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

"Don't be so absolute," Teacher Huang waved her hand. "Maybe that high-ranking leader is too busy with work to take care of his child. Let's reason with him and appeal to his emotions, talk to him tactfully, maybe his superior will be understanding? It's better than confronting him head-on now, right? You...you don't want to go back to the countryside, do you?"

Xiao Du's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something tough. But when the words reached his lips, images of the yellow earth in the countryside, his worn-out cloth shoes, and the endless labor flashed before his eyes. His throat felt like it was blocked by something, and in the end, he could only exhale heavily and lower his head.

The principal looked at this and that, then suddenly spoke up: "How about this, we reveal some information about the girl's parents?"

Both of them turned to look at him.

The principal rubbed his hands together and said, "That female student who transferred schools, her father is a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and he has just returned to work. Teacher Huang, find an opportunity to mention it to the General Office of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry. Both sides have influential people on both sides, and see how they react."

Professor Huang frowned: "The people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences... they were just released and haven't even settled in yet. Can they really be of any use?"

"Let's take a chance, even if we don't have any," the principal said. "The country is currently prioritizing scientific research, and researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences are gradually returning to their posts. They're riding high right now. If we mention it now, maybe they'll think twice."

Teacher Huang was silent for a moment, then stubbed out the cigarette that had burned out in the ashtray and stood up abruptly: "Fine, I'll go make a call."

He walked to the door, paused, and glanced back at Xiao Du. Xiao Du was still standing there, head down, hands gripping the seams of his trousers.

Teacher Huang didn't say anything more, opened the door and walked out. The footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away.

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.

Meanwhile, at the Sijiucheng Railway Station.

The platform was packed with people, a sea of ​​gray military uniforms and work clothes crammed together, leaving no room to even step. The elderly were jostled about, children cried in fear, and adults yelled and cursed. The noise, mixed with the roar of the train whistles, made everyone's ears ring.

Suddenly, several men in station uniforms rushed over, brandishing red and white sticks, shoving the crowd and shouting, "Make way! Make way!"

The crowd was forcefully parted. Passengers pushed to both sides staggered backward, some dropping their bags, others nearly falling while holding children, and a cacophony of curses and cries erupted.

A black sedan slowly drove into the platform through the empty passageway, followed closely by a grass-green Jeep. The two vehicles drove all the way to the carriage door before stopping.

The train doors opened. The driver jumped out first, jogging around to the back seats. Station staff bent over and reached out to protect the door frame. A boy of about thirteen or fourteen jumped off first, a military cap on his head, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking around with an air of nonchalance. Next to him got off was a woman in a white shirt and black trousers, followed by a little girl of about eight or nine.

The moment her feet touched the ground, her brows furrowed. She glanced around at the throng of people, as if sensing something unpleasant, pulled a white handkerchief from her pocket to cover her mouth and nose, turned her head, and coldly asked, "What's going on? Why all this commotion?"

The station staff bowed and said with an apologetic smile, "Sir, I'm so sorry, a train leaving the station and a train arriving happened to arrive at the same time, so there were a few extra people..."

"A little?" Wei Jialing glanced at him, said nothing more, and walked towards the carriage.

Three more people got out of the jeep behind her: two female attendants in blue overalls and a young guard with a straight back. The three of them carried large and small bags from the trunk, their hands full, and followed her into the jeep.

Only after the black sedan and jeep drove away from the platform and the station staff lifted their guard did the crowd surge back in, and a buzz of discussion rose like a tide.

"See that car? It can't be low-class!"

"Do you know him?"

"I don't recognize him, but I can tell at a glance he's either from a ministry or the municipal party committee..."

"Wow, you seem to know me pretty well?"

"Of course, my second uncle worked at the train station for half his life..."

The person who spoke patted his chest, looking quite proud. Someone nearby curled their lip but didn't dare to say anything.

In the soft sleeper compartment, Wei Jialing led her daughter in, glanced at the neatly made white bedding, and frowned again.

She turned to the train conductor standing at the door and said, "Remove everything from this bed."

The train conductor's smile froze for a moment: "Sir, these were all changed according to standard, they're clean..."

"I know whether it's clean or not." Wei Jialing said in a flat tone, leaving no room for negotiation. "Just remove it."

The train conductor opened his mouth, but ultimately bowed and replied, "...Yes, sir."

As she retreated with her bedding, the attendants filed in, each carrying their own bedding rolls and toiletries. They quickly laid out the mattresses, put on pillowcases, set out teacups and a thermos, and wiped the entire room with a damp cloth to make sure there was no dust before closing the door and leaving.

Wei Jialing sat down on the bunk with her daughter in her arms, grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the dried fruit plate on the table, and glanced at Li Shuo on the bunk opposite her while cracking them open. Li Shuo was propping his head up with his hand, swinging his legs, and looking at her with a smug expression.

"Mom, I don't have to go to school anymore, right?"

"No need." Wei Jialing cracked open some sunflower seeds, then bent down to peel one for her little girl. "I've already spoken to your school. What's the point of attending one more or one less day? It's not like there's an exam. With our family background, we don't need grades to get into high school. After high school, we'll just do two years of prep and they'll recommend us for university. That teacher, he really thinks he's something special."

Li Shuo chuckled: "Mom, you're so sweet."

He rolled over and added, "It's a pity, they don't let Teacher Dou do it anymore."

Wei Jialing didn't reply, but simply tossed the sunflower seed shells in her hand into a small dish on the table with a soft "snap".

In the corridor, the train conductor was stopped by a service staff member.

The orderly handed over two oil paper packages, one containing mutton and the other beef, his tone leaving no room for argument: "These two packages of meat are what the commander brought herself. She doesn't eat the meat on the train. Take them to the dining car and have the head chef prepare them carefully. I'll be keeping an eye on things. Cherish this opportunity; if our cook hadn't had a family emergency and couldn't come, this job wouldn't be yours."

The train conductor took the two oil paper packages, looked down at them, then looked up at the tightly closed soft sleeper door. He twitched his lips, revealing a smile that was hard to tell whether it was a bitter smile or a helpless one.

"Okay...I'll definitely get it done."

He turned around, carrying two bags of meat, and shook his head as he walked towards the food truck.