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

Siheyuan.

Sha Zhu was leaning against his doorway, twirling a steamed bun he'd just swiped from the canteen, idly watching the people coming and going in the yard while talking to Qin Huairu, who was washing clothes at the sink.

In the distance, a familiar figure carrying a black cloth bag slowly walked into the central courtyard. Sha Zhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his voice, shouting with a smile, "Hey, Team Leader Liu! Off work!"

The person who arrived was Liu Haizhong.

These past few days, Liu Haizhong has been feeling like he's floating on air. After toiling away half his life, he's finally managed to become a production team leader in the factory. It's not exactly an official position, but he genuinely manages a group of people, wields power, and has influence. Wherever he goes, people call him "Team Leader Liu." For Liu Haizhong, who has spent his entire life wanting to be an official, to get ahead, and to be respected, this is a dream come true.

Upon hearing Sha Zhu call him "Team Leader Liu," Liu Haizhong felt a lightness in his bones. His lips curled up uncontrollably, almost reaching his ears, but he still pretended to be composed and waved his hand, saying, "Sha Zhu, why are you calling me Team Leader in the yard? Just call me Second Uncle. We're family, don't be so formal."

That's what he said, but the smugness, comfort, and satisfaction in his tone were impossible to hide. These past two days, he's loved hearing people call him "team leader." Every time he hears it, he feels good inside, and he never gets tired of it.

Sha Zhu knew exactly what was going on, so he deliberately flattered him, saying, "That won't do! You're a new official, so we need to be proper with our manners. We can't let outsiders think that we don't know the rules in our courtyard."

Liu Haizhong smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, but he still said modestly, "Aren't you also a cafeteria supervisor? What's so great about me being just a group leader?"

"That's completely different!" Sha Zhu leaned forward, deliberately raising his voice. "You're a team leader in the core production workshop, in charge of machine tools, parts, and legitimate production tasks. You have a bright future ahead of you! Our canteen is just logistics, serving people meals. You can see the whole picture from the beginning. How can we compare to you? Don't you agree, Sister Qin?"

He turned his head and looked at Qin Huairu, who was washing clothes in the pool next to him.

Qin Huairu continued rubbing the clothes with her hands, then looked up with a perfectly gentle smile on her face, continuing the conversation: "That's right, Second Uncle. Even if we're just a foreman, we're just making a living. You're different. Above you in the workshop are section chiefs. If you work hard for a few more years, you can become a section chief and then work as a worker instead of a cadre. Later, you can become a formal cadre, which means you'll have the status of a state cadre, and your life will be completely different."

"Working in place of a cadre" and "formal cadre"—these words precisely hit Liu Haizhong's most pressing and longed-for areas.

The composure he had been trying to maintain on his face completely crumbled. He couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth, and even his steps became a little unsteady. He kept saying, "I dare not think about it, I dare not think about it. Let's do the work in front of us first." But the light in his eyes was clear to everyone.

Just then, another person entered through the courtyard gate.

Xu Damao.

He pushed his bicycle, head down, walking quickly, clearly intending to slip silently through the middle courtyard and head straight back to the backyard. He didn't want to talk to anyone, and even less did he want to see Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong.

Unfortunately, Sha Zhu has very sharp eyes.

"Hey! Xu Damao! Stop!" Sha Zhu shouted, his voice loud and clear. "Can't you see the leader is here? Come over and say hello!"

Xu Damao paused, his face instantly darkening. Without stopping, he muttered under his breath, "What a worthless leader, a petty person who has gained power."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was just enough for several people in the Intermediate People's Court to hear.

Sha Zhu's smile vanished instantly. His eyes widened, and he rolled up his sleeves, taking a step forward menacingly: "Xu Damao, did you just crawl out of the outhouse, spewing filth? Looking for trouble? Believe me, I'll loosen your muscles right now!"

His expression suggested he was either really going to attack or just trying to scare Xu Damao. Xu Damao was always a bully who preyed on the weak, and seeing Sha Zhu's posture, he didn't dare to linger. He pushed his bicycle and jogged off into the backyard without looking back, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Sha Zhu chuckled, turned back, and immediately adopted a gossipy, tattletale-like demeanor. He sidled up to Liu Haizhong and stirred up trouble, saying, "Second Uncle, did you see that? Xu Damao even insulted you! He's just jealous that you became the team leader, and he's deliberately giving you the cold shoulder!"

Liu Haizhong knew exactly what was going on, but he waved his hand, appearing magnanimous: "Shazhu, don't drag me into your business. I understand Xu Damao's been upset these past few days."

He truly understands.

Xu Damao used to be close to Li Jing'an, always showering him with cigarettes and attention, thinking he was favored. But in the end, it was Liu Haizhong who was willing to spend a lot, finding an opportunity to give Li Jing'an a decent watch, instantly bringing them closer. Compared to him, Xu Damao's little schemes were far too naive; he didn't understand what it meant to be willing to invest.

As they were talking, the sound of steady wheels came from the courtyard gate again.

A young man dressed in a clean Zhongshan suit and with a straight posture pushed his bicycle into the courtyard. His demeanor was completely different from the workers in overalls all over the courtyard. You could tell at a glance that he was "a cadre".

It was Li Jing'an.

"Hey, Brother Jing'an's back!" Sha Zhu immediately put on a warm smile and greeted him first.

Qin Huairu also stopped what she was doing, smiled and nodded: "Brother Jing'an."

Liu Haizhong immediately stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "Director Li, you're off work."

Li Jing'an steadied the car, glanced around the yard, and his gaze lingered on Liu Haizhong for a moment. He said casually, "Second Uncle, from now on, just call me Jing'an in the yard. Calling me Director is too formal. We're all neighbors in the same yard."

As he spoke, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out two, and handed them first to Liu Haizhong, then to Sha Zhu.

The two quickly accepted the gift with both hands, thanked it repeatedly, took out a match, lit it, took a deep drag, and their expressions revealed a sense of enjoyment.

Li Jing'an lit a cigarette himself, but didn't light it, and casually asked, "How have things been at home and at the factory these past few days? Nothing much, right?"

"Everything's fine, same as always," Sha Zhu replied casually. "The work in the cafeteria isn't tiring for me."

Liu Haizhong nodded in agreement: "Everything is fine at home, and production at the factory is normal..." He suddenly remembered something halfway through his sentence, and lowered his voice, with a hint of mystery and tension, "However, this afternoon, a major incident happened in our workshop."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu immediately looked over.

Major incidents at the factory are always the hottest topic of conversation in the courtyard.

Li Jing'an's eyes flickered slightly, but his face remained calm as he casually asked, "Oh? What is it?"

"Around two or three in the afternoon, while people were working in the workshop, the security guards came in, along with two men in military uniforms. They were clearly not from an ordinary unit," Liu Haizhong said in a low voice, describing the scene vividly. "They took a technician away. The scene was very serious, and the surrounding workers didn't dare to make a sound."

"Technician?" Li Jing'an repeated softly, a speck of ash falling from his cigarette. "What's his name? What did he do?"

"I heard the name clearly, Chen Qing," Liu Haizhong said with certainty. "He's a newbie who just joined the factory this year, and I heard he's from the technical department. Nobody dares to ask what he did wrong, but think about it—security department plus military personnel, it can't be a small matter, can it? He must have messed up big time, it might even be... a political issue."

Chen Qing.

Upon hearing those two words, Li Jing'an's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

"So young, and already acting like a troublemaker right after starting at the factory." He said calmly, neither confirming nor denying. "Alright, you guys chat, I'm going back to my room to put my things away."

After saying that, he nodded slightly to everyone, turned and walked towards his room. After taking a couple of steps, he seemed to suddenly remember something, turned back to Qin Huairu, and said casually, "By the way, Huairu, if you're free after dinner, come over and help me tidy up the room."

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked up at Sha Zhu next to her, then at Liu Haizhong, who was looking at her respectfully. She didn't dare to show the slightest abnormality on her face and quickly agreed in a soft voice, "Okay, Brother Jing'an, I'll go over after I finish eating."

Li Jing'an said no more, pushed open the door and went inside, gently closing the door to shut out the chatter from the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong remained standing, bowing slightly towards Li Jing'an's door, and politely said, "Director Li, please take care!"

Sha Zhu watched from the side, unable to resist pursing his lips. Once Li Jing'an had gone inside and was out of sight, he lowered his voice and complained to Qin Huairu, "Sister Qin, did you see that? Second Uncle is behaving more respectfully than he would to the factory manager. Even if Li Jing'an is powerful, he's just from the guesthouse; he can't control his workshop. Does he really need to be so servile?"

Liu Haizhong happened to turn around and heard this. His eyes widened, and he lowered his voice to reprimand, "What do you know! I'm not flattering you, I genuinely admire and respect you! Director Li is young, but he's reliable, considerate, and respected by everyone in the factory. Is it wrong for me to respect him?"

After saying that, he didn't bother arguing with Sha Zhu. Clutching his black cloth bag, which symbolized his status, he puffed out his chest and slowly walked towards the backyard, exuding an air of confidence that "I'm about to become a leader."

Sha Zhu watched his retreating figure, sneered, and said to Qin Huairu, "Sister Qin, did you see that? Our courtyard used to only have one person who loved to flatter others, but now, we have another Second Uncle. This courtyard will be even more lively from now on."

Qin Huairu quickly pulled him aside, glanced around warily, and whispered, "Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you and cause you trouble."

"So what if I heard it? Am I afraid of him?" Sha Zhu said with an indifferent expression.