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

Ande Road, the family compound of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry.

A three-story building in the Soviet style.

Li Jing'an accompanied Wei Jialing, following behind the staff of the Housing Management Section of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, as they entered the apartment building. Reaching the door of the apartment on the second floor (west side), the staff member took out a key, turned it gently, and the door clicked open.

"Comrade Li, Comrade Wei, please look, this is the apartment allocated to you. This is a west-facing unit on the second floor, one of the best-located units in the entire building. It has windows on three sides, so the lighting and ventilation are much better than the middle units. It's also ten square meters larger than the middle unit."

Li Jing'an knew that with his own qualifications, he was not entitled to this house at all. It was only because the Ministry of Metallurgy had specially approved an extra quota for him because his father-in-law was a leader of the municipal party committee.

Upon entering the house, a warm feeling, along with the faint scent of freshly painted walls, greeted me. The house was indeed in good condition—a private bathroom, central heating, and even gas pipes in the kitchen; in this day and age, it was top-notch housing.

Wei Jialing, carrying a delicate little bag, strolled leisurely around the rooms. She reached out and touched the cool windowsill, looked at the living room's width, and then surveyed the size of the bedroom. Her expectant face gradually furrowed, and her tone carried a hint of disdain: "Why is it so small? It looks cramped and not as spacious as I imagined."

Li Jing'an quickly stepped forward, took her arm, and comforted her with a smile: "It's not big, but it's convenient and comfortable. Think about it, it's much better than living in a courtyard house. It's spring now, but when winter comes, the house will be well-heated, and we won't have to burn coal anymore, getting covered in soot. Didn't you always complain about how dirty and smelly the outhouses in the courtyard houses were? Now you don't have to suffer like that anymore."

Wei Jialing pursed her lips and didn't refute him anymore, but she still felt a little disappointed. She gave a soft "humph" as if she had acquiesced to his words.

The two looked around again, and found no problems with the doors, windows, water, electricity, or pipes. After completing the handover, the housing management staff gave a few more brief instructions, then smiled and said goodbye.

The empty house was left with only the two of them. A spring breeze drifted in through the open window, causing the curtains to sway gently.

Li Jing'an stood in the center of the living room, looking around the empty room, and began to plan the layout in his mind: "The place is only so big, so think carefully about what kind of furniture is suitable, and we'll pick a good day to buy it."

He paused, then looked at Wei Jialing: "By the way, that set of Chinese-style furniture at Dad's house, with its dignified and grand style, was it provided by his workplace or bought by himself?" He had already made up his mind that he wanted to have a set like that in his new home, which would be both respectable and show his status. Although he couldn't fit the set at his father-in-law's house, a smaller one would be fine too.

Wei Jialing leaned against the door frame and thought for a while before slowly recalling: "Let me think... it seems that it was not bought, nor was it provided by the company. It was custom-made by a furniture factory that came to measure the dimensions."

"Furniture factories can even offer on-site customization?" Li Jing'an's eyes lit up; this was exactly what he wanted. "That would be perfect. Ask Secretary Han on your way to work; he'll definitely know which factory it is and how to contact them."

As he spoke, he glanced down at the cement floor and frowned slightly. "This floor was just mopped once, and the corners weren't even cleaned properly. There's a lot of dust in the spring, so it's not comfortable to live here. I'll go back to the guesthouse and get someone to come and clean it thoroughly again."

Wei Jialing immediately nodded: "Okay, I got it. You can ask Qin Huairu to do the cleaning. She's meticulous, hardworking, and much more reliable than others."

"Okay." Li Jing'an agreed, naturally taking the small bag from Wei Jialing's hand. "Let's go, I'll take you to your workplace first, then I'll go back to the guesthouse to make arrangements."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the guesthouse corridor, the cement floor was soaked from being mopped, the water stains gleaming coldly in the light. Wang Defa, hands behind his back, deliberately adopted a superior air, his brow furrowed. Pointing to the still-wet floor, he reprimanded sharply, "Look at how you cleaned the floor! It's still wet; it's slippery to walk on. Can't you focus on your work?"

The cleaning lady in front of him stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of resentment. She didn't take this new college student cadre seriously at all and immediately started to retort, her voice so loud that it could be heard halfway down the corridor. She also kept bringing up the matter of having her night meal allowance deducted before.

Wang Defa's face flushed red and then paled as he stood there, completely at a loss, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He was both angry and anxious, but utterly helpless. He had only been there a short time and had no authority to punish anyone; in the end, he was just a newbie with a title but no real power. Besides, these cleaning and laundry workers were like rocks in a latrine—stinky and unyielding. His anger surged, and his hatred for Xu Damao deepened.

Wang Defa, suppressing his frustration, had just turned and awkwardly headed downstairs when he bumped into Qin Huairu. She was carrying a crumpled, worn-out old towel blanket, her face beaming with a warm smile, and she called out from afar, "Hey, Officer Wang, you're here!"

Wang Defa quickly straightened his back and straightened his clothes, trying to regain his cadre demeanor, and replied calmly, "Oh, it's Squad Leader Qin. I came to see how the cleaning work is going."

"It's just a coincidence," Qin Huairu stepped forward, weighed the old towel blanket in her hand, and smiled politely as always. "This towel blanket in our VIP room is so worn out, the feathers are almost all gone, it feels like a rag, it can't be used by the leaders anymore, so I thought I'd come and get a new one."

Upon hearing this, Wang Defa's brows furrowed instantly, his tone tinged with displeasure: "Squad Leader Qin, is our unit's losses really that high? It's only been a week, and you've already reported so much damage! Bed sheets, pillowcases, blankets—everything's being reported as damaged. Isn't this expense going too far?"

Qin Huairu's smile remained unchanged as she slowly explained, "Officer Wang, you've just taken over, so you might not be familiar with our rules yet. Our institute is quite large, with guest rooms side by side, and we only host cadres from the ministry, so the standards are naturally different from those of small guesthouses outside. In those small places, things can be patched up and used, but we are a designated guesthouse of the Ministry of Metallurgy, representing the ministry's image. If we were to serve our leaders old and worn-out things, it wouldn't just be our institute director who loses face. So, the reporting requirements are naturally higher. Isn't that normal?"

Wang Defa listened and pondered for a moment, then realized that it made sense. The guest rooms for high-ranking officials could not be taken lightly. If a problem arose, he would not be able to bear the responsibility. So he waved his hand and relented, "Alright, you're right. Go to the linen room and change a linen. I'll go over there to sign the record later. I also need to check with the laundry room."

"Oh my, Wang is so insightful, a college student after all, so sensible!" Qin Huairu immediately flattered with a smile, "So early in the morning, you're already busy running around, personally taking care of everything, you're really thorough in every aspect."

Hearing such praise, Wang Defa felt a little relieved, and a smile finally appeared on his face. He said in a composed manner, "Well, it's what I should do."

"Okay, then you go ahead with your work. I'll go to the linen room to change. Just don't forget to sign the record later." Qin Huairu said with a smile, picked up the old towel blanket, and slowly walked away.