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

In the guesthouse's reception room, the aroma of tea mingled with a faint sweetness of candy. Li Jing'an looked at the things laid out on the table, a polite smile on his face, but his tone carried a hint of reproach. He waved his hand at Manager Zhang of the sugar, tobacco and alcohol company across the table and said, "Brother Zhang, we already agreed that we would just get some tea leaves to taste. Why did you bring so much? This is too much of a formality."

Manager Zhang placed the enamel mug on the table, laughed heartily, and said warmly, "Hey, Brother Li, what are you saying? This is hardly much. It's just a free gift. If you like it, just tell me, and I'll pick out something you'll like next time."

Li Jing'an's gaze fell on the two cases of Five Star beer standing in the corner, then swept over the two boxes of tea wrapped in kraft paper on the table. He knew that although these things looked ordinary, none of them were easy to obtain in these years of scarcity.

He quickly stood up, moved closer to Manager Zhang, and said in an even more hurried tone, "Brother, a little tea would have been enough, why did you bring two cases of beer? How can I accept this? It's too much of a waste."

"Brother, you're being too polite." Manager Zhang also stood up, patted Li Jing'an's arm, and his smile faded, replaced by a serious expression.

"Isn't this just a small token of my appreciation? We've only just met, and we'll be dealing with each other a lot in the future. If you don't accept it, wouldn't that mean you don't want to be my friend?" he said, deliberately putting on a stern face and pretending to be angry.

Seeing Manager Zhang's expression, Li Jing'an smiled helplessly and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Well, since you've said that, what can I say? I'll just accept it without hesitation. Thank you for your hospitality. I must treat you to a meal another day. Please don't refuse; you have to give your younger brother this opportunity to show his appreciation."

"Okay, I'm waiting." Manager Zhang immediately beamed and patted Li Jing'an on the shoulder. "If you ever need any groceries at home, just let me know. Our company supplies all the major grocery stores. We have everything: tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, daily necessities, and more."

"Okay, then I definitely won't be polite to my older brother in the future," Li Jing'an replied with a smile.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, the atmosphere warm and harmonious. Seeing that it was getting late, Manager Zhang got up to say goodbye, and Li Jing'an quickly got up to see him off, accompanying him all the way to the guesthouse. He personally opened the car door for Manager Zhang, watched him get into the car, and then instructed him, "Brother Zhang, drive carefully on the road, and give your regards to your wife when you get back."

"Alright, you can go back now, don't bother seeing me off." Manager Zhang leaned out and waved, the driver stepped on the gas, and the car slowly drove away, disappearing around the corner of the street.

Li Jing'an stood at the door, watching the car drive away before turning back. He returned to his office on the third floor of the guesthouse, closed the door behind him, and glanced at the things on the corner of the wall and the table, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He stepped forward and picked up the two packets of tea. The kraft paper packaging had simple markings. One packet was jasmine tea; as he tore open a corner, a delicate jasmine fragrance wafted out, fresh and elegant. The other packet was black tea, with a rich and mellow aroma, carrying a hint of warmth. Both packets were sold in 500-pound packages. Most people buy them in 50-ounce packages.

Then, he walked to the corner, squatted down, and patted the beer crates. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the markings on the crates indicated they were Five-Star Stout. He was slightly surprised; this was a special edition beer, not for sale to the public, and ordinary people would never even see it. Manager Zhang's gesture was truly impressive. The two crates of stout were heavy and felt substantial in his hands.

The two large bags of candy on the table, a mix of milk candy, shortbread, and fruit candy, were enough to keep the children in the family happy for a long time during those years when candy coupons were rationed.

Li Jing'an stood up, stretched, and began to slowly and methodically tidy up his things. He put the tea leaves into the drawer of his desk, put the candy into the cabinet, and moved the beer to the empty space in the corner of the office, arranging it neatly. Once everything was tidied up, the office was clean and tidy again.

He glanced at the Shanghai brand watch on his wrist. It was only a little past nine o'clock. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head: he wanted to go to the convoy and see if he could borrow a jeep.

Since arriving in this era, he has never properly driven a car of this era. In his previous life, he was an experienced driver who was very skilled at driving manual transmission cars. He figured that cars of this era should be similar, so he took the opportunity of visiting relatives to borrow a car to practice driving and make it easier to run errands in the future.

Having made up his mind, Li Jing'an picked up the cigarette case on the table, put it in his pocket, grabbed a coat and put it on, then went downstairs to the motorcade. The guesthouse's motorcade was in the backyard, in an open space next to a few bungalows, where several jeeps and trucks were parked. They were all public property, gleaming and looked quite impressive.

Captain Shen of the convoy was chatting with several drivers in the convoy's break room, smoking a cigarette. When he saw Li Jing'an open the door and walk in, he quickly stood up, his face beaming with a smile: "Brother Li, what brings you here? Please have a seat, please have a seat."

The surrounding drivers all stood up to greet him. Li Jing'an smiled and waved, then stepped forward to offer Captain Shen a cigarette, and then handed one to each of the surrounding drivers.

Then he gestured for Captain Shen to come out and talk, and went outside.

"Brother Shen, I'm here today to borrow something from you." Li Jing'an lit a cigarette, took a puff, and got straight to the point: "I'd like to borrow a Jeep for a while, so it'll be more convenient to run errands in the future."

Upon hearing this, Captain Shen waved his hand dismissively, exhaled a smoke ring, and laughed, "Hey, brother, I thought it was something important. It's just needing a car, right? You could have just made a phone call. Why did you have to come all the way here? Tell me, when do you need it?" His tone was casual, clearly not taking this small matter to heart. Borrowing a car was nothing.

Li Jing'an smiled and said, "I was thinking of using it tomorrow, but I came here today and there's something else I'd like to trouble you with, Brother Shen. I'd like to try out the car first. I used to drive trucks in the army, but I've never driven a jeep before. I was thinking of having you find a driver to teach me, so I won't feel awkward driving it tomorrow."

He was only half telling the truth. In his past life, he had driven all sorts of manual transmission cars, including jeeps. However, cars from that era were different from those of later generations, and he needed an excuse to practice. He couldn't very well claim that he was born knowing how to drive. As for his experience driving trucks in the army, that was just a made-up excuse, and no one bothered to verify it.

Upon hearing this, Captain Shen paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Hey, it's no big deal. I'll just arrange a driver for you. Wherever you want to go, the driver will take you. It'll save you a lot of trouble."

"No need, no need." Li Jing'an quickly waved his hand, looking a little embarrassed. "This is my private matter. It would be bad to trouble Master with it. Besides, it would have a bad influence if others found out. It would be more convenient for me to learn it myself and attend the meeting." He spoke sincerely, as if he didn't want to trouble others.

Seeing Li Jing'an's resolute attitude, Captain Shen didn't press the matter further and nodded, "Alright, then I'll find you a skilled master to teach you." After saying that, he opened the door to the lounge and called out, "Xiao Wang, come out for a moment, I have something for you to do."

A young driver in his early twenties immediately came out. He was not tall, but had bright eyes. When he saw Captain Shen and Li Jing'an, he quickly and respectfully greeted them, "Captain Shen, Chief Li."

"Xiao Wang, come with me. Let's pick out a Jeep in good condition and teach Director Li how to drive," Captain Shen instructed, patting Xiao Wang on the shoulder.

Xiao Wang immediately agreed: "Okay, Captain Shen, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

The three of them walked together to the open space where the car was parked. Li Jing'an handed Xiao Wang another Peony cigarette and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Master. Please teach me. I learn quickly and won't take up too much of your time."

Xiao Wang quickly accepted the cigarette with both hands, feeling flattered, and said, "Director Li, you're too kind. This is what I should do. I will definitely find the best car and teach you properly."

After saying that, Xiao Wang walked to the side and carefully inspected several jeeps. Finally, he chose one, walked around it, knocked on the body, and said, "Director Li, this car is in the best condition. It was just serviced. Please drive this one."

Li Jing'an nodded, opened the driver's side door, and got in. A faint smell of gasoline mixed with leather wafted out. The interior was simply decorated; the dashboard had only a few simple dials, and the steering wheel was thick and unadorned. Xiao Wang also got into the passenger seat and began explaining the various buttons and their operation to Li Jing'an.

Li Jing'an listened attentively, his fingers tracing the various buttons, silently comparing them to cars from later generations. In fact, the basic operation was similar; both were manual transmissions, and the positions of the clutch, brake, and accelerator were the same. The differences lay in the details, such as needing to press the clutch twice to shift gears, the lack of power steering making it quite difficult to turn, and the somewhat stiff braking compared to the responsiveness of cars from later generations.

After listening to Xiao Wang's explanation, Li Jing'an started the car, which rumbled and slowly drove away. He gripped the steering wheel, gently pressing the accelerator, and drove slowly across the open space. At first, he was a little clumsy, but after a couple of turns, he gradually became familiar with the car and his handling became more and more proficient. However, the steering wheel had no power steering, and after a few turns, his arm started to ache. The hard brakes also made him uncomfortable. He secretly regretted refusing Captain Shen's offer to have a driver accompany him; driving a car from this era was truly a lot of work.

After driving two more laps, Li Jing'an parked the car, turned off the engine, rubbed his sore arms, and smiled at Xiao Wang, saying, "Thank you, sir. I'm almost done driving. You've worked hard." As he spoke, he took out a brand new pack of Peony cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into Xiao Wang's hand, "A little something for you, sir. Take it and have a smoke."

Xiao Wang quickly declined, but Li Jing'an insisted on giving it to him. Captain Shen also smiled and said, "Take it. It's Director Li's kind gesture. Don't refuse." Xiao Wang then accepted it and thanked him repeatedly.

Captain Shen walked to the car, patted the door, and said to Li Jing'an, "Brother Li, now that you can drive, you can drive this car away now. There's no need to wait until tomorrow; it's just sitting there anyway."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an smiled with delight: "Really? Thank you so much, Brother Shen. You've gone to so much trouble."

"Hey, don't mention it, we're all family." Captain Shen waved his hand, a broad smile on his face. "You treated me to dinner a few days ago, and yesterday you just got me a box of mooncakes. Those mooncakes are really something, my kids love them so much. This is nothing, I was just wondering how to show my appreciation, this is perfect."

These days, that's how relationships work; it's a give-and-take that deepens affection. He chatted with Captain Shen for a few more minutes, then got into his car, waved goodbye to the two men, started the engine, and slowly drove out of the convoy's designated area, heading towards the guesthouse.

Li Jing'an drove back to the guesthouse, parked the car in the open space downstairs, locked the car door, and went back to his office.

He leaned back in his chair, pondering what to bring to his uncle's family. These days, everything was scarce; giving money was less practical than giving goods. Clothes, fabric, candy—anything was fine—but the most essential thing was food. Food was more precious than anything else; every household was struggling to feed themselves. Bringing some food would surely make his uncle's family very happy.

As for food, getting it from the canteen is the safest option. Besides, he has food coupons and money, so he can exchange them directly at the canteen, which is convenient and won't attract gossip. It's much better than buying it from the grain store, where he doesn't know anyone. Even if he has food coupons, there's a ration, so he can't buy much. The canteen is much more convenient.

Having made up his mind, Li Jing'an checked the time. It was almost lunchtime. He tidied up his desk and got up to walk towards the cafeteria, intending to talk to the logistics director, Li Huaide, about the matter.