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

In the evening, the state-run restaurant near the steel rolling mill was filled with the sounds of wine and food.

Li Huaide warmly invited everyone to pour drinks and eat, creating a lively atmosphere. Li Jing'an picked up his wine glass, took a sip, then put it down, looked at Li Huaide at the head of the table, and casually asked, "Brother Li, regarding the matter of Sha Zhu in the canteen, has the factory made any decisions about how to handle it?"

Li Huaide paused, his hand still holding the food. "They're still discussing it; the two sides are at an impasse. The supervisory office wants to handle it as it should be, according to the rules; the factory leaders want to handle it discreetly, minimizing the problem and making it disappear."

Li Jing'an nodded: "So, Brother Li, what do you think the final decision will be?"

Li Huaide chuckled, revealing a confident expression: "Don't worry, in the end the factory leaders will definitely suppress this matter. Sha Zhu works in the canteen, and he even cooks for the leaders. It wouldn't look good if this got out. Most likely, he'll just be locked up for a few days, fined a little money, and that'll be the end of it."

Section Chief Gou, who was standing nearby, immediately chimed in, "Will Xie Hui from the Supervision Office swallow this insult?"

Li Huaide's face showed a hint of disdain, and he waved his hand: "No matter how powerful Xie Hui's background is, this is a steel rolling mill, our territory! No matter how far his reach is, he can't get in here! Our Ministry of Metallurgy isn't just sitting around doing nothing!"

Director Wang of the production department took a sip of his drink, slammed his glass on the table with a resentful look on his face: "We just have to find a chance to put that kid down! He came to the workshop again today to find fault, saying this wasn't done according to procedures, that wasn't up to standard, he's so demanding! If we do everything according to his requirements, it'll be slow and expensive, how are we supposed to complete the production tasks?"

Li Jing'an smiled faintly: "Brother Wang, just do whatever he says. It's not your money. If the production target isn't met, it won't fall on your shoulders."

Li Huaide coughed lightly, interrupting Li Jing'an: "Jing'an, you can't say that. Xie Hui is just following the rules, so he's not wrong."

He then turned to Director Wang, his tone becoming more serious, "Since the comrades from the Supervision Office have raised their opinions, you should rectify them as required. They are also doing this for the good of the steel rolling mill, hoping to help the mill reach a new level."

Director Wang chuckled and nodded to indicate that he understood.

Everyone raised their glasses again and clinked them together. Li Jing'an clinked glasses with Li Huaide alone, their eyes met, and he whispered, "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Huaide smiled slightly, naturally understanding what he meant—Section Chief Gou of the Security Department was one of his men, and he had approved the arrest of Sha Zhu. He was more than happy to drag the factory leaders into this. He was currently thinking about climbing another step up the ranks; as long as any position in the factory became vacant, he would have a chance to rise. Even if it meant sacrificing the canteen manager, who was also one of his own, he wouldn't care.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After finishing get off work at the courtyard house, Yi Zhonghai wanted to first sound out Xie Hui.

Xie Hui invited Yi Zhonghai into the house and poured him a glass of water.

Yi Zhonghai sat down in the chair, rubbed his hands together, and carefully began to speak: "Xiao Xie, I'm here today because of Sha Zhu. You know him, he's a bit of a rascal, he doesn't watch his words, but he's not a bad person at heart. Could you... please be lenient and not take it to heart?"

After listening, Xie Hui put down his teacup and looked at Yi Zhonghai: "Uncle, are you implying that I ordered his arrest?"

Yi Zhonghai quickly waved his hand: "No, no, that's not what I meant. I was just thinking that since you're in the Supervision Office, your words carry weight..."

Xie Hui shook his head, his tone calm but serious: "Uncle, it wasn't me who ordered Sha Zhu to be arrested. I'm not that petty. Besides, Sha Zhu did violate factory rules and regulations, but this has nothing to do with me."

Yi Zhonghai paused for a moment, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face, but he still forced himself to say, "So, about him bringing things... haven't the leaders always known? He cooked special meals for the leaders and never asked for overtime pay. Taking some leftovers home, that's practically tacit approval, right?"

Xie Hui looked at him: "Uncle, tacit consent and agreement are two different things. No one in the factory has come forward to admit that he was allowed to take food home. Besides, what he took wasn't leftovers, it was freshly cooked food, packed in a lunchbox and taken out. In any factory, this would warrant an explanation."

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice, "Then, Xiao Xie, could you give me a hint as to how the factory will deal with him?"

Xie Hui picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone softening slightly: "Uncle, I really don't know anything about this. The factory leaders are still discussing whether to deal with it seriously or leniently; it depends on what the higher-ups decide. What I can tell you is that I don't intend to do anything to Sha Zhu, but he did make a mistake, and he has to bear the consequences."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and stood up: "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Xiao Xie, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Xie Hui also stood up and saw the man to the door, saying, "Take care, sir."

Yi Zhonghai went outside and stood in the courtyard for a while, lost in thought. A cool night breeze blew by. He pulled his coat tighter and slowly walked towards the central courtyard.

As he approached the hanging flower gate, several people were waiting in the central courtyard—Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, Xu Damao, and Qin Huairu. Upon seeing him, Qin Huairu immediately hurried forward: "Uncle, how are you?"

Yi Zhonghai shook his head, his voice somewhat deep: "Xie Hui said he wasn't the one who arrested them. As for Sha Zhu's matter, it depends on the factory's decision."

Uncle Er frowned: "Why doesn't this Xie Hui even give Uncle Er any face?"

Xu Damao, standing to the side, curled his lip and said, "I said, what's the problem with the factory arresting Sha Zhu? He brings his own lunchbox from the factory every day; he's a parasite on the factory. He should have been arrested a long time ago."

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him: "Da Mao, say less."

The old man pushed up his glasses and slowly said, "Looks like your factory is getting serious." As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Damao.

Xu Damao felt uncomfortable being stared at: "Why are you looking at me? I don't bring anything from the factory."

Qin Huairu retorted, "You may not be trained at the factory, but you could be trained in the countryside. Look at Xie Hui from the front yard, you can't escape either."

Xu Damao was getting a little anxious: "The things I brought back from the countryside were all given to me voluntarily by the commune; I couldn't refuse them!"

The second uncle slowly chimed in, "You can't talk to us about it; you have to talk to Xie Hui and see if he believes you."

Xu Damao, with his neck stiff, said, "I'll tell you what he can do to me!" Then he walked away looking worried.

Yi Zhonghai turned to Qin Huairu, his voice softening: "We still have to wait for Li Jing'an to come back and see if he has any news."

Qin Huairu nodded, her gaze passing over the hanging flower gate and looking towards the increasingly dark night outside the courtyard.