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

"However, sir, we can't be too optimistic." Li Jing'an changed the subject, speaking realistically, "In recent years, the mine's equipment has become severely outdated, and upgrades have stalled. I can only guarantee that Shandong Province will recover to its previous level as soon as possible, and even increase it. But achieving a leapfrog increase in production will be very difficult."

"Haha, I understand what you mean." Vice President Wang waved his hand. "Well, we'll be going to Shandong Province for research soon. We'll summarize and verify what equipment and personnel are needed, and what specific difficulties the local areas are facing. We'll add equipment where needed and hire more people where needed, no problem! Jing'an, you've done me a great service! Don't worry, I'll report this to Vice President Deng."

Li Jing'an knew that with the Premier unwell, Vice Premier Deng was in charge of the actual work of the State Council. He quickly stood up and said sincerely, "Sir, I'm not saying this to boast. Sitting in this position at the Ministry of Metallurgy, this is what I should do. If you publicize it everywhere, it might bring me unnecessary trouble. Please understand."

"Okay, Jing'an, I understand." Vice President Wang gave him a deep look. He understood that doing things "secretly" went against the general direction at the time, and if it were brought up, it might not be a merit, but rather a handle against him. But he was becoming more and more satisfied with Li Jing'an—although this person had come up after the "wind" (referring to the political climate), his pragmatic spirit from his military background was indeed rare.

……

"Minister, we're home."

The driver's voice woke Li Jing'an, who had been resting with his eyes closed. He straightened his clothes, opened the door, and got out of the car.

Before us lies the mysterious "Shen District" of the Baiwanzhuang residential area. It's filled with detached villas, inhabited entirely by high-ranking officials. Since the military representative left and he officially took over as the head of the Ministry of Metallurgy, he moved into this building, finally fulfilling his wish from his first visit to his father-in-law's house.

As Li Jing'an entered the courtyard, he casually handed his briefcase to the waiter waiting at the door. Wei Jialing, hearing the commotion, also came out of the house to greet him.

"Jing'an, you're back so early today? Did you have lunch?"

"They've eaten. Where are the children?" Li Jing'an asked as he walked into the living room.

The two sat down on the sofa. The staff immediately brought tea, handing one cup to Li Jing'an and one cup of coffee to Wei Jialing.

"My son is doing his homework upstairs." Wei Jialing picked up her coffee, added a spoonful of sugar, and stirred it gently with a small spoon. "My daughter is her brother's little shadow, and she's causing trouble upstairs too."

"Wow, that's quite an achievement," Li Jing'an joked. "This kid actually knows how to do his homework? Isn't he always out gallivanting around?"

Li Jing'an was absolutely telling the truth. His son, at that age, was always following others around, either fighting or running off with the Red Guards in the streets. The fact that he was staying home quietly today was like the sun rising in the west.

"I was just about to tell you about this," Wei Jialing said angrily, putting down her coffee cup. "Yesterday our son got into a fight outside and got beaten up by some bastard from some alley. Otherwise, would he be so well-behaved today?"

"You lost?" Li Jing'an's focus was not on "being beaten" at all, and he blurted out.

"Can't you even check if our son is hurt?" Wei Jialing rolled her eyes.

"Isn't losing a fight the same as being injured?" Li Jing'an explained confidently, then cursed with a look of disgust, "What a piece of trash! How can he lose a fight? He eats milk and bread all day and can't even beat someone who eats cornbread. He's just a shit-producing machine!"

"Can't you be serious?!" Wei Jialing slapped him angrily. "I'm telling you this, not so you can badmouth our son!"

"So what do you mean? You want me to go and fight back for him?" Li Jing'an said with a grin. "I have no objection. Taking down seven or eight half-grown boys is a piece of cake for me. As long as our son agrees, I'll go out and fight with him tomorrow."

"You..." Wei Jialing pointed at the grinning Li Jing'an, too angry to speak. Finally, she said bitterly, "I want you to order your men to arrest those bastards from the alley who beat our son and teach them a lesson, to avenge our son!"

"Come on, give me a break!" Li Jing'an quickly waved his hand in refusal. "What's the point of adults interfering in children's business? Wouldn't it be embarrassing if word got out?"

"We can't let our son get beaten for nothing! He used to like going to the movies, but now they've said they'll beat him every time they see him. He's in a bad mood today; he even did his homework. He must have been traumatized!"

"Jialing," Li Jing'an said, both amused and exasperated, "isn't it a good thing that he can calm down and study? If a beating makes him study hard, I'll beat him every day from now on."

"You..." Wei Jialing was completely at a loss. "Fine, if you won't take care of it, I will!"

Li Jing'an didn't care. He knew Wei Jialing doted on her son, but she wouldn't cause any major trouble.

"By the way, Jialing, have you spoken to our parents on the phone recently?" Li Jing'an asked suddenly, as if he had just remembered something.

"What? You don't even care about your son, but you're concerned about my dad?" Wei Jialing retorted irritably, clearly still angry.

"Hey, didn't I go to a meeting at the State Council today?" Li Jing'an said seriously. "A group of veteran comrades have returned to work, and I was thinking that maybe Dad should also try to get some opportunities. After all, the conditions in the province aren't as good as in Beijing. Maybe we can see if he can be transferred back?"

"I called. I even called last night to ask, but I didn't hear anything," Wei Jialing said dejectedly.

"Really? Since there's already this trend, it'll be soon." Li Jing'an finished his tea, stood up, and said, "Alright, I need to catch up on some sleep. I had a meeting yesterday afternoon, a dinner party at the guesthouse last night, and another meeting this morning. I'm really exhausted."

Upon seeing this, Wei Jialing quickly instructed the attendant to run a bath in the upstairs bathroom so that he could take a shower before going to sleep.

Looking at the busy waitresses in front of her, Wei Jialing felt as if she had returned to the Wei family home. Now, her family's conditions were even better than the Wei family's—Li Jing'an not only had a full-time driver, but he had also transferred an old driver from the steel rolling mill to take her and the children shopping.

The family also had three support staff, all of whom were formal employees recruited by the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry's service units, and their salaries were all paid by the ministry. Li Jing'an, adhering to the principle of "why not use it if it's free," secured four positions: three for his own family and one for his parents' home as a nanny.

Nowadays, all the meals at home are specially supplied by the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, and we even have a full-time cook. In the past, when the children were young, we also had a dedicated childcare worker.

Only then did Li Jing'an begin to truly experience the life of a high-ranking official.

Of course, only by fully guaranteeing the livelihood of Li Jing'an's family can Li Jing'an better focus his mind on serving the people, right?