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

Another hour passed, and after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the dinner party finally came to an end.

Li Jing'an got up to see the guests off, and the group staggered to the courtyard gate. A night breeze blew in, carrying the chill of early autumn, which also sobered up the few who had drunk too much.

"Come on, Director Li!" Section Chief Qian patted Li Jing'an on the shoulder, his face flushed from drinking. "I'll treat you next time, you'll definitely do me the honor!"

"Definitely, definitely," Li Jing'an replied with a smile.

Section Chief Gou didn't say much, but he shook Li Jing'an's hand firmly. Captain Shen, on the other hand, loudly suggested that they go fishing together another day.

Li Jing'an pulled Director Zhang aside for a few more words: "Director Zhang, I'll need your help in the future. Please let me know if you need anything."

Director Zhang smiled warmly: "Director Li, you're too kind. We all live in this area, so it's only right that we look out for each other."

Li Jing'an only escorted the guest to the entrance of the small courtyard, while Xu Damao and his second uncle Liu Haizhong escorted the guest all the way to the main gate of the courtyard.

Throughout the journey, Xu Damao showered every leader with flattery, making each leader beam with joy.

Liu Haizhong followed behind, wanting to interject but unsure how to start, wringing his hands anxiously. He figured that once these leaders sobered up tomorrow, they probably wouldn't even remember he existed.

Back at the Central Courtyard, Sha Zhu was sitting on a small stool in front of his house, with leftovers from Li Jing'an's house in front of him. He was eating with relish, along with a half-empty bottle of wine that had been left over sometime during the night.

Seeing Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong return, he chuckled and deliberately clicked his tongue loudly, "Oh, you two busy men are back? How was your flattery?"

Xu Damao glared at him, didn't reply, and went straight back to the backyard. Liu Haizhong, on the other hand, lowered his head and walked quickly home—he needed to think carefully about whether giving away the chicken today was worth it.

Behind Yan Bugui's window, the third uncle pushed up his glasses, watched the group walk past the window, and said to the third aunt, "Look, these are all leaders from the steel rolling mill. This Li Jing'an is really something else; the aroma of food coming from his house hasn't stopped all day. Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong are both eager to curry favor with him."

The old woman leaned closer to the window, looked at the empty courtyard, and sighed, "He's the director, he knows a lot of people. If our Jiefang had that kind of connection, it would be so much easier to get a job."

"It's difficult," Yan Bugui shook his head, "Our family can't afford to give gifts."

Inside the main room, Qin Huairu, seeing that everyone had left, quickly began tidying up. Li Jing'an sat on the sofa, smoking and drinking tea, watching Qin Huairu bustling about.

"Huairu," he exhaled a smoke ring, "put the things they brought into the bedroom first."

Qin Huairu responded and picked up several net bags from the corner of the wall—they were full of cigarettes, alcohol, and tea, some good quality, some ordinary. She estimated in her mind that these things, if converted into money, would be enough for her family to eat for several months.

After putting the things away, Li Jing'an said, "Take all these leftovers to your place. There's a lot of food left over; we just drank it all."

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up, and her voice became cheerful: "Okay, Brother Li!"

She deftly folded the leftovers from all the plates together, filling a large enamel bowl. There was still more than half a fish, a good amount of chicken, a small portion of meatballs, and even more stir-fried vegetables left. Looking at the glistening, oily meat and vegetables, Qin Huairu felt a surge of satisfaction—the children would have a good meal tomorrow.

When Qin Huairu returned to the Jia family home with the dishes, the three children were already asleep. Jia Zhangshi was still mending clothes under the lamp when she saw Qin Huairu bring back a large bowl of dishes, and she quickly took it from her.

"So many?" Jia Zhangshi exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, they just drank and didn't touch the food much." Qin Huairu lowered her voice. "Mom, please keep this safe. We can reheat it for the kids tomorrow. I'll be back as soon as I've finished cleaning up."

Madam Jia nodded repeatedly, a rare smile appearing on her face as she looked at the meat in the basin.

When Qin Huairu returned to Li Jing'an's courtyard, her steps were much lighter. She first washed the plates and bowls clean, then went back to the living room to wipe the table and sweep the floor.

Li Jing'an stood up and stretched. "Come in after you've swept the floor clean. I haven't been back for the past two days, so I need to relax today." As he said this, his eyes lingered on Qin Huairu for a moment. He had plenty of "goodies" from the past two days.

Qin Huairu hummed in agreement. She understood what "relax a bit" meant, of course. She was used to it now and no longer felt conflicted. After all, she was a woman who needed someone to rely on. Besides, Li Jing'an was truly remarkable.

After Li Jing'an finished speaking, he went back to his bedroom. Qin Huairu quickened her pace, sweeping the floor clean, arranging the tables and chairs neatly, and checking the kitchen again. Once everything was in place, she stood in the living room, took a deep breath, and then pushed open the bedroom door.

In the bedroom, the lamp cast a warm yellow glow, enveloping the room in a soft, dim light. Li Jing'an, already dressed in pajamas, was leaning against the headboard, holding a curled-edge book. Seeing her enter, he placed the book on the bedside table.

"Finished cleaning up?" he asked, his voice sounding somewhat low in the quiet night.

"Hmm." Qin Huairu was still standing in the shadows by the door, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

"What are you standing there for?" Li Jing'an patted the edge of the bed, the fabric making a slight rustling sound. "Come here."

Qin Huairu moved over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Li Jing'an's hand reached out, his palm still warm from his body, and naturally slipped under the hem of her clothes, causing her to tremble slightly.

"Hey," Li Jing'an chuckled softly, his hands lingering on the object, a long-lost sense of ease in his voice, "You really got a good deal, it's still this good... Have you missed me these past few days?"

A flush spread across Qin Huairu's cheeks, reaching her ears. The lamplight cast soft shadows beneath her lowered eyelashes. She pursed her lips, her voice barely audible: "...I've thought about it."

"What were you thinking about?" Li Jing'an leaned closer, his breath brushing against her ear, carrying a faint smell of smoke and alcohol. His other hand tightened its grip. "Was it your upper body that was thinking, or your lower body?"

The kneading beneath her clothes made Qin Huairu's breathing quicken suddenly, her chest heaving. She closed her eyes, a barely audible gasp escaping her throat, before she mumbled two words: "...I want both."

Li Jing'an seemed satisfied and patted her on the back: "Go to the outer room and wash up."

Qin Huairu rose as if granted a pardon, her steps unsteady as she walked to the outer room. The water in the thermos had cooled down; she wrung out a towel and, in the dim light, quickly wiped her neck, armpits, and chest. The cool steam soothed her parched skin, but also made certain sensations even more acute. Gazing at her blurry reflection in the mirror, her cheeks flushed, and something unreadable in her eyes, she quickly looked away.

When they returned to the bedroom, Li Jing'an was lying naked in the middle of the bed, his arms and legs outstretched.

She didn't say anything, but simply gathered her loose hair back.

The only sound in the room was the faint creaking of the bed.