When he returned to the backyard, the little guy was already asleep in his arms.

"Hey, didn't your great-aunt say you just woke up a little while ago?" Li Chu muttered softly as he looked at the sleeping child.

"Xiao Chu, is the child asleep again?" Li Qin came out from the corridor connecting the front and back yards.

"Yes, I held her and played with her in the garden for a while, and then she fell asleep."

"Hey, this little guy, he's only been awake for less than an hour. Oh right, I've been so busy talking about this that I've forgotten about Master Cao. He's at the gate, looking for you, but he won't come in even though I've told him to."

"What's that old man up to now?"

"What does he want from you?"

"It's all because of those few pieces of porcelain."

"Why don't you just sell it to him? I've seen him come to you several times already."

“How could I sell him? I’m keeping him as a family heirloom for my grandson.” Li Chu shook his head vigorously.

Li Qin couldn't help but laugh when she saw her younger brother's appearance, and reached out to take the child.

"Alright, go take a look. Master Cao is such an old man."

"It's precisely because I'm getting old that I see him every time. If it were anyone else who was pestering me like this, do you think I would still pay attention to them?"

As he spoke, Li Chu walked towards the front yard.

Li Qin looked at her younger brother's retreating figure and shook her head with a smile. She didn't know when her brother had become like a mythical creature, only taking in and never giving out.

And his hobbies have become quite strange over the years, mostly involving houses and antiques; I don't know how he ended up like this.

At the gate, Master Cao, unconcerned about the dirt, leaned against a hitching post and smoked a cigarette—the kind he rolled himself from tobacco leaves.

"Old Cao"

"Young man, Dr. Li, I'm sorry to bother you again."

"Please don't stand on ceremony, have a seat inside."

"I won't go in. You have children at home, and I have a strong smoking habit. I don't want the children to get choked."

"Then why did you come to see me, Elder Cao..." Seeing that he was unwilling to come inside, Li Chu stopped being modest and asked directly.

"It's like this, Dr. Li. Next weekend, some friends in the circle are planning to get together with other porcelain enthusiasts to chat, look at treasures, and exchange items. I was wondering if you'd be interested, as several old friends are quite interested in some of the things you have and would like to take a look."

To be fair, Master Cao has done a pretty good job in this regard. Although he has come to Li Chu several times because of a few pieces of porcelain, especially that Yuan blue and white porcelain, which has attracted a lot of inquiries and has earned him a considerable referral fee, he has never told anyone outsiders who it actually belongs to.

For this reason alone, Li Chu was not averse to dealing with Master Cao.

But asking him to bring his own things to parties with others is out of the question. He doesn't want to be bothered to death by people later.

"Old Cao, you've come to the wrong person. Although I have a few similar items, I acquired them by chance. I'm not really a hobbyist, so I won't go and join in the fun."

This is what frustrates Master Cao the most. He has been fortunate enough to have seen a few of Li Chu's dozens of collections.

Goodness, every single one of these is top-notch.

They were either from the Qing Dynasty's three reigns or from the most prosperous period of the Ming Dynasty, making his mouth water.

Although he handled countless national treasures during his previous job, those were public property, while this is private property.

There are many people in Beijing who tinker with these things, but he has never seen so many in anyone's possession. Most of the ones that people collect are miscellaneous or not in very good condition.

Master Cao smacked his lips helplessly: "Alright then."

He had already expected to be rejected when he came, but he still came to ask just in case, and the result was as he expected.

"Dr. Li, then I won't bother you any longer."

"Mr. Cao, I'm so sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing; I was too presumptuous," Master Cao said with a smile, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture before turning and leaving.

It's much better to refuse directly than to be ambiguous, especially since he really had no intention of selling those things.

After this, it's estimated that Master Cao won't come looking for him again. He's been refused so many times; if he comes again, it would be quite inconsiderate of him.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard laughter coming from the west wing.

Li Qiaoyun has been in good condition lately. If she can maintain this, the only hurdle she has to overcome is the day she gives birth.

...

"Li Chu, Director Wan has been transferred."

That night, Ding Qiunan, lying in bed, remembered what had happened that afternoon and sat up abruptly.

"Hmm? When did this happen?" Li Chu asked, putting down the book in his hand.

"This afternoon, didn't you know?"

"I really didn't know about this. I hadn't heard anything about it before."

"Don't even mention you, I think Lao Du and Lao Gao are also confused. Their expressions don't seem to be faking it."

"This is so sudden!"

Although he knew that Wan Changsheng's transfer was inevitable, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

He had spoken with Dean Du and Political Commissar Gao at the time, and they all agreed that he should at least be allowed to work for a full year.

Who knew that he would be transferred away after only seven months?

But that's fine too, this person is just too unsociable.

Deputy Political Commissar Wang, who was transferred at the same time as him, had long been integrated into the General Hospital's system, while he had always been a loner.

In addition, given his overstepping of authority last year, people are generally wary of talking to him.

"Hmph, he got off easy," Ding Qiunan said indignantly.

Li Chu smiled, reached out and touched his wife's hair, then pulled her arm and made her lie down.

Ever since Ding Qiunan learned that the investigation into her husband was the result of Wan Changsheng bypassing his superiors and reporting it, she has been furious.

I wouldn't even dare to bully my man, and you dare to do this!

Having worked in the hospital for twenty years, her network of connections extends to every corner of the facility, making it incredibly easy for her to sabotage things over trivial matters. Not to mention, the logistics department is essentially run by a group of older, more experienced women.

These past few months, Wan Changsheng's assistant has been made to make things difficult even for trivial matters like getting a pen or stationery.

He complained to his boss a lot, but it was no use at all.

You can't possibly take this little thing to Dean Du, can you? That would just make you look even less capable.

Especially after he learned that Ding Qiunan was Li Chu's lover, he was filled with regret and beat his chest in despair.

He had wanted to apologize to Li Chu several times, but he couldn't bring himself to do it each time.

So even though he had been working at the main hospital for seven months, the only time the two of them had interacted was on his very first day there.

That's great, there'll be even less need for communication from now on.