Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 383 Persuasion
Zhang Zhao's left cheek was bright red. Even after getting into the car, he was still upset about being slapped in public. He turned his head and looked out the window without saying a word.

As the jeep drove away from the military base gate, Zhang Lide glanced at Zhang Zhao and then looked up at the time.

"Are you staying at the guesthouse with me, or going home?"

Zhang Lide was preoccupied with where to get the grain and had no interest in arguing with Zhang Zhao about anything else. Seeing that he remained silent, he simply told the driver to take him to Yangqu.

He Yuanchao was sitting in the passenger seat and saw everything that happened in the back seat. Because of the presence of the driver, Xiao Wang, he didn't say anything to mediate, afraid that he might say something wrong and make Zhang Zhao lose face.

The journey back to Yangqu was gloomy. Zhang Zhao didn't let the driver take him all the way to his door. When they reached the intersection near the Education Bureau, he knocked on the driver's seat, got out of the car without saying a word, and left.

Looking out the car window at Zhang Zhao driving away, Zhang Lide said with a bitter expression, "This kid was always so stubborn, how come he's become so extreme after all these years? Sigh!"

Knowing that Zhang Lide was trying to make amends for Zhang Zhao, He Yuanchao didn't mind. After comforting his father-in-law for a couple of minutes, he changed the subject:
"Dad, should we spend the night in Yangqu or go back to Yuantai?"

Zhang Lide didn't respond to this, but turned to the driver and said, "Xiao Wang, you've had a hard day. What are your thoughts? Are you going back to Yuantai or staying here for the night?"

Driver Xiao Wang glanced at the fuel gauge on the dashboard and said with a smile, "I'm fine with anything, I'll follow the leader's instructions."

"Alright, since we'll be back tomorrow anyway, let's not bother with all this and just stay here for the night."

After listening to Xiao Wang's words and seeing that He Yuanchao did not object, Zhang Lide made the final decision.

Without further ado, the three men started the jeep again and quickly found a guesthouse about six or seven kilometers away from the Education Bureau.

The guesthouse was a rather old two-story detached building. It was not large, and its environment and facilities could not compare with those of the provincial mining bureau's guesthouse. He Yuanchao quickly booked three single rooms with the letter of introduction.

A female staff member was on duty at the front desk. She didn't offer to show the three of them the way. After registering, she said, "The room is on the second floor," and then casually took three keys out of the drawer and handed them to He Yuanchao.

The guest rooms are located on the north and south sides of the second floor. It's unclear whether anyone is living there, as the doors are all closed. The corridor is dark and dark because the lights are off.

The three of them went up the stairs to the second floor and searched the corridor for a while according to the numbers on their keys before finally finding their respective rooms at the far east end of the corridor.

He Yuanchao opened the door and walked into the room. He looked around and saw that the furniture was old and worn, and some of the paint was almost completely peeling off. The only two things that caught his eye were a new thermos and the fact that the room was very clean.

He put down his bag, took off his coat, turned around and walked to the door to pick up a white enamel basin, preparing to go to the public restroom at the stairwell to get water for washing up.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Zhang Lide standing there, his hand raised as if to knock.

"Dad, why did you come over? Why didn't you rest for a while first?"

As he spoke, He Yuanchao turned to the side, intending to let Zhang Lide into the house.

Seeing this, Zhang Lide waved his hand and said, "I'm not going in. I came here to tell you that I'm going to the telecommunications bureau to make a call."

After listening for a moment, He Yuanchao understood what was going on.

"Dad, do you want to talk to Uncle Wang about the grain?"

Zhang Lide nodded, making no attempt to hide anything.

"Yes! This is the only person I know well in Xishan. I'll make a call and see if he can spare some food for me to tide me over."

Seeing that it was the same as what he had thought, He Yuanchao didn't waste any more words. After letting Zhang Lide into the house and closing the door, he told him about going to the black market to buy grain.

After saying that he was worried about things going wrong on the black market, He Yuanchao added another sentence.

"The army gave us twenty days, one more day won't make a difference. If things don't work out here, we'll contact Uncle Wang again. What do you think?" Zhang Lide sat on the edge of the bed, listening without nodding or saying a word. He took out a cigarette, offered one to He Yuanchao, lit it himself, took a puff, and then said:
“I appreciate your kindness, Yuanchao, but buying grain on the black market is illegal. I can’t let my son’s situation ruin a promising son-in-law. I don’t agree to this.”

Looking at Zhang Lide's resolute expression, He Yuanchao exhaled the cigarette he had just taken out of his mouth and said with a smile:
"Dad, things aren't as serious as you think..."

"Yuan Chao, stop talking."

Before He Yuanchao could finish speaking, Zhang Lide interrupted him with a displeased expression, saying, "No matter what, I will not agree to you buying grain on the black market. I'm going to call Lao Wang right now."

After saying that, Zhang Lide immediately got up and walked out.

"Dad, don't rush, listen to me first."

He Yuanchao stepped forward to stop Zhang Lide, then pressed him down to sit on the edge of the bed and continued, "Food is scarce everywhere right now. What if Uncle Wang can't spare any food either? Are you really going to watch your brother go to jail?"

I'll check the black market first. If it's safe, we'll buy it; if it's dangerous, we won't.

"No, no matter if it's dangerous or not, you absolutely cannot go to that kind of place. You can't do it even if you try your best."

Zhang Lide knew that He Yuanchao's words made sense, but both sons were his flesh and blood, and he was unwilling to let his son-in-law take this risk no matter what.

Seeing Zhang Lide's resolute attitude, He Yuanchao also had a headache. At this moment, he really wanted to give up and let his father-in-law handle things himself, but then he thought about it and realized that wouldn't work.

If Zhang Zhao really goes to jail, his mother-in-law definitely won't be able to accept it. Considering how good Ma Xiufang has been to him, he has to help her out no matter what.

He Yuanchao smoked a cigarette and thought for a while, then suddenly had an idea.

“Dad, it’s worth taking a risk at this time. If you don’t think about anything else, think about Dongdong. If we can’t get food, do you really want such a young child to carry the name of a convict father?”

The saying "grandparents love their grandchildren more" is no exaggeration.

Upon hearing He Yuanchao mention his grandson Dongdong, Zhang Lide fell silent. He finished the remaining half of his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, stomped it out, and said:

“One person does the work, one person takes the blame. Give Zhang Zhao the name and address of the black market contact and have him buy the grain.”

Seeing his father-in-law hesitate for a long time before coming up with this idea, He Yuanchao couldn't help but want to laugh, but since he had finally given in, he quickly agreed.

With the grain issue showing promise, Zhang Lide felt much more at ease. After asking about Zhang Daya and the restaurant waitress, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Yuanchao, do you think Commander Liu will be in trouble after he finds out the grain was bought on the black market?"

"Dad, you're getting a little carried away by your concern."

Seeing Zhang Lide's worried expression, He Yuanchao smiled and analyzed, "We are in a hurry because of the food shortage, and Commander Liu is in the same boat. If this problem cannot be solved, he will also bear leadership responsibility."

Besides, as long as we don't steal or rob, Commander Liu won't make a fuss. Once the grain is in the army, even if someone finds out it was bought on the black market, they won't cause trouble for the army over that little bit of grain.”

Zhang Lide was, after all, a deputy-level cadre. If it weren't for the fact that it concerned his son, he wouldn't have been so anxious and lost his composure.

After hearing He Yuanchao's words, he realized what was going on, and his usual composure returned to his face.

The father and son discussed for a while about buying grain at the black market tomorrow. Seeing that Zhang Lide was in a good mood, He Yuanchao hesitated for a moment, but still told him what he had been thinking about at Zhang Zhao's house that morning.

(End of this chapter)