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

Old Zhou rubbed his hands together, a hint of anticipation on his face: "It's like this, Minister. Our factory's upgrade application has been submitted, but there's no conclusion yet. After this expansion, our factory has met the standards for a department-level unit, and we're just waiting for the ministry's approval so the entire factory can be upgraded."

Li Jing'an suddenly realized what it was all about. He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "See, you're getting impatient again. This kind of thing isn't something you can upgrade just because you meet the requirements. There are too many things involved. If your entire factory is upgraded, it means everyone's level will be upgraded, which has a huge impact. Moreover, because of the 'Fourth Five-Year Plan,' so many steel mills across the country have been expanding in recent years, and many factories that met the standards a couple of years ago haven't been upgraded yet. Everything should be left to its own devices. The higher-ups will take a comprehensive approach, and you must obey the arrangements and consider the overall situation."

"Yes, yes, we'll follow your instructions." Old Zhou nodded repeatedly, but his face still wore that expectant smile. "The main reason is that the factory leadership and employees are very concerned about this matter, and they insisted that I come and inquire. I'm taking this opportunity to visit you, leader, and also..."

He paused, stood up, picked up the largest suitcase, and placed it on the table.

"Look, this is a local specialty of our Qin Province."

Li Jing'an frowned and said, "You say I have everything here? You brought things all this way and used up the country's transportation capacity. That's not good."

"You'll see, you'll see," Old Zhou said, reaching out to lift the lid of the box.

Just as the box was half-opened, Li Jing'an's eyes lit up. He quickly pressed down on the lid, stopping Lao Zhou from opening it further. Then, he turned to the janitor at the door and instructed, "Alright, you can go upstairs and clean up first. We'll prepare dinner later."

After the orderly left, only the two of them remained in the living room. Li Jing'an then released his grip, his eyes fixed intently on the contents of the box.

It was a four-legged square cauldron, its entire body a rustic reddish-brown, adorned with intricate and mysterious patterns. A profound sense of history washed over him, instantly making Li Jing'an's expression solemn. He reached out and carefully stroked the patterns on the cauldron, sighing, "What's going on? Why did you bring a cauldron?"

"Minister, didn't you visit the museum during your last inspection tour of Qin Province?" Old Zhou lowered his voice, a hint of pride on his face. "I still remember how you praised those bronze artifacts in the museum. You're clearly a history enthusiast and a cultured person. It's quite a coincidence, but when we were building our branch factory in Baoji, a nearby farmer unearthed this ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel) while digging. He immediately reported it to our factory's security department, and that's how it ended up in my hands."

Li Jing'an nodded, not surprised that the farmer had handed the item over to the security department of a nearby factory. He examined the square ding carefully, then suddenly frowned and asked, "Isn't this a bit off? Are newly unearthed items supposed to be this style?" He touched the smooth surface and the beautiful patina.

"Hehe, that's right, Minister." Old Zhou smiled knowingly. "I had someone specially take care of it. I was afraid of causing you any trouble. And to prevent any future problems, I even went to the local archives and got an identity for this thing from the county annals, saying that it was passed down from before the liberation. Don't worry, it's very clean."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an smiled with satisfaction. He greatly appreciated Lao Zhou's "thoughtfulness," which transformed the newly unearthed artifact into a "heirloom" with a provenance, completely avoiding any risks.

"Not bad," Li Jing'an gave him an approving look, "What about the other boxes?"

"Oh, these were all dug out together." Old Zhou pointed to the other boxes on the ground. "There's a set of chime bells inside, eight in a set, perfectly intact. There are also two jue (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel). Everything was handled according to the same procedure, so you can rest assured."

Li Jing'an's smile widened. He examined the cauldron in the box more closely and discovered more than twenty inscriptions inside, which delighted him even more. He closed the box, picked up a cigarette case from the table, took out a cigarette and handed it to Old Zhou, then personally lit it for him with a lighter.

"Very good, very good. It seems you've done a really good job. I can't let my comrades down." Li Jing'an exhaled a smoke ring and said slowly, "Here's what I'll do: after I'm done with this busy period, I'll pay special attention to your application process."

"Thank you, Minister! Thank you, Minister!" Old Zhou nodded repeatedly, bowing even lower.

This will not only strengthen his relationship with the minister, but also elevate the entire steel plant's workforce, undoubtedly boosting his prestige within the plant.

"By the way, what happened to the people who found those bronzes?" Li Jing'an asked casually, but her eyes subtly swept over Lao Zhou—her words carried another meaning: Had the news been suppressed?

Old Zhou's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he took half a step forward: "Minister, we took care of this right away. We arranged for him to go directly to the local branch factory, gave him a permanent worker position, and secured a stable job. In addition..."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "I also gave him a hundred yuan as a reward."

The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Nonsense!" The minister's face darkened, and he tapped his finger heavily on the table twice. "Giving him worker quotas to alleviate his worries is understandable. But why give him extra money? Isn't this just another instance of 'economy first'?" His tone became stern. "We're talking about honor and awareness! Honor is far more important than money, and this point can never be ambiguous. This kind of thing must be stopped in the future!"

Old Zhou's smile froze on his face. He quickly bowed and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, the minister's criticism is correct. I didn't think things through. I was only thinking about handling things smoothly and didn't grasp the proper measure. I will definitely pay attention next time, I will definitely pay attention!"

Li Jing'an smoked a cigarette, observing Lao Zhou's demeanor, and thought to himself, "This guy is indeed a promising talent."

Then, he glanced at the living room, frowned, and muttered, "This janitor is really slow; it's taken her so long to finish cleaning." He raised his voice and called out, "Jialing!"

"What's wrong?" Wei Jialing came out from the inner room and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"It's getting late. Go upstairs and call the orderly to come down as soon as they've finished tidying up. Tell the cook to prepare dinner. Comrade Qin from the province has come all this way, I want to have a good drink with him."

Wei Jialing glanced at Lao Zhou, then at the box on the ground, nodded knowingly, and turned to go upstairs.

Li Jing'an stood up, patted Lao Zhou on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "Okay, then thank you for your help in putting the things in the basement. When we get back, we'll have a couple of drinks tonight."

"Thank you, Minister! Thank you, Minister!" Old Zhou was so happy that his eyes narrowed into slits, and he quickly bent down to lift the heavy box.

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.