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

Chapter 196 A Past Promise, Chen Xueru Moved by Emotion

The implementation of the "meat rationing" system had a significant impact on ordinary people.

Previously, if you wanted to buy good meat or fatty meat, you had to "grab" it. Now, it's even more necessary. If you go late, it's not just a matter of whether you can buy good meat or not; you might not be able to buy meat at all.

This is not only because the implementation of rationing has stimulated public demand for meat, but also because the market supply of pork cannot keep up.

If it weren't for the prominent contradiction between supply and demand, the authorities wouldn't have needed to introduce meat ration coupons to implement a quantitative supply plan.

Simultaneously.

The impact of this policy on the entire catering industry is inevitable.

However, some restaurants and eateries are doing even better business.

Although now when you eat out, in addition to paying for the food, you also need to use food coupons and meat coupons, it is only limited to pork, beef and mutton. Chicken, duck and fish are not restricted for the time being.

Meat dishes, and the ingredients they require, are not limited to pork, beef, and lamb.

Since people eat less meat at home these days, those with better financial means are going out to eat at restaurants to improve their meals.

However, this situation will not last long, because the next steps will be accelerated, and the types of goods subject to unified purchase and distribution and rationing will increase.

Agricultural products such as chickens and ducks will begin to be supplied in exchange for meat coupons, and free trade will be prohibited.

……

February 18th arrived in the blink of an eye.

This day happened to be Lunar New Year's Eve.

It's the 29th of the lunar year, not the 30th.

This situation is quite rare.

Unlike the almost fixed Gregorian calendar, the months in the Chinese lunar calendar are defined according to the cycle of the moon's waxing and waning, and are called "synodic months".

The average length of a synodic month is 29.53 days, which is not an integer. The number of days in a month must be expressed as an integer, so sometimes a month has 29 days and sometimes a month has 30 days.

To ensure that the first day of each month is the new moon, the arrangement of long and short months in the lunar calendar is not fixed.

This year, the twelfth lunar month happens to be a short month with only twenty-nine days, so there is no Lunar New Year's Eve.

This evening.

When Li Hongbing got off work at Fengzeyuan, it wasn't too late, but most households in Beijing had already finished their New Year's Eve dinner.

On his bicycle ride home, Li Hongbing felt an overwhelming warmth and a strong desire to get home as soon as possible on this special day, because Chen Xueru and her mother were waiting for him.

Among all these lights, there is now one that belongs to him alone.

Li Hongbing originally planned to have the New Year's Eve dinner tomorrow, but Chen Xueru insisted on waiting for him to come back.

When Li Hongbing returned home, his mother had just finished cooking. Chen Xueru, who had been watching outside, saw Li Hongbing return and immediately said, "Mom, Hongbing is back. We can make dumplings now."

Dumplings are an indispensable part of the New Year's Eve dinner.

While not absolute, dumplings are one of the core staple foods for the Spring Festival in most northern regions.

"In Beijing, every family eats dumplings during the Spring Festival."

Lao She's "Spring Festival in Beijing" contains such a record and description.

To avoid the dumplings getting cold after being cooked in advance, or affecting their taste if left out for too long, these dumplings were only put into the pot of boiling water after Li Hongbing arrived at his doorstep.

"Dad, hug!"

As Li Hongbing entered the house, Li Jianwu, who was sitting in a dining chair waiting for dinner, suddenly brightened up and opened his arms to him, asking for a hug.

Li Jianwu, who is just over one year old, has already learned to walk, can say some words, and can express his thoughts in a rudimentary way.

Li Hongbing parked his bicycle, then took off his big coat, went straight over and picked up his eldest son, kissed him on the cheek, making him giggle.

Looking at the harmonious scene between the father and son, Chen Xueru couldn't help but touch her swollen belly, a happy smile spreading across her face. She looked forward even more to the arrival of her and Li Hongbing's second child.

Not long after.

Just as Li Hongbing was teasing Li Jianwu and talking to Chen Xueru, Chen's mother brought the freshly cooked dumplings to the table, and the family's New Year's Eve dinner began.

Before this, Chen Xueru and her mother had already eaten something to fill their stomachs. Although they insisted on waiting for Li Hongbing to come back so that the whole family could have a proper reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, they were not old-fashioned people and would not wait for Li Hongbing on an empty stomach for half a day.

What's more, there's Chen Xueru, the pregnant woman, and Li Jianwu, the child.

The joyful New Year's Eve dinner ended, and before we knew it, it was the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Li Hongbing was far from idle during the next three days of his holiday.

Today, Li Hongbing is no longer the same person he was when he first arrived in this era. In addition to his family, wife, and son, he also has his mentor Guo Youzhong and a bunch of senior fellow disciples, as well as his former leader Gu Jianliang and several directors from the street office.

During his time off, Li Hongbing would occasionally take on some private jobs with his mentor Guo Youzhong, usually with high-ranking officials, but these were not included in the scope of New Year's greetings.

Because those leaders were not simple, Li Hongbing had no intention or need to curry favor with them; doing so would only backfire.

Although there were some praises and affirmations, the idea of ​​gaining the appreciation and respect of a high-ranking leader, or even becoming a close friend and spiritual guide across class lines, just like the character Sha Zhu in the original drama, seems somewhat like an unrealistic protagonist's halo.

If Li Hongbing's cheat code is the system, then Sha Zhu's cheat code in the original series is that big boss.

It's like a "deus ex machina"!
Li Hongbing doesn't indulge in such fantasies; he is already quite satisfied with his current situation.

Especially since the winds haven't yet picked up, and it's uncertain who will rise and who will fall, we should be careful not to get caught in the whirlpool.

Doing your duty is more than enough.

These experiences may become an invisible asset for Li Hongbing in the future.

At this time, Chen Xueru was already in her late pregnancy, so Li Hongbing didn't take her with him, but instead left her and her mother at home.

As for Chen's relatives, they have gradually drifted apart in recent years and no longer keep in touch much.

The Chen family's business that they once coveted has now been transformed into a joint public-private enterprise, leaving them with even less opportunity to profit.

After the three-day Spring Festival holiday, everyone returned to their daily work routines.

As the winter snow melted in Beijing and willow branches sprouted tender green buds, Chen Xueru also entered her due date.

Just like before, Li Hongbing filled in for other master chefs, saving up some vacation time in advance, and began to stay at home with Chen's mother to take care of Chen Xueru and accompany her during childbirth.

With Chen's mother around, Li Hongbing was naturally at ease. However, Li Hongbing couldn't just wash his hands of everything and leave all the work to her alone, especially since there was also a little Li Jianwu who needed to be taken care of.

This time, Chen Xueru's delivery was not as mischievous as Li Jianwu's last time, who launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night.

After being taken to the hospital in the morning, Chen Xueru said she felt nothing, and it wasn't until the afternoon that she was taken to the delivery room.

Fortunately, it was a natural birth.

Since this was her second child, Chen Xueru already had experience with her first pregnancy, and with her mother's long-term meticulous care, everything went smoothly.

in the ward.

Li Jianwu, standing on a small stool with half his body lying on the bed, curiously looked at his newborn brother under the watchful eye of Chen's mother. Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru, seeing this heartwarming scene, couldn't help but show loving and warm smiles.

"By the way, Hongbing, have you thought of a name for this child?"

Seemingly remembering something, Chen Xueru, lying on the bed, suddenly looked at Li Hongbing and asked.

"How is Chen Jiwen?"

When Chen Xueru asked about this, Li Hongbing smiled and said the name. Jianwu Jiwen, the two brothers, one martial and one scholarly, make a perfect pair, also representing Li Hongbing's shared expectations and wishes for them.

And at the same time.

Chen Xueru and her mother both looked at Li Hongbing, their eyes filled with astonishment and shock.

"List?"

Chen Xueru's heart trembled, and her eyes were filled with overwhelming emotion as she looked at Li Hongbing.

Both Chen's mother and Chen Xueru were present when Chen's father and Li Hongbing made their agreement, so they couldn't possibly be unaware of it.

Although Mr. Chen has been gone for several years now, it's impossible for them to have forgotten about this matter.

However, neither Chen Xueru nor her mother brought it up at all, as if the incident had never happened or existed.

As someone who's obsessed with love, Chen Xueru naturally didn't want to put Li Hongbing in a difficult position, so she remained silent.

This is why, from the time she became pregnant with her second child until now, Chen Xueru has never discussed the child's name with him.

As for Chen's mother...

She is a reasonable person, and over the past few years, Li Hongbing's attitude and care for her have clearly made her completely accept him.

Seeing how good he was to her daughter, Chen's mother obviously couldn't bear to ruin their relationship, fearing that this matter would cause Li Hongbing resentment.

Time has passed, and Li Hongbing's initial promise may no longer reflect his original intentions.

Now, Li Hongbing has all the initiative and control. If Li Hongbing is unwilling, forcing him will be useless.

The key is.

Before his death, Chen's father specifically instructed that this matter was entirely up to Li Hongbing. If Li Hongbing did not take the initiative to do so, then it should be considered as if this matter never happened.

On the verge of death.

Mr. Chen clearly understood that forcing things was useless; he could only leave it to fate and gamble on luck.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Didn't we agree that the second child would take Xue Ru's surname? That's what I promised my father-in-law. Although he's no longer here, I won't go back on my word."

Li Hongbing smiled and said, his gaze falling on Chen Xueru and her mother.

Even if this action conflicts with the prevailing views of the present era, Li Hongbing is, after all, from a later era.

Even though Li Hongbing has been trying to integrate into this era, his mind has been shaped by the ideas of the new century, so he is not so resistant to this kind of thing.

With the increase in the number of only children in later generations, this has become a problem and a source of change for many men and women and their families.

What made it even more acceptable to Li Hongbing was that of his and Chen Xueru's parents, only Chen's mother remained. Obviously, there was no issue of elders showing favoritism towards their grandchildren, and there were far fewer unnecessary disputes.

Li Hongbing believed that if Chen's mother could treat everyone equally, he and Chen Xueru would be even more capable of doing so.

As for external influences, they are nothing more than the child's core not being strong enough, or the parents not doing a good enough job.

After all, this is an era where traditional thinking is still prevalent, so it's impossible to say that it has no impact on children at all.

Li Hongbing had already made ample preparations for all of this. Anyone who had too much free time to talk, even if it was just gossiping behind his back, should be prepared to face his deadly counterattack.

The person who made this decision was Li Hongbing, the father, who naturally couldn't let his son bear the cost of this public pressure.

At this moment.

Seeing Li Hongbing speak so casually and nonchalantly, Chen Xueru remained silent, but tears welled up in her beautiful, affectionate eyes and silently slid down her cheeks.

Even Chen's mother, who was standing to the side, was secretly wiping away tears, and said with gratitude, "Hongbing, thank you!"

Although she didn't want to put Li Hongbing in a difficult position, this was ultimately Chen's father's last wish. Now that Li Hongbing was keeping his promise, she would have knelt down before him if it weren't for her status as an elder.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

Li Hongbing, who stepped forward to gently wipe away Chen Xueru's tears, looked at the mother and daughter and said helplessly, "If you two act like this, people who don't know better will think that I'm bullying you!"

After Li Hongbing finished speaking, he couldn't help but say to Chen Xueru, "You just gave birth, so you shouldn't get too emotional. Rest well and don't overthink it. It's not a big deal."

"Daddy is bad..."

Just as Li Hongbing was calming Chen Xueru and her mother down, Li Jianwu, who had been lying on the bed curiously observing his younger brother, suddenly pointed at Li Hongbing and said something that left Li Hongbing speechless, while Chen Xueru and her mother were at a loss for words.

However, Li Jianwu's interruption actually calmed Chen Xueru and her mother down, saving Li Hongbing the trouble of continuing to comfort them.

Although we don't share the same surname, we are family.

The same will happen to Li Jianwu and Chen Jiwen in the future.

Not long after.

Under the pretext of taking Li Jianwu for a walk, Chen's mother left the ward, leaving Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru alone.

"Red Soldier, thank you!"

At this moment, Chen Xueru's eyes were filled with Li Hongbing, and she could not see anything else.

All the emotions and love were released without reservation in just a few words.

"Look at you, thanking me again. We're family, there's no need for such formalities."

Li Hongbing did this not for Chen Xueru's few words of thanks.

“Hongbing, come closer, I have something to tell you in private.”

"what?"

"Don't ask!"

"it is good."

"Once I've recovered, I'll give you a few more sons. You can have as many as you want, and they'll all bear the surname Li..."

"..."

He thought Chen Xueru wanted to take the opportunity to steal a kiss from him, but he never expected that this was her intention and plan.

Obvious.

Chen Xueru wanted to repay him in this way.

Simultaneously.

He also wanted to relieve his stress by doing this.

After all, if one of his children takes his surname, Li Hongbing will definitely face a lot of pressure from the outside world. If I help him raise more sons, then others won't be able to gossip anymore.

It's a very simple, yet "down-to-earth" idea.

"That's up to fate. I married you not just so you could have my children. You're my wife, not some baby-making machine."

Li Hongbing smiled at Chen Xueru's naive idea, but it was a teasing remark.

"But I want to have your child!"

With tender eyes, Chen Xueru made a bold statement, then reached out and wrapped her arm around Li Hongbing's neck, kissing him passionately.

(End of this chapter)