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

Chapter 198 Reaping the Rewards: Li Hongbing Bravely Ventures into the Women's Quarters
"Mom, why did you go looking for trouble with the Li family? If Li Hongbing finds out, won't he come after us?"

After Jia Zhangshi was slapped twice by Chen's mother and fled back in a sorry state, Qin Huairu couldn't help but worry.

"Qin Huairu, how dare you say that? When you saw me being beaten, why didn't you go to help? You just stood by and watched. What kind of daughter-in-law are you?"

Having just been slapped twice and lost face in front of so many people, Jia Zhangshi was still furious. However, instead of comforting her, her daughter-in-law Qin Huairu said something that boosted others' morale and diminished her own. Jia Zhangshi immediately frowned.

The key is.

Just now, Aunt Yan and Aunt Yang took sides, so many people helped Chen's mother bully her, and Qin Huairu was also there at the time. She just happened to arrive, but she stood by and watched, leaving her isolated and helpless. This was what angered Jia Zhangshi the most.

This daughter-in-law is worse off than no daughter-in-law at all; she's completely useless.

"I……"

Qin Huairu wanted to explain, but seeing Jia Zhangshi's angry expression, she dared not speak.

Madam Jia was not a reasonable mother-in-law.

It's better not to explain; if I do explain, I'll only get scolded more.

If the explanation is illogical, then there's no need to say anything more. But if it is logical, given Qin Huairu's understanding of Jia Zhangshi, she would definitely be furious and find other reasons to scold her.

Fortunately at this time.

Wang Guihua, who had come over from the side, saw that Qin Huairu had been wronged and couldn't help but speak up for her: "Sister-in-law, don't be so angry. There were so many people just now. It's not that Huairu didn't want to help you, but even if she went up to help you, it wouldn't have made a difference. It would have only made things worse."

They outnumber us and have the upper hand, so there's no need for us to confront them head-on; we might end up suffering losses..."

Madam Jia remained silent, though she was still dissatisfied. However, she refrained from making a scene because Wang Guihua was present.

Whether or not you can win is one thing.

Whether Qin Huairu helped or not is another matter.

"These people in the front yard are something else. Li Hongbing isn't their ancestor or master. He's not even here, yet they're rushing to be their lackeys. I don't know what benefits Li Hongbing gave them that they insist on..."

Hearing Wang Guihua mention what had just happened, Jia Zhangshi became even angrier.

If Aunt Yan and the others hadn't stopped her, she would not only have had to return those two slaps to Chen's mother, but she would also have had to pay her some "interest".

Upon hearing this, Wang Guihua sighed helplessly and advised, "Sister-in-law, now is not the time to worry about these things. Let's think about how we should deal with it when Li Hongbing comes back tonight and finds out what happened today!"

In fact, Wang Guihua and Qin Huairu shared the same thought: they both felt that Jia Zhangshi shouldn't have gone to the front yard to cause trouble today.

Li Hongbing is no pushover.

If they had known about Jia Zhangshi's actions today, they certainly wouldn't have let it go so easily and wouldn't have let Jia Zhangshi off lightly.

For the past two or three years, everything had been peaceful until Jia Zhangshi suddenly pulled this stunt, leaving Wang Guihua speechless.

What's the difference between this and plucking a lion's mane from its head?
Although Li Hongbing's "selling his son" made them laugh behind his back, thinking that Li Hongbing had no status at home and couldn't hold his own, he never backed down in front of others.

"I already got slapped twice, and I'm already being lenient by not seeking revenge against them. How dare Li Hongbing cause me trouble?"

Recalling her experience of offending Li Hongbing and its consequences, Jia Zhangshi felt a little regretful. Although she was apprehensive, she couldn't be soft-hearted in front of her own people.

This was the most assertive thing she could say.

In Jia Zhangshi's view, although she had provoked Chen's mother and said a few sarcastic remarks about Li Hongbing, she had also been slapped twice by Chen's mother and had already learned her lesson, so the matter should end there.

Jia Zhangshi naturally didn't dare to confront Li Hongbing and settle scores, but in her heart she felt that Li Hongbing shouldn't bother her with her problems anymore.

This is the outcome that Jia Zhangshi most wants to see: to settle the score and pretend that this matter never happened.

To be honest, Jia Zhangshi chickened out.

Wang Guihua and Qin Huairu remained silent.

They also hoped the matter would end there, but since the other party was Li Hongbing, they were very uncertain.

However, they don't have any ideas right now, so they can only wait for Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu to return before discussing and studying the matter together.

……

the other side.

Back inside, Chen's mother saw that Chen Xueru had already woken up from her afternoon nap and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. She tentatively asked, "Xueru, when did you wake up? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

"Mom, I heard everything just now."

Chen Xueru knew what her mother wanted to test; she had been woken up by the loud noise outside.

Hear the words.

Mother Chen quickly interjected, "That Jia Zhangshi is a shrew, spouting nonsense. Whatever you heard just now, don't take it to heart. Just pretend she's spouting nonsense..."

As a respectable person, Chen's mother almost blurted out something reckless when she recalled what had just happened.

Today was also the first time in her life that she had ever gotten into a physical altercation with someone.

Chen's mother knew that Jia Zhangshi was not a good person, and she also knew that Jia Zhangshi and Li Hongbing did not get along. If Jia Zhangshi had come for her today, Chen's mother might not have bothered with Jia Zhangshi.

But Jia Zhangshi, seemingly with good intentions, came to chat, praising and flattering her on the surface, but actually belittling and mocking her son-in-law Li Hongbing in various ways. How could Chen's mother tolerate this?

In Chen's mother's heart, Li Hongbing, her son-in-law, was no less important than Chen Xueru, her biological daughter.

This incident involving her grandson Chen Jiwen has made Chen's mother feel extremely grateful.

For the Chen family, this was an immense favor.

If Li Hongbing needs anything, she, as his mother-in-law, would do anything for him, even go through fire and water.

Jia Zhangshi's disparaging remarks about her son-in-law Li Hongbing in front of her can be seen as stepping on her sore spot.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten so angry that she took action.

“Mom, I know Jia Zhangshi better than you do, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Seeing Chen's mother's expression, Chen Xueru smiled and comforted her, "Don't take it to heart, and don't get angry."

“How could I stand being wronged? I just feel sorry for Hongbing and I feel bad for him. He has suffered so much for us this time and has been wronged.”

Chen's mother sighed helplessly, feeling a pang of guilt and regret for letting Li Hongbing down.

Making Chen Jiwen take the surname of his mother, Chen Xueru, and the surname of the Chen family, puts Li Hongbing under far more pressure and public scrutiny than they do.

She was reluctant to let Chen Jiwen change his surname back to Li, as it was his father's dying wish.

It was precisely because of this that Chen's mother felt increasingly guilty, realizing that she had been selfish.

Very contradictory!
"Mom, please don't say that anymore, and don't think that way."

Chen Xueru's gaze fell on Chen's mother, and she straightened her face, saying solemnly, "Jianwu and Jiwen, whether they are surnamed Li or Chen, are just my and Hongbing's children. They are not related by the Li family or the Chen family."

Making Jiwen take my surname Chen was a promise Hongbing made to my father, and he has fulfilled that promise. But in my heart, Jiwen and Jianwu are the same, there is no difference between them.

Mom, I hope you can remember this: no matter what, Jianwu and Jiwen are your grandsons, and can only be your grandsons. You must treat them equally.

Jiwen's surname is Chen. Regardless of which family's genealogy he is included in in the future, he is also a member of the Li family. What Jiwen has, Jianwu will also have, and what Jianwu has, Jiwen will not lack..."

The name Chen Jiwen had been decided several days ago, but this was the first time Chen Xueru had discussed the topic so seriously with her mother.

Genealogies have been passed down for thousands of years, and most common surnames have them, whether they are collateral branches or direct descendants.

Today, Chen Xueru can be described as a very clear-headed modern woman, especially after being with Li Hongbing for so many years, many of her thoughts and ideas have quietly changed.

Especially as a woman, she didn't really care much about clans and genealogies, because women have never been valued.

Even though Chen's mother, as the only legal wife, was included in the Chen family genealogy, she was still subordinate to Chen's father and didn't even have a name. She could only exist as Chen Moushi. As for the married-out daughters, it goes without saying.

Although it was initially called a marriage alliance, in reality, Chen Xueru married into the family as a bride.

In fact, neither Li Hongbing nor Chen Xueru paid much attention to or cared about these things.

According to traditional rules, only if Li Hongbing marries into the Chen family or Chen Jiwen is adopted can the lineage of Chen's father be restored.

If one wanted to follow Chen's father's wishes at the time, the second option would most likely be the best choice.

Chen Xueru just didn't want to do these things.

Chen's father had passed away, and Li Hongbing had kept his promise to let their second child take her surname, Chen. Chen Xueru felt that this was enough.

If we really want to carry on the tradition of ancestral lineage and bloodline continuation, then let's start with their generation. At least we won't let Chen's father's line die out.

It must be said that with the changes of the new era and the arrival of the new society, many traditional thoughts and ideas have been impacted to some extent.

In ancient times, even in the recently ended old society, Chen Xueru's idea would definitely be considered extremely rebellious.

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother did not say anything.

He clearly tacitly approved of his daughter's statement.

She was, after all, a woman, and everything she did was in accordance with her father's wishes and last thoughts. Now, Li Hongbing was the head of the family and Chen Xueru's heaven.

Even though her thinking was relatively traditional and conservative, Chen's mother was still able to distinguish between the two.

The key issue is that their relationship with the Chen family is currently strained, so it's best to avoid any involvement for the time being.

In Chen's mother's heart, Chen's father was Chen's father, and the Chen family was the Chen family.

Moreover.

Chen's mother also didn't want to see her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson suffer from the mistreatment of the Chen family.

"Mom, you should ask Aunt Yan or Aunt Yang to help you go and call Hongbing back from Fengzeyuan."

Seeing that Chen's mother had no objections, Chen Xueru breathed a sigh of relief and then spoke up.

"This...isn't necessary?"

Upon hearing Chen Xueru's intention to do this, Chen's mother was somewhat taken aback and couldn't help but say, "I didn't suffer any loss just now, and I even slapped that Jia Zhangshi twice. Hongbing is at work right now, so let's not cause him any more trouble. It's best not to let him know about this matter, lest he get angry."

Chen's mother did not want to make a big deal out of this matter and put Li Hongbing in a difficult position.

"Mom, this is Hongbing's idea. Although it's not absolute that things will happen today, Hongbing was prepared. You just need to do what he says, and Hongbing will handle everything."

Chen Xueru smiled and spoke.

When Chen Xueru saw Jia Zhangshi bullying her while she was inside, she didn't suffer any losses because Aunt Yan and the others helped her. After all, she was currently in postpartum confinement, and her mother had repeatedly told her not to leave the house easily, for fear that she would catch a cold and suffer from some health problems in the future.

To be honest, Chen Xueru wasn't angry.

Because of this situation, Li Hongbing had already given her a heads-up and told her what to do.

Chen Xueru had complete trust in Li Hongbing, and he had never let her down.

Knowing it was Li Hongbing's arrangement, Chen's mother didn't say anything and quickly did as Chen Xueru said.

If it weren't for her concern about leaving Chen Xueru alone here, and the fact that she also had two children, Li Jianwu and Chen Jiwen, to take care of, Chen's mother would have gone there by herself.

About an hour passed.

Li Hongbing, who was originally working at Fengzeyuan, returned with Aunt Yang, who had gone to deliver the news.

"Mom, please tell me about what happened at noon in detail again."

On the way back, although Li Hongbing had already learned the general outline of what had happened from Aunt Yang, he still needed to go over the specific details again.

For Li Hongbing, what happened today wasn't actually a bad thing.

Regarding Chen Jiwen taking Chen Xueru's surname, although no one made a fuss or gossip because of him, Li Hongbing knew that everyone must still have some thoughts about it.

Now that Jia Zhangshi, this traitor, has jumped out, it has given Li Hongbing an opportunity to make an example of her and clear his name.

After reviewing the details, Li Hongbing did not linger, nor did he go directly to settle accounts with Jia Zhangshi. Instead, he took a few things from his home and left the courtyard.

This move surprised and intrigued the residents of the courtyard houses who had been quietly observing the situation.

Li Hongbing's next destination after leaving the courtyard was the district's Women's Federation, also known as the Women's Federation.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for you!"

"Looking for us?"

"I'm actually here on behalf of my wife. I want to ask the leaders of the Women and Children's Hospital to seek justice for her!"

"Um... comrade, what's your name? Please tell me more about your wife!"

"..."

Li Hongbing's purpose in coming here was, of course, to file a complaint!
Not only did they sue Jia Zhangshi, but they sued her in the most vicious way possible!
To make an example of someone, to defy the traditional values ​​of this era, and to silence public opinion, it's not enough to simply slap Jia Zhangshi twice to shut her up.

Li Hongbing doesn't have that power, but Fu Cong does.

and so.

His real purpose in coming here was ostensibly to file a complaint, but in reality, to take advantage of the situation.

With just a few words, Li Hongbing immediately caught the attention of Comrade Fu and was invited inside.

"Boss, my surname is Li, my name is Li Hongbing, and I am currently a first-level cook in the kitchen of Fengzeyuan Restaurant. This is my work ID."

"My wife's name is Chen Xueru. She used to be the manager of Xueru Silk Shop on Qianmen Street. After the public-private partnership was implemented, she is now the private manager of the silk shop."

"Please take a look at this. This is a commendation certificate issued by the city. More than two years ago, when the policy and work of public-private partnership were implemented, my wife stepped forward immediately, actively responded to the national policy, and fully supported and cooperated with the reform of public-private partnership. This is an affirmation and reward from the city leaders."

"And this, this is from five years ago. My wife discovered the enemy's secret agents, reported them to the police station, and cooperated in the arrest. This is an honorary certificate issued by the Municipal Public Security Bureau."

"During the Korean War, my wife and father-in-law donated cloth, supplies, and combat funds to the soldiers on the front lines. The receipts issued by the logistics comrades at the time prove that my wife and her husband made contributions to the country..."

"..."

After Li Hongbing said this, the staff members of the Women's Federation, who had originally wanted to find out what justice Li Hongbing was going to seek for his wife, all became solemn and realized the thorny and serious nature of the matter.

Li Hongbing has made such a grand show of force; the justice he seeks must be substantial.

Words alone are not enough; Li Hongbing produced evidence for each of them.

There's no need to mention the public-private partnerships and the donations of supplies to the country during the Korean War.

As for the matter of reporting and arresting enemy agents, it actually happened some time after Chen's father passed away. In order to distract herself from her grief, Chen Xueru focused her energy on running the silk shop.

At the time, Chen Xueru felt that the silk shop was not big enough and wanted to take over the backyard as well. Only then did Li Hongbing remember that the person living in the backyard was an enemy agent.

So Li Hongbing pretended to go to the backyard with Chen Xueru to discuss renting or buying a house with that person. Then he analyzed and listed the suspicious points, and asked Chen Xueru to report to the police station. Li Hongbing then took the initiative to work with the police to arrest the enemy agent.

The risk of catching enemy agents is not high. Li Hongbing only needs to persuade Chen Xueru and get the police station to take it seriously. As for cooperating in the arrest, it's just a matter of him stepping forward and helping to knock on doors or something.

Whether for the success of the arrest plan or for the duty of the police, it was impossible to allow a civilian like him to put himself in danger.

Li Hongbing intentionally attributed all the credit to Chen Xueru, hoping to provide an extra layer of protection when the wind picked up later. Unexpectedly, it came in handy at this crucial moment.

Not many people know about this.

After all, there were more than one or two spies lurking in Beijing in the early days of the People's Republic of China. For the safety of himself and Chen Xueru, and also to protect them, only a limited number of the police officers and leaders involved in the case were aware of the situation.

Normally, Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru would keep quiet and would not deliberately show off.

Now it's time to withdraw the money.

soon.

The director of the Women and Children's Hospital was alarmed and personally received Li Hongbing.

From both a moral and logical standpoint, even if Chen Xueru doesn't qualify as a meritorious official, it's absolutely not an exaggeration to say that she made a contribution to the country.

With the district women's health director in charge, Li Hongbing, who had already presented Chen Xueru with her honors, naturally didn't keep her in suspense any longer and immediately revealed Jia Zhangshi's story.

"Director Qin, this is a new society now. The country is making great efforts to liberate women's minds and promote gender equality."

“My wife is an only child. Before my father-in-law passed away, he hoped that the Chen family would have an heir. I think that since men and women are equal, my wife and I’s child can take either my surname or my surname. This is also a manifestation of gender equality and women’s liberation, and there is nothing inappropriate about it.”

"Regarding this, I actually consulted with the comrades from the subdistrict office and the police station, and they were very supportive, and the policy allowed it, but then Jia Zhangshi from our compound..."

“Jia Zhangshi is an ideologically backward person in our compound. The comrades from the street office and the police station have criticized and educated her many times before, and even made her participate in study sessions, but she has never changed her ways.”

"Her behavior today is a denial and oppression of the status of women in the new society, a remnant of feudal and outdated ideas, and an open resistance to national policies."

"In addition, Jia Zhangshi is lazy and good-for-nothing at home. She has oppressed her daughter-in-law a lot and treated her like a breeding machine. Because she has not had children in the past few years, she often belittles and scolds her. This is a typical oppressive behavior."

"I hope the leaders of the Women's Federation can step forward, make her apologize publicly, correct her wrong behavior and thoughts, give my wife justice, and also vindicate women in the new society!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)