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

"Great job, Damao, not bad."

Li Jing'an, who had just returned from recuperating at Xiaotangshan, stood in the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the newly renovated yard, and nodded in satisfaction. Behind him, Xu Damao bowed and scraped as he accompanied him, while Yan Bugui and his son stood beside him. Liu Haizhong from the backyard also rushed over upon hearing the news.

Xu Damao's face lit up with a smile, and he quickly stepped forward: "Hey, Brother Li, what are you saying? Since you entrusted this to me, I will definitely do it perfectly. Look, not only is the yard cleaned up, but all the roof tiles have been replaced, and the windows and doors have all been repainted."

Li Jing'an looked in the direction he pointed and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, Da Mao, you're really a capable person, good, good."

Xu Damao smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, then sighed with feigned regret, "Hey, Brother Li, if you give me the key to the house, I'll tidy up the whole place for you."

"Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work. Everyone has worked hard during this time."

Li Jing'an patted Xu Damao on the shoulder, then turned his gaze to Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong beside him. After a moment's thought, he said, "How about this, let's ask Shazhu to come over and cook a couple of dishes tonight, and we'll all have a drink together. Everyone come, no one should be left out."

Xu Damao immediately bent down and replied, "That's perfect! I have two bottles of good wine there, I'll go get them right away!"

Not to be outdone, Liu Haizhong stepped forward and said eagerly, "Director Li, I just bought a chicken. I'll kill it when I get back and bring it to you in a bit!"

Li Jing'an looked at the two of them with a smile, then turned his gaze to Yan Bugui, thinking to himself: Let's see if you have anything to say about it.

Yan Bugui felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and then noticed that Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao were also staring at him. He felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and could only stammer, "Then...then I'll go back and get some side dishes too."

Li Jing'an nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, it's settled then. I'll go inside first."

"Okay, okay!"

Under the respectful gazes of everyone, Li Jing'an turned and went back into the house. Liu Haizhong didn't waste a moment and immediately went home to kill a chicken. Xu Damao was also about to leave when Yan Bugui grabbed him.

"Da Mao, what about the money for painting and buying tiles?"

Xu Damao narrowed his eyes and immediately feigned ignorance: "What do you mean? It wasn't for me to swipe the card, do you expect me to pay you back?"

Yan Bugui glared at him and said angrily, "Wasn't this what you asked me to do in the first place?"

"It was my request, not something I was asked to do!" Xu Damao said matter-of-factly. "I'm doing this for your own good, aren't I? If I help you get along with Brother Li, he'll appreciate it, won't he?"

"He appreciates my favor? I think he's more likely to appreciate yours!" Yan Bugui stamped his feet in frustration. "You didn't even tell him that I was the one who spent the money!"

Xu Damao slapped his forehead, feigning sudden realization: "Oh dear, I forgot! How about this, you go and tell Brother Li that you spent the money."

After saying that, a wicked smile appeared on his face. Yan Bugui was immediately speechless, as if he had choked on his words—how could he dare to say it? If he did, he would only offend Li Jing'an and end up pleasing neither side.

Before long, the group had brought over all the things they had prepared, and Sha Zhu was called into the kitchen, where he busied himself with the clattering and clanging of things.

Li Jing'an didn't spend a penny or take anything. In his opinion, the three of them were enough to handle things, and there was no need for him to spend any money.

In the living room, Xu Damao was busy offering cigarettes, and Liu Haizhong was busy pouring water; the two of them were very attentive to Li Jing'an. Li Jing'an glanced at Yan Bugui, who was sitting silently to the side, and suddenly spoke up: "What's wrong, Third Uncle? Why aren't you going to help Sha Zhu? Are you just sitting here waiting to be eaten for free?"

Yan Bugui was speechless for a moment, unable to find a rebuttal, and could only get up and go to the kitchen in a huff.

Xu Damao curled his lip in disdain: "You've lived all these years in vain, and you still have no sense of propriety at all."

Liu Haizhong chimed in, his words ostensibly directed at Yan Bugui, but actually meant for Li Jing'an: "Sigh, that old Yan, all he does is scheme all day, he's utterly useless."

Li Jing'an waved his hand, gesturing for the two to sit down. He then slowly sat down himself and said calmly, "Alright, don't talk about him like that. He's spent his whole life teaching at schools and hasn't experienced these things. Don't be too harsh on him."

"Brother Li is so good to us subordinates!" Xu Damao immediately flattered, "Otherwise, how could you be a leader!"

Liu Haizhong chimed in, echoing their sentiments. Li Jing'an looked at the two of them, a meaningful smile on his face.

Soon, the table was filled with food, and everyone sat down to eat. Qin Huairu also happened to be off work and rushed over.

The meal ended amidst Yan Bugui's pent-up resentment and the laughter and flattery of the others.

After the meal, the mess was left to Qin Huairu to clean up, as usual. Just as she finished washing the dishes and tidying up the house and was about to leave, Li Jing'an kept her behind alone.

He's been taking care of Wei Jialing all day; he deserves a break.