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

The early autumn air was slightly cool, and the sky was high and clear. In the alley, the gray courtyard walls were warmed by the sun, and occasionally people in blue uniforms rode by on bicycles, leaving behind a string of crisp bell sounds. A faint smell of coal smoke drifted in the wind.

Li Jing'an found a state-run snack shop on the street to have breakfast. He ordered a bowl of soy milk and half a pound of fried dough sticks. He even specifically confirmed with the waiter, "Comrade, this is soy milk, not fermented mung bean juice, right?"

I stopped by a supply and marketing cooperative on the way and bought two portions of pastries. One for my parents and one for my sister's family.

I went to the Xidan vegetable market again to buy some meat, and I was surprised to find that they even had chicken for sale today.

"I can't miss this, I have to buy two," Li Jing'an thought to himself. Chickens, ducks, and geese weren't available every day at this time; it was a matter of luck.

Passersby were green with envy, but there was nothing they could do; he simply had both money and tickets.

A hutong in Xicheng District

"Ring ring—"

Li Jing'an rang his bicycle bell to remind the children playing in the alley to be careful.

The cart was pushed into a large courtyard, the place where the original owner had grown up.

This courtyard house can't compare to the well-organized ones in Nanluoguxiang; it's a small two-courtyard house. Each household has also built a small kitchen in the courtyard, making it feel even more cramped.

Their family lived in the three east wing rooms in the front yard.

"Hey, Xiao An's back!"

"Bringing so much stuff again, you've really got guts."

"That's right, Xiao An is a government official now."

Several middle-aged women who were busy in the courtyard saw Li Jing'an pushing his cart in, with an oil paper bag and a canvas bag hanging on one side of the handlebars and two chickens hanging on the other. They all greeted him warmly.

Li Jing'an responded with a smile to each of them: "Aunt Zhang is washing vegetables? Aunt Wang didn't go out today? Aunt Liu, you take such good care of your flowers."

Hearing the commotion outside, two women came out of the east room.

My mother, Li Zhangshi, is fifty years old this year and is a typical housewife. She is slender, with short hair that is already streaked with gray, and a gentle face that is always smiling.

My older sister, Li Hongying, is thirty-one years old this year. She works as a warehouse manager in a gear factory, mainly responsible for recording and counting incoming and outgoing goods. She is nearly 1.7 meters tall, which is quite tall for a woman of this era. She has a long face and isn't particularly beautiful, but she has a very pleasing appearance and looks capable and efficient.

"Mom, Sister." Li Jing'an parked the car.

"Hey, why did you buy chicken again?" Li's mother greeted her with a smile, but then complained when she saw the chicken. "Your dad got up early this morning to queue up, and he finally managed to buy some meat."

"We just happened to run into this," Li Jing'an said as he untied the rope. "It's rare to find chicken at the Xidan market; it would be a shame not to buy some."

He was about to take something downstairs when Li's mother stopped him.

"Don't move, let your sister do it." Li's mother turned around and called out, "Yingzi, come and take the chicken to the cage next to the kitchen." As she spoke, she went to pick up the canvas bag and the oil paper bag.

Li Jing'an quickly took it from her: "Mom, these things are quite heavy, I can handle them."

The mother and son went into the house together.

Inside the house, the father, Li Xingye, was sitting in a chair smoking. A radio was on the octagonal table next to him, playing the news.

Li Xingye is fifty-one years old and works as a mechanic at a leather goods factory. He has short, black and white hair, a simple and honest face, and is about 1.8 meters tall.

"Dad," Li Jing'an called out, putting the things he was holding on the table.

Mr. Li responded and pointed to the chair next to him: "You're back? You must be tired. Sit here and rest."

At this moment, two children ran out from the inner room: a little girl of about eight years old and a little boy of four years old.

"Uncle!" the two children called out in their clear voices, then ran to the table, staring longingly at the two oil paper packages, sniffing them with their little noses.

Li's mother quickly untied a bag, inside were four paper packages, four different kinds of pastries. She opened a package of peach shortbread and handed it to the children: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

Li Hongying then entered the house and saw that the two children were already eating. She scolded them, "You two, did you call your uncle yet? All you do is eat."

"Haha, they called out as soon as I walked in," Li Jing'an said with a smile, then turned to the children, "Eat less of these peach shortbreads; there will be meat and chicken for lunch. When you go home, take this bag of pastries with you and enjoy them slowly."

"Thank you, Uncle!" The two children were overjoyed.

Li's mother and sister sat down around the table. Li Hongying poured her younger brother a glass of water.

"Sister, why didn't brother-in-law come today? And didn't he bring the little one either?" Li Jing'an asked.

"Your brother-in-law is on duty today, so my mother-in-law is taking care of the little guy," Li Hongying said. "He's only a little over a year old, and he's at that fussy age. If I brought him here, we wouldn't be able to get anything done today."

Li Jing'an nodded, stood up, opened the canvas bag, took out cigarettes and alcohol, and placed them on the table: "Dad, this is for you."

Mr. Li picked up the cigarettes and liquor and looked at them. "Wow, these are good cigarettes and liquor." He paused, then said with concern, "Son, you've only been back for a little over two months. I heard you've been having dinner parties every day and have met a lot of people. These social obligations are expensive. You should keep them for yourself."

Li Jing'an took out a cigarette from his pocket, handed one to his father, lit it for him, and lit one for himself as well: "Dad, my position wasn't finalized for a while, right? Take advantage of that time to report to my old boss, and get to know my new colleagues and friends better."

He took a drag of his cigarette and continued, "Now that my position is settled, things will be more stable, and there won't be as many dinner invitations. You can smoke and drink without worry. Besides, these things will definitely happen again in the future, won't they?"

As Mr. Li listened, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out: "Alright, if that's how you put it, then I'll accept it." He turned to his daughter and said, "Yingzi, when you leave, take two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of wine with you. The holiday is coming soon, so let Binzi visit his boss's family."

Binzi is Wang Wenbin, Li Jing'an's brother-in-law. He is the same age as his sister and works as a fourth-level lathe operator in a gear factory.

"No need, no need, we have money," Li Hongying quickly declined.

Mr. Li interrupted her, saying, "What's the use of your money? Do you even have any ration coupons? I told you to take it, so take it back. Go visit them during the holidays and see if Binzi can get another promotion this year."

Li Jing'an also chimed in, "Sister, listen to Dad, just take it back. Your brother-in-law's evaluation is a big deal."

Li Hongying looked at her father, then at her younger brother, and finally nodded: "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, brother."

Li Jing'an then took two envelopes out of his pocket and handed them to his mother: "Mom, this one contains cloth coupons and cotton coupons. It's getting cold, so we need to buy some warm clothes and blankets. The other one contains grain coupons. Keep these for emergencies at home."

Li's mother took the envelope, her face showing worry: "Son, you just started working, and you're already dealing with cigarettes, alcohol, and coupons... Is everything alright?"

"Mom, don't worry, it's nothing," Li Jing'an explained gently. "It's all normal social interaction, and the money came from legitimate sources."

Mr. Li tapped his cigarette ash and said, "Put it away. This shows my son is capable." He then instructed, "You two go and prepare the meal."

Upon hearing this, Li's mother carefully put the envelope away.

"Xiao An, listen to the radio, it'll be over in a bit." Li's mother tied on her apron and then said to Li's father, "Honey, kill one of the chickens Xiao An brought."

Mr. Li responded and went out to kill a chicken. When he returned, the father and son sat around the radio, listening to the news, smoking, and occasionally chatting about the international situation.

The sounds of chopping and stir-frying came from the kitchen, along with the voices of Li's mother and sister. After finishing their snacks, the two children ran off to play in the yard.

The aroma of stewed chicken wafted through the courtyard, mingled with the scents of scallions, ginger, and soy sauce—warm and inviting. On this early autumn afternoon, in this crowded yet cozy courtyard, a sumptuous family reunion dinner was being prepared.