Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 390 Buying Grain

Zhang Zhao, who was pulled out, was powerless to fight back and felt very embarrassed. His face was full of anger, and he looked at He Yuanchao with great hostility, as if he wanted to make a move.

He Yuanchao pretended not to see it, casually took out a cigarette and gestured to it. Seeing that Zhang Zhao did not react, he ignored him and walked to the shady spot by the courtyard wall to light a cigarette and smoke.

He Yuanchao had a lot of experience dealing with people like Zhang Zhao. You can't spoil him, or he'll take advantage of you and become arrogant. Just leave him alone like this, and he'll get rid of all his problems in no time.

The brother-in-law and sister-in-law stood a good distance apart, ignoring each other like strangers, but their eyes were both fixed on the gate of the Lü family.

Not long after He Yuanchao finished his cigarette, the gate of the Lü family's house was opened, and Zhang Lide strode out alone.

It seems the conversation didn't go very well, otherwise the Lü family wouldn't have gone so far as to not even bother with formalities and not offer any gifts.

The thought flashed through his mind, but He Yuanchao didn't take it seriously. He glanced at Zhang Zhao, then stepped up to Zhang Lide and asked:

"Dad, how did the talks go? What did Uncle Lü and Aunt Lü say? Did they say they'd put in a good word for my brother and try to reconcile them?"

To make the performance convincing, Zhang Lide, being a seasoned actor, immediately understood He Yuanchao's meaning. He shook his head with a gloomy face and remained silent.

Zhang Zhao cautiously approached the two of them. Seeing Zhang Lide's expression, he wanted to say, "Let's get a divorce! What's there to be afraid of!" but he didn't dare, his face full of conflicted emotions.

They have the ability to cause trouble but not the skill to resolve it.

Looking at his timid and submissive son, Zhang Lide couldn't help but sigh, 'If my son Zhang Zhao had even half the competence of my son-in-law He Yuanchao, he could go see Marx in peace. What a pity!'

Thinking this, he lost the will to continue acting, said "Let's go" and walked towards the jeep first.

He Yuanchao and Zhang Zhao could both hear the dejection in Zhang Lide's tone.

He Yuanchao was unaware of Zhang Lide's thoughts at that moment, and as he walked, he secretly admired his father-in-law's acting skills.

Zhang Zhao thought that he had disappointed his father again by making a fuss about the divorce, and like a child who had made a mistake, he followed behind the two of them with his head down.

Once in the jeep, Zhang Lide told the driver the destination, and the driver, Xiao Wang, knew the way well. In no time, they arrived at the restaurant where they had lunch the day before.

It wasn't lunchtime yet, and all the tables in the room were empty. A few staff members were gathered around the service counter, chatting idly and occasionally bursting into laughter.

Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, the hotel staff all turned their attention to the entrance.

The waitress was delighted to see He Yuanchao, and with a big smile, she pushed aside the people in front of her and came out from behind the service counter to greet him.

"Brother Yuanchao, you've arrived."

"They're here! Sister Caixia, what are you talking about that makes you so happy?"

He Yuanchao only found out the waitress's name was Liu Caixia when he returned to the hotel and checked her contact information.

Zhang Lide had met the waitress before and knew that she was the one who introduced the people in the black market here, acting as a middleman. He glanced at her, said nothing, and led the driver and Zhang Zhao back to the seats they had sat in yesterday.

The waitress ignored Zhang Lide and his group, chatted and laughed with He Yuanchao for a while, and seeing that no one was around, lowered her voice and asked:
"Brother Yuanchao, you didn't really come here today to buy grain from Zhang Daya, did you?"

He Yuanchao guessed that the waitress was trying to persuade him, so he quickly changed the subject:
"Sister Caixia, is Zhang Daya unreliable?"

"That's not it."

The waitress shook her head, paused slightly, and continued, "Although Zhang Daya looks like a scoundrel, he has a good reputation. I've never heard of him swindling anyone."

After listening, He Yuanchao feigned a relieved expression and said:

"That's good, otherwise my brother-in-law's family would really go hungry."

Upon hearing He Yuanchao's words, the waitress immediately abandoned her idea of ​​persuading him not to buy grain on the black market.

"That's true. Eating is the most important thing in the world. When everyone is starving, who cares about the black market? Alright, I won't nag anymore. When you go to buy grain later, keep your eyes open and don't let the police spot you."

At this point, the waitress seemed to realize that her words were a bit unlucky, so she quickly lowered her head and spat a few times. Then she looked up at He Yuanchao somewhat embarrassed and said:

"Look at my sister's broken mouth, she can't even say anything good, she just says some unlucky things, Brother Yuanchao, don't mind her."

He Yuanchao wasn't someone who was clueless about such matters. The waitress might be a bit gossipy, but she was doing it for his own good, so how could he be angry? He smiled and said:

“Sister Caixia, I’m a materialist, I don’t believe in these things.”

"That's fine, that's fine."

The waitress patted her chest, her expression becoming much more relaxed.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Since no one's eating at the shop right now, I'll go to the kitchen and ask someone to cook for you. Can we make it the same as yesterday?"

The food tasted good yesterday, and He Yuanchao didn't object. He smiled and nodded in agreement, then took out some money from his pocket and handed it over.

The waitress had heard He Yuanchao mention yesterday that they were on a business trip and their company would reimburse their meals, so she didn't refuse. After taking the money and receipts, she said, "Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon," and then turned around and walked happily towards the kitchen.

Just as the waitress left, He Yuanchao heard the driver, Xiao Wang, calling out to him.

"Here, Comrade He."

He Yuanchao turned his head and saw that the driver, Xiao Wang, was standing next to the table where they had eaten yesterday, waving at him.

The restaurant is only so big, and there's no one inside. Do you think I'm afraid I won't be able to find them?

He Yuanchao muttered to himself as he walked toward the table where the three of them were sitting with a smile.

When they reached the table, He Yuanchao looked at the expressions on Zhang Lide and Zhang Zhao's faces and realized why Xiao Wang had called him.

Neither of them uttered a word, and both wore long faces, as if someone owed them money and wasn't paying it back. If I were Xiao Wang, I would feel embarrassed too.

He gestured for the driver, Xiao Wang, to sit down, and then offered each of them a cigarette. Only after the four of them lit their cigarettes and took a puff did the atmosphere at the table ease.

He Yuanchao ignored Zhang Lide and Zhang Zhao and started chatting with Xiao Wang about any topic.

Having acquaintances makes all the difference. Before He Yuanchao and Xiao Wang could exchange more than a few words, a young male staff member from the restaurant came to the table carrying a teapot in one hand and a teacup in the other.

"Sister Liu asked me to deliver this."

Upon seeing this, He Yuanchao quickly stood up and said, "Thank you, Comrade. Please also thank Sister Liu for me."

As she spoke, she reached out and took the teacup from the male staff member, and then picked up a cigarette from the table and offered it to him.

The staff member wasn't familiar with He Yuanchao; he was just running errands for Sister Liu. After putting down the teapot, accepting the cigarette, exchanging a few polite words, he turned and went back to the kitchen.

"It's so nice to have someone you know. We didn't get this treatment when we came yesterday."

As the driver, Xiao Wang, poured tea for the group, he kept making sarcastic remarks.

"That's just how society is..."

Before He Yuanchao could finish speaking, the restaurant door was opened from the outside.

Hearing the commotion, He Yuanchao turned his head and smiled. The person who came in was Zhang Daya.

(End of this chapter)