Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

She looked at her husband, Liu Guangqi, who simply smiled and said, "I miss Xiao Ruixue, so I thought I'd go back and visit her."

"You just saw her over the weekend." Zhao Mengyun gently shook her head.

She knows him too well.

After a moment of silence, she asked in a low voice, "Guangqi, tell me honestly, is something wrong?"

Liu Guangqi rubbed his temples, knowing he couldn't hide it from her any longer, so he simply said frankly:

"The department just assigned me a task that requires me to be away for about two months."

"Two months?" Zhao Mengyun was taken aback, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

Throughout their marriage, Liu Guangqi's job has changed several times, but he has never left the industrial system of Beijing.

No matter how late it is, he always comes home.

But this time is different—two months later, their whereabouts remain unknown.

This was probably the first real separation after marriage.

A sense of melancholy mixed with a vague worry crept into her heart, but when she looked up, she saw the undisguised guilt in her husband's eyes.

That feeling suddenly dissipated.

She knows best what kind of person she married.

The more you can't reveal the destination or contents, the more serious the matter is.

"Where are you going...can you tell me?" Zhao Mengyun's voice softened, and she didn't press him further, only gently touching his arm.

Liu Guangqi squeezed her hand: "It involves confidentiality, so I can't say more."

He paused for a moment, then said gently:

"But don't worry, I'll take good care of myself and I'll be back in two months at most."

Seeing the lingering worry in his wife's eyes, Liu Guangqi smiled and moved closer, trying to lighten the mood:

"As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. When I come back, won't it be like we're getting married again? I'll take you boating at Beihai Park and then we'll have a nice meal at Lao Mo."

"Nonsense." Zhao Mengyun laughed out loud, the knot between her brows untied, and she raised her hand to give him a light pat on the arm.

The melancholy of parting seemed to fade away considerably after he stirred things up.

She rested her head on Liu Guangqi's shoulder, gazing at the flowing street scene outside the window, and whispered:

"Remember to come home early, I'll be waiting for you."

Without asking any questions or complaining, she simply offered this ordinary instruction—a testament to her understanding as a wife, knowing his responsibilities and willing to silently protect him.

The car slowly drove into the alley and soon stopped in front of the familiar backyard gate.

As soon as I stepped across the bluestone threshold of the backyard, my father Liu Haizhong's loud voice pierced through the courtyard wall and into my ears.

"Guangqi and Xiaoyun are back?"

In the courtyard, the third brother, Liu Guangfu, was gently rocking Fengnian's round body.

"Brother, sister-in-law, haven't you been so busy lately? How come you have some free time today?"

Nestled in his third uncle's arms, Xiao Fengnian's dark, bright eyes lit up the moment he saw his father. He stretched out his two small, lotus-root-like arms eagerly, made mumbled cooing sounds, and kicked his chubby little legs as if he wanted to rush into his father's arms immediately.

However, Liu Guangqi simply smiled gently at his son, and without stopping, walked straight past the child's eager gaze.

Under Liu Guangfu's stunned gaze, he smiled and took the plump, snow-like fruit from his father's hands.

"Ruixue, do you miss your dad?"

The little girl seemed to understand, and she grinned with her toothless little mouth, giggling. She gripped his clothes tightly with her two little hands and kept rubbing her head against his chest.

Almost simultaneously—

"Wow!"

A deafening cry suddenly erupted.

Little Fengnian watched helplessly as her father hugged her older sister but ignored her. Her little mouth trembled, and the pent-up grievances burst forth. Large tears streamed down her face as she cried her heart out.

Zhao Mengyun glared at her husband with annoyance and reached out to take her son into her arms.

The boy immediately stopped crying and then grinned and chuckled.

---

At the dinner table, Liu Haizhong kept adding food to his son and daughter-in-law's bowls, and then asked, "Today isn't a day off, and I haven't heard you mention it. Why did you suddenly come back?"

Zhao Mengyun smiled and defended her husband, saying, "Dad, don't keep asking him. He just misses his daughter and insists on coming back to see her."

Liu Haizhong glared at his son: "Other families love their sons more than their daughters, but you're doing the opposite!"

Although his words were harsh, the old man was quite pleased with himself. To be honest, he actually favored his granddaughter a little more.

There was nothing he could do. He had three sons in a row, and apart from the eldest, Guangqi, the second and third sons were all incredibly mischievous. He simply couldn't bring himself to dote on his sons. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Liu Haizhong only ever doted on his eldest son, not on the other hand, the "son" in his name.

If Liu Guangqi and his wife had had a daughter as their first child, he might have been somewhat disappointed. But now that they have had twins in one pregnancy, with both a grandson and a granddaughter, he is naturally even more willing to dote on his lovely little granddaughter.

The laughter and chatter around the table temporarily dispelled Liu Guangqi's melancholy at his impending departure.

Late at night, after both children were sound asleep, Liu Guangqi bent down to gently stroke her son's smooth forehead, carefully tucked her daughter in, and prepared to leave.

Zhao Mengyun stood quietly by the door, looking at him with a soft gaze—this chief engineer who was in charge of planning and strategizing in the ministry was just an ordinary father in front of his child.

---

It was nearly 10 p.m. when I got back to the ministry dormitory.

After washing up, Liu Guangqi was not sleepy. He turned around and went into the study, took out paper and pen and began to sketch.

Zhao Mengyun approached with a glass of warm water, glanced down at it, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Is this also a blueprint for a machine tool? It looks like something a child would make."

"Baby walkers, for my two children."

"They change every day, and in a while they'll be learning to walk. By the time I come back, they might even be running."

Without even looking up, Liu Guangqi's pen moved fluently across the paper, producing clear and crisp lines. In no time, a cleverly conceived diagram of a baby walker's structure appeared on the paper.

It's not a complicated thing; it just needs four wheels, a bracket, and a cloth cover. Even someone like Liu Guangqi, who has never formally studied carpentry, could manage to make it—though whether it would be perfectly made is another matter.

Zhao Mengyun carefully examined the details marked on the drawing and felt a warmth in her heart: "You're a great engineer who handles precision machinery; isn't it a waste of your talents to do this carpentry work?"

"Indeed," Liu Guangqi said, his pen still in motion, but a smile played on his lips. "These two little rascals got off easy."

Liu Guangqi gently folded the blueprint, a smile playing on his lips: "I'll hand it over to the General Affairs Department tomorrow; it should be done quickly."

He calculated in his mind that the cost of materials would only be a few cents, and with labor, it wouldn't exceed three yuan, but this stuff was more practical than what was sold outside. More importantly, he was about to leave on a long journey and wanted to leave something for his child.

Zhao Mengyun leaned on his shoulder, her gaze fixed on the baby walker on the drawing, and said softly, "Be careful on the road."

Liu Guangqi held her hand: "I'll definitely be back on time. Then you'll see the two little guys pushing it around the yard."

Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the simple yet warm-hearted drawing and enveloping the couple sitting side by side.

Even if the road ahead is filled with wind and snow, having home to hold onto will keep one's steps firm.

In the days that followed, Liu Guangqi would take Zhao Mengyun back to the courtyard house for dinner every day after get off work.

This was an ordinary occurrence, but it seemed different in their case. The couple were busy with their work at the ministry and rarely saw each other. Their child had always been cared for by Liu Haizhong and his wife, sometimes going half a month without seeing him. Now, suddenly, they were coming home every day, and even Yan Bugui, who usually didn't like to pry into other people's business, couldn't help but whisper:

"What's wrong with Guangqi lately? He used to disappear for half a month at a time, but now it's like he's living in the yard all the time?"

The old lady curled her lip and said, "She's just worried about the kids, what else could it be?"

"Does worrying about the children require coming back every day?" Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses. "There must be something going on here."

The older woman chuckled, "So what if something's wrong? You want to find out more?"

"Of course, Guangqi is a person of status now," Yan Bugui said, his mind racing. "If he needs anything, we should help him out if we can. Even asking him a question is a favor."

Just then, Qin Huairu, who was heavily pregnant, walked by carrying a large basin of clothes. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said:

"Third Uncle, what important matter are you pondering now?"

After making a couple of jokes, she put down the wooden basin, straightened up, wiped the sweat from her brow, and glanced towards Liu Guangqi's house.

"Don't bother guessing, Guangqi just loves his kids. I heard he's making walkers for his two little ones."

Yan Bugui suddenly understood, but felt a pang of regret—what a great opportunity, and he had missed it again.

Sure enough, that evening Liu Guangqi carried two brand-new baby walkers into the yard.

The moment the object was revealed, the entire courtyard fell silent for a moment, and everyone's eyes were drawn to it.

The frame is made of fine hardwood, polished to a warm, glossy finish, smooth to the touch without any splinters. The four small wheels are covered with thick black rubber, making it incredibly quiet and smooth to push. To be honest, the workmanship is even more exquisite than the strollers displayed in department stores.

For a moment, the women washing vegetables by the pool were all stunned.

"My goodness, Guangqi's skills are absolutely amazing! This is even more eye-catching than what's sold in department stores!"

"You bet! Look at this wood, these wheels... If my husband had this skill, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

On the other side, Sha Zhu had just returned from get off work, still smelling of cooking oil. He squeezed into the crowd, scratching his head and asking sheepishly:

"Guangqi, you're really something! But speaking of which, haven't you been busy lately? Did the ministry give you a vacation?"

The question immediately silenced the courtyard, and everyone pricked up their ears.

Liu Guangqi was about to casually reply when Zhao Mengyun spoke first, her smile bright and open:

"What holiday? He's pushing his work forward, working overtime every day, just to finish this baby walker for his child before he gets completely busy."

As she spoke, she gently touched Liu Guangqi's arm. They exchanged a glance that only they understood—

The so-called "before getting busy" is the time to travel to the Northwest and embark on that long journey.

After hearing this, Sha Zhu finally understood and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, I was wondering about that just now."

Then, Liu Haizhong pushed the baby walker and slowly circled the yard three times.

He would stop whenever he saw someone, loudly boasting, "Look at this! My son did this! A proper engineer, getting into these little gadgets!"

Despite saying that, he couldn't hide his pride: "You know what, it's really well done. When my grandchildren learn to walk, pushing this will be so much easier..."

The courtyard was filled with exclamations of praise.

No one questioned why Liu Guangqi had suddenly returned to the hospital; they simply assumed it was a father's love for his child. This concern, hidden in the everyday moments, was both reassuring and tender.

The third day passed in the blink of an eye, and it was just getting light.

A deep, rhythmic roar of engines approached from afar, shattering the morning silence of the First Machine Tool Plant.

Then, several military green Jiefang trucks slowly drove into the compound. Their bodies were brand new and shiny, without any license plates or numbers, exuding a silent authority.

Everyone in the department was familiar with this situation—the army's transport convoy had arrived again.

Liu Guangqi was already standing quietly waiting outside the research and development room.

Two guards followed behind him, standing like pine trees, each carrying a heavy box.

The box was packed full of clothes and odds and ends that Zhao Mengyun had packed overnight.

As Liu Guangqi took his first step toward the convoy, a tall, sturdy man jumped off the lead car and walked up to him in a few steps.

"Engineer Liu!"

The man who arrived was none other than Gao Jianjun, the transport team leader. His large hands were red and swollen from the cold wind; he rubbed them nervously, his voice filled with frustration.

"Last time... it was all our fault! We didn't complete the mission well, and we even damaged such valuable equipment."

Now that you've had to make this trip yourself... I feel so bad about it!

As he spoke, he bent down, as if to bow.

Liu Guangqi reached out to support him and patted his broad shoulder.

"Old Gao, you're being too polite."