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

Chapter 71 The Return of Madam Jia

"Hongmei, Hongbing, did you go to buy some goods? You bought so much fabric?"

"This fabric looks nice, where did you buy it?"

"Chen's Cloth Shop on Qianmen Street".

"Run that far?"

"These aren't cheap, are they?"

"good."

"..."

Back at the courtyard house, the amount of fabric that Li Hongmei and Li Hongbing had bought naturally attracted the attention of everyone in the front yard, who exclaimed in amazement and inquired about it.

The Li family's life has visibly improved, something they could only envy.

However, now that everyone knows that Li Hongmei will be getting married soon, it doesn't seem wrong for her to buy more fabric to make new clothes.

When Li Hongbing arrived home, it was almost dinnertime, and he hadn't cooked.

There were quite a few dishes prepared for lunch, and the portions were generous. Even though everyone ate to their heart's content, there were still some leftovers. Li Hongmei reheated the leftovers and steamed some buns.

Even so.

It's quite enviable; it's by no means an easy task.

After dinner, Li Hongbing practiced his calligraphy skills in the house for a while, and before it got dark, he went to the yard to practice Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade).

Practicing Baduanjin every day is not just about gaining experience and rewards; its more important purpose and function is to strengthen the body, prevent illness, and build a robust physique.

Just as Li Hongbing finished his practice and was about to return to his room, Yan Bugui, who had been watching closely from the side, quickly came up and asked, "Hongbing, I heard that your sister's marriage is settled?"

"It's settled, we'll get the marriage certificate next month."

Yan Bugui was clearly asking a question he already knew the answer to, and Li Hongbing knew he must have another purpose.

as predicted.

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's answer, Yan Bugui first offered his congratulations and said a few auspicious words before cautiously probing, "Hongbing, how many tables are you planning to set up in the courtyard for your sister's wedding?"

What kind of table should we set up?

Li Hongbing already knew what Yan Bugui was up to, but he pretended to be confused.

"Holding a feast! Your sister is getting married, aren't you planning to host a few tables and invite all the neighbors in the courtyard to share in the joy?"

Fearing that Li Hongbing might not have this idea, Yan Bugui quickly reminded him, "In that case, everyone will have to prepare money for your family's wedding gifts!"

For Yan Bugui, a notoriously stingy man, to take the initiative to offer a gift, this must be quite unusual.

With a little thought, you can actually figure out why.

Li Hongbing is now successful and has plenty of money. If he really throws a banquet, the event will definitely be quite impressive.

Moreover, Li Hongbing is now an apprentice of Guo Youzhong, a famous chef at Fengzeyuan. Even if Guo Youzhong doesn't personally take charge of the cooking, the chef he finds will be just as good, most likely another master chef from Fengzeyuan's kitchen.

They can't afford expensive places like Fengzeyuan, but inviting Fengzeyuan's chef to their courtyard will have the same effect.

In this way, they will also be able to eat the dishes prepared by the chef of Fengzeyuan.

Rounding it off, it's as if they've already spent money at Fengzeyuan.

As for the small amount of money given as a gift, it's nothing at all; the "ticket price" has already been recouped long ago.

"Uncle Yan, we won't be hosting this banquet. The government is advocating thrift and frugality, and my sister and I have discussed it and decided to follow the call and not hold any big banquets or extravagance. We'll invite everyone in the courtyard to have some wedding candy later."

Having guessed Yan Bugui's plan, Li Hongbing smiled and said the following.

Even without a formal banquet, wedding candies are still essential.

This was a case of unintentional maneuvering against someone with premeditation; they had anticipated Yan Bugui's prediction.

"Oh dear, we're not having a feast? You and your sister are such good friends, I was thinking..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui realized that his plan was about to fail, and he felt extremely distressed.

"Uncle Yan, I'm doing this for the sake of my neighbors. Everyone's having a hard time these days, so this way we can avoid having to give gifts. Isn't that great!"

Li Hongbing's words were so righteous and awe-inspiring that Yan Bugui could hardly refute them. A short while later...

Everyone in the courtyard knew that Li Hongmei was getting married and that the Li family wasn't planning to hold a wedding banquet, which disappointed them greatly.

Many people who can't afford to go to Fengzeyuan are looking forward to this opportunity, hoping to benefit from Li Hongbing's success.

In fact, just like Yan Bugui, they didn't really care about the small amount of money they had to give as a gift, all in order to get a good meal.

But Li Hongbing had already made his point clear: he was responding to the call, which put him on the side of righteousness, and he was also acting in the name of thinking of everyone's best interests, which gave him a sense of reason and decency.

Even if someone wanted to say something, they wouldn't dare to speak up.

In fact, the idea and phenomenon of valuing sons over daughters still exist widely. In some cases, the family does not even hold a banquet when the woman gets married.

The people in the courtyard saw that Li Hongmei and Li Hongbing had a good relationship, and given Li Hongbing's recent lavish spending, or perhaps out of their own selfish desire to have a good meal, they naturally assumed that Li Hongbing would host a banquet for everyone in the courtyard.

only.

This beautiful fantasy was shattered by Li Hongbing after Yan Bugui took the initiative to inquire.

The crowd's enthusiasm was quickly dampened.

Ultimately, this is a joyous occasion for the Li family. Since everyone else isn't going to benefit from it, even if they manage to get some wedding candy in the end, it won't really concern them.

Li Hongbing didn't care about any of this.

They were just neighbors in the same courtyard, not particularly close.

Everyone usually gets along well with each other, but each family has its own hidden agenda.

The saying "a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative" doesn't apply to them yet.

Li Hongbing saw things very clearly and wouldn't waste unnecessary emotions and money on these outsiders.

Li Hongmei knew all this, but didn't say anything.

She has returned control of the family finances, and now Li Hongbing is the head of the household. As long as it's not a fatal or principled issue, Li Hongmei will not interfere with any of Li Hongbing's decisions or actions.

Moreover, the decision not to hold the banquet in the courtyard was something the two of them had discussed beforehand.

The marriage of Li Hongmei did not cause much of a stir in the courtyard, nor did it have any real impact on her and Li Hongbing's lives.

On the third day after that.

A person whom everyone in the courtyard had "not seen for a long time" has reappeared.

"Oh, Jia Zhangshi?"

"Jia Zhangshi, you've been released?"

"What do you mean you were released? You're talking so rudely. Don't you know how to speak properly? I clearly went to study."

"Do you understand what learning is? I am now a progressive woman!"

"Hey! You..."

"What are you looking at? Are you blind? Don't you recognize people?"

"..."

During the time Jia Zhangshi was away, apart from the few days when Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman caused a ruckus, everything was quiet afterwards, and everyone almost forgot about her existence.

Now that she's just returned, the moment she opens her mouth, everyone knows she's still the same Jia Zhangshi.

Right.

I have no idea what she's been learning for the past month or so; she's still as cheeky as ever.

Judging from her performance just now, she clearly hasn't learned the material properly.

As she passed through the front yard, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but look towards the east wing, where neither Li Hongmei nor Li Hongbing were currently at home.

In broad daylight, Jia Zhangshi dared not do anything, but her face was filled with hatred.

Her month of "hardship" was all thanks to the Li siblings.

(End of this chapter)