled with guilt and gratitude. "If it weren't for her, our family would have fallen apart long ago."

"Comrade Jiang, don't worry, I'll take good care of you after you start working at the steel mill's guesthouse." Li Jing'an's words were pointed, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yuebai.

Jiang Yuebai kept her head down and only whispered "Thank you." Xu Wangshu quickly followed suit and thanked her as well.

Li Jing'an gave the couple a few more instructions, told them to come to him anytime they had any difficulties, and then got up to leave. The couple saw him to the front door and watched his figure disappear into the winding alley before turning back into their house.

As soon as she entered the room, Jiang Yuebai seemed to have a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, but her expression remained grave. She looked at Xu Wangshu and said softly, "Wangshu, I don't want to work at the steel mill anymore. Let's wait and see if the neighborhood committee has any other job opportunities, okay?"

Xu Wangshu paused for a moment, then understood his wife's thoughts—hadn't he noticed Li Jing'an's blatant covetous gaze? He just couldn't show it because the other was a "leader" who had come to help. He looked at his wife with concern and nodded: "Fine, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. We won't force you. We can always wait for another factory; we'll get through this."