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

Chapter 249 Even after being slapped in the face by Sha Zhu, he still has to thank us!

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

As usual, Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru returned home from get off work together.

Just as I entered the alley and approached the gate of the courtyard house, I saw a figure dart inside with a "whoosh".

At this time, it was already dark.

However, it happened to be the middle of the month, and the moon was bright and the stars were few at night, so the visibility wasn't too bad. In addition, Li Hongbing's eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, so he recognized the other party as Yan Jiefang.

"what happened?"

Chen Xueru, sitting on the back of the bicycle, didn't notice this situation. However, having been with Li Hongbing for so long, they were already very familiar with each other. Although it wasn't quite to the point of being telepathically connected, she keenly noticed that Li Hongbing seemed a little different just now.

"Nothing, I just saw Yan Jiefang acting suspiciously at the gate, I don't know what he was doing."

Li Hongbing smiled and said casually.

"Yan Jiefang?"

Hearing Li Hongbing mention the other person, Chen Xueru couldn't help but smile and teased, "He's just a kid, at most he's playful, what kind of trouble could he possibly be up to? You're overthinking it."

At this moment, in Chen Xueru's eyes, Yan Jiefang was just a child of about ten years old, which is why she said that.

"Maybe!"

Li Hongbing chuckled in response to Chen Xueru's teasing.

It's not that Li Hongbing has paranoia and can't just assume someone is strange whenever he sees them; it's just that his intuition is very accurate these days.

It's a kind of mysterious state.

If someone around him harbors ill intentions towards him or is secretly watching him, he will often feel a sense of warning.

Of course.

Li Hongbing did not sense any malice from Yan Jiefang.

There was no enmity between them, and besides, he was just a child; it wouldn't warrant such a thing.

Li Hongbing was certain that Yan Jiefang was there just now, and it was definitely not because he happened to be passing by or playing there.

Li Hongbing clearly had a feeling that the other party seemed to be paying attention to him intentionally.

This is why Li Hongbing is so concerned.

Back to the front yard.

Li Hongbing happened to run into Yan Bugui, who was tending to his flowers and plants late at night, and asked directly, "Uncle Yan, has your family been liberated yet?"

Hearing Li Hongbing suddenly ask about his son, Yan Bugui, who was just about to greet Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru who had just returned from outside, was startled and couldn't help but ask tentatively with concern, "Hongbing, has Jiefang gotten into some trouble?"

The reason he asked this question was that before Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru returned, he had just seen his own Yan Jiefang rush back from outside. He didn't even have time to answer his question before running quickly to the backyard.

Yan Bugui hadn't thought much of it at first, but Li Hongbing's sudden question made him realize he'd misunderstood. He now thought Yan Jiefang had bumped into Li Hongbing or Chen Xueru outside, and that Li Hongbing had come to confront him.

"This is not."

Seeing Yan Bugui's expression, Li Hongbing knew he might have misunderstood. He immediately smiled and said, "Just now when I came back, I saw someone at the gate who looked a bit like your Jiefang. He ran away in a flash, so I just asked him to see if I was mistaken."

"Oh, about this!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "He came back right after you. The person you saw just now was most likely him, but he went straight to play in the middle or back yard."

A false alarm.

If it were someone else, Yan Bugui would suspect that Yan Jiefang had caused trouble outside and was deliberately trying to trick him into revealing his son's secret.

but

Li Hongbing wouldn't resort to such scheming, nor would he need to or deign to do so.

If that's really the case, you can say it openly and honestly.

Yan Bugui is not like Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu; he wouldn't spoil his child like a scoundrel. If the child makes a mistake, Li Hongbing won't even need to say a word; Yan Bugui's belt and shoe soles will be used to punish him.

Not only should children be educated when they make mistakes, but Yan Bugui would not choose to offend Li Hongbing just to favor his own child.

As the two were talking, they saw Yan Jiefang, whom they had just been discussing, running back from the Intermediate People's Court with great joy and excitement.

Followed by.

Xu Damao followed behind him.

"Hongbing, you just got back from get off work?"

Upon seeing the bicycle in Li Hongbing's hand, Xu Damao quickly stepped forward, greeted him with a smile, and then said, "I just prepared the wine and dishes. I came over to see if you were back. What a coincidence! Come over to my place for a drink. We agreed on that yesterday."

Hearing Xu Damao's words, and seeing that the other party appeared at just the right moment, and looking at Yan Jiefang who was now all smiles, Li Hongbing didn't think it was a coincidence.

The original doubts were resolved at this moment.

Li Hongbing's earlier perception was correct; Yan Jiefang, who was at the gate earlier, was indeed intentionally watching and spying on him.

Or.

Xu Damao had spent a little money to hire Yan Jiefang to stand guard at the gate so that he could attend the apology banquet for Sha Zhu that night and be a witness. As soon as he returned, Yan Jiefang would immediately go and inform him.

Otherwise, Xu Damao wouldn't have any super hearing or super vision, and he just happened to come over to "invite" me right after Yan Jiefang returned.

"Da Mao, you go back first. I'll go home for a bit and then come over later."

When Xu Damao came to see him yesterday, Li Hongbing politely declined twice, but he didn't completely refuse. In the end, he didn't completely shut him off. Now that Xu Damao had come to invite him in person again, Li Hongbing couldn't refuse again, so he simply agreed.

Whether there was some ulterior motive or genuine sincerity, Li Hongbing didn't really care.

So far, Li Hongbing has not sensed any malice from Xu Damao.

Moreover, the two families currently have a harmonious relationship, and there were no past grievances or conflicts. Given his current status, Li Hongbing couldn't imagine what the other party was planning to do to him.

However, Li Hongbing could roughly guess that this matter might not have been Xu Damao's idea, but rather the idea of ​​that old fox, Xu Fugui.

in other words.

Now, Li Hongbing's status and influence, both inside and outside the courtyard, have surpassed those of Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, who are the courtyard's elders. That's why the father and son insisted on having him as their witness.

On the one hand, it reflects their respect, attention, and recognition of Li Hongbing.

on the other hand.

She wanted to take this opportunity to build a good relationship with him. There are actually many rules regarding witnesses; not just anyone can be invited to be a witness.

Although this way of thinking might seem a bit too immodest and overconfident, it is the most reasonable explanation Li Hongbing could come up with.

"Alright, I'll head back now and wait for you to come."

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Xu Damao realized he had achieved his goal. He beamed with joy, left with those words, and turned to leave.

As Xu Damao left, Yan Bugui's gaze fell on Li Hongbing's face, and he said with envy, "Hongbing, it has to be you!"
"In the entire courtyard, you're probably the only one Xu Damao treats this politely. He's never this courteous to me or Lao Du."

What Yan Bugui truly envied was not Xu Damao's attitude towards people, but rather the apology dinner the Xu family was having that evening.

Being a witness for Xu Damao and Shazhu is not only a sign of respect, but also a chance to get a free meal. Yan Bugui couldn't be happier with such a great opportunity.

Normally, this kind of thing would definitely fall on him and Du Jianguo, the senior staff in charge of the college, but this time Xu Damao went directly to Li Hongbing.

Actually, when Xu Damao came to invite Li Hongbing last night, Yan Bugui overheard some of the conversation and learned about the matter.

Li Hongbing declined twice and even took the initiative to push the task onto him and Du Jianguo.

Because of this, Yan Bugui originally had some hope, but unfortunately Xu Damao came over again today to invite him, giving him all the courtesy and face, and Li Hongbing agreed, which meant that he completely lost this "opportunity".

It's impossible for Yan Bugui not to feel sad and regretful, but he wouldn't hold a grudge against Li Hongbing because of this, or even deliberately make sarcastic or sarcastic remarks.

With his shrewdness, he had long seen that Li Hongbing wasn't enthusiastic about this matter; it was all Xu Damao who was pushing it.

Moreover, while a meal and drinks might be tempting for these people, it's nothing to a master chef like Li Hongbing.

"Uncle Yan, it's getting late, I'll head back now."

Hearing Yan Bugui's somewhat frustrated words, Li Hongbing glanced at him knowingly, but didn't respond. Instead, he said something and went straight home.

Originally, Li Hongbing wanted to let Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo be the witnesses, but Xu Damao was unwilling, so Li Hongbing couldn't do anything about it.

Li Hongbing knew very well that Yan Bugui had his eye on the dinner and drinks at the Xu family's house that evening. Although Li Hongbing had agreed to attend, he did not have the authority to bring anyone with him.

If it's Chen Xueru or your own child, then there's definitely no problem.

But it would be inappropriate for an outsider like Yan Bugui.

Even if someone is invited, they are still a guest after all. There is no rule about overstepping one's bounds or having a guest bring another guest.

Although Li Hongbing is young, he still understands these rules.

Even if he did that, Xu Fugui and Xu Damao probably wouldn't have any objections, but Li Hongbing had no reason to break the rules for Yan Bugui's sake.

of course.

Yan Bugui, who was not a fool either, could not possibly be unaware of these things. He probably didn't have these thoughts when he said those things just now; he was simply upset about not being able to gain any advantage.

Given the situation just now, Li Hongbing was even less able to say anything.

You can't exactly say that he didn't want to be a witness and that Xu Damao insisted on inviting him, or that he didn't care about a meal or two...

Even if it's the truth, once it's said, it's just pure showing off and provoking Yan Bugui.

Sometimes, the truth hurts more.

……

soon.

Li Hongbing, who had just returned home, didn't linger and went straight out to the Xu family's house in the backyard.

"Hongbing, are you planning to go to Xu Damao's house? We can go together."

As soon as Li Hongbing arrived at the Intermediate Court, Sha Zhu, who had been waiting there, came out and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "I heard from Xu Damao that he asked you to be a witness. I didn't believe it at first, but I didn't expect him to actually have some ability..."

"Silly Zhu, you're not right to say that."

Hearing Sha Zhu's words, Li Hongbing couldn't help but smile and said directly, "Today's apology banquet from the Xu family is specially set up for you. You are the main character. As for who the witness is, it doesn't matter."

Actually, thanks to you, I was just there to freeload a drink; I'm hardly a witness..."

"hey-hey!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu couldn't help but smile smugly.

He and Xu Damao had been rivals since childhood, and although he had caused Xu Damao a lot of trouble, beating him up was as easy as playing around.

But today's situation is unprecedented.

Xu Damao held a special banquet to apologize to him, and it was all done in front of everyone in the hospital. Sha Zhu felt incredibly proud and happy, as if he had finally gotten his revenge.

Li Hongbing's words made Sha Zhu, who was already feeling relieved, suddenly get a little cocky and blurted out, "That bastard Xu Damao was already my defeated opponent. Today, he's just being sensible..."

What were originally just polite words turned into something much more serious when Li Hongbing saw that Sha Zhu took them seriously and quickly became arrogant. He frowned and said, "Sha Zhu, if you continue with this attitude and your reckless remarks, I think you'd better not go to this apology banquet!"

Whether the Xu family's apology drink today was sincere or just for show, their attitude has been made clear, leaving no room for criticism.

Unfortunately, Sha Zhu's mouth, which had just caused trouble a couple of days ago and publicly promised to change, seems to have lost its effectiveness when it comes to Xu Damao, or perhaps he just doesn't remember things and still looks like he deserves a beating.

If he drinks some more, and given Sha Zhu's pride and boastful nature, he might cause some trouble again tonight.

What should have been a proper apology drink has now turned into another incident.

If that's the case, Li Hongbing has absolutely no desire to get involved.

"Ugh, look at my foul mouth!"

Reminded by Li Hongbing, Sha Zhu suddenly realized something and slapped himself. He immediately apologized to Li Hongbing, saying, "Hongbing, I was wrong just now. Thank you for reminding me, otherwise I might have really gotten into trouble again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sha Zhu looked at Li Hongbing with eyes full of heartfelt gratitude.

Obvious.

Sha Zhu also realized his problem.

Two days ago, in front of everyone in the compound, Sha Zhu publicly promised and guaranteed that he would change his bad habit of speaking without thinking and offending people. He wasn't just saying it; he genuinely wanted to change.

But when the target changed to his arch-enemy Xu Damao, he lost control.

After all, he had been at odds with Xu Damao for a long time, and it had almost become an instinct.

Normally it would be fine, but Sha Zhu wasn't afraid of offending Xu Damao. He even made a promise a couple of days ago that he could exclude Xu Damao from the conversation.

But not today!
(End of this chapter)