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

"Clang clang."

A knock sounded at the door. Li Jing'an put down the newspaper in his hand and called out calmly towards the door, "Come in."

The door was gently pushed open, and Qin Huairu walked in, calling softly, "Brother Li."

"A new guest checked into our room today. He specifically asked me about you, saying that we are old acquaintances and he wanted to visit you."

"Oh? What's his name? Which organization does he work for?" Li Jing'an asked, looking up.

"His surname is Hu, and he is the mine manager of a mine in Shandong Province."

Li Jing'an's face instantly darkened, and he let out a soft snort. He waved his hand and said to Qin Huairu, "If I'm not here, just say I haven't been at the guesthouse for the past two days."

"Okay, I'll go tell him right away."

Qin Huairu had just turned to close the door when Li Jing'an stopped her. This Mine Manager Hu was holding some good stuff; it would be a waste to just send him away like this. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Never mind, bring him over here."

"Okay, Brother Li."

A short while later, Qin Huairu led Mine Manager Hu to the office door. She did not go inside, but simply gestured for Mine Manager Hu to go in by himself, and then turned and left.

Director Hu, carrying some things in his hands, entered the room with a big smile on his face: "Oh, Director Li, congratulations! I didn't expect you to become the director of the First Guesthouse now. I thought you were at the Second Guesthouse. I went to inquire and found out that you were transferred here." As he spoke, he placed the things in his hands on the desk with a smile.

Li Jing'an merely glanced at him indifferently, then looked at him sideways, his tone cold: "Old Hu, I helped you a lot last time, but you ended up causing me a lot of trouble."

"Huh? Director Li, you've wronged me. What you're saying has confused me. What exactly happened?" Director Hu asked, looking puzzled.

"Hmph, still playing dumb! Ever since I helped you, word of it spread in just a few days. People have been blocking my door every day, bringing local specialties to the guesthouse and stuffing them at my doorstep. It's caused quite a stir and a huge negative impact on me!"

"Oh my goodness, I absolutely didn't spread this! Director Li, you have to investigate! You've helped me so much, I'm so grateful, how could I possibly go around spreading rumors? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? In my opinion, it must be Old Chen from the Northeast, that guy never keeps a secret, he can't keep anything to himself!"

Li Jing'an curled his lip, already convinced that it was Old Chen who leaked the information. He cursed inwardly: Just wait, next time he comes to the Ministry of Metallurgy for a meeting, I'll make sure he doesn't even get a hospital bed! He dares to try and fool me with two cans of food.

Seeing this, Mine Manager Hu quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket, walked around the desk, and handed it to Li Jing'an, who took it and put it in his mouth. He then quickly took out a lighter and carefully lit it for Li Jing'an.

Li Jing'an took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and asked, "Old Hu, what brings you here at this hour? There's no major meeting being held at the ministry."

Director Hu lit a cigarette for himself and said with a smile, "Hey, the mackerel are at their fattest back home right now. I used my connections to get a batch, thinking I'd let the leaders in the ministry have a taste."

"Well, you're actually thinking about the boss. What do you want from me?"

"Look at what you're saying! Now that I'm in the capital, how could I not come to pay my respects to you, my esteemed guest! I'll never forget your kindness to me. I've not only brought you mackerel, but I've also specially prepared some abalone." Mine Manager Hu chuckled, pointing to the cloth bag on the table.

Actually, the abalone wasn't originally in the plan. After arriving in the capital, he learned that Li Jing'an was already married and had a father-in-law who held a high position. He immediately recognized Li Jing'an's promising future and specially bought it in the capital, spending a lot of his savings.

Li Jing'an finally became interested and looked down at the abalone in his pocket. Mine Manager Hu quickly explained, "Director Li, this is dried abalone. There are no fresh abalone this season. Don't worry, when it's in season, I'll definitely send you fresh ones, plenty!"

Li Jing'an nodded, looking at the plump abalone in his pocket, his expression softening considerably: "Thank you for remembering me. How about this, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"How could I let you spend the money? I must treat you!" Mine Manager Hu quickly declined.

After a few polite refusals, Li Jing'an simply said, "Let's not go outside. Let's eat at the guesthouse restaurant. It'll be convenient for us to try the local specialties you brought."

"Okay, okay, I'll follow Director Li's arrangements."

Li Jing'an picked up the phone and dialed the restaurant's internal line, asking Zhou Yufei to come over. He then personally poured a glass of water for Director Hu, and the two sat down to smoke and chat.

Li Jing'an casually asked, "Which departments did you send them to?"

Director Hu looked somewhat embarrassed, yet also a little smug: "To be honest, Director Li, even if I wanted to deliver it, I wouldn't know where to start. I can't just walk into the door of a big leader's house. So I came up with a plan and took it directly to the Ministry of Metallurgical's canteen. That way, all the leaders, big and small, in the ministry can eat there. It's a token of my goodwill."

What else could Li Jing'an say but give him a thumbs up? He wondered to himself how much of what he said would actually reach the leader's ears.

Not long after, Zhou Yufei knocked on the door and came in. Li Jing'an pointed to the things on the table: "Take this to the kitchen and arrange a private room for me tonight to entertain my friends."

"The mackerel is still in my room. It's been kept fresh in wooden buckets with ice. It was transported all the way here and is still fresh. I'll take you to get it." Director Hu quickly got up and followed Zhou Yufei out of the office.

After everyone left, Li Jing'an dialed his home phone, his tone much gentler: "Jialing, leave work early today. I'll have the driver pick you up and bring your parents to the guesthouse on the way. A friend brought some seafood specialties; come and have a taste."

That evening, in the guesthouse's private room, Li Jing'an's parents and Wei Jialing were all present. Li Jing'an briefly introduced Mine Manager Hu, who was flattered and thought to himself that Li Jing'an's willingness to let him meet his family meant he considered him a friend.

The dishes were served one after another, with the highlight being the mackerel and abalone brought by Mine Manager Hu. The kitchen staff carefully made mackerel dumplings and braised mackerel, while the abalone was slow-cooked with old chicken, resulting in a fragrant and delicious dish.

Li Jing'an quickly called to his family, "Dad, Mom, Jialing, come and try this. This is fresh mackerel that Lao Hu specially brought from Shandong Province. It's a good seasonal delicacy."

Mr. Li picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded repeatedly, "Delicious! It's so fresh! We used to eat frozen fish, which was small and fishy, ​​and we relied entirely on seasonings to mask the flavor. This fresh mackerel has firm flesh and no strange taste at all. It's just different!"

Li's mother also took a bite, and beamed with joy, praising how delicious it was.

Li Jing'an added a piece of soft and tender abalone to each of his parents and Wei Jialing's bowls, and the family enjoyed the meal immensely.

After the meal, Wei Jialing accompanied Li Jing'an's parents to the guest room to rest. Only Li Jing'an and Director Hu remained in the private room. The two of them had drunk until their faces were flushed, and the atmosphere was very lively.