Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 407 Everything Goes Smoothly
Seeing Li Hongtao's hurried appearance, He Yuanchao feared that he had brought something valuable, so he quickly opened the bag.

One bag contained millet, and the other contained dates, which should be local specialties of Yangqu. Upon seeing these, He Yuanchao breathed a sigh of relief and muttered a smile.

"Hey! If you keep thinking about it, you'll get a response."

As I walked into the guesthouse carrying the bag, I ran into Zhang Zhao, who was coming out to fetch water with a thermos, just as I reached the second floor.

Their relationship has improved somewhat after what happened last night, but it hasn't reached the point of being very close yet.

He Yuanchao nodded and addressed him as "Big Brother" first, just to maintain appearances and prevent the two from acting like strangers.

Unlike his usual cold demeanor when they met, Zhang Zhao hesitated and spoke tentatively, looking awkward.

"You...you went to see Chief of Staff Li today, did he...did he mention me?"

He Yuanchao was taken aback when he heard this. He didn't expect Zhang Zhao to ask this. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that apart from catching up, the rest of the conversation at the dinner table today had all been about Li Hongtao's resettlement.

Just as He Yuanchao was about to tell the truth, he suddenly saw the expectant look in Zhang Zhao's eyes, and he changed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

“He said that Li Hongtao asked about your plans after leaving the military, and also told you to come to him if there was anything he could help you with.”

He Yuanchao regretted his words, as he was genuinely afraid that Zhang Zhao might act rashly and go to Li Hongtao when faced with trouble.

But then he thought again and felt relieved. Not to mention that Li Hongtao was about to be transferred back to civilian life, even if Zhang Zhao went to him, he would probably be able to help him out out of consideration for their past relationship.

Moreover, given Li Hongtao's shrewdness, how could he possibly let go of the opportunity to cultivate a relationship with Zhang Lidela?

Through these two days of contact, He Yuanchao discovered that Li Hongtao and Zhang Lide were somewhat similar in some ways; both were adept at seizing opportunities and scheming.

Zhang Zhao didn't have many thoughts on this, nor did he notice He Yuanchao's expression. At this moment, he was secretly feeling gratified.

He didn't waste those years in the military; at least there were people who cared about him after he left, so he wasn't a complete failure as a person.

He was secretly pleased, but said something insincere: "How can I, someone who has made a mistake, have the face to see them? It would be best if they all forgot about me."

"Alright, you just got back, go back inside and rest. I'm going to fetch some water."

After Zhang Zhao finished speaking, he carried the thermos and walked briskly downstairs.

Seeing this, He Yuanchao shook his head. Where did his brother-in-law get his arrogant attitude from? Zhang Lide and Ma Xiufang weren't like that!
If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Zhao's appearance bore a striking resemblance to Zhang Lide, He Yuanchao would have suspected that the children had been switched at birth during the chaotic years of war.

After returning to his room and putting down the white cloth bag, He Yuanchao wiped himself off and went to Zhang Lide's room next door.

Zhang Lide sat on a chair by the window, smoking, his eyes gazing out the window as if lost in thought.

Hearing the door open, he turned around and saw He Yuanchao. He smiled and said, "You're back."

"Ah."

He Yuanchao responded and sat down by the bed, casually asking, "Dad, how's the custody of Dongdong going? What's the attitude of the Lü family?"

Zhang Lide flicked the ash from his cigarette in the ashtray and said, "That's about enough. Once your older brother gets divorced, he'll take Dongdong back to Kyoto."

He Yuanchao recalled Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law's unreasonable behavior and said incredulously, "The Lü family agreed so readily? I thought they would drag it out for several days!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lide smiled and praised, "Then I have to thank you. If it weren't for your good idea, the Lü family wouldn't have agreed so quickly."

"Even if I had suggested it, the Lü family wouldn't have agreed so readily! They would have at least tried to pull some strings and get some benefits from me."

After hearing He Yuanchao's words, Zhang Lide recounted the events with a mocking expression. "You were right, I've certainly broadened my horizons."

At first, the Lü family was quite assertive, using the issue of not getting a divorce and custody of Dongdong as leverage to demand benefits. They said they wouldn't get a divorce unless Lü Wenliang was promoted to a cadre position in Yuantai City, and that they would live separately from your older brother and wait it out, and they wouldn't be allowed to see Dongdong in the future.

Your older brother did a good job this time; he stood up for himself and directly stood his ground, following your advice.

At this point, Zhang Lide paused, a barely suppressed schadenfreude gleaming in his eyes.

"You're absolutely right, a grandson is indeed not as important as someone's own son."

As soon as your older brother finished speaking, the Lü family looked extremely uncomfortable. In particular, when your older brother said that if they didn't get a divorce and he didn't get custody of Dongdong, he would report Lü Wenliang to the police station, the whole family immediately backed down.

"Your older brother's mother-in-law even advised Lü Wenli to divorce him and give up custody of Dongdong. Seeing that made me really happy."

"It was quite satisfying."

He Yuanchao echoed, then asked, "Dad, you didn't mention that the grain has been returned to the army, did you?"

“Your brother and I aren’t stupid, how could we bring this up? What if the Lü family finds out the grain issue is over and they don’t want a divorce? I was hoping to use this to pressure the Lü family into divorcing us sooner!”

As soon as Zhang Lide finished speaking, the door to the room creaked open, and Zhang Zhao walked in carrying a thermos.

Upon seeing Zhang Zhao, Zhang Lide and He Yuanchao stopped discussing the issue of Dongdong's custody after the divorce.

Zhang Zhao's personality was not so much extreme as it was insecure, especially when facing Zhang Lide.

Holding a thermos, he poured water for Zhang Lide and He Yuanchao while asking, "Dad, what were you talking about just now? Why did you stop talking as soon as I came in?"

Zhang Lide didn't know how much Zhang Zhao had overheard, and he didn't intend to hide it. He opened his mouth to speak, but He Yuanchao spoke first.

"We were talking about Li Hongtao."

"Oh! What's wrong, Chief of Staff Li?"

Upon hearing that it was about Li Hongtao, Zhang Zhao became interested, put down the thermos, and sat down next to He Yuanchao.

Without hesitation, He Yuanchao took the opportunity to mention Li Hongtao's plan to go to Beijing after leaving the military, and also casually mentioned asking Zhang Lide for help.

Li Hongtao's impending transfer to civilian work was no secret in the military; Zhang Zhao had heard about it from others in private.

Thinking that Li Hongtao still remembered him even after he was discharged from the army, Zhang Zhao quickly spoke up for him.

"Dad, Chief of Staff Li is quite qualified in all aspects. He took good care of me when we were in the army. If it's not too difficult for you, please lend a hand."

"He has a mess of his own to deal with, yet he has the leisure to meddle in other people's business."

Zhang Lide glared at Zhang Zhao and ignored him. He then turned to He Yuanchao and said, "I'll ask about this later. There shouldn't be any major problems. If the family relationship issue can't be resolved, have your comrade come to me."

This was the first time his son-in-law had asked him for a favor, and all the conditions were right. Even if people at his workplace were gossiping behind his back, Zhang Lide wouldn't refuse.

He Yuanchao was very happy to hear this. He knew that having a unit willing to accept Li Hongtao for resettlement was a completely different matter from not having one. With his father-in-law's guarantee, Li Hongtao's resettlement in Beijing was practically a done deal.

Zhang Zhao, who was standing to the side, was also very happy. Although Zhang Lide's words were directed at He Yuanchao, he believed that his words had also had an effect.

After the three of them finished discussing Li Hongtao's matter and chatted for a while, He Yuanchao, seeing that it was getting late, smiled and said to Zhang Lide:
“Dad, things are mostly settled here, so there’s no point in me staying. I’m thinking of going to the Yuantai train station to see if there are any train tickets back to Kyoto tonight. If there are, I plan to go back to Kyoto tonight.”

(End of this chapter)