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

Chapter 144 The Arrogant Jia Zhangshi: The Worst Is Yet to Come! (5k)

Although Jia Zhangshi had covered her face with a headscarf, only revealing her eyes, her triangular eyes were so distinctive that Li Hongbing recognized her immediately.

Her voice, in particular, was unforgettable.

Almost everyone living in a courtyard house would recognize her as Jia Zhangshi.

at the same time.

She was still selling the grain she had brought when Jia Zhangshi suddenly saw Li Hongbing and was clearly taken aback.

Followed by.

Jia Zhangshi was extremely flustered. She hurriedly turned her head away, avoiding Li Hongbing's gaze, picked up the grain without saying a word, and turned to leave.

Running into Li Hongbing here is not a good thing.

Nowadays, rice and other grains are not subject to quantity restrictions like flour; you can buy them at designated grain stores as long as you have a grain purchase certificate.

But a few days ago, Officer Yang came to the institute and specifically said that, like flour before, rice and other grains are no longer allowed to be bought, sold, or traded privately.

You can buy as much as you need directly from the grain store, but you can only eat it yourself and cannot sell it to others.

If Li Hongbing discovers her reselling activities and reports it, she'll be finished.

Although Jia Zhangshi had disguised herself and thought that Li Hongbing should not recognize her, she couldn't help feeling guilty.

And at this time.

The man who had been persuaded by Jia Zhangshi to buy her grain saw her pick up the grain and leave. He was about to call her back when he remembered that the grain they were about to buy and sell was now prohibited from being traded privately. So he reluctantly withdrew his outstretched hand.

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi had slipped away, Li Hongbing did not chase after her, but only followed her gaze for a moment.

But this action led Li Hongbing to an unexpected discovery.

Besides Jia Zhangshi, there was another acquaintance in the market...

Upon discovering that this person was following Jia Zhangshi, Li Hongbing first focused his search on the courtyard, especially those who had grudges or conflicts with Jia Zhangshi. After elimination, identification, and analysis, he quickly identified the person as Tao Cuilan in the backyard.

Things are getting interesting.

Within a short period of time.

Based on everything he had just seen and discovered, Li Hongbing analyzed and deduced the whole story.

Influenced by the flour purchase ration coupons, Jia Zhangshi, like most people in the courtyard, stockpiled grain at home, and was the one who stockpiled the most.

Later, when the grain purchase ration coupons were issued, everyone realized that hoarding grain was pointless. Jia Zhangshi wanted to get rid of the extra grain in her house, but no one in the courtyard was willing to take it, so she set her sights on the market.

It was impossible to completely hide the fact that Jia Zhangshi was secretly going to the market to resell grain from everyone in the hospital. Her behavior was unusual, and there were bound to be some clues that would be discovered. Tao Cuilan, who was her rival, happened to find out and secretly followed her.

If nothing unexpected happens, Tao Cuilan must have discovered that Jia Zhangshi was secretly reselling grain, or she probably already knew beforehand, and it's impossible for her not to take action now.

A good show is about to begin.

only.

Li Hongbing thought of a question.

The grain that Jia Zhangshi took to the market to resell was most likely the grain she had previously stockpiled at home.

But the problem is.

The price that Jia Zhangshi is selling grain for now is lower than the price she used to pay for it from the grain store, even if it's only slightly lower.

Given Jia Zhangshi's personality, it would be absolutely impossible for her to do such a losing business.

Even if she sold it at the original purchase price, Jia Zhangshi would still have to pay for her daily round-trip train tickets.

After all, it's such a long distance; she couldn't possibly carry a large bag of food and walk all the way here.

If she were willing to make concessions, the people in the courtyard could have solved the problem for her directly; there would have been no need for her to go through all that trouble to come here.

In other words, it is highly likely that Jia Zhangshi tampered with the grain she sold, or used some deceptive means during the sales process.

Given Jia Zhangshi's character, it is possible that she would do such a thing.

However, with Tao Cuilan keeping her in check, Li Hongbing was too lazy to get involved and let them fight it out themselves.

After looking around, Li Hongbing bought some game he had hunted in the mountains, free-range chickens, ducks and eggs from local farms, as well as some dried fruits and mountain products that are easy to store.

These are the main items you can buy in winter.

However, these are all good things, whether they are wild pheasants hunted in the mountains or chickens raised by farmers, they are all local products.

In this day and age, there are no feed hormones or anything like that.

After visiting several markets, it was almost noon when Li Hongbing rode his bicycle to Qianmen Street. He bought a roast duck at Bianyifang on the east side and prepared to have lunch with Chen Xueru.

The famous Peking duck restaurants Quanjude and Bianyifang are now located on Qianmen Street.

Quanjude is famous for its hanging oven roasted duck, while Bianyifang is the representative of the closed oven roasted duck; each has its own merits.

In later generations, more people may know about Quanjude roast duck, but in this era, Bianyifang is no less famous than Quanjude.

Similarly, Quanjude doesn't have as much criticism on the internet as it has in later years, and its reputation remains intact.

Whenever he had a chance, when the kitchen wasn't busy or he was on break, Li Hongbing would sneak out to buy a roast duck and secretly store it in his system space.

In the future, when I'm too lazy to cook and want something ready-made, I can just take it out of the system space, still fresh out of the oven and steaming hot.

to be frank.

Cooking at home is still not as convenient and hassle-free as cooking in the kitchen.

Moreover, the traditional methods of making many dishes are too wasteful of oil, ingredients, and labor. If it weren't for practicing and improving his cooking skills and gaining experience points, Li Hongbing would just want to make something haphazardly when he cooks them himself.

When Li Hongbing arrived at Chen Xueru's shop, Chen Xueru was busy, and there were many customers in the shop.

Business at the store has been noticeably good lately.

soon.

Chen Xueru noticed Li Hongbing coming in from outside and immediately gestured for him to go upstairs. Li Hongbing understood and went upstairs directly.

"Xiao Hong, Sister Ping, you two watch the shop and take good care of the customers. I'm going upstairs now. Contact me if there's anything else."

A short while later, after seeing off the VIP customer, Chen Xueru greeted the two female employees she had recently hired and then went upstairs.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Upon arriving at her room upstairs, Chen Xueru couldn't help but smile happily as she looked at Li Hongbing waiting for her.

"No, please sit down!"

After greeting him, Li Hongbing said, "I bought a roast duck when I passed by Bianyifang. I'll eat it while it's hot, or it'll get cold."

"It's not as good as yours."

After taking the roast duck wrap that Li Hongbing had just wrapped and handed to her, Chen Xueru took a bite and couldn't help but say something.

"I've never made roast duck before..."

Li Hongbing was speechless and immediately complained, "Next time you're trying to flatter someone, come up with a better reason."

See this.

Chen Xueru couldn't help but laugh and explained, "What I mean is, it's not as good as your cooking."

"Don't flatter me. Your sweet talk is like honey. If you flatter me too much and I get cocky in front of my master, you'll have to take responsibility for me."

Li Hongbing knows his own limitations.

Although his cooking skills are now outstanding among his peers, even exceptional.

But let alone compared to his master Guo Youzhong, he still has a considerable gap to close, even compared to the master chefs in the kitchen of Fengzeyuan.

Chen Xueru is no stranger to the world. She has eaten plenty of delicacies, not to mention the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, and has been to all kinds of restaurants and eateries. It's impossible that she doesn't know that his cooking skills are far from top-notch.

And this moment.

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Chen Xueru's face flushed red, and she gave him a shy yet reproachful glare.

Li Hongbing's statement that he wanted to take responsibility for him seemed like a very ordinary sentence, but its meaning was something only the two of them could understand.

In the past year or so, their relationship has progressed rapidly and their feelings have intensified. Although they haven't taken the final step yet, kissing and hugging each other in private is no longer a rare occurrence.

Noticing Chen Xueru's actions, Li Hongbing chuckled inwardly. However, it was broad daylight, and there were still many customers and staff downstairs, so Li Hongbing had no intention of making any intimate moves with Chen Xueru.

In this sweet and ambiguous atmosphere, the two finished the whole roast duck.

Chen Xueru ate very little; most of it ended up in Li Hongbing's stomach.

"By the way, business has been good at the store lately. I'm planning to go to Suzhou sometime to see for myself and buy some high-quality silk and cotton fabrics. Could you come with me?"

After finishing the roast duck, Chen Xueru took the initiative to clean up, and then suddenly remembered something, asking Li Hongbing with some anticipation.

Thanks to the clothing designs and ideas provided by Li Hongbing, coupled with the excellent fabrics and tailoring skills of the shop, the ready-made clothing business has taken off recently, with a surge in customer traffic. As a result, the fabric business and private customization services have also become very popular.

to this end.

Chen Xueru even specially recruited an experienced tailor and hired two female shop assistants, otherwise the shop would be too busy.

That's why the store's fabric inventory was running out quickly, so Chen Xueru decided to go to Suzhou to see if there were any better sources of goods.

"of course."

Faced with Chen Xueru's request, Li Hongbing nodded almost without hesitation and agreed, "When and how many days you want to go? Let me know in advance once you've decided so I can ask Manager Gu for leave and get a letter of introduction."

At that time, ID cards were far from being invented, but now letters of introduction are already widely used and are an essential form of proof of identity when going out.

Whether it's a business trip, an external transfer, a cross-regional activity, or even the purchase of special items, a letter of introduction is indispensable.

Currently, the household registration system is not yet fully established, and the letter of introduction serves the functions of controlling population movement, allocating resources, and maintaining social order.

Having arrived in this era, Li Hongbing had never even left Beijing. Taking this opportunity to visit Suzhou and see what Suzhou looked like in 1953 was a good choice.

"it is good."

Chen Xueru knew Li Hongbing would agree, but when Li Hongbing agreed without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xueru still felt an unprecedented sense of security, as if she was instantly surrounded by happiness.

Without Li Hongbing, Chen Xueru wouldn't know how she would have gotten through the period after her father's death.

After chatting with Chen Xueru about the store's business and some development strategies, and discussing other things, Li Hongbing spent the afternoon with Chen Xueru before leaving.

The store got more customers in the afternoon.

Although Chen Xueru is young, she is a career-minded businesswoman at heart, and Li Hongbing does not want to be a stumbling block on her path.

As for what he talked about with Chen Xueru at noon, especially about the future development of the silk shop, Li Hongbing didn't offer any particularly novel or effective ideas. Maintaining the current steady development was enough.

Being overly flamboyant is not a good thing.

Moreover, the time for full public-private partnership is drawing ever closer, and the development and fate of the silk shop over the next twenty years are basically already determined.

Li Hongbing's next task is to ensure a smooth transition for the silk shop and to appease Chen Xueru's emotions during that time.

The current steady progress is not a bad thing; it's just about building a reputation and brand awareness. It can attract more attention from higher authorities and perhaps even help us become one of the benchmarks among the batch of public-private partnerships.

Among the more than 800 businesses on Qianmen Street, there are many well-known and established brands such as Zhang Yiyuan, Tongrentang, Yueshengzhai, and Neiliansheng.

As for being a pioneer, that's definitely not going to happen; the first batch of pilot projects, like Fengzeyuan, are the ones that can be considered pioneers.

Leaving Chen Xueru's silk shop and looking out onto Qianmen Street, Li Hongbing gazed at the numerous merchants and the bustling scene before him. Thinking about the next few years, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

However, this is not something Li Hongbing should worry about or be able to control.

Now that he'd come all this way, Li Hongbing wasn't going to go back empty-handed.

……

the other side.

Just as Li Hongbing arrived at Qianmen Street, Jia Zhangshi, who had been living in fear all the way, returned to the courtyard house with the grain she hadn't sold.

Throughout the journey, Jia Zhangshi always felt that someone was following her, but every time she turned around, she could not find anyone suspicious, or she simply felt that everyone was suspicious.

"Jia Zhangshi, didn't you say you were going to deliver grain to your younger brother in the countryside?"

"Why did you bring it back again?"

"That's not right, it's only noon, how come you're here so early... Oh, you didn't go?"

"Is it any of your business? Why ask so many questions?"

"Hey! Can't I even ask a couple of questions?"

"Humph!"

"..."

Back in the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi, carrying the grain back again, inevitably attracted the curiosity and chatter of the other women in the courtyard. However, Jia Zhangshi, who was in a bad mood, did not give them a friendly look.

To secretly sell such a large bag of grain at the farmers' market outside, one would first have to pass through the front yard from the middle yard, making it almost impossible to avoid attracting the attention of the people in the yard.

Unless it's very early in the night, before everyone is awake, and you set off from the courtyard to go to the farmers' market on the outskirts of the city, but none of them are far apart, and the buses and trams haven't started running yet, Jia Zhangshi simply can't carry a large bag of grain that far, so she has to give up on the idea.

Finally, after discussing and researching with Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi decided to use the excuse of sending grain to her younger brother in the countryside as a cover-up.

After all, everyone in the courtyard knew that their family had stockpiled too much food during this period, and they couldn't possibly finish it all in a short time. It wouldn't be unreasonable to "give" or "share" some with Jia Zhangshi's younger brother or relatives in the countryside.

When Jia Zhangshi returned to the central courtyard and brought back the bag of grain she had carried out that morning, Qin Huairu, who was chatting with Wang Guihua in the courtyard while holding a small stick, was taken aback.

Wang Guihua was equally curious and casually asked a couple of questions. Jia Zhangshi brushed it off and then, under the pretext of asking Qin Huairu to go home and cook, took her back.

They hadn't discussed their secret sale of grain with Yi Zhonghai beforehand, nor had they even let the couple know. Naturally, they couldn't let the secret slip now.

"Ouch! I'm exhausted!"

Back home, Jia Zhangshi threw the bag of grain on the ground and slumped onto the bed. Seeing that Qin Huairu had already closed the door, she hurriedly urged, "Huairu, come over and massage my shoulders. This trip has almost killed me!"

Jia Zhangshi was naturally unwilling to do the risky and arduous task of selling grain.

But Jia Dongxu had to go to work, and Qin Huairu had to take care of the children. Her eldest grandson, Banggeng, had only been born not long ago, so Qin Huairu simply couldn't leave.

Left with no other choice, Jia Zhangshi, who had finally enjoyed a year of happiness as a daughter-in-law, had to take matters into her own hands.

If it were just to make room in the house, Jia Zhangshi would naturally be unwilling to go to such lengths, but she had just figured out a "business opportunity" a few days ago.

"Mom, what happened to you today? Why did you bring the grain back again?"

Qin Huairu placed the sleeping stalk aside, massaged Jia Zhangshi's shoulders, and asked her a question.

For the past two days, Jia Zhangshi went out to sell grain, and regardless of when she returned, she successfully sold the grain. Today, however, things were clearly different.

"Ugh, don't even mention it, I was almost scared to death today!"

Upon hearing Qin Huairu's question, Jia Zhangshi sighed and said with a gloomy expression, "Guess who I ran into at the market today?"

"Who is it?"

Jia Zhangshi's words immediately piqued Qin Huairu's curiosity.

"Li Hongbing! That Li Hongbing from our institute!"

"That's what Jia Zhangshi said in an annoyed tone."

If it weren't for this, Jia Zhangshi wouldn't have been so frightened, afraid of being bumped into by Li Hongbing at the market, or even discovered, which is why she hurriedly ran back.

Today can be described as a bad start!
"what?"

"Li Hongbing?"

"How did he end up at the farmers' market?"

"Isn't this too coincidental?"

"Mom, did he recognize you?"

"..."

As Qin Huairu spoke, she couldn't help but feel worried.

If it weren't for this, Jia Zhangshi wouldn't have rushed back in such a panic.

"Pah! I'm not that stupid! Even if we ran into each other, I'm all wrapped up so well, that kid Li Hongbing definitely wouldn't recognize me."

Back home, after a period of calm, Jia Zhangshi was clearly settled and said with a hint of pride, "Your mother here is very shrewd! I won't give myself away so easily..."

(End of this chapter)