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

"Why are you only getting back today? What have you been up to these past two days?"

Wei Jialing frowned and complained as she looked at Li Jing'an who had just entered the room.

"Where have you been? I have a job! You're really meddling!" Li Jing'an retorted without hesitation, cursing inwardly: You can't see the situation clearly. What kind of time is this to be throwing a tantrum? Don't you think about your own situation? I've been putting up with this for so many years, it's not easy for me.

"What's wrong with you?" Wei Jialing was taken aback by his cold tone. This was the first time Li Jing'an had spoken to her like this.

"What's wrong? Let me tell you, everyone knows what the situation is like now. If you can't keep up, you'll be eliminated immediately!" Li Jing'an glanced at her meaningfully, then walked straight to the sofa and sat down. He picked up his teacup and found it empty, and his temper flared up again: "Where's the water? Don't you have any common sense?"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Wei Jialing was completely bewildered by his series of actions, but she didn't argue. She turned to go to the kitchen to get a kettle, saying as she went, "You haven't been home for the past few days. When I call you, you're either in a meeting or on an inspection tour. You won't even let me go to the factory or the guesthouse to find you..."

"What's wrong with you?" Li Jing'an interrupted impatiently. "You're just reading the newspaper at work, taking care of the kids at home, having someone cook for you and do your laundry. You're really ungrateful." He thought to himself, "I'll get you a new one right away."

"Of course something's wrong!" Wei Jialing said, carrying a kettle, her voice heavy. "My dad's going to be relocated to another province soon. Isn't that a big deal?"

"Evacuation? What does that mean?" Li Jing'an was taken aback. His father-in-law, Old Wei, had already been sidelined in the municipal party committee. Although he hadn't been greatly affected, he had been plotting how to stir up trouble and criticize this old man who looked down on him to vent his anger. He never expected to learn from Wei Jialing that he was going to be evacuated.

Wei Jialing explained that the central government, under the guise of war preparedness and evacuation, relocated some high-ranking officials to local areas for work and labor. While it was called labor, it was merely a formality; they lived in small villas, rode in cars, and were provided with nannies and bodyguards—their benefits were not reduced at all.

Li Jing'an felt a tightness in his chest, utterly frustrated. Why didn't he just defeat them all? Why let them go out and enjoy themselves? Most importantly—he hadn't avenged himself yet! How could this be?

"What are you thinking about?" Wei Jialing frowned when she saw him staring at the table without saying a word. "We need to take advantage of the few days we have to go see my dad. I don't know when he passed away."

"Oh, I see." Li Jing'an snapped out of his daze, quickly took the water bottle from her hand, and feigned concern, saying, "Don't move, your belly is so big, be careful. Go and rest, I'll do it. I'll be heartbroken if you bump into something!"

Wei Jialing was puzzled by his sudden change in attitude and had no idea what had gotten into him, so she had no choice but to obediently return to her bedroom.

After she left, Li Jing'an sat on the sofa drinking water, his mind racing: He had to vent his anger before Lao Wei left! He needed to contact the Red Guards as soon as possible and drag him out for a few rounds of criticism and struggle sessions, otherwise he wouldn't be able to quell his hatred!

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.

"Bai Ting, why do you seem so distant after all these years?"

Li Jing'an smoked in the guesthouse office, staring at Bai Ting, who stood in the middle of the office, with ill intent. Bai Ting felt flustered by his gaze, hugged her arms, and kept her head down without saying a word.

"What's wrong? Don't you even know how to call me 'brother' anymore?"

Li Jing'an stood up with a smile, walked around the desk to Bai Ting's side, and looked her up and down.

"Hey, not bad! Haven't seen you in years. Looks like you've been doing well at Old Wu's. You've gained weight?"

As he spoke, he slapped Bai Ting's buttocks hard.

Bai Ting quickly took a step forward, her body trembling, and said nothing.

Li Jing'an chuckled and moved closer to her, saying, "Hehe, not bad, quite bouncy. You're really heartless. People say even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. Although we didn't become husband and wife, we still had a few days together, right? I told you then that you should come find me sometime for a 'sparring match.' And you, you just turned your back on me after we were done. Don't you think there's something wrong with you as a person?"

"Director Li..."

Bai Ting looked at Li Jing'an, who was circling around her and getting closer and closer, and finally wanted to beg for mercy, but before she could finish speaking, Li Jing'an interrupted her.

"What Director Li? You used to call me 'Brother Li' so affectionately, but now you call me 'Director Li' when we meet? Huh? You're really hurting my feelings! Look outside."

Li Jing'an put his arm around Bai Ting's neck and pulled her a couple of steps toward the window. He pointed out the window and turned her neck so she could see what was happening outside.

"Open your eyes and take a good look. Given the situation outside, if it weren't for my past kindness, you, Lao Wu, and your man Xiao Wu would be getting a dressing-down in the street. Why aren't you grateful? Can't you even call me 'brother' anymore?"

A large crowd gathered outside the window, and the sounds of slogans and shouts could be faintly heard.

"Brother Li... please let us go, please let me go."

Bai Ting finally spoke. Looking at the crowd outside, fear finally took over, and she lowered her head to beg Li Jing'an for mercy.

"What do you mean by 'I spared you'? When has your brother Li ever made things difficult for you? Huh? You know how much your brother Li used to dote on you. When has he ever not gone all out? Hehehe. Brother Li saved you, how are you going to thank him? Hmm?"

Li Jing'an looked at Bai Ting with ill intent, his hands wandering restlessly over her body.

"Brother Li...please let me go..." Bai Ting pleaded.

"Don't be afraid, Brother Li won't eat you. Brother Li just misses you."

He placed one hand directly on her head, applying slight pressure.

"Come here, Bai Ting, let me see if you've forgotten everything I taught you."

Outside the window, Old Wu and his grandson, Little Wu, were being escorted to be criticized, their heads bowed and backs bent, wearing signs. A group of people spat and cursed at them, their spittle practically washing their faces. Several other people were being led in line behind them. It seemed quite a few people had been arrested and many homes confiscated today.

Inside the steel rolling mill's warehouse, Master Zhao and Liu Haizhong stood to one side, watching a group of people moving things back and forth, with others registering and cataloging them. The atmosphere throughout the steel rolling mill was tense and restless.

Back in the guesthouse office, Li Jing'an pressed Bai Ting against the window, grabbing her hair with one hand to force her to lift her head, while using the other hand to twist her shoulders:

"Look outside, look at your man, Xiao Wu. Listen to what people are saying about him. Even though you're not going to be on stage, you still need to be educated, do you hear me?"

A slap landed heavily on her, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the quiet office. Wei Ting frowned, clenching her teeth in pain, and could only manage to squeeze out three words through gritted teeth.

"understood."

"Hehehe...uh~uh~"