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

Chapter 230 Sha Zhu's Invitation, Yan Bugui's Loyalty!
"Hongbing, are you free tonight?"

The next morning, just as Li Hongbing finished his morning exercise, Sha Zhu, as if he had timed it perfectly, strolled over from the Intermediate People's Court and asked Li Hongbing the following question.

"What, is something wrong?"

Faced with Sha Zhu's question, Li Hongbing asked directly.

"This is about... what happened last time. I had promised to treat you to a drink to thank you, but it's been a while and I haven't found a suitable opportunity. I felt bad about it, so I thought I'd make it up to you today."

As Sha Zhu spoke, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Oh, this matter... sigh, silly Zhu, it really wasn't necessary..."

Upon hearing what Sha Zhu said, Li Hongbing remembered what he was talking about.

It's actually about He Daqing.

Earlier, the results of He Daqing's case were released along with those of Yi Zhonghai's case. At that time, Director Wang even came to the courtyard to hold a meeting.

Because of the ideas provided by Li Hongbing, He Daqing's final punishment was much lighter than before.

Of course.

This was partly due to Dong Congyou pulling strings and using connections. Li Hongbing wouldn't be so confident as to take all the credit for himself, or even feel that he had done anything.

To be honest, if Yi Zhonghai hadn't suddenly lost his mind and threatened him with his family, Li Hongbing wouldn't have taken any action against him.

If Yi Zhonghai doesn't get into trouble, he won't be dragged into He Daqing's past affair, leading to a complete and utter defeat.

Even if Li Hongbing has a clear conscience, He Daqing's current situation was not his intention, so helping him out naturally would be a good deed.

Sha Zhu did say he would treat him to drinks to thank him, but Li Hongbing didn't take it to heart. After that, Sha Zhu didn't make any move, and Li Hongbing almost forgot about it.

Now that Yi Zhonghai is dead and Wang Guihua has returned to the courtyard, Sha Zhu brings up the old story again, which surprises Li Hongbing.

“Hongbing, you can’t say that.”

Hearing that Li Hongbing didn't seem to care much, Sha Zhu didn't feel any dissatisfaction or being looked down upon. Instead, he said solemnly, "I know you have good conditions, strong abilities, and connections. You've never lacked food, let alone good food."

Whether you like it or not is your business; whether I invite you or not is my business.

What's said is said, and I, Sha Zhu, always keep my word.

The reason it's been so long isn't because I didn't value it enough, nor is it because I forgot about something so important. I, Shazhu, am not an ungrateful person.

Hongbing, let me give you a heads-up, come over after get off work tonight, I promise you won't be disappointed, there will be really good food and drinks, I'll make sure you eat and drink to your heart's content..."

At this point, Sha Zhu couldn't help but feel a little smug.

We should thank Li Hongbing for this meal. The reason it took so long is because Sha Zhu hadn't had anything good to offer and had been preparing for it all this time.

Meat is currently in rationed supply, making it a rare treat for most people who might only see it once or twice a month. However, for Li Hongbing, a chef, especially a head chef, while he wouldn't look down on it, it's not exactly something he finds particularly rare.

Furthermore, Li Hongbing's kindness to Sha Zhu and the He family was considerable, and it happened more than once. Sha Zhu felt ashamed to offer ordinary gifts.

Since we're going to treat Li Hongbing to drinks to express our gratitude, we naturally need to bring something special and good to show our sincerity.

The fact that they took the initiative to come to my door today, brought up this matter, and extended an invitation to Li Hongbing shows that they were already prepared.

at the same time.

Faced with Sha Zhu's hints and suspense, Li Hongbing was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't very curious, because he had already basically guessed it.

Most likely, Sha Zhu has gotten his hands on something good these past few days, like some wild game from around Beijing, so he wants to take this opportunity to "show off" it, to thank him, and also to save face.

Given Sha Zhu's boastful personality and behavior, he's practically ready to reveal his hand right there and then.

"Okay, I'll be waiting to freeload tonight."

Sha Zhu may have been smug, but the preparations he made showed how much he valued and cared for it. Li Hongbing, who wasn't particularly concerned about such things, eventually agreed.

As for the good stuff that Sha Zhu had mentioned earlier, Li Hongbing wasn't that concerned.

Li Hongbing has no shortage of truly good stuff.

Li Hongbing still has quite a few top-quality ingredients from both domestic and international sources in his system space.

The reward given by the system was not something that was commonplace; although the quantity was considerable, it was still limited.

Li Hongbing naturally wouldn't eat it all the time or consume it all at once; he would only occasionally take out one or two portions to improve and enjoy the good things in life.

After all, even the most delicious food can become tiresome if you eat it every day.

Whether it's delicacies from land and sea or simple porridge and cabbage, life is still life in the end.

In this era of scarce supplies, what Li Hongbing lacks least is material wealth, which naturally allows him to be more composed and open-minded about things.

To be realistic, it's because we already have it and don't lack anything.

“Hongbing, you’re being too kind. You’re one of the most skilled people in Beijing, you’ve seen and tasted all sorts of delicacies. You’re the one who’s doing me a favor!”

Li Hongbing's humble and polite remark just now brought Sha Zhu back to reality. Thinking about his earlier smugness and boasting, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

As Sha Zhu himself said, the good stuff he got this time, although it could definitely be called good stuff in the eyes of most people, might not be so to Li Hongbing.

Realizing this, and reflecting on his earlier actions, Sha Zhu felt even more like he was showing off his skills in front of Guan Yu.

Li Hongbing neither denied what Sha Zhu said, nor did he act superior.

Li Hongbing doesn't deny that he has a sense of superiority, but there's no need to superficially display it.

"Red Soldier, I'll be waiting for you tonight."

Having successfully invited Li Hongbing, Sha Zhu was in a good mood. After leaving those words, he hummed a little tune and walked briskly towards the central courtyard.

At this time.

Seeing Sha Zhu leave, and Hong Bing preparing to go back, Yan Bugui, who had been eavesdropping nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Hong Bing, what's going on with Sha Zhu? Why did he suddenly invite you for drinks? He even said something about thanking you. What did you do for him?"

"Hey, what could it be? I introduced some side jobs to Sha Zhu before, and he's been wanting to thank me. This is just the right opportunity!"

Li Hongbing smiled and offered an excuse to explain.

Naturally, one shouldn't go around talking about He Daqing. Sha Zhu understood this, which is why he didn't say it directly earlier, but rather hinted at it. Li Hongbing understood, but Yan Bugui, who didn't know the truth, was indeed a bit confused. This old fellow likes to ponder things for no reason, and he's not exactly a genius. If he keeps thinking like this, he might actually connect it to He Daqing.

Although He Daqing's punishment was reasonable and compassionate, it was still an act of causing injury and disability.

Even if there were reasons and extenuating circumstances, the nature of the incident was still egregious, and a mere three-year sentence seems lenient to some.

"So you were the one who introduced all those side jobs to Sha Zhu? No wonder Sha Zhu suddenly became so capable, with so many people asking him to cook at their homes! Sha Zhu's life is just too good..."

After hearing Li Hongbing's explanation, Yan Bugui suddenly understood and couldn't help but envy Sha Zhu.

Logically speaking, at Sha Zhu's age, his cooking skills are already quite good, but after all, there is also Li Hongbing in the courtyard, and He Daqing was there before.

Previously, when He Daqing took on private jobs, he would often bring Sha Zhu along on his days off. Later, Sha Zhu started taking on private jobs independently. Yan Bugui thought it was because of He Daqing and his master Dong Congyou, but he didn't expect that this matter was also related to Li Hongbing.

"Hey, it was only a few times, it's nothing, it's just that Sha Zhu was too polite."

Li Hongbing smiled.

This story wasn't made up by him.

However, when it comes to helping Sha Zhu find side jobs, it wasn't Li Hongbing helping Sha Zhu, but rather Sha Zhu helping him.

Or rather, it's a win-win situation based on equality and mutual assistance.

Although the above policies strictly prohibited extravagance and waste, promoted thrift and frugality, and advocated for simplicity in weddings and funerals, and opposed lavish celebrations, the implementation of food and meat coupons led to fewer and fewer people holding banquets.

It may be scarce, but that doesn't mean it's nonexistent.

A few years ago, after Li Hongbing's reputation spread far and wide, quite a few people approached him privately to take on freelance work.

Although the money offered was considerable, Li Hongbing was clearly not short of money, nor would he be so greedy as to sacrifice his personal time and family life for such things, embarking on a crazy self-imposed "overtime" mode.

Li Hongbing naturally declined anything he could.

Unable to refuse, Li Hongbing had no choice but to go, but it also brought him the opportunity to get to know important figures like Old Xu, so it wasn't a bad thing.

Some of them were people Li Hongbing didn't want to go, but it wasn't impossible for him to refuse, just that it was difficult to refuse. For example, some were people who were approached through his sister Li Hongmei or his brother-in-law Zhao Weiguo.

Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo were not people without sense of propriety. Li Hongbing had stumbled upon and discovered these situations by chance. In order to prevent them from offending anyone, and because Li Hongbing himself did not intend to open that door, he came up with a compromise and pushed Sha Zhu out.

Don't underestimate Sha Zhu just because he can't compare to him now. After all, he was trained by two master teachers, Dong Congyou and He Daqing. Especially in the years since He Daqing returned, Sha Zhu has made a lot of progress.

Among his peers in the industry, Sha Zhu's skill level is considered among the top, and he obviously has no problem handling these ordinary side jobs.

Coincidentally.

Despite being from a renowned family, he "hid" in a factory cooking communal meals. Many people who knew Sha Zhu but didn't understand him at all thought his cooking skills were completely incompetent. Lacking fame and easily subject to doubt, even though He Daqing would occasionally take him along when doing private jobs, he was only there to help out.

not to mention.

A family that can afford to hire a renowned master chef like He Daqing to cook is certainly not an ordinary family; Sha Zhu is not qualified.

Under such circumstances, very few people would actively seek out Sha Zhu to take on private jobs.

Although Li Hongbing's actions were essentially finding a scapegoat for himself, they were indeed a great favor for Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu made money, Li Hongbing was spared trouble, and Li Hongmei and Zhao Weiguo didn't have to offend anyone to avoid putting him in a difficult position. It was a win-win situation for all parties.

The people in the courtyard knew that Sha Zhu was taking on private jobs, but they didn't know that this was actually related to Li Hongbing.

On the one hand, Li Hongbing doesn't like to be too high-profile, and he also takes on private jobs and has connections with many high-ranking figures, so he doesn't want too many people in the institute to focus on his private jobs.

on the other hand.

Taking on side jobs, while allowing you to earn a living through your skills, can be quite lucrative and can easily make others envious. Especially in an environment that promotes thrift and frugality, it's best to keep a low profile.

Sha Zhu may like to show off, but he still knows his limits. Even though the people in the courtyard know that Sha Zhu often takes on private jobs, he never easily reveals the specifics, not only about the clients' situations but also about how much money he makes.

To put it bluntly, this is also the rule for taking on private jobs and cooking for people at their homes.

What initially caught Xu Lao's attention about Li Hongbing was, although it was due to the rules and principles of being a craftsman, but essentially it was his personality, his other skills, and their shared interests.

With the system's cheat code and having acquired so many skills, it would be a waste for Li Hongbing to still act like an ordinary person.

Of course.

One should try to be more interesting in life.

He was like a silent gourd, never uttering a single word, so there was no next time.

"This isn't just Sha Zhu being polite; anyone should do this, otherwise it would be ungrateful."

Yan Bugui disagreed with Li Hongbing's words and, unusually, voiced his opposition.

It is said that blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents, but in Yan Bugui's view, Li Hongbing's actions towards Shazhu were not a favor, but a debt of gratitude.

An immense favor!
It's like a complete reconstruction.

Especially now that He Daqing has run into trouble, with the path paved by Li Hongbing, Sha Zhu's income from his job at the steel mill and the extra money he earns from taking on private jobs are enough for him and his sister to continue living their previous glamorous lives.

Thinking of this, Yan Bugui envied Sha Zhu even more.

He had been making tireless efforts to get closer to Li Hongbing and had firmly stood on Li Hongbing's side. Although he had gained some benefits, they were not as great as the benefits that Sha Zhu had gained.

However, learning about this matter made Yan Bugui even more determined to stick to and implement the original policy. As long as he followed in Li Hongbing's footsteps, he, Yan Bugui, would have the opportunity to prosper sooner or later.

“Uncle Yan, I’m telling you this because I trust you and I know you’re not a big mouth.”

Li Hongbing looked at Yan Bugui and reminded him seriously, "However, I still have to remind you not to spread this around. I don't care, but it will have a big impact on Sha Zhu. It's better to keep a low profile when it comes to taking on private jobs."

"Of course, Hongbing, don't worry, I definitely won't talk nonsense."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui shrank back and quickly assured him.

Yan Bugui dared not be careless in the slightest regarding Li Hongbing's instructions, and even more so, dared not disregard them.

It wasn't just because following Li Hongbing was beneficial, but also because his experience of being taken to the police station that day was the biggest secret of his life.

(End of this chapter)