Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 22 Family's Support

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the rule of law was not very well developed, and many articles were not clear enough. The main references were to relevant policies from above or local temporary management regulations, and the handling of some incidents was also more "humane".

If the offense involves reactionary acts, gang fights, or other disruptions to social order, or results in serious injury or death, the offender may be severely punished, even to the point of being forced to eat peanuts.

The incident of Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu being hit by a club was more of a personal grudge, and the injuries were not serious, just some superficial wounds.

For minor injuries, the main approach is criticism and education.

Even if Zhao Weiguo really did it, to some extent, he could be considered to have a "just cause".

From a rational and emotional standpoint, they already have the advantage.

Even if Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu report the case, the police station might get involved, but they wouldn't go to great lengths or waste too much time and energy on such a trivial matter.

Li Hongbing knew that as long as Li Hongmei cared about Zhao Weiguo, she couldn't possibly be without any worries, so he changed the subject and asked, "Sister, when are you and Brother Weiguo planning to get married?"

"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Li Hongmei, who was still worried, was stunned when she heard this.

"Sis, you and Weiguo have been dating for almost a year now, right? It's about time you got married."

Li Hongbing bringing this up now isn't exactly a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Li Hongbing secretly went to Fengzeyuan as an apprentice so that he wouldn't become a burden to Li Hongmei and could help her get her marriage certificate with Zhao Weiguo sooner, instead of dragging it out like this.

As for Zhao Weiguo, he had long since gained the approval of Li Hongmei and her brother.

Even now, Li Hongbing thinks Zhao Weiguo is a good choice.

"It's still early, let's not talk about these things now."

Li Hongmei clearly had reservations and deliberately avoided the question.

"Sis, it's getting late."

Seeing this, Li Hongbing shook his head and advised, "You like Brother Weiguo, and Brother Weiguo is also wholeheartedly good to you. You've been dating for a year. If you don't get your marriage certificate soon, Brother Weiguo will start to get anxious."

In this day and age, as long as two people are attracted to each other, getting married is actually a very quick thing.

Some people only meet once or twice on blind dates to get to know each other, and then get married directly.

Such cases are not uncommon.

There are couples like Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo who fall in love freely, but few of them go through a long-term relationship.

One or two years might be fine, but if it drags on for three or five years, it's probably doomed to fail.

It wasn't that Li Hongbing was in a hurry to marry Li Hongmei off; he just didn't want to delay her happiness because of himself.

“Hongbing, actually I’ve already talked to Weiguo about this, and he said he’s not in a hurry.”

Gritting her teeth, Li Hongmei still spoke.

"I find this very strange. Doesn't Brother Weiguo want to marry you as soon as possible, or does he have other ideas?"

Faced with Li Hongmei's answer, Li Hongbing couldn't help but feel puzzled and doubtful.

"No, no, he didn't."

"What's going on?"

"Actually... I didn't want to get the marriage certificate so early, but Weiguo said he was willing to wait for me."

"If Brother Weiguo is willing, is his family willing too?"

"..." At this point in the conversation, Li Hongmei, who had been anxiously clarifying things, fell silent.

Li Hongbing knew perfectly well why Li Hongmei didn't want to get married so soon, even if she didn't say it.

Actually, there are things that Li Hongbing doesn't know about.

As early as the beginning of the year, Zhao Weiguo's family had brought up this matter, but Li Hongmei was really worried about Li Hongbing, fearing that he would be bullied alone in the courtyard while she was not by his side.

But Li Hongmei also knew in her heart that if she kept Zhao Weiguo waiting, she would be delaying him.

to this end.

Li Hongmei reluctantly broke up with Zhao Weiguo, but Zhao Weiguo firmly disagreed and repeatedly stated that he was willing to wait and discuss getting a marriage certificate later. In the end, she had no choice but to agree.

Although Li Hongmei knew it was selfish and unfair to Zhao Weiguo, Li Hongbing was her only family member in the world.

To avoid worrying Li Hongbing, Li Hongmei didn't tell him about these things.

Unexpectedly, rumors quickly spread, leading to what happened next.

Today, Li Hongbing brought up the topic again. Li Hongmei hesitated for a moment, but thinking about the changes in Li Hongbing in the past two days, which showed that he had obviously grown a lot, she finally told him everything.

"Sis, how long are you going to keep Weiguo waiting?"

This was the first time Li Hongbing had heard of such a complicated situation, and he couldn't help but say, "Sister, I'm not young anymore, and I've started working. I can take care of myself, and no one in the compound can bully me. You can rest assured about that."

But if you ruin your own happiness because of me, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life.

You can't keep waiting until I get married and have kids, then I'll have to take care of the children, and I'll be an old maid by then..."

"Screw you!"

Upon hearing the rest, Li Hongmei couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Li Hongbing's words were so insulting! What do you mean by "old maid"?

Moreover.

She never intended to remain unmarried for life; she just wanted to wait a couple of years until Li Hongbing was a little older, so she could feel more at ease if he got married then.

“Sister, it’s not like you’re never coming back after you get married. As long as you’re still surnamed Li, you’ll always be a member of the Li family. Even if you get the marriage certificate, you can still protect me.” Li Hongbing smiled and looked at Li Hongmei. “If you’re really worried, after you and Weiguo get the marriage certificate, you can let Weiguo move into our house. Anyway, we have enough room.”

"That can't happen!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hongmei immediately objected and said seriously, "This house is left by our father for you to get married in the future. What would it be like if Weiguo and I moved in? People in the courtyard would gossip."

Moreover, Wei State is not a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family. If word gets out, it will easily cause gossip and damage Wei State's reputation.

Wei Guo's house is a bit cramped, but Wei Guo and I have already discussed it. After we get our marriage certificate, we'll apply to the factory for a separate apartment and move out to live separately..."

As Li Hongmei was speaking, she suddenly noticed Li Hongbing's somewhat amused gaze, and her pretty face involuntarily turned red.

"Sis, you and Weiguo have planned all this out, and you still say you don't want to get married?"

Seeing happiness on Li Hongmei's face, Li Hongbing couldn't help but joke.

"I……"

Exposed by Li Hongbing, Li Hongmei was speechless and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing Li Hongmei so flustered was a rare sight for Li Hongbing, and a smile appeared on his face. He said solemnly, "Sister, find some time to talk to Brother Weiguo and ask his parents to send a matchmaker to visit us. We'll discuss your marriage."

(End of this chapter)