Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 397 The police come to the door
The restaurant had mostly vegetarian dishes left, so Liu Caixia came over to let them know.

Even though they have a good relationship, Liu Caixia doesn't think she can make all the decisions for someone else. She knows this much about boundaries. She puts the teapot and teacup she's holding on the table and says:

"Brother Yuanchao, the kitchen can only make one meat dish right now; the rest are potatoes, cabbage, radishes, and the like. Is that alright?"

Before Liu Caixia could even finish speaking and before He Yuanchao could respond, a middle-aged man in his thirties at the next table chimed in:
"Hey waiter, we're all eating at your restaurant, why are you treating us differently? Why did they get tea but we didn't?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Caixia's short temper flared up immediately. She turned to look at the middle-aged man who had spoken and said in an unfriendly tone:
"Why should I? For no reason at all. I just like him and am willing to serve him tea. If you're not happy, go to another restaurant. Nobody asked you to come."

"How do you talk?"

Liu Caixia, undeterred, replied with her hands on her hips:
"Is that how you talk? If you don't like it, go find someone who talks nicer."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's anger flared instantly. He gritted his teeth and was about to get up to argue when the man at the same table stopped him, saying:
"Brother, let it go, it's not a big deal! Why argue with the waiter? If you're thirsty, we have water in the kettle."

As he spoke, he pushed the worn-out military water bottle on the table in front of the middle-aged man.

"That's so damn infuriating, I can't stand it."

The middle-aged man was clearly not one to be wronged, and he ignored all advice. He pushed away the man at the table and stood up to get closer to Liu Caixia.

Seeing this, He Yuanchao said nothing, nor did he try to reconcile them. He stepped forward and stood in front of Liu Caixia.

Although Zhang Zhao looked down on his brother-in-law, seeing that he was about to fight, he stopped pretending to be a melancholy philosopher and immediately got up to go to He Yuanchao's side, as he needed to vent his anger.

Seeing that there was something to watch, the people eating in the restaurant stopped eating, put down their bowls, chopsticks, and wine glasses, and looked over.

"Brother, we're here on a business trip. We don't know anyone here, so please don't cause any trouble."

Ignoring the whispers and pointing fingers of those around them, the man at the table grabbed the middle-aged man's wrist and said, "What if something happens? How am I supposed to explain this to your wife and kids when I get back?"

After arguing for a while, the middle-aged man was finally persuaded. He sat down at the table with a face full of anger, picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and drank the rest of the wine in one gulp.

If it weren't for the fact that one of the two opponents was quite burly, I might not have been able to beat them. I absolutely cannot swallow this insult today; I have to say something about it.

Liu Caixia was so angry because she had just had a few words with a middle-aged woman in the kitchen. She's usually quite easygoing.

Seeing that the middle-aged man eating had fallen silent, Liu Caixia's anger had dissipated, and she didn't intend to continue the argument. To ease the tension, she patted He Yuanchao's arm and joked:
"Alright, bro, hurry up and order, or we won't even have potatoes and carrots left."

He Yuanchao was already hungry, and the aroma of the food intensified his hunger upon entering the restaurant. Hearing Liu Caixia's words, he quickly said:

"Sis, then you should hurry up and pick out the right thing! It doesn't matter if it's meat or vegetables, as long as it can fill our stomachs."

Liu Caixia had worked at the restaurant for five or six years. She could tell from He Yuanchao's appearance that he was hungry. Without hesitation, she nodded and ran back to the kitchen.

As he ran, he thought to himself, "This buddy of mine is definitely worth befriending; he'll really step up when things get tough."

Vegetable dishes are quick to prepare. Not long after He Yuanchao sat down, Liu Caixia brought over a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes and eight steamed buns made from two kinds of flour.

"Brother, you must be hungry. Go ahead and eat something to tide you over."

Hearing this, He Yuanchao didn't stand on ceremony. He greeted Zhang Lide and the others, then picked up a steamed bun made of two kinds of dough and took a big bite. Seeing He Yuanchao wolfing it down, Liu Caixia was worried he might choke or miss out on the good stuff, so she quickly reminded him:
"Don't rush, brother, eat slowly and save some room. The kitchen is still stewing fish for you!"

He Yuanchao swallowed the steamed bun he was chewing and replied with a smile, "It's nothing. I've been running around all afternoon and I'm starving. I can eat two fish, let alone one."

After saying that, he continued to eat a bite of steamed bun and a bite of vegetables.

Seeing this, Liu Caixia didn't say anything more. She turned around and went back to the kitchen. Look how hungry her younger brother is. She had to urge the head chef to cook quickly.

After He Yuanchao finished eating a steamed bun, Zhang Lide picked up his chopsticks, glanced at Zhang Zhao and the driver Xiao Wang who were eating silently at the table, and said with a smile, "Don't just eat, let's have some drinks!"

After saying that, without waiting for the three to respond, he got up, went to the service desk, took two bottles of Liuquxiang Baijiu and four glasses, and came back.

Zhang Zhao did harbor resentment towards Zhang Lide, but he still had filial piety. Seeing Zhang Lide about to pour wine for the group, he stood up with a stern face and extended his hand, saying, "Let me do it!"

"Need not."

Zhang Lide chuckled and stopped Zhang Zhao's hand, saying, "We're happy today, let me pour you some wine."

After saying that, he filled the glass in front of him with wine, picked it up, and handed it to the driver, Xiao Wang, saying:

"I must pour you this first glass of wine. Thank you for helping me these past two days. I'll remember this favor."

These days, there are no checks for drunk driving. It's common for drivers to drink and drive. It's said that there's a driver on the grasslands who drives more steadily the more he drinks. Whenever he's transporting important supplies, his superiors give him half a jin of liquor.

The deputy-level leader poured himself a drink first, and Xiao Wang was so excited he was a little overwhelmed. After a moment of stunned silence, he hurriedly stood up, took the glass, and said:

"I...I dare not accept the title of leader. What I did was just what I was supposed to do. There's nothing to thank me for."

That's what he said, but Xiao Wang was incredibly excited. Zhang Lide hadn't said how he was thanking him, but with this little bit of kindness, if he mentioned it to Minister Wang, wouldn't his good days be just around the corner?
Zhang Lide exchanged a few more polite words, reassuring the young queen, and then poured a full glass of wine, handing it to He Yuanchao, saying:

"I won't stand on ceremony with you about our relationship; Dad remembers everything."

He Yuanchao wasn't interested in drinking and didn't really want to drink, but seeing his father-in-law's happy expression, he didn't want to spoil the fun. He smiled, got up, took the wine, nodded, and didn't say anything.

At this point, saying anything would feel somewhat hypocritical, so it's better to keep quiet and not say anything.

When the third glass of wine was poured and handed to Zhang Zhao, Zhang Lide's smile faded, and he solemnly said:

"Xiao Zhao, the past is the past. I hope you can cheer up and face your new life and work as soon as possible."

A word of encouragement brought tears to Zhang Zhao's eyes instantly. He opened his mouth for two or three minutes, but couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Zhang Lide didn't say anything, but instead smiled and patted Zhang Zhao on the shoulder.

Just as he was about to pour the last glass of wine, the restaurant door opened, and four uniformed police officers entered one after the other.

The lead policeman looked around the room, his gaze finally settling on He Yuanchao. He then led the other three policemen toward him.

(End of this chapter)