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

Chapter 190 Filial Piety and Fatherly Love: Contractor Yan Bugui (4k)

After this in-depth conversation, Sha Zhu's attitude changed a lot. At least he was less resistant to the blind dates arranged for him by Dong Congyou and He Daqing.

weekend.

He Daqing struck while the iron was hot and immediately arranged another blind date for Sha Zhu.

Because of the sabotage that happened when Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu went on their blind date, and when Chen Xueru first came to the courtyard as Li Hongbing's girlfriend, He Daqing arranged for Sha Zhu's blind dates to be held outside.

It's not just about guarding against Xu Damao and Jia Dongxu, who have criminal records, but also about guarding against Yi Zhonghai.

After all, it concerns Sha Zhu's life-changing event of finding a wife, so it's inevitable that Yi Zhonghai might have some ulterior motives.

only.

That day, Li Hongbing came home from get off work with Chen Xueru. Not long after, He Yushui came to the door, wiping away tears.

"Brother Hongbing, my dad and brother went out today and haven't come back yet. Did something happen to them again?"

Looking at Li Hongbing who came out to open the door, twelve-year-old He Yushui looked at him with teary eyes and asked with a worried expression, "Has my dad been arrested by the neighborhood committee again?"

"This...it shouldn't be that bad!"

Faced with He Yushui's guess, Li Hongbing felt that the probability was not high, so he couldn't help but comfort her: "Besides, didn't your dad go to work today? Maybe the restaurant was busy tonight and he came back a little late."

The fact that He Daqing was able to escape unscathed after being investigated last time proves that the matter wasn't serious, regardless of whether he used connections or not. It's unlikely that there will be any other problems.

He Yushui's strong reaction was probably because what happened last time had frightened her.

The people in the courtyard didn't know their place and blurted out that He Daqing had been taken away by the neighborhood committee, along with some unpleasant gossip and speculation.

Although He Yushui is much older than before, she is still a child after all.

Hearing Li Hongbing's words, He Yushui spoke again: "But my brother hasn't come back either. When he left today, he said he would come back to cook for me tonight, but I haven't seen him yet."

"Where did your brother go out today?"

Today is a day off, and Sha Zhu, like the workers at the steel mill, doesn't have to go to work, so Li Hongbing is a little curious.

"Brother Hongbing, my brother went on a blind date."

After hesitating for a moment, He Yushui still told him about it.

He Daqing specifically instructed He Yushui not to tell anyone about Sha Zhu's blind date today. However, in He Yushui's mind, Li Hongbing was clearly different from the others in the courtyard.

"Blind date?"

Knowing this, Li Hongbing wasn't too surprised. Instead, he smiled and said, "Yushui, if that's the case, you probably don't need to worry anymore. Maybe your brother found someone he liked today, and he's out having dinner with his blind date tonight. They might be on a date and watching a movie right now!"

If that's the case, Li Hongbing is curious about what kind of blind date could satisfy Sha Zhu and make him interested.

Hearing Li Hongbing say this, He Yushui was visibly relieved.

Just as she was about to go back, Li Hongbing, seemingly remembering something, suddenly asked, "Yushui, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

It was already late, and neither He Daqing nor Shazhu had returned. He Yushui had just mentioned that Shazhu had promised to come back and cook for her, which was why Li Hongbing asked that question.

“Brother Hongbing, I’ve already eaten. I made myself something simple because my brother hadn’t come back yet.”

There are two cooks in the family, so it's naturally not He Yushui's turn to cook. However, through long-term exposure to cooking, He Yushui has obviously mastered some cooking skills.

Regardless of how delicious the food is, at least the food is cooked properly, which is obviously not a problem.

He Yushui is still a child, but she is already twelve years old, which is not too young. She has a certain level of hands-on and self-care ability.

After learning about the situation, Li Hongbing didn't say much; it was just a casual question.

If He Yushui hasn't eaten by this time, giving her a bite to eat wouldn't be a big deal.

Compared to Sha Zhu, He Yushui at this time was clearly more polite and likable.

I thought that was the end of it, but an hour after He Yushui left, she came back again.

"Your brother and dad still haven't come back?"

It's understandable that Sha Zhu is still at get off work, but it's a bit unusual that He Daqing hasn't left work yet.

After confirming the situation, Li Hongbing took He Yushui directly to Yan Bugui, who lived across the street, and explained the situation.

"Red Soldier, what do you want me to do?"

Knowing this, and seeing that Li Hongbing had even brought He Yushui over, Yan Bugui said directly, "If needed, I'll gather everyone right now and go out to help find Shazhu and Lao He."

Yan Bugui was so eager not for any other reason than to curry favor with Li Hongbing.

"It doesn't have to be so troublesome."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing shook his head and explained his purpose: "Uncle Yan, I just want your Jiecheng to run an errand to Shazhu's master. Maybe he can find out about Shazhu and Uncle He's situation."

Sha Zhu and He Daqing are two grown men, not children. They just came back a little late. There's no need to make such a fuss and send the whole courtyard out to look for them.

If it weren't for the fact that Yu Shui was so anxious about Sha Zhu and He Daqing, Li Hongbing might not have gotten involved in this matter.

As for why they asked Yan Jiecheng and Dong Congyou to inquire about the situation, it was mainly because Dong Congyou was Shazhu's master. The other party probably knew about Shazhu's blind date today, and it was probably even arranged by him. Dong Congyou also worked in the kitchen of Emei Restaurant with He Daqing, so asking him was obviously the most useful thing.

If Sha Zhu or He Daqing really need help, they can only ask him to step in.

"Li Hongbing, why don't you handle this yourself?"

Before Yan Bugui could even agree, Yan Jiecheng, who was inside the house, immediately objected when he heard that he was to run errands for Li Hongbing.

Seeing this, Li Hongbing smiled and said directly, "There's a delivery fee, three cents!"

"So what if you're rich? It's only three cents! I'm not going!"

Yan Jiecheng was initially tempted by the three-cent delivery fee, but when he saw Li Hongbing standing in front of him, his pride got the better of him, and he deliberately put on a disdainful look.

As peers in the institute, Yan Jiecheng is eighteen years old this year, only two years younger than Li Hongbing, but their jobs and status are worlds apart.

Last year, when the steel rolling mill had a job opening, Yan Jiecheng joined the mill as an apprentice. Although his monthly salary is only eighteen yuan, he is now a person with a salary.

Although Yan Bugui took fifteen yuan of the eighteen yuan salary, leaving him only three yuan for pocket money each month, he clearly felt it was beneath him to run errands for Li Hongbing for just three mao.

He was already inferior to Li Hongbing in terms of work, income, and status, and had been completely outshone. If he were to bow down for three cents, he would lose even more face.

Seeing Yan Jie's reaction, Li Hongbing wasn't angry. Instead, he said directly, "In that case, I'll find someone else."

In the entire courtyard, Yan Jiecheng wasn't the only one who could run errands. The reason they thought of him was because Yan Bugui had often collected intelligence for him, making it easier for him to stay informed about what was happening inside and outside the courtyard. That's why they gave them this opportunity to make money.

Three cents isn't much, but it's just for running an errand, so it's enough.

Yan Jiecheng didn't want to earn this small amount of money, and Li Hongbing didn't force him.

"No! Red Soldier..."

"Brother Hongbing, I'm going!"

Just as Li Hongbing was about to leave, Yan Bugui and Yan Jiefang, who were anxious, spoke up at the same time.

Upon hearing this, both Yan Bugui and his son Yan Jiefang were stunned and subconsciously glanced at each other.

Faced with the temptation of three cents, Yan Jiefang mustered his courage and said, "Brother Hongbing, my brother doesn't want to go, so I'll go in his place. You can leave this errand to me, and I'll definitely do a good job for you."

“You’re not suitable.” Looking at Yan Jiefang, who was only seven or eight years old, Li Hongbing had no choice but to refuse, saying, “You’re too young right now, and it’s nighttime. Sha Zhu’s master’s house isn’t close to our courtyard house, so I’m worried about it.”

Even if Yan Bugui could agree, Li Hongbing would never agree; it would be too dangerous.

He couldn't afford to take responsibility if anything else happened.

"Yan Jiefang, what are you doing causing trouble? Get out of here."

Upon hearing his second son's words, Yan Bugui's face darkened. After giving him a stern reprimand, he quickly turned to Li Hongbing with a forced smile and said, "Hongbing, give me this task, and I'll personally run the errand for you."

Three cents for running errands was a lot to Yan Bugui, so how could he let the easy money slip away?

“Uncle Yan, you’re mistaken. It’s not about helping me, it’s about helping Yushui and the He family.”

Li Hongbing corrected Yan Bugui's mistake and said, "The three cents for the errand fee is also paid by the He family. You can just ask Shazhu or Uncle He for it. I don't think they would let you do this for nothing."

He was just helping Yu Shui by spending the He family's money to do their business, which was perfectly reasonable.

"Of course, leave it to me!"

If someone else had said that, Yan Bugui would have worried that Sha Zhu or He Daqing would deny it, leaving him without pay and having worked for nothing.

But this man is Li Hongbing. Sha Zhu and He Daqing obviously wouldn't offend him for three cents.

Moreover, a few days ago, his wife was reminded by Li Hongbing to run an errand for He Daqing. Originally, Sha Zhu was not planning to accept the fee, but as soon as Li Hongbing was mentioned, he obediently paid the errand fee.

With this precedent, Yan Bugui felt even more confident.

“But Hongbing, as you just said, it’s quite a distance from here to Shazhu’s master’s place. If I walk there, it will take a lot of time. So… could you lend me your bicycle?”

After feigning hesitation, Yan Bugui made the request to Li Hongbing.

"no problem."

Li Hongbing nodded.

At this point in time, he doesn't need a bicycle, so he's not that stingy.

As Li Hongbing and He Yushui left, Yan Bugui said directly to Yan Jiecheng inside the house, "Jiecheng, I'll borrow the bicycle later. Go out and run an errand for Yushui."

"Why should I go? I'm not going!"

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's order, Yan Jiecheng was dissatisfied and immediately expressed his resistance.

"Yan Jiecheng, are you stupid?"

Seeing that Yan Jiecheng still dared to object, Yan Bugui, who was disappointed in Yan Jiecheng, immediately scolded him: "You get three cents for running an errand, it's practically a risk-free business. You almost ruined it just now, and you still have the nerve to complain."

"Dad, I haven't lost this job, have I? Whoever takes it can do it. Anyway, the money won't end up in my hands."

Yan Jiecheng's meaning was clear: he was willing to run errands, but he had to be paid.

Yan Jiecheng regretted refusing Li Hongbing earlier out of pride, since his monthly allowance was only three yuan. Three mao (0.3 yuan) was a lot for him, equivalent to one-tenth of his monthly allowance.

Now that he has the opportunity, he naturally wants to seize this benefit.

The key point is that he managed to save face in front of Li Hongbing just now.

"Here's a dime!"

Although Yan Bugui was stingy, he knew in his heart that if he didn't give Yan Jiecheng some benefits, he definitely wouldn't listen to his orders.

"Isn't it Sanmao?"

"How did it become one cent?"

"Dad, this is really too stingy of you!"

"I've never seen anyone like you before..."

"..."

Yan Jiecheng was speechless and started complaining to his face.

This is even more heartless than Huang Shiren!
Yan Jiecheng couldn't help but wonder if he was really Yan Bugui's biological son.

“Hongbing just gave you the chance, but you didn’t agree. Now it’s too late to regret it.”

Being praised like this by his own son, Yan Bugui felt neither embarrassed nor soft-hearted; on the contrary, he was secretly pleased.

Now that the errand-running job has fallen to him, if Yan Jiecheng wants to make money, he has to follow his orders.

"Two cents, otherwise I won't go!"

Feeling helpless, Yan Jiecheng took the initiative to bargain.

"Yan Jiecheng, I fed you, fed you, raised you to adulthood, and even sent you to school. Is this how you repay your father? You even scheme against your own father like this. How can you be so shameless? Don't forget, you're still living in my house!"

Yan Jiecheng's outrageous demands almost led to Yan Bugui pointing his finger at him and cursing him.

"Dad, what are you saying? I earn eighteen yuan a month, but I hand over fifteen to you every month, and only keep three yuan for myself. How can you say that to me?"

Thinking of this, Yan Jie felt wronged for himself.

Even though he's already working, he feels just as miserable as if he hadn't. The three yuan he receives each month is supposed to be pocket money, but it's really just the cost of his lunch at the steel mill canteen every day.

Even if he cuts his lunch bills every day, he still won't have much money left over at the end of the month.

Whenever other apprentices in the factory wanted to invite him out for a meal or drinks, he didn't dare to go.

"Yan Jiecheng, you have no conscience to say that."

"That fifteen yuan is for your rent and food expenses at home, as well as your water and electricity bills. Don't you have to pay for all of that?"

"Now that you have a job and your own salary, you can't just stay at home eating and drinking for free like before, can you?"

“Your younger siblings are still young, and we rely entirely on my salary to support the family. You have to contribute something to this family, don’t you?”

"Did I raise you for nothing all this time?"

"..."

Faced with Yan Bugui's questioning, Yan Jiecheng dared not utter a word.

When this heavy burden of filial piety came down, he was truly powerless to resist.

Moreover, in many families nowadays, even if not all of their children's pre-marital wages are handed over, many people still have to hand over a portion, or even a large portion, of their children's wages to help support the family or to support their parents.

His situation is not an isolated case.

"Fine, I'll go..."

Feeling the oppressive atmosphere in the room, Yan Jiecheng couldn't hold on any longer and ultimately chose to compromise in frustration.

At this moment.

Yan Jiecheng was filled with regret.

If he had known this would happen, why did he pretend to be such a big shot?
Now look what's happened! Not only did he not miss out on the job, but he also lost two-thirds of the benefits. Where can he go to complain?
(End of this chapter)