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

Li Jing'an was standing by the window of the guesthouse, looking at the scenery outside with his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

Suddenly, two arms stretched out from in front of him, slapping him repeatedly. Li Jing'an grabbed those hands and slammed them down.

"Qin Huairu, tell me, tell me, aren't you just a jinx to men? You killed Jia Dongxu, and you even made that old codger, our former minister, half-paralyzed—that deadbeat didn't even touch you. How powerful are you? Only I, with my strong constitution and tough body, can withstand you. Tell me, which ordinary man would dare get close to you? Huh?"

Li Jing'an pinned her firmly against the wall below the window. Qin Huairu tried to push him away, but to no avail, only managing to make "oh...woo woo" sounds.

Li Jing'an smiled: "You don't need to say anything, just listen to me. I transferred you up this time because I saw you performed quite well and were observant, so I put you in the housekeeping department. But don't even think about being the squad leader; that depends on your future performance. If you behave well, we can talk about anything. But if anything else goes wrong, you won't even be going to the laundry room anymore. Understand?"

Li Jing'an thrust his body forward forcefully.

Qin Huairu was squeezed into a corner.

Unable to move, tears welled up in my eyes.

Li Jing'an looked out the window at the scenery, then suddenly closed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the moment and the beautiful view outside.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and he shivered violently, exhaling a deep breath.

Qin Huairu had just turned back from the guesthouse corridor to the guest room area when she was stopped by a colleague from the same department.

"Hey, Huai Ru, where have you been? Why have you been gone for so long?" Her colleague looked her up and down, her tone filled with concern.

"Oh... I had some personal business to attend to." Qin Huairu lowered her eyes and spoke in a low, soft voice.

The other person paused, then frowned again: "Something's not right, why is your voice so hoarse? And, were you... crying?"

"I didn't cry, it's just that it's cold and I caught a chill, so my voice is a little hoarse." She coughed lightly, trying to make her tone sound natural.

The colleague listened without asking any further questions, only adding casually, "Then you should take good care of yourself and not push yourself too hard."

"Yes, I will." Qin Huairu replied casually, quickening her pace as she hurried towards the guest room section.

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.

"Uncle, what brings you here? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I could have picked you up." Li Jing'an quickly got up to greet him.

"Why bother? I just decided to come on a whim, along with the village's oxcart. I'm sorry to trouble you again. You're busy with work, don't let it interfere with your business." The eldest uncle waved his hand and said gruffly.

Without a word, Li Jing'an helped his uncle to sit down on the sofa. Yang Chunjuan happened to be carrying tea when she pushed the door open and gently placed it in front of his uncle. She then glanced at Li Jing'an shrewdly, bowed, and left, closing the door behind her to give the two of them a quiet space to talk.

Li Jing'an took out a cigarette and handed it to his uncle, then quickly lit it. Watching him slowly exhale a puff of smoke, he asked, "Uncle, what's the matter that you've come all this way? Or has something changed with my cousin?"

The eldest uncle took a deep drag on his cigarette, sighed, and his wrinkles deepened. "What could possibly be wrong with your cousin? He's successfully become a full-fledged apprentice now and is doing quite well. I didn't want to bother you, but I had no choice; it's all because of your eldest cousin's situation. I just troubled you to arrange a job for your cousin, and now I'm coming here again. I really feel bad about it."

"Look at what you're saying," Li Jing'an waved his hand, his tone extremely amiable, "We're family, why distinguish between you and me? Just say what you want to say, don't be so polite with me."

The eldest uncle moved forward slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "Here's what happened. Your eldest cousin's son just turned 60 this year and is eligible for conscription. Our brigade only has one spot this year. As you know, your eldest cousin is an apprentice in the city and hasn't become a permanent employee yet, nor has he transferred his household registration out of the village. In theory, your eldest cousin's nephew should also be able to compete for this spot."

He paused, his tone clearly tinged with anger: "But that brigade secretary directly reserved the spot for his own youngest son! Last year's conscription spot went to his family, and now they're doing the same thing again! If it had gone to someone else, I would have accepted it, but it's his own child. I clearly told him beforehand, but who would have thought he would go back on his word! I'm here today to ask you, could you possibly try to get another conscription spot for your eldest cousin?"

As he spoke, his eyes were full of anticipation as he looked at Li Jing'an.

"Uncle, I thought it was something big. It's just a conscription spot. You don't need to come all the way here. A phone call would have been enough. Don't worry, I've agreed to it. It definitely won't delay my nephew's enlistment. I'll even pick a good branch for him and try to help him stay in the military."

"Oh! Thank you so much, Jing'an!" The uncle was so excited he almost stood up from the sofa, nodding repeatedly. "Your eldest cousin is a very honest and hardworking kid; he'll never let you down!"

"Please don't say that." Li Jing'an waved his hand, then stood up and said, "Uncle, since you're here, don't leave today. Let's get together as a family; it's been a long time since we've seen each other. I'll call my parents now and ask them to come over for dinner tonight."

The eldest uncle quickly waved his hand, looking troubled: "Isn't this a bad idea? I'd better hurry back and get home before dark so I won't be late for work tomorrow."

"Uncle, you can't leave!" Li Jing'an pressed down on his shoulder, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you go back today, my parents will definitely scold me for being insensible. Please stay for my sake. Let's have a good drink together tonight and catch up."

After saying that, he called out towards the door, "Yang Chunjuan!"

Yang Chunjuan immediately pushed the door open and came in. Li Jing'an instructed, "Go to the guest room department and book a room for my uncle to rest. Pick a room with a shower."

"Jing'an, there's no need to go to so much trouble. I can just sit here; I'm not tired," the eldest uncle quickly stopped him.

"Look at you, you've been on a bumpy oxcart ride for so long, how could you not be tired?" Li Jing'an said without waiting for a reply, half-helping and half-lifting his uncle to his feet. "Go take a hot bath, lie down and rest for a while to relax. I'll call Mom and Dad over tonight, and we'll all have a lively family gathering."

After settling his uncle in, Li Jing'an returned to his office alone, sat down at his desk, and gently tapped his fingers on the surface.

Things back home always bother him, which isn't a long-term solution. Ultimately, all the big and small matters in the countryside are in the hands of the brigade secretary. It would be better to find a way to solve the problem once and for all—make my uncle the brigade secretary.

As for the current brigade secretary who occupies the position, Li Jing'an doesn't intend to eliminate him completely. They're all from the same village, they see each other all the time, and going back a few generations, aren't they all related? As long as he can smoothly promote his uncle and remove him, that's enough. There's no need to be too ruthless; leaving some room for maneuver will make it easier to meet again in the future.