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

Chapter 135 Passionate as Fire, Chen Xueru Offers a Kiss (4k)

Given what happened, regardless of whether there was a reason, it was almost inevitable that Xu Fugui would be removed from his position as the caretaker of the compound.

The impact is very bad.

However, through Yan Bugui, Li Hongbing gained a further understanding of the attitudes of Officer Yang and Public Security Officer Qian towards handling this incident.

Although Xu Fugui attacked Jia Dongxu, and quite severely, resulting in Jia Dongxu being hospitalized, Jia Dongxu was the one who started the trouble, and Xu Damao also bears a great deal of responsibility because he injured his head.

Jia Dongxu dared not pursue the matter with Xu Fugui, because if he did, he himself would not fare well either.

Seeing that Xu Damao was not seriously injured, Xu Fugui, who had already vented his anger, also had the idea of ​​letting things go.

With neither side pursuing the other's responsibility, Officer Yang and Officer Qian naturally wouldn't cause any trouble.

and so.

Currently, both sides are equally at fault, and they have both received some criticism and education for the time being.

To put it mildly, it's a dispute between neighbors.

As long as it doesn't involve serious incidents or violations of imperial orders, there is actually a lot of flexibility in handling the situation if it's not too severe.

In the opening episodes of the original series, there was the incident of Bang Geng stealing chickens. Sha Zhu took the blame, but why did Yi Zhonghai dare to suppress it?

Theft is punished severely in this era.

However, due to the low level of national education and legal awareness, many people are legally illiterate, morality and law go hand in hand, law-abiding behavior is not standardized, the rule of law is not sound enough, and law enforcement is also flexible.

Even when it involves illegal matters, many people still prefer to settle things privately.

The incident of Banggeng stealing chickens did not involve the public, and since Shazhu was the one who was taken advantage of and compensated for the losses, Yi Zhonghai intervened and persuaded Xu Damao to compromise and obtain his understanding, so it was considered a private settlement.

If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate. Even if the police find out later, they'll turn a blind eye.

At most, they would only offer criticism and education.

Of course.

If it involves touching the high-voltage red line, then that's a different story.

Just as Li Hongbing was thinking about these things, Yan Bugui suddenly tentatively asked, "Hongbing, if the hospital holds a new election for the head of the hospital, will you vote for Uncle Yan?"

"Uncle Yan, you're still thinking about this?"

Li Hongbing had known for some time that Yan Bugui wanted to become the head of the courtyard, and he admired Yan's perseverance as he began to scheme whenever he had the chance.

This "management officer" actually has another official title: "communication officer" or "liaison officer."

It is a non-governmental organization established by the higher authorities to address the problems of insufficient grassroots resources and poor information flow, and to promote cooperation between the government, the public, and departments. Its core responsibilities are supervision and reporting, policy dissemination, and assisting in investigations. However, it only has the right to supervise and report, but not the right to handle cases.

This is also why Yi Zhonghai was dismissed from his position as the head of the management school.

As a profit-driven person, Yan Bugui was so keen on the position of "Grandpa" in the School of Management because it would allow him to align himself with the organization and give him an advantage in his work and performance evaluations at the school.

In practice.

This liaison officer system was easily influenced by personal prestige, which fostered bias and injustice. In addition, some liaison officers lacked legal awareness and knowledge. As a result, it was abolished in 1959 with the abolition of the Ministry of Control.

By 1965, the liaison officer system had long since ceased to exist, but the so-called "management officer" title was retained by Yi Zhonghai and his associates, who continued to use the old rules as their authority.

Based on some of the things they've done, calling it setting up a private court wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.

"I'm doing this for everyone's sake. If Old Xu's position as the head of the college is removed, then Old Liu will be the only head of the college left. At that point, we'll have to elect at least one more person..."

Yan Bugui was a little embarrassed, but since Li Hongbing had asked, he chose to "open his heart" to him.

Li Hongbing is not a big mouth and knows how to behave appropriately. Yan Bugui believes that he will not go around publicizing this matter.

chances are for people who are prepared.

Xu Fugui's position as the head of the management office is definitely not going to be saved; someone else must step in.

In this situation, to prevent the events of that year from happening again, Yan Bugui naturally had to put in some effort in advance and not miss out on the position of the head of the management office again.

“Okay, Uncle Yan, if the hospital really has to elect a new head of the hospital, I will definitely vote for you.”

Yan Bugui wanted to become the head of the management team, so he came to Li Hongbing in advance to solicit votes. Li Hongbing didn't mind giving him face.

Anyway, someone has to take the position, so it doesn't matter who is chosen.

Although Yan Bugui has selfish motives and likes to scheme, at least he's not good at causing trouble or manipulating public opinion, so he's relatively less of a worry.

"Then thank you in advance, Uncle Yan."

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's agreement, Yan Bugui was overjoyed.

With Li Hongbing's support, his chances will be much greater.

Having achieved his goal, Yan Bugui stopped pestering him, and Li Hongbing pushed his bicycle out again and went to Li Hongmei's place.

Upon seeing Li Hongbing arrive, Li Hongmei, who had been worried since the afternoon, showed him great concern.

Li Hongmei spent most of the day visiting relatives and coworkers with Zhao Weiguo. It wasn't until late in the afternoon that she heard about what happened to Li Hongbing.

"I heard you even laid a hand on Jia Dongxu?"

"That guy deserves a beating; giving him a few slaps is too lenient."

"Don't be so impulsive next time! What if you hurt yourself?"

"If I can't beat you, I'll just run away! Besides, Jia Dongxu isn't anything special except that he's a few years older than me."

"loquacious!"

"..."

Seemingly remembering something, Li Hongmei couldn't help but probe Li Hongbing, "Hongbing, when...when did you get together with Manager Chen?"

"Let's talk about the period around the Lunar New Year!"

Li Hongbing knew that Li Hongmei would definitely ask this question, so he had prepared an answer in advance.

Anyway, I didn't lie.

Before Li Hongmei could speak, Li Hongbing preemptively asked, "Sister, do you have a problem with Xueru?"

"Manager Chen is good in every way, except..."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Hongmei couldn't help but say, "I'm just a little bit older than you."

Chen Xueru was perfect in every way, and Li Hongmei even felt that they were marrying above their station. But after the New Year, Li Hongbing was only seventeen, and Chen Xueru was three years older than him.

Although the saying "marrying a woman three years older is like finding a gold brick" had existed for a long time, in the 1950s, relationships between older women and younger men were not popular. Instead, the traditional "older man, younger woman" model was absolutely dominant.

It wouldn't truly become a popular trend until at least the 1990s, after the reform and opening up.

It's actually quite normal for Li Hongmei to react this way right now.

"Sis, you said it was just a little bit."

Li Hongbing smiled and said nonchalantly, "I'll find some time later to invite Xue Ru over for a visit. She's a skilled seamstress, and you can exchange ideas with her and learn from each other."

"Ah."

Li Hongmei stared at Li Hongbing for a few seconds, then sighed inwardly.

She wasn't a particularly domineering older sister. She cared about Li Hongbing, but now that he was grown up and working, she naturally wouldn't forcibly interfere with or restrict his freedom of choice.

We live in a new society now. While relationships between older women and younger men are not as common, they do exist.

The key is that Li Hongmei knows that once Li Hongbing has made up his mind, it is almost impossible to change it.

Instead of opposing it at all costs, we should let Li Hongbing give it a try.

Just like her and Zhao Weiguo, a free love based on mutual understanding and tolerance is always better than a hasty blind date.

After chatting with Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo for a while to put their minds at ease, Li Hongbing went back.

the next day.

Li Hongmei took Zhao Weiguo back to her parents' home.

Her return made the courtyard quite lively. The food factory arranged a house for Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo in the vicinity of Nanluoguxiang, which was closer to her parents' home than her husband's. However, because of Li Hongbing's work hours, Li Hongmei rarely came over. On the contrary, when Li Hongbing was off work, he would often go to her place to cook or just eat there.

Li Hongmei can be considered a "rare guest" in the hospital right now.

Li Hongmei married well. Although her husband's family wasn't wealthy, her husband, Zhao Weiguo, was a driver at a food factory with a decent salary. She herself was also a full-time employee at the food factory, making them an enviable dual-income family.

Li Hongbing's younger brother is doing better and better, with a bright future ahead.

Under such circumstances, without even mentioning flattery, everyone welcomed her warmly.

No matter what, Li Hongmei got married out of this courtyard, and she used to have a good relationship with everyone.

After having lunch together, Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo went back home.

in the afternoon.

Li Hongbing picked out some gifts from the system space and rode his bicycle out.

I promised Chen Xueru that I would visit her parents today if I had time.

Riding his bicycle, Li Hongbing arrived at Chen's Cloth Shop on Qianmen Street. Seeing Chen Xueru inside, he couldn't help but smile and ring his bicycle bell.

The crisp sound of a bicycle bell rang. Li Hongbing got off his bicycle, parked it, and went into the store, only to find that Chen Xueru had turned her back to him.

At first, Li Hongbing didn't think anything of it, but he soon realized something was wrong.

"Xueru, what's wrong?"

Seeing Chen Xueru's red eyes, clearly indicating she had been crying, Li Hongbing paused for a moment and couldn't help but guess, "Did you argue with your dad again after you went back yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru nodded, then shook her head, and then said to Li Hongbing with difficulty, "Hongbing, I'm sorry, I'm sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing today."

"What, your dad doesn't want to see me?"

Upon hearing Chen Xueru say this, Li Hongbing took the initiative to inquire.

Li Hongbing had anticipated that there would be some obstacles in visiting Chen Xueru's parents.

After all, Chen's father had arranged blind dates for Chen Xueru, but Chen Xueru had been uncooperative, and there was already a conflict between the father and daughter. Then Chen Xueru chose him as her partner, and this conflict was transferred to him and Chen's father.

Originally, it was Chen Xueru who took the initiative to make this visit, but now she says there's no need to go.

Li Hongbing didn't believe that nothing had happened in between.

"Xueru, if you still consider me your partner, if there are any problems, just say them directly, and we'll face them together. Don't bear them alone, otherwise we'll drift apart sooner or later."

Seeing that Chen Xueru shook her head but refused to say anything, Li Hongbing had no choice but to speak frankly and openly.

Trust is fundamental.

Regardless of whether it's for the other person's good or not, if someone is hiding something or silently enduring something without ever telling the other person,

If this continues, it will eventually lead to suspicion and disrupt the balance and harmony between them.

"I……"

After hearing Li Hongbing's words, Chen Xueru couldn't help but look at him.

After hesitating for a moment.

Chen Xueru finally spoke up and confessed, "After I got back yesterday, I told my dad about us, and he finally agreed, but he made one request..."

"what?"

Li Hongbing knew that Chen's father's request must be very difficult, the kind that he could hardly agree to, otherwise Chen Xueru wouldn't have reacted this way today. However, he was still quite curious.

"My dad said..."

Chen Xueru paused, her face suddenly turning red. Embarrassed and embarrassed, she avoided Li Hongbing's gaze and said softly, "He said that after we get our marriage certificate, we have to...we have at least two sons, and the second one has to take my surname, Chen..."

Fortunately, Li Hongbing's hearing is good now, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hear everything Chen Xueru said.

Upon learning of Chen's father's request, Li Hongbing finally understood why Chen Xueru was behaving so strangely today.

This demand is indeed excessive in this day and age.

Second only to son-in-law/son-in-law.

As for why Chen's father would make such a request, Li Hongbing had already guessed some of the reasons based on what he had learned before.

Chen's father only had one daughter, Chen Xueru, and with the family business of Chen's Cloth Shop, he naturally wanted to have a lineage to continue.

In this day and age, having no sons, or even having daughters, is considered "having no descendants."

In traditional thinking, a daughter "belongs to her husband's family" after marriage, and her children take her father's surname. Her property and family line cannot be inherited by her own descendants.

In some large families, if there are no sons, they will directly adopt a nephew or a younger member of the same clan to carry on their lineage, and leave all the family property to the adoptive parent.

In the patriarchal clan system, daughters have no right of inheritance.

Even with current laws, it wasn't until the 1985 Inheritance Law that the equal inheritance rights of daughters were clearly defined.

Although gender equality has been advocated in the new society, the mindset of the general public at the grassroots level cannot be changed overnight.

This kind of thinking persisted even after the reform and opening up, and into the new century.

In rural areas, childless families are prone to discrimination and oppression, and their family property may be swallowed up by in-laws, which is often referred to as "eating up a family's property."

This phenomenon may be less pronounced in the city, but it still exists.

Given the current social environment, it's understandable to have such a request from Mr. Chen's perspective.

“I know this request is outrageous, and you definitely won’t agree. If I come over today, my dad will definitely bring it up, and then…”

Chen Xueru naturally considered things from Li Hongbing's perspective and thought it was impossible. To avoid any unpleasantness later, she simply canceled today's visit and meeting.

Although Chen Xueru is a woman, she knows what this means for men, especially given that Li Hongbing is the only son in the Li family.

How do you know I won't agree?

Knowing Chen Xueru's thoughts, Li Hongbing smiled and asked the question casually.

"you……"

Chen Xueru was stunned.

"It's not like I'm being asked to marry into your family or become a live-in son-in-law. It's not as serious as you think."

Seeing this, Li Hongbing couldn't help but shake his head.

Having arrived in this era, Li Hongbing has been adapting and integrating, but since he comes from a later era, it doesn't mean he has to be completely bound and constrained by worldly conventions.

Having already transmigrated, aside from matters of life, death, and safety, can't he live a little more freely?

In the 1920s, there were many more only children, and arranged marriages, which were previously unacceptable, gradually became more common.

Li Hongbing would definitely not be willing to marry into his wife's family, but the issue of the children's surname is not that difficult for him.

Moreover, Chen's father's request also took his side into consideration; it was not entirely forceful or unreasonable.

"do you agree?"

Faced with Li Hongbing's actions, Chen Xueru's first reaction was not surprise, but bewilderment.

Followed by.

Seeing Li Hongbing nod, Chen Xueru was overwhelmed with emotion and immediately stepped forward to hug Li Hongbing's neck, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Chen Xueru's movements were awkward, but sensing his enthusiasm, Li Hongbing responded proactively.

Fortunately, it's Chinese New Year now and there aren't many people outside. Otherwise, if someone had seen this scene, they would have been accused of being indecent.

For a long time.

When the two separated, Chen Xueru's face was flushed red, as if it were about to bleed. Her eyes were alluring, but she dared not look at Li Hongbing.

Although she is three years older than Li Hongbing, she has no experience in this area and is like a blank sheet of paper waiting for Li Hongbing to write on it.

(End of this chapter)