A courtyard house, equipped with a fishing system, living in an era.

As soon as I stepped out of the east courtyard, I noticed a large crowd gathered in the main courtyard.

Looking up, almost everyone in the courtyard with a name was there.

And right in the middle is Jia Dongxu, who just bought a sewing machine today.

"Ping An, are you going out?"

In the crowd, Jia Dongxu, who was showing off his new sewing machine, looked up and saw Xu Ping'an. He immediately pushed through the crowd and came over to greet him.

Xu Pingan maintained a perfectly polite smile on his face.

He was secretly cursing it from the bottom of his heart.

Isn't it obvious to him?

"Yeah, I've got nothing to do, so I'm planning to take my little sister out for a stroll."

After saying that, without waiting for Jia Dongxu to speak, Xu Ping'an walked past the crowd and prepared to leave.

"Hey, Ping An, wait a moment, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

Xu Pingan sighed inwardly.

Do you think we're that close? Why are you asking me for help?

I don't want to help!

But whether he wanted to help or not, he was already being held back, so he had to listen to what he had to say!

"Tell me what's wrong, and I'll definitely help if I can!"

"Here's the thing, I'm getting married next Sunday and I'd like to have two tables set up in the yard..."

"No, wait a minute, I heard about it when I arrived. Aren't you getting married on Thursday?"

Thursday is an auspicious day, the sixth day of the lunar calendar...

If it were Xu Ping'an, he would also want to choose a date like the sixth or eighth day of the lunar month to get married.

"Hey, don't even mention it. There's going to be some changes at the factory soon, and I don't dare take leave at this time, so I'll just reschedule for Sunday."

The word "coward" is just one word, and I'll only say it once!

The factory usually doesn't hold people back when it comes to weddings and funerals, so why are they hesitant to apply for these? Could it be that Yi Zhonghai is giving them a hard time?

Although I despise him in my heart, I certainly can't say it out loud.

"So, who are you looking for?"

"Here's the thing, aren't you the head chef at our factory? I'm thinking of asking you to help with the cooking!"

"I can't help you with this!"

Xu Pingan flatly refused, leaving no room for negotiation whatsoever...

Just moments ago, Jia Dongxu was all smiles and beaming with joy, but his expression immediately fell.

"We're all neighbors here, and you're not even willing to help with such a small thing?"

Xu Pingan remained calm and unhurried.

"You misheard me. It's not that I'm unwilling to help, it's that I can't!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai, who had just been watching the commotion from the sidelines, immediately stood up for his apprentice.

"Xiao Xu, we're all neighbors, it's only right that we help each other out. You help me today, I'll help you tomorrow..."

"As a person, you can't be too selfish, and you can't only think about yourself."

They're here... they're here, they're here!

Xu Pingan finally heard the classic quote from the Moral Celestial.

"Master Yi has misunderstood again. Every country has its laws, and every profession has its rules. It's not like any chef can accept any kind of banquet..."

Xu Ping'an just spouted empty promises, talking a lot about staffing and chef regulations, but he just wouldn't actually do it.

Yi Zhonghai seemed to be getting impatient.

"It's not like we're not paying... How much do we charge for cooking a table? We'll pay the market rate!"

Damn it, why didn't you say you were going to pay me sooner?

It's a pity, I knew from the start that even if they paid me, they wouldn't have done it...

Xu Pingan was also getting impatient.

"This has nothing to do with money. I never planned to take on any catering services, and I don't have any cooking utensils or seasonings... I really can't be of any help!"

"Besides, I'm a young person who just moved to a courtyard house, and I really don't want to break the local customs..."

In short, it all boils down to one thing: I won't do it!

In fact, everything Xu Pingan said was just an excuse.

What kind of kitchen utensils and seasonings? Xu Ping'an had a whole bunch of them in his space and backpack.

Some of them were bought in the market, and some were hard to buy, so he just smuggled them directly from the steel mill, so that he could cook extra meals for himself in his space!

But it's also true that Xu Pingan didn't want to do this.

In short, he has neither money nor supplies, so why would he do this kind of work and exhaust himself?

There's absolutely no need for that!

If it's not for buying a house, furniture, or other essential items like a radio, watch, and bicycle, you need to find a reasonable source of income.

Xu Ping'an didn't even want to fish anymore.

I used to enjoy fishing because I could never catch anything...

Didn't a song say that what you can't have always stirs your heart...?

Now, when Xu Pingan is fishing, he catches one fish every 10 minutes, which almost completely ruins his fishing experience.

What keeps him going fishing now is partly to earn money legally and legitimately, and partly to enjoy the admiring glances from the air force squadrons nearby.

Every time Xu Pingan heard their unbridled flattery and heard the envy, jealousy, and hatred in their eyes, he felt particularly excited...

Therefore, Xu Ping'an's attitude was very firm: he was willing to give gifts and attend banquets, but he would not host a banquet.

You might as well stay home and sleep...

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu exchanged a glance and, seeing that even paying money couldn't tempt Xu Ping'an, gave up on the idea.

After all, three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged chefs are everywhere.

He immediately stopped arguing with Xu Ping'an.

Xu Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the compound.

Although she is still young, she has had some extraordinary experiences.

He's a classic example of someone small in stature but big in ability!

"Big brother, are Uncle Yi and Jia Dongxu bad guys?"

She noticed that the two of them seemed to be using verbal attacks and moral blackmail, which is why she asked that question!

This question completely stumped Xu Pingan.

Good people and bad people?

These two words are too absolute!

In the lives of ordinary people, there are very few people who are absolutely good or bad...

"To be precise, the people living here are all ordinary people... Life is like this, don't label people so easily! The line between good and bad people is often just a thought away, as the saying goes, one thought can make you a Buddha, and one thought can make you a demon..."

Xu Fang's face scrunched up.

"I don't quite understand!"

"When there are no conflicts of interest, everyone around you is a good person."

"When there's a conflict of interest, they can all turn into bad people!"

Xu Fang frowned.

"Brother, I don't think you're right. Chen Jinshuo from our school has no vested interests with me, but he seems like a bad guy to me!"

"Did he pull your braid?"

"No, but after every exam, he would make sarcastic remarks..."

I must say, the schools in Beijing are really different...

The frequency of exams is much higher here than in rural towns...

"Oh, so there's a conflict of interest involved. The other party is just jealous of you! Don't you always get first place, putting him below you?"

"Yes, he's second in our class!"

"Look, isn't this just a conflict of interests..."

After a pause, Xu Pingan emphasized, "If he bullies you, remember to tell me..."

"There's an older sister in the class too..."

……

The brother and sister walked and talked, and Xu Ping'an felt that the road was getting further and further away.

Normally, when I ride a bike, I feel like I can get there with just a few pedal strokes.

As a result, the brother and sister walked for forty or fifty minutes before finally reaching Qianmen Street...

Even so, the brother and sister were still considered to be on a fast pace.

It seems I'll have to find a way to clear a path for my bicycle again...

Xu Ping'an planned to wait until Yan Bugui bought a bicycle first before discussing this matter.

His car was secondhand, and since Xu Pingan also bought a secondhand one, it wouldn't stand out as much.

The times are really not right; it's best to be more careful and cautious in everything you do.

After asking around the neighborhood, I learned that Hengdeli was the best watch shop in the entire Dashilan area.

The one in Dashilan happens to be the flagship store of Hengdeli, which is said to have been open since 1927.

Standing in front of Hengdeli's store, looking at the Western-style building in front of her, Xu Fang's heart was pounding. Even though Xu Ping'an was pulling her, she hesitated to move forward.

"Let's go!"

Xu Fang shrank back, only because Xu Ping'an was holding her arm; otherwise, she felt like she wanted to run back.

"Brother, are we really going in?"

"What's there to be afraid of? We're already here!"

They say money gives heroes courage!

If Xu Pingan had no money in his pocket, even with his extensive knowledge and experience, he would probably be embarrassed by now.

"Let's just buy a small alarm clock, it's not like we can't afford one. Come on, bro, I'll show you inside!"

With a slight pull, he dragged the still somewhat timid and awkward Xu Fang into the shop.