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

Xu Damao stood in the courtyard, his dark blue Zhongshan suit impeccably pressed, his hair slicked back and glossy. He had noticed the visitors to Li Jing'an's house long ago, especially his superior—Section Chief Qian of the Publicity Department. He immediately pushed his bicycle out of the courtyard, circling around for a long time before finally finding two bottles of Fenjiu liquor.

"Hey, isn't this Xu Damao?" Sha Zhu heard the noise, came out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand, a mocking smile on his face. "Your nose is pretty sharp, are you a dog? Smelled your boss here and came to curry favor?"

A flash of annoyance crossed Xu Damao's face, but he quickly replaced it with a look of disdain: "Go away, go away! This is none of your business. You're just a stinky cook, so just focus on cooking and don't worry about anything else." As he spoke, he even straightened his collar.

"Hey Xu Damao, you've been itching for a beating these past few days, haven't you?" Sha Zhu said, rolling up his sleeves.

Qin Huairu quickly stopped him and said to Xu Damao, "Come with me." She knew in her heart that Xu Damao was the kind of person who was very good at scheming, and he would definitely not miss this opportunity.

Xu Damao carried the wine and followed Qin Huairu toward the main house. When he passed Shazhu, he deliberately raised his chin, looking provocative.

The curtain was lifted, and Qin Huairu entered the room first: "Chief, Xu Damao is here."

Li Jing'an was talking to Section Chief Gou when he heard this. He looked towards the door, smiled, and called out, "Da Mao, don't just stand there, come in!"

Xu Damao then entered the room, squinting and bowing with a beaming smile: "Brother Li, I just came back and found out you had guests. I was worried you wouldn't have enough wine, so I brought two bottles over to you." After saying that, he turned to Section Chief Qian and greeted him respectfully: "Section Chief Qian, you're here too."

"Come on, sit down!" Li Jing'an pointed to the stool by the wall. "I didn't know you were home, so please help me greet them."

Xu Damao quickly grabbed a stool and sat down, his bottom barely touching the ground, leaning forward as if ready to serve at any moment.

"Da Mao," Li Jing'an said with a smile, "you have to make a good impression today. You must keep your section chief company well. If he walks in a straight line when he leaves, that's your responsibility!"

Xu Damao nodded repeatedly: "Watch my performance!" He then raised his glass to toast Section Chief Qian first.

Section Chief Qian waved his hand and said with a smile, "Da Mao, you can't just drink with me today. They are all leaders. You can't show favoritism to them."

Xu Damao understood immediately and replied, "Of course, I will toast each and every one of them properly!"

Just then, Qin Huairu brought in a pot of stewed chicken with mushrooms. The rich aroma instantly filled the entire room. The golden chicken meat was rolling in the soup, and the mushrooms were soaking up the broth, making it look incredibly appetizing.

"Great dish!" Captain Shen exclaimed, having had his eye on this impressive dish for a while.

Just as everyone was picking up their chopsticks, outside the courtyard gate, Uncle Liu Haizhong, like an ant on a hot pan, had already paced back and forth in front of Li Jing'an's house several times. He stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth, his brows furrowed, unable to think of a suitable reason to go in. Seeing Xu Damao carry the wine in, he became even more anxious, stamped his foot, and turned to walk back to his own house.

Second Aunt was sewing shoe soles inside the house when she saw her husband rush in and head straight for the chicken coop. She quickly followed him out, asking, "Honey, what are you doing catching chickens?"

"Take this to Li Jing'an! He's treating the steel mill leaders to dinner today," Liu Haizhong said, already grabbing the hen.

"Didn't we give him one last time?" Auntie Er objected. "This is a laying hen we just bought these past two days. Aren't you going to eat eggs?"

While tying up chicken feet, Liu Haizhong said, "What do women know! If I get promoted, I'll have plenty of eggs! Eggs' parents can eat them as much as they want! I need to show my face and let the factory leaders know me!"

With that, he picked up the fluttering hen and went out the door. Second Aunt stood at the door, watching her husband's retreating figure, and sighed, "When will this ever end…?"

Liu Haizhong carried the chicken into Li Jing'an's courtyard, but before he could even enter the house, he was blocked at the kitchen door by Sha Zhu.

"Hey, Second Uncle, you came here because you smelled it too?" Sha Zhu leaned against the door frame, a half-smile on his face.

"Go away, go away," Liu Haizhong said, blushing. "I need to see Li Jing'an."

Qin Huairu came out upon hearing the noise and, seeing the chicken in Liu Haizhong's hand, understood most of it: "Second Uncle, please come with me."

Upon entering the main room, Li Jing'an stared speechlessly at the chicken thrashing about in Liu Haizhong's hands. This was the second time Liu Haizhong had brought him a chicken; the last time was to ask him to put in a good word for him with the factory leaders so he could become a team leader.

"Director Li, I see you have quite a few people here. Bring over a chicken and some more dishes." Liu Haizhong's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, clearly indicating his nervousness.

Li Jing'an shook his head helplessly and said to Qin Huairu, "Huairu, take the chicken and tie it up in the yard first."

When Qin Huairu took the chicken, the hen flapped violently, and a few feathers drifted onto the table. Section Chief Qian frowned, while Section Chief Gou watched the scene with a half-smile.

Li Jing'an introduced to everyone: "This is the second uncle who is in charge of our courtyard."

Liu Haizhong quickly added, "Dear leaders, I am a level seven fitter from the steel rolling mill. My name is Liu Haizhong." He spoke haltingly, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his hands unconsciously rubbed the hem of his clothes.

"Have a seat," Li Jing'an said, pointing to an empty seat.

Liu Haizhong sat down carefully, his back ramrod straight, but he dared not look at anyone on the table.

Seeing Liu Haizhong's state, Xu Damao's eyes darted around, and an idea formed in his mind. He had just finished a drink with Section Chief Gou, and seeing Liu Haizhong sitting like a wooden post, he deliberately directed, "Hey, Second Uncle, hurry up and fill Section Chief Gou's cup!"

Liu Haizhong jumped up as if electrocuted, frantically grabbing the bottle to pour wine for Section Chief Gou. He was so nervous that his hand trembled, spilling some wine. Section Chief Gou didn't say anything, only tapped his fingers on the table.

Before he could even settle in, Xu Damao spoke up again: "Director Zhang's glass is empty."

Liu Haizhong quickly got up again and went to the other side to pour wine for Director Zhang. This time he was even more careful, but the more careful he was, the more his hands trembled, and he spilled a few drops. Director Zhang smiled and waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright, don't be nervous, Mr. Liu."

Li Jing'an saw this and felt somewhat displeased, but he still smiled. He glanced at the table and muttered, "Why hasn't the seaweed and egg drop soup been served yet?" He turned to Liu Haizhong and said, "Second Uncle, go to the kitchen and see if the soup is ready."

"Okay, sure!" Liu Haizhong was overjoyed and went to the kitchen excitedly.

Watching his flustered back, Xu Damao almost burst out laughing, but quickly picked up his wine glass to cover it up.

In the kitchen, Sha Zhu was sprinkling cilantro into the soup when he saw Liu Haizhong come in. He teased, "What's wrong? Not a hostess anymore, working as a waiter?"

Liu Haizhong wiped his sweat: "What do you know? You all want to drink with me. I'm here to relax." As he said this, his eyes involuntarily glanced at the pot—golden egg flowers were rolling in the seaweed soup, and the aroma was irresistible.

Sha Zhu clearly didn't believe it, but he didn't expose it. Qin Huairu said, "Second Uncle, please come inside, I'll take it."

Liu Haizhong lingered for a while before returning to his room. Before he could even sit down, Xu Damao ordered him to pour wine for Section Chief Qian.

Just then, Qin Huairu came in carrying the soup. Xu Damao hurriedly said, "Second Uncle, why aren't you taking it yet!"

Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts during the meal. Seeing that everyone had drunk quite a bit, Li Jing'an said to Qin Huairu, "Go and tell Sha Zhu to come to the table and have some drinks."

Qin Huairu returned a moment later: "He said he's not coming. Thank you, Director Li."

Li Jing'an nodded, then said to Qin Huairu, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you go back too, and we can clean up tomorrow."

"I have to go to work tomorrow, and I won't be able to pack until I get back tomorrow night. I'd better pack today," Qin Huairu said quickly.