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

"Who is it? Come in, the door isn't locked."

Li Jing'an stepped out of the room and called out towards the front door. Who would be looking for him at this hour? Li Jing'an was a little puzzled.

After all, he hadn't lived here long and hadn't interacted much with his neighbors. He'd just exchange greetings and pleasantries when they met, and he hadn't even seen the old lady in the backyard.

The door was pushed open, and Qin Huairu walked in.

"Director Li, it's me. Did I bother you?" she said with a smile, a little embarrassed.

This is really unexpected. Could it be a request for grain? Like the plot in a fan fiction? Impossible, right? He started to let his mind wander.

"Oh, it's Master Qin. What's up? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you about," Qin Huairu said.

"Oh, come in, let's talk inside." With that, Li Jing'an stepped aside and invited her into the house.

Qin Huai hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

After entering the room, Li Jing'an invited Qin Huairu to sit on the three-seater sofa in the middle, and casually took the bag from the table and hung it on the wall.

After Qin Huai sat down, she looked around at the furnishings, and a wave of envy washed over her: "If only it were my home." She couldn't help but think of it, but then, remembering her own home, her mood immediately darkened.

Li Jing'an took two cups from the tray on the table and then pinched some tea leaves from an iron box.

"Don't bother, I'm not thirsty, I just finished eating," Qin Huairu quickly said, half-standing up.

"Hey, this is your first time visiting my house, you can't just not even have a sip of water, can you?" He said, picking up the thermos and pouring water into the cups. He pushed one of the cups in front of Qin Huairu and said, "Master Qin, what brings you here so late?" He sat down on the single sofa next to him.

"Please don't call me Master Qin, just call me by my name."

"Okay, I know you're probably a year younger than me, so you can call me Brother Li from now on," Li Jing'an replied with a smile.

"That's how it is. I heard from Zhu Zi at our Intermediate People's Court that they transferred someone to their cafeteria. He used to be a waiter at Brother Li's guesthouse."

She glanced at Li Jing'an, and seeing that he was listening attentively, she continued, "I just wanted to ask you, now that one person has been transferred, doesn't that mean there's a vacancy at the guesthouse? Is that spot still available?" After saying that, she looked at Li Jing'an expectantly.

She had already found out that it was a job as a waitress at a guesthouse. The starting salary was thirty-five yuan. The working environment was good, and the work wasn't strenuous—just cleaning and making the beds. She really wanted to transfer there.

It turned out she wanted to change jobs. Only then did Li Jing'an take a closer look at Qin Huairu.

She was only twenty-eight years old this year, with a perfectly oval face, fair and clean skin, and almond-shaped eyes that were clear and bright, though her eyelids always carried a hint of sorrow. Although she had already given birth to three children, her figure was even more voluptuous, with rounded curves that even old clothes couldn't hide. He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, and his body began to stir with desire.

Qin Huairu saw that Li Jing'an remained silent, his eyes fixed on her. She couldn't help but feel uneasy, and her body tensed up instinctively.

Li Jing'an only realized what was happening when he saw the changes in her. Damn, since her rebirth, all her physical attributes have been increasing day by day. It slowed down a bit these past few days, but it looks like it will eventually reach twice the level of an average person. Most importantly, some areas have also undergone secondary development. I can only say it's amazing!

"Huai Ru, I understand what you mean. The spot is still available, but do you have any connections? This position is being eyed by many people." Li Jing'an even omitted the "surname," he simply didn't believe she could find someone to help her transfer jobs.

She could only turn to two people: Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai. Sha Zhu hadn't met that old leader yet. Judging from later developments, Qin Huairu probably never changed positions in the end.

It's understandable; a leader of that rank wouldn't bother with something so trivial. After all, there are several levels above them; wouldn't that be beneath them?

It was even less likely that Yi Zhonghai would succeed. Although he was an eighth-grade fitter, his factory was a steel rolling mill, mainly producing steel bars, rails, and steel plates; they weren't a core workshop at all.

He only had some influence in his own workshop, and the respect the factory leaders showed him was only superficial.

Qin Huai knew the two of them well, and he also knew they couldn't be of much help. So he wanted to ask Li Jing'an to see if he could help.

"Brother Li, I don't have any connections." She shook her head. "That's why I wanted to ask you if you could help me. We're just ordinary workers, after all, and we don't have any connections."

Haha, you came empty-handed, without any offer, and you expect others to help you just by talking? Is that even possible?

Li Jing'an thought to himself, but a troubled expression appeared on his face: "Qin Huairu, it's not that your brother Li doesn't want to help you. You may not know, personnel transfers are a matter for the personnel department. Even the factory leader in charge needs to give his approval. Although I have the right to make suggestions, the decision-making power is still in their hands. This matter is not easy to handle."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "Besides, isn't your job pretty good? Being a fitter is a bit tiring, but the potential is high. You might not know, but a waiter only makes a maximum of sixty-five yuan, which is far less than what you fitters earn."

Qin Huairu was a smart woman, and she realized that it was difficult to handle, not impossible.

So she immediately began to complain: "Brother Li, you don't know, I'm really bad at being a fitter. I can't even read, and reading blueprints is like reading gibberish to me. If I don't change jobs, I can only rely on seniority to get a raise, and when will that ever end?" As she spoke, tears fell from her eyes.

Going to the factory every day was torture; no one was willing to take her seriously, they were all people who wanted to take advantage of her.

Especially their workshop director, who would subtly criticize her every day, she had no idea how she managed to get through it.

"My family is really struggling. Right now, the only ones we have are the pillars in the middle courtyard who occasionally give us leftovers; and an old man who sometimes gives us some cornmeal. I really can't hold on much longer." After saying this, she couldn't stop crying.

"Brother Li, please help me. I'll repay you in the future."