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

"Old Li! Old Li!" a voice shouted from outside the door, followed by a loud banging on the door.

As soon as the door opened, the person outside eagerly squeezed in.

"What's up, Lao Li? I've been calling for ages!" The man was around thirty years old, dressed like a cadre, with a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a condescending attitude.

Old Li recognized Zhang, the clerk from the housing management office, and muttered to himself, but put on a smile: "Clerk Zhang, what can I do for you?"

"Great news, of course it's great news! Old Li, you've really hit the jackpot." Officer Zhang stared at him with a smile.

"What's the matter? What good news?" Old Li asked tentatively.

"You're just going to let me say this here? Huh?" Zhang Ganshi deliberately dragged out his words, glancing around the yard with his eyes.

Old Li slapped his forehead and quickly stepped aside to make way: "Oh dear, look at me! Officer Zhang, come in, please. We happen to have some tea at home, let's drink and talk." He then led the man into the courtyard.

This was a small courtyard house with three rooms in the north wing, one room in the west wing, and a kitchen added on the east side. Zhang, the clerk, was ushered into the main room, plopped down on a high chair, crossed his legs, and looked around.

"Honey, we have a guest! Pour some tea!" Old Li called out to the inner room, then turned and sat down in the chair next to Officer Zhang. He picked up a cigarette from the table, took one out, and handed it to her, lighting it with a match.

Officer Zhang took a satisfying drag, squinted, and exhaled a puff of smoke before slowly speaking, "Old Li, you're incredibly lucky. Let me tell you, I'm even a little jealous. You never seem to get anything good done to you. You know, we're getting demolished for subway construction here. Everyone in this area is unhappy. They all know they're moving to Jinyuchi—it's far, and the conditions aren't good, just makeshift buildings. Lots of people have complained to me. I bet you don't want to leave this area either, right? You don't want to leave Xicheng either, do you?" He spoke with an air of frustration, as if those people were constantly chasing after him with their complaints, but his eyes remained fixed on Old Li.

Old Li quickly waved his hand: "No, no, we support the government's decision. If the government tells us to move, we will move. We support national development."

"Old Li, you're not being honest," Officer Zhang chuckled, pointing at him. "There are no outsiders here, right? You don't need to be so careful."

At this moment, a middle-aged woman came in carrying two cups of tea, handed one to each person, and then left with her head down.

Officer Zhang took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and put down the cup. "I thought of your place first when I heard about this good thing. What, you don't appreciate it?"

"Not at all, thank you so much, Officer Zhang. I'm so grateful that you thought of my family." Old Li bowed deeply, feeling extremely apprehensive.

Officer Zhang waved his hand, pulled two sheets of paper from his briefcase, and slapped them on the table: "Alright, I won't beat around the bush. Here's the thing, there's a family living not far from your house, only two streets from our alley. They want to move to a new place. When I saw their situation, I immediately thought of you—you two are a perfect match."

Old Li's heart skipped a beat. He was well aware of the relocation conditions—makeshift prefabricated houses, a communal kitchen, a communal toilet, all crammed together… just thinking about it made him uncomfortable. But he was also a little puzzled: how could such a good thing fall into his lap? He didn't have much of a relationship with this clerk.

"Hey, Lao Li, you'll have to treat me to dinner after this is done, right?" Zhang said smugly. "You got such a good deal, don't you think? Who wouldn't be jealous of you? Here, I brought all the materials, just in case something goes wrong." He pushed the two sheets of paper over from the table.

Old Li picked up the paper and examined it carefully. Officer Zhang, who was nearby, sipped his tea and chatted, "Old Li, what a coincidence! The family across the street who replaced you also has the surname Li, and they're even from the same clan. Maybe you two were even related before."

As he looked around, Old Li's expression suddenly changed: "Officer Zhang, are you sure you're not mistaken? This isn't right. Their house is only thirty-odd square meters. Ours, not counting the kitchen, is over fifty square meters."

Zhang's smile vanished instantly, his face darkening. "No mistake. Old Li, you need to understand, you should be grateful if someone offers you a replacement. Who wants to live in a prefab house? You think you can trade one for one? You're dreaming."