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

Chapter 120 Chen Xueru's Olive Branch, Freebie! (4k)

to be frank.

Everyone would probably want a disciple like Li Hongbing.

Not only does he respect his teacher, but he can also learn anything he is taught, and you can always see his progress. It's incredibly reassuring and makes you feel proud.

If all students were like Li Hongbing, I estimate that no teacher in the world would lose hair from worry.

The day's work is over.

In the evening after get off work.

Li Hongbing rode his bicycle to Qianmen Street on the side of the street.

At this time, many shops were still open, and the whole street was still brightly lit.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, many people have already begun preparing for the holiday by buying New Year's goods.

As a key commercial area, Qianmen Street saw significantly more foot traffic than usual, and business was booming.

Fortunately, there weren't so many people around at this time. Li Hongbing walked around the area and bought quite a few things.

On the one hand, it's an opportunity to stock up on more supplies in the system space while everyone is busy preparing for the New Year.

on the other hand.

Li Hongbing also needs to make some preparations for the upcoming Spring Festival and buy some New Year's goods for his family.

He wants to celebrate the New Year too!

The Spring Festival is arguably the most important traditional festival for all Chinese people, including Li Hongbing.

Other holidays can be ignored, but this Spring Festival cannot be skipped.

to the end.

When there were even fewer people on the street, Li Hongbing's bicycle was already covered with things.

"Hey, did you come here to buy more goods today or what? You've bought so much stuff?"

When Li Hongbing arrived at Chen's Cloth Shop with his bicycle, Chen Xueru couldn't help but tease him upon seeing the situation.

"Sister Xue Ru, isn't it almost Chinese New Year? I'm going to buy myself some New Year's goods."

Seeing Chen Xueru's smiling face, Li Hongbing also chuckled.

“This isn’t just a little; you bought way too much.” Faced with Li Hongbing’s explanation, Chen Xueru couldn’t help but shake her head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a whole family!”

Chen Xueru knew Li Hongbing's situation very well.

Now that his older sister Li Hongmei has gotten married, he is all alone at home.

“I live alone, but I have a master and a lot of senior brothers. We’ll be visiting each other during the Lunar New Year, so I have to prepare well and get some gifts in advance.”

The Li family had few relatives in Beijing. Besides his sister and brother-in-law Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo, Li Hongbing only had his master Guo Youzhong and his fellow disciples Liang Damin and Sun Xinming.

When Li Hongmei got married, Liang Damin and the others came to help. Li Hongbing hasn't been in touch with them much lately, but he'll definitely visit them during the Spring Festival to maintain the bond and relationship between the two fellow apprentices.

Since we're making the visit, we can't come empty-handed.

So today, Li Hongbing prepared the gifts for them in advance.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it? You've been so busy lately. I'm so glad you finally came today. I saw you passing by outside the shop earlier, and I thought you weren't coming anymore. I didn't expect you to still remember your sister."

Chen Xueru's words carried a hint of dissatisfaction and resentment.

It wouldn't matter if it were anyone else, but when Li Hongbing came to the store to order a dress, he called her "Sister Xueru" so warmly.

Throughout the entire process of making the formal wear for Li Hongbing, Chen Xueru did her best, ensuring quality while meeting the deadline and even charging less for her work.

This is not just for their own business and reputation.

It was also because of Li Hongbing.

Although Li Hongbing was three years younger than her, Chen Xueru felt a genuine connection with him and they got along well, so she planned to treat him as a friend.

But since Li Hongmei got married, Li Hongbing hasn't come over for almost three months.

Li Hongbing called Chen Xueru "Sister Xueru" frequently, but his actions were completely different, so it's no wonder that Chen Xueru had her own thoughts and opinions.

Li Hongbing felt somewhat embarrassed in the face of Chen Xueru's blame.

They had their clothes made here twice, so they knew each other and could be considered friends. Li Hongbing called her "sister" to get closer, but unless there was something else going on, Li Hongbing didn't come over again.

Although they are friends, Li Hongbing felt that their relationship wasn't that close.

Even if Chen Xueru is a great beauty, Li Hongbing wouldn't keep trying to get close to her.

However, having received benefits from Chen Xueru before, Li Hongbing hadn't thought to visit her recently, so he was somewhat in the wrong.

"Sister Xueru, you're wronging me."

Even knowing he had a problem, Li Hongbing was too embarrassed to admit it, so he made an excuse: "It's not that I didn't want to come, it's just that I've been so busy lately! You know how good Fengzeyuan's business is, it's unbelievably good, and I've been working non-stop... Besides, your shop's business is doing so well too, I was afraid that if I came, I would interfere with your business..."

When Li Hongbing passed by just now, he saw several customers in the store and thought that business must have been good during this period.

It was because he saw that there were other customers that Li Hongbing was not in a hurry to come in, but instead went to buy things in the surrounding area first.

"So, how come you had time to come over this time?"

Seeing Li Hongbing's silver tongue, Chen Xueru rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.

Even if they're busy, surely it's not like they haven't made a single public appearance in almost three months?

Chen Xueru wasn't stupid; she could naturally tell that Li Hongbing was talking nonsense.

"It's almost Chinese New Year, so I came here to have two sets of clothes made..."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing didn't think much of it and subconsciously revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Hey, you're still saying you didn't do it on purpose?"

Seeing that Li Hongbing had inadvertently let something slip, Chen Xueru seized on his weakness and couldn't help but feel smug. She raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "You admitted it yourself, didn't you? You never come here without a reason. You've shown your true colors now, haven't you? I've finally seen through you..."

"Sister Xueru, whatever you say goes. I was wrong, okay? I apologize to you. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."

Chen Xueru's words made Li Hongbing blush, which made him seem like he was using people only when they needed them and discarding them when they didn't.

Continuing to argue would not benefit him, so Li Hongbing simply conceded defeat.

Moreover, Li Hongbing discovered that he had been wrong from the very beginning.

Never argue with a woman.

Regardless of whether you're right or wrong, you're often the one who ends up losing out.

"Stop using those 'you' and 'you' all the time. Have you forgotten what I told you before?"

Seeing that Li Hongbing "admitted his mistake," Chen Xueru stopped pursuing the matter and temporarily let Li Hongbing off the hook.

She's a straightforward and argumentative person; she says whatever comes to mind.

If Li Hongbing softens his stance, the previous issues will be forgotten.

Now let's get down to business.

Li Hongbing took out two clothing design sketches he had drawn the night before and said to Chen Xueru, "Sister Xueru, I want to have the master tailor in the shop make two outfits for me based on the designs in these sketches. Can you take a look?"

In Li Hongbing's opinion, the clothing design skill that he had accidentally unlocked here was not very useful except for gaining experience, leveling up, and getting rewards.

Ready-made garments are not selling well now, and there is not much market or audience. Moreover, Li Hongbing has no intention of doing business at all.

If we were to push the timeline forward by thirty years, Li Hongbing would still be able to make this skill useful and valuable.

However, this is clearly not the best time to do business.

Fengzeyuan has already completed the initial phase of public-private partnership, and in a few years, other businesses will follow suit, including Chen Xueru's current Chen's Cloth Shop.

However, since he had this skill and had even designed it, Li Hongbing didn't waste it and used it on himself.

Living in this era, Li Hongbing naturally wouldn't come up with any strange or unconventional designs. Instead, he would follow the current trends and make some appropriate adjustments and optimizations to make himself more comfortable and at ease with what he wears.

"really not bad!"

Chen Xueru took Li Hongbing's design drawings, examined them for a long time, and finally couldn't help but admire them.

It's hard to believe that Li Hongbing is a cook.

Turning her gaze away from the design drawings and onto Li Hongbing, Chen Xueru couldn't help but say to him, "With your skills, it's a waste for you to be a cook. Why don't you quit Fengzeyuan and come work for me? I'll give you double the salary."

"Sister Xue Ru, forget it. I just draw randomly for fun. I can't even sew a button. What would I do here?"

Without much hesitation, Li Hongbing refused outright.

Don't be fooled by Chen Xueru's high salary; her job at Fengzeyuan is a secure, stable one.

Li Hongbing's vision is not so short-sighted.

The key point is that Li Hongbing is not short of money right now.

All he wanted was a stable and respectable job, plus a visible income.

Chen Xueru herself doesn't know how long her shop can stay open. When the public-private partnership is fully implemented, she won't have any say in the matter.

Li Hongbing had no intention of jumping into this pit.

"I'll add a little more, I'll offer you 500,000 a month!"

Chen Xueru was unwilling to give up and immediately transformed into "Add Money Sister".

only.

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing couldn't help but pause for a moment, then reacted and said to Chen Xueru with a smile, "Sister Xueru, you just said you would give me double my salary, and then you said you would increase it, so why did you suddenly reduce it?"
There's something you might not know: I recently passed the junior cook exam and am no longer an apprentice. My monthly salary is 350,000 yuan. If you offered double, that would be 700,000 yuan…”

Li Hongbing didn't keep anyone in suspense and explained the situation himself.

"You... a junior cook?"

Chen Xueru was dumbfounded.

Although they are not in the same industry, both cooks and tailors are craftsmen who make a living by their skills, and the rules for taking on apprentices and teaching skills are basically the same.

Chen Xueru learned to make clothes from the master tailor in the shop, and she was basically an apprentice herself, so she naturally knows these things.

So when she heard that Li Hongbing had gone from an apprentice to a junior cook, she was shocked and couldn't understand it.

It seems that Li Hongbing has only been an apprentice at Fengzeyuan for less than half a year.

Li Hongbing once attracted some attention from the outside world because he saved Lou Xiao'e. Chen Xueru, who did not know him at the time, heard about his deeds and learned some of the details. However, he was just a junior apprentice and no one would pay attention to him for a long time.

Previously, the state injected capital and took a controlling stake, and Fengzeyuan underwent a public-private partnership, which caused some commotion.

Li Hongbing passing the junior cook exam was just a small part of the process. Although it was common knowledge within Fengzeyuan, few people knew about it except for the courtyard house that Li Hongbing had actively promoted.

In addition, Li Hongbing hasn't been here for a while, so it's normal that Chen Xueru doesn't know about this situation.

Knowing that Chen Xueru had doubts, Li Hongbing explained again.

"You're quite something, Brother Hongbing."

Having learned of this, Chen Xueru looked at Li Hongbing again, her eyes filled with surprise and admiration, saying, "They say a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence, and you really have given your sister a big surprise..."

Although Li Hongbing has not yet officially graduated, he has already worked his way up from apprentice to junior cook in just a few months. Such progress is unprecedented and extremely rare even today.

In any case, Chen Xueru only knew of one example: Li Hongbing.

"Alright, I'll give you a monthly salary of 700,000."

Double the amount of 350,000 a month, which is 700,000, Chen Xueru, being a decisive person, immediately expressed her opinion.

What she valued was Li Hongbing's unique talent and ability in clothing design.

Although ready-to-wear clothing is not popular with the general public due to its price, it is not without a market.

Chen Xueru is only nineteen years old, yet she is able to independently take over Chen's Cloth Shop. Naturally, she has her own unique abilities, and her business acumen is far ahead of others.

The store's customer base includes not only ordinary people, but also wealthy individuals or upper-class people from well-off families.

Rather than running a cheap and low-profit fabric business, the ambitious Chen Xueru would rather expand into the ready-to-wear market while maintaining her expertise in mid-to-high-end custom clothing, and actively seek higher profits.

From the wedding dress Li Hongbing designed for Li Hongmei and his own formal wear designs, Chen Xueru had already discovered his talent in this area, which was exactly the kind of person she needed.

When Li Hongbing came to her door, Chen Xueru, who had already made up her mind to adjust her business strategy and focus, had an idea when he took out the new design drawings and took the initiative to extend an olive branch to him.

domestic.

Compared to people of this era, Chen Xueru was quite fashionable and ahead of her time, and also quite daring.

Unfortunately, the timing was wrong.

"Sister Xueru, I never said I would agree to it, not even double the salary."

Seeing that Chen Xueru had misunderstood him, Li Hongbing was somewhat helpless and shook his head, refusing again: "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Sister Xueru. I am quite satisfied with my current job and income. Moreover, if I dared to quit, I doubt my master would agree. I would only disappoint you, Sister Xueru."

"Alright then, as your older sister, I respect your wishes and won't force you."

Seeing that Li Hongbing himself had no such idea, Chen Xueru, even if unwilling, could not force him to do so.

Although Chen Xueru felt that Li Hongbing was the talent she wanted, the monthly salary of 700,000 yuan was a decision she made after gritting her teeth.

She had no choice but to give up if she wanted to add any more.

After all, his business plans didn't necessarily require Li Hongbing.

Moreover, since Li Hongbing is now Guo Youzhong's apprentice, if I were to swindle him away from Fengzeyuan and make him switch careers to work for me, I'd probably make him my enemy.

Not only did Li Hongbing have a grudge against Guo Youzhong, but his actions were tantamount to betraying his master, making a falling out between master and disciple almost inevitable.

After calming down and thinking it over, Chen Xueru realized that she had been being too unrealistic. No wonder Li Hongbing still refused her offer of double the salary, without even showing any interest.

This made Chen Xueru look at her in a different light.

Anyone who lacks assertiveness and is not firm enough would probably have surrendered and compromised long ago under the lure of a high salary.

"I have a heartfelt request."

Chen Xueru felt a little disappointed that she couldn't recruit him, but she looked at Li Hongbing and said again, "I want to make more of the two outfits you designed so I can sell them in the store. As payment, I won't charge you for the two outfits you ordered today, how about that?"

"you sure?"

Li Hongbing was somewhat surprised by Chen Xueru's suggestion and couldn't help but confirm it.

Li Hongbing never expected that in this day and age, there would still be someone as copyright-conscious as Chen Xueru, who knew to design and pay copyright fees.

In fact, if Chen Xueru hadn't said anything and had done this secretly, even if Li Hongbing found out later, there wouldn't have been anything he could say.

There's practically no design copyright protection or patent law these days.

"Sure!"

Chen Xueru nodded affirmatively.

The two outfits Li Hongbing brought over today, while not as stunning as her previous wedding dresses, were actually more appealing to Chen Xueru because of their simple and unpretentious style. They were far superior to the monotonous clothes she saw on the street.

"Since Sister Xueru is so generous, then I'll take advantage of this."

Customizing two outfits with Chen Xueru isn't cheap; it would cost at least a month's salary, and might not even be enough.

I can earn it back by drawing two design drafts now, which is not bad.

Although Li Hongbing put in time and effort to design these two outfits, in this era, it's like getting something for free!
(End of this chapter)