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

Xu Damao, drunk and reeking of alcohol, hummed an off-key tune as he pushed a gleaming new bicycle into the courtyard. Just as he reached the front yard, he bumped into Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, standing at his door.

Xu Damao didn't even bother to glance at him, pretending not to see him, and pushed his cart inside. Yan Bugui, however, immediately put on a smile and took the initiative to greet him.

"Da Mao, you're back? It's so late?"

"Oh, Uncle, I'm so drunk I can't see you here," Xu Damao said dismissively.

"Hehe, off to another social engagement?" Yan Bugui asked with a smile.

"Our factory director and our institute director were having dinner and insisted that I join them. I really couldn't refuse." Xu Damao said with his head held high, looking smug and full of boasting.

"I knew you were capable," Yan Bugui said, praising him profusely while staring at his clothes. "Look at your clothes, they must have been expensive, right?"

"Hey, your teacher has a good eye." Xu Damao proudly tugged at the corner of his clothes. "I just made this Zhongshan suit, and the fabric is specially supplied. I won't say how much it cost, but just the ration coupons for the fabric are special ones that you've never even seen before." He then deliberately shook his clothes to show off.

"Clothes really do make the man," Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly. "Now that you're a cadre, you look much more impressive in this uniform."

"Of course, you have a good eye, hahaha!" Xu Damao was flattered and laughed loudly.

Yan Bugui's ingratiating manner was not without ulterior motives. As he spoke, his gaze had already secretly fallen on Xu Damao's bicycle handlebars. There, hanging from the handlebars, were a bag and a cloth pocket, with a few bright green vegetable leaves peeking out. In those days, it was the dead of winter, and every household only had cabbage and radishes; fresh vegetables were hard to find—this scene instantly caught Yan Bugui's eye.

"Hey! Da Mao, what's that in your pocket? It looks so fresh! Is it vegetables?" Yan Bugui feigned surprise. "In the dead of winter, you actually managed to get such fresh green vegetables. You're really something!"

These words struck a nerve with Xu Damao's vanity. He immediately picked up the cloth bag, raised his chin, and boasted, "Third Uncle, did you see that? This is cave-raised stuff! Even high-ranking officials might not get to eat this kind of special food so easily!"

He opened the bag and held it up to Yan Bugui's eyes: "Look, this celery, and a bunch of chives, they're all fresh!"

"Where did you get this from?" Yan Bugui stared wide-eyed, his words stammering, his gaze fixed on the vegetables.

"Where else could I get this?" Xu Damao shrugged and said casually, "I'm out socializing with the boss every day, so this is a piece of cake. It's just that my daughter is craving something, and yesterday she insisted on having chive and egg dumplings, so I got them for her. Here, Uncle, have a taste."

As he spoke, Xu Damao pulled out a few stalks of celery and generously stuffed them into Yan Bugui's hands.

Yan Bugui quickly accepted it with both hands, flattering him incessantly: "I've really seen something amazing today! Da Mao, you're the most capable person in our courtyard!" He then gave a thumbs-up.

The two got what they wanted, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went their separate ways. When Xu Damao returned home, he found that one chicken was missing from the henhouse—the rest of the story is well-known, so we won't go into details.

On the other side, Li Jing'an was driven back to the Ministry of Metallurgical's residential compound. As soon as he entered, a little boy of about two years old ran over and circled around his legs. Seeing that his hands were empty, he immediately turned around and ran back into the house.

Li Jing'an casually hung his coat behind the door, frowned, and cursed, "Damn it, this little brat doesn't even know how to call me 'Dad'."

At this moment, Wei Jialing heard the noise and came out of the bedroom.

As Li Jing'an sat down on the living room sofa, he picked up the teapot and poured himself some tea, casually asking, "What did you two have for dinner?"

"Hey, what else can we eat?" Wei Jialing walked over and sat down, her tone indifferent. "Xiao Lin just cooked two dishes. I didn't have much of an appetite, so I only ate a couple of bites, and your son ate the rest. He also drank a glass of milk tonight, and now he's looking for snacks everywhere."

Xiao Lin was a domestic helper that Li Jing'an applied for from the neighborhood office. She was young, unemployed, and came from a very poor family: her father had passed away, her mother was working in a factory to take over her job, and she had two younger sisters and a brother who was seven or eight years old. When Li Jing'an went to the neighborhood office, he happened to see Xiao Lin looking for temporary work. He thought that his children needed someone to take care of them, and since Wei Jialing was careless and he was busy, he hired her.

Li Jing'an picked up his teacup and sipped slowly. Wei Jialing sat down next to him, her face displeased, and complained, "Jing'an, why don't we find someone else? Let's not bring Xiao Lin. She's so young, she has no experience in taking care of people."

Li Jing'an knew perfectly well that she wasn't complaining about Xiao Lin's inexperience; she was clearly suspicious of his youth and afraid he might have designs on her. He immediately frowned and refused in a deep voice: "Jialing, this isn't something we can just change at will. It's all done by the street office through unified applications and allocations, with an organized process. We can't just do whatever we want."

"If you won't go and tell them, I will!" Wei Jialing immediately lost her temper and raised her voice.

"Don't be impulsive," Li Jing'an sighed helplessly, advising, "The neighborhood committee will give us face, but your actions will have a very bad impact on Dad. Besides, Xiaolin's whole family depends on her for a living. She hasn't done anything wrong. If you kick her out, how will they survive? Can't you be more understanding?"

"If all else fails, I'll find her another job—it's just a matter of a word for me."

"My dear little aunt, please stop making trouble." Li Jing'an put down his teacup and looked at her helplessly. "If word gets out, people will just laugh at us. I know your concerns. How could I possibly be interested in a little girl like her? She only comes to help take care of the children during the day. I'm at work all day, and it's just you and her at home. You're being too suspicious. I have you, that's enough. Stop overthinking."

Seeing Wei Jialing sitting silently to the side.

"Stop worrying about these useless things all day long." Li Jing'an rubbed his temples, his voice weary. "The most important thing now is to take care of your health; you're pregnant."

After thinking for a moment, Wei Jialing suggested, "How about we send our son to my parents' place? I don't need anyone to take care of him now. If we send him there, they'll be happy, and someone will help look after him."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Li Jing'an immediately snorted, his face full of disapproval. "My dad just retired and wants to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet. You're sending that naughty kid over there—I can't even control him, how can my parents, with their old arms and legs, stand it? This isn't filial piety, it's clearly just causing them trouble."

Li Jing'an picked up his water glass and drank it all in one gulp, then got up and walked towards the bedroom.

But Wei Jialing still wouldn't give up, quickly following behind him, muttering to herself with a stubborn tone: "Are you going to agree to replace Xiaolin or not? Give me a straight answer!"

The empty living room fell silent. Only the painting "Thousands of Mountains Ablaze with Red" on the wall behind the sofa remained, its imposing presence hanging quietly under the light.