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

Chapter 9 Unlock Rewards
With Yi Zhonghai fleeing, the drama lost its appeal, and the onlookers dispersed.

However, they had a great time, and what happened today would be enough for them to talk about for days.

“Hongbing, you seem a little different today.”

Back home, after closing the door, Li Hongmei looked Li Hongbing over and suddenly uttered these words.

Li Hongbing's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface and said indignantly, "Sister, you didn't hear how awful Jia Zhangshi's words were in the yard today. I... Sister, you don't think I'm possessed by a water ghost like Jia Zhangshi, do you?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! Jia Zhangshi's beliefs are feudal superstitions. I'm not stupid, so you're not allowed to talk nonsense!"

Li Hongbing's change of topic made Li Hongmei roll her eyes. Then, her gaze fell on him, and she said with great emotion, "I just feel that you seem to have grown up all of a sudden. You can even stand up for your sister now."

“Kindness is often taken advantage of. If we let Jia Zhangshi ride roughshod over us today, who knows who will take advantage of our weakness and come knocking on our door tomorrow?”

Everything Li Hongbing did today was intentional.

What he just said is exactly what he was thinking.

"A single punch can prevent a hundred more," a saying the leader made during the decision to aid Korea, has not yet been widely disseminated.

Li Hongmei naturally understood this principle as well.

She only gradually came to this understanding after she had single-handedly supported the family and experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

Only she knows how much heartache she went through during this process.

Looking at her younger brother Li Hongbing, who was several years younger than her, and seeing him say such things, Li Hongmei felt a pang of heartache and asked with some sadness, "Hongbing, tell me honestly, were you bullied during your time as an apprentice at Fengzeyuan?"

"No." Li Hongbing shook his head. "It was a bit tiring, but Manager Luan and all the chefs are nice people."

Li Hongbing was not lying.

When he was in Fengzeyuan, no one really bullied him.

As for Manager Luan, whom he mentioned, he was naturally the legendary figure who founded Fengzeyuan, Luan Xuetang.

"Hongbing, I want to discuss something with you..."

"what's up?"

"How about we don't become apprentices?"

"Sis, isn't everything fine now?"

“If you want to work, come to the food factory. This job was originally left to you by your father, but you were too young when I passed away, so I had to take over…”

"..."

Upon hearing Li Hongmei say these words, Li Hongbing was suddenly stunned.

“I’ve asked around, and this position is available for you. You’ll have to start as an apprentice, but it’s still easier than working at Fengzeyuan. Getting a permanent position won’t be difficult, and you don’t need to worry about me. Other factories in the city are frequently hiring, like textile factories and the steel rolling mill where that old man works. I can find another job…”

Li Hongmei's decision was not made on a whim; she had made preparations in advance before choosing to confront him.

Fengzeyuan is a good place. Others may envy Li Hongbing's good luck, but only Li Hongmei feels sorry for her younger brother who is suffering.

Li Hongbing was moved by Li Hongmei's actions, but also felt somewhat helpless.

Li Hongmei's words are simple, but jobs are hard to find these days, especially good ones like food factories.

"Sis, what are you saying?"

“This job at the food factory is yours. If you hadn’t come to the factory and supported the family, I wouldn’t have had the chance to eat my fill, let alone go to school.”

"Being an apprentice at Fengzeyuan is tough and tiring, but you can learn real skills!"

"Let me tell you, the chefs at Fengzeyuan are all incredibly skilled!"

"If this were in ancient times, they would be at the level of imperial chefs. If I could learn some of their skills, I would have a skill and I would never have to worry about going hungry."

"Others would beg for this opportunity but can't get it. I was lucky that Manager Luan was willing to take me in..."

"Besides, being an apprentice now is different from before. We've entered a new society; you can't just beat and scold them all the time. Apprentices get paid; they're not working for free..." "..."

In fact, if Li Hongbing could go back to school, at this point in time, with his abilities, getting into university wouldn't be difficult, and his future prospects wouldn't be bad either.

However, in this era where eating and drinking are important matters, being a chef is not bad.

Especially as Li Hongbing just mentioned, the chefs at Fengzeyuan are almost all state banquet-level chefs, and you can learn real skills from them.

Years later, during those three difficult years, cooks became the envy of many.

Moreover.

With the system in place, Li Hongbing also needs a legitimate source of income in order to create "value" as quickly as possible and live a good life in a legitimate way.

The key point is that a place like Fengzeyuan, where top chefs gather, is undoubtedly a great place to gain experience and level up.

"Are you really sure you want to do this? Or are you just trying to comfort me?"

Seeing Li Hongbing nod solemnly, Li Hongmei had no choice but to compromise, saying, "Fine, you've read more books than I have, and I can't argue with you on matters of principle."

Li Hongmei was persuaded by Li Hongbing.

Having a skill to rely on is indeed very important.

Although she didn't want to see Li Hongbing suffer, Li Hongmei had to admit that entering Fengzeyuan was a good opportunity in itself.

"It's settled then, you're not allowed to mention this again."

Seeing that Li Hongmei had agreed, Li Hongbing also breathed a sigh of relief.

to be frank.

The food factory job was good, with decent pay and benefits, but Li Hongbing really didn't want to go there. The main problem was that he wouldn't learn much there, and his skills in the system would be useless.

More importantly.

He couldn't let Li Hongmei lose her job because of him.

"There's really nothing I can do against you."

Li Hongmei turned her head and quietly wiped her slightly moist eyes.

soon.

Li Hongmei forced a smile, picked up the old hen tied up on the ground, and said to Li Hongbing, "Come help, kill the chicken!"

"okay!"

She said she was asking for help, but it really only involved killing the chicken and bleeding it out. After that, Li Hongmei wouldn't let me do anything else.

However, Li Hongbing didn't sit idle either; he helped pick and wash the vegetables that Li Hongmei had bought.

[Cooking Skill +1]

The sudden system notification startled Li Hongbing.

Is this also possible?

But thinking about it, preparing ingredients is also a necessary process in cooking, so it makes sense.

Next.

By helping Li Hongmei with her cooking, Li Hongbing gained two more experience points in culinary skills.

It was precisely this change that immediately brought Li Hongbing a pleasant surprise.

[Heaven rewards diligence! Congratulations, host, your cooking skill level has increased from lv0 to lv1! Your culinary skills have reached a new level, and you are rewarded with one million cash and one hundred catties of premium rice!]

[System space unlocked; reward items have been stored in system space (living creatures cannot be stored in system space)!]

(End of this chapter)