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

At Yi Zhonghai's house, an older woman was picking beans with a winnowing basket, her eyes constantly glancing out the window towards the courtyard. Yi Zhonghai sat on a small stool, silently smoking, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Old Yi," the older woman finally couldn't help but lean closer, her voice low, "Huai Ru... she really became a squad leader. Don't you think she's incredibly lucky? She was transferred from the workshop to the guesthouse, and it hasn't been long since then? And she's already been promoted to squad leader. And Li Jing'an..." She stopped halfway through her sentence, her eyes filled with hesitation and inquiry.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling thick smoke that obscured his expression. "Women shouldn't overthink things! There's a reason why the leader promotes someone. Huai Ru is undoubtedly hardworking and observant." His voice was deep and carried his usual air of authority.

The older woman was taken aback, somewhat unwilling, and muttered, "I just feel... Li Jing'an hasn't been living in our compound for long, and he's not related to Huai Ru at all. Given her family's situation, and the fact that she doesn't have any connections... it's too much of a coincidence that this good thing happened to her." Her words almost made the unspoken truth clear.

"Stop spouting nonsense!" Yi Zhonghai suddenly raised his voice, his tone stern and unyielding. "Go and cook!"

Seeing that he was angry, the old woman dared not say anything more, picked up the winnowing basket and quickly went into the inner kitchen, but the doubt and worry on her face did not disappear.

Yi Zhonghai sat alone in the deepening twilight, motionless for a long time. The old woman's words were, in fact, the same questions churning within him. But he couldn't voice them like a woman would.

He had lived most of his life and witnessed too much of the ways of the world. Qin Huairu was a widow, raising her mother-in-law and three children.

After years of hard work in the factory workshop, he was suddenly transferred to a more relaxed and respectable guesthouse, and then promoted to foreman. Who would believe there wasn't a special reason behind this?

Li Jing'an was young and promising, a rising star in the factory. Why would he show such favor to Qin Huairu? Yi Zhonghai had already weighed the options countless times in his mind. Money? The Jia family had none. Background? Absolutely none. That left only…

He sighed heavily, the wrinkles on his face appearing even deeper in the swirling smoke. Even if… even if it were true, what could he say? Accuse Qin Huairu of being unfaithful? He knew better than anyone how difficult life was for the Jia family. Three children were starving, relying on Qin Huairu's meager salary and monthly rations; going hungry was common. What choices could a woman, forced into that situation, possibly make…?

Yi Zhonghai closed his eyes. Although he was the eldest man in the courtyard and valued rules and customs, people were still human. As long as things didn't escalate to the surface or become too serious, he... could only pretend not to know.

He even vaguely felt that if Qin Huairu could make things a little better for her family, it would be... sigh! This thought made him feel somewhat ashamed, yet it was also incredibly real. He could only hope that Qin Huairu had a sense of propriety, knew her limits, and wouldn't go too far, ruining her reputation and harming the child.

* * *

In the backyard, Liu Haizhong's house presents a completely different scene.

Uncle Liu Haizhong, with his slightly overweight belly, paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, looking quite displeased. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup on it jump.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" His voice was rough and hoarse, filled with deep resentment. "Qin Huairu, a widow, has only been working at the factory for a few years! She was transferred from the workshop to the guesthouse, and in just a few days, she's a foreman! And me? How many years have I worked diligently at the factory? Huh? I haven't even become a production team leader! How am I supposed to speak up in the compound now? How am I supposed to lead everyone?"

He felt his authority had been challenged and disrespected like never before. Living in the same compound, Qin Huairu's promotion made Liu Haizhong appear incompetent, didn't it?

The second aunt was mending clothes when he startled her, almost pricking her hand with the needle. She glanced up at her husband and whispered, "Keep your voice down! What will people think if they hear you? He's the class monitor because he's capable and has earned the leader's favor..."

"Appreciation? Appreciation my foot!" Liu Haizhong got even angrier and interrupted his wife. "If there weren't some twists and turns in this, I'd write my name backwards! I think it's because we didn't do our 'work' properly!" He emphasized the word "work".

The second aunt naturally understood what he meant, and her face showed a troubled and distressed expression: "You still want to send them? Cigarettes, alcohol, and those two old hens that lay eggs, didn't you send them all? But look, what effect did it have? Li Jing'an accepted them politely, but you..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear: like throwing meat buns to a dog, they're gone forever.

"What do you know? You're so short-sighted!" Liu Haizhong looked at his second aunt with exasperation, his finger almost poking her nose. "It's because of your thinking that nothing gets done! Look at Qin Huairu, why did she get promoted? She goes to Li Jing'an's little courtyard every day! Cleaning, washing, she's really cultivated a good relationship with him! And us? We've only been there twice! How can that be the same? How can that be the same?!"

The more he talked, the more he felt he had found the key to the problem: "Mid-Autumn Festival, I must go again for Mid-Autumn Festival! This time I need to think of something more thoughtful. Relationships can only be maintained through more interaction!"

Aunt Er looked at her husband's face, which was flushed with excitement, opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing. She just sighed deeply and helplessly, lowered her head and continued her needlework. Her sigh was full of worry for the old hen that had just been bought to lay eggs.

* * *

Xu Damao's family was also not at peace.

Xu Damao was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing around Lou Xiao'e sitting on the edge of the bed in the not-so-spacious room, rubbing his hands, his face showing both anxiety and calculation.

"E'er, my dear E'er, think about it again. Does your family really not have anything worth mentioning, anything special?"

Xu Damao sidled up to Lou Xiao'e, grinning ingratiatingly, "Look at this opportunity! Li Jing'an, Director Li, lives in the same compound as us! This is a golden opportunity! He works at the steel mill and has connections with all the bigwigs there; his future is bright! If we can build a good relationship with him, maybe I can get a promotion in the propaganda department and climb the ladder..."

Lou Xiao'e was annoyed by his constant nagging, and she didn't turn a single page of the old magazine in her hand for a long time. Her family used to be capitalists, and although they were more low-key now, they still had some old wealth. Xu Damao had been eyeing her for a while, always trying to get something good from the Lou family to smooth things over.

"Ugh, aren't you annoying me!" Lou Xiao'e finally couldn't take it anymore and threw the magazine onto the bed. "You know our family's situation. What 'rare things' do we have left? We handed over what needed to be handed over years ago, and dealt with what needed to be dealt with. Now we're just an ordinary family!"

"An ordinary family? Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse!" Xu Damao persisted, circling back to the same point.

"Think again. Calligraphy and paintings? Ancient books? Or those small jade pieces your dad used to collect? They don't need to be expensive, the key is that they have a story behind them, seem elegant, and are unique! They'd be perfect gifts for someone like Director Li!"

His eyes gleamed, as if he could already see himself gaining Li Jing'an's favor and rising rapidly in rank thanks to this "unique" gift.

Looking at her husband's scheming manner, Lou Xiao'e felt a mixture of annoyance and sorrow.

She turned her face away, looking at the darkening sky outside the window. After a long silence, she said in a muffled voice, "Alright, alright, stop turning around, I'm dizzy. Next time I go back to my parents' house, I... I'll keep an eye out. But I can't guarantee I'll get one." She just wanted to end this exhausting entanglement as soon as possible.

"Ah! That's right!" Xu Damao was overjoyed and immediately beamed with delight. "I knew you were the most sensible, E'zi! Don't worry, when I become successful in the future, I will definitely make sure you live a good life!" He seemed to have already seen the bright future and hummed a tuneless little tune with pride.

Lou Xiao'e didn't reply. She simply picked up the magazine again, her gaze falling on it, but she didn't read a single word.

In the courtyard, lights gradually came on in each house, and wisps of smoke rose from their chimneys.