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

The queue moved slowly forward, and no one objected to this exceptional allocation. Everyone knew in their hearts that it was rightfully his.

When it was Liu Guangqi's turn, the logistics staff responsible for distributing the supplies looked up and immediately put on a familiar smile.

"Team Leader Liu, we've been waiting for you!"

The man moved swiftly, turning around to take things from a few items placed separately to the side.

"Here's yours; it was specifically instructed to be here by the higher-ups."

Before the words were even finished, all eyes turned to him. The clerk first presented a large, glistening piece of pork belly; the thick oil paper couldn't conceal its perfectly marbled fat and lean meat, and it weighed at least ten pounds. Next, he picked up a bulging bag of flour, placed it heavily on the ground, and a cloud of fine white powder mist rose from it—it must have weighed at least twenty pounds. Finally, he pulled out a whole bottle of clear cooking oil.

That wasn't all. The clerk opened a drawer, took out a square brown paper envelope, and handed it over with both hands.

"Team Leader Liu, in addition to the department's regular allowance, this is a special gift from the foreign trade department to you. The new products you spearheaded have not only brought honor to our department but also opened up new prospects for the foreign trade sector. With the new factory about to be built, you deserve the most credit, and the leaders all remember it."

Liu Guangqi took the envelope, and the weight he felt under his fingers surprised him slightly. Inside, besides banknotes, there seemed to be a thick stack of paper scraps.

"Please convey my gratitude to all the leaders."

He calmly put the envelope away, a faint smile playing on his lips. The clerk wanted to say a few more words, but seeing the queue growing longer behind him, he could only exchange a few pleasantries and watch him turn and leave.

Walking back to the research office, Liu Guangqi silently calculated in his mind. This was the third time he had received a similar award recently. The first time was for successfully developing a new type of heating element and related products, the second time was for completing an emergency production task ahead of schedule, and this one in his hand clearly came from the foreign trade department.

Judging from the thickness of the envelope alone, this expression of gratitude was far more profound than the previous two. Sometimes, the exchange of favors is more intriguing than a clearly stated reward. He knew perfectly well that this was not a simple holiday bonus, but rather an additional affirmation of his past contributions, and a subtle gesture of goodwill.

Coincidentally, I've recently accumulated a thin stack of various tickets and certificates, most of which have expiration dates printed on them. With the end of the year approaching, it's time to make a good plan for how to use them up.

The north wind whipped up fine snowflakes that stung my face, the chill biting to the bone, but the faint smell of firecrackers in the air only intensified the festive atmosphere. The thick envelope between my fingers pressed against my palm, carrying a weighty, substantial feel.

Back in his office, he opened the envelope. The first thing to slide out were ten brand-new ten-yuan bills, their ink deep and rich, the images of workers, peasants, and soldiers gleaming faintly in the snowy light streaming in from the window. This denomination of banknote had only recently been issued; the highest denomination before it was five yuan. Ten bills made a full one hundred yuan—undoubtedly a considerable sum in those days when an average worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan.

Moving the coins aside, various coupons were revealed underneath: six national grain coupons for five jin each, totaling thirty jin of fine grain; six coupons for three feet of Dacron fabric, enough to buy a new set of clothes for everyone in the family. Scrolling down further, the coupons for almost all scarce commodities, such as matches, cigarettes, sugar, and pastries, were included.

At the very bottom of all the receipts lay four sturdy hard cards. Liu Guangqi took them out one by one, and the bright red words "**Certificate" came into view:

A bicycle ticket.

A watch ticket.

A sewing ticket.

A radio ticket.

Liu Guangqi clutched the four stiff pieces of paper in his palm, the metallic, mechanical edges of the tickets slightly digging into his fingertips. A complete set of "three turns and one sound" tickets, not a single one missing, arranged with breathtaking precision. In those days, even a single bicycle ticket was enough to make veteran factory workers argue fiercely; this complete set lying quietly in his hand carried a weight that went beyond just the weight of the paper itself.

He stared at it for a moment, a silent thought flashing through his mind: After all, it's the foreign trade department; their methods are indeed extraordinary. Naturally, Liu Guangqi understood that this wasn't just an ordinary holiday bonus—it was merely a pretext to deliver the unspoken reward. The order from Russia had been finalized ahead of schedule, and they needed to find a suitable way to express their gratitude.

A faint smile played on his lips as he carefully folded the receipts and tucked them into his inner pocket. He'd save them for the New Year; they'd add a touch of freshness to the house.

The closing bell shattered the silence of the office building, and the usually solemn compound seemed to suddenly relax, the air filled with the restlessness and lightheartedness of people heading home. The Spring Festival holiday had begun.

In his office at the research department, Liu Guangqi calmly tidied his desk and carefully bundled the New Year's gifts distributed by his unit—meat, noodles, and a few other items—on the back of his bicycle. As he pushed off from the ministry gate, the whistling winter wind whipped at his face. He hopped on his bike and rode straight toward the courtyard house.

As soon as they turned into the courtyard gate, Yan Bugui, who was in the front yard, leaned out as if he had smelled something.

"Hey, Guangqi's back?" He smiled broadly, but his gaze behind his glasses was fixed on the bulging cloth bag and oil paper package on the back of the bicycle, unable to look away. "Wow, this meat... it must weigh at least ten pounds, right? And this noodles, look at the amount..." He habitually reached out to weigh it, his fingertips pausing in mid-air before he sheepishly withdrew them, then sighed, "Your ministry is really something else, the year-end benefits are really generous! Much better than Lao Yi and Lao Liu's steel mill, even the veterans there haven't seen this much good stuff this year."

"We prepared a lot more for the end of the year," Liu Guangqi nodded with a smile, without stopping.

Yan Bugui followed along, rambling on: "My Jiecheng worked hard in the streets all year, and in the end he only got two ounces of lard, and he even needed a ration coupon..." His voice trailed off as he leaned closer, tentatively saying, "Guangqi, if you can't finish this meat, can you share some with me? I'll trade you eggs for it."

Liu Guangqi just smiled and didn't reply, pushing the cart further inside. Seeing that he didn't respond, Yan Bugui could only stop and sigh deeply as he watched the departing figure: "Sigh... other companies are really good, they've had a really decent New Year."

As the bicycle entered the courtyard, the sound of washing clothes by the well suddenly stopped. The figure squatting there looked up—it wasn't Qin Huairu, but Jia Zhangshi. Indeed, judging by the days, Qin Huairu was about to give birth, so the chores of washing clothes and cooking naturally fell back on her mother-in-law's shoulders.

As Jia Zhangshi struggled to wring out a thick cotton-padded coat, she glanced up and saw what was behind Liu Guangqi's cart. Her hand slipped, and the wet coat fell back into the basin with a "plop," splashing water all over her face, but she didn't care. She rushed forward, her eyes fixed on the piece of meat, her voice blaring, "This...how much meat is this! Guangqi, did you empty the entire counter at the supply and marketing cooperative?"

That shout was like a firecracker thrown into the yard. Sha Zhu's door creaked open, and he poked his head out, grinning, "Hey, who's this! Guangqi's finally back! It's been almost half a year since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" Xu Damao also came over, his gaze sweeping over Liu Guangqi's car a few times before he clicked his tongue, "Brother Guangqi, did the ministry give out New Year's gifts? Wow, your treatment... is unbeatable!"

Liu Guangqi remained calm and smiled slightly: "There's been a lot going on at work lately, especially at the end of the year. I'll take the things back first, and then we can chat later."

After saying that, he pushed the cart to the backyard. Although he was gone, the murmurs behind him continued for a long time.

"Look at that, now that's real skill!"

"Who says otherwise? If my husband had that kind of upbringing, wouldn't we be able to move into that cadre's apartment and enjoy a life of luxury?"

"Ah, it must be because the Liu family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

He Yuzhu interjected in a loud voice, "Guangqi! You just need to chop the filling for the dumplings during the New Year; I'll take care of rolling out the dough! I guarantee the dough will be translucent and the filling will be substantial!"

Inside the house in the backyard, the air was thick with smoke.

Liu Haizhong sat on a stool with a cigarette dangling from his lips, his brows furrowed in deep lines.

He spoke in a muffled voice after smoking half of his cigarette:

"The child's mother."

"Guangqi moved into the government dormitory almost half a year ago, why hasn't there been any news about it?"

"What are you busy with all day?"

Auntie Er was squatting in the corner sorting through cabbages for winter storage, her hands never stopping, smiling without looking up:

"Can a cadre in a ministry have the same leisure as us? Of course, they're always swamped with official duties."

Liu Haizhong exhaled a heavy smoke ring:

"Being busy is to be expected, but this kid is just too outrageous!"

He stiffened his neck: "I haven't stepped foot in my house for four months! My monthly living expenses are all secretly delivered to the factory by someone else; I never even see them!"

Although his words were harsh, his eyes kept drifting towards the courtyard gate.

"What kind of logic is that?"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and finally got up and started pacing around the small room.

"It's almost Lunar New Year's Eve, and our steel mill has already shut down. Are their government offices made of iron, never giving us a holiday?"

At this point, his voice suddenly lowered, as if he were talking to himself:

"Could it be... that he's not planning to come back for the New Year?"

After going around in circles, the secret finally came out.

He stopped, cleared his throat, and said casually, "How about..."

"Shall we make a trip tomorrow?"

"Just tell him you're sending him some New Year's goods! Send him some of the cured meats and dried vegetables we've made at home!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Er burst out laughing, even putting down the cabbage she was holding.

"Old man! If you want to go take a look at that compound, just say so. Why do you have to bring up New Year's goods as an excuse?"

"Nonsense! Who wants to go to that place!"

Liu Haizhong's old face instantly turned as red as if it had been dyed with cinnabar, and he was about to explain—

Suddenly, a series of clear bicycle bell sounds came from outside the courtyard gate.

Ring ring—

The bell rang from afar, and the elderly couple stopped what they were doing and looked toward the gate.

Liu Guangqi pushed his bicycle in, with a piece of fatty and lean pork hanging from each side of the handlebars, weighing about ten pounds, swaying gently with each step.

"Mom is right."

"Dad, if you want to visit me, just go ahead."

Liu Guangqi's smiling voice rang out:

"Wasn't that pass we issued to you originally meant to make it easier for you to travel back and forth?"

One sentence left the elderly couple stunned on the spot.

Liu Haizhong froze like a wooden sculpture, the "Dachanshi" cigarette between his fingers having fallen to the ground without him noticing.

His lips trembled several times before he managed to squeeze out a sound:

"You...you're on vacation?"

"Yes, the department just started its annual holiday, so I rushed back."

Liu Guangqi nodded in agreement, parked the car, his gaze sweeping over his father's reddened ears, and then deliberately added:

"By the way, Dad, weren't you planning to send me New Year's gifts?"

"Why not take advantage of the opportunity? Why don't you come with me for a couple of days today? It'll be a good opportunity to experience life in the compound, and then we can all come back here together for New Year's Eve. It'll be lively then!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Ministry compound—what kind of place is that? Ordinary people can't even touch the threshold, yet his son invited him to stay for a while. This level of respect is enough for him to talk about for half his life in the compound.

But he suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into his head.

"Where are you going!"

"Your father is used to living in this courtyard; I feel uncomfortable anywhere else!"

He grumbled and cursed, but he knew perfectly well what was going on: if he really went to that compound full of leaders, he'd probably have to walk on tiptoe. He'd be afraid of offending his superiors here, and causing trouble for his son there... Staying there for three days would definitely make him anxious and stressed.

As night fell, the blue brick floor of the courtyard still retained the chill of the daytime. Liu Hai's inner turmoil flickered like a dying ember in a stove—it was better to stay in this comfortable courtyard than to be constrained and exhausted elsewhere. With the year-end approaching, there were countless things to take care of at home, and he couldn't go anywhere else.

Just as he was pondering this, his second son, Liu Guangqi, pushed his bicycle into the courtyard. Liu Haizhong feigned displeasure and grumbled a few words, but his hand had already reached for the heavy cloth bag on the back of the bicycle. With a lift, his arm slumped down—good heavens, this weight! His waist tightened involuntarily.

Untying the bag, the marbled pork belly, thick and white, was revealed, its oily sheen still dazzling in the twilight. Beside it, two bags of flour bulged, fine powder seeping out from the seams like snowflakes falling in early winter. "It really has to be from the ministry," Liu Haizhong muttered, clicking his tongue as he moved things into the house. "The little bit of New Year's supplies from the steel mill can't compare to this."