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

Chapter 52 The Gas Cracked

"Brother Hongbing, look at how humble Sun Hai was just now, it was so satisfying..."

"Alright, stop showing off!"

Looking at Wu Jun, who couldn't hide anything at all and whose face was completely beaming with pride, Li Hongbing couldn't help but shake his head.

"okay!"

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's reminder, Wu Jun immediately became more restrained.

Li Hongbing has Guo Youzhong protecting him, but he doesn't.

Wu Jun was only showing off to Li Hongbing; he wouldn't be foolish enough to go to Sun Hai and stir up trouble.

Although he has some youthful impetuosity, he is not a child who knows nothing, and Wu Jun still knows how to behave in this regard.

Faced with Sun Hai's initiative to back down, Li Hongbing did not feel much excitement or pride.

Li Hongbing knew that Sun Hai's change in attitude towards him was largely due to Guo Youzhong.

From the moment Guo Youzhong became his master, their relationship became one of shared prosperity and shared loss.

With Guo Youzhong as his mentor, Li Hongbing could avoid some unnecessary troubles and even be sheltered from the storm.

But all of this is only temporary.

Li Hongbing needs to grow and become stronger as soon as possible so that he can withstand the "storms" from the outside world in the future.

At that point, it will be the other way around.

The leisurely afternoons are always fleeting.

As dinner time approached, the kitchen became busy again.

Although he was a little tired by the end of the day, Li Hongbing had gradually adapted to the rhythm.

Li Hongbing's physical fitness and strength are improving day by day. Although the changes are not significant each day, Li Hongbing can feel them.

If this continues, Li Hongbing will only find things easier and easier.

On his way home that evening, Li Hongbing checked the system panel and found that the cooking experience points he had accumulated that day were much higher than usual.

Li Hongbing wasn't very surprised by this.

Although I learned a lot from others and did some research in the kitchen, I mostly figured things out on my own.

Now, with the guidance of Guo Youzhong, a renowned teacher, sometimes a casual question or hint can suddenly enlighten him, leading to significant gains.

The key is.

With Guo Youzhong leading the way, Li Hongbing was able to distinguish what was right from wrong and avoid taking detours.

This is the benefit of becoming an apprentice.

The moment he got home, Li Hongbing told Li Hongmei about his apprenticeship.

"Hongbing, are you telling the truth?"

"real!"

"Sister, do you think I'm lying? Do you think I would joke about something as important as becoming an apprentice?"

"But you've only been at Fengzeyuan for less than three months, Master Guo..."

"Your younger brother has this talent! Otherwise, why would my master choose me instead of someone else as his apprentice?"

"That's right, you've always been smart and learn everything quickly."

"..."

This news was naturally a pleasant surprise for Li Hongmei.

Originally, Li Hongmei didn't want Li Hongbing to stay in the kitchen of Fengzeyuan because he was afraid of suffering hardship and not learning any real skills in the end.

Those master chefs in Fengzeyuan's kitchen are all renowned, and their requirements for taking on apprentices are extremely high. Their family has no connections or influence, so they can't offer Li Hongbing any help in this regard.

But the news that Li Hongbing brought back today put Li Hongmei's last concerns at ease.

With a renowned chef like Guo Youzhong as his mentor, even if Li Hongbing doesn't reach his level in the future, his future development and prospects won't be too bad.

Silent all night.

When Li Hongmei woke up the next day, she couldn't stop smiling.

"Hongmei, what good thing happened to you? You're so happy so early in the morning?"

Li Hongmei's reaction early in the morning naturally attracted the attention and gossip of her neighbors in the front yard. "Aunt Xu, yesterday, Master Guo Youzhong from Fengzeyuan officially accepted my younger brother as his apprentice in the kitchen."

Li Hongmei didn't keep anyone in suspense and shared the good news directly.

This isn't some kind of secret; on the contrary, it's something to be proud of, so there's no need to hide it.

The crucial point is that some time ago, Li Hongbing gave up his studies and future college entrance exams and went to Fengzeyuan to become an apprentice, which made many people in the courtyard secretly laugh at him.

Li Hongmei is now intentionally bringing this matter to light.

"Oh, Hongmei, are you serious?"

"Absolutely true!"

"Aunt Xu, how can you joke about something like this?"

"Amazing!"

"You Red Army soldiers are really amazing. You're good at everything you do. You've only been in Fengzeyuan for a short time."

“Hongmei, you’re going to enjoy a life of luxury from now on, benefiting from your brother’s success.”

"Of course, I'm his sister!"

"..."

For Li Hongmei, the more successful her younger brother Li Hongbing was, the more proud she felt.

As news of Li Hongbing's apprenticeship spread, everyone in the front yard enthusiastically congratulated Li Hongmei, making her feel a little vain.

While both are places to eat, Fengzeyuan is far superior to ordinary restaurants and eateries, a fact that everyone is well aware of.

But Li Hongbing was just an ordinary low-level apprentice before, and no one in the courtyard thought much of it. But now he has been noticed by the master master and taken in as an apprentice, and his future is completely different.

This future is so bright!

Apart from Li Hongbing, no one in the courtyard had ever been to a high-end place like Fengzeyuan, but everyone had heard of the chef Guo Youzhong quite a bit.

After meals, people love to talk about gossip and anecdotes about celebrities.

Among the famous chefs in Beijing, Guo Youzhong is definitely one of the best. The fact that Luan Xuetang poached him from Dongxinglou is still frequently mentioned.

The fact that Li Hongbing has been chosen by the other party now feels unreal to everyone.

The key point is that everyone only found out yesterday that Li Hongbing saved Lou Bancheng's daughter and received a lot of thank-you gifts.

This afternoon, Tao Cuilan learned from the Lou family that, in order to repay Li Hongbing for saving her life, the Lou family had given her five million yuan in cash in addition to the gifts.

Five million!

How many families in the hospital can afford to spend that much money right now?
The Li family has had one good thing after another, and good fortune keeps coming their way. It's impossible not to be envious and jealous.

It didn't take a while.

The news quickly spread from the front yard to the middle and back yards.

When Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu heard about this, they were having a meal together.

The deaf old lady was still in the hospital, and Wang Guihua was taking care of her. Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu, two grown men, were not very good at cooking, so they could only eat their poorly made steamed buns with pickled vegetables.

Upon hearing this "good news" about Li Hongbing, the already unpalatable steamed buns and pickled vegetables became even harder to swallow.

"Master, what kind of luck did Li Hongbing suddenly have that made him so lucky?"

Feeling extremely resentful, Jia Dongxu's eyes were almost red with jealousy.

First the Lou family, then a famous chef like Guo Youzhong—Jia Dongxu really couldn't understand how Li Hongbing could always stumble upon such good fortune.

"Dongxu, sit down!"

"Do you remember when I told you that haste makes waste?"

"Let's not compare ourselves to Li Hongbing for now."

"The flowing water doesn't compete to be first, it competes for..."

"Master, I want to try it first too!"

"What makes Li Hongbing so special?"

"I don't agree!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)