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

Sha Zhu filled the glasses in front of the two of them, then tilted his head back and took a big gulp, wincing from the spiciness. He then launched into a long-winded explanation:

"Sigh, I really envy you married men."

His words revealed an undeniable frustration.

"You know what? That kid Yan Jiecheng from the front yard got his marriage certificate the other day! Look at him, now I'm the only one left in this yard who's still a proper bachelor!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his tone tinged with a sense of desolation:

"As soon as night falls!"

"It was pitch black everywhere, and there wasn't a single person to talk to."

"Even that bastard Xu Damao has gone to the countryside to show movies, and I can't even find someone to argue with."

"I'm going to get sick from being cooped up like this!"

Liu Guangqi held his wine glass but didn't drink, only listening quietly with a faint smile on his lips. He knew Sha Zhu's state all too well—the night was long, everyone was shut up and going about their own business, but he was all alone, staring blankly at the empty wall. How could he not feel bored? No wonder this guy was talking about finding a decent girl during the day, but in the dead of night, he was thinking about his Sister Qin. He was really thirsting for something, so he didn't care about first or second dates, as long as he could get some meat.

Sha Zhu wiped his mouth, then picked up another chopstick, smashed a cucumber, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound. His eyes were full of unbearable frustration.

"Guangqi, you be the judge for me."

"What's wrong with my qualifications? I'm the head chef in the steel mill's canteen, earning only a few dozen yuan a month. In terms of skill, how many people in Beijing can surpass me?"

"Why can't I find a decent girl who'd settle down with me?"

Liu Guangqi just smiled.

How was he supposed to respond to that? Sha Zhu was certainly not bad off, but with his sharp tongue, his temper that could offend anyone, and the Qin Huairu family who needed constant financial support, what decent girl would dare to jump into that fire pit?

Naturally, Liu Guangqi wouldn't say these things aloud. Waking someone who's pretending to be asleep is not only a waste of effort but also likely to cause trouble. Someone like Sha Zhu won't turn back until he's bruised and battered.

Liu Guangqi simply smiled and offered a few words of comfort before changing the subject. Occasionally, she would raise a glass to him and listen to the gossip accumulated over the years in the courtyard, which served as a form of entertainment.

Sha Zhu rambled on and on, feeling increasingly stifled as he spoke.

His gaze swept around the courtyard, finally settling on Liu Guangqi. He looked him up and down for a while, his eyes practically overflowing with envy.

"Mitsuki..."

Sha Zhu twirled the wine glass in his hand and let out a long breath.

"If I had half your abilities—no, even just half your looks—I wouldn't be such a pathetic matchmaker, getting dumped by everyone!"

After a few glasses of baijiu, Sha Zhu couldn't stop talking anymore.

His face was scrunched up, as if he had been suppressing years of bitterness, and he gripped his wine glass tightly as he poured out his grievances to Liu Guangqi:

"Guangqi, do you think I, He Yuzhu, am destined to never find a wife? Otherwise, how do you explain it—I'm good at my job, an eighth-grade cook; and my cooking skills are also commendable, a legitimate successor of the Tan family cuisine. How many of those are there in Beijing?"

"But I just can't find one who's willing to be with me!"

As he said this, a dryness rose in his throat, so he tilted his head back and took another gulp, glancing to the side, his voice low:

"Guangqi... if I really can't find someone I like, should I... just settle for someone else?"

"For example, Sister Qin..."

This was said furtively, and they had barely begun to speak—

"Squeak—"

Suddenly, the wooden door of the Jia family's house next door was pushed open.

A series of light footsteps approached from afar.

Sha Zhu shuddered, swallowing the rest of his sentence.

Qin Huairu came out of the house carrying two plates.

Her floral shirt was a little faded from washing, and she still had an apron tied around her waist, as if she had just turned around from the stove.

One hand holds golden-fried peanuts, sprinkled with fine salt; the other hand holds a plate of cold dishes, glistening with sesame oil and coated with shredded vegetables.

Just looking at it makes you feel intoxicated.

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up immediately.

His previous gloomy and dejected look vanished instantly; he quickly stood up, a smile plastered on his face.

"Sister Qin? What's the occasion? You even brought me some snacks to go with my drinks?"

No wonder he was so surprised that he lost his composure.

Ever since Jia Dongxu had his accident at the factory last year, he has been sending lunchboxes to the Jia family without stopping, providing them with assistance for a whole year.

This was the first time Qin Huairu had ever served him food and brought him to the table.

Sha Zhu was overjoyed, thinking to himself: Sister Qin still cares about me after all!

But to his surprise, Qin Huairu's gaze didn't fall on him at all.

She walked straight past Sha Zhu and stopped in front of Liu Guangqi, gently placing the two plates on the stone table in front of him.

"Brother Guangqi," her voice was much softer than usual, and her face was filled with an unusually gentle smile, "It's rare for you to come back to the hospital, so I just fried some peanuts and made a side dish for you to have with your wine, to cleanse your palate."

As she spoke, her eyes glanced almost imperceptibly at the bottle of Erguotou on the table, as if she already knew Liu Guangqi was drinking there.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Sha Zhu's smile froze, and he stood there like a wooden stake, his mouth half-open, looking completely bewildered.

Well, it seems he's been deluding himself again.

Liu Guangqi was also taken aback.

His gaze fell on the two dishes in front of him—the peanuts were plump and the sesame oil on the cold dishes glistened enticingly under the light.

Given Qin Huairu's usual frugality, the fact that she was willing to use so much sesame oil shows she really went all out.

A sense of doubt arose in Liu Guangqi's mind.

To be honest, even though Qin Huairu has been married into this family for more than ten years, he and this pretty widow have almost never had any contact.

He was a sensible man, with his own set of standards for judging people. He never had any affection for Qin Huairu, let alone the "charm" that others talked about.

When I run into him on my way home from get off work on weekdays, I just nod and say hello, and we never exchange a single word.

Qin Huairu was also a clever person, and naturally noticed this aloofness, and had always kept her distance from him.

But tonight, she suddenly brought over the dishes.

What kind of show is this?

On the stone table in the courtyard, the dish of peanuts was still steaming hot, clearly prepared at the perfect time.

Liu Guangqi saw it all and understood perfectly—Qin Huairu's real purpose in coming here was probably not these two dishes.

The wine glass spun halfway between Liu Guangqi's fingers, his gaze sweeping over Qin Huairu's hands holding the glass—her knuckles were slightly white, as if clutching some unseen hope. The kerosene lamp on the stone table flickered twice, casting her long, thin shadow, trembling against the blue brick wall.

"Sister-in-law Jia, you're being too harsh." His voice was calm, like still well water on an autumn night. "It's not a matter of who thanks whom in matters concerning the courtyard."

Qin Huairu's glass of wine hung suspended in mid-air. A smile still lingered on her lips, but the light in her eyes dimmed, like a candle flame flickering in the wind. A few specks of oil clung to the edge of her apron, shimmering faintly in the dim light.

Sha Zhu, standing to the side, scratched the back of his head, his dark red face glistening with oil under the light. He smacked his lips, as if sensing the subtle tension in the air, and tried to smooth things over in a rough voice: "Sister Qin, you really are something. Brother Guangqi is a straightforward man, he doesn't care for these formalities!" As he spoke, he reached for the plate of peanuts, but as soon as his fingers touched the edge of the plate, he withdrew them and awkwardly wiped them on his trouser leg.

A night breeze rustled through the old locust tree in the courtyard. Qin Huairu slowly set down her wine cup, the porcelain bottom tapping softly against the stone table. She didn't look at Liu Guangqi again, but instead turned to Sha Zhu. The forced smile in her eyes faded, but her voice softened further: "Brother Zhu understands me… What decent token of appreciation can we, a widow and orphan, offer besides remembering their kindness?"

The hint of sorrow in his voice, like the frost of early winter, thinly covered his words. Sha Zhu's Adam's apple bobbed, and that flushed heat mixed with alcohol rose again. He straightened his back, his voice involuntarily rising a few decibels: "What are you saying! Sister Qin, don't worry, if there's anything we need to do in the backyard, just let us know!"

Liu Guangqi lowered his eyes, watching the swirling liquid in his glass. The transparent liquid reflected fragmented lamplight, which scattered into tiny golden glimmers with each swirl. He didn't respond to Sha Zhu's words, but simply placed the glass back on the table. The sound wasn't loud, but it made the air around the table momentarily still.

Qin Huairu gently wiped her hands on her apron. She did this very lightly, as if smoothing out some unseen wrinkles. When she looked up again, her expression had changed—not the previous fervor, but rather as if she had shed something, revealing a layer of habitual, slightly weary, submissiveness beneath.

"It's getting late." She stood up, the stool legs dragging on the blue brick floor with a short, sharp scraping sound. "You two brothers, enjoy your drink. There's still water sitting on the stove at my house."

Without waiting for a response, she picked up the plate of almost untouched peanuts, turned, and walked towards her house. The ties of her apron hung loosely behind her waist, swaying in the dim light with each step.

Sha Zhu opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a muffled murmur. He grabbed the bottle and refilled it, tilting his head back to take a big gulp, wincing from the spiciness.

Liu Guangqi's gaze followed the figure disappearing behind the curtain, paused for a moment, then returned. The night pressed down heavily, and one by one the lights in the courtyard went out, leaving only the dim yellow glow of their table. In the distance came the cry of a child, a few short cries quickly drowned out by the adults' whispers.

He picked up his glass again and this time slowly drank the rest of the wine.

(Text cleaning complete. Begin core analysis.)

**Key Plot Point:** Sha Zhu is having dinner with Qin Huairu and Liu Guangqi. Sha Zhu mentions Jia Dongxu's death and expresses sympathy for Qin Huairu's struggle to support her family alone. Qin Huairu takes the opportunity to complain (about the difficulty of finding work, financial constraints, and the need to support her child and mother-in-law), intending to gain sympathy, especially for Liu Guangqi. Sha Zhu is deeply moved and offers to lend him money. Liu Guangqi observes coldly, inwardly disapproving of Qin Huairu's scheming and Sha Zhu's "generosity."

**Character Relationships:** Sha Zhu (He Yuzhu) harbors sympathy and affection for Qin Huairu and is easily swayed by her emotions. Qin Huairu, a widow, attempts to exploit the sympathy of others (especially Sha Zhu, and tests Liu Guangqi) to gain practical help. Liu Guangqi, as a time traveler/observer, is aware of Qin Huairu's intentions and maintains a distant and scrutinizing attitude.

**Proprietary Names:** Sha Zhu (He Yuzhu), Qin Huairu (Sister Qin), Liu Guangqi (Guangqi), Jia Dongxu (Brother Dongxu), Banggeng, Yidaye, Steel Rolling Mill.

**(Based on the above elements, a creative rewrite will be conducted)**

Some hurdles, once overcome, gradually settle down. When someone is gone, even the deepest entanglements mostly dissipate with their last breath. To say that there are any life-or-death schemes in this courtyard, like the ruthless killings in plays, would be to underestimate the bonds of neighborly relations and the people in charge.

At this moment, the atmosphere around the table became somewhat tense. Sha Zhu took a sip of wine, his Adam's apple bobbing, and turned his gaze to the woman beside him who had remained silent. His tone was heavy with emotion: "Dongxu has been gone for over a year, Sister Qin, you... it really hasn't been easy." These words were like a key, gently turning open a certain gate.

Qin Huairu had been waiting for this very sentence. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and her voice immediately took on a thin layer of bitterness: "Zhuzi, you understand. These days, enduring them one by one, are hard to the bone." As she spoke, her gaze seemed to casually sweep over Liu Guangqi, who sat steadily opposite her. Her shoulders trembled slightly with her words, and her eyes reddened, tears welling up and hanging on her lashes, poised to fall, perfectly timed.