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

The minister got out of the car and saw Li Jing'an waiting at the entrance of the guesthouse. He smiled and said:

Good morning, Jing'an.

Then he put on a regretful expression and sighed:

"Oh dear, what bad luck. I have two urgent meetings to attend these next two days, so I can't participate in the competition."

"Look at what you're saying. We've also received the notification about the meeting, and our department needs to prepare for it, so the competition is being postponed for now. We can't let the competition interfere with our work. Don't you agree?"

Li Jing'an replied with a smile.

"Jing'an, really, I don't know what to say about you. You do everything so well, and you're so clear-headed about everything."

As the minister spoke, he patted Li Jing'an's arm heavily and then sighed.

"Young people like you are so rare these days. If my secretary were even a tenth as good as you, he would save me a lot of trouble."

Just as the minister said this, his secretary got out of the front seat and heard what the minister said. He immediately became very embarrassed, unsure whether to come over or not.

Li Jing'an immediately said:

"Please don't say that. My work and your secretary's focus are different. I only have my own area of ​​responsibility at our guesthouse, while your secretary has to consider all aspects of your life. If I were to do it, I definitely wouldn't be as good as him."

The minister didn't say anything, but patted Li Jing'an's arm again.

Li Jing'an nodded to his secretary standing by the car and led them into the guesthouse.

On the way, Li Jing'an lowered his voice again, making sure only the minister could hear him:

"Minister, you have meetings these next couple of days, and you're staying here anyway. Would you like me to arrange a badminton sparring partner for you so you can get some exercise?"

"That's not a good idea. If word gets out and others find out, they'll say I'm greedy for pleasure or something. That would have a bad influence."

Although the minister was somewhat tempted, he still declined with a troubled expression.

"Hey, Minister, I've thought of everything for you. You can just do it in our banquet hall, who will know? And even if people find out, so what? It's a form of exercise, a hobby. Some leaders like running, some like hiking, and our leader even enjoys swimming, right? What's the big deal if people find out? Who can use this against you?"

Li Jing'an quickly reassured the minister.

Upon hearing this, the minister stopped in his tracks, smiled, and looked at Li Jing'an:

"Alright, Jing'an, you've thought things through more thoroughly. Let's do it your way, haha."

"Minister, you'll be in luck. After your meeting, I'll introduce you to a sparring partner who will absolutely satisfy you."

The minister simply smiled and nodded, patting Li Jing'an's arm:

"Jing'an, how could I not trust you? Looking at all these things, in what way have you not done things to my liking? I'll follow your arrangements."

Then he looked at Li Jing'an and said:

"Jing'an, you're truly a talented person. Don't worry, I certainly won't let you go to waste. After all, you consider everything very well, and it's clear you're capable. Be prepared, I'll definitely give you more responsibilities, so don't blame me."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an immediately stopped smiling and solemnly pledged his loyalty to the minister:

"I'm your soldier; I'll go wherever you point! I'm like a brick; I'll be moved wherever you need me!"

These words delighted the minister, who kept patting Li Jing'an's shoulder until Li Jing'an felt his shoulder was about to swell up.

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.

"What are you dawdling for? I'm telling you, you have to get those clothes back today!"

At the entrance of the large courtyard house, a woman was urging a middle-aged man who was dawdling behind her, her tone full of impatience.

"Hey, honey, why don't we just let it go? What's the point of asking for something back after we've given it away? Aren't you ashamed?" The man behind her said reluctantly in a low voice.

"What did you say? Forget it? Let me tell you, that won't do!" The woman immediately raised her voice, her face full of disapproval. "The things we gave away before, even if it was like feeding the dogs, are unacceptable. But this outfit is absolutely out of the question! This outfit cost us so much of our savings, it's all gone. Besides, who can say we're not doing this? We're not looking for trouble later, we're trying to completely sever ties with the right-wing bad elements!"

As she spoke, she glared fiercely at the man behind her, then pointed at him and continued, "Let me tell you, we have to do this today! Don't you think about it? If we don't do it, what if he drags us into this, what if it affects the children? Who will bear the consequences if we ruin our lives, the whole family? Think about how serious his crime was; he couldn't even stay in the city and was kicked out to the countryside. What hope does he have for the rest of his life? If you dare to back down today, if you dare to be a coward, I promise I won't stay with you anymore. I'll take the children and go back to my parents' home right now, and sever all ties with your family!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman snorted heavily, turned around hurriedly, and stepped into the courtyard.

The man behind him sighed helplessly, flicked his sleeves in frustration, and ultimately didn't dare to say anything more. He could only lower his head and quickly follow.

Before they even reached their destination, they heard a commotion coming from inside the courtyard. They stopped, exchanged a glance, and quickly hurried inside.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered in front of Wang Defa's house. A man and a woman were standing at the door, arguing excitedly with Wang Defa's parents. These two were Wang Defa's aunt and uncle.

"Sis, you can't do this! We're sisters, you're just kicking us when we're down!"

"Sisters? Who said we're sisters! I'm here to take my things back. From now on, we're severing all ties. Don't try to claim kinship with me. I don't have relatives like you! You forget about me when things are good, but blame me when trouble comes!"

"Yes, give our things back!"

Wang Defa's second uncle chimed in, "Why waste your breath on them!"

Mr. Wang shoved Mrs. Wang behind him and stood in front of them, saying coldly, "Alright, you want the things, right? Fine, they're all in the outhouse at the end of the alley. Go get them directly; you don't need to come to my house."

"Are you trying to play dirty with me? I think you're asking for it!"

Wang Defa's second uncle was immediately enraged and grabbed Wang's father by the collar.

Unfazed, Wang's father yelled, "Come and hit me! If you've got the guts, then do it! Hey, I don't believe it, we're short of food anyway!"

"See? See? I told you what kind of good birds his family could produce! See? I wasn't wrong!"

"That's right, I saw it coming a long time ago too. I've known since I was a kid that Wang Defa was rebellious by nature and was never a decent person."

"Why even look at him? Just look at his father's behavior. Like father, like son. The saying 'like begets like' is absolutely true."

"I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to be neighbors with this kind of family."

The neighbors gathered around, chattering amongst themselves, their faces filled with disdain and schadenfreude. Each one spoke with absolute certainty, as if they had long seen through Wang Defa's character, each adopting the air of a shrewd strategist.

Behind the crowd, Wang Defa's uncle and aunt watched coldly.

Wang Defa's uncle secretly tugged at his wife's sleeve and pleaded in a low voice:

"Honey, look at this scene... Let's go. There are so many people gathered around. If we move forward, it won't look good."

Wang Defa's aunt suddenly turned around and glared at him fiercely:

"Why are you leaving? If we don't finish this today, we won't have another chance!"

After saying that, she straightened her collar, forcefully pushed her way through the crowd, and began to shout at the top of her lungs:

"Oh my god, you heartless little brat! I knew you were no good!"

Her shout was sharp and loud, and the previously chaotic courtyard instantly quieted down, with everyone's eyes immediately drawn to her.

Wang Defa's aunt wasn't intimidated at all. She stood in the middle, hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke:

"Everyone, listen to my opinion! As his elder, I've always doted on him and protected him, and what's the result? I've raised such an ungrateful wretch! He's rebellious and does nothing right! Now he's done something so outrageous and disgraceful! He's completely disgraced the Wang family."

As she spoke, she pointed her finger sharply in the direction of Wang Defa, as if trying to pierce through him:

"I knew something was off about him! He's always acting sarcastic and condescending, always trying to be superior to everyone. That arrogant attitude of his is just plain wicked! Now that things have turned out this way, and he's been caught red-handed, he deserves it! How could my Wang family have produced such a wretched child like you!"

Wang Defa's uncle was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet. He wanted to pull him back but didn't dare to. He could only shrink into the crowd, looking embarrassed, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

When the people around saw that even the elders had personally stepped forward to scold him, the discussion became even more heated. Looking towards the room where Wang Defa had been hiding, they felt even more contempt and judgment.