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

In the corridor, Li Jing'an was walking back to his office. After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, slowed down, and waved to someone behind him: "Da Mao, Da Mao, come here."

Xu Damao jogged up to catch up, hunched over, and approached Li Jing'an with a forced smile on his face. His voice was soft and quick: "Brother Li, what are your instructions?"

Li Jing'an didn't stop walking either, saying as he went, "Da Mao, I have a task for you. Go to accountant Xiao Mei's place later and get all the employee bonuses and receipts that were suspended this month. You use that money to see if there's anything unusual you can find to buy some New Year's goods. It's almost New Year's, isn't it? We've all worked hard all year, I have to show my appreciation, right?"

Xu Damao's eyes lit up immediately, and he bowed even lower: "Hey! Brother Li, don't worry, I'll definitely do my best! Brother Li, being able to work under you is truly a blessing I've accumulated over several lifetimes!"

"Haha, Da Mao, what are you saying?" Li Jing'an patted him on the shoulder. "It's all because you're excellent and capable. Go ahead, get some good stuff, something special. Mention me when you buy things. These companies selling supplies are all second-tier merchants, I still have some influence there."

"Hey, look at what you're saying, Brother Li." Xu Damao's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "If I don't mention you, who will pay attention to me? But if I mention your name, won't we get the best stuff right away?"

Li Jing'an laughed again, amused by his words. After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped. "Alright, you're a smooth talker, aren't you? Here's what we'll do: go to the shop in our office and get a pack of cigarettes. After all, you'll need to offer cigarettes when you're dealing with people, right? I can't let you pay for them. Go get a good one, don't embarrass me."

"Hey! Thank you, Brother Li!" Xu Damao's shout was crisp and loud, his back almost bent at a ninety-degree angle. His smile, like a blooming old chrysanthemum, was a tapestry of wrinkles. He nodded and bowed, "Brother Li, don't worry, I'll definitely handle this perfectly..."

Li Jing'an continued walking forward with a smile, and Xu Damao followed for two more steps with his back bent, then turned around.

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.

"Come on, let's see what you think of this house?"

Director Zhao of the Housing Management Bureau pushed open the door and walked in, beckoning the people outside to come in. First to enter was Li Jing'an, followed by his father, mother, and Wei Jialing.

Director Zhao smiled and said, "What do you think? This apartment is the same size as the one on Yuetan North Street, on the third floor. I arranged this in advance to reserve it especially for you. Are you satisfied? Which one do you prefer? Both are resettlement apartments from our Housing Management Bureau, so you can choose whichever you like."

Director Zhao smiled and pointed into the room, speaking to Li Jing'an and his father.

Li Jing'an smiled and looked at his parents: "Dad, what do you think?"

Mr. Li looked around the house, nodding repeatedly, "Great, great, great. The house is spacious, this one is 65 square meters, right?"

As Li's father spoke, he turned to Director Zhao and asked.

Director Zhao quickly responded, "Yes, yes, they are all 65 square meters, and they are all on the third floor."

Li Jing'an frowned slightly and said, "Mom and Dad, how about we keep the first or second floor? You're getting older, and I'm worried it won't be convenient for you to go upstairs later."

Li's father looked at Li Jing'an disapprovingly and said, "Hey, what are you saying? This third floor is the best floor. Don't think I don't know any better. Our factory also has apartments, and the third floor is always the best. People are fighting over it, and you don't want it anymore?"

He continued, "Besides, if your mother and I get too old to move, why don't we just move to that little courtyard in Nanluoguxiang?"

Li's mother touched and looked around the room, then nodded in satisfaction, agreeing, "Yes, yes, yes."

Seeing this, Li Jing'an said, "Alright, if you two don't mind climbing the stairs, then the third floor is fine. So, which one do you prefer, the one in Sanlihe or the one on Yuetan North Street?"

Looking at the house, Mr. Li hesitated, "I think they're all pretty good, and they're not far apart. But this one in Sanlihe seems a bit quieter. Maybe we should choose this one."

Li Jing'an chuckled and replied, "Hehe, Dad, I also think this one is better. After all, we're getting older, and peace and quiet is definitely the most important thing. Okay, then let's settle on this one. Thank you, Director Zhao."

Li Jing'an turned to look at Director Zhao standing to the side with a smile.

Director Zhao quickly waved his hand, his face beaming with smiles: "Oh dear, what are you saying? It's just a matter of a few words. You're making me blush. Hahaha."

Li Jing'an patted Director Zhao on the shoulder: "Alright, alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll treat you to dinner in a few days."

Director Zhao beamed with joy.

Li Jing'an accompanied his parents to carefully inspect each room, and then said to Director Zhao, "I see there aren't enough radiators in the room, so the temperature is a bit low."

Director Zhao quickly explained, "As you know, we don't have municipal heating here; it's all from the community's own boilers, so the temperature is indeed a bit low, only around 16, 17, or 18 degrees Celsius. How about this, I'll have someone arrange it right away: for the larger rooms, we'll add an extra radiator, and for the smaller ones, we'll replace them with larger ones. What do you think?"

Li Jing'an nodded: "Okay, Director Zhao, you've thought this through very well. I have no objections. Dad, what do you think? Let's settle on this. In a couple of days, I'll have someone from the furniture factory come over to take our measurements, and then we'll order a brand new set of furniture. We'll move here before the New Year and spend the holiday here. After all, this place has heating and a separate kitchen and bathroom. We should hurry up and vacate our old house so it can be handed over to someone else; we can't delay our country's subway construction."

Li's mother quickly interjected, "We don't need to get new furniture, do we? Our old furniture is perfectly fine. If we get new furniture, where will we put all our old things?"

Li Jing'an smiled helplessly and said, "Oh, Mom, I'm telling you, we've moved to a new house, do we still need all these old things? New house, new look, new atmosphere, we should replace everything with new ones. Look at you today, aren't you wearing the fur coat Jialing made for you? Wearing a new fur coat, you have to put on a new look too. You don't need to worry about this. When the time comes, ask my sister first, if she wants anything, let her take it. The rest, we can just share with our old neighbors."

Hearing Li Jing'an's words, Li's mother smiled and gently touched the fur coat that had been sent to her. Examining the stitches and feeling the smooth, thick fur, she secretly admired the quality of the fur and the workmanship.

She initially didn't want to wear it, feeling that going out in such expensive clothes would be too eye-catching, and she was afraid of being pointed at and laughed at by others. But she couldn't resist her son and daughter-in-law's constant persuasion and urging, so she could only frown and pretend to be unwilling to put it on. On the surface, she made all sorts of excuses, but in her heart, she was secretly delighted and couldn't hide her joy.