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

"E'er, this is my last chance, you have to help me."

Xu Damao pleaded desperately at home. Ever since he heard that Li Jing'an was going to be transferred to be the director of the First Guesthouse, he had been in a panic.

"E'zi, Li Jing'an is about to take up his post at the First Guesthouse. Seeing him rise through the ranks so quickly, if I don't seize this opportunity to get in touch with him, I'm afraid I won't even be able to get close to him anymore!"

Seeing that Lou Xiao'e remained unmoved, he continued to plead, "You see, money is useless these days; power is what truly matters. If I could get a position, it wouldn't just be for myself; it would also bring you prestige, wouldn't it?"

"What's the use of begging me? What can I do?" Lou Xiao'e was getting impatient with him. "You know perfectly well that my dad will never give me what he has."

"E'er, why don't you go and ask Mom to talk to Dad again? Seriously, if we don't show some sincerity this time, we'll be stuck in this courtyard for the rest of our lives, listening to Sha Zhu's nonsense every day and being schemed against by others. How many genuine people are there in this courtyard? If this works out, maybe we can move to the apartment building and never have to deal with these neighbors again. What do you say?"

Looking at his pleading expression, Lou Xiao'e finally had a thought. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke up: "It's impossible to get anything from my parents, but my grandmother left me some things back then. Why don't you try taking them?"

As she spoke, she got up and went into the inner bedroom, rummaging through a trunk and pulling out a small box. Xu Damao leaned forward to peek, but Lou Xiao'e pushed him away, telling him to wait outside the door. He had no choice but to lean against the doorframe, craning his neck to look inside.

A short while later, Lou Xiao'e came out and handed him a jade-green bracelet: "Try this on."

Xu Damao held the bracelet, his eyes wide open: "E'zi, is this thing reliable? Is it high-end enough? How much is it worth?"

Lou Xiao'e looked at the bracelet with heartache: "This is a full-green jadeite bracelet. You can't buy it on the market now. Many of these items have been taken by the government to exchange for foreign exchange. Don't you think it's good?"

"Wow, this stuff is really good! But what if Li Jing'an doesn't know its value?" Xu Damao suddenly remembered this.

Lou Xiao'e rolled her eyes at him: "It doesn't matter if Li Jing'an doesn't know what's good, his wife is the daughter of a leader, how could she not recognize something this good?"

"You're so smart, E'zi!" Xu Damao was overjoyed and leaned in to give Lou Xiao'e a big kiss.

"Get out of here!" Lou Xiao'e pushed him away in disgust, wiped her cheek, and said, "I'm telling you, this is the only time. If it doesn't work out, don't mention it again."

"Don't worry, Ezi, this will definitely work! From now on, you'll be an official's wife, and I'll make sure you're superior to everyone else, enjoying endless prestige wherever you go. Just watch me!" Xu Damao happily found a handkerchief, carefully wrapped the jade bracelet, and then set off for Li Jing'an's house in the central courtyard.

At this moment, Li Jing'an and Wei Jialing were sitting in the living room, listening to the radio, eating sunflower seeds, and chatting, while Qin Huairu was helping with housework.

"Qin Huairu, after you've finished wiping the cabinets, sweep the bedroom floor too," Wei Jialing casually instructed.

"Oh, sister-in-law, I'm going right now." Qin Huairu quickly finished wiping the cabinet and went into the inner room.

Watching Qin Huairu's retreating figure, Li Jing'an turned to Wei Jialing and said, "Jialing, it's not appropriate for you to order Qin Huairu around like this."

"What's inappropriate about it? Isn't she one of your subordinates? It's only natural for me to order her around. If she didn't want to, she wouldn't have come at all." Wei Jialing said matter-of-factly. "Besides, even if she didn't want to, there are plenty of people in this yard who would be eager to come and clean our house."

"She works for me, but she's not our servant. She's a regular worker at the steel mill. The mill pays her salary, not me," Li Jing'an said helplessly.

"What's the difference?" Wei Jialing said dismissively. "Don't think I don't understand. There are so many people around my dad who would kill to have me do their bidding. It's her good fortune that I'm willing to use her."

When Li Jing'an saw her voice rise, he quickly pulled her back: "Keep your voice down." Wei Jialing turned her head away, not taking it to heart at all.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Huairu, go open the door and see who it is."

Qin Huairu responded and came out, opening the small door on the east side. Soon after, she led Xu Damao in: "Brother Li, sister-in-law, Damao is here."

Xu Damao bowed respectfully, "Brother Jing'an, sister-in-law, did I disturb you?"

Wei Jialing glanced at him sideways, then turned her head away without saying a word. Li Jing'an got up from the sofa and greeted him warmly, "Da Mao's here, come and sit down, what can I do for you?"

Xu Damao sat down and saw Qin Huairu enter the bedroom. He quickly took out a wrapped handkerchief from his pocket and carefully opened it: "Brother Jing'an, I didn't give you a decent gift when you got married. This bracelet is something I specially found to give to my sister-in-law as a token of my appreciation."

"Your intention is enough; there's no need to go to such lengths." Li Jing'an picked up the emerald bracelet, pretending to casually examine it. He himself didn't know much about such things, so he handed it to Wei Jialing. "Jialing, take a look at Da Mao's thoughtfulness. Do you like it?"

Wei Jialing then turned her head, her eyes lighting up instantly as she looked at the bracelet. She took it and examined it closely under the light, exclaiming, "Wow, the quality of this bracelet is really good."

"Of course, I wouldn't dare to be careless with something that's for my sister-in-law," Xu Damao quickly replied.

Seeing his wife's delighted expression, Li Jing'an understood and asked, "How is it? Do you like it?"

Wei Jialing put the bracelet on her wrist and shook it, saying, "It's a full-green jadeite bracelet, very rare. I like it." Then she looked at Xu Damao, "You must be Damao?"

"Yes, yes, my name is Xu Damao, and I live in the backyard!" Xu Damao stood up, flattered, and bowed obsequiously.

"The item is nice, I'll accept it."

"If you like it, then my trip was worthwhile!"

"Da Mao, sit down, don't just stand there." Li Jing'an gestured for him to sit down, "This is too much trouble."

"Brother Jing'an, you're too kind. I'd go through fire and water for you and your wife if you needed anything," Xu Damao said with a fawning expression.

Li Jing'an thought to himself: Chen Qing is finished, and I need someone to run errands for me. Xu Damao is sensible, clever, and good at handling things, so he is a suitable candidate.

"Da Mao, I'll be starting a new job at the First Guesthouse soon. I don't know many people there, so it'll be difficult to get things done. Would you be willing to come and help me?"

Xu Damao was so excited that he trembled all over and almost knelt down: "Brother Jing'an, if you think highly of me, I will do anything for you, even die a thousand deaths!"

"Now that you're leaving the publicity department, will you be able to hand over your work properly? Don't let it interfere with the factory's affairs."

"Don't worry, the factory can just transfer another projectionist from the movie theater. This steel rolling mill is so big, losing one of me is no big deal. There are plenty of people like me in the movie theater."

Li Jing'an nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, after I finish handing over my work, I'll go to the personnel department and the publicity department to help you with the formalities. You can work for two years first, and then we'll arrange for you to be a temporary employee. We won't treat you unfairly."

Xu Damao's eyes welled up with tears, and he almost cried out, "Brother Li, you're my benefactor! From now on, whether it's in the factory or the yard, just give me any orders, and I'll do my best without hesitation. Just watch how I perform!"

"Alright, no need for further words. I'll see what you do next." Li Jing'an patted his shoulder.

Li Jing'an invited Xu Damao to stay for another cup of tea. After chatting for a few minutes, Xu Damao got up to take his leave.

"Huairu, are you all packed?" Li Jing'an called out to the inner room.

"Almost done!" Qin Huairu came out with a broom.

"You saw Damao off. You must be tired today. Go home when you're done."

"Okay, Brother Li."

After seeing Xu Damao off, Qin Huairu turned back, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

"What's wrong, Huairu? Just say what's on your mind." Li Jing'an looked at her.

"Brother Li, you're being transferred to the First Guesthouse, I..." Qin Huairu's words were cut short, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Li Jing'an smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll transfer you over with me. Your sister-in-law is quite satisfied with you, and the family can't do without you."

"Thank you, Brother Li! Thank you, Sister-in-law!"

Wei Jialing remained silent, engrossed in listening to the radio. Li Jing'an nudged her with his elbow, and she snapped out of her reverie: "Huai Ru, you should go back first. Your brother Li will take care of everything. I'll call you if anything happens at home."

"Okay, Brother Li and Sister-in-law, get some rest. I'll be going now." Qin Huairu nodded repeatedly, gently closed the door, and turned to leave.