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

Office on the third floor of the guesthouse

Tap, tap tap.

A slow, deliberate knock on the door pulled Li Jing'an from his sleep. He groggily opened his eyes and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who is it?"

A woman's voice came from outside the door, tinged with a hint of caution: "It's me, Caixia."

Li Jing'an turned his head, reached for his watch from the bedside, and brought it to his eyes—it was already eight o'clock.

He mumbled a reply, "Coming..." Then he threw off the rumpled towel covering him, revealing that he was only wearing a pair of loose shorts and slippers, and slowly moved to the door.

The door opened a crack. Wang Caixia glanced down and saw that Li Jing'an's shorts were stretched taut, looking like they were about to burst from their already loose fit. She quickly glanced at the empty corridor behind her, squeezed into the room, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Li Jing'an yawned, then swayed back onto the cot and buried his face in the pillow.

"Brother Li... are you hungry? Shall I go to the cafeteria to get you breakfast?" Wang Caixia stood by the door, her voice soft and gentle.

"Hmm..." Li Jing'an closed his eyes and hummed a syllable through his nose as a response.

Wang Caixia picked up the enamel lunchbox with red lettering on it from the table, tiptoed out, and carefully closed the door again.

The room returned to silence. Li Jing'an dawdled for a while before finally getting up, stretching, and slowly beginning his washing up.

After he hastily splashed some cold water on his face and brushed his teeth a few times, Wang Caixia returned with her lunchbox.

Breakfast was very simple: two steamed buns, a bowl of rice porridge so thin you could see your reflection in it, and a small dish of dark, shredded pickled vegetables.

Li Jing'an sat behind his desk, eating heartily. Wang Caixia, on the other hand, busied herself like a spinning top: neatly rolling up the bedding he had slept in and stuffing it into the metal filing cabinet in the corner; she folded up the cot and stood it against the wall; then she picked up a broom and swept up the cigarette butts that Li Jing'an had thrown all over the floor the night before.

After Li Jing'an finished the last mouthful of porridge and lit a cigarette with satisfaction, Wang Caixia came over to prepare to pack up the lunchbox and wash it.

As she approached the table, Li Jing'an, who had been holding a cigarette, didn't move his other hand, but suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed her plump buttocks hard.

Wang Caixia froze, too afraid to move, the pain causing her lips to twitch.

Li Jing'an exhaled a puff of smoke, squinted, and a mocking smile played on his lips as he lowered his voice and asked, "Hey, last night... your husband didn't find out anything, did he?"

"No...no," Wang Caixia said, her head bowed, her voice barely audible. "We...didn't do anything yesterday."

"Oh?" Li Jing'an deliberately dragged out his words, his fingers fidgeting restlessly a couple of times. "Then let me ask you, what if one day, your partner suddenly discovers that their ten-square-meter little house has become a hundred square meters..."

Wang Caixia's face immediately turned a deep purplish-red. She stood there awkwardly, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, stammering and unable to answer a single word.

Seeing her like this, Li Jing'an seemed quite satisfied, then laughed and released her hand: "Alright, go ahead."

Wang Caixia felt as if she had been granted a pardon, quickly picked up her lunchbox, and hurried out.

---

After washing the lunchbox, Wang Caixia re-tied her armband as the waitress supervisor and went to the guest room corridor. She straightened her back, and her voice became clearer:

"How did you clean this glass? There are still watermarks!"

"The corners of the sheet aren't stretched out properly, redo it!"

"Hurry up, what are you dawdling for!"

With her hands behind her back, she patrolled the doors of each room, deliberately nitpicking the minor flaws in the work of the other waiters.

The old employees used to gang up on her and bully her a lot. Now that she's finally climbed up the ladder thanks to Li Jing'an's influence, she has to make sure they all submit to her.

Hearing their hesitant responses and watching them hurriedly return to work, Wang Caixia felt an overwhelming sense of triumph.

The window of the third-floor office was open, and Li Jing'an could clearly hear Wang Caixia's deliberately raised voice reprimanding him from downstairs.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, smiled silently, shook his head, and continued flipping through the day's newspaper.

---

Ring ring—

A sudden, urgent phone call shattered the office's tranquility.

Li Jing'an answered: "Hello, this is Li Jing'an."

On the other end of the phone was Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, his voice tinged with uncertainty: "Director Li, two people have come to the gate. They say they're Deputy Director Liu from the Second Cotton Mill branch, looking for you. What do you think…?"

"Oh, Deputy Factory Director Liu, I know. Just have them come directly to the guesthouse," Li Jing'an said calmly.

He hung up the phone, straightened his shirt, and went downstairs to greet them. Just as he reached the entrance of the guesthouse, a military green jeep screeched to a halt.

Two people got out of the car. The one in front was short, slightly overweight, with a shiny bald head and a receding hairline that had stubbornly retreated to the top of his head—he was Liu Baohua, the deputy director of the Second Cotton Mill branch. Behind him followed a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase.

"Director Liu! Welcome, welcome! You must be tired from your journey!" Li Jing'an's face instantly lit up with a warm smile as he quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Liu Baohua's outstretched hands.

"Director Li, I'm sorry to bother you." Liu Baohua smiled and waved his hand vigorously, then stepped aside to introduce, "This is Director Sun from our factory's logistics department."

After another round of handshakes and pleasantries, Liu Baohua explained his purpose: through Li Jing'an's connections, their factory had linked up with the meat processing plant and the fruit processing plant to procure welfare supplies for their employees for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The three factories had already privately agreed on the details; the unspoken agreement involved exchanges of unplanned quotas and losses. Liu Baohua had come specifically to thank Li Jing'an, the "middleman."

"It's just a small token, nothing special," Liu Baohua said, waving towards the jeep. The driver and Director Sun immediately unloaded two bulging burlap sacks from the trunk, which looked quite heavy. There were also two cloth bags.

"We also prepared a set for Director Li. We were very grateful to Director Li for keeping us company at the last dinner," Liu Baohua added, pointing to one of the smaller cloth bags.

Li Jing'an quickly said, "Oh, Director Liu, you're too kind! I can't accept this..." But he was already gesturing, "Quickly, please come upstairs and we'll talk in the office."

The group carried their belongings into the building. Wang Caixia, who was supervising work in the corridor, had sharp eyes and secretly glanced over several times.

Upon entering the office, Liu Baohua poured hot tea. Pointing to the two bags, he said, "Section Chief Li, this large bag contains items from the meat processing plant and the fruit factory that they asked me to bring to you. This small cloth bag contains our factory's new autumn/winter Zhongshan suits, made of pure wool with a silk lining! I've been in this business for so many years, my judgment is impeccable, the size will definitely be perfect. I prepared two sets for you, and one for Director Li as well."

Li Jing'an waved his hand and declined, "No, no, Director Liu, this is too much! I appreciate the thought, but I absolutely cannot accept the gift..."

"Section Chief Li, you're being too polite!" Liu Baohua pressed down on Li Jing'an's hand. "It's just some stuff from the factory. If you don't accept it, you're disrespecting me, Old Liu!"

After several rounds of back-and-forth, Li Jing'an reluctantly accepted the gift, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Liu Baohua got up to take his leave. Li Jing'an stopped him, saying, "Director Liu, it's almost lunchtime! If you leave like this, wouldn't that be a slap in my face? You absolutely have to eat before you go!"

After saying this, before Liu Baohua could refuse again, Li Jing'an picked up the phone and transferred the call to Director Li's office in the factory's logistics department. He briefly explained that Deputy Factory Director Liu had brought some things with him.

On the other end of the phone, Director Li's voice boomed: "You must keep Factory Director Liu here! I'm coming right away!"

Before long, the sound of a car could be heard downstairs. Director Li had actually taken a special trip from the not-so-distant logistics department—a gesture that showed he took it very seriously.

Upon meeting, the group engaged in another round of lively greetings. Director Li waved his hand dismissively, "Everything's arranged! A small private room in the cafeteria—let's eat and chat!"

Li Jing'an quickly said, "Director Li, this should be my treat, how could I let you spend the money..."

"Hey! I'm a high-ranking official, listen to me!" Director Li's words made everyone laugh.

The group walked briskly towards the cafeteria. Li Jing'an asked Director Li's secretary to put the things for Director Li in his car.

---

The lunch was a pleasant affair for both host and guests. Li Jing'an returned to his office on the third floor of the guesthouse around 3 PM.

The office fell silent. He locked the door, then opened the small cloth bag. Inside were three brand-new, dark blue Zhongshan suits, made of thick, crisp fabric with a smooth feel. He touched them with satisfaction, then carefully placed them in the filing cabinet and locked it.

Then, he untied the large burlap sack. Inside were two oil paper packages. Opening them, one contained four strips of pork belly, each weighing about a pound, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat; the other contained about three pounds of mutton, its aroma tantalizing. In those days, ordinary families could only afford to buy some meat to make dumplings or buns during festivals. Underneath the paper packages were piles of fruit: golden pears, bright red apples, and at the very bottom, surprisingly, several jars of canned fruit with red labels—truly rare finds.

Li Jing'an picked out the best-looking piece of pork belly and a few large red apples, placing them on his desk. He then repackaged the rest, and together with the bag of fruit, carefully stuffed them into the filing cabinet.

He walked to the office door and called out towards the stairs, "Wang Caixia!"

"Hey! Coming!" A crisp response came from the first floor.

A moment later, Wang Caixia's footsteps approached. She pushed open the door and came in, her face still flushed from her busy work: "Brother Li, you were looking for me?"

Li Jing'an didn't speak, but simply pointed with his chin at the piece of meat and the apple on the table.

Wang Caixia followed his gaze, her eyes immediately lit up, and a surprised smile bloomed on her face: "This...this is..."

"Here you go. Take it home after get off work," Li Jing'an said casually.

"Thank you, Brother Li! Thank you so much!" Wang Caixia thanked him repeatedly and happily went to get it.

Li Jing'an pressed himself against her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and groping her body with one hand. His warm breath brushed against her ear: "You did well yesterday. You'll have to keep it up."

Wang Caixia trembled slightly, not daring to move, and let him do as he pleased.

After a moment, Li Jing'an released her, giving her a light pat on the bottom. "It's late today, never mind. Tomorrow morning...we'll see how you behave." He paused, his tone commanding, "And also, tonight, don't let your husband touch you. Understand?"

"Mmm...I heard you." Wang Caixia's voice was as soft as a whisper, her face flushed crimson.

"Alright, go ahead." Li Jing'an waved his hand.

Wang Caixia breathed a sigh of relief, quickly picked up the things on the table, wrapped them in an old cloth, and hurriedly left the office.