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

Chapter 94 One family rejoices while others grieve.
Li Hongbing wielded the knife of kinship.

For the time being, he has no other choice.

Seeing Li Hongmei's eyes red from crying, Li Hongbing didn't want to upset her too much, so he took out the receipts for the bicycle he had bought and changed the subject, saying, "Sister, when you're resting, take these receipts to the police station to get them stamped and the registration done. Then the bicycle will be yours..."

Paying for the bicycle at the mall and buying it doesn't mean you can drive it anywhere. You still need to take the receipt from the store and your ID to the police station to register it and have a stamp made on the bicycle before it truly belongs to you.

The purpose of doing this is, of course, to facilitate management and prevent theft.

Similar to the registration and licensing system in later generations.

Bicycles are much rarer now than cars are everywhere in later generations.

"Red Soldier..."

Li Hongmei looked up at her younger brother, her eyes filled with emotion.

She hadn't actually planned on asking for a large dowry, but Li Hongbing's words had left her unsure how to refuse.

"Sister, the betrothal gifts that Brother Weiguo gave before were not small, but our Li family does not sell its daughters, and the dowry we give cannot be meager, lest people laugh at us. Don't have any mental burden about this."

Li Hongbing met Li Hongmei's gaze, a smile appearing on his face. He spoke again, "Sister, even if you get married and become someone else's wife, don't forget that you still have the surname Li, the Li of our Li family."

"And I didn't buy you the sewing machine without a reason. You'll have to keep making me more clothes in the future, and also for your future sister-in-law, and your nephew and niece..."

Knowing that Li Hongbing was trying to comfort her, Li Hongmei couldn't help but laugh through her tears when she saw his "unserious" appearance.

……

At this moment.

The people in the courtyard outside had not completely dispersed.

People who went to work during the day gradually returned home and learned about the sensational event that had just happened throughout the hospital.

Some people envy Li Hongmei, while others laugh at Li Hongbing for being foolish.

"A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl."

"Li Hongmei is married off now, can things still be the same?"

"That kid surnamed Li is still young. He doesn't even understand this simple principle. He'll regret it later."

"Look at this guy who buys both sewing machines and bicycles, he's really something."

"No matter how much money he has, he'll squander it all sooner or later. I'll see how he cries then."

"..."

Jia Zhangshi was not the only one in the courtyard who shared similar thoughts.

only.

Jia Zhangshi's current outburst is undoubtedly driven by strong personal emotions, including envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"No matter what, Li Hongbing is incredibly good to his sister Li Hongmei."

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's remarks, Wang Guihua did not refute them, but could not help but give this evaluation.

However, Jia Zhangshi was not happy to hear Wang Guihua's words and immediately retorted in an annoyed tone, "Old Yi's wife, why are you always taking the side of outsiders? This Li Hongbing has a big grudge against us."

Wang Guihua was immediately embarrassed.

Actually, she wasn't trying to say anything good about Li Hongbing; she was just expressing her feelings.

What moved her so deeply was Li Hongbing's attitude towards his older sister, Li Hongmei, which was essentially his attitude towards those close to him.

Back when Li Fushun passed away, Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua had already considered taking care of Li Hongbing in their old age.

However, with the help of the local government at the time, the food factory gave the Li family a job opportunity and a large sum of compensation, which they had to give up.

The Li family was perfectly capable of making ends meet and had no need for their help; they couldn't possibly offer any assistance. Moreover, Li Hongbing was the only son left in the Li family, and Li Hongmei, as the older sister, valued her younger brother more than her own life.

If Yi Zhonghai dares to make a move on Li Hongbing, Li Hongmei might fight him to the death if she finds out.

Seeing how good Li Hongbing is to the people around him, Wang Guihua couldn't help but sigh. If their original plan had succeeded, and Li Hongbing had taken care of them in their old age, their future would have been very comfortable.

"Li Hongbing's kindness towards Li Hongmei is only because Li Hongmei is his biological sister. They are related by blood. What does it have to do with us outsiders?"

Yi Zhonghai knew his wife too well and guessed why she made those remarks. He immediately pulled her back to reality to prevent her from continuing to have unrealistic fantasies.

Upon hearing this, Wang Guihua couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

In fact, she knew in her heart that even if Li Hongbing and her family had not had those previous conflicts, it was impossible for him to support the couple in their old age.

It's not just because of Li Hongmei.

Also, because Li Hongbing isn't a fool, he's not so easily fooled.

Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua weren't so worried about the clever Li Hongbing.

If he were to turn on them in the future and try to seize their family fortune, they would end up in a miserable old age.

From ancient times to the present.

There are many similar examples.

“Dongxu’s master, I came to find you because of Dongxu’s matter. Let’s not talk about other irrelevant people.”

Jia Zhangshi couldn't understand the couple's implied meaning, but hearing about Li Hongbing and Li Hongmei made her feel irritable, so she directly changed the subject to Jia Dongxu.

Yi Zhonghai was somewhat speechless.

The topic concerning Li Hongbing and his siblings was clearly started by Jia Zhangshi herself, and they just chimed in.

But as soon as Jia Dongxu was mentioned, Yi Zhonghai became concerned again and asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, is Dongxu still not eating or drinking?"

"Absolutely, I was so worried!"

“I tried to force-feed him food today, but he kept spitting it out.”

"This child is so stubborn; he won't even talk to me anymore."

"Dongxu's master, you said he would treat me like this for a country girl. How can I not feel heartbroken?"

"She's just a pretty country girl, why is he making such a fuss..."

"..."

Mentioning this, Jia Zhangshi's hair almost turned white with worry.

"Sister-in-law, this can't go on."

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Yi Zhonghai also became worried and couldn't help but advise, "If he continues to not eat or drink like this, Dongxu will probably be ruined."

Moreover, when I went to the factory today, the workshop director asked me if Dongxu's illness had improved and when he could return to the factory to participate in production work.

Sister-in-law, I think you know that the factory is short-handed right now due to heavy production demands...

I'm afraid that if things continue like this, this matter won't be kept secret for long, and the factory will find out sooner or later.

If Dongxu continues like this, not even participating in the most basic production work, it's likely that even if they wanted to participate in the future, they wouldn't have the opportunity.

I think you should agree to let Dongxu give it another try with that girl surnamed Qin..."

With Yi Zhonghai's words, Jia Zhangshi, who was already troubled, was once again caught in a dilemma.

(End of this chapter)