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

The cafeteria was bustling with noise at lunchtime. Qin Huairu, carrying her lunchbox, found a seat on the side. Today, she had specially worn a clean light blue top, her hair was neatly combed, and she had applied some face cream.

She ate her meal slowly, her eyes constantly searching through the crowd. Li Jing'an had promised yesterday to help her with the transfer procedures today, and she had been restless all morning, afraid that he would forget or change his mind.

"Huai Ru, what are you looking at?" Sister Liu from the same workshop sat down with her lunchbox.

"N-nothing." Qin Huairu hurriedly looked away and ate a few mouthfuls of rice.

"I heard you're being transferred to the guesthouse?" Sister Liu asked in a low voice.

Qin Huairu was startled: "Who said that?"

"Who said that? There are no secrets in the factory." Sister Liu looked at her meaningfully. "The guesthouse is a good place, the work is easy. You must have connections."

Qin Huairu forced a smile: "It's not decided yet, don't talk nonsense."

She quickly finished her meal, washed the lunchbox, and headed towards the guesthouse. Li Jing'an hadn't come to the canteen for lunch; she needed to go to the guesthouse to find him and get some answers.

Stepping into the guesthouse lobby, Qin Huairu felt somewhat uneasy. She rarely came to places like this; the environment here was much cleaner and tidier than the workshop, and there was a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

In the duty room, two young waiters were chatting. Seeing Qin Huairu, one of them poked his head out and asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Director Li Jing'an," Qin Huairu said.

"The director is in his office on the third floor. You are...?"

At this moment, Wang Caixia came out from the inner room and looked Qin Huairu up and down: "Looking for Director Li? What's the matter?"

Qin Huairu recognized Wang Caixia and knew she was the head of the guesthouse, so she quickly said, "We're neighbors, I need to talk to him about something."

A hint of inquiry flashed in Wang Caixia's eyes, but she still smiled and said, "Then I'll take you there."

The two went up to the third floor one after the other. Wang Caixia knocked on the door, and Li Jing'an's voice came from inside: "Come in."

Seeing Qin Huairu behind Wang Caixia, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Jing'an's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He waved his hand, "Caixia, you go ahead and get busy."

Wang Caixia responded, glanced at Qin Huairu again as she left, and gently closed the door.

"Sit down." Li Jing'an gestured to the sofa, then sat back down in the chair behind his desk. "How did you find your way here?"

Qin Huairu sat down on the sofa, her hands clasped nervously. "I just wanted to ask... is there any progress on the job transfer?"

Li Jing'an picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "I just spoke with Section Chief Zhang of the Personnel Department this morning, and he said he'd get it done this afternoon. I'll go and complete some additional formalities this afternoon."

"Really?" Qin Huairu's eyes lit up.

"Would I lie to you?" Li Jing'an stood up, walked up to her, and looked down at her. "Are you in such a hurry? Don't you believe me?"

Qin Huairu felt a little flustered under his gaze and lowered her head: "It's not that I don't believe you... I just..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jing'an had already walked to the door and locked it. He walked back and stood in front of Qin Huairu.

"The formalities are almost complete."

He said in a low voice, "But shouldn't you give me some motivation?"

Qin Huairu stiffened, but did not object.

Li Jing'an chuckled twice...

Li Jing'an ran his hand through her hair.

The office was quiet, and sunlight streamed through the windows, casting bright patches of light on the floor.

Wang Caixia returned to the duty room on the first floor, her mind still on what had just happened. She recognized the woman named Qin Huairu; she was a female worker in the fitter's workshop, and she was indeed beautiful, especially her eyes, which were always watery when she looked at people.

"Hey, who was that guy just now?" asked the young waiter, Xiao Zhao, curiously.

"A female worker wants to see the director about something," Wang Caixia said casually, not wanting to elaborate.

She sat in the duty room, glancing out the window every now and then. About twenty minutes later, she saw Qin Huairu come out of the guesthouse, head down, walking hurriedly. A little while later, Li Jing'an also came downstairs.

"Caixia, I'm going out for a bit." Li Jing'an handed her the lunchbox. "Wash it clean."

"Yes, Director." Wang Caixia took the lunchbox and watched Li Jing'an walk out of the guesthouse and head towards the logistics department.

Discussions with the Logistics Department

In the office of the logistics department director, Director Li was making tea. When he saw Li Jing'an enter, he greeted him warmly, "Jing'an, you're here. Please have a seat."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Jing'an explained his purpose. Director Li listened and then asked, "Does Factory Director Yang know about this?"

"I know, I just asked him this morning and he agreed," Li Jing'an said.

"That makes things easier." Director Li immediately picked up the phone. "I'll call the cafeteria manager over, and you two can discuss the details."

A little while later, Old Chen, the canteen manager, arrived. The three of them discussed details such as prices, portion sizes, and handover procedures, and decided to start the trial run tomorrow at noon.

"By the way, Director Li," Li Jing'an said finally, "our guesthouse needs a tricycle, two insulated containers, and a basket for steamed buns."

Director Li readily agreed: "No problem, I'll have someone deliver it this afternoon."

After leaving the logistics department, Li Jing'an glanced at the sky; it was almost time to leave work. He went straight back to his courtyard house.

Jia Family Courtyard

As evening fell, the courtyard house was filled with the aroma of meals from each household. Inside the Jia family's house, Qin Huairu was cooking, while Banggeng played with his two younger sisters in the yard.

At the dinner table, Banggeng picked at the cornbread in his bowl and complained, "Mom, why is it cornbread and pickled vegetables again? I want to eat meat."

Qin Huairu put some pickled vegetables on his plate: "Sweetie, when Mom gets her salary, I'll buy you some meat."

Jia Zhangshi was sitting on the kang sewing insoles when she heard this. She looked up at her daughter-in-law, then lowered her head again and said nothing.

After finishing her meal, Qin Huairu cleared away the dishes and said to Jia Zhangshi, "Mom, I'm going to Director Li's house to ask about the transfer and see if it's been arranged."

Jia Zhangshi paused in her needlework, didn't look up, and simply hummed in response.

Qin Huairu stepped out of the house, and only then did Jia Zhangshi raise her head, watching her daughter-in-law's retreating figure with a complex expression. She put down her work and sighed deeply. Having been through similar experiences, how could she not see the signs?

But what could she say? Her son had died young, and the family relied entirely on her daughter-in-law. The factory wages were meager, and she spent a considerable amount each month on painkillers. If Qin Huairu could be transferred to the guesthouse, she could earn thirty-five yuan a month…

Jia Zhangshi rubbed her sore eyes and picked up the insoles again to continue sewing. The stitches were a bit messy, so she unraveled a few stitches and started sewing again. She could hear laughter and chatter from other houses outside the window, and the room felt utterly empty.

Qin Huairu walked to the gate of Li Jing'an's courtyard and saw that the gate was only slightly ajar. She gently pushed it open and went in, then turned around and bolted the gate shut.

The lights were on inside. She had just reached the door when Li Jing'an opened it and came out.

"You're here?" He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into the house. The novelty of the past two days hadn't worn off yet, and Li Jing'an was already a little infatuated.

Qin Huairu pressed her hand against his chest: "About the job transfer..."

"It's all taken care of. Just wait for the notification to report to the guesthouse tomorrow," Li Jing'an said, his hands already starting to wander.

Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment: "It's too late today. If I go home late, my mother-in-law will become suspicious."

Li Jing'an scoffed and forcefully pushed her towards the bedroom: "You think she doesn't know? I greeted her this morning, and judging from her expression, I guess she figured it out yesterday."

Qin Huairu's body stiffened.

Li Jing'an leaned close to her ear and whispered, "She's a smart woman. She knows I won't marry you, and you can't escape either. She knows what to do."

The bedroom door was closed.

When Qin Huairu returned to the Jia family home, the lights were still on.

Jia Zhangshi sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), still holding the insole in her hand. The needlework lay to one side, not a single stitch was extra.

"Is it done?" the old lady asked, her eyes fixed on the insole in her hand, without looking at her.

Qin Huairu's heart sank. She looked at her mother-in-law's state. Suddenly, she realized that Li Jing'an was right—her mother-in-law knew everything, she knew from yesterday, from the first time she hesitantly mentioned the job transfer.

"It's done," Qin Huairu heard her own voice say, very softly.

Only then did Jia Zhangshi turn to look at her. In the dim light, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance. In that one glance, everything was said, and nothing was said.

The old lady didn't ask anything, she just nodded.

"Go to sleep."

This is a secret that we can see through but won't reveal.