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

Chapter 55 Giving away meat
Seeing Sha Zhu stewing meat, the deaf old woman naturally assumed it was prepared for her.

Sha Zhu always makes stewed meat, and every time he serves it to his ancestor, she gets a bowl.
"Madam, this meat wasn't prepared for you."

Faced with the deaf old woman's preconceived notions, Sha Zhu felt somewhat embarrassed, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and explain.

Sha Zhu was off work today, so he went to the market early in the morning and bought a good piece of pork belly. After returning from outside in the morning, he tidied up and started stewing the pork belly ahead of time.

He had no idea that the deaf old lady was being discharged from the hospital today.

This was something he had promised Yushui a couple of days ago to deliver to Li Hongmei and Li Hongbing.

It was because of Li Hongbing's words that night that Shazhu felt indebted to his younger sister Yushui and wanted to make her some extra nourishment.

This meat was specially prepared for Yushui and Li Hongmei; even Shazhu himself didn't get any.

The deaf old woman demanded meat as soon as she returned, putting Sha Zhu in a difficult position.

however.

As soon as Sha Zhu said that, the deaf old woman's face changed, and she raised her cane to hit Sha Zhu.

"You silly Zhu, I've been in the hospital for so many days, and you haven't even come to see me. Now you're eating alone?"

"I treated you like my precious grandson, and this is how you show filial piety to your wife?"

"Alas, I'm getting old and useless."

“It’s one thing for Li Hongbing to bully me, but even my beloved grandson doesn’t want this old woman anymore.”

"It's not that I'm craving this little bit of meat, but what you did, Sha Zhu, has really broken my heart."

"..."

The deaf old woman felt like her world had collapsed.

It was bad enough that Li Hongbing, that brat, disobeyed him, but now even his grandson Shazhu, who was taken for granted, was starting to become unfilial.

When there's something delicious, they don't immediately offer it to their ancestor.

When the deaf old woman swung her stick, Sha Zhu didn't dodge. He took the hit squarely, but still grinned and said, "Don't be angry, madam. I prepared this meat especially for Yu Shui. If you want to eat it, I'll make it for you next time."

This scene.

If Li Hongbing saw this, he would definitely look down on him to his face.

How despicable!

Sha Zhu took in some of what Li Hongbing said that day, but not all of it.

In just over a year, Sha Zhu had developed a close relationship with the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai and his wife, and had long regarded them as elders.

Even if there are many faults, they cannot be shaken by Li Hongbing's few words.

Having lost his mother at a young age, and with He Daqing abandoning him and his siblings to run away with the White Widow, Sha Zhu felt somewhat lacking in love. The appearance of Yi Zhonghai and his wife, along with the deaf old woman, at a crucial moment filled this void in his heart.

If it weren't for the fact that he had once given her a meal, if anyone else had said those words, Sha Zhu would have already punched them.

Hearing Sha Zhu's statement, the deaf old woman, leaning on her cane, remained angry and silent.

Seeing this, Wang Guihua, who was standing to the side, spoke up "at the right time": "Shazhu, how big can a little kid like Yushui have an appetite?"
The old lady has just been discharged from the hospital and hasn't fully recovered yet. She needs plenty of nutrition. I see you cooked a lot of meat; why don't you share some with her?

Wang Guihua's words put Sha Zhu in an even more difficult position, and he began to waver.

There's a good amount of meat in there.

But it's not entirely for rainwater alone.

If some are given to the deaf elderly, there won't be enough left.

The issue is.

Sha Zhu knew that Wang Guihua and the deaf old woman didn't get along with Li Hongbing. If they found out that he had prepared the rest of the food to send to Li Hongmei and Li Hongbing, they would be even more unhappy. So he couldn't explain.

"Guihua, don't beg him!"

Seeing that even Wang Guihua had stepped forward, Sha Zhu was still the same, not making any proactive statement. The deaf old woman's face darkened, and she said irritably, "Sha Zhu has become successful now and doesn't even look at an old woman like me. I don't care about his little bit of flesh either. Let's not make a scene here."

Done.

The deaf old woman then took the initiative to lift her leg and walk towards the backyard.

"Silly Zhu, what you're doing..."

"Grandma, slow down."

"Madam, please don't be angry!"

"next time!"

"Next time I'll buy meat specifically for you and cook it for you."

"..."

Seeing this, Sha Zhu didn't chase after her. Instead, he called out a few times from behind, then muttered under his breath, "This old lady is throwing a tantrum."

at the same time.

The deaf old woman, who wasn't walking very fast, realized that even Sha Zhu hadn't chased after her, and her heart sank to the bottom.

Even though Sha Zhu promised to cook meat for her next time, the deaf old woman was still in a terrible mood. Little did she know...

Because of what Li Hongbing said that day, Sha Zhu secretly became determined to compete with him.

This time, he insisted on showing Li Hongbing that he had never treated his younger sister Yushui badly and had never mistreated her.

Moreover, He Yushui's reminder made Shazhu realize that he had never repaid the kindness of the meal he received back then, nor the care that Li Hongmei and her brother had shown him over the past year.

This made Sha Zhu, who prioritized loyalty above all else, feel utterly ashamed.

Regardless of what others say, in Sha Zhu's own heart, he is a loyal and righteous person who always repays kindness and avenges wrongs.

People may call him stupid, but Sha Zhu doesn't care.

He even took pride in it, and everyone was fooled by his facade.

But if he had a stain on his record in this area, he would be too ashamed to continue living in the courtyard house.

When Yushui came home from school in the afternoon, she saw the braised pork that Shazhu had made and the steamed white flour buns that he had specially prepared for her. Her eyes lit up and she looked at her brother with admiration.

"Brother, you really bought the meat?"

"That's right, your brother keeps his word. I'm a man of my word. How could I not do what I promised you?"

"Brother, you're absolutely amazing!"

"Alright, I reckon Sister Hongmei should be back from get off work by now. Take this bowl of braised pork to her."

"Brother, you go and deliver it!"

"Go by yourself!"

"I don't usually get to eat any of Hongmei's goodies, it's all because of you, you little glutton..."

"..."

Feeling excited and grateful for the rain, Sha Zhu's vanity was greatly satisfied.

This was the first time Sha Zhu had ever seen Yu Shui look at him with such admiration.

When it came to who would deliver the meat, Sha Zhu became arrogant and gave the opportunity to "show off" to Yu Shui.

soon.

Rainwater then carried the still-warm braised pork to the front yard.

"Sister Hongmei, here you go!"

"Rain, what are you doing?"

"This is braised pork that my brother specially made. I'm bringing you a bowl."

"Rain, take this meat back and keep it for yourself."

“Sister Hongmei, I still have some at home. These are specially for you and Brother Hongbing. You must accept them. Before, I…”

"Okay, wait a moment."

"..."

Knowing that Yu Shui had brought the meat to thank her, Li Hongmei was happy, but she still hesitated for a moment. Seeing Yu Shui's insistent expression, as if she wouldn't leave unless she accepted it, Li Hongmei softened and accepted it.

After taking the bowl of lean pork back, when Li Hongmei came out again, in addition to the empty bowl that Yu Shui had just brought over to serve the meat, she also had some pastries in her hands.

"Rain, thank you for the meat. Please take these pastries back with you."

Among the thank-you gifts that the Lou family had given to Li Hongbing were many pastries, and Li Hongmei specially took some out as a return gift for Yushui.

Reciprocity!
Li Hongmei is not someone who likes to take things from others for free.

Moreover, it's not easy for Sha Zhu to take care of Yu Shui all by himself, and Yu Shui is so sensible. Li Hongmei doesn't mind giving him some help if she can.

"Sister Hongmei, I can't accept this."

Yu Shui had come to deliver meat, but Li Hongmei had given her such nice pastries, which made her feel very embarrassed.

"It's alright! You can take it!"

Seeing that Yu Shui was too embarrassed to accept the rainwater, Li Hongmei smiled and said, "This was given to your brother Hongbing by Director Lou before. There's still a lot at home, but there are only two of us, so we can't finish it!"

Li Hongmei said she couldn't finish the food, but she was actually trying to comfort Yushui.

Although few preservatives are added, the main ingredients of most pastries are sugar and oil, which have a natural preservative effect.

Moreover, most pastries nowadays are made using traditional techniques, and except for a few special ones, they all have the advantage of being able to be stored for a long time.

The weather isn't too hot right now, so it can be stored for a bit longer.

In an era when sugar and oil were relatively scarce, no matter how many pastries the Lou family sent, it wouldn't be enough for Li Hongmei and Li Hongbing to eat.

"Thank you, Sister Hongmei. Then I won't be polite."

Without much thought, Yu Shui accepted the gift after being persuaded by Li Hongmei, and gratefully said, "Sister Hongmei, I'll bring you and Brother Hongbing some more next time my brother stews meat, but please don't give me anything next time."

Watching the raindrops happily drift away, Li Hongmei couldn't help but smile.

(End of this chapter)