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

A crisp knock on the door broke the afternoon's tranquility.

Li Jing'an put down the documents in his hand, looked up at the door, and said, "Come in."

The wooden door was gently pushed open, and Chen Qing peeked in first, a respectful smile on his face.

"Brother Li, did I disturb your work?"

Zhou Yufei was following behind him.

Li Jing'an was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting the two of them to come together. A gentle smile quickly appeared on his face as he stood up and greeted them, "Oh, it's Xiao Chen. What brings you here today? Come, come, have a seat, don't stand."

He gestured for the two to sit on the sofa opposite him, his tone natural and easygoing.

Li Jing'an walked around from behind the desk, casually took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one to Chen Qing.

Chen Qing quickly stepped forward, bent down and accepted the gift with both hands, his posture extremely respectful, and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

"How's it going, Xiao Chen? How are you settling back these past few days?" Li Jing'an asked casually.

"I'm used to it, I'm used to it!" Chen Qing nodded repeatedly, his tone full of gratitude. "Brother Li, I came here today specifically to thank you. Thank you for your trouble in transferring me back to the city from Huairou."

Li Jing'an waved his hand lightly, his tone indifferent: "No need to thank me, it's an arrangement by the organization, and also because you performed well. Is there anything else you're here for today?"

"Oh, it's like this, Brother Li." Chen Qing immediately came to his senses, took out a bulging envelope from his inner pocket, and handed it over with both hands. "Zhou Yufei asked you for a favor before, and she came to my house yesterday. I'm taking this opportunity to come and thank you as well."

Li Jing'an reached out and took the envelope. He felt its weight as soon as he squeezed it, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, showing a hint of surprise.

"This isn't right, is it? Why are there so many?"

He looked at Zhou Yufei with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Yufei didn't tell me this number. Did you take the wrong one?"

When Zhou Yufei was looked at by him, her cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head, gently clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, and remained silent.

Chen Qing quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "Hehe, Brother Li, I really feel bad about this, I don't know how to repay you. This is not only their small token of appreciation, but also my own little contribution, please don't refuse."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Li Jing'an shook his head slightly, a hint of displeasure on his face. "Do we need to go through all this trouble between us?"

"Brother Li, let's keep things separate. You've helped me so much, I won't feel at ease if I don't show my appreciation. Please accept this money." Chen Qing's tone was sincere and his attitude was firm.

Li Jing'an looked at him, and instantly understood everything.

This kid's got some skills. After spending a few months in Huairou, he's definitely become quite shrewd.

He smiled, no longer refusing, and casually put the envelope into the drawer: "Good, good, you've really improved a lot after these few months of training in Huairou. You have a bright future."

"Chen Qing, you must work hard after you come back this time. You are still young, quick-witted, and have a bright future ahead of you."

"Yes! Thank you, Brother Li! I will definitely remember your words!" Chen Qing immediately bowed deeply, his tone extremely respectful. "From now on, whether inside or outside the factory, if you ever need my help, just let me know, and I will do my best without hesitation!"

As he spoke, he noticed that Li Jing'an's cigarette was still unlit, so he quickly stepped forward, took out a box of matches from his pocket, struck one with a "snap," and carefully held it up to Li Jing'an.

The flames flickered slightly, illuminating Li Jing'an's calm profile.

He lowered his head, lit the fire, took a puff, slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke, looked at Chen Qing with satisfaction, and gently patted his shoulder.

"Good, good, you're sensible."

After offering a few more words of encouragement, Li Jing'an slowly said, "Alright, you can go back now. I have a couple more things to say to Xiao Zhou."

"Okay, okay!" Chen Qing quickly responded, nodding repeatedly. As he stood up, he looked at Zhou Yufei and said softly, "Yufei, I'll be going now. You can chat with Brother Li."

Zhou Yufei nodded slightly, but still didn't say anything.

Chen Qing left the office and gently closed the door.

The room fell silent instantly, leaving only the two of them.

Li Jing'an slowly took a drag of his cigarette, turned to look at Zhou Yufei sitting on the sofa, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, and gently waved to her.

"Come here, Yufei. I've got something cool to show you, hehehe."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A few days later, on the hillside of a secluded mountain in the suburbs of Huairou.

The mountain wind was like a knife, scraping painfully against one's face. The withered grass covering the mountain was blown flat on the ground, whistling loudly.

Looking around, the entire hillside was bare, with hardly any decent trees in sight. There were only a few clumps of low-lying brambles, huddled together in the wind, exuding an indescribable desolation.

This is the location of the Li family's cemetery.

Li Jing'an stood with his father in a flat mountain valley, his gaze slowly sweeping over the surroundings.

The long-buried memories slowly awakened. This land was acquired by my grandfather himself. It was quite large, and only my grandfather and grandmother were buried there.

Standing before the grave, Mr. Li's expression was filled with emotion. He turned to look at his son and said earnestly, "Jing'an, you've made something of yourself now, becoming a cadre in the city. I'm so happy for you. I've been thinking of fixing up your grandparents' graves. What do you think?"

Li Jing'an didn't reply immediately, but just silently looked at the land in front of him.

"We'll erect a monument for your grandfather, tidy up the grave, and plant a ring of trees around it to protect the feng shui. It's a token of our respect as his descendants," Mr. Li continued, his voice full of anticipation.

Li Jing'an frowned slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "Dad, let's not erect the monument yet. Things are tense right now; it'll be too conspicuous and cause gossip, which won't be good for my work. Planting trees is fine, though; it'll be discreet and we can still claim this land."

He knew better than anyone that a major storm was coming in a few years, and that erecting a monument and repairing a grave would only bring trouble upon himself.

Upon hearing that it would affect his son's future, Li's father immediately abandoned the idea of ​​erecting a monument, nodding repeatedly: "You're right, I was thinking too narrowly. Then we'll listen to you, no monument, just plant trees."

"Multiple locations. Just how big is this area?" Li Jing'an asked.

"It's more than two acres of land!" Mr. Li said with a hint of pride.

Li Jing'an's heart stirred slightly.

He originally thought it was just a small patch of graves, but he never expected it to be more than two acres.

An idea quickly took shape in his mind.

With land policies changing daily, he wasn't sure when everything would be taken over to the collective. But as long as he planted trees all over this land, even if the land became public property in the future, the trees growing on it would still be the private property of the Li family.

By then, the land would still be in the hands of the Li family.

With that thought in mind, Li Jing'an said firmly, "Then let's plant trees all over these two acres of land, leaving not a single one bare."

Mr. Li was taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "Huh? Plant so many? Is it really necessary? Just plant a dozen or so as a token gesture, that will suffice."

Li Jing'an didn't explain further, he just smiled faintly.

Just as the father and son were talking, footsteps suddenly came from down the mountain...