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

The sound of tires screeching against the ground filled the air. Li Jing'an arrived at the entrance of the alley west of the courtyard house by car, and as soon as he got out, he saw Qin Huairu waiting there.

The driver got out of the driver's seat, went around to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and took out a bulging burlap sack containing a set of quilts and mattresses.

Li Jing'an turned to the driver and said, "Xiao Wang, you don't need to go in. Just wait at the alley entrance."

He then turned to Qin Huairu and said in a calm tone, "What are you still standing there for? Take it."

Qin Huairu quickly took two steps forward and took the sack containing the bedding from the driver. The sack was too big for her to hug, so she had to lift it with both hands.

Li Jing'an strode ahead, with Qin Huairu carrying a sack, following closely behind him.

Entering the courtyard, Li Jing'an looked around and nodded in satisfaction. He thought to himself, "This Widow Qin is clever and sensible; she even knew to clean and tidy up the courtyard beforehand."

For the past three years, he has only come to this small courtyard once a year during the New Year. On ordinary days, he will at most ask Xu Damao to come over to sweep the snow and tidy up the weeds in the yard, but he never comes here at other times.

Continuing into the courtyard, I reached the door of the east room, pushed it open, and a wave of scorching heat immediately hit me, making my cheeks burn. It seemed that the kang (heated brick bed) had been burning all day, and the temperature inside the room was exceptionally warm and comfortable.

While Li Jing'an was standing at the door looking around the house, Qin Huairu carried a sack into the inner room, took out the bedding one by one, bent down and carefully made the bed, and neatly arranged all the bedding.

Li Jing'an walked to the side listlessly, reached out and twisted the water pipe to check if it had been frozen and cracked by the cold winter.

"Brother Li, do you think my paving is alright?" Qin Huairu's cautious voice came from the inner room.

Li Jing'an stepped into the inner room and looked up. The bed on the kang (a heated brick bed) was made perfectly flat, and the quilts were folded squarely and neatly arranged beside the kang. The edges and sides of the kang were wiped spotless, and the tables and chairs in the room were also cleaned. Even the cobwebs in the corners and high on the walls had been swept away, leaving no trace of disorder.

Qin Huairu stood to the side and said respectfully, "Brother Li, if there's anything you're not satisfied with, just tell me and I'll fix it right away."

"Okay, that's settled then." Li Jing'an nodded.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, instantly settled down, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Jing'an looked at Qin Huairu and gestured with his chin towards her.

Qin Huairu was taken aback by Li Jing'an's action and cautiously asked, "What's wrong, Brother Li? Is there anything you need?"

Li Jing'an frowned immediately, his tone impatient: "What? What's wrong? Why are you pretending to be confused? It's the inspection! Hurry up, I have to go back to the affiliated institute today."

After saying that, Li Jing'an raised his hand and put it into the belt at his waist.

Qin Huairu pursed her lips.

He took two steps toward Li Jing'an and slowly squatted down.

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.

At this time, it was the time when workers were getting off work and children were getting out of school. The house was quiet and peaceful, with no fires lit for cooking yet.

The Jia family.

Banggeng was inside the house, playing with his two younger sisters. As usual, Jia Zhangshi sat by the kang (a heated brick bed), slowly sewing shoe soles, stitch by stitch, unhurriedly.

"Grandma, why hasn't Mom come back yet?" Banggeng suddenly looked up and asked.

"Your mom has something to do outside, she'll be back in a bit. We'll start cooking when she gets back."

When Jia Zhangshi answered, her expression was very unnatural, and her eyes kept glancing involuntarily at the west wall next to the west courtyard.

"So, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Upon hearing that cooking was to be done, Banggeng's ears immediately perked up, his eyes lighting up instantly as he eagerly asked questions. The two little girls also looked up at their brother, their eyes full of anticipation.

"We'll have cornbread for dinner, and some stir-fried cabbage," Jia Zhangshi replied casually, without even looking up, still busy sewing shoe soles.

Upon hearing this answer, the three children deflated instantly, their upright postures drooping.

Banggeng hung his head, muttering reluctantly, "Ugh, still cornbread and cabbage? I'm so tired of eating it every day."

Madam Jia stopped sewing shoe soles and glared at him, scolding, "Hey, you little rascal! It's already a blessing to have cornbread and cabbage to eat! Where are we supposed to get fresh vegetables in the dead of winter? Doesn't everyone make do with what they have in winter?"

"You should be grateful that we can feed you every day now, how dare you complain? Don't you remember a while ago, we couldn't even fill our stomachs with cornbread, we were starving one day and eating the next!"

Banggeng suddenly remembered something and asked, "Has Shazhu not brought us lunchboxes in a long time?"

"You disrespectful child! How dare you call him 'Silly Zhu'? You have to address him properly as Uncle Zhu." Madam Jia glared at him and began to scold him sternly.

After being scolded by his grandmother, Banggeng could only shrug his neck dejectedly and mutter under his breath, "What's wrong with calling him Shazhu? You all call him that all the time. Besides, I'm all grown up now, why can't I call him that?"

He was muttering to himself when his ears suddenly twitched, and he paused, as if he had vaguely heard a noise coming from outside the wall.

When the two younger sisters saw their brother suddenly stop what he was doing, they also quieted down.

Little Dang blinked her innocent eyes and asked softly, "Brother? What's wrong?"

"Shh! Don't make a sound." Bang Geng immediately pointed his finger and lowered his voice to stop his sister.

The two little girls immediately shut their mouths, held their breath, and listened intently with curious expressions.

The faint sounds coming from the west wall grew clearer and clearer.

Banggeng then turned to Jia Zhangshi, who was still sewing shoe soles on the kang (a heated brick bed), and said, "Grandma, did you hear that? It sounds like there's a fight going on in the courtyard to the west."

He pointed to the west wall, listening intently: "Listen, the sound is getting louder. That courtyard on the west side, hasn't it been empty and uninhabited for the past few years?"

Following his words, Jia Zhangshi stopped sewing shoe soles and listened intently for two moments. Her expression changed several times, turning pale and then flushed.

Suppressing her inner turmoil, she said to Banggeng, "Banggeng, take your two younger sisters and go out to play for a while."

Banggeng was still listening intently, but upon hearing this, he immediately turned his head away and shook his head unhappily: "No way, it's so cold outside, and there's no one around. What would I do if I went out to play?"

After he finished speaking, he immediately turned back, staring intently at the wall and listening closely.

"He's crying! He's crying from being hit! The sound of that beating is so loud!" Bang Geng heard it clearly, his face showing a hint of excitement at watching the spectacle.

Jia Zhangshi's face instantly turned even more unpleasant. She immediately put down the needle, thread, and shoe soles she was holding on the table and stood up abruptly.

She got up and went to the outer room, half-pulling and half-pushing the three little ones towards the door, saying as she pushed, "Take your sister out to play, don't stay cooped up at home all day."

"No, I don't want to go out." Bang Geng was full of resistance, his eyes still fixed on the west wall, clearly not having heard enough of the commotion inside, his heart full of curiosity to watch the excitement.

"Listen to me, hurry up and go out." Madam Jia could only urge her in a serious tone, "Your sister hasn't left the house all day. School's out, take your sister out for a stroll."

Bang Geng's eyes darted around, and suddenly he thought of something. He asked, "Then give me money, and I'll go buy some firecrackers to set off."

"Where would I get any money? All the money in the house is in your mother's hands," Jia Zhangshi replied casually.

"I won't go unless you pay me," Banggeng said, squeezing into the house and refusing to move.

"Okay, okay, I'll get it for you."

Having no other choice, Jia Zhangshi could only reach into her belt and fumble for a neatly folded handkerchief. She unfolded it layer by layer, pulled out a small coin, and handed it to Banggeng.

Banggeng caught it and immediately ran outside, excitedly shouting, "Oh, firecrackers are going off!"

"Wait for your sister, don't run too fast!"

Jia Zhangshi called out to her from behind, and the two little girls quickly followed Banggeng and ran out of the courtyard together.

Madam Jia watched the three children run off and disappear completely before slowly withdrawing her gaze and letting out a heavy sigh. She raised her eyes, her gaze complex as she looked toward the east gate of Li Jing'an's courtyard. Standing there, her mind racing, she seemed to be secretly plotting something.

The commotion in the west courtyard grew louder and louder. You didn't even need to get close to the wall to listen. Even standing at the door of the Jia family's house, you could clearly hear the slapping sounds coming from the west, and even faintly mixed with the soft sobs of a woman pleading.

Jia Zhangshi's face grew increasingly gloomy and unpleasant.

"Aunt Jia, what are you standing here for?" a voice called out.