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

Personnel Department of the Steel Rolling Mill.

Li Jing'an walked out of the personnel department office with a polite smile on his face. Today he was wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit and a pair of polished leather shoes, making him look energetic and capable.

Zhang Mingde, the head of the personnel department, personally saw him off at the door and warmly shook his hand: "Director Li, don't worry, I'll have Qin Huairu's transfer procedures completed this afternoon, and she can report to you tomorrow."

"Thank you for your trouble, Section Chief Zhang," Li Jing'an said with a smile, gently patting Zhang Mingde's hand with his finger. "Once this matter is settled, we must have a proper get-together."

Zhang Mingde's eyes lit up, and his smile widened: "That's wonderful! Director Li, you're too kind. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Jing'an turned and left. Zhang Mingde stood at the door watching him walk away, thinking to himself: Li Jing'an has powerful connections in the Ministry of Metallurgy; establishing a relationship with him would only benefit me in the future. His initiative in coming to me today to ask for a favor is a perfect opportunity to build a closer relationship.

Li Jing'an didn't go straight back to the guesthouse. Instead, he turned a corner and headed towards the factory director's office. He nodded to several acquaintances along the way, but kept walking.

Factory Director's Office

Director Yang's office was on the third floor of the office building; it was spacious and bright. When Li Jing'an knocked and entered, Director Yang was looking at documents.

"Director Yang, did I disturb you?" Li Jing'an asked with a smile.

Factory Director Yang looked up and said, "Oh, Jing'an is here. Please have a seat."

Li Jing'an sat down in the chair opposite the desk, took the cigarette offered by Factory Director Yang, lit it for the other man first, and then lit one for himself. He took a drag and slowly exhaled the smoke: "Factory Director, I'm here to report to you on the work at the guesthouse."

"Oh? Any new ideas?" Factory Director Yang leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed.

"That's how it is," Li Jing'an leaned forward slightly, "I've noticed that our guesthouse isn't just for employees from the main factory and comrades from branch factories who are here for training, but also for many employees' family members who are visiting relatives, as well as branch factory employees who are here to run personal errands. These people don't have the same food rations as us, so getting meals isn't very convenient for them."

Factory Director Yang nodded: "That is indeed a problem."

"So I was thinking, could the guesthouse take a count of the number of people who need to eat when it's almost mealtime, collect their food coupons and money, and then have the staff bring the food over from the adjacent canteen? This would be convenient for the guests and also add a little something to the service."

Factory Director Yang pondered for a moment: "The idea is good, but there's a problem—the price of the meals in the canteen includes the factory's subsidy. Outsiders can't enjoy this discount."

"I've thought of that," Li Jing'an immediately replied. "We can set a reasonable price, higher than the employee price, but cheaper than restaurants outside. This is fair and reflects the humane management of our factory."

Factory Director Yang stared at Li Jing'an for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "You've thought it all through. Okay, I agree to it. Actually, you can just go directly to Director Li of Logistics."

Li Jing'an quickly stood up: "How can that be? We must ask your permission first for this. The rules cannot be broken."

Factory Director Yang waved his hand, but his face clearly showed satisfaction: "You're just too particular about the rules. Alright, since you insist, let's follow the procedure. Go tell Director Li that I agree."

As for Li Jing'an, Director Yang didn't bother with him unless it involved his own interests. It wasn't that he was afraid of Li Jing'an's powerful backers—frankly, Director Yang's backers were much stronger than Li Jing'an's. He just wanted to avoid trouble, and besides, Li Jing'an seemed to know the rules and understand hierarchy.

"Thank you for your support, factory manager." Li Jing'an bowed slightly.

Stepping out of the factory director's office, Li Jing'an glanced at his watch—it was almost eleven o'clock. He thought for a moment and decided to go to the logistics department to see Director Li in the afternoon. This matter wasn't urgent, and going at noon would inevitably involve treating him to lunch. Although he didn't mind spending the money, appearing too eager would be inappropriate.

When Li Jing'an returned to the guesthouse, he saw Wang Caixia on the first floor and told her to finish her work and go to the office on the third floor.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Wang Caixia pushed open the door and entered.

"Brother Li, you were looking for me?" Wang Caixia's voice was as sweet as ever.

Li Jing'an gestured for her to close the door, then beckoned her over. Wang Caixia obediently walked to the desk, and Li Jing'an suddenly reached out and pulled her onto his lap.

"Oh, Brother Li..." Wang Caixia feigned shyness, but didn't actually struggle.

Li Jing'an had one arm around her waist and the other hand gently caressing her thigh: "I have something to tell you."

He explained his plan to have the guesthouse serve meals to guests, and Wang Caixia listened attentively. When Li Jing'an said, "If there are any leftovers, consider it a perk for the guesthouse staff," Wang Caixia's eyes visibly lit up.

"Brother Li, you really think of us." Wang Caixia leaned on his shoulder, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "This way, the waiters will definitely be happy."

Li Jing'an suddenly pinched her thigh hard: "It's fine to be happy, but don't go too far. Just know how much is left over, and don't upset the guests. Otherwise, we'll all lose face."

Wang Caixia cried out softly in pain, then laughed again: "Look at you, do you think we're the kind of people who don't understand things?"

"Good to know." Li Jing'an released his hand. "Alright, go ahead. By the way, I'm not going to the cafeteria for lunch, can you get me some food?"

Wang Caixia stood up, straightened her clothes and hair, picked up Li Jing'an's lunchbox, and swayed her hips as she walked out.

She went into the duty room and placed Li Jing'an's lunchbox on the table. She looked around at the people in the duty room.

"Listen up, I have an announcement to make." Wang Caixia cleared her throat. "The director just decided that starting next week, our guesthouse will be responsible for the meals of our guests."

The group exchanged bewildered glances. A chubby waiter asked, "Boss, what does this mean? Are we still cooking?"

"It's not about cooking," Wang Caixia explained. "It's about counting how many guests need to eat around mealtimes each day, collecting money and food coupons, and then sending someone to the canteen to bring the food back in one go."

The duty room was quiet for a few seconds, then erupted into chaos.

"Won't that make us even busier?"

"Yeah, there's already enough work for us..."

Wang Caixia raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and lowered her voice to say, "What's the rush? Let me finish." She glanced at the door to make sure no one was passing by before continuing, "The director said that the leftovers from the meals should be considered as a perk for our guesthouse."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

Wang Caixia watched them whisper excitedly, feeling quite pleased. Making everyone work overtime to clean these past few days had indeed caused a lot of complaints, so this sweet treat came at just the right time.

She ignored them, picked up her lunchbox, and turned to go to the cafeteria.