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

In the afternoon, Li Jing'an rode his bicycle to the Ministry of Metallurgy. The Ministry of Metallurgy building was a Soviet-style building, tall and solemn, with guards standing at the entrance. After registering, he went inside and easily made his way to the east side of the third floor.

Director Gao's office door was ajar. Li Jing'an knocked, and a deep voice came from inside saying, "Come in."

"Sorry to bother you, old leader," Li Jing'an said respectfully.

Director Gao, not yet fifty, had jet-black hair (whether dyed or not was unclear), wore black-rimmed glasses, and was bent over his desk reviewing documents. He looked up and saw Li Jing'an, a smile spreading across his face: "Jing'an, have a seat. What's the matter?"

Li Jing'an sat down in the chair opposite the desk, leaning slightly forward: "It's like this, Mine Manager Hu Wenshan from a mine in Shandong asked me to invite you to dinner so he can give you a face-to-face report on his work. What do you think…"

Director Gao put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at him with a half-smile: "Jing'an, tell the truth, did you accept a gift from them?"

"It's just some local specialties, peanuts, red dates and stuff, nothing expensive," Li Jing'an said with a smile. "The main thing is that Mine Manager Hu has always admired you and wanted to ask you for advice in person."

"This is a one-time exception." Director Gao pointed at him, his tone half reproachful and half helpless. "There's no need for dinner. The ministry is having meetings these days, and heads of major companies from all over the country are here. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to have dinner with anyone alone. Just find some time and bring him to my office to meet me."

Li Jing'an quickly agreed, "That's wonderful! Thank you on behalf of Mine Manager Hu!"

---

"Switchboard operator, connect me to the First Guesthouse." Li Jing'an returned to the guesthouse office.

I heard a clicking sound and a slight static noise from the receiver, and a few seconds later someone answered.

"Hello, I'm looking for Comrade Hu Wenshan in room 206. Yes, Director Hu." Li Jing'an held the receiver between his shoulder and shoulder, and with his other hand took out the box of peony flowers from the drawer, pulled one out and tapped it lightly on the table.

Director Hu is staying in a double room, but there's no telephone in the room. We'll have to ask the hotel staff to notify him.

"Hey? Old Hu? It's me, Li Jing'an." Hearing the other person answer the phone, his tone immediately took on just the right amount of warmth. "I have news. I just got back from Director Gao's."

"Hey! Director Li! Please speak, please speak!" His voice unconsciously rose a little, and his Mandarin with a Shandong accent sounded even more urgent.

"That's right," Li Jing'an's voice came through the phone line, calm as if he were discussing routine business, "I've given Director Gao a detailed report on your situation and conveyed your sincerity. However..." He paused deliberately, hearing Hu Wenshan's tense breathing on the other end of the line, before continuing, "The Director feels that having a meal together isn't appropriate at this stage. As you know, there are many meetings in the ministry these days, and officials from all over the country are watching closely. Having a meal alone with someone could have a negative impact."

Hu Wenshan's heart sank, and the muscles on his face tensed.

"However," Li Jing'an changed the subject, and Hu Wenshan's heart was in his throat again, "the director understands the difficulties faced by comrades at the grassroots level and has agreed to make an exception and meet with you. So, tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, you go directly to the ministry, and I'll take you up. Remember, twenty minutes, only talk about work, and keep your report concise."

A dramatic turn of events! Hu Wenshan felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his hand holding the receiver trembled slightly, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out with excitement. "That's wonderful! Director Li, thank you so much! This...this is truly...I..." He stammered, momentarily at a loss for words to express his gratitude. The heavy weight that had been hanging over his heart for days finally lifted. He had found the right person! He had truly found the right person! This Li Jing'an really did have connections in the ministry; his words carried weight!

"Alright, enough with the formalities." Li Jing'an seemed to chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Tomorrow at 9:30, wait for me at the entrance of the metallurgical department, we'll go together. Remember, make sure you have all the materials ready."

"Definitely! Definitely! Don't worry!" Hu Wenshan assured him repeatedly. Even after the other end of the phone hung up and the dial tone came through, he held the receiver for a long time before carefully hanging up again.

Factory Director Hu now walks with a light, unsteady gait. He doesn't even remember how he got back to his room.

"Hey, Lao Hu, what's got you so excited? Did you find a wallet?" A cheerful voice came from the bed next to us.

Old Chen, who shared a room with him, was the factory manager of a steel rolling mill in Northeast China and was also in Beijing for a meeting. At that moment, Old Chen was leaning against the headboard, looking at him with a half-smile, his eyes filled with a mixture of inquiry and understanding.

Hu Wenshan's heart tightened, and he quickly put on his usual slightly naive smile: "How could that be, Lao Chen, don't make fun of me. I just asked around about something, and I've got some leads." He tried to downplay it, but the undisguised joy in his eyes betrayed him.

"Come on, Lao Hu," Old Chen sat up, took out his cigarette case, handed one over, and lit one for himself. "Trying to fool me? Did you pull some strings and get in touch with Director Gao in the ministry?"

Hu Wenshan's heart skipped a beat. His hand, which was taking the cigarette, paused slightly, and the smile on his face stiffened a little: "You...who told you this nonsense..."

"Still pretending?" Old Chen exhaled a smoke ring and said slowly, "So you're the only one who knows Old Wang from the steel rolling mill's production department? We were classmates, we even worked in the mines in Northeast China together! He was having dinner with me the other day, and he kept telling me that you asked Director Li of the steel rolling mill's second guesthouse to contact Minister Gao to report on your work. Impressive, Old Hu, you've got some connections, all done quietly!"

Hu Wenshan could no longer maintain his composure, and in his heart he cursed Old Wang, who had no self-control, seven or eight times over. That Old Wang was like an old lady's belt—too loose! He sighed, knowing he couldn't hide it anymore, and lit a cigarette with the light Old Chen handed him, taking a deep drag.

"What connections or anything like that," Hu Wenshan shook his head, his smile revealing genuine weariness and a hint of luck. "It's all about taking a chance. Old Wang was right, we did ask Director Li for help. But I just got a call, and Director Gao didn't agree to have dinner with us, only to meet tomorrow morning for a maximum of twenty minutes."

"Meet him?!" Old Chen's tone suddenly rose, the teasing smile on his face replaced by surprise and a hint of barely perceptible envy. "Wow, Old Hu! You really managed to get it done? Just one meeting, a twenty-minute talk, that's a different story! So many people want to submit their documents but can't even find the right person!"

"Just lucky, purely lucky." Hu Wenshan waved his hands repeatedly, but the smugness in his eyes and brows was like oil slicks on the surface of water, impossible to suppress. "It's all thanks to Director Li, he gave me face. I was just doing this for the sake of things at the mine, I had no choice..."

Meanwhile, Old Chen in the next bed was wondering if he should also look for such "connections" in Beijing.

The steel rolling mill's closing bell rang precisely on time. Workers surged out of the gate like a tide, bicycle bells jingling all around. Qin Huairu walked out with the flow of people, her steps much lighter than usual.

"Huai Ru!" someone called her.

She turned around and saw Yi Zhonghai walking towards her from behind. Yi Zhonghai was an eighth-grade fitter at the steel rolling mill, and also a respected elder in the courtyard.

"Grandpa." Qin Huairu stopped in her tracks.

"I heard from Shazhu that you've been transferred to the guesthouse?" Yi Zhonghai asked with concern. "How are you doing? Are you settling in?"

"It's great, much easier than working in the workshop," Qin Huairu said with a genuine smile. "No need to look at blueprints or move heavy objects."

"Sigh, it must be tough for you to work in the workshop," Yi Zhonghai sighed.

Qin Huairu did not respond.

As I approached the courtyard gate, I ran into Sha Zhu coming out of the yard. He had gotten off work early and had already changed into clean clothes.

"Sister Qin, Grandpa!" Sha Zhu greeted them, then turned to Qin Huairu, "How was your first day at the guesthouse? Nobody gave you any trouble, right?"

"It's great, my colleagues are all very friendly," Qin Huairu said. "When I went to the cafeteria for lunch today, I had to thank you for letting me get extra meat and vegetables."

"That's nothing!" Sha Zhu waved his hand. "Just ask if you need anything in the future. I know Li Jing'an well too; if he doesn't take good care of things, I'll have a word with him!"

Qin Huairu felt a warmth mixed with bitterness in her heart. Sha Zhu was genuinely good to her, but there were some things she could never explain to him.

Back at the Jia family home in the middle courtyard, Qin Huairu's mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, was cooking porridge on the coal stove by the door. Seeing Qin Huairu return, she glanced up, then lowered her head again to stir the porridge in the pot: "Went to the guesthouse? How was it?"

Qin Huairu put down her cloth bag and sat down on a small stool by the door, as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders: "She's gone. She was transferred there this morning. Mom, let me tell you, the work at the guesthouse is easy, and they even provide lunch. From now on, we only need to buy staple foods, which will save us a lot of money!"

She spoke quickly, as if she were about to say something she had been holding back for a long time: "Li Jing'an said we'll get paid again before Mid-Autumn Festival. I'll go buy some meat then, and we'll make dumplings. Banggeng's shoes need replacing, Xiaodang's pants are too short, and Huaihua has been wanting a new hair tie..."

Madam Jia listened quietly, her spoon slowing its pace. The porridge bubbled and steamed in the pot, blurring her face. After a long while, she whispered, "Huai Ru, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Although the words were spoken out of the blue, Qin Huairu understood them.

"I'm not aggrieved," her voice was as soft as a sigh, "It's all for the children, for this family."

The silence inside the Jia family's house felt particularly heavy. Some things didn't need to be said aloud, and some consequences were unspoken.