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

The next evening, the sky was as gloomy as a piece of gray cloth soaked in water, and fine, cold snowflakes began to fall from the sky, landing on my face with a bone-chilling cold.

Li Jing'an parked his bicycle at the entrance of the alley, locked it, and slowly strolled to the front of the Xu family's dark and damp little house. A smell mixed with coal smoke, dampness, and the aroma of food wafted out.

"Leader Li is here!"

Xu Wangshu hurriedly came out of the house to greet him, his face, which was purple from the cold, was covered with a humble yet nervous smile, and his body was slightly hunched over, as if he was ready to bow at any moment.

Li Jing'an twitched his nose slightly, deliberately feigning surprise: "Hmm? It smells so good! What delicious food did you make today?"

"Since you're coming, I went to get some meat early this morning. I have to make sure you have a simple meal here," Xu Wangshu said with a careful, apologetic smile.

Li Jing'an immediately straightened his face, frowned, waved his hand, and put on an upright demeanor: "What are you doing! I'm just serving the people, it's what I should do, no need to be so polite."

His gaze shifted, landing directly on the cramped, makeshift kitchen by the door, from which the aroma was wafting.

"It smells so good, I need to learn how to cook from Comrade Jiang. Comrade Xu, you should go back inside, it's cold outside."

Before Jiang Yuebai could turn around, Li Jing'an bent down and went straight into the kitchen.

The kitchen was so small that it could barely accommodate one person turning around. As soon as he came in, he was almost pressed tightly against Jiang Yuebai's back, his chest against her thin back, and his warm breath sprayed onto the tips of her ears.

Jiang Yuebai froze, terrified, but in the cramped space, she had nowhere to hide. She could only grip the spatula tightly, her fingertips turning white.

Li Jing'an's lips were close to her ear, his voice low and ambiguous, making it unclear whether he was talking about the food or about her:

"Comrade Jiang, it smells delicious!"

Jiang Yuebai trembled with fear. The spatula clattered against the side of the pot. She dared not scream or make a sound, and could only plead in an almost inaudible voice:

"Leader Li, please go inside and wait... the food will be ready soon..."

"What's wrong?" Li Jing'an chuckled softly, his tone flippant and unrestrained. "Aren't you going to pass on this skill yet?"

"No... please leave now..."

"Hehe, I'll definitely give it a good try later."

Li Jing'an chuckled and, before leaving, deliberately blew a soft breath into her ear.

Jiang Yuebai trembled all over, her legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand up.

Back inside, Xu Wangshu quickly poured Li Jing'an a bowl of hot water and handed it to him with both hands.

Li Jing'an glanced around casually and immediately noticed a bottle of cheap Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) on the corner of the table. His face immediately showed a reproachful expression:

"Comrade Xu, what are you doing? Having a meal is troublesome enough, why are you buying alcohol? This money is enough for your whole family to eat for two days!"

"I don't have the means to buy good wine, please bear with me..." Xu Wangshu's voice was even lower.

Li Jing'an shook his head, looking at him with a disappointed expression: "I don't even know what to say about you."

Soon, four dishes were served: stir-fried pork, braised pork with cabbage, potatoes, and radishes.

This was a rare treat for the Xu family, even during the Lunar New Year. However, the two children had been repeatedly warned beforehand, so they only dared to keep their heads down, shoveling rice into their mouths and picking at the cheapest potatoes and radishes, not daring to touch a single piece of meat. Their eyes were clearly gleaming with desire, but they stubbornly resisted, not even daring to look up.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

After hesitating for a long time, Xu Wangshu finally mustered up her courage and spoke in a trembling voice:

"Director Li... what exactly is going on with Yuebai's file?"

Li Jing'an put down his chopsticks, his face darkened, and he deliberately put on a very troubled expression:

"Sigh, this is really troublesome. I had to ask several people to figure it out today—Comrade Jiang is from out of town, and the factory is still discussing whether to hire him. It's almost the end of the year and there's a lot going on, so the leaders are too busy to take care of him. That's why we're stuck."

"Then...when will we get a result?" Xu Wangshu asked anxiously, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

"I can't say for sure," Li Jing'an said casually, effectively blocking the way.

Xu Wangshu gritted her teeth, completely abandoning all dignity, and humbly probed:

"Director Li... is it... that we should send something to the factory leaders...?"

Li Jing'an slammed his hand on the table, his face hardening as he sternly reprimanded:

"Old Xu! What kind of people do you take the leaders of the steel rolling mill for? They are all seasoned revolutionary comrades, wholeheartedly devoted to production and construction. How can you think of the organization like that!"

"My fault, my fault..." Xu Wangshu was so frightened that she quickly lowered her head and admitted her mistake. "Leader Li, you know my family's situation. The relief will not last long. If my wife doesn't find a job, we won't be able to get through the New Year..."

Li Jing'an looked at his desperate appearance.

"I know about your situation, and I will do my best to help Comrade Jiang."

He paused, then spoke clearly, word by word:

"Alright then, Comrade Jiang, wait for me at the entrance of the steel rolling mill tomorrow morning."

As soon as he finished speaking, his left hand unexpectedly landed directly on Jiang Yuebai's leg under the table.

Jiang Yuebai trembled violently, her face turning deathly pale. Her breath caught in her throat, and she froze. She dared not scream, and could only twist her leg slightly, trying to dodge.

He picked up his wine glass, slowly swirled it, and looked at Xu Wangshu with a playful gaze:

"Old Xu, you are truly enviable, having such a beautiful, virtuous, and devoted wife."

After he finished speaking, he repeated it again, as if announcing or commanding:

"That's settled then. Tomorrow morning, Comrade Jiang Yuebai will come to the steel rolling mill to see me, and I'll take her to the personnel department to see the leaders, okay?"

Xu Wangshu, as if grasping at the last straw, nodded hurriedly:

"Thank you so much, Leader Li! Thank you so much!"

"Um."

Li Jing'an responded indifferently, his gaze returning to Jiang Yuebai with an oppressive air.

Jiang Yuebai's body stiffened, her throat tightened, and she could only lower her head and utter two words with difficulty in an almost inaudible voice:

"……Thanks."

Jiang Yuebai felt like she was sitting on pins and needles during the meal.

Li Jing'an's hands were restlessly rubbing, kneading, and rubbing under the table.

(Before going to sleep, I kept thinking how awful what I wrote today was, so I got up in the middle of the night to revise this chapter.)