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

Chapter 211 The plan takes a turn for the worse, and Yanbu Guiren is dumbfounded.

"Uncle Yan, what are your plans for this public canteen?"

Faced with Yan Bugui's probing, Li Hongbing did not give a direct answer, but instead asked.

If there isn't even a set of rules, what are you expecting him to agree to?
Li Hongbing was curious about how Yan Bugui planned to set up this public canteen.

"Uh, well... Old Du and the others mean to pool everyone's monthly food and meat ration coupons together, like the communal canteen in the commune, with each family taking turns sending someone to cook together in the courtyard, and then everyone..."

Yan Bugui didn't mention himself at all, but directly brought up Du Jianguo and the others, implying that even if the plan was flawed, it had nothing to do with him.

"Uncle Yan, the grain and ration issues are easy to discuss, but how do we calculate the cost of vegetables? We can't just have everyone's wages handed over and then make a unified allocation for them, can we?"

Li Hongbing smiled and asked a question that left Yan Bugui dumbfounded.

Yan Bugui's idea for public canteens was simple: to emulate the model of rural communes.

But here's the thing.

The commune owned land, relied on collective labor, and ate the produce of the land. To some extent, this could achieve communism.

But the situation is different in the hospital.

Everyone has a different job and a different salary, resulting in a gap between the rich and the poor.

Because of the different types of work, the monthly food ration varies from person to person.

If they fail to come up with a set of rules and plans that satisfy everyone, Yan Bugui and his team's public canteen plan will remain just a pipe dream.

Putting everything else aside, Li Hongbing's monthly salary, plus several subsidies, already amounts to over a hundred yuan. Not to mention Chen Xueru's salary and dividends. Asking them to take out all that money and eat at the public canteen with them is just asking for trouble.

This is tantamount to using one's own money to help the poor, allowing the people in the courtyard to enjoy a life of luxury. How is this any different from the simple-minded Zhu in the original drama?
"This……"

A casual question from Li Hongbing stumped Yan Bugui.

If Yan Bugui isn't mentally unstable, he'll know that what Li Hongbing just said is completely impossible.

Putting aside others, Yan Bugui would not agree to hand over all of his family's monthly income for unified distribution and allocation.

Although Yan Bugui's income was not among the highest in the compound, his family had two economically capable members, which put them at a middle level. There were others in the compound with even lower incomes than his family.

Yan Bugui would never do something that would allow others to benefit at his expense, even if someone else was at a greater disadvantage than them.

"Uncle Yan, you should think all of this through and come up with a feasible plan before we talk about it!"

Seeing Yan Bugui's embarrassed look, Li Hongbing reminded him and then took the initiative to say, "You don't need to ask me specifically about the public canteen. As long as the other residents in the courtyard agree, I basically have no objections."

Although Yan Bugui was not entirely satisfied with Li Hongbing's answer, the fact that Li Hongbing did not directly object was already a relatively good result for him.

However, the issue that Li Hongbing just mentioned has prompted Yan Bugui to think about it and pay attention to it.

Without a good solution, not only Li Hongbing, but also the people in the institute would probably not agree.

"Hongbing, are you really going to agree to let Grandpa Yan set up this public canteen?"

After Yan Bugui left, Chen Xueru, who had overheard their conversation, asked a question.

"Let them get it up and running first."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongbing smiled and predicted to Chen Xueru, "Even if they can get this public canteen up and running, it won't last long before it falls apart."

If you don't believe me, just wait and see.

If that's the case, then why should I stand up and oppose it?

Li Hongbing was naturally not interested in Yan Bugui's proposed public canteen plan, but if everyone participated, he wouldn't mind joining in for the sake of fitting in.

As for the people in the courtyard, let them do whatever they want; just treat it as playing house with them.

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's words, Chen Xueru seemed to be deep in thought.

In retrospect, the initial public-private partnership undoubtedly proved that Li Hongbing's judgment and choice were correct.

The recent vigorous steelmaking efforts, the public canteen initiative recently revealed by Yan Bugui, and Li Hongbing's attitude and actions all gave Chen Xueru a vague sense of understanding.

There are some things Li Hongbing won't tell her too much, but Chen Xueru is a smart person who often understands things quickly and knows how to make choices and know when to advance and retreat. Naturally, she won't question Li Hongbing about these things.

……

the next day.

After Li Hongbing returned to the courtyard house after get off work, a general meeting of the entire courtyard was held.

It must be said that Yan Bugui is quite proactive when it comes to things that are profitable.

"The main reason I've gathered everyone here today is to further discuss the Great Leap Forward steelmaking..."

When Yan Bugui said this, Li Hongbing was obviously a little surprised. After all, at first, Li Hongbing thought that Yan Bugui was going to talk about the establishment of a public canteen in the institute. He didn't expect that he would return to the topic of steelmaking.

Upon discovering this situation, Li Hongbing did not show any unusual behavior. Instead, he sat quietly below and listened, wanting to see what Yan Bugui and his group were really up to.

Yan Bugui continued, "Last time, in response to and support of the national call and policy of large-scale steelmaking, everyone enthusiastically donated some iron items, which has resulted in our courtyard's steel production in the past few days far exceeding the previous amount."

So a few of us old guys from the management school were thinking, "Why don't we continue to donate all the pots and pans we have at home, or the kitchen knives we don't need anymore, and continue to contribute our strength to the country..."

"Uncle Yan, we already donated everything we could from our homes last time. Each household basically only had one pot and one kitchen knife left. If we donate these too, how will we cook? Will we even have anything to eat?"

As Yan Bugui made this suggestion, everyone was taken aback. Sha Zhu was the first to stand up and asked Yan Bugui a question without any politeness.

Throughout the entire courtyard, apart from his biological father He Daqing, Li Hongbing, and Chen's mother, Sha Zhu showed almost no respect to anyone else, including the courtyard's caretakers Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo.

He Daqing goes without saying, after all, in terms of status and bloodline, he already completely overshadows Sha Zhu.

When they're angry and start fighting, they show absolutely no mercy. As for Li Hongbing...

Although he was a year younger than him and considered to be of the same generation, Li Hongbing was now on par with his father He Daqing and his master Dong Congyou in the Beijing chef circle, both in terms of status and reputation.

Even He Daqing and Dong Congyou had to treat Li Hongbing with utmost respect. If Sha Zhu were to show any disrespect to Li Hongbing, Li Hongbing wouldn't even need to do anything; He Daqing and Dong Congyou would be able to teach him a lesson.

Moreover.

Li Hongbing had also done him a great favor.

Whether it was the bowl of rice from the Li family back then, or the guidance and reminders given to Dong Congyou, it was all about getting He Daqing back from Baocheng to uncover the whole truth.

Without all that Li Hongbing did, he might have already distanced himself from his master Dong Congyou, remained at odds with He Daqing and his son, and even been fooled by Yi Zhonghai like a fool.

As Chen's mother is Li Hongbing's mother-in-law and elder, offending her would have far more serious consequences than offending Li Hongbing. Naturally, Sha Zhu would not dare to offend her, and even if he was sarcastic, he would not say anything rash.

Although Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo were nominally the caretakers of the compound, Sha Zhu didn't really take them seriously.

They might not intentionally offend them normally, but if something really happens, they'll speak their minds without any reservations.

He Daqing made no comment on Sha Zhu's actions, but instead frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

Obvious.

Yan Bugui's suggestion also struck He Daqing as odd, as it carried an unusual air about it.

Although Sha Zhu's words were a bit impolite, they also asked the question that He Daqing wanted to ask.

Not only He Daqing and his son, but many people in the courtyard also cast puzzled glances at Yan Bugui and whispered among themselves.

Yan Bugui seemed to have anticipated this situation, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he smiled and said preparedly, "I understand the situation. We don't have any extra iron pots or cooking utensils. However, after discussing it with Lao Du and the others, we have an idea. You might want to hear it..."

With this setup and twist, before Yan Bugui could finish speaking, Li Hongbing finally understood Yan's plan.

It's still about the public canteen.

only.

In order to gain wider acceptance and even agreement, Yan Bugui resorted to public tricks, hoping to leverage the momentum of the Great Leap Forward's steelmaking campaign to promote the implementation of public canteens.

Having been educated and possessing some knowledge, coupled with his shrewdness and calculating nature, Yan Bugui has begun to employ tactics.

as predicted.

While Li Hongbing was thinking about these things, Yan Bugui had already spoken them aloud.

"...Let's emulate the public canteens of rural communes and set up our own public canteen in our courtyard. This way, each household won't need to use pots or find knives. We can just make two or three large pots, and the extra ones can be used for steelmaking. This will not only solve the problem of feeding everyone, but also increase our courtyard's steelmaking output and results. It's a win-win situation."

Moreover, I've learned that these communal canteens aren't a bad thing; many places are doing it. It's a new way of life, where not only is food and drink guaranteed, but there are dedicated cooks, and it can also achieve common prosperity. Those who participate in communal canteens will be able to eat to their heart's content..."

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's inflammatory remarks, many people below became agitated.

However, shrewd and calculating individuals like Yi Zhonghai, He Daqing, Xu Fugui, and Liu Haizhong all frowned.

"Uncle Yan, is there really such a good thing?"

Faced with the beautiful blueprint described by Yan Bugui, many people were clearly moved and took the initiative to ask questions.

"Of course! I did my research and investigation beforehand, and discussed it repeatedly with Lao Du and the others before making this decision. Now, most rural areas have established communes and set up public canteens... Didn't Jia Zhangshi mention it when she came back last time?"

Yan Bugui, who had been hoping to make this happen, naturally wouldn't undermine himself at this time. He immediately made a statement to reassure everyone.

only.

When everyone's enthusiasm was stirred up, they became unhappy when Yan Bugui said that if they wanted to join the communal canteen that was to be established in the courtyard, they would have to hand over all the grain from their own homes.

"Uncle Yan, didn't you say that the public canteen has dedicated cooks and that we can eat and drink for free, letting us eat our fill? Why do we still have to hand over grain?"

When someone asked that question, Yan Bugui's face twitched. He suppressed his anger, glanced at the other person, and said with a stern face, "If no one is producing food, how can we run the public canteen?"
This public canteen wasn't for just anyone. The rural members who joined the commune had to pool their land and contribute their family's grain.

You must give something before you can enjoy the benefits. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
The purpose of this public canteen is for everyone to advance and retreat together, to achieve the goal of common prosperity, and to let everyone live a good life. It's not just for people to eat for free..."

"Hey! Uncle Yan, if things continue like this, won't we just end up eating ourselves anyway?"

"Exactly! After all that effort, it's all the same in the end. I thought there was some real benefit to it!"

"Uncle Yan, I just want to ask a question: now that the public canteen is established, who will take care of the grain we hand over?"

"We don't trust anyone to supervise us. What if someone embezzles the money?"

"That's right. If rats get into the rice bin and ruin everyone's food, are we going to starve?"

"No, no, I'd better not eat at this public canteen."

"..."

Before Yan Bugui could even explain the details of his prepared plan, everyone backed down.

The leaders among them were a group of young people, including Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, and Jia Dongxu.

Because of their opposition to Yan Bugui's public canteen, several people who had a long-standing feud surprisingly "united" in tacit agreement.

And at this time.

Yan Bugui was completely dumbfounded when he discovered this situation.

He knew there would be resistance to this, but he didn't expect the resistance to be so great.

(End of this chapter)