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

"Do you even know what the situation is right now?" Su Liting lowered her voice slightly, but the gritted teeth remained undiminished. "If you don't provoke them, they'll come after us. Look at our neighbors in this building, most of them have been beaten up. The only ones left are the ones who know how to handle things and chose sides beforehand. And you? You're just waiting to be fed into their mouths! Tell me, if it weren't for me, could our family have survived? Can you even support this family?"

Her chest heaved with anger, her eyes reddening. "You think you can expect me, a woman, to stand out in the world and support this family? You have the nerve! You're so self-satisfied! All you do is draw your lousy blueprints all day. What's the use? The factory is practically shut down. You might as well bury your head in your pants and pretend to be an ostrich!" As if still not satisfied, she added, "Even if you bury your head in your pants, you still wouldn't be half as good as Director Li. You're utterly useless!"

Wang Gong's face was flushed with shame and indignation, but when he met Su Liting's eyes and thought of the miserable state of his colleagues who had been forced onto the stage to be criticized, he immediately wilted and dared not make any move.

She turned around, straightened her hair in front of the mirror, and her tone softened slightly, but was still colder: "If it weren't for Director Li, I, as a teacher, would have been branded a disgraced intellectual long ago. And you? You would have been demoted long ago. You have no sense of crisis at all. Instead of quickly getting close to Director Li, you're just a coward."

She looked at her outfit in the mirror, smoothed her hair, and pursed her lips in satisfaction. But when she turned her head and saw Engineer Wang still sitting there with his head down, her anger flared up again: "What are you still sitting there for? Get up! Take me to the guesthouse! Don't let today's business be delayed!"

He then opened the door and walked out.

As Wang watched her retreating figure, his expression changed repeatedly, his lips trembled twice, and finally he stood up shakily and followed her out.

Throughout the journey, Su Liting sat on the back of the bicycle, her mouth never stopping. Engineer Wang rode in silence, only occasionally letting out a soft "hmm."

Upon arriving at the guesthouse entrance, Mr. Wang stopped the car, turned around, and asked in a low voice, "What time are you going home?"

"I don't know." Su Liting jumped out of the car, looking down and tugging at the clothes she had wrinkled from sitting there. "You wait here. If I'm still not out after everyone else has left, it means I'm not going home today. You can go home by yourself."

After saying that, she turned and walked into the guesthouse, her steps swaying and her waist bobbing.

Wang stood at the doorway, watching her figure disappear into the foyer, his face contorted with a pained expression. He felt as if every passerby's gaze was a knife, piercing his back and face, as if trying to dissect him completely. He felt his breath catch in his throat, so he quickly lowered his head, pushed his bicycle far to the side of the road, and squatted in a corner, glancing up at the entrance every now and then.

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.

Meanwhile, the guesthouse still had the same office as before.

Old Huang was very understanding and had kept this office for Li Jing'an's convenience. At this moment, Li Jing'an was sitting behind his desk, looking at Zhou Yufei, who was sulking on the sofa, and sighed, "Are you bored? Wouldn't it be better to stay home and take care of the kids? You wouldn't have to work hard, and you'd still get your full salary. It's such a good thing, why are you throwing a tantrum?"

Zhou Yufei turned her face away angrily: "You're the head of the factory, after all. If you wanted to transfer me to the Revolutionary Committee as a member, it would only take a word from you, but you just won't do it for me."

"You're really biting the hand that feeds you, not recognizing a kind heart." Li Jing'an shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness. "You're all talk and no action. You only care about the power in your hands. Do you really think the Revolutionary Committee is a good place? Let me tell you the truth, the Revolutionary Committee has no long-term future. I'll have a hard time protecting myself in the future, let alone you. That's why I don't want you involved."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yufei's expression brightened, and she quickly turned her head, staring directly at him: "Then... will the current situation change?"

"There won't be any reversals in the short term, I'm certain of that," Li Jing'an said in a low voice. "But there will inevitably be earth-shattering changes in the future, and no one who has ever been involved with this organization can escape them."

Zhou Yufei's expression suddenly turned serious, her fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes, a sense of anxiety rising within her. Having been detained at the police station for two days previously, she knew all too well the bitterness of being in trouble: "What will you do then?"

"I have my own arrangements, you don't need to worry about it, just follow my instructions." Li Jing'an stood up, walked to her, and said in a calm tone, "Once the steel mill's restructuring is complete, I will remove you from your position and let you go home to take care of the children. From now on, you will be completely cut off from all factory affairs and rely on this to protect yourself. You didn't see it, but I've even settled my wife at home, not letting her get involved in anything outside. I've always treated everyone equally."

"That……"

"You can stay home and take care of the children. Even if the situation changes in the future, you can keep your cadre status. You've prepared a way out."

Zhou Yufei was silent for a while, then finally nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

"It's always good to listen to them." Li Jing'an patted her shoulder. "Go home first. I still need to discuss the restructuring of the steel rolling mill with them later."

Zhou Yufei stood up, picked up her bag, glanced at him, and turned to leave.

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.

Li Jing'an pushed open the door to the private room and walked in. The people waiting inside immediately stood up in unison.

"Director Li."

"Brother Li."

"Please sit down, we're all family, don't be so polite." Li Jing'an chuckled and gestured for them to sit, then walked to the head seat. He looked around, then suddenly frowned, turned to a young man next to him, and asked, "Little Ma, where's your master?"

When Xiao Ma was called, he quickly stood up, bowed, and replied, "Director Li, my master... he insisted on going to the kitchen, saying he wanted to cook two more of your signature dishes for you."

This Xiao Ma was the apprentice of the head chef who was kicked by Li Jing'an to clean toilets at the steel rolling mill. He had done a lot of work when he was dealing with Wang Defa and performed well, so Li Jing'an transferred him from the sanitation team to another canteen.

This guy was indeed useful; he jumped around quite a bit after the wind picked up, making him a minor leader of the rebels. But he was pragmatic and had long since broken away from the grassroots rebels, currying favor with Li Jing'an and surrendering. Seeing that he was indeed sensible, Li Jing'an brought him into his circle.

"Hey, we're here to talk business, not to eat." Li Jing'an waved his hand, but before he could finish speaking, a shout came from the doorway—

"The food is here!"

The head chef carried two dishes in from outside, placed them on the table with a smile, then rubbed his hands together and stood aside. With him, everyone at the table was present: the head chef, Xiao Ma, Lao Huang, Song Yun, Xu Damao, Su Liting, and Chief Gou from the security department.