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

In the courtyard house.

The setting sun cast long shadows on the bluestone path of the courtyard. Sha Zhu, clutching the meal tickets he had just received from the factory, strolled into the courtyard. Just as he turned the corner of the moon gate, he bumped into Qin Huairu, who was smiling with her head down and lips pursed.

"Sister Qin, you're all smiles! Did you get paid today? How much did you get?" Sha Zhu's voice was loud as he rushed over, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

Qin Huairu looked up, her eyebrows curving upwards, her joy barely concealed. Her fingertips unconsciously squeezed the pay purse in her pocket, and she said softly, "Thirty-five yuan." As soon as she finished speaking, the corners of her mouth turned up again, and that little bit of joy overflowed from the corners of her eyes and brows.

"Alright then!" Sha Zhu slapped his thigh and laughed heartily. "The Mid-Autumn Festival is in a couple of days. It's a good time to buy some meat for your three kids to treat their cravings and have a proper holiday."

"That's right." Qin Huairu nodded, her eyes softening a bit. She was making plans in her mind, but said softly, "I was just thinking of having Grandma Banggeng go to the market early tomorrow morning to see if she can snag some fresh meat."

While she was talking about the good news about her salary, what made her even happier was the extra income she had earned at the guesthouse these past few days—handling various receipts for guests. She had earned two yuan in just a few days, and if she did the math, she could easily earn an extra ten or eight yuan a month, which was no small amount.

But then he thought back and felt a little regretful. He clicked his tongue and thought to himself: If he didn't have to share the money with the other waiters, he could keep all the money himself. Wouldn't he be able to earn forty or fifty a month? Life would be so much easier then.

Seeing her like this, Sha Zhu had already taken her predicament to heart. He leaned forward and lowered his voice to say solicitously, "Sister Qin, there's a special meal for Director Yang tomorrow night. I think I can bring you back a couple of dishes, which will be perfect for adding a couple of hearty dishes to your family's Mid-Autumn Festival meal."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's eyes lit up instantly, and her smile deepened. She quickly grabbed Sha Zhu's arm, her voice full of gratitude: "Thank you, Zhu Zi. You still think of our family."

She paused, then said softly, "I've been busy at the guesthouse these past few days. When I have some free time, I'll go and tidy up your place; it's such a mess."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu immediately waved his hand, his face beaming with joy, but he knew exactly what was going on. He lowered his voice and advised, "Sister Qin, no need, no need. Yu Shui has gone back to the courtyard these past two days, so let her tidy up. You should go and tidy up Li Jing'an's room more often. Building a good relationship with him is the real deal. He'll take good care of you at the guesthouse, which is better than anything else."

Qin Huairu responded repeatedly, "Yes, I know, thank you for reminding me, I'll remember." But in her heart, she already had a plan. She didn't need Sha Zhu's reminder; she naturally wanted to rely firmly on Li Jing'an, this big tree. She had to serve him well during the day at the guesthouse and also at night. Tonight, Li Jing'an was going back to the small courtyard and specifically asked her to go over.

Qin Huairu is quite content with her life now. With Li Jing'an as her backer, she not only got a more relaxed job, but also a higher salary. Although she was initially reluctant, she's come to terms with it. A woman needs a man to rely on in her life. Although Li Jing'an can be rough with her sometimes, it's precisely this domineering nature that has given her a taste of things she's never experienced before. Sometimes, she even secretly enjoys the feeling of being controlled.

While the two were talking, the atmosphere in Li Jing'an's courtyard was somewhat awkward. Xu Damao stood in the house, his back bent and a forced, awkward smile on his face. Beside him was an inconspicuous bag containing two bottles of ordinary white wine and some dried goods such as mushrooms and wood ear fungus collected from the countryside.

He rubbed his hands together and said awkwardly, "Brother Li, it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival. I know you don't lack anything, so I was thinking of getting you some local specialties to try. They're not worth much, just a little something."

Despite saying this, Xu Damao was inwardly bitter. He wished he had prepared earlier. He had originally sent Lou Xiao'e back to her parents' home, hoping she would bring some rare items from her capitalist father-in-law's side. However, Lou Xiao'e returned saying that all the good things in her family had been donated, and now they had nothing of value left.

With only two days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, he was in a panic, unable to even scrape together a decent cigarette coupon. He had gotten these things by riding his bicycle to the rural commune early in the morning to "beg for alms," and they were really not presentable.

Li Jing'an leaned back on the sofa, not even lifting his eyelids, a nonchalant smile on his face. He waved his hand and said, "With our relationship, why bother with all this? It'll make us seem too formal and distant, won't it?" But in his heart, he cursed Xu Damao to the core: This bastard is truly worthless. Relying on his capitalist father-in-law, he tries to fool me with this rubbish? I was originally thinking that since he was somewhat clever, I would give him a chance to get closer to me. But look at him now, he doesn't even have this much sincerity. Forget it, he's not worth cultivating.

Xu Damao couldn't detect the perfunctory tone in Li Jing'an's words, taking it as mere politeness. He quickly leaned forward again, patting his chest to assure him, "Brother Li, don't worry, this time I wasn't prepared enough. Just watch my performance next time, I definitely won't let you down."

Li Jing'an glanced at him, gave him a few perfunctory words, offered a few more words of feigned comfort, and then waved his hand to see him off: "Alright, I understand. You should go back now and have a good Mid-Autumn Festival."

Xu Damao hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement, then slunk away with his bag. Once outside the courtyard, his smile vanished instantly. Back home, he slammed the bag on the table and poured out his grievances to Lou Xiao'e, who was preparing vegetables, his face full of frustration: "It's all your fault! I told you to go back to your parents' house and get some rare treats, and you brought nothing! And Brother Li's attitude today—so businesslike, so distant. We used to be so close; he even brought me a box of mooncakes. Now, it's all over. This patron is probably gone!"

Lou Xiao'e glanced at him, her face indifferent, her hands continuing their work. She said calmly, "So what if it collapsed? It's no big deal. My family really has nothing left, you know that. In my opinion, you should just focus on doing your job at the factory properly. What good will it do to be thinking about scheming and taking shortcuts all day? Stop making a fuss and hurry up and make dinner. We're waiting to eat."

Xu Damao was speechless, his anger simmering with nowhere to go. He simply sat down on a chair, sulking without moving. Lou Xiao'e rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention, and continued picking vegetables, but she was increasingly dissatisfied with Xu Damao's eagerness for quick success.

Not long after Xu Damao left, another person came to Li Jing'an's courtyard—his second uncle, Liu Haizhong. Li Jing'an glanced at him, pointed to the sofa next to him, and said in a flat tone, "Second Uncle is here, please sit down." He didn't get up, nor did he even think of pouring him water; his attitude was neither warm nor cold.

Liu Haizhong didn't mind, and sat down awkwardly, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile on his face. He got straight to the point: "Li Jing'an, it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival, so I thought I'd come and sit down with you and have a chat."

As he spoke, he carefully took out a brand-new men's watch and a neatly folded invoice from his inner pocket and handed them to Li Jing'an. "I didn't know what you needed, but I figured watches are practical, so I bought one for you. Don't mind it."

The watch gleamed under the light, its design novel. Li Jing'an's eyes lit up instantly, a thought flashing through his mind, but he quickly declined, getting up to take the watch and feigning politeness, saying, "Second Uncle, what are you doing? We live in the same courtyard, we see each other all the time, bringing such expensive things is too formal."

While verbally declining, her actions betrayed her true intentions. As she spoke, she got up and poured Liu Haizhong a glass of water, even taking a pinch of the finest tea leaves from the tea canister and adding them in. Her attitude was far warmer than before.

Seeing his attitude, Liu Haizhong was overjoyed. He quickly stood up halfway and waved his hand, saying, "No need to pour water, no need to pour water. I'll just sit for a while and then leave. I won't bother you."

Li Jing'an handed him the water glass, pondered for a moment, and then said casually, "Second Uncle, I plan to invite Director Wang from the steel rolling mill's production department to my home for a meal after the holiday. I would like to invite you to join me."

These words were like a windfall. Liu Haizhong's eyes widened instantly, his face flushed red, and he was so excited that he could hardly speak. He quickly stood up, patted his chest, and said, "Hey! Good! Jing'an, don't worry. Whenever you need me, just say the word, and I'll be there anytime. I guarantee I'll serve you well and never let you down!" Director Wang of the Production Department was the leader in charge of the entire steel rolling mill's production. Now that he had such an opportunity, how could he not be excited?

Looking at him like this, Li Jing'an nodded in satisfaction, offered a few words of encouragement, and then waved for him to leave.

After Liu Haizhong's figure disappeared through the courtyard gate, Li Jing'an, clutching the watch, smiled and thought to himself: "That Liu Haizhong is quite sensible. This watch is a nice design; I'll take it back for my father."

As night deepened, the courtyard gradually quieted down, with only Li Jing'an's small courtyard still lit up.

After dinner, Li Jing'an, shirtless, leaned against the headboard, a cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling upwards. Qin Huairu leaned against him, a hint of languor in her eyes. Li Jing'an's hand casually roamed over her body, and he said nonchalantly, "Things at the guesthouse these past two days, nothing much, right?"

Qin Huairu's face was flushed, her eyes were closed, and she replied in a soft, weak voice, "Nothing's wrong, everything went smoothly."

Looking at her delicate appearance, Li Jing'an smiled playfully, gently pinched her chin with his fingertips, and said, "What, still want to stay here? Get up quickly and get me a basin of water to dry me off."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's eyes flashed with reluctance, but she still obediently got up, put on a coat, and tiptoed outside. She brought in a basin of warm water, wrung out a towel, and bent down to wipe Li Jing'an's body.

As the warm towel brushed against his skin, Li Jing'an's interest intensified. He raised his chin and gestured to Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu lowered her head and obediently bowed down.

After an unknown amount of time, the night had deepened. Li Jing'an changed into loose pajamas, sat in a wicker chair in the living room, drinking tea and smoking, looking relaxed.

In the bedroom, Qin Huairu was busy changing the sheets. After taking off the old sheets, she folded them and put them in a basin. She carried the basin to the living room and said softly, "I'll put the basin here first and come over to wash it clean for you first thing tomorrow morning."

Li Jing'an glanced at her, nodded slightly, and said nothing. Seeing this, Qin Huairu breathed a sigh of relief, pulled her clothes down slightly, tidied her messy hair, and then smoothed the hem of her clothes to make sure she looked presentable. Only then did she tiptoe out of Li Jing'an's courtyard, slowly making her way towards the Jia family home in the dim moonlight. Her shadow was stretched long and slender by the moonlight on the bluestone path, while the night in the courtyard remained deep and dark.