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

Chapter 213 Yan Bugui, who was tricked and became lame (1.2 words)

Jia family.

Not long after the hospital-wide meeting ended, Yi Zhonghai and his wife Wang Guihua came to their door.

"Dongxu, Huairu, there's something I want to discuss with you."

As soon as he entered the room, Yi Zhonghai took the initiative to say this.

Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu were both somewhat surprised to hear Yi Zhonghai say this.

After a brief moment of surprise, Jia Dongxu quickly recovered and said, "Master, what is it? Please tell me, I'm listening."

Seeing Jia Dongxu's respectful expression, clearly showing that he held his master in high regard, Yi Zhonghai was very satisfied. He smiled and said, "It's like this, just now Yan Bugui and the others called on everyone to continue donating iron and to continue contributing to the country's Great Leap Forward steelmaking, didn't they?"

I thought about it and discussed it with your teacher's wife. We've decided to respond to the call and donate our pots and knives..."

Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, Jia Dongxu was somewhat taken aback, but his heart tightened, and he asked in confusion, "Master, are you planning to join the public canteen that Yan Bugui runs and eat in the public canteen with those people?"

Isn't this a trap?
Just now at the hospital-wide meeting, you refused.

Why would someone suddenly become so irrational?
Besides, whether or not you donate isn't just your decision..."

Jia Dongxu was getting anxious.

If Yi Zhonghai joins the communal canteen and eats there with Yan Bugui and the others, then all of his monthly food rations will go to the communal canteen, and he won't be able to continue supporting their family like before.

Although Jia Zhangshi has now joined the rural commune and is eating in the public canteen, and they no longer need to rack their brains to save food rations and exchange for food coupons every month, the monthly pension she receives has actually increased at her request.

Moreover, without the pressure of food rations, Jia Dongxu, who was not used to eating coarse grains, would always ask Qin Huairu to secretly exchange a portion of his coarse grain ration for refined grains.

Nowadays, grain stores sell coarse grains mixed with refined grains. The monthly grain ration is so high that you can't use all your money to buy refined grains.

Eating a mix of whole grains and refined grains might not be a problem for other families, but the Jia family always ran out of refined grains.

Go to the pigeon market to buy them; because you don't need ration coupons, the prices are much higher than at the grain store.

Fortunately, they had Yi Zhonghai as their mentor, otherwise their family's life would not be as easy and comfortable as it is now.

"Dongxu, let me finish. It's not what you think."

Noticing Jia Dongxu's reaction, Yi Zhonghai laughed and immediately said, "Since the pots and pans at home have been donated, there's really no way to cook anymore. But I didn't intend to set up a public canteen with Yan Bugui and the others. I do have another idea though."

Look, it's just the two of us, your teacher's wife and I. At noon, neither of us comes back for lunch. We eat at the steel mill's canteen. It's too much trouble for your teacher's wife to cook for herself. Anyway, Huairu and Banggeng are two people, and they still have to cook for each other. So I was thinking that we could cook together and combine our rations.

This is not only more convenient, but it also saves a lot of money on coal each month. What do you think?

Although Yi Zhonghai did not agree to Yan Bugui's proposal for a public canteen, this incident gave him inspiration and an opportunity to further strengthen his relationship with the Jia family.

Now that Jia Zhangshi has been driven back to the countryside, without her standing between them, it's time for them to get closer to Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu and further "integrate".

It's too early to talk about retirement, but for now, we can try living together as a family. When we need them to take care of us in our old age, it will be much more natural.

The key point is that Yan Bugui once again proposed donating pots and iron, which Yi Zhonghai could use as a pretext to support the national large-scale steelmaking campaign to accomplish this task.

Having a legitimate reason for the action can also reduce unnecessary gossip.

Simultaneously.

This is not only a further step and preparation for the future, but also an in-depth assessment of Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu. If things don't go well or don't go smoothly when they start living together, they will still have room to "withdraw".

Advance to attack, retreat to defend.

“Master, if you have this idea, I will definitely welcome and support it with both hands. From now on, let Huai Ru do the cooking. It will make things easier for you, and it is what I, as your apprentice, should do.”

After a slight pause, Jia Dongxu, who had quickly gone through the pros and cons of the matter, immediately smiled and expressed his opinion to Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua.

The partnership between the two families did not bring any harm to the Jia family.

On the contrary, it's a great thing.

After all, Yi Zhonghai's salary was almost twice as high as his, and the quotas for the two families were about the same, differing by only one stick.

But don't let its small size fool you, this little guy has quite a big appetite.

As they get older, it goes without saying that this will also put pressure on them.

The key point is that, according to Yi Zhonghai's previous statement, he wanted to hand over the quota for the couple to their family for unified management. Under such circumstances, it is clear that their family has taken the initiative.

"Dongxu, you can't say that. I can still move around. I can't let Huairu do all the cooking, grocery shopping, and housework by myself. As an elder, I definitely have to help out and make some contributions for you."

Hearing Jia Dongxu's response, Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua were both very satisfied. However, Wang Guihua said something along the lines of, "After you and Huai Ru have another child, I can help take care of them..."

Wang Guihua's meaning was clear: from now on, the two families would work together, and she and Yi Zhonghai would join in. They would do their best to help the Jia family with anything that came up, even more so than before.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai also said, "Dongxu, your master's wife is right. Since we're going to live together, we're family. If you have any problems in the future, they'll be our problems too. We won't distinguish between each other anymore."

"Alright, with Master's words, I won't hold back in the future."

Hearing Wang Guihua and Yi Zhonghai's consecutive statements, Jia Dongxu's face was beaming with joy, but he didn't forget to express his filial piety, saying, "Of course, Master and Mistress, if you have any matters to attend to in the future, just leave them to me. Your matters are also my matters, Jia Dongxu's matters."

Qin Huairu, standing to the side, had a broad smile on her face.

Compared to her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu had a much better impression and more favorable feelings towards Wang Guihua, Jia Dongxu's teacher's wife.

Wang Guihua is also a hardworking person, and with her help in the future, I will definitely have an easier time.

Especially as Wang Guihua said, if she and Jia Dongxu get pregnant, it will obviously be very beneficial to have Wang Guihua's help and care.

At least.

Things like Qin Huairu cooking for the whole family while heavily pregnant with Bang Geng, and having to start doing housework and cooking before even finishing her postpartum confinement period, will no longer happen.

For Qin Huairu, this was equivalent to getting a better mother-in-law who was both financially and physically supportive.

Neither side had any objections, and the matter of the two families living together was settled quickly and happily.

only.

At Jia Dongxu's urging, Yi Zhonghai did not donate the pots and knives from his home, but kept them, so that the two families would have two stoves and two sets of kitchen utensils.

Even if you don't need it right away, it will be much more convenient when you need it later.

Yi Zhonghai only pretended to think about it and hesitate for a moment before agreeing.

Having already achieved his goal, and being neither a particularly noble nor truly enlightened person, Yi Zhonghai naturally wouldn't offend Jia Dongxu over such a trivial matter on the very first day the two families started living together.

……

the other side.

Those residents who had agreed to participate in the communal canteen were bringing their grain to the front yard, eager to hand it over to Yan Bugui for registration and unified management.

Since only a few households were running the communal canteen together, there was no need to gather all the households in the courtyard to witness and supervise these operations. However, many people still came specifically to watch the spectacle.

Although they weren't involved, everyone was curious to see how Yan Bugui and his team would manage their communal canteen and how well it would turn out.

There are curious people, and naturally, there are also quite a few who want to see them make a fool of themselves.

Anyone whose food standards and lifestyle are better than others in the compound, or even just at the average level, will not be very interested in this communal canteen.

It's not just about whether you'll suffer a loss or not; it's also about the fact that no one wants to hand over their fate to someone else. This involves issues of trust and freedom to make a living.

In those days, food and drink were of paramount importance, especially under the planned supply system.

To be honest, even though they became the caretakers of the courtyard, Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo never truly gained everyone's recognition and trust, let alone heartfelt respect.

Other things are one thing, but when it comes to personal interests, everyone runs away faster than anyone else.

The same applies to watching a spectacle.

"Old Xu, did your family hand over less grain than required?"

During the weighing and registration process, Yan Bugui glanced at the amount of grain handed over by one of the households and couldn't help but speak to them.

The backyard resident, whom Yan Bugui called Old Xu, said without batting an eye, "Nothing's missing. This is all the grain we have left this month. You can search our house if you don't believe me."

"What about the grain coupons? How many grain coupons does your family still have?"

Although the other party said that, they would definitely not be willing to actually go to their door to search. Yan Bugui would naturally not do something that would offend people, so he could only ask.

Helpless, Yan Bugui could only place his hopes on the fact that they still had a lot of grain coupons, otherwise the amount of grain they handed over would be far too little.

"There's not much left. This is all we have left this month. The rest is for Hu Zi and me to use at the cafeterias at work and school."

As soon as Yan Bugui uttered those words, it seemed the other party was prepared, and the amount of grain coupons they produced was indeed not much.

Upon discovering this, Yan Bugui's expression turned noticeably grim, but he said, "Old Xu, did you bring your grain ration book? Let me take a look."

"Old Yan, what do you need the ration book for? I can't give it to you. When we talked about joining the communal canteen, we didn't say we had to hand over the ration book!"

Upon hearing that Yan Bugui wanted grain rations, the other party immediately became nervous and very unwilling.

Joining the communal canteen and handing over grain and grain coupons was no problem; as long as you still had your grain ration book, you had the initiative.

If you are dissatisfied with anything in the future, or if you want to dissolve the partnership or withdraw from the partnership, you can do so at any time.

Without this, if Yan Bugui and his group were to manage it, not only would we be at their mercy, but buying grain and obtaining grain coupons every month would also be much more troublesome.

"I don't need your ration book, I just want to take a look."

Yan Bugui glanced at the other party and said in a calm tone.

"Really just looking?"

Hearing Yan Bugui say this, the other party was somewhat distrustful.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui said wearily, "Old Xu, look at all these people in the yard, would I lie to you?"

Besides, your family's ration book has your name on it. Even if I took it, I couldn't use it myself!

His purpose in asking for the other party's grain ration book was actually to check and verify whether the other party was lying, because in addition to grain coupons, grain purchases at grain stores also required registration in the grain ration book.

If the amount of grain purchased in the current month registered above differs from the amount of grain coupons remaining in the other party's possession, it proves that the other party has concealed the purchase amount.

Yan Bugui had originally given up on setting up a public canteen, but several families joined in on their own. If they were to encounter such uncooperative and fraudulent behavior, it would be even more impossible to continue.

at this time.

The other party was clearly aware of Yan Bugui's intentions and hesitated. However, with many people watching, he couldn't refuse, otherwise he would appear guilty and suspicious.

Soon.

Upon seeing the ration book the other party had brought from home, Yan Bugui frowned and looked up, saying, "Old Xu, there's something wrong with this number. Look at it yourself. Your family's monthly ration is 87 jin, and this month you bought 45 jin from the grain store, but now you only have 9 jin left with the ration coupons. That's quite a discrepancy..."

The existing grain reserves were beyond their control, but the "deficit" on the books had to be taken seriously by Yan Bugui.

"Old Yan, you can't do the math like that. Have you forgotten that more than half the month has already passed, and there's still some money that's been spent outside?"

As soon as Yan Bugui finished speaking, the other party's face darkened, and he immediately questioned him.

Noticing the gazes of those around him, Yan Bugui looked frustrated but refused to back down, saying, "I know this, but even so, the numbers don't add up."

"How does it not add up? Yan Bugui, are you saying that I concealed something and secretly withheld some of the grain and grain coupons from my home?"

What about the evidence?
You can't just make up stories and arbitrarily frame and convict people, can you?
"You're accusing me like this! If you don't give me an explanation today, this isn't over."

Although he had indeed secretly hidden some grain and grain coupons and had not handed them over in full, the other party certainly could not admit to this. In order to prove his "innocence", he could only "argue with Yan Bugui on the basis of reason".

If you show any weakness first, then it's all over.

Yan Bugui knew there was something wrong here, but he had no evidence. He couldn't just argue about this with words, and he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he could only compromise and say, "Fine, then what about your meat ration coupons for this month?"

"We already bought meat and ate it."

Seeing that Yan Bugui was eyeing their meat coupons, Old Xu said very straightforwardly, "The meat coupons were just issued this month, and our family used them to buy meat. At the beginning of the month when meat coupons are issued, who doesn't buy meat to eat?"
Now that more than half of the month has passed, how many families still have meat ration coupons?

"Old Yan, if you're asking this, I should also ask, are your family's hostages still alive?"

Old Xu's words left even Yan Bugui speechless.

Their meat ration coupons had long been used up.

Aside from using some of it to buy fatty meat for rendering lard, the rest was all sold to Li Hongbing; there was nothing left over.

In this way, Yan Bugui could no longer bring up the matter of being a hostage.

However, the grain and grain coupons handed over by each household were in a similar situation, and not a single meat coupon appeared, which made Yan Bugui extremely frustrated and troubled.

"How about this, you take this grain back first."

Knowing there was a problem but having no evidence or solutions, Yan Bugui could only look at the households and say, "Let's start this communal canteen next month. It'll be fairer that way, and the accounts will be easier to keep track of. Anyway, there aren't many days left this month."

"Uncle Yan, what do you mean? Are you not planning to continue running the public canteen?"

"You told us to bring the grain over, and now you're having it taken back. Are you playing us for a fool?"

“Old Yan, you didn’t say that at the hospital-wide meeting just now.”

"That's right, we only decided to work with you on the public canteen after listening to what you and Lao Du said. You can't go back on your word and break your promise!"

"Everyone's watching. As the head of the management department, you have to keep your word and not let us down..."

"..."

Yan Bugui's actions naturally provoked dissatisfaction and quickly drew questions and protests.

"No, I don't mean we shouldn't run it. We should still run this public canteen."

However, this is not a trivial matter. We must take it seriously, handle it slowly and deliberately, and proceed in a planned and orderly manner.

After all, there are still many details to prepare for this public canteen; it's not something that can be done in a day or two. I'm afraid that if problems arise, we might mess things up.

Faced with the pressure from the crowd, Yan Bugui had no choice but to make a guarantee and give his explanation before saying, "Look, our communal canteen hasn't even had a single usable pot made yet, and we have to build a stove in the yard. Now we're taking your grain. Are you not going to eat or drink until all these preparations are done?"
This public canteen is a long-term project, not something that can be done for a day or two and then stopped. So today we're just asking for everyone's opinions. Since you've chosen to participate, you need to think it through carefully, and we need to plan meticulously to avoid any mistakes..."

Having already identified the problem, how could Yan Bugui possibly continue with the public canteen now? Instead, he proposed postponing its official start until next month.

Even if he and Du Jianguo gave up all the grain they had just handed over, there would be problems before the end of the month.

There's not nearly enough to eat!

They all hid their grain and ration coupons, unwilling to hand over all of their food and ration coupons, yet they all wanted to eat their fill.

The key issue is that Yan Bugui has no way of proving that they deliberately concealed and underpaid.

If he takes on such a huge hole now, he'll be finished, and he might not even be able to explain it clearly.

Other people don't care about all that; if something goes wrong, it's their responsibility.

There are too many people these days who pretend to be ignorant when they know the truth.

Despite the families' anxiety, there was nothing they could do, given Yan Bugui's insistence. After all, Yan Bugui's attitude was clear, and what he said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

If things really escalate, Yan Bugui will then have a perfect excuse to cancel the public canteen.

After much discussion and weighing of their interests, they finally reached a reluctant agreement and agreed on the official opening date of the public canteen.

Seeing all this, Li Hongbing couldn't help but shake his head.

Everyone's thinking about getting a good deal, and no one wants their family to suffer a loss. It's no wonder that a public canteen like this can't be run well.

……

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, the following month arrived.

The public canteen proposed by Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo was set up on the second day after they received their food coupons on the first day.

Yan Bugui originally thought that if things dragged on for a few days, those families might lose their enthusiasm and give up on the idea of ​​a public canteen. However, he underestimated people's selfishness.

Just like Yan Bugui's initial plan, the others also wanted to take advantage of the quotas allocated to others, so they naturally wouldn't back down so easily.

Why did Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo's families receive more grain rations than theirs?

Fortunately, Yan Bugui made thorough preparations and tried every means to plug all possible loopholes, eliminating as many opportunities as possible for others to take advantage of the situation and ensuring "fairness" to the greatest extent.

When collecting grain coupons and advance payments from each household, Yan Bugui calculated everything meticulously. For example, he knew exactly which days after taking away the corresponding grain coupons, the number of people for each meal, and the amount of grain to be used.

only.

Problems arose on the very first day the public canteen opened.

Although Yan Bugui had made various preparations and plans, he overlooked the biggest problem: the total amount of grain they had was limited.

Even if there are regulations for people, everyone's appetite is different.

Normally, everyone is at home and has no problem eating their fill, but that's about it; they can't really eat to their heart's content.

The first meal, according to the planned quantity, should normally be enough to eat, but everyone was thinking of getting a good deal, believing that eating more was a bonus, so they started competing in speed and quantity.

Thus.

Before some people were even full, the food prepared in the morning was already gone.

Those who were full were fine, but those who weren't full, seeing those who ate quickly with their bellies already bulging, and then seeing that there was only a little soup left in the pot, not even a scrap, were naturally unhappy and almost started a fight on the spot.

"Old Yan, you're still hungry. Did you not make enough breakfast? Make some more!"

“That won’t do. There’s a fixed amount of grain for each meal. If we use more today, even if it’s not much, we can’t set a precedent. Otherwise, we won’t have enough to eat tomorrow, and we’ll have to use more. By the end of the month, we really won’t have enough to eat.”

"That means they didn't make enough; none of us had enough to eat!"

"I'm sure we didn't use less. Everyone saw how much grain we used to cook breakfast, it's impossible for us to use less."

"Uncle Yan, you and Uncle Du said that if this public canteen were set up, everyone could eat as much as they wanted. How come now, even getting enough to eat is a problem?" "It's not that we made too little food, it's that some people ate too much. Look at Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, their bellies are bulging. No wonder the food was gone so quickly."

“Uncle Xu, you can’t say that carelessly. Everyone contributed money and food, and this meal is meant for everyone. If you eat slowly, who can you blame? You can only blame yourself for not eating properly…”

"Yan Jiecheng, don't act innocent after getting the benefit. I... Yan Bugui, how did you raise your son? Is this how you talk to your elders? Are you doing this on purpose...?"

"..."

The argument naturally ended in a sour ending.

Those who hadn't eaten enough were furious and immediately shouted that they would quit the public canteen and refuse to eat there anymore.

But the problem is.

The extra pots have been smashed, and a new large pot has been made from the remaining ones. Even if we want to withdraw now, it's not as simple as just taking back the money and grain we've already paid.

night.

The entire college held another meeting.

However, the people presiding over this college-wide meeting were not Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, the two senior administrators, but He Daqing, Xu Fugui, and Liu Haizhong.

At this point, Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo had become the targets of the joint condemnation by the other households participating in the public canteen. He Daqing, Xu Fugui, and Liu Haizhong were invited by them to act as mediators and uphold justice.

Faced with this situation, Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo had no choice but to agree, because if they disagreed, they would have to ask the people from the subdistrict office to step in and make a decision for them.

If that's the case, the outcome will only be worse for Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo.

The public canteen, which had only been officially established for less than two days, was already on the verge of disbanding in such a short time, even within the time it takes to eat a meal. Many people thought it was a joke and came with the intention of watching the show and gossiping. They were glad that they hadn't been fooled by Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, otherwise they would be the ones standing there denouncing them now.

"There's nothing more to say. Since you feel it's unfair, then let's just shut down this communal canteen. Anyway, it's only been one day, and there's only one meal in the morning. After deducting the money and food rations for the morning meal, the remaining money, food rations, and food coupons will be returned to each household. Let's pretend this never happened..."

"That won't do. We didn't eat much this morning, why should we split the cost? That's unfair!"

"Yan Bugui, don't make it sound so easy, and don't try to shirk responsibility. Things aren't that simple."

"That's right. We don't even have a pot in our home right now. Without cooking utensils, are we supposed to eat raw food? This matter won't be over until this problem is solved and we get a satisfactory explanation."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"There's nothing we can do. The money and food coupons we handed over will be returned intact. You also have to return all the pots, pans, and knives we used for cooking."

"impossible!"

"Your iron pots, spoons, and knives have all been donated and turned into steel. How are we supposed to repay you?"

"I don't care, we can't just starve, can we? If it weren't for you guys, Uncle Yan, we wouldn't have been fooled into joining your communal canteen. What kind of communal canteen are we eating at, and then donating our own cooking utensils..."

"..."

During the argument and negotiations, the main point of contention between Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo and the other households was the breakfast they had that morning, as well as the iron pots, pans, knives and other kitchen utensils that they had been "tricked" into donating.

They wanted Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo to pay for the kitchenware, refused to share the cost of the breakfast, and made Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo's families bear the burden alone.

In Yan Bugui's view, such demands were quite excessive. It was impossible to refuse such an obviously disadvantageous situation.

Yan Bugui has eaten anything in his life, but he just doesn't want to suffer a loss.

Leaving aside the kitchen utensils, who among them didn't eat breakfast, regardless of how much or how little they ate?
Moreover.

Not everyone eats little.

However, Du Jianguo was not as stingy as Yan Bugui, and his income was also higher than Yan Bugui's. When the other families threatened to take the matter to the street office if he did not agree, Du Jianguo obviously wanted to pay to avoid trouble and settle things peacefully, so he had no choice but to agree to pay for the breakfast in the morning.

Regarding the issue of compensating for the kitchenware, Du Jianguo hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but suggest, "As for the kitchenware, I think it would be better to use the steel that's being refined next to forge a new set for you..."

"No, no! Lao Du, how could you do something so self-serving at the expense of the public?"

Before Du Jianguo could finish speaking, Liu Haizhong stood up and shook his head vigorously, protesting in front of everyone: "The steel produced in this yard belongs to the country. How can we misappropriate the country's resources?"
Du Jianguo, you're committing a crime, do you know that?
As a senior member of the School of Management, don't you even have this much awareness?

Although Liu Haizhong is no longer a senior official in the School of Management, his ambition for officialdom hasn't faded. He still likes to learn and use idioms from time to time to show that he is as cultured and refined as a cadre.

But it has to be said.

The idiom used in Liu Hai's hairstyle this time is quite accurate.

His words came out with confidence and righteousness, showing considerable awareness and reason.

It seems that during this period, despite losing his position as the head of the management department, Liu Haizhong's skills have not only not declined, but have actually improved a bit.

"Liu Haizhong, have you forgotten that among the steel produced in the institute were pots and ladles donated by them? Now we just want to get those back, why can't we do that?"

When Liu Haizhong stood up to oppose him and contradicted him in public, Du Jianguo became furious.

He strongly suspected that Liu Haizhong was retaliating against him and deliberately making things difficult for him.

"Old Du, you said yourself that you donated it."

Seeing Du Jianguo's angry and anxious appearance, Liu Haizhong smiled calmly and said leisurely, "Since it's something that's been donated, there's no reason to ask for it back."
Moreover, it was donated to the country to support national development. How can you have the nerve to take it back?

When it comes to the nation, we cannot consider personal gains or losses. Even if it means suffering for ourselves, we must never do anything to hold the country back…

If Li Hongbing hadn't heard it with his own ears, he would have even suspected that Liu Haizhong's words were spoken by Yi Zhonghai possessing him.

That's so damn convincing, there's no way to argue with it.

This series of actions directly put Du Jianguo and Yan Bugui in a difficult position.

If they dare to say anything more, or even express any dissatisfaction or objection, they could be easily labeled with a serious accusation, which would be enough to make their lives miserable.

Not only Li Hongbing, but also Du Jianguo and Yan Bugui, saw through Liu Haizhong's ulterior motives and naturally wouldn't fall for it.

The situation suddenly became tense.

This is partly due to Yan Bugui's unwillingness to suffer losses and pay compensation, but more importantly, it is because steel has become a scarce commodity.

Even the country is short of them, let alone ordinary people like them. Even if they have money, it's not easy to buy them.

Of course.

With enough money, solving the current problem should be no problem.

The problem is, they are clearly not willing to pay such a high price.

finally.

With He Daqing and Xu Fugui mediating, and fearing that the matter would escalate to the street office and become even more difficult to resolve, Du Jianguo and Yan Bugui, having no other better options, compromised.

As for the cooking utensils for each household, they could only use the large pot that was specially made for the communal canteen. Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo would then try to gather some ingredients and make a few more small pots to compensate the households.

Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo bought some clay pots and the like from outside to temporarily replace the iron pots they had at home.

The outcome wasn't a happy one for everyone, but they all accepted it.

Even though Yan Bugui was not satisfied, there was no other way.

This time.

He gained nothing and ended up with a lot of trouble, his face looking even more bitter than a bitter gourd.

Not only that, Yan Bugui was also severely reprimanded by Du Jianguo, who was also a senior member of the management department.

After all, if Yan Bugui hadn't spearheaded and pushed forward this matter concerning the public canteen, he wouldn't have ended up on this sinking pirate ship.

“Hey! Hongbing, look at these people. When there’s something going on, they call him Old Yan or Uncle Yan all the time, but now that something’s wrong, they turn their backs on him…”

With the money and food coupons returned, the matter was temporarily put to rest. Yan Bugui, who had unspeakable grievances, went to Li Hongbing to complain.

Of all the people in the courtyard, only Li Hongbing is someone Yan Bugui feels comfortable talking to about these things.

After all, Li Hongbing wasn't the type to gossip, so Yan Bugui didn't need to worry about others finding out about what he was saying to him.

Hearing Yan Bugui's frustrated complaints, Li Hongbing did not respond.

It's hard to say who's right and who's wrong in this matter, and Yan Bugui's current predicament is not entirely innocent.

If he hadn't initially planned to take advantage of the people in the compound and come up with this so-called public canteen plan, none of this would have happened today.

to be frank.

Yan Bugui was also misled by the positive comments made by Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng, who had returned from eating at the public canteen in the countryside, as well as by the embellished articles in the newspapers.

Of course.

Most importantly, it was Yan Bugui's own selfish motives.

Seeing that Yan Bugui still wanted to keep rambling on, Li Hongbing, who had no patience to be his confidant, said, "Uncle Yan, don't just complain. Reflect on yourself and think about your problems."

However, these public canteens are not easy to operate. At least rural communes have policy support, but what do you have?
Moreover, I reckon the outcome would be the same no matter who handles it, and the responsibility doesn't lie entirely with you.

Think about it, if you set up a public canteen in the hospital, and the food and oil rations are fixed each month, can you really guarantee that everyone can eat as much as they want, eat their fill, and eat well?

That's also your problem, being overly confident from the very beginning..."

Li Hongbing wasn't afraid of offending Yan Bugui, so he directly pointed out the other party's flaws, and used the art of praising and criticizing in his speech, leaving Yan Bugui stunned.

"Sigh, this... I..."

Originally, Yan Bugui wanted to vent his frustrations and seek some comfort and recognition from Li Hongbing. However, instead of criticizing the other households, Li Hongbing directly complained about him, leaving Yan Bugui feeling both embarrassed and helpless.

If it were anyone else, Yan Bugui would have already turned hostile.

But for Li Hongbing in front of him, he dared not do so easily.

Exactly.

Li Hongbing's complaints were all spot on.

As Yan Bugui listened, he actually found it quite reasonable, and gradually suppressed his embarrassment and disgust, and began to ponder it.

"Uncle Yan, what I just said was something I just thought of. It's just hindsight. Please just listen to what I'm saying. If there's anything inappropriate, please don't take it to heart."

"Well, if we weren't close, I wouldn't want to say so much. After all, it's a big no-no to talk too much with someone you don't know well, and I think you know that too."

"Everyone understands the principle that good medicine tastes bitter, and this kind of honest advice is often harsh and hard to accept."

"Few people are willing to do things that are thankless and difficult, because not only will they not get any credit, but they may also be misunderstood."

"I... well, that's all I can say!"

"Uncle Yan, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"..."

After Li Hongbing left, Yan Bugui stood there stunned for a long time, frowning and thinking for a long time.

After a long time.

Yan Bugui snapped out of his reverie, looked at the east wing where Li Hongbing was, sighed deeply, and couldn't help but reveal a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

After Li Hongbing's guidance, Yan Bugui clearly realized where he had "gone wrong" or where he had lost.

Because public canteens are simply not feasible in the city; anyone who tries them will be doomed.

Besides the objective and realistic conditions that Li Hongbing had vaguely mentioned, there was also Yan Bugui's own understanding and experience in this matter, which he had not mentioned: the human heart.

Human nature is complex.

The concept of fairness in setting up a public canteen in the hospital compound is simply nonexistent.

Even Yan Bugui himself initially came up with the idea of ​​taking advantage of the situation, let alone the others who were willing to participate.

This outcome was inevitable.

Everything was a consequence of their own actions.

Yan Bugui realized his mistake and felt deep regret, but what was done was done, and what was done could not be recovered.

If it weren't for Li Hongbing's timely reminder, he might still be stuck in a rut, shifting all the blame onto others, completely unaware of his own problems and the objective facts.

Of course.

It's not that Yan Bugui realized the problem and then completely let it go, forgiving the actions of those families in the courtyard and not caring about it at all.

He suffered such a huge loss and lost so much face. Given Yan Bugui's petty and narrow-minded nature, he might hold a grudge for a lifetime.

He was simply grateful to Li Hongbing.

Someone as shrewd and calculating as Yan Bugui can naturally distinguish right from wrong as long as he doesn't pretend to be confused. Although what Li Hongbing said earlier was a bit unpleasant, it was all true.

As Li Hongbing himself said, honest advice is hard to swallow.

It is a big taboo to speak too frankly with someone you don't know well, but Li Hongbing still took the risk and said those thankless things to Yan Bugui, which moved Yan Bugui quite a bit.

Yan Bugui's perception and attitude towards Li Hongbing were always different from those of others in the hospital.

It's not because of Li Hongbing's current status, but because of his culture and knowledge, which are unparalleled in the entire courtyard, and even among the young people he has ever met.

Besides.

Li Hongbing always gave Yan Bugui an indescribable feeling, although Yan Bugui himself couldn't quite put his finger on it.

back home.

Yan Bugui then called over his wife, his three sons Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang, as well as his six-year-old daughter Yan Jiedi.

Looking at his wife and children, Yan Bugui said with a serious expression, "From today onwards, I solemnly announce something: anyone in our family, no matter who they are, must treat Li Hongbing, including his family, with utmost respect. We must never offend him and should try our best to maintain a good relationship with him."

When Aunt Yan saw that Yan Bugui was making such a solemn announcement about something, especially since it was related to Li Hongbing, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Remembering that Yan Bugui had just been talking to Li Hongbing outside, and then came back and told them all this, Aunt Yan immediately launched into a barrage of questions: "What's wrong, husband? Did something happen? What did Li Hongbing say to you just now?"

"It's nothing, just remember what I said."

Yan Bugui shook his head, unwilling to say more, but his gaze was focused on his three sons, Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiekuang.

Seeing Yan Bugui looking at them like that, Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang immediately expressed their opinions and made guarantees, while Yan Jiecheng complained speechlessly, "Dad, isn't what you're saying just nonsense?"
Even if you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have done it. In this whole courtyard, who would be so bold as to go looking for trouble with Li Hongbing?

I'm not stupid, I wouldn't do something so foolish..."

Although he disliked Yan Jiecheng's tone, Yan Bugui was satisfied with what he said, even if he was a little timid.

Yan Bugui did this not only out of gratitude for Li Hongbing, but also because he had discovered Li Hongbing's extraordinary abilities on a deeper level.

This incident involving the public canteen has even caused someone who has lived and schemed for so many years to fall victim to it.

But Li Hongbing, a young man in his early twenties, saw things so clearly and profoundly, which frightened him.

Even Yan Bugui himself wasn't confident about going head-to-head with Li Hongbing, let alone his cowardly sons. He could only take precautions and warn them in advance.

……

the other side.

Chen Xueru noticed that Yan Bugui had been standing alone in the courtyard for a while before returning home looking somewhat forlorn. She couldn't help but look at Li Hongbing beside her and asked curiously, "Hongbing, what did you say to Grandpa Yan just now? He seems a bit agitated."

Hearing Chen Xueru's words, Li Hongbing chuckled and teased, "I didn't say anything, I just tried to influence him."

"Reform?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru's expression froze for a moment.

Seeing that Chen Xueru was interested, Li Hongbing briefly explained what had just happened.

"Wasn't it a bit redundant and unnecessary to tell Grandpa Yan all that?"

After listening, Chen Xueru asked with some concern.

The reason for saying this is that, in Chen Xueru's view, Li Hongbing and Yan Bugui's relationship was not very deep, at least not to the point of being close confidants.

Moreover, having lived in the compound for several years, Li Hongbing had previously stated that the other party was a profit-driven, calculating, and petty person.

One should not become too close to Yan Bugui or trust him too much.

“I know what you’re worried about. Although Yan Bugui has many flaws and can’t be trusted or befriended too much, as long as you keep him in check, he won’t dare to cause trouble.”

Li Hongbing shook his head and said to Chen Xueru, "Yan Bugui is profit-driven and likes to scheme. Although this is a flaw, it is also a weakness that can be exploited and manipulated."

Moreover, Yan Bugui was timid, and his schemes and plots were often limited to trivial matters and small interests.

From beginning to end, our two families never had any conflicts, and Yan Bugui always maintained a friendly attitude towards us. I even gave them some benefits, although there were always prerequisites and requirements. But in Yan Bugui's eyes, this was clearly a case of treating them differently.

The words spoken that evening were a reminder, a piece of advice, and a warning, but they contained no real malice. Yan Bugui, being so shrewd, could obviously have foreseen this.

The key point is that Yan Bugui has another advantage: he's good at judging situations, although to put it bluntly, he's an opportunist and a fence-sitter..."

Yan Bugui has clearly gotten a bit carried away by taking the initiative to set up a public canteen. Li Hongbing is helping him to face reality, calm down, and stop being so restless.

His gaze fell on Chen Xueru, who was deep in thought, and Li Hongbing couldn't help but joke, "Maybe he should thank us!"

"boast!"

Hearing Li Hongbing's words, Chen Xueru rolled her eyes in annoyance, then couldn't help but laugh and retort, "You're both praising and belittling him, making him look bad, and you expect him to thank you?"

"Not always."

Seeing this, Li Hongbing smiled and chuckled, "Maybe my acting is so good that people will be moved and consider me a close friend?"

When it comes to scheming, Li Hongbing is no less cunning than Yan Bugui.

The key is that he understands Yan Bugui and has a god-like perspective, so manipulating Yan Bugui would be incredibly easy for him.

(End of this chapter)