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

Chapter 124 Jia Dongxu: My name is Xu Damao! (7k)

It wasn't just the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai; everyone in the courtyard was paying attention to Li Hongbing's girlfriend, especially young people like Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, and Liu Guangqi, who were about the same age as Li Hongbing.

A group of people couldn't resist heading to the front yard, all wanting to see what Li Hongbing's girlfriend looked like.

They had all heard about it just now; she was no less beautiful than Qin Huairu, and was like a fairy descended from heaven.

"Silly Zhu, Li Hongbing is a year younger than you, and he's already found a girlfriend. You're eighteen this year, why haven't you found one yet? Is it because you can't find one?"

On his way to the front yard, Xu Damao ran into Sha Zhu and couldn't help but speak up.

"Xu Damao, are you looking for a beating?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu glared at Xu Damao.

During the Lunar New Year, Xu Damao was clearly asking for a beating by saying these things to him.

Rolling up his sleeves, Sha Zhu retorted to Xu Damao, "Just because Hongbing is looking for a partner, does that mean I have to look for one too? Eighteen is still a long time, I'm not in a hurry, why are you worrying about it?"

"hey-hey!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's expression, Xu Damao couldn't help but chuckle, then mocked him directly: "Sha Zhu, are you really not in a hurry, or is it useless to be in a hurry?"

Li Hongbing started learning to cook much later than you, and he's already a junior cook, while you're still just an apprentice.

He earns 350,000 a month, while you only earn half that. There's simply no comparison. Even if you went on blind dates, no one would be interested in you!

Sha Zhu is only eighteen now, so not having a partner isn't really a problem, but Xu Damao is just saying these things on purpose.

That's why they're mortal enemies.

Given the chance, Xu Damao would do anything to mess with him and annoy him, no matter what.

"Xu Damao, you're asking for a beating! Stop right there!"

Xu Damao's provocation directly enraged Sha Zhu, and the two quickly staged a chase.

The others around were already used to it.

soon.

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao were playing around when they followed the others to the front yard.

only.

They had originally wanted to see Li Hongbing's girlfriend, but found the Li family's house closed, which made them feel disappointed.

Fortunately, it didn't last long.

Li Hongbing, who had already established a relationship with Chen Xueru inside the house, opened the door directly after the "meeting".

In the middle of the morning, a man and a woman alone in a room, even if they didn't do anything, some people in the neighborhood always like to make things up.

"Wow, is this Li Hongbing's girlfriend?"

"This is nowhere near Qin Huairu's level; she's miles ahead of Qin Huairu!"

"Li Hongbing is so lucky with women!"

"I heard that he is the manager of Chen's Cloth Shop, and the entire cloth shop is owned by the Chen family."

"Damn it! How come Li Hongbing gets all the good things?"

"Three years older? So what if she's three years older? 'A woman three years older is like a gold mine.' If I had someone like that, I'd even be ten years older..."

"..."

When Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, and Liu Guangqi saw Chen Xueru in Li Hongbing's room, their eyes widened in disbelief.

They just didn't dare to look too closely.

As soon as he noticed Chen Xueru's gaze sweeping over, he immediately looked away in fright.

Compared to Qin Huairu, Chen Xueru is not only beautiful and well-dressed, but also has an outstanding temperament that makes them feel unapproachable.

In truth, Qin Huairu is no match for Chen Xueru.

Although Qin Huairu is not bad-looking, she comes from the countryside after all.

Living in the countryside year-round, and doing all the farming and other work, she inevitably gets exposed to the wind and sun. Her skin is not only not as fair, but it's also much worse, and her hands are rough.

In terms of clothing and appearance, compared to Chen Xueru in front of her, they were worlds apart.

Qin Huairu has a good foundation, but Chen Xueru is just as good.

Chen Xueru was the only one who didn't show up when Qin Huairu came to the courtyard for a blind date; otherwise, she would have definitely outshone everyone.

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi couldn't help but steal another glance, and when they looked at Li Hongbing next to Chen Xueru, they were so envious they almost ground their teeth to powder.

Next.

Li Hongbing left Chen Xueru alone in the house and went directly to visit his neighbors in the courtyard to exchange New Year's greetings.

Actually, Li Hongbing originally wanted to bring Chen Xueru along, since most people in the compound already knew about their current relationship.

Now that they have officially established their relationship, Li Hongbing will not hide anything or hesitate, thus making Chen Xueru feel insecure.

But Chen Xueru refused.

It wasn't that she was shy; Chen Xueru mainly felt that she had been proactive enough today and needed to learn to be a little more "reserved."

After leaving the house, Li Hongbing glanced back at Chen Xueru, who was looking around the room, and a smile appeared on his face.

Chen Xueru's background and social class were not actually that serious.

Moreover, the authorities are now planning to further promote public-private partnerships. Once the first batch of pilot projects, such as Fengzeyuan, are completed and certain results are achieved and corresponding experiences are summarized, they will soon be promoted throughout Beijing and even the whole country.

The government's intention was not to completely eliminate business owners like Chen Xueru, but rather to gradually complete socialist reform through relatively gentle means.

Leaving aside the whole country and the entire city of Beijing, just on Qianmen Street alone, there are more than 800 businesses. Are they all being forced to give up their livelihoods?
The period when the wind picks up in the future will definitely have some impact, but it's not a dead end.

Chen's Cloth Shop is not a large business. As long as it knows how to make choices and act accordingly when the public-private partnership is fully implemented, and actively cooperates, it should be able to get through that period smoothly without too much trouble.

After the reform and opening up, everything that was lost will come back.

By then, business opportunities and opportunities will be everywhere, so why would we be afraid of not becoming prosperous?

Chen Xueru is a smart woman. It's not time yet. She'll wait two years, and even without Li Hongbing, she'll eventually assess the situation.

Especially now that Li Hongbing is around, he can help her and herself avoid many risks in advance.

Chen Xueru's appearance today also made Li Hongbing understand a principle.

Life is not just about eating and drinking; it's also about following your heart and living freely.

Don't be stubborn, but don't be overly worried either, and there's no need to panic about things that haven't happened yet.

Sometimes, running away can solve many problems, but you can't run away forever.

"Uncle Yan, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!"

"Hongbing, is this Manager Chen really your boyfriend?"

"Otherwise what? Would a perfectly innocent young woman risk her reputation to make such a joke?"

"That's not what I meant, I just wanted to confirm."

"..."

Although Chen Xueru had already admitted it herself outside, Yan Bugui and the others were still somewhat skeptical.

It's not that I doubt anything, but I feel that Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru's conditions are somewhat mismatched.

Although Li Hongbing is now a junior cook earning a monthly salary of 350,000 yuan, Chen Xueru is a big boss who can earn an unknown amount of money each month. Li Hongbing is clearly climbing the social ladder.

It's not just a tiny bit of climbing up the social ladder.

Yan Bugui and the others weren't exactly envious or jealous, but they felt that Li Hongbing's life was a bit too good.

"Red Soldier, that's not fair of you!"

Just as Li Hongbing started visiting relatives and friends to offer New Year's greetings, Xu Damao came over and scolded him in a sour tone, "When did you start secretly dating someone without telling your brother?"

Since the incident involving learning to ride a bicycle, the relationship between Xu Damao and Li Hongbing, who originally had no animosity towards each other, has improved considerably.

Among the younger generation in the courtyard, Li Hongbing is currently the one with the highest salary and the best life.

With the added warning from his biological father, Xu Fugui, Xu Damao changed his attitude. He used to try to get close to Xu Damao, and now he even treats him like a brother.

"We just started talking about it, it'll be in the next day or two."

Li Hongbing did not lie; he told the truth quite honestly.

"boast!"

Xu Damao, however, didn't believe it and couldn't help but gossip, asking, "Teach me a trick or two, how did you manage to get such a rich and beautiful woman to take a liking to you?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because he's good-looking!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing shook his head slightly, subtly showing off.

It wasn't entirely about showing off.

After all, Chen Xueru is someone who values ​​appearance, so physical appearance is definitely a factor that needs to be met.

People like Xu Damao and Sha Zhu definitely wouldn't make it; they'd be eliminated in the very first round.

however.

Li Hongbing's answer made Xu Damao want to curse.

He knew he wasn't as good-looking as Li Hongbing, but Li Hongbing didn't have to be so pretentious and shabby, did he?

Just when he was feeling down, Sha Zhu chuckled and added insult to injury: "Xu Damao, Hongbing is handsome. When he walks down the street, he gets all sorts of young women and wives looking at him. With your long face, don't even try to compare yourself to Hongbing. I'm embarrassed for you!"

"Damn it, you idiot Zhu!"

Sha Zhu's taunts immediately enraged Xu Damao, who retorted sharply, "You have the nerve to talk back to me? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. You're eighteen years old, but you look thirty-eight. Anyone who didn't know better would think you're the same generation as your father!"

"Xu Damao, say that again if you dare?"

He was laughing wildly, but as soon as Xu Damao said those words, especially mentioning his father He Daqing, Sha Zhu's expression changed on the spot.

"If you tell me to say something and I just say it, wouldn't I lose face?"

Having been at odds with Sha Zhu since childhood, Xu Damao naturally knew that Sha Zhu was currently in a state of "red warmth" (a state of arousal), so he dared not continue to provoke him. However, for the sake of his pride, he could not back down, so he started to joke around.

"grass!"

"Xu Damao, I'll beat you to death!"

"Screw you, try catching me first."

"Don't run away if you can!"

"If you have the guts, don't chase me!"

"grass!"

"..."

Seeing that Sha Zhu and Xu Damao started fighting after only a few words, Li Hongbing was speechless.

What a pair of clowns!
Like a child who hasn't grown up.

However, at their age, they are still young and have a youthful spirit, which is normal.

soon.

After paying his respects in the front courtyard, Li Hongbing went to visit other people in the middle courtyard.

During this process, it was inevitable that they would see Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu, as well as Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, but they did not greet each other, as if they did not see each other.

Aside from those two families, Li Hongbing visited each of the other families in the Intermediate People's Court, ate a piece of candy or a melon seed, said a few auspicious New Year's greetings, and then went to the backyard.

Everyone understood the situation but kept quiet, and no one discussed it.

Li Hongbing's dealings with the Jia and Yi families were common knowledge in the courtyard.

As for the two sides not communicating with each other, that started back when Jia Dongxu got married.

Everyone has long accepted and gotten used to it.

"It's the Lunar New Year, and they have no manners at all. They don't even know to come over and greet the elders in the courtyard."

Seeing that Li Hongbing ignored them and went straight to the backyard, even though she had known this would happen, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but mutter a curse under her breath.

Yi Zhonghai's expression was not good, but he didn't say anything. Li Hongbing was determined not to associate with either of their families, and Yi Zhonghai couldn't force him to.

At worst, they'll just stop treating Li Hongbing as a neighbor in the courtyard.

Qin Huairu and Wang Guihua, who were standing nearby, remained silent when they heard Jia Zhangshi's complaints.

However, Jia Dongxu, upon seeing Li Hongbing go to the backyard to offer New Year's greetings, suddenly clutched his stomach and said, "Ouch, I need to go to the toilet. I probably ate too much this morning."

Seeing Jia Dongxu run outside, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi didn't think much of it, let alone suspect anything.

Come to the front yard.

Jia Dongxu peeked furtively into Li Hongbing's room, but couldn't see a single person, which made him somewhat disappointed.

Did he go back?
at the same time.

Seeing Jia Dongxu acting suspiciously outside the east wing, Aunt Yan couldn't help but ask, "Jia Dongxu, what are you looking at?"

It's common knowledge that Jia Dongxu and Li Hongbing have a feud, so Jia Dongxu's current actions are bound to make Aunt Yan suspicious.

As neighbors living across the hall and in the front yard, and given that Li Hongbing is doing well now, Aunt Yan naturally sides with him more.

If Jia Dongxu wanted to do something bad, Li Hongbing could at least do him a favor by stepping in to stop him.

"Nope!"

When Aunt Yan caught him, Jia Dongxu's expression tightened, and he said somewhat guiltily, "Aunt Yan, I was just passing by on my way to the toilet."

Just as he finished speaking, Jia Dongxu started to walk out, but then stopped and asked Aunt Yan, "Aunt Yan, wasn't it said that Li Hongbing's girlfriend was here? Why haven't I seen her?"

"Jia Dongxu, why are you asking about this?"

Already suspicious of Jia Dongxu, when he said he was going to the toilet and took the initiative to inquire about this, Aunt Yan couldn't help but become wary.

"It's nothing, I just asked casually out of curiosity!"

Unable to find out anything, Jia Dongxu was somewhat disappointed, but to avoid arousing Aunt Yan's suspicion, he quickly explained, "Just now at the Intermediate Court, I heard people bragging about how incredibly beautiful Li Hongbing's girlfriend is, like a fairy descended from heaven. I just wanted to see what this fairy descended from heaven looks like..."

Jia Dongxu's explanation was reasonable enough to temporarily dispel some of Aunt Yan's doubts, but she still didn't reveal where Chen Xueru had gone.

What if Jia Dongxu really wants to do something bad? If I say this, wouldn't I be making myself an accomplice?
If we do that, we'll offend Li Hongbing.

Having no other choice, Jia Dongxu could only walk outside. After all, he had just said that he needed to use the restroom outside, and if he went back, he would be exposed.

Simultaneously.

Jia Dongxu wondered if Li Hongbing's girlfriend might also be out using the restroom, so he decided to try his luck.

only.

Jia Dongxu went to the outside restroom and waited nearby for a while, but did not see anyone matching his description.

Just as Jia Dongxu was beginning to feel disappointed, Chen Xueru, who had gone out for a walk, happened to return.

Li Hongbing went to visit someone, while Chen Xueru stayed in the house alone.

With Li Hongbing not around, and everyone in the courtyard being discreet, no one dared to come over. Bored, Chen Xueru went outside for a stroll.

Just as Chen Xueru was about to go back, she ran into Jia Dongxu, who was "waiting for the rabbit to come to the tree stump" there.

just.

Seeing Jia Dongxu staring blankly at her, Chen Xueru frowned, sensing his rudeness.

"Hello, are you Chen Xueru?"

At the same time, just as Chen Xueru was about to walk past, Jia Dongxu stepped forward and stopped her.

The moment Jia Dongxu saw Chen Xueru, he was completely stunned.

How can there be such a beautiful and elegant person in this world?
Even if he didn't want to admit it, based on the descriptions of the people in the courtyard, Jia Dongxu was almost certain that the other person was Li Hongbing's girlfriend, Chen Xueru, the owner of Chen's Cloth Shop.

"you are?"

Originally not wanting to pay any attention to Jia Dongxu, Chen Xueru stopped in her tracks when she heard him call her name.

“I also live in this courtyard house, and I am Li Hongbing’s neighbor.”

Upon hearing Chen Xueru speak, Jia Dongxu was secretly excited. He pointed to his own courtyard house not far away and then asked, "You're Li Hongbing's girlfriend, right?"

Since Chen Xueru didn't deny it just now, it was basically an admission. However, just to be on the safe side, Jia Dongxu confirmed it again.

"I don't think I've seen you before."

Chen Xueru was very vigilant. Although Jia Dongxu took the initiative to say that he was Li Hongbing's neighbor in the same courtyard, she had no recollection of him at all, so she still became suspicious.

In running a business, one of the most important things is memory.

Whether it's bookkeeping or dealing with customers who have visited the store, Chen Xueru has long since mastered these skills.

Even if you don't say you've met them, you'll remember them after seeing them once; you'll basically have some impression of them.

"Hey! Manager Chen, you probably don't know, but our courtyard is a four-courtyard siheyuan. After passing the rear building, there are three courtyards: front, middle, and back. Li Hongbing lives in the front courtyard, and I live in the middle courtyard. It's normal that you didn't see me just now. I only guessed because I heard people in the courtyard talking about you..."

Realizing that Chen Xueru didn't seem to believe him, Jia Dongxu became anxious and quickly began to explain.

"That's it..."

Hearing Jia Dongxu's explanation, and finding that it matched what she knew, Chen Xueru felt less suspicious.

only.

Because of her bad first impression of Jia Dongxu, even though he really was Li Hongbing's neighbor, Chen Xueru didn't plan to talk to him much.

Exactly.

Jia Dongxu had come here specifically for Chen Xueru, so he couldn't just leave after a brief greeting. He immediately asked, "Manager Chen, if I may ask, with such good qualities as you, why would you take a fancy to Li Hongbing?"

When he spoke again, Jia Dongxu couldn't help but use honorifics.

What happened to Li Hongbing?

Chen Xueru was taken aback.

Anyone could tell that Jia Dongxu's words were loaded with meaning and were not normal.

It's as if Li Hongbing has some kind of problem.

"Manager Chen, before I answer you, I need to ask you a few questions first, and then I can decide whether or not to answer them."

After all, Jia Dongxu didn't know much about the situation between Chen Xueru and Li Hongbing, especially since Chen Xueru was now Li Hongbing's girlfriend, not just a blind date. So, before deciding to do something bad, Jia Dongxu first did his research and took precautions.

If Chen Xueru and Li Hongbing have been dating for some time, speaking ill of Li Hongbing at this point might not be helpful and could even cause trouble for himself, so he must be cautious.

"You said."

Chen Xueru instinctively sensed that something was wrong with Jia Dongxu, but she didn't show it. Instead, she pretended to be curious, wanting to see what Jia Dongxu was up to.

"Manager Chen, you and Li Hongbing haven't known each other for very long, have you?"

Looking at Chen Xueru, Jia Dongxu made an initial attempt to probe.

"It wasn't long. We first met when his sister came to the cloth shop to buy fabric before she got married. We didn't have any contact for quite a while after that, and it was only recently that our relationship improved."

Chen Xueru was telling the truth.

However, under normal circumstances, she might not answer such a question if someone asked her.

The fact that they're going into such detail right now is clearly intentional.

really.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu was overjoyed and asked again, "Manager Chen, when did you and Li Hongbing officially become a couple?"

"Yesterday, I think!"

Chen Xueru told a little lie.

strictly speaking.

They only confirmed their relationship today, just now.

I doubt anyone would believe this if I told them.

Because Chen Xueru arrived in the morning as Li Hongbing's girlfriend, no one would have guessed the actual situation.

As for last night, they just accidentally crossed the line. Although Chen Xueru asked, Li Hongbing did not give a formal response.

"yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu was dumbfounded.

I thought it wouldn't have been long since Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru met and started dating, but I didn't expect it to be this short.

Yesterday was New Year's Eve.

Instead of enjoying their New Year's Eve dinner, did those two go off to date?

Jia Dongxu was speechless with frustration, but he also saw a glimmer of hope. He made up his mind and whispered to Chen Xueru, "Manager Chen, there are some things I didn't want to say, but since you haven't gotten too deeply involved yet, I really don't want you to jump into the fire pit."

To be honest, Li Hongbing is not a good person. He usually acts all high and mighty, but he's actually a black-hearted person!
You must have heard about Li Hongbing saving Lou Bancheng's daughter last year, just a few months ago, right?
However, many people only know one side of the story and not the other. They all think that Li Hongbing was doing a good deed out of righteousness, but in reality, he was after the Lou family's money.

Li Hongbing saved someone, but when Lou Bancheng brought his daughter to thank him later, he asked for a reward of five million yuan. Do you think that's possible?

Was he acting heroically to save someone, or was he taking the opportunity to extort money?
Everyone says that doing good deeds should be done anonymously and without expecting anything in return, but Li Hongbing not only seeks fame but also money; he's simply…

Hearing Jia Dongxu say these words, Chen Xueru frowned deeply, her expression showing great displeasure.

In fact, Chen Xueru had already fully realized what was going on when Jia Dongxu had only said a few words. She guessed that he had a grudge against Li Hongbing, so he deliberately came to her to speak ill of Li Hongbing, ruin his image in her mind, and try to prevent her from dating Li Hongbing.

This person...

Oh no!

As for Li Hongbing saving people and the Lou family repaying him, Chen Xueru hadn't specifically asked Li Hongbing about it, but the rumors circulating outside weren't true.

If it were someone else, perhaps there would be the unknown inside story that Jia Dongxu mentioned.

But based on Chen Xueru's understanding of Li Hongbing, it was absolutely impossible for that to happen.

In other words, Jia Dongxu is lying and spreading rumors.

Chen Xueru was extremely angry with Jia Dongxu, but instead of confronting him directly, she continued to listen to him.

She wanted to hear what else her neighbor, Li Hongbing, would say about him.

at the same time.

Seeing Chen Xueru's face turn ugly, Jia Dongxu thought his words had worked and became even more smug. He immediately pressed his advantage and continued to fabricate stories: "What I just said is only part of it. There are even worse things."

Li Hongbing disrespected his elders, talked back to them, and even physically assaulted an elderly person in public.

A few months ago, he angered an elderly woman in her seventies in our community so much that she ended up in the hospital and stayed for several days before being discharged.

He dares to hit even the elderly, what wouldn't he dare to do? He might even hit his wife in the future..."

After arranging things for a long time and finding nothing else, Jia Dongxu finally sighed and said to Chen Xueru with a "reluctant" look, "Manager Chen, I know it's not good to gossip behind people's backs, but dating and marriage are not trivial matters. I don't want you to be kept in the dark and end up jumping into a fire pit without knowing why, suffering for the rest of your life..."

To make his words sound believable, Jia Dongxu tried his best to portray himself as noble and great.

After calculating the time, Jia Dongxu figured Li Hongbing would be back soon after visiting the backyard for the New Year, so he didn't dare to wait too long and immediately started wrapping things up.

Fortunately, it's Chinese New Year now, and apart from some children playing around, there's not much else around.

"Kind sir, wait a minute."

Just as Jia Dongxu was about to slip away, Chen Xueru called him back and asked, "Thank you for being so kind as to tell me all this. I don't even know your name!"

"Hey! Names don't matter. I'm not like Li Hongbing; I never leave my name when I do good deeds."

Jia Dongxu panicked, fearing that Li Hongbing would come after him, so he dared not leave his name and prepared to keep his merits hidden.

"No, you have to tell me your name, otherwise I'll feel bad."

Without even getting her name out of him, how could Chen Xueru let Jia Dongxu get away so easily?

"This……"

Seeing Chen Xueru's persistence and her "grateful" expression, Jia Dongxu paused.

If he doesn't leave his name, Chen Xueru will probably keep bothering him.

Suddenly.

On a sudden inspiration, Jia Dongxu said to Chen Xueru, "My name is Xu Damao!"

(End of this chapter)