Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 394 Grain Arrives
While the driver, Xiao Wang, was speaking, Zhang Daya had already ridden his bicycle to the jeep.

The bicycle had just stopped, and before Zhang Lide could speak, Zhang Zhao quickly took two steps forward to He Yuanchao and eagerly asked:
"So, did you see the grain? Do they actually have that much grain?"

Zhang Lide then walked up to He Yuanchao's side.

He glared at Zhang Zhao with displeasure and scolded him sternly, "You're almost forty, and you have no composure at all. What kind of behavior is this, so impetuous and rash?"

After saying that, without waiting for Zhang Zhao's reaction, he turned to He Yuanchao and said with concern, "Are you hungry? I saved some food for you. We can talk after you eat."

Feeling resentful and angry at being treated differently by his father, Zhang Zhao could only swallow his anger, remembering that the money to buy the grain had been borrowed from He Yuanchao, and could only mutter to himself, "Even a hero can be brought down by a penny."

He Yuanchao was indeed feeling a bit hungry, but when he glanced at the time, he quickly stopped Zhang Lide, who was opening the car door to get food, and told him about what happened with Li Hongtao.

Upon hearing that the food supply had been secured, Zhang Zhao's gloomy expression vanished, and the resentment he had felt towards He Yuanchao dissipated considerably.

Zhang Lide knew the troops were punctual. He glanced at the time, considered for a moment, and said:

"Okay, let's drive to the intersection and wait for your comrade. You can eat when we get there."

Except for Zhang Zhao, none of the others were indecisive. Once they made a decision, they immediately told Zhang Daya to get in the car and head to the intersection of the road leading from the army base to the county town.

Few men dislike cars, especially in an era when cars were still a luxury for ordinary people, something they could only admire from afar and could not own.

Zhang Daya was no exception. He had ridden in trucks and buses many times, but riding in a car was a first for him.

As soon as they got on the bus, their eyes couldn't take it all in. They looked here and there with great interest, and they were filled with envy as they looked at the driver, Xiao Wang.

The restaurant where Liu Caixia worked was located on the edge of Yangqu County. Before Zhang Daya could even finish marveling at it, the jeep had already arrived at the county town intersection after driving along the main road for five or six minutes.

After parking the car on the side of the road, Zhang Lide stopped He Yuanchao, who was about to get out, and said, "You eat quickly in the car, I'll go down and wait for your comrade."

As he spoke, he took an aluminum lunchbox from the net bag hanging behind the driver's seat and handed it over.

He Yuanchao took the lunchbox with some confusion and subconsciously asked, "Dad, where did you get this lunchbox?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lide, who was opening the car door to get out, turned around and replied, "The lunchbox belongs to the waitress at the restaurant. Remember to return it to her when you get back."

After saying that, he got out of the car.

Driver Xiao Wang and Zhang Zhao didn't want to stay cooped up in the car, so they got out together.

Seeing this, Zhang Daya felt embarrassed to stay in the car, so he opened the door and reluctantly followed.

He Yuanchao was the only one left in the car. He didn't waste any time, opened his lunchbox, took out a flattened steamed bun, and ate it with twice-cooked pork.

He Yuanchao devoured two steamed buns and half a lunchbox of twice-cooked pork in no time. After putting away the lunchbox, he was about to get out of the car for a smoke when he heard the roar of a car engine in the distance, followed by Zhang Zhao's excited voice.

"They're here, the military vehicles are here."

He Yuanchao glanced into the distance through the windshield of the jeep and, seeing that it was indeed a military vehicle, quickly and nimbly got out of the car.

Zhang Daya's line of work instilled in him a natural fear of the military and police. Although he knew the people in the military vehicle weren't there to arrest him, he was still somewhat flustered and took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

Not long after He Yuanchao got out of the car, a military green truck pulled up beside Zhang Zhao, who was waving, leaving a trail of dust behind it.

The soldier driving the car recognized Zhang Zhao and poked his head out of the driver's seat to greet him.

As the two were talking, the other door on the driver's side opened, and Li Hongtao got out of the car, walking up to He Yuanchao with a big smile. "You're pretty efficient, kid! You got the grain so quickly!"

He Yuanchao was very grateful that Li Hongtao had gone to such lengths to provide a ride, and he had no intention of hiding the origin of the grain. He leaned close to Li Hongtao's ear and whispered:
"I was lucky enough to run into a black market grain dealer. We chatted for a bit and the problem was solved."

"I really need to thank you. Without you, I don't know how I would have gotten all this food to the troops; it would have been a nightmare."

These days, it's not just ordinary people who go to the black market to buy things; even some military officers' families will sneak around doing so. As long as it's not too outrageous, military leaders will usually turn a blind eye.

Li Hongtao didn't care about buying grain on the black market, but he was a little unhappy that He Yuanchao was being polite to him, so he deliberately put on a stern face and said:

"We've been comrades-in-arms for many years, it's only right that we help each other, why are you being so polite with me?"

"It's not just politeness, it's genuine gratitude. Otherwise, I would really be at a loss."

Seeing He Yuanchao speak politely again, Li Hongtao put on an angry look on his face, but he felt very pleased inside. Nobody wants to help an ingrate.

"Alright, stop with this nonsense and get the food back to the troops as soon as possible!"

After saying this, Li Hongtao grabbed He Yuanchao's arm and pulled him onto the military truck. It's not easy for old comrades to meet from all over the country, so they should have a good chat.

Everyone heard Li Hongtao's words, and seeing the two get into the military truck, they all turned around and got into the jeeps.

With Zhang Daya leading the way, the two carts quickly arrived at the grain storage area.

The same middle-aged man who opened the door was Fang Ge.

He opened the door and glanced outside. When he saw the military green jeep, the truck, and Li Hongtao in military uniform, his eyes instantly filled with fear. He turned and ran into the yard without looking back.

Although Fang Ge wasn't tall, he was incredibly agile. He darted to the north wall in a few steps, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, and flipped over, disappearing from sight in an instant.

The people outside the courtyard gate, seeing the short man's actions, guessed what was going on and, suppressing their laughter, looked at Zhang Daya.

"The person looking after the house isn't here, will that still prevent us from selling the grain?"

Zhang Daya felt quite embarrassed at this moment and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "It won't delay, it won't delay, I can sell it as long as you pay me."

He Yuanchao, who was asking the question, breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it. He was really afraid that all his hard work would be in vain because of this little thing.

Led by Zhang Daya, the group arrived at the west wing where the grain was stored.

Upon entering the house and seeing that it was half full of grain, Zhang Lide and the others, like He Yuanchao, were quite surprised. To be able to obtain so much grain at this time of year, it was obvious that the person behind it must be someone with extraordinary connections.

But none of that mattered to them; they were simply there to buy grain.

Both cornmeal and wheat flour came in 50-jin bags, totaling 24 bags. He Yuanchao, Zhang Zhao, Li Hongtao, and the two drivers loaded all the grain onto the army's trucks in just a couple of trips.

He Yuanchao gave the money, and seeing that everyone had gotten on the bus, he didn't linger any longer. After saying goodbye to Zhang Daya, he got on the army's truck.

The road to the military base was quite bumpy in the jeep; the truck, being heavier, would have been much better.

Seeing He Yuanchao get into the car, Li Hongtao didn't waste any words and waved his hand, saying, "Drive back to the unit."

Watching the two cars drive away in a cloud of dust, Zhang Daya closed the gate and went back to his yard.

(End of this chapter)