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

Chapter 121 Showing off in front of everyone, trying to ruin the event? (6k)

The same thing may be worth a fortune in the eyes of some people, but worthless in the eyes of others.

same.

This is also true at different times and in different places.

Just like the two clothing design drafts that Li Hongbing brought out today, they would probably only be treated this way by Chen Xueru.

It's not that it's bad, but in this era, very few people are willing to pay for it.

While clothing today also incorporates design, it is only part of the craft and not an independent art form.

Besides, Li Hongbing wasn't a famous tailor master.

Li Hongbing left Chen's Cloth Shop with a full load of goods.

I bought a lot of things last night.

Li Hongbing didn't deliberately put these items into the system space for convenience, because these were what he had prepared for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Besides New Year's goods, there were also gifts he had prepared for his senior brothers, Guo Youzhong and Liang Damin, as he had just told Chen Xueru.

The two outfits he just had custom-made at Chen Xueru's place are his new clothes for the New Year.

Li Hongmei also knows how to make clothes and has a sewing machine, but Li Hongbing did not buy fabric and send it to her to make clothes for him in order to save money.

It wasn't that Li Hongbing thought her skills were inferior to those of the master chefs at Chen Xueru's shop, but rather that Li Hongmei was currently pregnant and had to work during the day, so he didn't want her to be too tired and exhausted when she got home at night.

Now that Li Hongmei has her own family, Li Hongbing, as her younger brother, naturally can no longer trouble her with everything as before, even if Li Hongmei herself is happy to do so.

Sometimes, spending a little money is a good thing.

"Hongbing, why did you buy so much stuff again today?"

As soon as he returned to the front yard, he ran into Aunt Yang from the yard. She was surprised to see so many things hanging on his bicycle.

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing casually replied, "It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'm preparing the New Year's goods in advance."

"But today is only Laba Festival, you're preparing for the New Year way too early."

Aunt Yang couldn't help but shake her head.

But looking at the New Year's goods that Li Hongbing had prepared, she couldn't help but show a look of envy on her face.

Too arrogant.

Li Hongbing was alone, and all the things he bought today were high-end goods.

Things like Zhang Yiyuan's tea, Xiangjugong's pastries, and Tong Sanyi's dried fruits.

If that were all, it would be fine.

The key is also Yue Sheng Zhai's braised beef and Tian Fu Hao's braised pork hock. There are still many days until the New Year. Even if the weather is cold now and they don't spoil easily, there are no dishes like Li Hongbing's.

only.

Considering Li Hongbing's monthly salary of 350,000 yuan, his unspent savings, and the fact that Li Hongmei has already married out, Li Hongbing is now single and has no family to worry about, so he can spend the money however he wants.

It's estimated that only Li Hongbing could build a courtyard house like this.

"Aunt Yang, it's getting late."

Li Hongbing shook his head and said, "When I came back in the evening, I passed by Qianmen Street and saw that many people were starting to prepare for the New Year, so I went in and bought some too."

As the Spring Festival gets closer, everyone starts thinking about buying New Year's goods. When everyone crowds together, it'll probably be a chaotic free-for-all…

Others only celebrate the Spring Festival for a few days.

Li Hongbing is different; from the twelfth lunar month to the first lunar month, it's all about celebrating the New Year, so naturally he needs to prepare more food for himself.

Even on ordinary days, Li Hongbing's life is no worse than others' during the Spring Festival.

While there are no restrictions on purchasing with tickets yet, we should seize the opportunity to eat and drink to our hearts' content. If we want to do this again later, most of the time we will have to do it secretly.

Moreover, the work Li Hongbing did in the kitchen of Fengzeyuan was physically demanding, and given that he was at an age where he was growing and ate a lot, it was important to ensure that he received sufficient nutrition.

Otherwise, his development will be incomplete, and he might regret it later.

With a good diet and practicing Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade) several times each morning and evening, physical fitness can improve rapidly.

Otherwise, Li Hongbing wouldn't have achieved such good results during this period.

"Oh, what you said actually makes a lot of sense."

Hearing Li Hongbing's words, and recalling her previous experience buying New Year's goods, Aunt Yang suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but agree.

In the past, every time I went out to buy New Year's goods, there were always crowds of people.

Buying things is like fighting for something. If you're a little late or slow, what you want will be bought by someone else, or you'll only be able to pick what others have left behind.

Even if you manage to buy everything successfully, the trip won't be easy.

"Right? It's always good to prepare in advance, even if you just buy some first."

Seeing that Aunt Yang had been persuaded, Li Hongbing chuckled softly.

back home.

Li Hongbing put all of these things directly into the system space.

Especially pastries that are more prone to spoilage and have an expiration date, braised beef, and braised pork hock.

For Li Hongbing, the existence of the system space is not just for storage and organization. Apart from lacking refrigeration and freezing functions, it is also equivalent to a refrigerator with permanent preservation.

Don't be fooled by Li Hongbing's wealth; it's all stored in the system space.

Even if a thief came to the door, he could only find a little bit of rice and flour that Li Hongbing had left in the house.

After all, you can't keep everything too clean. Otherwise, if you usually cook at home and don't even have basic grains, oils, rice, or noodles, it would be too easy to arouse suspicion.

the next day.

Li Hongbing made himself a bowl of egg noodles and also sliced ​​some braised beef.

I just bought it last night and ate it this morning.

Time passes day by day.

The Lunar New Year is getting closer and closer.

Perhaps because of Li Hongbing's reminder, the hospital started preparing for the New Year earlier than usual this year, and the festive atmosphere gradually became stronger.

this day.

With only two days left until Lunar New Year's Eve, it was Li Hongbing's usual day off.

Yan Bugui, a teacher at the school, has already started his holiday early, but everyone else in the institute still has to go to work.

According to the "National Holidays and Commemorative Days Regulations" issued in 1949, the total number of statutory holidays throughout the year is less than ten days, namely one day for New Year's Day, three days for Spring Festival, one day for Labor Day, and two days for National Day.

As for Women's Day, Youth Day, Children's Day, and Army Day, these holidays only apply to specific groups of citizens, with half a day or a full day off, while most people go to work as usual.

This year's Spring Festival holiday lasted from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the third day.

Yes.

There is no holiday on New Year’s Eve.

Li Hongbing only learned about these circumstances around the time the Chinese New Year was approaching.

Although he had already bought New Year's goods, Li Hongbing did not intend to miss the current nationwide shopping frenzy and set off on his bicycle early in the morning.

Everyone was buying, and buying quite a lot, so Li Hongbing was even less likely to attract attention among them.

After running around various vegetable markets and shops in Beijing and farmers' markets in the suburbs, Li Hongbing had a very fruitful day.

However, the cost of this is not small.

No money again.

In just one day, Li Hongbing spent all of his wages for this period, as well as the money he received from skill upgrades through the system.

His pockets were empty, but looking at the various supplies in the system space, Li Hongbing felt a great sense of peace.

When Li Hongbing returned to the courtyard house, there were some things symbolically hanging on his bicycle.

To outsiders, it still seems like a lot.

After being out all day, you have to put on a show when you come back.

When Li Hongbing pushed his bicycle into the front yard, he found Yan Bugui in the yard outside his own house. He had set up a table with pre-cut red paper and ground ink on it, and was using a brush to write couplets for the people in the yard.

Li Hongbing knew that this was not free.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, Yan Bugui, who is skilled in calligraphy, would buy red paper and write couplets for the people in the courtyard.

It's not mandatory; people can give money directly, or they can give some melon seeds, peanuts, or something similar as payment for writing couplets for others.

Yan Bugui made a small profit, and the others didn't lose money either.

After all, buying couplets outside would be much more expensive than this.

Li Hongbing thought Yan Bugui's actions were quite good. After all, it was about earning benefits through one's own labor, rather than always thinking about unilaterally taking advantage of others, which was not shameful at all.

Just as Yan Bugui finished writing a couplet, he looked up with satisfaction and saw Li Hongbing pushing his bicycle back. His gaze lingered on the things hanging on Li Hongbing's bicycle.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Hongbing, didn't you just buy New Year's goods a while ago? Why did you buy so much again today?"

"Uncle Yan, I bought some of those a while ago, but I couldn't control myself and ate almost all of them. So today, I took advantage of my day off to buy some more."

Li Hongbing's answer left Yan Bugui speechless, and he couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.

They're still young and don't know how to manage their finances!

Although it wasn't his money that was being spent, Yan Bugui still felt sorry for Li Hongbing seeing him spend so much.

Just as Li Hongbing was about to push his bicycle back into the house, Yan Bugui, seemingly remembering something, quickly said, "Hongbing, your family hasn't bought any couplets yet, right? Would you like me to write one for you?"

Obvious.

Yan Bugui set his sights on Li Hongbing.

Especially now that Li Hongbing has bought so many good things, even just a little bit given to him would be better than those peanuts and melon seeds.

"Uncle Yan, please wait a moment. Let me put my things back inside first."

Yan Bugui's words gave Li Hongbing an idea.

Pasting Spring Festival couplets is a traditional custom.

Everyone else puts up decorations for the New Year, so Li Hongbing naturally wouldn't think of being different.

However, Li Hongbing did not intend to have Yan Bugui write it for him; instead, he planned to do it himself.

His calligraphy skills had recently reached level 3. While not exceptionally skilled, he had at least made some progress and was no worse than Yan Bugui's. Writing the Spring Festival couplets for his own family was obviously more meaningful.

Otherwise, what's the point of Li Hongbing having such excellent calligraphy skills if he keeps them hidden and doesn't use them?

This is probably the only opportunity you'll ever have to use it throughout the year.

soon.

Li Hongbing put the things back in the house, then came out again, took some melon seeds and peanuts from home, and gave them to Aunt Yan who was standing nearby.

Thinking about the things Li Hongbing had just bought, Yan Bugui had been wondering what Li Hongbing would give him, but he was disappointed to find that Li Hongbing had given him the same things as everyone else in the courtyard: sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Fortunately, Li Hongbing was more generous than others, giving twice as much as they did.

Noticing this, Yan Bugui's mood improved again.

After adjusting his mindset, Yan Bugui looked at Li Hongbing and asked, "Hongbing, what kind of couplet are you planning to write? Will you find one in this couplet book, or will you come up with one yourself?"

There was a book of couplets on the table, which Yan Bugui had specially arranged for others to choose couplets for him to write, saving him a lot of trouble.

If it were someone else, Yan Bugui wouldn't have asked the last question.

But Li Hongbing was not only educated, but also attended high school, so he obviously knew more than others, which is why Yan Bugui had to say something.

Yan Bugui, who considers himself a cultured man, doesn't feel as superior to Li Hongbing, who is also well-read.

"Uncle Yan, how about you give me the pen and I write it myself?"

Although he didn't like Yan Bugui taking advantage of him, Li Hongbing didn't take advantage of Yan Bugui either. The melon seeds and peanuts he gave them earlier were to be used as payment for red paper and ink.

If Li Hongbing hadn't been unprepared, and if he had only had some high-quality Xuan paper at home, which was obviously unsuitable for writing Spring Festival couplets, he wouldn't have needed to come to Yan Bugui.

"Write it yourself?"

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Yan Bugui was stunned and subconsciously asked, "You can write calligraphy?"

Not only him, but also those who were watching Yan Bugui write Spring Festival couplets or waiting for him to write them all cast surprised glances at Li Hongbing.

Hearing Yan Bugui ask such a question, Li Hongbing was speechless and reminded him, "Uncle Yan, you haven't forgotten that there are calligraphy classes in school. I naturally learned them when I was in school."

Even in later exam-oriented education systems, some primary and junior high schools still offer calligraphy or music classes, let alone now.

Having read books, taken calligraphy classes, and been able to write some characters with a brush, what's so special about that?

Even if the school doesn't teach it, can't I practice at home?
Reminded by Li Hongbing, Yan Bugui, who remembered this incident, felt somewhat embarrassed.

What he meant was not questioning Li Hongbing's ability, but rather that he felt Li Hongbing's writing was not as good as his own.

After all, in the old society, he was one of the few who had attended a private school, and he had written Spring Festival couplets for the courtyard for several years in a row, so everyone recognized his calligraphy.

He is still confident in this regard.

Li Hongbing's sudden suggestion that he write it himself made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Li Hongbing disliked his handwriting and that's why he had to write it himself.

"How could I forget that? You're the only one in our department who went to high school."

Although he only attended high school for a few days, he had still attended high school. This was Li Hongbing's resume, and Yan Bugui naturally could not deny it. He quickly added, "If you can write calligraphy, you should write your own Spring Festival couplets."

"Come on! Uncle Yan will give you his seat, you can write here!"

In front of everyone, Yan Bugui deliberately emphasized a sentence to let everyone know that it wasn't because he wrote poorly, but for other reasons.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone on the field, Li Hongbing took the calligraphy brush handed to him by Yan Bugui, and without any ceremony, stood directly opposite him, thought for a moment, and then began to write.

"Springtime fills the land with beauty, and in this prosperous age, every family thrives..."

As soon as Li Hongbing finished writing the couplet, someone nearby who could read immediately read it aloud.

however.

At this moment, Yan Bugui was dumbfounded when he saw the words written by Li Hongbing.

"Beautiful calligraphy!"

When Yan Bugui heard someone reciting the couplet, he came to his senses. Looking at the couplet written by Li Hongbing, his expression was not very good, but he had to praise it and said, "Hongbing, you are practicing Yan style calligraphy, right?"
When did you develop such beautiful handwriting?

Even I, Uncle Yan, didn't know that. Otherwise, we could have exchanged ideas and sparred with each other more often..."

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Yan Bugui had no choice but to accept the fact.

Lose the face, but don't lose your spirit!
Even though the people in the courtyard couldn't tell whether his handwriting or Li Hongbing's was better.

Li Hongbing couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

Even if he can fool the people in the courtyard, he can't fool Li Hongbing. He'll lose even more face in the end.

"Uncle Yan is too kind. I just like to practice randomly in my room when I have nothing to do. I can't compare to someone as professional as you."

Li Hongbing wasn't there to show off; he actually praised Yan Bugui to his face.

Yan Bugui, who knew perfectly well what was going on, blushed slightly as he listened.

When Yan Bugui turned his attention back to the content of the couplet, he was also stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "Did you come up with this couplet yourself?"

"Sigh, it was just a random mix!"

This time, Li Hongbing wasn't being modest; he really meant it.

Writing couplets is not the same as writing poems, so the requirements and difficulty are not that high. The main thing is that the meaning is good.

As long as you pay a little attention to parallelism and rhyme, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Li Hongbing simply took a few words from couplets that became commonplace in later generations, put them together, and created a new one.

however.

Yan Bugui was speechless upon hearing this.

If he's just making things up like this, then all those years of studying have been for nothing?
He couldn't possibly write such a meaningful and grand Spring Festival couplet.

Seeing Li Hongbing's "humility," Yan Bugui didn't expose him, wanting to save face for himself. Instead, he pressed on, "Hongbing, what is the horizontal scroll of this couplet?"

Li Hongbing didn't say anything, but instead found a piece of red paper that had been cut up and wrote the four characters "国泰民安" (meaning "peace and prosperity for the country") on it.

The new China has only been established for a few years, but it was only with great difficulty that we drove out the invaders, ended the civil war, and completely bid farewell to the turmoil of the past. Isn't this peace and prosperity bought with the blood of countless predecessors who went one after another?

In his previous life, Li Hongbing only saw a prosperous and thriving motherland. Now that he has come to this era, he is closer to that period of history and has come to deeply appreciate how hard-won the peace we enjoy today is.

"Peace and prosperity for the nation! What a wonderful peace and prosperity for the nation!"

Echoing the couplet from before, Yan Bugui couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration.

"Uncle Yan, I need to write another couplet for my sister and her family."

Li Hongbing gave Yan Bugui double portions of melon seeds and peanuts, and there was a reason for that; he had been waiting for this.

"Write! Even if you write a few more, it doesn't matter!"

Having just experienced this, Yan Bugui clearly wanted to test Li Hongbing's abilities and see what he could write next, and he couldn't care less about those small gains at the moment.

"Spring returns to the earth, making the mountains and rivers beautiful; the sun warms the land, and all things flourish!"

"Beautiful calligraphy! Beautiful couplet!"

"Everything is renewed?"

"Wonderful!"

"..."

As Li Hongbing wrote another couplet, the onlookers thought the calligraphy was beautiful and no worse than Yan Bugui's. Even those who could read couldn't immediately understand the meaning of the couplet, and all they could hear was Yan Bugui making a fuss.

People immediately started complaining.

"Old Yan, stop praising it and saying how wonderful it is. Tell us what's so good and wonderful about the couplet that Hongbing wrote..."

Even if Li Hongbing wrote very well, no one really thought much of it, since not everyone is as knowledgeable as Yan Bugui and Li Hongbing.

Yan Bugui's reaction really piqued everyone's curiosity.

"This...the couplet was written by Hongbing, so let Hongbing explain it!"

With Li Hongbing still there, Yan Bugui felt a little embarrassed to show off, so he had no choice but to speak up.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Li Hongbing said helplessly, "Since everyone is curious, I will explain, but it's not as exaggerated as what Grandpa Yan said."

The previous couplet meant that with the arrival of spring, our country's landscape is incredibly beautiful, and we are now in a prosperous era where every household is living a better and better life.

This painting, "Spring has arrived, the mountains and rivers of our motherland are beautiful, the sun shines across the land, all things are reviving and flourishing," symbolizes the peace and prosperity of the nation and the renewal of all things that I wrote about...

"So that's what it meant. I thought it was something else entirely."

"Hongbing's Spring Festival couplet is wonderful; our country is now peaceful and prosperous!"

"No wonder he went to high school in our department, impressive!"

"What a wonderful meaning!"

"Hongbing, why don't you write me a couplet too?"

"Give me one too!"

"..."

Li Hongbing's explanation was quite simple and easy to understand. Even those who were illiterate and had never been to school could fully comprehend it and praised him on the spot.

even.

There were also people who asked Li Hongbing for a couplet on the spot.

Seeing Yan Bugui's dark face beside him, Li Hongbing almost couldn't help but laugh.

However, the red paper and ink belonged to Yan Bugui, and this was Yan Bugui's home turf. It was one thing to steal the limelight from him, but if he also ruined his turf, Yan Bugui would probably hold a grudge against him.

This directly relates to his peanuts and melon seeds for the Chinese New Year.

Li Hongbing wasn't afraid of offending Yan Bugui, but it was simply dishonest to do it this way, and he looked down on such paltry sums. So he said to those who were asking for couplets, "Uncle Yang, Uncle Zhang, I just wrote this by myself. If you two want couplets, you should ask Uncle Yan instead."
"Look at the handwriting of this old man Yan, it's much better than mine..."

There's no need to hold a grudge against Yan Bugui since we have no enmity.

After saying that, Li Hongbing took the Spring Festival couplets he had just written home.

Because they had just been written and the weather was cold outside, the ink wasn't drying easily, so Li Hongbing had to make another trip to get both couplets back.

Seeing Li Hongbing's actions, Yan Bugui, who was worried about losing his job, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He finally waited until the New Year was almost here, and he earned some melon seeds and peanuts as payment for writing a few couplets. Was it easy for him?
Next time, no matter what, Yan Bugui will not allow Li Hongbing to show off or cause trouble here.

(End of this chapter)