Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 404 Nagging
He Yuanchao had arranged to meet Li Hongtao at noon, but he arrived ten minutes early, intending to say goodbye to Liu Caixia and hand over the scarf to her.

There were more people at the restaurant today than the previous two days. The restaurant was very lively. As soon as He Yuanchao walked to the door, he heard laughter and drinking games inside.

He Yuanchao opened the door and walked into the restaurant. He glanced around and saw that the restaurant staff, who had nothing to do, were still chatting and laughing in front of the service desk. He didn't see the middle-aged woman who had quarreled with Liu Caixia yesterday.

He Yuanchao originally intended to secretly give the gift to Liu Caixia, but he changed his mind when he entered the room. It wasn't a shady relationship, and being secretive would only arouse suspicion. It was better to be open about it!
Before He Yuanchao could even reach the service counter, the sharp-eyed Liu Caixia spotted him and stood up with a smile to greet him:
"Brother Yuanchao, you're here. Why are you alone today? Where are the other three?"

"The three of them have other things to do today."

As they were talking, He Yuanchao had already walked to the service counter, and in front of several restaurant staff members, handed the cardboard box containing the scarves to Liu Caixia, saying:
"Sister, I'll probably be heading back to Kyoto tonight. I'd like to give you a gift as a souvenir before I go, to thank you for taking care of me these past two days."

Although Liu Caixia had known this day would come, she hadn't expected it to be so sudden. Without even looking at the gift in front of her, she walked out of the service counter, her face full of reluctance, and said:
"Why are you going back so soon? I thought you'd stay here a few more days! Why are you leaving so suddenly?"

Women are emotionally sensitive, and as Liu Caixia spoke, her eyes reddened, and tears soon fell.

Liu Caixia didn't see what the gift was, but all the other staff members at the restaurant saw the pattern on the cardboard box.

Chiffon scarves are all the rage right now. Fashionable items are always sought after by women, especially young women, in any era.

The four people gathered around the service counter were all women, and their eyes were all fixed on the cardboard box in He Yuanchao's hand. No one noticed Liu Caixia's appearance at all.

Seeing Liu Caixia shed tears, He Yuanchao was at a loss and quickly tried to comfort her:
"Sis, there are so many people here, so please be mindful of your image. Besides, I'm not leaving right away; I have an appointment to have dinner with my comrades here later!"

Liu Caixia, who was already quite sad, felt embarrassed after He Yuanchao's words. Afraid that her colleagues would take the opportunity to tease her, she hastily wiped away her tears and said:
"Okay, I'll go to the kitchen and see what dishes they have. I'll make sure you can arrange a decent meal for your comrades."

Seeing that Liu Caixia was heading towards the kitchen after speaking, He Yuanchao quickly stepped forward and handed her the cardboard box he was carrying, saying:

"Sister, take this."

Liu Caixia glanced at the box in He Yuanchao's hand and knew from the words and pictures printed on the packaging that it was a chiffon scarf.

She asked at a store a while ago, and the cheapest chiffon scarf was 25 yuan, which was about the same as her monthly salary. She liked it, but she couldn't bring herself to buy it.

Twenty-five yuan isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either; it's enough to buy quite a bit of grain!

He Yuanchao, whom I've only known for two days, wants to give me a cigarette. I know he doesn't have any ulterior motives, but I'm too embarrassed to accept it.

“Brother Yuanchao, what are you doing? I appreciate your kind gesture, but please take the things back quickly. We don’t do this kind of thing between us sisters.”

He Yuanchao genuinely wanted to befriend Liu Caixia, otherwise he wouldn't have gone out of his way to buy her a gift. Seeing that she was hesitant to accept it, he quickly stuffed the scarf into her hand and said with a smile:
"Sis, I bought this especially for you as a souvenir. If you don't accept it, we won't be able to get along in the future."

Liu Caixia was happy to receive the scarf, but she didn't want her newly acquainted younger brother to spend money on it. As she reached out to return the scarf to He Yuanchao, she said firmly:
"This thing isn't cheap. Listen to me, take it back for your wife. I'm too old to wear something so flashy."

"I specifically bought a solid color one, it will definitely fit you perfectly."

"My job leaves me greasy and disheveled all day; I can't wear anything nice. Listen to me, take this back to your wife; she'll definitely look good in it." ...

Liu Caixia, being a woman, couldn't tear He Yuanchao's scarf no matter how hard she tried. When she finally stopped, panting heavily, she hadn't even managed to give it to him.

While the two sisters were tugging at each other, the restaurant staff stood by and watched the spectacle with smiles.

Seeing that Liu Caixia had calmed down, a young female staff member, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, smiled and said:
"Sister Liu, they're giving this to you so sincerely, so please accept it!"

As soon as the young female staff member finished speaking, another female staff member of similar age chimed in:
"Yes, Sister Liu, please accept it. If you don't want to wear it, I can help you wear it for a few days."

Upon hearing this, Liu Caixia, no longer bothering to argue with He Yuanchao, rolled her eyes at the young girl who had spoken and said:

"All you ever do is dream. This was a gift from my younger brother, and I'm reluctant to wear it. You want to wear it? You're dreaming!"

After saying that, seemingly still not satisfied, he paused for a moment and then said, "You're not young anymore, you should hurry up and ask your family to find you a partner. Who knows, maybe they'll be so happy to see you as pretty that they'll give you a scarf."

Hahaha~~
Upon hearing Liu Caixia's words, the staff and some customers nearby all burst into laughter.

The young female staff member was shy. Seeing everyone laughing, she knew Liu Caixia was joking, but she still blushed deeply and didn't dare to say a word in rebuttal. She turned around and ran into the kitchen.

After this little incident, Liu Caixia regained her forthright and generous spirit as a Northeastern woman, and smiling at He Yuanchao while holding her scarf:

"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll take the scarf."

After saying that, as if remembering something, he continued:

"I'm very happy that you bought me a gift, but I still have to say a few words to you. You can't be extravagant when it comes to money; you have to be frugal. Think about how much food and meat you could buy with the money spent on this..."

crunch~~
As Liu Caixia was patiently instructing He Yuanchao on how to live his life, a sharp screech of car brakes suddenly came from outside the restaurant.

Upon hearing the noise, He Yuanchao immediately smiled, said to Liu Caixia, "It seems my comrade-in-arms has arrived," and then ran out of the restaurant without looking back.

Although He Yuanchao found Liu Caixia a bit nagging, he knew she meant well and didn't treat him like an outsider. Otherwise, given her shrewdness, she certainly wouldn't have said such offensive things.

As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, they saw Li Hongtao getting out of his car, and He Yuanchao quickly strode over to greet him.

Li Hongtao was quite pleased to see that He Yuanchao had arrived before him. This showed that his old comrade-in-arms still valued him, and his efforts over the past two days had not been in vain.

The two didn't exchange many pleasantries at the restaurant entrance. After a few words, they went into the restaurant together with the soldiers who had driven there.

(End of this chapter)