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

After Li Jing'an left, Xu Damao immediately took the keys and rushed to the central courtyard. He acted like the master of the house, standing in the courtyard and directing Yan Bugui and his son Yan Jiecheng to do their work.

"Yes, yes, yes, don't just finish shoveling the snow and call it a day! All the weeds in the yard have to be pulled out, not a single one left!" Xu Damao, hands behind his back, paced back and forth, pointing at Yan Bugui's nose and scolding, "Third Uncle, why are you arguing with that broken rock? Are you dawdling and trying to slack off? There's so much work to do, hurry up and get it over with!"

Turning to Yan Jiecheng, he shouted, "Jiecheng, go get a ladder and sweep the snow off the roof. We don't want it to leak when the snow melts!"

Finally, he pointed to the outhouse in the corner of the yard and ordered without any politeness, "Third Uncle, the outhouse also needs to be thoroughly cleaned, inside and out, make sure there's no odor left!"

Upon hearing that he had to clean the outhouse, Yan Bugui's face immediately fell. He stopped what he was doing and looked at Xu Damao with a wronged expression: "Damao, why do I have to clean the outhouse too? Li Jing'an only told me to clean the yard, not the outhouse!"

Xu Damao narrowed his eyes, looking at Yan Bugui with a smirk, his tone carrying a hint of threat: "What? Does cleaning the yard not include the outhouse? If you clean the outhouse spotless, you'll leave a good impression on Brother Li, making it easier for you to ask him for favors in the future, won't it? Don't you want Jie Cheng's matter to be resolved sooner?"

Yan Bugui's face changed instantly, and he lost his temper. He waved his hands repeatedly with a bitter face, "No, no, no, I'll do it, I'll do it, okay!" He cursed Xu Damao in his heart for taking advantage of his master's power, but he didn't dare to resist. He could only grit his teeth and walk towards the outhouse with a pinched nose.

Seeing Yan Bugui's frustrated expression, Xu Damao felt extremely smug. He tilted his head back and hummed a little tune, enjoying the thrill of commanding others.

Just then, a head popped out of the courtyard gate—it was He Yuzhu. He squinted, a wicked grin on his face, and shouted, "Hey, what's going on here, Uncle? What are you doing? Did Li Jing'an hire you to clean? How much did he pay you? If the price is right, you can clean for me too, I'll pay double!"

"Get out of here!" Yan Bugui poked his head out of the outhouse, glanced at Sha Zhu angrily, and blushed with embarrassment.

Sha Zhu laughed even harder, stepped into the courtyard, and sidled up to Yan Bugui, teasing him in a low voice, "What's up, buddy? Here to suck up and ask for a favor? I bet your flattery is so good it's reached the outhouse!"

Yan Bugui ignored him, continuing his work with his head down, pretending not to hear. Xu Damao, seeing this, frowned in disgust, waved at Sha Zhu impatiently, and snapped, "Go away, this is none of your business. Don't cause trouble here, get out of here!"

Sha Zhu raised an eyebrow, retorting defiantly, "What? You can come, but I can't? You've really made something of yourself now, becoming Li Jing'an's head butler? I think you should be called Eunuch Xu!"

The two started arguing back and forth, and the noise in the courtyard became quite a scene.

"What's going on? What are you two arguing about?" A deep, steady voice rang out. Liu Haizhong, hands behind his back, strode into the courtyard with an official air. He saw Xu Damao and Shazhu bickering, then glanced at Yan Bugui and his son, who were cleaning. He frowned and asked, "Where's Chief Li? Why isn't he home?"

Xu Damao quickly stopped arguing and put on a smile: "Second Uncle, Brother Li went to Xiaotangshan for recuperation and just left today."

"Recuperation? What are you doing in the yard then?" Liu Haizhong had barely finished speaking when a few snowflakes fell from the roof, pattering softly on the ground. He looked up and saw Yan Jiecheng sweeping snow from the roof, asking in confusion, "Who's on the roof?"

"It's Jie Cheng from Uncle San's family, helping to shovel snow," Xu Damao replied with a smile.

Just then, a pungent stench wafted from the outhouse, filling the entire yard. Liu Haizhong instantly pinched his nose, his brows furrowing into a knot, and he shouted in annoyance, "What's going on? Where is this awful smell coming from?"

Sha Zhu chuckled, pointed towards the outhouse, and deliberately said loudly, "Who else could it be? Uncle San is cleaning the outhouse in there! Uncle San and his family are really showing their generosity today, coming to Director Li's house early in the morning to make a free contribution. They're actively seeking advancement and trying to curry favor with their superiors!"

"Shazhu, shut the hell up!" Yan Bugui's furious roar came from the outhouse. He couldn't stand Shazhu's teasing anymore and wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Liu Haizhong's eyes widened as he saw Yan Bugui emerge from the outhouse, looking disheveled. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "You old Yan, you've secretly come to flatter Li Jing'an too! Now we already have Xu Damao fawning over Li Jing'an. If Yan Bugui comes along, what chance will I, Liu Haizhong, have? No, I absolutely can't let them beat me to it. I need to hurry home and discuss this. I can't let them surpass me!"

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Hai was preoccupied and lost all interest in staying in the courtyard. He turned around and hurried home, his mind preoccupied with figuring out how to please Li Jing'an.

Seeing Yan Bugui's embarrassed look, Sha Zhu laughed so hard he almost fell over. He said, "Third Uncle, do a good job. I have faith in you," and then turned and left with a grin.

Meanwhile, in the other car, Li Jing'an leaned comfortably back in his seat, Wei Jialing gently wrapped her arm around his and rested her cheek lightly on his shoulder: "Jing'an, I've already spoken to the sanatorium and asked them to reserve the best suite for us. It's quiet and fully equipped."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an frowned slightly, his tone tinged with concern: "Jialing, isn't this a bit inappropriate? I'm just a deputy section chief. According to regulations, I can only live in the ordinary cadre area at most. It's not in accordance with the rules for you to specially arrange a suite for me."

"What's wrong with that?" Wei Jialing curled her lip indifferently, her tone tinged with disdain. "If you stay here noisily according to the rules, how can you rest and recuperate properly? Rules are rules, but people are flexible. I can still arrange this little thing."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an thought to himself, "How am I supposed to recuperate if you come with me?" His eyes darted around, and he quickly made a plan. He then said, "Since that's the case, why not get another apartment and bring my parents along? Last time I went to Shanghai on a business trip, I didn't have a chance to take them out to see the world, which I've always regretted. The sanatorium has professional doctors; they can get checked out and recuperate properly. Besides, you and my parents haven't met yet. This is a good opportunity for them to get to know each other and make a good impression. What do you say?"

Wei Jialing tightened her grip on Li Jing'an's arm, looked up at him gently, and nodded with a smile: "Okay, then bring your uncle and aunt along. I'll talk to them and ask for another suite. I'll make sure they're comfortable."

Li Jing'an felt a warmth in his heart, leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, his eyes full of affection. Wei Jialing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said with a smile, "When my dad goes to the sanatorium next year, we'll go with him. The conditions will be much better then. With my dad's rank, he'll be allocated a small building, much more comfortable than he is now."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an's smile grew even wider.