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

As soon as they left, Section Chief Zhang's face instantly darkened to a grim degree. He lowered his voice and angrily berated his wife, "Are you crazy? Aren't you trying to ruin Engineer Wang's family? Huh? I was begging Engineer Wang to help us and save you yesterday. How are we supposed to face people now that you've bitten me like this? Where do I put my face?"

His wife covered her swollen eyes, tears welling in her eyes, her voice frantic and hoarse: "Honey, what can we do? You heard it yourself, if we don't go along with them, our whole family is finished!"

"But we can't repay kindness with enmity!" Section Chief Zhang said anxiously and angrily, his voice trembling. "How can we live with ourselves?"

"My conscience won't let me live with it, but you have to think about the child!" She gripped his arm tightly, her other eye filled with fear. "If you really do that to us, what will happen to the child?"

"No, no, we can't do that!" Section Chief Zhang shook his head repeatedly, his tone full of struggle and resistance.

"Honey, we're going to the third-tier city anyway, and we won't be able to see each other again. For the sake of the child, I don't care anymore, I'm going all out! Let them hit me or scold me, let them do what they want!" Section Chief Zhang's wife closed her eyes, as if she had made up her mind completely.

"Honey, calm down!" Before Section Chief Zhang could finish speaking, the door creaked open.

Section Chief Gou walked in with a smile, plopped back down in his original seat, glanced at the two men, and slowly asked, "So? Have you remembered clearly? Who wants to go first?"

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" Section Chief Zhang's wife suddenly stood up and spoke up.

"Honey!" Section Chief Zhang hurriedly reached out to grab her arm, but before he could finish speaking, he was flung away.

She nodded repeatedly to Section Chief Gou, "Sir, sir, it was our neighbor, Engineer Wang, who instigated it! He deliberately leaked the other party's situation to our old Zhang, just to provoke us into making trouble. Otherwise, my husband and I don't know anything, how would we know so much inside information? He's educated, full of tricks, we really can't fight him..."

"Oh?" Section Chief Gou's eyes lit up, and he immediately winked at the recorder next to him, "Come on, write it down, write it down quickly." After saying that, he looked at the woman and gestured for her to continue, "Go on."

"And then there's his wife, Su Liting!" The woman, as if grasping at a straw, became increasingly anxious and vehement as she spoke. "She's in the children's daycare at the factory's affiliated school. She's no good! She always smirks, speaks in a high-pitched voice, dresses extravagantly, always has face oil on, and is very particular about her clothes. She doesn't look like a working woman at all; she's just like a Kuomintang official's wife from back in the day! Leader, do you think... she might be a spy left over from the past?"

Section Chief Gou slapped his thigh, his smile widening, and looked at Section Chief Zhang, whose face was ashen: "Look, look, Section Chief Zhang, you're not as perceptive as your wife! You don't see things as clearly as she does! This is what we always say: trust the masses, mobilize the masses, the masses have discerning eyes!"

His expression darkened slightly as he looked at Section Chief Zhang. "Look at you, even though you lead a few people in the workshop, where did you go with the vigilance we emphasize every day? Huh? How could you be blinded by this so-called brotherhood? Don't you know? Those spies left over from the old society are incredibly cunning, masters of disguise and manipulating people. If you don't keep your eyes open, you'll be dragged down by them sooner or later!"

"Once the facts are verified, think about what will happen to you?" Section Chief Gou's gaze was stern as he pounded the table, enunciating each word clearly. "Just because of your momentary loyalty and impulsiveness, you let a hidden ambitious person go free, causing immense losses to our factory and our country. You should carefully consider this!"

After speaking, his throat was indeed tight. He picked up the enamel teacup on the table and gulped down two mouthfuls. The moment the tea entered his throat, his mind immediately started racing: "Goodness, Li Jing'an is really something! I could never come up with these words myself. The way he taught me these phrases is so effective. Unlike dealing with Director Li before, who always made me guess his thoughts—what's the point of guessing? If I could figure it out, I'd be promoted already, not stuck here! No, no, I need to get closer to Li Jing'an from now on."

Section Chief Gou smacked his lips, spat the tea stalks from his mouth back into the cup, and maintained a serious expression on his face.

"Boss, about this matter..." Section Chief Zhang was about to speak when he saw this.

Section Chief Gou's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he interrupted him in a cold, hard tone: "What? You have something to say? Do you think your wife is wrong? Or do you think she's framing someone?"

"No, boss, I meant to say..."

"Shut up if you disagree!" Section Chief Gou shouted sternly. "Enough nonsense, don't talk back. Just wait for the investigation results. Come here and sign!"

He grabbed the notebook, pushed it forward, and pointed to the signature area, gesturing for the two people to come over.

Section Chief Zhang's wife quickly stepped forward—she was illiterate and couldn't sign, so she simply pressed her fingerprint in the designated spot. Under Section Chief Gou's piercing gaze, Section Chief Zhang also stepped forward, trembling, and signed his name.

Section Chief Gou chuckled, tossed the notebook to the person next to him, and slowly said, "Alright. Our security department will continue to investigate the situation you reported. After all, it's just hearsay right now, and the truth is still uncertain. However, I'm very satisfied with your attitude today. Don't worry, even if the final investigation finds discrepancies between what you said, I will report it to the factory and deal with you leniently. After all, your attitude in admitting your mistakes is commendable."

"Here's what we'll do: don't go back to the dormitory for the next few days, so as not to arouse suspicion from Engineer Wang's family. If they really have something going on, you won't be safe either. I'll have someone arrange a room for your family in the single dormitory for a few days until things come to light."

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.

In the guesthouse director's office, an old-fashioned black hand-cranked telephone suddenly rang. Li Jing'an picked up the phone and snapped it to his ear.

"Hey, Section Chief Gou. Oh? There's a result? Good, good, I knew it, the security section is quite capable."

"Hey, what do you mean by 'my teaching'? You'd better figure it out yourself. If he were a stone, even if I taught him ten more times, he still wouldn't understand, right?"

"Okay, okay, let's get together in a couple of days. I'll treat you, I'll treat you. I can't let you treat me to a meal, that would be unreasonable. Alright, that's settled then, wait for my message."

Li Jing'an hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Clang clang."

"Come in," Li Jing'an called out to the door.

"Director Li, you wanted to see me?" Qin Huairu walked in timidly from outside.

"What? You're not even calling me Brother Li anymore? Are you blaming me? Still holding a grudge against me?" Li Jing'an said, glancing at him.

"No, no, Brother Li, that's not what I meant," Qin Huairu quickly explained.

"Alright, alright, I'm talking to you about serious matters." Li Jing'an opened a drawer, took out a set of keys, and tossed them to Qin Huairu. Qin Huairu hurriedly caught them, puzzled.

"This is the key to my courtyard. I'm giving you the day off tomorrow. Go and clean the east room thoroughly, tidy it up, and heat up the kang (heated brick bed). I might need it these next few days. Do a good job cleaning it up. And let me know, tell me when you're done. I need to inspect it."

Watching Qin Huairu's figure disappear into the office, Li Jing'an leisurely lit a cigarette.