Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

Pushing the cart through the hanging flower gate, Liu Guangqi ignored the figure squatting by the vegetable garden behind him. Yan Bugui's half-open mouth was left outside the courtyard gate, along with his tentative words, scattered in the evening breeze.

A damp smell wafted from the well in the courtyard. The rhythmic sound of a washboard mingled with water splashing across the bluestone pavement. Qin Huairu was bent over, rubbing a gray cloth shirt, her waist revealing a heavy curve. Hearing footsteps, she looked up, a few strands of hair clinging to her skin, damp with moisture. Seeing who it was, she slowly straightened up, supporting herself on her knees, wiped her face on her apron, and then a genuine smile bloomed on her lips.

"Guangqi is back."

Liu Guangqi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the pile of clothes soaking in the basin at her feet. The fabrics, in varying shades, were almost overflowing, and he couldn't help but wonder where this family got so many things to wash.

Qin Huairu shook the water droplets off her hands, and her smile became more genuine. "I haven't properly thanked you for the Dongxu exam last time. If it weren't for your help in relaying the message and giving me directions, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly." As she spoke, her eyes showed more than just gratitude; they seemed to be weighing something, with a familiar scrutiny as she carefully scanned the person.

Liu Guangqi maintained his gentle demeanor, waving his hand and saying, "Sister-in-law, you flatter me. It's because Brother Dongxu has a solid foundation and is willing to work hard." He didn't stop walking, his gaze sweeping towards the west wing—the Yi family's wooden door was tightly closed, and the eaves were eerily quiet. Ever since failing to achieve the eighth-grade worker qualification, this once-loud old man in the courtyard had seemed to have lost his soul, never showing his face again. Some said he was secretly honing his craft, determined to regain his honor. Liu Guangqi, however, knew perfectly well—what craftsmanship honing? It was nothing more than losing face and hiding until everyone forgot about it. He didn't bother thinking about such things; more important matters weighed on his mind.

In the backyard in front of their own house, Liu Haizhong was standing there holding a chipped teacup. When he saw his son pushing the cart in, a smile immediately spread across his face. "You're here early today," he said, his voice unusually relaxed.

Inside, two teenagers were writing at a square table. Hearing the noise, they both looked up. The younger one, quick to speak, blurted out, "Dad was just talking about my brother..."

"You're the one with the big mouth!" Liu Haizhong glared at him, then softened his tone as he turned to his eldest son. "Your mother made two extra cornbreads and fried some eggs too. Why don't you rest tomorrow? We'll have a drink tonight, just the two of us."

Liu Haizhong harbored a lifelong dream of becoming an official, though he knew he wasn't destined for it. He always felt an inexplicable fascination with the affairs of government offices. He found much more enjoyment in inquiring about the daily routines of the ministries from his son than in idle chatter with the people in the government office. Though his body was busy working on parts in the workshop, his mind was always wandering to the offices with their signs. These days, Liu Guangqi always returned home at dusk and left again at dawn, making it difficult for the father and son to even see each other. Today, however, they finally met, and Liu Haizhong couldn't suppress his enthusiasm any longer.

Liu Guangqi parked the car against the wall and locked it, replying, "Perfect timing, I also have something to discuss with Dad."

Dinner was served: a dish of shredded fermented soybean paste, a bowl of cabbage and tofu with oily specks, a plate of stir-fried greens glistening with oil, a plate of golden scrambled eggs, and a few cornbread buns. Adding to this were half a lunchbox of stir-fried liver and half a lunchbox of fermented bean curd that Liu Guangqi had brought back from the company canteen, making for a complete meal.

After sitting down, Liu Haizhong picked up the bottle of bulk liquor and poured himself and his son each a small half-bowl. Before picking up his chopsticks, he would, as usual, sternly address the two children with his gaze fixed on them. This set of pre-meal admonitions was an unwavering rule for him.

"Liu Guangtian," his voice wasn't loud, but it carried its usual imposing tone, "you don't have many days left before your high school entrance exam. I don't expect you to go to university like your brother, but you have to get into a vocational school. Do you hear me?"

As dawn broke through, the blue bricks and gray tiles of the courtyard were bathed in a thin layer of gold. The backyard was already bustling with people—ever since hearing the news last night, Liu Haizhong had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep. As soon as the sky began to lighten, he had already changed into the white shirt that had been stored at the bottom of his trunk and that he only took out during festivals, his eyes constantly glancing towards the curtain at the inner room.

There was no movement from inside.

Liu Guangtian squatted by the well, brushing his teeth, and mumbled indistinctly, "Dad, did my older brother stay up late last night...?"

"What do you know?" Liu Haizhong paced around the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his stiffly starched shirt collar rubbing against the back of his neck until it turned red. "Ministry-level buildings... are those things ordinary people can only dream of?"

Before he could finish speaking, the curtain was lifted.

Liu Guangqi came out rubbing his temples. Seeing his father's attire, he paused, then asked, "Dad, what's going on—"

"Let's go, let's go!" Liu Haizhong rushed forward, his voice trembling with excitement. "Let's go see the house as soon as possible! Your mother went to buy a snack box early this morning, saying we can't go to the new house empty-handed."

Just as the father and son were about to leave, Aunt Er hurried back carrying an oil paper package, followed by Liu Guangfu rubbing his eyes. The family of five then walked out of the courtyard in a grand procession, attracting the attention of the early-rising neighbors who were emptying their chamber pots.

"Old Liu, where is this whole family going?"

Liu Haizhong stopped walking, his chest puffing out slightly, but he deliberately pursed his lips: "Ahem, it's nothing serious. Guangqi's workplace... assigned him a place to live, let's go take a look."

The word "living place" was uttered casually, but the gleam in their eyes was unmistakable. The neighbor exclaimed "Oh!" but before they could ask any further questions, the Liu family had already turned out of the alley.

The tram lurched. Liu Haizhong sat close to his son, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knees. The scenery outside the window gradually changed from densely packed alleyways and bungalows to neat walls and wide tree-lined paths. He suddenly asked in a low voice, "Really... just three rooms?"

"It's written on the certificate." Liu Guangqi took out a brown paper envelope from his inner pocket.

Liu Haizhong didn't take the envelope, only staring at the corner, his Adam's apple bobbing. The second aunt leaned closer, her voice tense: "It has a balcony? Can you air out your blankets there?"

"able."

At that one word, Aunt Er's eyes suddenly reddened. She turned her face away, pretending to look out the window, but her hand gripped the hemp rope of the pastry box tightly.

The train arrived at the station. A row of gray-white buildings stood behind the plane trees, square and neat, their windows gleaming brightly in the morning light. Liu Haizhong paused, took a deep breath, and then caught up.

There was a faint smell of lime in the hallway. The key clicked into the lock with a soft "click"—which, though heard through Liu Hai's bangs, sounded like the opening gong of a theatrical performance.

The door opened.

The house was empty; the cement floor hadn't been plastered yet, and some sand was piled up in the corners. But sunlight streamed in through the large windows on the east side, bathing the entire floor in bright light. Liu Haizhong walked in step by step, his footsteps extremely light, as if afraid of disturbing something.

He walked to the window first. Outside the window was the roof of another building, and further away, the green-tiled eaves of the government office could be seen. He leaned against the window frame and looked for a long time, his back like a frozen sculpture.

"This room... can be your study." He finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "You're an engineer, you need a quiet place to write."

He pushed open another door. It was smaller, but faced south. "This one will be for the children in the future," he said, then suddenly smiled, deep wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. "I just don't know when that was."

The last room was the biggest. Liu Haizhong stopped at the door but didn't go in. He turned to look at his wife, who was secretly wiping the corner of her eye with her sleeve.

"We..." He paused, then changed his words, "Your mother comes to stay occasionally, and there's room for her."

Liu Guangfu was already running around the rooms, shouting and yelling from the balcony railing. Liu Guangtian, however, was squatting in the corner of the living room, his fingers tracing the rough cement wall, and whispering, "Brother, should we paint this wall white later?"

"Painted white." Liu Guangqi nodded.

Liu Haizhong suddenly strode towards the balcony. The iron railings were painted dark green and felt cold to the touch. He braced himself on the railings and looked down—a bicycle shed, flower beds, and several people in Zhongshan suits carrying thermos flasks walked by.

The wind brushed against his stiff collar. He exhaled very, very slowly, the breath turning into a thin white mist in the morning light before dissipating.

"That's wonderful," he murmured.

Two words, as light as a sigh.

Auntie Erda finally opened the snack box, and the sweet aroma of mung bean cakes filled the empty room. She distributed them to everyone one by one, her hands trembling. Liu Haizhong took one, but didn't eat it; he just held it in his hand.

"We need to get a desk," he suddenly said. "A sturdy one. And a chair too."

"Let's use blue fabric for the curtains; it's less likely to get dirty."

"The stove is built on the east side for better ventilation..."

He spoke one sentence after another, as if planning a grand battle. The sunlight gradually climbed onto his shoulders, making his overly stiff white shirt almost transparent. Liu Guangqi looked at his father's profile—this man who had spent his entire life amidst the clatter of steel mill machines, who thought the ceiling of his life was a single room in a courtyard house, now had the entire bright sky reflected in his eyes.

Liu Guangfu shouted from the balcony, "Dad! You can see the chimney from here!"

"That's from the heating plant," Liu Haizhong replied, his tone unusually gentle. "It provides heating in winter."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around, his gaze sweeping over each family member, finally landing on his eldest son's face.

"Tonight," he said, "we'll cook here. Even just a pot of noodles."

Auntie Er sighed, and tears finally fell, splashing onto the cement floor and leaving dark spots. Liu Haizhong walked over and awkwardly patted her back.

A flock of pigeons flew past the window, their whistles long and drawn out.

Liu Guangqi gripped the key in his pocket tightly. The brass teeth pressed against his palm, slightly warm. He suddenly recalled the towering buildings of his past life, their glass curtain walls reflecting shimmering light—yet not a single window could contain the silence of this room.

The father walked back to the window, his back to them.

His white shirt was completely soaked by the sunlight, the edges blurred into a halo. His shoulders shrugged slightly, as if he were laughing, or as if he was desperately trying to suppress some sound.

Only the sound of breathing remained inside the room, along with the faint chimes of a bell belonging to this large courtyard in the distance.

The two children lost all interest in exploring the alleyway and instead huddled together, chattering and arguing about whether or not the buildings in the government compound had running water pipes installed.

Seeing this, Liu Guangqi felt embarrassed to continue taking a nap. Although he was indeed tired from running around day and night for several days, he naturally didn't want to spoil everyone's fun, given the bright anticipation in his family's eyes.

Before long, the five members of the Liu family came out of the house in an orderly fashion. As soon as this group appeared in the courtyard, it immediately attracted the attention of their neighbors who were squatting down picking vegetables and washing their mouths with toothbrushes.

"Heh! Second Uncle, it's Sunday today, the whole family is out together?" Sha Zhu's voice was muffled by the foam in his mouth as he spoke with a toothbrush in his mouth.

Jia Dongxu, who was helping Qin Huairu hang up her clothes at the Jia family's house, leaned over when he heard the noise: "Guangqi, are you... taking your family for a stroll in the garden?"

Before Liu Guangqi could answer, Liu Guangtian chimed in, "We're not just strolling around the park! My brother's workplace allocated him an apartment, let's go see the new place!"

"Room allocation?"

These two words were like a pebble thrown into the water, instantly creating ripples.

Qin Huairu paused in her hands, holding the clothes, her smile deepening. "Guangqi is really capable, getting an apartment so quickly?"

Just then, the door to Yi Zhonghai's house creaked open.

His gaze fell on Liu Guangqi, and a rare flicker of emotion appeared on his usually calm face: "Guangqi got a room? Congratulations."

Yan Bugui couldn't contain himself any longer and hurried forward, his face beaming with smiles: "This is incredibly joyous news! Guangqi, which district is the house in? How big is it? Do you need Uncle San to help you figure it out...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Guangqi interrupted him with a laugh: "Third Uncle, I haven't even seen it with my own eyes, how can I say for sure?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded, his tone still indifferent:

"It's a good thing that young people have potential. If they don't live far away, they should come back to the compound often."

These words sounded like a warning, but they also subtly implied a probing tone.

Jia Dongxu, standing to the side, rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with envy.

"I've been working at the steel rolling mill for quite a while now, seven or eight years since I started as an apprentice, and I haven't even gotten a chance to be assigned a room... Guangqi has only been working here for a short time. It's really hard to compare people like this."

No wonder he felt resentful—his second child was about to be born, yet the whole family was still crammed into the old house his father had been allocated years ago.

"Don't say that, Brother Dongxu," Liu Guangqi waved his hand and laughed, "I was just lucky. It's getting late, let's go take a look first. Once the house is settled, I'll definitely treat everyone to candy."