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

Qin Huairu arrived at Li Jing'an's bedside early, arranging the thermos, enamel mug, and neatly folded hospital gown in perfect order. She was on the afternoon shift and had rushed over from home before dawn. As she wiped Li Jing'an's hands with a warm, damp towel, she said, "I'm going to work at the guesthouse this afternoon, so I'll have Wang Caixia come over to continue taking care of him."

Li Jing'an leaned against the raised pillows, his head wrapped in gauze, and simply hummed to indicate that he understood.

Just after breakfast, the ward door was gently pushed open, and Chief Zhang walked in, his clothes damp with the chill of the morning dew. His police uniform was still wrinkled from the night's work, but his face couldn't hide the mix of excitement and exhaustion. He immediately spotted Li Jing'an on the bed, quickly went over, and gently patted the edge of the bed. His voice was low but couldn't conceal his joy: "Jing'an, you're awake? I have good news for you—we caught those two lads who ran away yesterday in the middle of the night!"

Li Jing'an looked up, gave a faint "Oh," and gestured for him to continue.

Director Zhang pulled up a chair and sat down, rubbing his hands, which were red from the cold. He recounted the interrogation from the previous night with great enthusiasm: "Thanks to the clues you gave me earlier, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to get those two rascals to talk. At first, they were very stubborn, only admitting to stealing a bag and denying everything else. But we police officers aren't pushovers. With the information you provided, I didn't give any hints or guidance; I just let them confess on their own. If one thing they said was wrong, they'd continue; if another was wrong, they'd keep going. We kept at it like that, getting them to confess to four or five minor offenses before they finally opened up and admitted to robbing Chen Qing from the steel mill's technical department!"

He got carried away, leaning forward slightly, his tone full of smug satisfaction: "I didn't stop, I pressed on while the iron was hot, and these guys were really good at hiding. We pulled out three or four more cases, and we didn't stop until dawn. Guess what? These petty thieves stole a whole string of cases—three outright robberies, plus harassment of women and speculation, every single one of them is serious enough to warrant a sentence! Not only that, they also exposed a bunch of thugs and 'Buddha' in the neighborhood, revealing all their crimes. This case was upgraded to a major case for the Dongcheng branch, and it was reported as soon as I got to work this morning!"

Director Zhang slapped his thigh hard, his eyes full of gratitude as he looked at Li Jing'an: "No matter what, the credit goes to you the most. If it weren't for the crucial clues you provided, we would never have been able to get to this point."

Li Jing'an gently stroked the corner of the blanket and slowly said, "Director Zhang, don't mention that this was a clue I gave you. Just say that you found it out through interrogation and investigation."

Director Zhang was taken aback, the joy on his face instantly freezing. He leaned forward, his eyes full of confusion, and said, "Jing'an, what do you mean by this? This is a legitimate achievement, not something done secretly. Reporting it will only benefit you. In the future, whether it's the factory or the neighborhood, they can recognize you as an advanced worker and set an example for you. Why are you turning it down?"

He explained casually, "I just casually mentioned a direction I suspected; it's not really a clue. I'm not part of the public security system, so this kind of credit is useless to me and would only attract attention. Peace and quiet are better than anything else; less trouble means less worry for everyone."

Chief Zhang instantly understood: Li Jing'an had given all the real credit to the station, allowing him and his men to gain recognition and awards through this major case. He reached out and firmly grasped Li Jing'an's hand, his grip tight: "Jing'an, you... I'll remember this! I owe you this favor! From now on, if you ever need anything, just give the word, and I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"We're all friends, why be so formal?" Li Jing'an withdrew his hand, smiled gently, and changed the subject, naturally returning to the main topic, "By the way, what exactly happened in the case of Chen Qing being robbed at the steel mill? Did you find the blueprints?"

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang's expression turned serious, and he sighed, "It's quite a coincidence, and Chen Qing was really unlucky. The thieves overheard two out-of-towners chatting under the bus stop, saying that Chen Qing, who was waiting for the bus, had just withdrawn a large sum of money from the bank. That's when they got the idea to follow him all the way to his neighborhood and then robbed him. It's fortunate that they had this pretext. Before that, the police station in Chen Qing's jurisdiction had arrested all the thugs and shady characters in the area, but they still couldn't find a clue. It was a completely indiscriminate crime, with no local connection whatsoever."

Li Jing'an listened quietly.

"As for the blueprints?" Director Zhang grinned. "They grabbed the bag and searched everywhere. When they opened it, it wasn't money at all, just blueprints and documents. They didn't understand them and didn't want the hassle, so they just threw the bag and everything into a half-collapsed dilapidated house on the outskirts of the city. I sent my men there at daybreak, and they found everything intact, without a single scratch."

He paused, then added, "This morning, the Dongcheng branch will send someone to the steel rolling mill to return the blueprints. They will also explain to the factory leaders that you were injured while fighting the thugs."

"Let's not talk about my business." Li Jing'an immediately waved his hand, his tone sincere. "It's what I should do to help those in need. It's nothing big, no need to mention it."

"That won't do." Director Zhang shook his head repeatedly, his attitude firm. "You took down five thugs with your bare hands and were even injured. That's a great act of bravery! Once the case is completely closed in a few days, our bureau will definitely work with the street and district governments to hold a commendation meeting for you, present you with a certificate and a bonus. You deserve it!"

Li Jing'an didn't argue, but simply smiled faintly and said nothing more. Instead, he casually mentioned it, his eyes calm and unwavering: "By the way, did you find out the identities of those two out-of-towners? What do they look like? Where are they from? Any clues?"

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang waved his hand helplessly, took out his cigarette case, pulled out one and handed it to Li Jing'an, then lit it for himself and took a deep drag: "Jing'an, don't worry about this. How big is Beijing? Thousands upon thousands of people from other places come and go every day, it's endless. Those petty thieves are street thugs, their memories are terrible, they can't remember what people look like, what they're wearing, let alone their accents or where they came from. It's probably just a casual remark from a passerby that these thugs overheard, it's purely a coincidence."

After saying that, he shook his head and sighed, his tone full of regret: "That Chen Qing from your factory, he's really unlucky. That day he left the factory with the blueprints, and his bicycle tire inexplicably went flat, so he had to take the bus. Unfortunately, someone mistook him for carrying a large sum of money, and then, of course, the 'Buddha' who was staking out nearby overheard it. One thing led to another, and there was no escaping it. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Li Jing'an held the cigarette between his fingers, slowly bringing it to his lips. He took a drag, and white smoke rings billowed from his mouth and nose, blurring the emotions in his eyes. His expression was calm, revealing no trace of emotion. He uttered only a single sentence, his voice as faint as a winter breeze:

"Perhaps, he was just unlucky."

After he finished speaking, the ward fell silent for a moment, with only the cold wind outside the window making a slight sound as it swept across the glass.