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

The air was still a bit chilly in the early morning.

"Defa, are you up yet? It's your first day at work, don't be late."

A knock on the door, accompanied by a voice, entered the room. Wang Defa was lying in bed; it was still a bit chilly, and he didn't want to get up. He replied impatiently, "I'm getting up, I'm getting up, I'll get up right away, Mom, stop knocking."

"Okay, get up and wash up. I'll make you some noodles so you can go to work smoothly."

The voices faded into the distance, as did the footsteps. Wang Defa stretched on the bed, then mustered his strength and got up.

Today was his first day at the steel rolling mill. He was a recent graduate of the teachers' college and had just been assigned there. He was quite satisfied, after all, it was one of the largest factories in Beijing, employing tens of thousands of people. The factory's benefits were much better than those in government jobs. Wang Defa didn't think it was luck; he believed he was chosen because of his talent. He was the branch secretary at the teachers' college, and his management skills must have been recognized and appreciated by the teachers, which was why they recommended him for the steel rolling mill. Wang Defa was very confident about this.

After getting up, he washed his face and brushed his teeth in the basin on the shelf behind the door. Then, he splashed water on his hair in front of the mirror, praised himself for looking refreshed, and then took out a set of clothes from the bedside table—clothes his second uncle had brought him a couple of days ago. Wang Defa was already used to this. He put on the clothes and looked at them, but was still a little dissatisfied, feeling the fabric was a bit cheap. He complained to his second uncle, "Why didn't you spend a little more money? Really!"

He didn't even consider that his second uncle was just a factory worker, earning only a few dozen yuan a month. After deducting food and drink for the family, there wasn't much left. In those times, this was the best outfit his second uncle could buy for him, even if he had to sell everything he owned. Wang Defa didn't think much of it. After all, everything around him changed when he got into university; it was all about compliments and praise. Whether it was his neighbors in the courtyard or his relatives, he was the most dazzling child. In the Wang family, he was the true hope for the future. His uncles and aunts were all waiting for him to become successful so they could benefit from his success.

He then went to the main room and saw his father already at the table, puffing away on a cigarette. Seeing Wang Defa enter, Old Wang's face broke into a smile. He looked him up and down and said, "Hey, look at him, so upright."

Wang Defa's face showed impatience, and he grumbled, "What's so good about it? It's just something to wear."

His father nodded, "That's true, you're right. Just make do with these. You'll be a cadre soon, and a cadre at a big factory like the steel mill. Your status will be different then. It's alright, you can wear whatever you want, eat whatever you want."

Wang Defa also sat down at the table, took a cigarette from the cigarette box in front of his father, lit it, and remained noncommittal about his father's words.

"My goal isn't about eating, drinking, or wearing a few clothes. My aim is to reform the steel mill. With my abilities, my primary goal is to reform it. You know, many of the people in these companies are former military personnel. They were only good at shooting and firing cannons before. Asking them to do management is like forcing a duck onto a shelf. In the future, we'll have to rely on us college graduates. Actually, they're not much better than Old Han from the front yard."

Old Han was the cart puller in their front yard.

"Of course, it's not realistic to say these things now, since I've only just arrived and I need to keep a low profile. I plan to work hard first, and with my abilities and talents, I'm sure I'll attract the attention of those above me. My goal is to get promoted one level a year and be in charge of the steel rolling mill as soon as possible, then I can really show my skills."

Old Wang chuckled as he listened, completely trusting Wang Defa's words: "Good son, I knew you could do it. Our family is counting on you from now on."

After saying that, she sighed again: "Ah, what a pity, I didn't live to see a good time. You know how chaotic things were back then, even your grandparents couldn't afford to send me to school. I only managed to attend a literacy class, and now I'm a committee member in our workshop. You know... never mind, I won't say anymore. Okay, it's good that you're here, it'll ease my regret. If you need anything at the steel mill, you can ask me when you get back, after all, I have pretty good management experience. Look, I've never bought the cigarettes I smoke myself, even the two packs of cigarettes I prepared for you today were gifts from others."

Old Wang picked up two unopened boxes of Peony cigarettes from the table with a smug look on his face and weighed them in his hands.

"The noodles are here!"

The mother carried two bowls of noodles into the house and placed one in front of each of Wang Defa and his father. The only difference was that Wang Defa's bowl had two poached eggs on top.

"Come on, Defa, try some of my noodles!"

Wang Defa picked up a noodle, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. He simply nodded and said "Mmm" in response to his mother's words.

A smile immediately appeared on Wang's mother's face as she said to Wang Defa, "Is it delicious? This noodle was brought by your aunt yesterday, and these eggs were brought by your second uncle. They really care about your job."

Wang Defa was busy eating, but he nodded and said "Mmm" to indicate that he understood.

Suddenly he stopped, swallowed the noodles in his mouth, turned to look at his mother, and asked, "Where is my eldest uncle?"

"But...maybe your uncle is busy. Maybe in a few days...maybe he'll be delayed by something," the Queen Mother stammered, trying to evade the question.

Wang Defa turned his head away and continued eating the noodles in his bowl, as if his question had been casual. What he was really thinking, no one knew.

After finishing his meal, Wang Defa went out amidst the compliments of his neighbors in the courtyard. He walked to a nearby bus stop, took a bus, and went to the gate of the steel rolling mill to meet his classmates who had been assigned to the mill.

When he reached the gate, quite a few people were already there, including his classmates and students from other schools, all waiting to the side. It was rush hour, and the steel mill workers were streaming in through the gate like a long dragon. Wang Defa stood at the gate, and the workers coming and going would subconsciously glance at the young students standing to the side, but Wang Defa wasn't intimidated at all, his chest puffed out proudly. After all, they were just workers, and he was a manager.

Before long, when almost everyone had arrived, someone from the personnel department came and led them inside. Then came the assignment of departments, and Wang Defa was assigned to the guesthouse. This caused Wang Defa some dissatisfaction, as the guesthouse wasn't part of the factory headquarters and was far from the factory center, making his future career path more difficult.

A staff member led him and another person assigned to the guesthouse out the door, and then picked up two more people. One was a young girl; Wang Defa had initially wanted to inquire about her, but upon hearing she had a vocational school diploma in accounting, he immediately lost interest. The other was a female cadre. The group went together to the first guesthouse outside the factory.

After walking a short distance, he saw the guesthouse, a four-story Soviet-style building. Wang Defa's initial dissatisfaction lessened somewhat, and he thought: There is still much potential here.

As he entered the gate, he saw three people standing at the entrance of the guesthouse building, looking at them. They must be the person in charge of the guesthouse. To his surprise, there was also an acquaintance inside—not exactly an acquaintance, but someone he had met once before.