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

Chapter 65 Financial Transition
As Li Hongbing tilted his head back and drank the glass of wine, Li Hongmei, whose face was full of worry and concern, couldn't help but have tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing Li Hongbing like this, she suddenly felt a little reluctant to get married.

When Zhao's parents saw this, they were stunned for a moment before quickly realizing what was happening and repeatedly made promises and said kind words.

The lavish meal Li Hongbing prepared today is enough to demonstrate how much he values ​​his older sister, Li Hongmei.

Moreover, as an apprentice of Guo Youzhong, a renowned chef of Shandong cuisine, Li Hongbing has a limitless future.

Why would they be so bored and waste their good life to make things difficult for themselves?

Li Hongbing's move can be considered a case of first being courteous and then resorting to force.

However, he didn't come here to cause trouble.

As the only member of Li Hongmei's family, Li Hongbing had to stand up for her and prevent her from being looked down upon by her husband's family after marriage.

Next comes the joyful time of eating rice.

Li Hongbing prepared such a large table of delicious dishes; they couldn't let him down.

At first, Zhao's parents were a little reserved as guests, but under Li Hongbing's warm hospitality, they couldn't resist the delicious food and started eating frequently.

Fortunately, they remembered their identities and paid a little attention to their image, otherwise they would have lost their composure in front of Li Hongbing, their future in-law, and become a laughing stock.

Even so.

They weren't so full they could barely walk, but they were definitely stuffed.

After chatting for a while after the meal, they didn't stay long and soon said goodbye and left.

“Weiguo, didn’t you say that Hongmei’s younger brother only became Guo Youzhong’s apprentice a few days ago, and that he has been working at Fengzeyuan for less than three months? How come his skills are so good?”

As Li Hongbing saw them off, after they had walked a short distance, Zhao's mother couldn't help but speak up.

Her question resonated with many people.

Zhao's father and the matchmaker they had specially invited also looked over at Zhao Weiguo.

"I don't know either, it must be talent!"

Zhao Weiguo shook his head and explained with a smile, "Hongbing is smart and learns everything quickly. His grades weren't bad when he was in school. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen as an apprentice by a master chef like Guo Youzhong after only about two months at Fengzeyuan."

"That's true."

Zhao's mother nodded.

Seeing this, the matchmaker couldn't help but say, "Weiguo, you are truly blessed. I could tell at a glance that Hongmei was a woman who would bring good fortune to her husband. Not only is she diligent and virtuous, but she is also fertile, and she has such a promising brother-in-law..."

Hearing the matchmaker's praise, Zhao's parents couldn't stop smiling.

Although the matchmaker was hired temporarily for the purpose of proposing marriage, they attached great importance to the marriage between Zhao Weiguo and Li Hongmei, so they hired the most capable and reputable matchmaker in the area.

This matchmaker, Ms. Sun, was quite skilled at judging people by their appearance; she almost never made a mistake.

They were already satisfied with Li Hongmei as their future daughter-in-law, and after what the matchmaker said, they became even more smug.

Matchmaker Sun was also happy.

This money was easy to earn today.

You don't need to act as a go-between or do anything yourself; you just need to help them streamline the process and remind them of some etiquette and matters to pay attention to, and you'll earn the money.

The lunch, in particular, was so delicious that it completely captivated her.

If she had known that there would be such good treatment for home visits, she would have been willing to come even without being paid.

more critical.

Today she has gained another high-quality resource.

Although Li Hongbing is only sixteen years old now, and it will be another three or four years before he gets his marriage certificate, he is already quite old. At most, he can wait another year or two before he can start arranging blind dates to find a partner.

Someone like Li Hongbing is destined to be popular and sought after. Even if she doesn't charge money, she can't let other matchmakers beat her to it.

At that point, just making money off the matchmaker on the woman's side will be enough.

Once it's successful, with this success story in hand, her brand becomes even more renowned. Their reputation and brand are built up gradually in this way.

……

forecourt.

When Li Hongbing returned after dropping off the person, he wanted to help, but found that Li Hongmei had already completely tidied up the house.

"Hongbing, close the door."

Upon seeing Li Hongbing return, Li Hongmei, who was sitting at the table, spoke earnestly.

"Sis, what's wrong?"

Seeing Li Hongmei so serious, Li Hongbing, who had just returned after closing the door, couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"You sit down first."

Li Hongmei adopted the demeanor of an older sister. After Li Hongbing sat down in front of her, she opened the iron box that she had already placed on the table and said, "When Dad passed away in an accident at the factory, the factory gave us a pension and funeral expenses, as well as some of Dad's savings. I used part of the funeral expenses at the time, but I didn't touch the rest..."

"Sis, what are you doing?"

After hearing what Li Hongmei said, Li Hongbing roughly guessed what she wanted to do next, and felt somewhat helpless.

The first Labor Insurance Regulations were promulgated after the founding of the People's Republic of China in early 1951, while Li Fushun's incident occurred in the year of liberation.

During that period, there were no clear regulations regarding compensation for the deceased and their families.

However, since the liberation had already taken place and the accident occurred in the factory, the factory provided a substantial amount of compensation and funeral expenses, along with a job opening, with the intervention of the street government at the time, taking into account the situation of the Li siblings.

“Red Soldier, listen to me first.”

Li Hongmei paused after being interrupted by Li Hongbing, then continued, "I used the factory job quota they gave me. I can't touch the savings and pension Dad left behind; they're meant for you to use when you get married and for the Li family to have more children..."

The wedding date between herself and Zhao Weiguo was set this morning, and it will be in the middle of next month, with less than a month left.

Li Hongmei had thought it through very clearly.

After she gets married, Li Hongbing will be living alone in this courtyard. She must arrange and explain everything in advance, especially the family's finances.

"Sis, how about this, we each get half?"

Li Hongbing knew that Li Hongmei's thoughts were for her own good, but Li Hongbing didn't want to take it all by himself.

At least a portion of the money left by Li Fushun belonged to Li Hongmei.

only.

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Li Hongmei's expression changed, and she directly threatened, "Li Hongbing, if you continue like this, then I won't marry you."

"Okay, okay, I'll keep it. Why hold a grudge over something like this?"

Li Hongbing felt helpless in the face of Li Hongmei's actions.

However, Li Hongbing had already thought it through: even if he took over the money now, he could use it for Li Hongmei.

When the time comes, we will prepare a very respectable and enviable dowry for her.

“Hongbing, I know you feel sorry for me, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve saved some money in the past two years of work, and Weiguo and I will both be working from now on, so we won’t have a bad life.”

Li Hongmei smiled and comforted Li Hongbing.

Hear the words.

Li Hongbing was speechless.

Li Hongmei does receive a salary, but for the past two years, the family has used these funds for all its expenses, big and small.

Moreover, when you first enter the factory, you have to start as an apprentice and receive an apprentice's salary. Only when you become a full-time employee the following year will your income be higher.

Given this situation, even if Li Hongmei manages to save some money, it won't be much.

Li Hongbing had already figured out how to use the money, so he stopped worrying about it to avoid upsetting Li Hongmei.

(End of this chapter)