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

Chapter 142 Is Jia Zhangshi having a fit? Just go up and beat her up! (5k)

"Jia Zhangshi, you are being unreasonable."

"How much grain our family wants to buy is our own business, what's it to you?"

Did I tell you to buy it along with me?

"We have a large family, and we consume food quickly, so we'd like to buy more. What's wrong with that?"

"How can you blame me for this? Don't you have any sense of reason?"

"..."

Yan Bugui never expected that Jia Zhangshi would pin such a burden on him.

Was he wronged or not?
From beginning to end, the purchase and storage of grain were all done voluntarily by his family; Yan Bugui never asked anyone else to do the same.

Yan Bugui is not stupid.

Even if there really is a plan from above, his hoarding of grain is just a personal act. But if he organizes the people in the compound to hoard grain together, and it attracts the attention of the higher-ups, wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

If there's no such plan from above and I'm wrong, dragging them along might not only leave me with no benefit but also offend those people in the institute.

Yan Bugui never does things that are thankless and difficult.

As for the people in the courtyard who wanted to follow suit and buy it, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Yan Bugui, all that talk is useless. If your family didn't buy, would our family have bought so much grain?"

Upon hearing this, it was clear that Madam Jia was not going to reason with them.

Of course.

She had no point in arguing.

Although they knew that Jia Zhangshi was in the wrong, the people in the courtyard did not speak up for Yan Bugui, because many of them had been influenced by Yan Bugui and had also hoarded a lot of grain.

Although it wasn't as much as the Jia family had stockpiled, it was clearly not something they could finish in a month or two.

Hoarding food has become a joke.

More or less, everyone felt some resentment towards Yan Bugui.

Even if Yan Bugui wasn't the only one who hoarded grain at the beginning.

However, even after the frenzy of buying grain subsided, the Yan family did not stop hoarding it.

If Yan Bugui hadn't done that, people might have bought less.

Even though it wasn't his fault, everyone pointed the finger at him whenever something went wrong.

The human heart can be quite strange and absurd at times.

Yan Bugui realized that he had no reason with Jia Zhangshi, and even if he did, he couldn't reason with her. So he looked directly at Yi Zhonghai, who was not far away, and reminded him, "Old Yi, aren't you going to do something about Jia Zhangshi?"

Right now, the only person who can control Jia Zhangshi and make her obey is probably Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai was surprised that Yan Bugui would suddenly ask him for help. After a moment of surprise, he helplessly spread his hands and said, "Old Yan, this is a matter between you and the Jia family. I can't interfere."

Faced with Yan Bugui's "plea for help," Yi Zhonghai chose to stand by and do nothing.

He knew Jia Zhangshi all too well what kind of person she was.

The Jia family invested so much money in stockpiling grain, only to find that it was a completely unnecessary act. If this matter isn't resolved, Jia Zhangshi will not let it go.

If he were still the head of the courtyard, he naturally wouldn't allow Jia Zhangshi to cause trouble for Yan Bugui like this, but he's not anymore, so why bother with so much nonsense?

Yan Bugui's troubles are something he has to resolve himself.

Obvious.

Having lost his position as the dean of the college and finding that his words no longer carried any weight in the college, Yi Zhonghai changed his mindset and began to "give up."

No matter how much trouble Jia Zhangshi causes in the future, as long as she doesn't suffer any losses, he won't interfere. He'll let Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and Du Jianguo, the senior managers of the courtyard, handle it.

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai didn't want to get involved and was still being so perfunctory, Yan Bugui was almost driven crazy by him.

Whatever happens to the Jia family is beyond Yi Zhonghai's control.

It's clear.

Yi Zhonghai wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai hadn't stepped in to stop her as before, but instead made this statement as if she had received tacit approval, Jia Zhangshi felt more confident and immediately made an outrageous demand of Yan Bugui: "Yan Bugui, I won't make things difficult for you. Just take back all the grain I've bought recently, and this matter will be over."

"Jia Zhangshi, what did you say?"

"You want me to buy all your grain?"

"Don't even think about it!"

"You've got your hands on me, Yan Bugui! This is like a blind man lighting a lamp – a complete waste of your time!"

"No matter how hard you try, it's impossible. Don't even dream about it!"

"..."

Jia Zhangshi's abacus beads were practically hitting him in the face; how could Yan Bugui possibly agree?

Not to mention that the amount of grain that Jia Zhangshi has stockpiled these days is not small, his own family alone has more than they can eat.

Although Yan Bugui felt that even if there were no restrictions on the purchase of rice and grains now, what if there were restrictions later?
It's not just a matter of time, but Yan Bugui thinks it's still possible.

Ultimately, it's just a possibility.

Under such circumstances, he was absolutely certain that he would not take over the Jia family's grain, as that would increase his own risk.

The crowd remained silent, but they also felt that Jia Zhangshi's demands were too outrageous.

Unless Yan Bugui has lost his mind, he would never agree to Jia Zhangshi's unreasonable request.

Of course.

If Yan Bugui is willing, they would be happy to sell him the surplus grain they have at the original price.

Yan Bugui disagreed, but Jia Zhangshi insisted, and the two, unable to agree, naturally started arguing again.

“Jia Zhangshi, your family’s purchase and storage of grain is your own business and has nothing to do with Lao Yan. No one would agree to your request. I advise you not to cause trouble.”

Du Jianguo, a former employee of the Intermediate People's Court, couldn't stand by and watch, so he had no choice but to stand up for justice.

What Jia Zhangshi did was shameful.

Not only did she and the Jia family lose face, but the people of their Zhongyuan also lost face, so Du Jianguo naturally had to take care of it.

Seeing Du Jianguo come out to interfere, Jia Zhangshi looked displeased and retorted directly, "Du Jianguo, what business is this of yours?"

"Mrs. Jia, I am the caretaker of this courtyard. What business do you have with me?"

Du Jianguo was directly angered by Jia Zhangshi's attitude.

In front of so many people in the entire courtyard, Madam Jia Zhang didn't give him the slightest bit of face.

It's one thing to call him by his name, but to treat him with such an attitude, as if he were still the old Du Jianguo.

Unexpectedly.

Hearing Du Jianguo get angry, Jia Zhangshi not only didn't care, but instead said disdainfully, "So what if he's the head of the household? He's in charge of everything, and he wants to interfere in my family's affairs? Go cool off somewhere else!"

Jia Zhangshi's words left everyone present dumbfounded.

This is another person, after Li Hongbing, who dared to publicly confront the senior staff member of the management department.

only.

The current Du Jianguo is nothing like the Yi Zhonghai of the past.

Although Du Jianguo has been the caretaker of the hospital for more than half a year, he is not like Yi Zhonghai in the past and cannot control the others in the hospital.

To put it bluntly, it's because they lack prestige!

Leaving aside the front and back yards, let's talk about the middle yard.

The Jia family and Sha Zhu are both led by Yi Zhonghai. These three families alone are enough to give him a headache.

Although Yi Zhonghai is no longer the senior figure in the School of Management and his prestige has diminished, he is still a senior fitter at the steel rolling mill, which gives him an edge over Du Jianguo in this respect.

One more thing.

It was Li Hongbing's appearance that, with his own strength, completely shattered the "rule" of the courtyard house's manager. Du Jianguo and Yan Bugui, who came to power later, could never do what Yi Zhonghai and Xu Fugui had done before.

Now that Jia Zhangshi has publicly humiliated him, it's not Jia Zhangshi who is losing face, but Du Jianguo, the newly appointed senior administrator.

"Jia Zhangshi, how dare you speak to me like that?"

"Old Du is the head of your department, and this is how you treat him?"

"What's your attitude?"

"Don't you have any manners or respect?" "..."

As Yan Bugui and Jia Zhangshi quarreled, and Du Jianguo was rebuked by Jia Zhangshi when he stepped in, Liu Haizhong, the only elder in charge of the courtyard who had not spoken up, could no longer sit still and stood up on the spot to reprimand and criticize Jia Zhangshi.

By doing this, Jia Zhangshi was not only slapping Du Jianguo in the face, but also trampling on the dignity and status of the head of the management office.

He, Yan Bugui, and Du Jianguo were all senior members of the management team, and their fates were intertwined—they shared both prosperity and adversity.

Internally, competition and rivalry are acceptable, but externally, unity is essential.

"Liu Haizhong, this is a matter for our Intermediate People's Court. It's none of your business."

When dealing with Liu Haizhong, the more senior manager of the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was obviously more restrained, but she wasn't as polite either.

"presumptuous!"

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi was addressing him by his given name, Liu Haizhong, who was already unhappy, immediately became angry and scolded Jia Zhangshi: "Jia Zhangshi, when did this become a matter for your Zhongyuan?"
You seem to have forgotten that Lao Yan works in the front courtyard, not your middle courtyard. This is also what you said, that it's your middle courtyard's own business.

And this college-wide meeting hasn't been disbanded yet, has it?

Since you and Lao Yan have a dispute, Lao Du and I have the right and obligation to mediate between you.

Originally, Jia Zhangshi wanted to say something, but when she saw Yi Zhonghai secretly shaking his head at her, she became quiet.

Liu Haizhong had been the head of the courtyard for a longer time and was more experienced. If they continued to oppose him, Jia Zhangshi, who was already in the wrong, would probably lose even more face.

“Alright, Uncle Liu, you have to give me justice. Just because Yan Bugui is a manager in the courtyard like you doesn’t mean you can protect him and favor him.”

Receiving Yi Zhonghai's signal, Jia Zhangshi reluctantly yielded, but secretly put pressure on Liu Haizhong.

"That's natural."

With his intervention, Jia Zhangshi, who was previously unresponsive to anyone, immediately became obedient, and Liu Haizhong felt extremely smug.

Next.

Liu Haizhong then pulled Du Jianguo aside, and the two of them presided over the entire hospital meeting to begin dealing with the matter between Jia Zhangshi and Yan Bugui.

However, the process did not go smoothly.

Not long after.

When Li Hongbing returned from outside and learned what had just happened, he shouted loudly at Yan Bugui, whose face was black with anger, "Uncle Yan, this Jia Zhangshi is clearly being unreasonable. Why are you trying to reason with her? Just go up and slap her across the face! Stop indulging her bad habits!"

As soon as these words came out.

Everyone was initially quite surprised, but when they realized that it was Li Hongbing who had just spoken, they were all relieved.

However, Yi Zhonghai, who was on the other side, changed his expression immediately upon seeing Li Hongbing's blatant provocation. He reprimanded Li Hongbing on the spot, saying, "Li Hongbing, how can you instigate people like this? You even incited Lao Yan to hit someone? Do you know what kind of behavior this is?"

"What did I do?"

Li Hongbing laughed directly, glanced at Jia Zhangshi on the field, and then said to Yi Zhonghai, "Let Jia Zhangshi try treating me like this, and see if I don't hit her and that's it."

Faced with Li Hongbing's response, Yi Zhonghai was furious, but he also knew that this was something Li Hongbing was capable of doing.

However, he didn't continue arguing with Li Hongbing. Instead, he turned his gaze to Liu Haizhong and Du Jianguo and said, "Old Liu, Old Du, we're having a hospital-wide meeting right now! You both saw what Li Hongbing did. Now, what do you think we should do?"

In just two short sentences, the pressure was immediately placed on Liu Haizhong and Du Jianguo, who were currently presiding over the college-wide meeting.

“Li Hongbing, we are currently holding a hospital-wide meeting to discuss the matter of Jia Zhangshi and Lao Yan. Your behavior just now was very inappropriate. I order you to apologize and make a self-criticism in person.”

Liu Haizhong knew that Yi Zhonghai was doing it on purpose and didn't want to offend Li Hongbing, but given the situation just now, Li Hongbing had clearly disregarded the entire college meeting and didn't take him and Du Jianguo, the two senior administrators, seriously. If he didn't make a statement, their prestige would be completely gone.

"Liu Haizhong, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Seeing that Liu Haizhong wanted him to apologize and make a self-criticism on the spot, Li Hongbing didn't give him a good face and directly retorted: "As for the matter between Jia Zhangshi and Uncle Yan, as long as you are not blind, not black-hearted, and not stupid, you can see that Jia Zhangshi is just making trouble. It is obvious who is right and who is wrong. Is there any need to study and mediate?"
If you really have nothing to do, go home and read some books, study some of the leaders' quotations, don't go looking for trouble here late at night!

It wasn't that Li Hongbing wanted to favor Yan Bugui, but rather that their actions were simply beyond his comprehension.

So confusing!

Those who didn't know better would think they were in cahoots with Jia Zhangshi, just like Yi Zhonghai.

If you're going to make a fuss, at least make something useful.

Liu Haizhong and Du Jianguo were both embarrassed after hearing Li Hongbing's words.

There is no doubt that Jia Zhangshi is in the wrong in this matter.

However, since it was a rare opportunity for the entire college to hold a general meeting, and it just so happened that a dispute had broken out, Liu Haizhong, as the college's senior administrator, naturally wanted to demonstrate his "value" and role.

Du Jianguo, having just been humiliated by Jia Zhangshi, wanted to take this opportunity to teach her a lesson and show her that he, the head of the management office, was not someone to be trifled with.

Who knew that Li Hongbing would come back and publicly humiliate them.

“Li Hongbing…”

“Mrs. Jia, I suggest you think carefully before you speak. I’m not like Uncle Yan, I won’t stand on ceremony with you. If you feel you’re too idle these days, I’ll help you find something to do.”

"..."

Jia Zhangshi, who had originally intended to retort angrily or make harsh remarks, immediately backed down upon hearing Li Hongbing's words.

Chi Guoguo’s threat!
Seeing that no one spoke up, Li Hongbing looked directly at Yan Bugui in the middle of the room and reminded him, "Uncle Yan, what are you still standing there for?"
If you're going to fight, then do it quickly. If not, go home and rest. It's cold enough this late at night; be careful not to catch a cold.

"A gentleman uses words, not fists. I am a teacher, dedicated to educating and nurturing people. It is inappropriate for me to resort to violence, so I will not stoop to the level of Jia Zhangshi."

Following the suggestion Li Hongbing made, Yan Bugui, realizing what was happening, gave Li Hongbing a grateful look, then left with these words before turning and departing.

No one stopped them.

Neither Liu Haizhong and Du Jianguo, nor Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi, stepped forward at this time.

Because Li Hongbing was right, there was absolutely no need to argue about this matter; everyone in the courtyard knew that Jia Zhangshi was in the wrong.

With Li Hongbing around, continuing to argue about this matter would only make things difficult for them.

As soon as Yan Bugui moved, Li Hongbing also left.

As they left, the crowd that had gathered in the central courtyard dispersed one after another without waiting for Liu Haizhong or Du Jianguo to give any orders.

"Hongbing, thank you so much. I've had such a terrible day, getting into this mess with Jia Zhangshi..."

On the way back to the front yard, Yan Bugui came to Li Hongbing's side and couldn't help but express his gratitude.

He was almost driven mad by Jia Zhangshi tonight.

Seeing Yan Bugui like this, Li Hongbing didn't hold back and immediately complained, "Uncle Yan, how come someone as shrewd as you would make a mistake at a time like this?"
Why bother with someone like Jia Zhangshi?
The more you argue with her, the more enthusiastic she becomes.

What's more, with so many of you, you're treating this ridiculous situation as a serious matter. Isn't that absurd?

Next time something like this happens, just take action; there's no need to be polite.

If you're too embarrassed to take matters into your own hands, then let Aunt Yan do it. As long as you're willing to go all out, I don't believe Jia Zhangshi will dare to be so arrogant next time..."

Li Hongbing's words not only embarrassed Yan Bugui, but also left Aunt Yan, who was following behind him, completely bewildered.

When Li Hongbing said that, they thought he was just trying to scare Jia Zhangshi, but they didn't expect him to actually intend to make them do it.

Seeing their attitude, Li Hongbing lost all hope.

Unless they are forced into a desperate situation, they would not do such a thing.

But what he just said is the ultimate truth.

Taking action instead of just talking is the most effective way to resolve and deter others.

Of course.

Actions should be taken with moderation and at the right time.

The key is being able to do it yourself.

Instead of stabbing someone in the back without considering the circumstances or the consequences.

That would be tantamount to putting yourself in danger.

Not worth it!

Noticing Yan Jiecheng's excited and eager expression, Li Hongbing warned, "Yan Jiecheng, what I just said was for your parents. Don't try it! You're so young, and you don't know your own strength. If you hurt someone, you'll be crying!"

Yan Jiecheng is only fourteen years old this year, a time when he is full of vigor and passion. If he gets into a conflict with someone outside and ends up stabbing someone or something because of his words, that would be a bad thing.

As for Yan Bugui and his wife, they are adults and have their own judgment. Even if Li Hongbing spoke, they might not listen to him.

As soon as Li Hongbing spoke, Yan Bugui and Aunt Yan noticed their eldest son, Yan Jiecheng, standing beside them, and couldn't help but tense up.

"Yan Jiecheng, did you hear what your brother Hongbing said?"

"That's right, don't just learn the bad things, learn more about the good things about your Brother Hongbing..."

"???"

(End of this chapter)