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

Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on the girl with a smile, scrutinizing her inch by inch from her face to her neck, from her shoulders to her waist, unhurriedly, as if he were savoring something. The girl, who had initially been holding her head up, grew increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze, her head slowly lowering, her cheeks burning like fire, even her ears turning red. She dared not breathe, her chest tightening, feeling as if the air in the room had solidified.

Are all these important figures like this?

Just as she felt she was about to suffocate, she looked down and saw the thick, long braid at the back of her head slide down her shoulder to her chest. Li Jing'an's eyes lit up instantly, his gaze fixed on that braid.

This braid is nice.

It's black and shiny, thick and long.

I wonder how it feels.

The girl's mouth was slightly open, like a fish out of water, quietly and with all her might taking a breath, her chest rising and falling. Behind the desk, the minister finally spoke.

"Take it off."

"?"

---

Li Jing'an sat in the back seat of the car, resting with his eyes closed. The car moved slowly forward, the wheels making a soft rustling sound as they rolled over the water-sprinkled road.

I used up a lot of energy today.

But the thought of that young body, that smooth skin, and that braid—thick and slippery—made his throat go dry.

He quickly calmed himself, sternly admonishing himself: Li Jing'an, Li Jing'an, you can't be so impulsive anymore. Even if you're stronger than most, you can't withstand this kind of torment. Take it slow, take it easy…

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, finally suppressing the heat.

The car pulled up beside the flowerbed in the yard, and the driver opened the door from the outside. Li Jing'an straightened his collar and cuffs and stepped into the house. Before he even reached the door, he heard laughter coming from inside—and that voice sounded like Li Shuo's.

He paused, his brow furrowing. Something was wrong. Shouldn't Li Shuo have been seen off by Wei Jialing today? He should be on a train heading far away right now. Why was his voice coming from inside the house?

Li Jing'an's eyelids twitched, and his blood pressure shot up to his head.

Damn it, did that kid sneak back?!

He turned his head and looked around, but couldn't find anything suitable. He only saw a large broom for sweeping the yard standing by the door. He grabbed it, gripped it tightly, and angrily pushed the door open and went inside.

In the living room, Wei Jialing was sitting on the sofa with her daughter in her arms, while Li Shuo across from them was gesturing wildly, making the mother and daughter laugh heartily. Hearing the noise, the three of them turned around and saw Li Jing'an with a dark face, holding a large broom and standing at the entrance of the living room.

Wei Jialing's smile vanished instantly: "What are you doing? Bringing a broom into the house, what's wrong with you?"

"What are you doing?" Li Jing'an slammed the broom on the ground, making the floor vibrate, and pointed at Li Shuo, yelling, "If I don't break this little brat's legs today, I'm not a Li!"

He bent down, grabbed a broom, and charged forward. Wei Jialing jumped up, spreading her arms to block him: "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Get out of my way! If you don't, I'll beat you up too! Don't think I won't!"

"Come on, hit me here!" Wei Jialing craned her neck and leaned close to him, pointing to her forehead, her voice even louder than his, "Hit me! Hit me!"

Li Jing'an froze in mid-air, broom in hand, his teeth grinding, but he didn't dare to actually bring it down. "That old woman," he cursed inwardly, "Old Wei should be back in less than two years."

"Get out of my way!" He shoved away the shameless Wei Jialing and raised the broom to hit Li Shuo again.

Li Shuo had already scurried behind the sofa, peeking out half his head and shouting in surprise and panic, "Why did you hit me?!"

"You good-for-nothing!" Li Jing'an roared, "I sent you to the countryside for training, and you dared to sneak back?! I'll break your legs today!"

"Who ran back?!" Li Shuo stared wide-eyed, looking both wronged and anxious.

"Then why are you at home?!"

"Why can't I stay at home?!"

Wei Jialing leaned closer again, grabbed the broom handle, and the two of them stood there locked in a stalemate, tugging at the broom: "What's wrong with you? Isn't it normal for him to come home from get off work?"

Li Jing'an froze, his grip on the broom loosening slightly: "Off...off work?"

Wei Jialing looked at him blankly and asked, "Didn't you send him to the countryside? What, is becoming an educated youth the only path to going to the countryside?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you know that besides being sent to the countryside, you could also work on a farm?"

"A farm?" Li Jing'an frowned. "You mean the Production and Construction Corps?"

"Yes, the Production and Construction Corps is also a farm, it's the same thing."

"Then why is he at home?!" Li Jing'an pointed to Li Shuo, who was peeking out from behind the sofa.

Wei Jialing rolled her eyes, giving her a "how did you become a minister with a brain like that?" look: "Have you forgotten that we have farms in Beijing? Your uncle's family owns the Dongcheng Farm, right? Li Shuo goes to work during the day and comes home at night, what's wrong with that?"

Li Jing'an was suddenly taken aback.

He turned to look at Li Shuo—wearing a neat Zhongshan suit, his hair slicked back, and a pen tucked into his breast pocket.

He then realized that this wasn't the look of someone going to suffer; it was clearly an outfit for going to work!

He turned to look at Wei Jialing and suddenly realized—this wealthy woman had quietly sent her son to work at Dongcheng Farm without anyone noticing.

He stared at Wei Jialing for a long time, unsure whether to be angry or amused. Well, this old woman… after all these years with him, she's actually gotten a brain; she actually came up with this idea.