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

Friday

In an office on the third floor of the steel mill's guesthouse, sunlight streamed through frosted glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor. Li Jing'an sat behind his desk, toying with a Hero brand fountain pen in his hand, the metal cap spinning between his fingers, reflecting tiny glints of light.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Please come in." Li Jing'an's voice was calm, with his usual politeness.

The door opened, and a slightly overweight man in his forties walked in. He wore a navy blue Zhongshan suit, the fabric crisp but the collar slightly faded. His black leather shoes were polished to a shine, though tiny scratches were faintly visible on the surface. His face was round, with deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, which became particularly noticeable when he smiled.

"Director Li, is this you? It's a pleasure to meet you." The man strode forward, extending both hands. "I'm Hu Wenshan, from the Ludong Mine in Shandong. Director Wang from the Production Department recommended me."

His accent was heavily influenced by Shandong dialect, and he pronounced each word very clearly, like a stone dug out of the ground.

Li Jing'an stood up and slowly extended his hand to shake hands with the other person. He looked at the man in front of him—the mine manager, travel-worn, with urgency in his eyes, as well as the rough toughness left by years of dealing with ore.

"Director Hu, please have a seat." Li Jing'an gestured to the chair opposite him, then sat down again, casually placing his pen into the pen holder next to the ink bottle. "Director Wang mentioned on the phone that you're in Beijing for a meeting?"

"Yes, yes, the ministry's safety production work meeting will last a week." Hu Wenshan sat down in a chair. "Although our mine is not big, safety issues cannot be taken lightly. That's why they sent me here."

Li Jing'an nodded, took an enamel mug from the drawer, got up and walked to the thermos in the corner, pouring Hu Wenshan a glass of water. The water was lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold.

"Thank you, Section Chief Li." Hu Wenshan took the cup, holding it with both hands, but didn't drink it. His gaze swept around the office—safety production posters hung on the walls, documents were neatly arranged on the bookshelves, and the potted green ivy on the windowsill was growing vigorously. This is an organized person, Hu Wenshan thought to himself.

"Director Wang said you'd like to get to know the department's leaders?" Li Jing'an sat down again and got straight to the point.

Hu Wenshan leaned forward slightly: "Director Li is a sensible man, so I won't beat around the bush. Our mine is directly under the ministry's jurisdiction; it's a medium-sized mine, neither particularly large nor small. Production has been relatively stable these past few years, but if we want further development, we need to communicate more with the higher-ups." He paused, observing Li Jing'an's expression, "That's why, taking advantage of this meeting, I wanted to ask Director Wang to introduce me to Director Gao. I heard that Director Gao was your former superior..."

Li Jing'an tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound. He lowered his eyes, looking at the open safety production report on the table, and remained silent.

The office fell silent, save for the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock. Outside the window, in the courtyard, the sound of workers pushing wheelbarrows echoed, their wheels creaking over the gravel.

Hu Wenshan's heart tightened. He could tell that Director Li wasn't responding. He quickly added, "It's not that I necessarily want the leader to do anything, I just want to invite Director Gao to dinner at an appropriate time to report on our work. Although our mine isn't large, we discovered a new vein this year with considerable reserves, and we'd like to report this to the leadership."

Li Jing'an raised his head, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Director Hu, the leaders in the ministry are all very busy, especially Director Gao. People line up to see him every day; he doesn't go to just anyone's dinner party."

These words, though spoken lightly, weighed heavily on Hu Wenshan's heart. He understood that this meant he needed to "show his appreciation."

Hu Wenshan took a deep breath, leaned forward a little more, and lowered his voice: "Director Li, I certainly can't let you help me for nothing." He reached for the black faux leather briefcase at his feet.

Li Jing'an's gaze followed the movement of his hand, his expression calm and unwavering, as if he had anticipated this scene.

Hu Wenshan took a bulging brown paper envelope from his briefcase, its four corners perfectly flat. He held the envelope in both hands, hesitated for a moment, then gently placed it on the table and pushed it towards Li Jing'an.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation," Hu Wenshan said, his voice even lower, almost a whisper. "The conditions at the mine are harsh, and we don't have anything fancy, just some everyday ration coupons. Director Li has high expenses in Beijing, so I hope this can be of some help."

Li Jing'an's gaze fell on the envelope, but he didn't pick it up immediately. His fingers stopped tapping on the table, and he instead picked up his teacup, taking a slow, deliberate sip. The tea had gone cold, carrying a faint bitterness.

"What is Director Hu doing?" he said, his tone devoid of emotion.

"Of course, of course," Hu Wenshan said hastily, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He took out a handkerchief to wipe them away and added, "Director Wang said that Director Li has extensive connections and is reliable. If this can be done, everyone at the mine will be extremely grateful."

Li Jing'an put down his teacup and finally reached for the envelope. It was heavy; the moment his hand touched the paper, he could feel the thick stack of paper inside. He didn't open it, but simply pinched one corner of the envelope between his thumb and forefinger and gently weighed it in his hand.

Then, using the index and middle fingers of his other hand, he carefully pried open the seal of the envelope a crack. The movements were very light and slow, as if he were disassembling a fragile work of art.

Through the narrow gap, Li Jing'an saw what was inside—not money, but a stack of coupons of various colors. Grain coupons were pale yellow, oil coupons were green, meat coupons were pink, and there were also cloth coupons, industrial coupons… neatly stacked with aligned edges, like a small paper tower.

His eyes narrowed slightly, then returned to calm.

"What kind of mine is Director Hu's mine?" Li Jing'an closed the envelope and casually placed it on the table, as if he didn't care.

Hu Wenshan's heart was pounding. He saw Li Jing'an accept the envelope, and a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. There was hope; there was hope for this.

"A gold mine," he said, a hint of barely perceptible pride in his voice. "Our mine is of medium size, but the grade is quite good. The newly discovered vein this year has a very high gold content according to preliminary exploration."

"Gold mine..." Li Jing'an repeated the two words, lost in thought. He tapped his fingers lightly on the envelope, then looked up at Hu Wenshan. "Well, I'll give it a try. Director Gao is indeed very busy lately; I need to check his schedule."

"I understand, I completely understand!" Hu Wenshan's face broke into a smile, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes deepened. "With Director Li's words, I'm relieved. No rush, no rush, please take your time to arrange it."

Li Jing'an stood up, and Hu Wenshan quickly followed suit.

"I'm currently staying at the No. 1 Guesthouse of the Steel Rolling Mill, room 206," Hu Wenshan said. "If there's any news, just have Director Wang let me know. I'll be staying for at least a week this time."

"Okay." Li Jing'an nodded, walked around the desk, and said, "I'll see you downstairs."

"No need, no need, Director Li, you're busy." Hu Wenshan quickly waved his hand.

"Of course." Li Jing'an had already walked to the door and opened it.

The two walked down the stairs one after the other. Hu Wenshan's steps were much lighter, and he became more talkative, talking about the situation at the mine and the changes in Beijing. Li Jing'an listened, nodding occasionally with a polite smile on his lips.

They shook hands and said goodbye at the entrance of the guesthouse.

"Director Li, then I'll leave it to you."

"Let's wait for news."

Watching Hu Wenshan turn and walk into the guesthouse, Li Jing'an's smile slowly faded. He stood at the door, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. The smoke rose slowly and dispersed in the autumn air.

He had seen far too many people like Hu Wenshan. They came to Beijing from the countryside, hoping to build connections and find ways to get ahead, pinning their hopes on a meal or a single meeting.

Li Jing'an touched the envelope in his pocket; it was a thick stack and quite heavy.

He decided to leave Hu Wenshan hanging for two days. Things that are too easily accomplished are rarely appreciated. Letting him worry for a couple of days before making arrangements would make him more grateful.