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

Chapter 192 Auspicious Events: Li Hongbing's New Phase (6k)

"Uncle Yan, don't you think there's something fishy about Sha Zhu's broken leg?"

"What's strange about it?"

"Think about it, a perfectly healthy person can trip and fall and break their leg just by walking. Isn't that a bit too unlucky? Have you ever heard of anything like this before? Could there be some other story behind it?"

"Judging from your expression, Xu Damao, you seem to know something?"

"Hehe, Uncle Yan, you've come to the right person this time. I actually know some things. Sha Zhu's leg was actually broken by his blind date. Sha Zhu went out on a blind date that day."

"Is there still this?"

"Uncle Yan, don't disbelieve me, it's absolutely true! Do you know why Sha Zhu got beaten up? It's all because he's foul-mouthed and talks badly about people behind their backs. He said his blind date was Pigsy's second aunt. Can you believe how you insult someone like that? How could he not get beaten up? He deserved it!"

"Really? But with Sha Zhu's physique, how could he be beaten up by a woman? And have his leg broken? Xu Damao, this sounds like you made it up. I know you and Sha Zhu don't get along, but you have to be responsible for your words."

"Hey! Uncle Yan, you don't know this, do you? Why did Sha Zhu give that girl such a nickname? It's because she's strong, even stronger than Sha Zhu. Don't you think it's normal for Sha Zhu to get beaten up? This time, Sha Zhu has finally met his nemesis..."

"..."

Before Sha Zhu was discharged from the hospital, Xu Damao, having somehow learned about this, started spreading the news extensively in the courtyard.

When Li Hongbing learned about these things, Xu Damao even came up to him and started playing with the cricket. Li Hongbing asked curiously, "Xu Damao, how did you know about these things?"

The inside story about Sha Zhu's blind date and broken leg had not spread widely, especially among the people in this courtyard, almost no one knew it. As a result, Xu Damao was able to tell it, and even if what he said was not entirely true, it was enough to surprise Li Hongbing.

"Hehe, Hongbing, don't worry about that. I have my own connections, and I guarantee it's true. It's definitely not something I, Xu Damao, made up."

Xu Damao was very pleased with himself and gave such a confident answer, but he was unwilling to reveal his source.

As Sha Zhu's mortal enemy since childhood, the happiest person about Sha Zhu's broken leg and hospitalization was none other than Xu Damao.

Xu Damao was a shrewd man, and he obviously saw something unusual in this matter. So he put in a lot of effort to find out the real reason why Shazhu broke his leg, and he actually found it.

"Xu Damao, aren't you afraid that Sha Zhu will come after you later by publicizing these things so widely?"

Seeing Xu Damao's smug look, Li Hongbing couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

In Li Hongbing's eyes, Xu Damao was like an unkillable cockroach, always jumping around in front of Sha Zhu, and almost never getting the better of him.

Even if Xu Damao gets beaten up badly, it won't be long before he regains his vitality and runs back to smugly provoke Sha Zhu, only to get beaten up again, and the cycle repeats itself.

Li Hongbing admired Xu Damao's tenacious vitality, but he just couldn't understand the meaning behind his tireless self-destructive behavior.

And such consequences were probably something even Xu Damao himself hadn't anticipated.

Because of this, Xu Damao became the second person after Yi Zhonghai to die without a family.

This price is indeed quite high.

Everyone says that Xu Damao in the original drama was rotten to the core, but this Sha Zhu is no better. Not to mention his arbitrary standards of right and wrong and his logic of behavior, he is incredibly ruthless.

During the time when He Daqing fled to protect the city, Xu Damao often used this incident to provoke Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu, in turn, sought revenge and always targeted Xu Damao in his private parts.

However, since He Daqing reconciled with Sha Zhu and his son, Xu Damao could no longer use this to provoke Sha Zhu as before, and Sha Zhu no longer went so far as to resort to such ruthless tactics, at most engaging in minor skirmishes.

Xu Damao has now found a new event and strengthened his attack, clearly intending to restart the great conflict.

"Hey! Red Soldier, what I'm saying is all true, and I'm not afraid of Sha Zhu."

Xu Damao spoke with great confidence, seemingly afraid of being looked down upon by Li Hongbing, and even emphasized one last sentence.

Now that Sha Zhu's leg is broken, he can no longer chase after him and beat him up like before. Even if he comes back from the hospital, it will take at least two or three months to recover before he can walk again.

This period was the opportunity for Xu Damao to turn the tide and rise again.

As for He Daqing...

Xu Damao was even less afraid.

As an elder in the courtyard, He Daqing would certainly not directly attack a junior like him. Even if he wanted to cause trouble, he would have to go after Xu Fugui, the head of the family, otherwise he would lose face and be looked down upon.

Moreover, Xu Damao always spread these rumors when He Daqing was not around.

Sha Zhu is currently hospitalized. He Daqing has to quit his job and frequently visit him in the hospital, so he doesn't have much time to spend in the hospital and can't find any evidence against him.

"Bless yourself!"

Seeing that Xu Damao was fearless, Li Hongbing didn't bother to persuade him.

Even if Sha Zhu's leg is broken now and it will take a long time to recover, it's not like his leg will never be healed. When that time comes, it will be the day he settles accounts with Xu Damao.

The reason Li Hongbing spoke up just now wasn't because of Sha Zhu, or because he wanted to intervene in the conflict between these two mortal enemies. He just felt that although Xu Damao's actions were aimed at Sha Zhu, they would have a negative impact on the girl who had previously gone on a blind date with Sha Zhu.

No delusion!

It was already bad enough that she met a blind date named Sha Zhu and was even given the nickname "Pigsy's Second Aunt".

Now she's been dragged into the mess between Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, and is being publicized everywhere. It's rather unfair for an unmarried girl like her.

It's unclear whether it was unintentional or deliberate, but the situations Xu Damao described are not entirely true.

The person who broke Shazhu's leg was not his blind date, but her brother. Moreover, the brother's appearance wasn't as bad as Shazhu described; he was just a bit overweight.

Butcher Zhang's family lived not far from Guo Youzhong, Li Hongbing's master. Guo Youzhong was a regular customer of Butcher Zhang's and would often ask Butcher Zhang to reserve some pork cuts for cooking. He had even met Butcher Zhang's daughter.

Moreover.

He Daqing and Dong Congyou, one is Sha Zhu's biological father and the other is Sha Zhu's master. Neither of them has any grudge against Sha Zhu. They help him arrange blind dates and find a partner. Although they don't prioritize appearance, they can't completely ignore that aspect. At least the partner has to be acceptable.

only.

Although they knew that Sha Zhu had a sharp tongue, they never expected that he would say such things in a blind date setting, especially at the woman's house.

Thanks to Xu Damao's vigorous promotion, the matter quickly became known to everyone, not only in the entire courtyard, but also in the Nanluoguxiang area, and even the entire steel rolling mill.

Li Hongbing strongly suspects that Yi Zhonghai and his apprentice Jia Dongxu provided considerable assistance during this process.

After all, Yi Zhonghai had an irreconcilable feud with He Daqing and his son Sha Zhu, and he would never let go of such a good opportunity for revenge.

All of this was naturally attributed to Xu Damao.

Since it concerned Sha Zhu's reputation, He Daqing, as his biological father, naturally couldn't sit idly by. However, he didn't cause trouble for Xu Damao, but instead went to find Xu Fugui. However, Xu Damao wasn't caught red-handed by He Daqing, so Xu Fugui naturally denied it to the death.

Afterwards, Xu Fugui gave Xu Damao a good scolding and warned him not to spread the story again.

While Xu Fugui was protective of his own, he didn't want to completely offend He Daqing.

He Daqing's purpose in coming here wasn't really to do anything to Xu Damao, but just to make him quiet down.

However, since things had come to this point, Xu Damao had already achieved his goal, so he didn't care anymore.

But rather.

Just as Xu Damao was feeling incredibly smug, he was ambushed and given a good beating by the four Zhang brothers on his way home from get off work.

"Xu Damao, you brat, you're spreading rumors about my little sister everywhere. Do you have a death wish?"

"I'm beating you up today as a warning."

"If we ever hear you spewing nonsense and talking rubbish everywhere again, next time we'll make sure you can't walk, and we'll cut out your tongue so you can never speak again."

"You, surnamed Xu, better watch out. Don't let me run into you on the street again, or I'll beat you up every time I see you."

"Just because we're not showing our power doesn't mean we, the Zhang family, are easy to bully!"

"..."

Having been beaten up and threatened like this, Xu Damao didn't dare utter a single word in the face of the four Zhang brothers, who seemed like four towering mountains.

Even after Xu Fugui found out about this, he didn't say anything.

The other party didn't hit hard during the beating; it was just some superficial injuries. Xu Damao could only accept his bad luck.

If things really escalate and go to court, even if the other party gets some punishment, it will still have a significant impact on Xu Damao's reputation.

Xu Damao is nineteen this year, which is about the age to find a partner.

……

Time passes day by day.

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye.

As Chen Xueru's belly grew bigger day by day, she stopped going to work at the silk shop.

As the due date drew closer, Chen Xueru's mobility became increasingly limited, so Li Hongbing tidied up the empty room next door and brought Chen's mother over.

Li Hongbing needs to go to work and can't stay by Chen's side to take care of her all the time, so it's obviously very necessary for Chen's mother to come over at this time.

Chen Xueru is her only daughter, so naturally Chen's mother cares about her immensely. Even if Li Hongbing doesn't mention it, she has her own thoughts and plans in this regard.

With the help of Chen's mother, an elder, Li Hongbing's pressure was significantly reduced.

In that era, medical development was limited. Although there was a method for predicting the due date of pregnant women that existed in that time, it was obviously not as accurate as in later generations.

However, in order to prepare for Chen Xueru's upcoming delivery, Li Hongbing made full preparations, swapped shifts with other experienced chefs in the kitchen in advance, and saved up some rest days to wait for these few days.

Due to current conservative views on childbirth, coupled with limited medical resources and a shortage of hospital beds, pregnant women generally do not have the habit of going to the hospital in advance to prepare for childbirth unless they have any high-risk factors.

Over the past few years, Chen Xueru has been practicing Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), and her physical condition is obviously better than most people. In addition, she has been going to the hospital for regular check-ups during this period, so she has not done this.

Simultaneously.

Admitting to the hospital too early for delivery may cause anxiety in pregnant women, or even increase the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

Of course.

The main reason is that it only takes about five minutes to walk from here to the nearest Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, so Li Hongbing can rest assured.

This night.

Li Hongbing, who had just fallen asleep, was suddenly woken up by Chen Xueru.

"Hongbing, I...I have a stomachache, I think I'm going into labor." Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing, who had just woken up, quickly got out of bed and, while getting dressed, shouted loudly towards the next room, "Mom, get up quickly, Xueru is going into labor."

Chen Xueru's childbirth was such a big event that the whole family had to be there; it was impossible to leave Chen's mother alone.

The incident happened suddenly, but fortunately Li Hongbing had made all the necessary preparations in advance. He had prepared a tricycle in advance, and Chen's mother had also prepared the clothes and other items needed for her upcoming hospitalization well in advance.

Such a commotion naturally alerted many people in the courtyard, who all put on their clothes and came out to check the situation.

"Hongbing, is Xueru about to give birth?"

"should be."

"Do you need any help?"

"Uncle Yan, could you please find a few people to help me push this tricycle outside?"

"Hey!"

"..."

When Yan Bugui and the others spoke, Li Hongbing didn't stand on ceremony and didn't waste any words.

Li Hongbing carried Chen Xueru outside, with Chen's mother following behind carrying a package that had been prepared in advance. Yan Bugui and the others also pushed out a tricycle with quilts laid out in advance.

soon.

The three of them then headed to the nearest traditional Chinese medicine hospital.

Although Chen Xueru was about to give birth, Li Hongbing didn't dare to ride too fast because he was afraid of the bumpy road. Fortunately, the journey was short, and Chen Xueru was taken to the hospital and into the delivery room without any problems.

"Hongbing, it's alright, Xueru will definitely be able to give birth smoothly."

Li Hongbing is usually very calm and rarely panics in the face of trouble, but this was the first time he had experienced something like this in his two lifetimes, so he couldn't help but worry. As someone who had been through it all, Chen's mother noticed this and quickly comforted him.

In fact, as Chen Xueru's mother, Chen's mother was also worried about her daughter. Childbirth can be said to be a major hurdle in a woman's life, especially the first child.

"Mom, it's okay, I'm not nervous!"

Tension and worry are inevitable, but Li Hongbing is not yet panicked.

Chen Xueru's previous prenatal checkups had all been very positive, and Chen Xueru's physical condition was not bad. Although it was her first pregnancy, Li Hongbing felt that there would be no problems.

After a period of anxious waiting.

Fortunately, Li Hongbing didn't have to wait too long. The nurse came out and said, "It's a boy, weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces. Mother and child are safe!"

When the news broke, both Chen's mother and Li Hongbing breathed a deep sigh of relief.

When Chen's mother heard that Chen Xueru had given birth to a boy, she was overjoyed.

Although Li Hongbing dotes on his wife and is very considerate to Chen Xueru, and has previously stated that he likes both boys and girls, as an older generation, he still values ​​the continuation of the family line and male offspring.

Li Hongbing is an only child, and now that Chen Xueru has given birth to their eldest son, Chen's mother is very happy.

Not long after.

Chen Xueru was wheeled out of the delivery room and taken to a ward. After a quick cleaning, the baby was brought over by a nurse.

"Oh my, this child is so beautiful, with such big eyes and such a nose..."

"Mom, what's so good about this? It looks like it has wrinkles!"

"Nonsense. When you were first born, you were all wrinkled. But my grandson was much more beautiful. He only became pretty after being raised for a while."

"Oh right, now that you mention it, I do remember. This little guy is much cuter than when Jingli was born."

“Hongbing, look, look, this little guy smiled at me…”

"..."

Listening to the conversation between Chen's mother and daughter Chen Xueru, and looking at the energetic little one by the bed, Li Hongbing couldn't help but smile happily.

From the moment he first saw him, Li Hongbing noticed that this little guy was much prettier than other newborns.

usually.

Some newborns may appear wrinkled due to being soaked in amniotic fluid, or due to the protection of vernix caseosa and insufficient subcutaneous fat, but this is not always the case.

Because she was born at full term and had sufficient nutrition, her child developed well and was quite good-looking at birth. Although she still had one or two skin folds, she was much prettier than most babies.

When the nurse brought it over, she specifically praised it, saying she rarely sees something so beautiful.

Seven pounds and two ounces, that's not light either.

This was only because Li Hongbing was worried that Chen Xueru might over-nourish herself, which could lead to excessive fetal development and potential dangers during childbirth. He was intentionally controlling the situation; otherwise, Li Hongbing would have no shortage of nutritious supplements.

Many people are unaware that excessive intake of various nutrients during pregnancy can lead to an overly large baby, posing significant risks, even fatal ones, to the mother's health and childbirth.

However, in this era of widespread shortages of oil and nutrients, most people don't need to worry about this issue for the time being.

Next, Chen Xueru can take good care of herself during her postpartum period and recovery.

……

One night passed.

the next day.

Li Hongbing sent someone to inform Li Hongmei that Chen Xueru had given birth.

Upon receiving the news, Li Hongmei didn't even bother going to work; she immediately took leave and rushed over.

"Such a big thing, why didn't you send someone to inform me last night?"

Upon learning that Chen Xueru had given birth the previous night and that she hadn't been able to come immediately, Li Hongmei blamed Li Hongbing.

Li Hongmei had specifically instructed them about this matter beforehand.

"The situation was urgent, and I forgot for a moment."

Li Hongbing was not lying.

Although he had promised Li Hongmei before, he hadn't thought about these things at the time.

Besides, it was the middle of the night, and he didn't want to bother Li Hongmei.

“Your brother-in-law has a transport mission these days and hasn’t returned yet. I’ll tell him about this when he gets back.”

Faced with Li Hongbing's explanation, Li Hongmei didn't pursue the matter further. She explained why Zhao Weiguo hadn't come, and then immediately asked, "Have you decided on a name for this child?"

"Li Jianwu, named by the Red Army, is a name given to him in the hope that he will grow up strong, healthy, and happy."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru, who was leaning against the headboard, quickly spoke up.

"pretty good."

Li Hongmei nodded in agreement.

The names of their two children were also specifically chosen by Li Hongbing: their eldest son is Zhao Jianjun, and their youngest daughter is Zhao Qingwan.

My youngest daughter was conceived last year and was born this summer.

For boys, it should sound grand and imposing; for girls, it should naturally sound nicer.

Li Hongmei didn't understand the meaning of her daughter's name at first; she just thought it sounded nice. But according to Li Hongbing, her daughter's name comes from the poem "There is a beautiful woman, graceful and charming" in the Book of Songs.

As a child of the Zhao family, Zhao Weiguo had no objection to the naming rights being given to his uncle, Li Hongbing. Given Li Hongbing's current status, Zhao's parents had even less to say.

With a younger brother like Li Hongbing, Li Hongmei had the most confidence and integrity in her husband's family after she got married.

Li Hongbing doesn't have many requirements when it comes to naming his children; as long as it's acceptable, that's fine.

Even if he were to use a name as common as Red Star, Construction, Victory, or Red Flag, it would all be the same to Li Hongbing.

As long as it's not something like "dog egg" or "dog leftovers," there shouldn't be any problem.

Next.

After staying in the hospital for a few days, Li Hongbing brought Chen Xueru and his son Li Jianwu back to the courtyard house.

As for things like household registration, Li Hongbing had already taken care of them during the two days Chen Xueru was hospitalized.

A son's status depends on his father's!

On his first day back at the courtyard house, Li Jianwu was showered with compliments from his neighbors, who showered him with endless praise.

Li Hongbing accepted everything without hesitation.

There's no need to be modest about this. Both Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru are in good physical condition, especially Li Hongbing. In addition, they received adequate nutrition during their pregnancy, so their child was born very healthy and full of energy.

"Mom, I've written a menu for you, and I've also written down the specific steps. When I'm not home, just follow the instructions on this menu. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime."

During Chen Xueru's postpartum period, in order to ensure her nutrition and physical recovery, Li Hongbing specially customized a postpartum meal for her and gave it to Chen's mother.

With her son-in-law, chef Li Hongbing, guiding her, Chen's mother's cooking skills are improving day by day, so there's nothing to worry about in that regard.

Besides.

Li Hongbing also specially ordered milk, and a milk station deliveryman would deliver the milk to him every day.

This is good stuff.

Let alone when we fully enter the era of ration coupons, even now, milk is a scarce commodity.

Chen's mother settled down here permanently, helping to take care of the child and serve Chen Xueru during her postpartum period. In her spare time, she would chat with Aunt Yan and Aunt Yang, or go to the market to buy groceries together.

During this process, they naturally exchanged some cooking skills and childcare experiences. They learned that Li Hongbing had specially prepared a postpartum menu for Chen Xueru, and Chen's mother was making delicious and nutritious meals for Chen Xueru every day, which made everyone very envious.

They had all gone through this stage, but as women, none of them had enjoyed the same treatment as Chen Xueru.

Can't compare.

(End of this chapter)