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

Chapter 177 New Year's Day Wedding Night (9k)

In just a few days.

Li Hongbing learned from Chen Xueru that Xu Huizhen's husband, He Yongqiang, had eloped with Xu Huizhen's cousin, Xu Huizhi, and the two had run away back to the countryside. Old Man He was so angry that he fell seriously ill, and the tavern had to temporarily close. Xu Huizhen also returned home from the hospital.

Li Hongbing didn't have any particular feelings about these events; they seemed almost inevitable.

Neither He Yongqiang's decisions and thoughts, nor Old Man He's illness or life or death, were things that Li Hongbing could decide or change. He didn't have the time to concern himself with such matters, no matter how good the relationship between Xu Huizhen and Chen Xueru was.

Xu Huizhen's parents had long since passed away, and fortunately, her second aunt came to the city temporarily to take care of her for a while, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to complete her postpartum confinement.

As time went by, Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru's wedding day drew ever closer.

During this period, something unexpected happened to everyone in the courtyard – He Daqing returned.

He Daqing had returned several times in the past year, but what surprised everyone was that after returning from Baocheng this time, he stayed in the courtyard house and never left again.

When He Daqing returned to the courtyard house, the thing that made him happiest was, of course, rain.

As for the son, Shazhu, he had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

At first, Sha Zhu was quite happy, but gradually, he became less happy.

It wasn't because there was still a rift between the father and son. The misunderstandings between Sha Zhu and He Daqing had long been resolved, and the resentment He Daqing felt for abandoning them and running away had vanished with the revelation of the truth and Yi Zhonghai's punishment.

It's just that Sha Zhu has grown up now and doesn't like being managed by others every day, and He Daqing's way of managing him is not gentle.

When He Daqing returned, Shazhu felt that he was not like a son, but more like a grandson, with pure bloodline suppression, just like Xu Damao.

"Dad, are you really not planning to leave this time?"

When He Daqing said he wanted to convert his main room into three rooms, Sha Zhu was completely stunned.

This suggests they intend to live in the courtyard house long-term or even permanently.

"What, you're not happy?"

He Daqing's gaze fell on Shazhu. Seeing his reaction, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He said irritably, "What's this? The property deeds for these two houses are now in your name. Are you starting to get cocky and planning to kick your own father out of this courtyard?"

"How could that be? Dad, what kind of person do you think I am? Do you think I, Shazhu, am the kind of person who is heartless, ungrateful, and unfilial?"

Seeing that He Daqing had misunderstood, Sha Zhu quickly explained, saying, "I was mainly curious, why did you suddenly make this decision? About Baocheng, that..."

These two rooms in the courtyard are indeed in his name now, but they were originally reserved for him by He Daqing. Everyone in the courtyard knows that if Shazhu dares to disown He Daqing as his father and kicks him out of the courtyard, preventing him from living here, he will definitely be gossiped about behind his back.

Even setting aside his master Dong Congyou, He Daqing himself would not forgive him.

He Daqing is still not old.

Moreover, if they were to actually fight, Sha Zhu might not dare to retaliate.

Sha Zhu was just curious. Although there were other reasons back then, the fact that He Daqing abandoned him and his sister and went to Baocheng with Widow Bai, and helped her raise her child, was undeniable.

He Daqing and Widow Bai are legally married, and she keeps a close eye on him.

It's fine if he comes back once or twice occasionally, but if he were to stay in Beijing long-term, let alone whether He Daqing would be willing to leave, would Widow Bai agree?
"It's a long story. I'm divorced from your Aunt Bai... that woman..."

Although He Daqing didn't want to talk about it, he eventually told Sha Zhu about it with a dark face.

Yi Zhonghai was involved in this mess.

Over the past few years, although He Daqing helped the widow support her family and son and handed over most of his monthly salary, he still secretly kept a portion for himself and concealed the fact that he sent living expenses to Sha Zhu and Yu Shui every month.

Not long after he returned to Baocheng after taking revenge on Yi Zhonghai, the Widow Bai "discovered" that he was still sending Yu Shui living expenses.

Sha Zhu is now a full-time cook at the steel mill and no longer needs her own living expenses. However, since the rain was still light, He Daqing still kept her share.

As a result of this incident being exposed, Widow Bai brought up all the previous things and argued with him several times. However, Widow Bai was still counting on He Daqing to help raise her child, so after He Daqing clearly stated his position, she didn't dare to make too much of a fuss.

Although things calmed down a bit later, life was still far from peaceful. Widow Bai would cause trouble every now and then, and He Daqing, who had been trying to make do with his life, ended up beating her up.

He Daqing was not a coward, but he never bothered to argue with Widow Bai. Little did he know that Widow Bai would take his tolerance over the years as a license to be arrogant and could not distinguish between the two.

He Daqing still hasn't settled accounts with Sha Zhu and the Yu Shui siblings about their trip to Baocheng!

He Daqing was unaware of this matter until Dong Congyou came to Baocheng to find him. During the few days that Sha Zhu and Yu Shui came to Baocheng to find him alone, he was tricked by the White Widow and left, and was not at home.

The so-called ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness of him hiding in the house and not seeing Sha Zhu and Yu Shui, leaving them standing in the freezing cold all day, and even causing Yu Shui to catch a cold and develop a high fever, were all things that the White Widow herself had done. In order to prevent the news from getting out, she even bribed the neighbors.

This is one of the main reasons why Sha Zhu hated him so much after returning to Beijing.

Naturally, Yi Zhonghai's schemes and tips were also involved in this.

Although the number of times was small, Widow Bai and Yi Zhonghai had been in secret contact for some time.

Once this happened, the ungrateful nature of the White Widow's two sons was fully revealed.

He Daqing began to realize that he couldn't truly trust other people's children, so he took this opportunity to leave, unwilling to continue to make do and help the widow raise her son and be exploited.

But Widow Bai wasn't stupid. Even though she knew that keeping He Daqing would make things difficult for them, He Daqing was still their family's cash cow, so how could she let him go so easily?

In return, He Daqing was extorted heavily by Widow Bai.

Fortunately, He Daqing had a skill set and was confident in his abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have left so decisively.

Looking at Sha Zhu in front of him, He Daqing said with some relief and emotion, "Sha Zhu, Dad was wrong before. From now on, the three of us will stay together and never be separated again. We will make a good life for each other."

After all these events, He Daqing finally understood a principle.

A son is always better when he's your own flesh and blood.

Although Sha Zhu is sometimes slow to understand things, which makes him so angry that he can't help but want to hit him, he is unquestionable when it comes to filial piety.

He's much more reliable than many sons.

As for what happened before, it was all caused by that old bastard Yi Zhonghai, but that's all in the past now.

Today I specifically discussed this with Sha Zhu. On the one hand, it was out of respect for Sha Zhu, since the property rights of the house are in his name. Moreover, after the incident involving Yi Zhonghai and Bao Cheng, He Daqing also realized the importance of Sha Zhu, his own son, and plans to rely on him for his old age.

I can't afford to lose the son I finally gave birth to and raised.

"dad……"

Sha Zhu was a little unaccustomed to He Daqing's rare tenderness, but he was touched.

the next day.

After deciding to renovate the house, He Daqing quickly found a bricklayer to come to his house and started construction immediately.

This commotion also signaled He Daqing's official return.

"Da Qing, are you really planning to stay in Beijing and not return to Baocheng?"

"I'm not going back. Beijing is where my roots truly lie."

"What about your wife and children in Baocheng? You don't want them anymore?"

"child?"

"What children? Where would I get children in Baocheng? I only have one son, Shazhu, and one daughter, Yushui."

"As for that woman, divorce her!"

"Divorced? You're divorced?"

"..."

In a short while, the news that He Daqing had divorced Widow Bai and returned to settle down spread throughout the entire courtyard.

As evening fell, when Yi Zhonghai and his apprentice Jia Dongxu returned and stepped into the courtyard, He Daqing swaggered up to Yi Zhonghai amidst the astonished gazes of everyone and blatantly declared, "Old Yi, I'm divorced!"

"He Daqing, what does your divorce have to do with me?"

When Yi Zhonghai saw He Daqing walking towards him, he almost couldn't help but back away. After all, the pain of losing his genitals had left him with psychological trauma. Hearing He Daqing mention the divorce, Yi Zhonghai panicked even more.

Yi Zhonghai knew very well what he had done and thought that his actions had been exposed, and that He Daqing had come to cause him trouble again.

As this thought crossed his mind, Yi Zhonghai immediately regretted it. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have made this move in the first place.

It was just a deep-seated hatred, a hatred that had been severing ties with the family. Although I was hesitant to confront He Daqing directly and risk a complete confrontation, I didn't want him to have an easy time either.

and so.

Yi Zhonghai secretly contacted Widow Bai and reported He Daqing's past practice of sending living expenses, hoping to make He Daqing's life miserable. Unexpectedly, this led to their divorce.

This time, things really escalated.

Yi Zhonghai had already experienced firsthand what kind of person He Daqing was. Even if he felt that He Daqing wouldn't dare to be as rampant as before, it was still not a good thing.

If He Daqing dares to act as before, Yi Zhonghai will resolutely not tolerate it any longer, and at worst, they will perish together.

Unexpectedly.

Faced with Yi Zhonghai's wariness, He Daqing smiled and said, "Old Yi, why are you so nervous?"
I just wanted to let you know that I'm divorced now and I'm staying in Beijing from now on. From now on, we'll all be neighbors again.

We had some past grievances, but that's all in the past. It's fate that we've become neighbors again, and we should look out for each other from now on. That's why I came over to say hello.

"You're back in Beijing? And you're staying here?"

Upon suddenly learning this news, Yi Zhonghai was extremely surprised, and his face quickly turned grim.

"What, you're not welcome?"

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's incredulous expression, He Daqing sighed in feigned frustration and complained to his face, "There's nothing I can do. I don't know how, but that woman found out about the living expenses I used to send to Shazhu and Yushui. She keeps making a fuss with me and won't give me a single day of peace."

I couldn't make ends meet, so I had to get a divorce and come back to live with my son, Shazhu. Luckily, I still have a son, otherwise I would be all alone and wouldn't know what to do when I get old.

Those two wolf cubs are ungrateful wretches. Fortunately, this incident made me see through them. Otherwise, I would have been raised by others for so many years and they wouldn't even have food to eat in the future. They might be kicked out when they get old and useless, and end up begging on the streets. They might even freeze to death under a bridge one day.

If you run away before you get too deeply involved, you can still recover some of your losses.

Ultimately, you still have to rely on your own son!
When Sha Zhu heard that I wasn't planning to leave, he was overjoyed. In order to give me a place to stay, he insisted that I convert his main room into three rooms, and give me one of them. What a filial son he is.

"If it's not your own child, no matter how long you raise it, you can't rely on it in the end. Luckily..."

"Enough! He Daqing, don't say these things in front of me!"

Yi Zhonghai was furious.

If you really think that the Qing Dynasty came to show goodwill and seek reconciliation, then you are sorely mistaken.

He Daqing's words just now were clearly malicious.

It was like a series of barbed thorns that pierced his heart, almost shattering Yi Zhonghai's spirit.

Malicious intent!

"Oh dear, Yi Zhonghai, why are you getting so worked up?"

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's exasperation, He Daqing felt as comfortable as drinking a sip of cold water on a sweltering summer day, and was extremely pleased with himself.

Seeing this, Jia Dongxu quickly said, "Master, don't pay attention to him, let's go back!"

He Daqing's words just now weren't just directed at Yi Zhonghai. If Yi Zhonghai really took them to heart, then his plan to support Yi Zhonghai in his old age would be ruined.

Watching the master and apprentice leave, each with their own agendas, He Daqing neither uttered any further provocations nor tried to stop them.

Now that I'm back, I have plenty of time to spend with Yi Zhonghai.

“Master, don’t take what He Daqing said to heart. He just had bad intentions and was trying to provoke you. Please don’t fall for his tricks.”

As Jia Dongxu helped Yi Zhonghai back into the house, fearing that Yi Zhonghai might overthink things and be influenced by He Daqing's words, he quickly spoke up.

"Dongxu, don't worry, I know that!"

With his gaze fixed on Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai's expression was complex, but he spoke with a firm tone: "I've lived for so many years, do you think I don't know what good words are and what bad words are? Besides, I know He Daqing better than you do, and I don't care about what he said at all."

But now that He Daqing is back, it's not good news for us. You all need to be careful from now on, and don't fall into He Daqing's trap..."

When Yi Zhonghai reminded Jia Dongxu, he was filled with regret.

If we had known this would be the outcome, it would have been so much better to let He Daqing continue living a peaceful life in Baocheng. At least out of sight, out of mind. Now that we've brought him back, who knows what trouble he might cause in the future.

The key point is that although He Daqing didn't explicitly say it, Yi Zhonghai could clearly sense that He Daqing had probably already discovered his underhanded actions and his betrayal to Widow Bai.

The reason why He Daqing didn't take any action wasn't necessarily because he was afraid; perhaps he was plotting something wicked. This made Yi Zhonghai feel uneasy.

Yi Zhonghai became alert.

For several days in a row, He Daqing did nothing to target him. Instead, he heard that He Daqing had joined the Emei Restaurant and become the head chef there.

With He Daqing's skills, finding a good job wouldn't be difficult.

Although he initially learned Tan Family Cuisine, it doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't know anything else.

As the saying goes, if you understand one method, you understand all methods.

At their level, their culinary skills and expertise are far beyond what ordinary people can match. With Dong Congyou, a master of Sichuan cuisine, as a close friend, it's not impossible for He Daqing to master another Sichuan dish.

He Daqing's entry into the Emei Restaurant was mostly due to his good friend Dong Congyou's introduction.

……

Time flies, and it's already the end of the month.

With only two days left until his wedding banquet with Chen Xueru on New Year's Day, Li Hongbing went directly to the three senior officials in charge of the hospital: Yan Bugui, Du Jianguo, and Liu Haizhong.

The purpose was simple: to ask them to help coordinate all sorts of miscellaneous matters on the day of the banquet, such as borrowing tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks, arranging people to help with the work, and keeping accounts.

As senior members of the management school, the three of them were naturally adept at doing these things.

Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo have no problems. Although Liu Haizhong and Li Hongbing had some unpleasantness before, it's all in the past.

Moreover, Liu Haizhong is a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. Li Hongbing is doing well now and has a lot of influence both inside and outside the compound, so he doesn't dare to cause trouble for him easily. As long as Liu Haizhong knows what's good for him, Li Hongbing won't bother to argue with him or target him.

New Year's Day.

Li Hongbing's three rooms are already decorated with various red window decorations and the character for "double happiness." The Spring Festival couplets from before have also been replaced with wedding couplets, making the place look very festive.

These paper-cut window decorations, the character for "happiness," and other various arrangements were mostly put up by Li Hongmei, who came specifically for this occasion. The couplet for the happy occasion was naturally written by Li Hongbing himself, all for the sake of today's arrival.

morning.

Before everyone in the courtyard had finished eating, Liang Damin and his fellow students came over with all sorts of ingredients they had purchased.

Originally, Li Hongbing intended for these tasks to be done by the young people in the courtyard, while the head chef would be any experienced master chef who had time.

As soon as Liang Damin and his fellow apprentices heard this, they immediately rejected it and volunteered to take on the tasks. Even their master, Guo Youzhong, supported them in doing so, and Li Hongbing had no choice but to accept it.

Otherwise, they would all be guests at the banquet today, and Li Hongbing had no intention of making them do any work.

Not long after.

Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo, along with their three-year-old nephew Zhao Jianjun, arrived early.

"uncle!"

As soon as they entered the front yard, the little nephew Zhao Jianjun broke free from Li Hongmei's hand, calling out "Uncle" as he excitedly ran towards Li Hongbing.

Now three years old, Zhao Jianjun is clearly already able to speak and walk fluently.

Judging from his agile appearance, you can tell that he gets plenty of nutrition.

Today is New Year's Day, but people usually look at the lunar calendar to determine their age. After the New Year, my little nephew Zhao Jianjun will be four years old.

Li Hongbing picked up Zhao Jianjun, who was running up to him, and played with him for a while. Then he looked at Zhao Hongmei, who was pregnant with her second child, and reminded his brother-in-law Zhao Weiguo: "Brother-in-law, there are a lot of people today, so you have to keep an eye on my sister. She is pregnant now, so don't let her do any work, and don't let anyone accidentally bump into her."

"This is natural."

Zhao Weiguo said very seriously.

He dared not take this lightly.

"You guys are exaggerating! I'm only recently pregnant, my belly isn't even that big yet!"

Seeing her brother and husband like this, Li Hongmei was speechless, but she felt their concern. Although she scolded them, she felt warm inside.

Despite Li Hongbing's reminder and Zhao Weiguo's emphasis, Li Hongmei was not truly indifferent to the child in her womb and did not take it lightly.

With the arrangements made by Yan Bugui and other senior students in charge of the college, as well as Liang Damin and other senior students, plus Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo, Li Hongbing didn't actually have to worry about anything.

In the morning, Li Hongbing changed into his specially made wedding clothes and led the wedding procession directly to the Chen family. After distributing some wedding candies, he smoothly picked up Chen Xueru, who was dressed up in her wedding gown.

On the way back from picking up the bride, in addition to Chen Xueru and her dowry, the procession also included Chen's mother and her daughter Xu Huizhen.

According to traditional customs, Chen's mother, as the bride's parents, should not be in the dowry procession. However, since only Chen Xueru and Chen Xueru are left in the Chen family, Chen Xueru couldn't bear to leave her mother alone, so Li Hongbing decided to bring her along.

Some customs are for the sake of celebration and a sense of ritual; Li Hongbing is not such a feudal and rigid person.

the other side.

When Li Hongbing picked up his bride Chen Xueru and headed back, a large stove had already been set up in the courtyard, tables and chairs were arranged, and everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Yan Bugui had set up a separate table in the front yard, covered with red paper, and prepared a pen and ink specifically for recording gift money.

Li Hongbing specifically entrusted the task of bookkeeping to Yan Bugui, as he was the most knowledgeable about accounting among them.

Although Yan Bugui liked to scheme and take advantage of others, he wouldn't stoop to such a point, much less dare to do anything underhanded, so Li Hongbing wasn't worried.

Meanwhile, he was only responsible for collecting gifts and keeping accounts, excluding purchasing expenses and reimbursements, which were already covered by Liang Damin and his group.

As Yan Bugui "opened for business," the residents who received the banquet invitations came one after another to offer their gifts.

Most of the gifts were three or five cents, while poorer families with less means would give one or two cents.

Some gave one yuan, such as Xu Fugui and He Daqing, who had high incomes, as well as Liu Haizhong and Du Jianguo, the two senior administrators of the college. Even Yan Bugui, who is usually stingy, gave fifty cents as a gift this time.

Many people, out of consideration for Li Hongbing and knowing that today's banquet would be quite lavish, specially raised the standard of their monetary gifts and gave more.

"Shazhu, your father just gave your family's gift money. Take this one yuan back."

"Uncle Yan, don't worry about it, just write down my name."

"Shazhu, you haven't separated from your father, and you're not even married yet, so why are you giving two sets of betrothal money?"

"My dad is my dad. This is a separate gift for Hongbing to congratulate him on his marriage!"

"Hey, you..."

"..."

This was the first time Yan Bugui had ever seen a case like Sha Zhu.

no way.

Under Sha Zhu's insistence, Yan Bugui had no choice but to comply for now, and would tell Li Hongbing about it later.

"Uncle Yan, this is mine, a gift of one yuan and fifty cents."

No sooner had Sha Zhu left than Xu Damao came over, also holding a dollar in his hand, leaving Yan Bugui speechless.

Seeing that Sha Zhu was giving Li Hongbing another gift, Xu Damao was not to be outdone. He didn't want to be outdone by Sha Zhu, and at the same time, he wanted to use this gesture to show who had a better and closer relationship with Li Hongbing.

As soon as Xu Damao made this move, Sha Zhu, who had only taken two steps, turned back and almost got into a fight with him on the spot.

Fortunately, with Yan Bugui's persuasion and the introduction of Li Hongbing, Xu Damao finally got his 50 cents back and, like Shazhu, gave Li Hongbing a separate gift of one yuan, which calmed things down.

It's approaching noon.

The chefs and manager Chen Limin from Fengzeyuan's kitchen arrived one after another and took the initiative to give gifts to Yan Bugui.

"You must be the head chef at Fengzeyuan Restaurant? Hongbing instructed that none of you should accept gifts, as you are all his elders; just showing up is enough."

Today happens to be New Year's Day, so Li Hongbing invited them all as well, and specifically stated that he would not accept any gifts from them. Knowing that some people might "not follow the rules," he also gave Yan Bugui instructions in advance.

Today's visitors are mostly from Fengzeyuan, so it's not hard to tell.

"When you go to a banquet, you can't go without bringing a gift. Just take it, otherwise I'll be too ashamed to eat at the banquet."

"Oh, this... then who are you, master chef? Please let me know."

"No need to write it down, just keep it."

"This……"

"..."

These master chefs' techniques left Yan Bugui completely bewildered.

When he saw the money they gave Li Hongbing as gifts, it was all three yuan, which completely stunned him.

As expected of the master chef at Fengzeyuan, he's incredibly generous.

However, if Yan Bugui didn't record the large amount of money they gave as gifts, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Li Hongbing, especially since he wasn't supposed to accept gifts from them.

Fortunately, Yan Bugui was quick-witted and immediately asked Yan Jiecheng to find Li Hongbing's senior apprentice to come over; otherwise, the bookkeeping job would have been impossible to do.

These events were witnessed by Jia Zhangshi, who happened to be passing by, and she became green with envy.

The moment she got home, Jia Zhangshi told Jia Dongxu about it.

"What? Three yuan per person as a gift?"

"real or fake?"

"Mom, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

“I’m sure I didn’t see wrong. Li Hongbing’s fellow students also gave gifts, two yuan each. I took a closer look and calculated that Li Hongbing received over a hundred yuan in gifts just from this banquet.”

"Are they crazy? Is this some kind of Manchu Han Imperial Feast? With so much money in gifts, are they even making a profit?"

"Who knows, they..."

Jealousy was contagious, spreading from Jia Zhangshi to other members of the Jia family, and then to Yi Zhonghai and his wife.

What really upset them was that they were completely unrelated to this joyous occasion in the courtyard today.

It wasn't just Li Hongbing's senior apprentices, but also the experienced craftsmen from Fengzeyuan, and even the neighbors in the courtyard, who seemed to have reached some kind of tacit agreement to completely ignore them.

It was as if they weren't even in the courtyard that day.

Even so, Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai dared not do anything.

If they make the slightest move or harbor any ill intentions at this time, a large group of people in the courtyard could easily pin them down and even demolish their houses.

When Li Hongbing returned with Chen Xueru after picking up his bride, he learned about the wedding gifts from Yan Bugui and was speechless.

The master craftsmen at Fengzeyuan are one thing, but what's with Liang Damin and his fellow apprentices?

Instead of being proper guests, they're doing unpaid work, and then they keep giving each other gifts. Do they really think they're outsiders?
Unfortunately, now is not the right time to deal with these things; we can only deal with them later.

When Li Hongmei got married, Li Hongbing arranged most of the things for her family, but he didn't think much of it. Now that it's his turn, he feels overwhelmed with problems.

The main issue was the banquet and related arrangements. Although he had a large group of helpers and didn't have to take any actual responsibility, Li Hongbing still couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

If we don't hold a banquet or accept monetary gifts, and just distribute wedding candy to everyone, things will obviously be simpler and easier.

Fortunately, life is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so Li Hongbing didn't complain and quickly adjusted his mindset, not letting these things affect his joyful mood today.

With all the guests and relatives present, Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru held a simple wedding ceremony before proceeding to the much-anticipated banquet.

Today's wedding banquet wasn't particularly grand, and there weren't any expensive ingredients, but there was plenty of meat and vegetables, which made everyone very happy.

The veteran chefs at Fengzeyuan were focused on the culinary skills of Guo Youzhong's apprentices, who were in charge of cooking, and they were all full of admiration.

To say that they have reached their current level is unrealistic, but they are definitely outstanding among their generation.

The key point is seeing how well the fellow apprentices and their colleagues work together in harmony, which has garnered them many "thumbs up".

After the wedding banquet, the two tables where the head chef of Fengzeyuan was seated had a lot of food left over, although they had eaten quite a bit. However, the other tables in the courtyard had hardly any food left, not even soup or broth.

With the guests gone, the cleanup work was naturally left to the staff in the courtyard.

"Hongbing, what should we do with these leftovers?"

Yan Bugui, who came directly to us, was naturally referring to the two tables with the most food left; as for the others, there was nothing left at all.

These days, there's a shortage of food and drink, so there are relatively few banquets. In the past, when there was an opportunity to eat at a banquet, there were rarely any leftovers.

It's not that Liang Damin and his team are bad cooks, but rather that those experienced chefs have tasted countless delicacies and naturally wouldn't be like the people in the courtyard.

"Uncle Yan, please share these with the poor families in the yard. Also, the oil left over from frying things earlier is good. You, Uncle Du, and Uncle Liu have worked hard today. If you don't mind, you three can share it yourselves!"

Yan Bugui, Du Jianguo, and Liu Haizhong helped out today, so it's not appropriate to give them money, but giving them some benefits is acceptable.

Li Hongbing doesn't lack oil for his own use.

As for the other helpers in the courtyard, in addition to their original family quota for the banquet, they have already been given an extra meal, which can be considered a favor.

"Not at all! This is good stuff, how could I not like it? Hongbing, you're too kind."

Yan Bugui was initially a little upset when he heard that Li Hongbing had given all the leftovers to the poor households in the courtyard, feeling like he hadn't gotten any advantage. But when he heard the rest, he couldn't help but grin with delight.

Although it was used oil, it was a rare and valuable item not only for Yan Bugui, but for most people as well.

Especially now that you need oil coupons to buy oil, each family only has that much per month.

After dealing with this matter, Li Hongbing went directly to Guo Youzhong and told him about the gift money given that day.

“Hongbing, you’re always so polite to others, and they treat you the same way. Why are you being so hesitant? These are all the kind gestures of your seniors and mentors. Just accept them. They’re not the kind of people who are short of a few dollars.”

Looking at his beloved disciple Li Hongbing, Guo Youzhong couldn't help but laugh and say, "It's not appropriate to return the gifts that have already been received. We can return them when we have the chance."

For ordinary people, those gift amounts are already extremely high, but for them, it's not really that outrageous.

Li Hongbing is young, but his achievements at this age are too great. Otherwise, others wouldn't pay so much attention to him, even if it's just out of concern for a younger generation.

As for Liang Damin and the others, it was a bond of camaraderie among fellow disciples.

……

As the noise subsided and night fell, it grew late.

The residents in the courtyard had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep, and it was quiet outside. Li Hongbing looked at Chen Xueru in front of him and couldn't help but take the wine glass from her hand and say, "Let's not drink anymore, it's time to get down to business."

"Ok!"

With the glow of sunset on her face, Chen Xueru nodded gently, looking at Li Hongbing with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"Turn...turn off the lights!"

"Be gentle with me later."

"..."

Turn off the lights.

In the pitch black, Li Hongbing walked to the bedside and quickly came to Chen Xueru's side.

Her clothes fluttered down, accompanied by the blooming of plum blossoms, a fleeting moment of spring night.

(End of this chapter)