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

Li Jing'an coughed lightly, his voice barely audible. Old Hu suddenly realized his slip of the tongue, stiffened in fright, and quickly shut his mouth, abruptly changing the subject: "...The production progress of each mine this year will definitely far exceed that of previous years."

Li Jing'an squinted, his gaze sweeping across Lao Hu's face like a knife, scaring Lao Hu so much that he didn't dare to breathe.

After a moment, Li Jing'an's expression returned to normal, and he smiled gently, "Alright, there's still such a long journey ahead, everyone go back to your respective carriages and rest."

Everyone hurriedly got up to say goodbye. Old Hu went out first, and Li Jing'an stood up as if to see him off. The last to leave was the female section chief, in her early thirties, with a beautiful face and a tall figure. She was originally a staff member of the Metallurgical Bureau, but Li Jing'an had asked her to accompany him on his previous inspections, and she was subsequently promoted to section chief.

While seeing off the guests, Li Jing'an seemingly unintentionally placed his hand on her back, then slid it down and pinched her hard through her clothes.

The female section chief trembled slightly, turning back to give her a coquettish, reproachful look, her eyes full of allure. Li Jing'an, however, smiled and gave her a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.

Watching everyone leave and closing the door to the private room, Li Jing'an rubbed the soft residue still on his fingertips, a playful smile playing on his lips, and murmured, "If only I could stay... Just thinking about it is exciting."

Immediately, he shivered and shook his head vigorously: Damn, danger!

……

The night was deep, but the two-story building of the Dengzhou Prefectural Committee's Liaison Office was brightly lit.

"Come on, everyone, don't be shy. It's so late, have something to eat before you go to sleep!" Li Jing'an stood in the center of the living room, pressing his hands down to warmly greet everyone.

The coffee table was already laden with seafood—lobsters, crabs, mantis shrimps, and various scallops and oysters, a huge table full of steaming hot and fragrant dishes.

"Everyone has to thank Old Hu from the Shandong Provincial Department of Metallurgy for bringing in chefs and ingredients from local businesses in advance. Otherwise, where would we eat all this late at night?" Li Jing'an said with a smile, pointing to the table full of seafood.

Everyone thanked Lao Hu, who beamed with joy, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and nodded repeatedly with a smile.

Li Jing'an and his group of seven or eight people came from Beijing. Adding the four brought by Lao Hu, a dozen or so people squeezed into the living room. There weren't enough chairs, so some squatted to eat, while others sat on the sofa armrests. They arrived in Dengzhou that evening, having only eaten a simple meal on the train; this seafood supper came at just the right time. The chef was busy in the kitchen, with the company's manager personally assisting, carrying out dish after dish, working busily and happily.

"How is it, Engineer Luo? Not bad, right?" Li Jing'an asked with a smile as Luo Tianyou, who was enjoying his meal.

Luo Tianyou struggled to swallow the shrimp in his mouth, mumbling, "Haha, it's so delicious! Now that you've asked, I've even forgotten what it tasted like!"

"Eat slowly, what haven't you eaten before?" Li Jing'an shook his head with a smile as he watched him wolf down his food.

"It's been years since I've tasted it, I've forgotten what it tastes like." Luo Tianyou licked his lips, looking at the shrimp shell in his hand, filled with emotion.

"Engineer Luo, now that your work and rank have been restored, you can buy whatever you want to eat," Li Jing'an patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly. "If you can't buy it, just tell Lao Hu, and he'll deliver it to you personally."

"Yes, yes, yes! Engineer Luo, and all the leaders of the Ministry of Metallurgy, if you want to eat seafood from our peninsula, just give us a call. I can't guarantee anything else, but we'll provide plenty of seafood!" Old Hu quickly puffed out his chest to express his opinion.

Everyone chimed in with their agreement.

Everyone enjoyed the meal to the fullest, and it wasn't until more than half an hour later that they dispersed. After the chef and manager finished cleaning up and left, Li Jing'an's smile faded, his expression turned serious, and he instructed, "Those of you living in the auxiliary building, don't make a scene on your way back. Don't disturb the leaders in the other buildings. We're having a 'picnic,' and if Vice President Wang finds out, it won't look good. Do you understand?"

Everyone agreed in unison and then dispersed.

Besides Li Jing'an's suite, the small building also had four single rooms. They were allocated according to rank: one for Lao Hu, one for Engineer Luo, one for another section-level engineer from Beijing, and the last one was given by Li Jing'an to the female section chief, citing "taking care of female comrades".

The night was deep and quiet, and all was still.

After taking a shower, Li Jing'an sat cross-legged in the small living room of the suite, wearing a loose bathrobe. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of bluish-white smoke, looking relaxed and languid.

With a "click," the door was gently pushed open.

The pretty female section chief darted in, locked the door behind her, turned around, and looked at him with a smile, her eyes sparkling with desire.

Li Jing'an merely raised his chin indifferently and gestured towards the bathroom with his lips, without even lifting his eyelids.

The female section chief understood immediately. Standing still, she skillfully removed her clothes one by one, then turned and walked into the bathroom.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of water broke the silence outside.

Li Jing'an crossed his legs, a cigarette between his fingers, his expression increasingly relaxed, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

A moment later, the sound of water stopped. The female section chief emerged from the bathroom with her hair wrapped up; she hadn't washed it, and her skin gleamed alluringly under the light.

Li Jing'an squinted at her, a wicked smile playing on his lips: "Stand there, turn around so I can see if you've gained weight."

The female section chief was very obedient. She opened her arms and slowly turned around, her figure swaying.

"Hehe, not bad, you've kept it well." Li Jing'an nodded in satisfaction, his gaze lingering on her.

"How come it's grown again?"

"Why don't you maintain good habits? You're really unhygienic."

Li Jing'an frowned slightly, staring at the mustache around her mouth.

"Minister, you're here again..." The female section chief pouted, her face showing complaint, but her eyes revealed joy. "My husband found out about it last time."

"So what if he found out? Does he dare to cause trouble for you?" Li Jing'an flicked his cigarette ash and sneered disdainfully.

"No, he wouldn't dare." The female section chief raised her chin slightly, a smug look on her face. Her husband was an ordinary clerk in the Metallurgical Bureau, working under her.

"Hmph, at least he knows what's good for him." Li Jing'an snorted lightly, then ordered, "Come on, crawl over here."

Without the slightest hesitation, the female section chief obediently lay down and slowly crawled toward him like a cat, her eyes full of flattery and submissiveness.

Li Jing'an looked at her, first gently stroking her hair, then sliding his hand down her back before stopping.

He chuckled, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe: "Shall we eat first?"

"Shall I get you groomed first?"

"My dream used to be to become a people's barber."