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

Chapter 17 Li Hongmei Unleashes Her Power

“Hongbing, don’t overthink it. I didn’t mean anything by it; I was just telling the truth…”

Seeing Li Hongbing's injured state, and realizing that he had been too blunt and hurt him, Sha Zhu looked embarrassed and quickly explained.

Li Hongbing was speechless.

His explanation was even more disheartening; it would have been better if he hadn't explained at all.

However, what Shazhu said was also true.

His physical fitness and fighting skills are indeed weaknesses, so Li Hongbing has been focusing on improving these aspects.

“Hongbing, I think it’s best if you don’t go in now. There’s a big meeting going on inside! It would be better if you went in after the whole college meeting is over.”

Just as Li Hongbing was about to enter the courtyard, Sha Zhu suddenly stepped forward, not only blocking his way but also saying the following words.

Li Hongbing was somewhat surprised to learn that a hospital-wide meeting was being held inside.

however.

What surprised Li Hongbing even more was what Sha Zhu said.

"Shazhu, the one who got beaten up is an old man. This time, instead of standing on his side, you came to help me. This isn't like you!"

Hearing Li Hongbing's evaluation of him, Shazhu was unhappy and said unconvinced, "Hongbing, I didn't expect you to think of me like this. You're really underestimating me."

I, Sha Zhu, may be a bit muddle-headed sometimes, but I'm also reasonable. I always side with what's right, not with my own people. Besides, it's obvious you didn't do this, so why would I cause you trouble?

When Yushui and I were almost starving to death, almost no one in the courtyard cared. It was you and Sister Hongmei who gave us a bowl of hot food. I still remember this kindness to this day, otherwise I would never have bothered with your affairs.

Besides, the person who said you did it was Jia Dongxu, and the old man didn't say anything. Although you had a little unpleasantness yesterday, that's all in the past. The old man isn't the kind of person who holds grudges..."

Sha Zhu was clearly upset after being "wrongfully accused" by Li Hongbing.

Hearing Sha Zhu's words, Li Hongbing couldn't help but shake his head.

Sha Zhu is still young after all!
Does Yi Zhonghai really not hold grudges?
It's clear.

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu played the roles of good cop and bad cop, acting together as master and apprentice.

If Yi Zhonghai truly had no suspicions about him, or didn't want to target him, he wouldn't have held a special meeting for the entire college and let Jia Dongxu run wild.

The reason he didn't personally participate was simply because of his status as an elder statesman; there were certain things he couldn't say himself, so he had Jia Dongxu act as his mouthpiece.

"Okay, I misunderstood you. I apologize."

Regardless, Sha Zhu meant well, and Li Hongbing didn't intend to target him. His earlier remark was indeed somewhat inappropriate.

In Li Hongbing's view, even the character Sha Zhu in the original drama was not an irredeemably evil person.

Putting aside the personal grudges between Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, aside from his sharp tongue, Sha Zhu is just a backup who has become the legitimate successor, an unlucky guy whose happiness was ruined by a widow, and a huge drain on the Jia family's resources.

A pure and simple victim.

Of course, besides Yi Zhonghai's scheming and the machinations of the widowed Qin Huairu, there was also Sha Zhu's own wicked intentions.

Although Sha Zhu's nickname contains the word "stupid," he is not actually stupid; on the contrary, he is more shrewd than anyone else.

Sometimes it's better to be oblivious to certain things.

to be honest.

It was a case of one person willing to hit and the other willing to be hit, and even Sha Zhu was enjoying it.

"Hey! What are you doing? I didn't really blame you! You're making me feel really embarrassed."

As soon as Li Hongbing apologized, Sha Zhu immediately grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. His mouth almost stretched to the back of his ears. He forgave Li Hongbing immediately, but couldn't help being a little arrogant. Sha Zhu had this kind of personality—he was easily swayed by kindness but not by force, and even a little childish. If you coaxed him, he would be overjoyed.

In the original drama, Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu used this same tactic to completely control him.

"Alright, you've accepted the apology, let's put this behind us. I'm going in to see what's going on inside."

Upon discovering that Sha Zhu was actually quite interesting, Li Hongbing smiled and prepared to walk past him into the courtyard.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu panicked and said irritably, "Hey, Li Hongbing, how can you not tell right from wrong? I'm telling you not to go in now to help you, not to harm you!"

"You're wrong, you're just trying to get me into trouble!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's bewildered expression, Li Hongbing said confidently, "Since I didn't do this, why should I be afraid? If I hide, wouldn't that just make it seem like I'm guilty? When the blame is smeared on me, I won't be able to escape it no matter how I try!"

“This…I…, Hongbing, I really didn’t mean to harm you.”

After Li Hongbing said that, Sha Zhu realized what was going on and was immediately embarrassed. He wanted to explain but didn't know how, and he could only stammer and not even finish his sentence.

"I know you don't intend to harm me, just stop blocking my way in."

Even if good intentions lead to mistakes, it's still good intentions. Since no actual harm was caused, Li Hongbing naturally wouldn't hold it against Sha Zhu.

After this ordeal, Sha Zhu naturally couldn't stop them from going in anymore, so he obediently followed behind Li Hongbing.

Sha Zhu felt extremely guilty for almost ruining things.

When Li Hongbing entered the front yard, he found that there were almost no people there; most of them had gone to the middle yard to attend a meeting and watch the excitement.

"Li Hongmei, you say this has nothing to do with your brother, what evidence do you have to prove he didn't do it?"

"This is clearly retaliation; anyone with eyes can see it."

“Li Hongbing had a falling out with our family just yesterday, and today my uncle and I ran into this. If it wasn’t him, who else could it be?”

“My mother was sent to a reformatory by Li Hongbing, and I haven’t even said anything yet, but Li Hongbing is causing trouble again. Is this never going to end? Does he really think I, Jia Dongxu, am afraid of you siblings?”

"Don't think that just because Li Hongbing is hiding, I can't do anything to him. If you don't hand him over today, I'm not done with you!"

"..."

As Li Hongbing walked towards the Intermediate People's Court, he heard Jia Dongxu's roaring voice coming from there, and he was furious.

While I was away, was Jia Dongxu trying to cause trouble for Li Hongmei?

He doesn't even feel ashamed to bully a woman.

Just as Li Hongbing quickened his pace toward the Intermediate People's Court, Li Hongmei's unhurried counterattack began.

"Jia Dongxu, don't try to pin any accusations on our family. No way!"

"You got beaten up, what does that have to do with my Hongbing?"

"You want me to provide evidence? How ridiculous!"

“If you have evidence, go directly to the police station and report us. If it was Hongbing who did it, I’ll go to jail with him.”

"But if that's not the case, do you dare to kneel down and kowtow to us in apology?"

"Grandpa, don't just hide in the back and keep quiet. Isn't it a bit unfair to let your apprentice charge into battle alone?"

“You yourself are one of the victims, and an old man in the courtyard. You were the one who initiated this meeting today. Aren’t you going to stand up and say a few words of ‘fairness’?”

"..."

(End of this chapter)