Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 409 Table Sharing
Leaving the ticket window, He Yuanchao glanced at the time. It was a few minutes to 5:30, and there was still a long time before departure. He didn't want the others to wait at the train station with him, so he said to Zhang Lide:
"Dad, we still have some time before we leave the car. Do you want to go to Uncle Wang's now, or should we find a place to eat nearby?"

“I’ll be staying here for another two days. Since your Uncle Wang isn’t in a hurry, let’s find a place to eat first.”

Zhang Lide's main purpose in coming to Yuantai was to see He Yuanchao off; visiting a friend was merely a pretext.

These days, the area around train stations is very chaotic. He Yuanchao and his friends had only been out of the train station for a short while when they saw three or four fights and one person had their things stolen.

The woman who lost the item was in her fifties. Judging from her clothes and appearance, she seemed to be from a well-off family. The item she lost probably wasn't anything valuable, otherwise she wouldn't have had the time to stand at the train station entrance shouting and cursing; she would have gone to the police station long ago.

The group didn't drive; they walked east along the road in front of the train station for seven or eight minutes and quickly found a restaurant.

There was only one restaurant near the train station, and it was doing very well. Most of the customers were passengers waiting for their trains, and their luggage was piled on the ground. When He Yuanchao and his three companions entered the restaurant, there were no seats available.

He Yuanchao glanced around and walked straight to the service counter in the northwest corner of the room.

"Comrade, we're here to eat, could you please find us a seat?"

Two female servers in their thirties were sitting at the service counter, chatting and laughing.

Upon hearing He Yuanchao's words, one of the female waitresses, with short hair, looked up and impatiently shouted:

"Can't you see it's all full? Where am I supposed to find you a seat? Either wait a bit, or you can eat somewhere else."

Currently, restaurants generally lack systematic service training, and waiters rely more on their personal professional qualities, resulting in inconsistent service attitudes. Some waiters even exhibit "service temper," which ultimately stems from the limitations of the times and systemic factors.

He Yuanchao was furious at being snubbed, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't very well get into a fight with the waitress; that would be too embarrassing if word got out!
All I could do was patiently try to negotiate, "Sister, how about I find someone to share a table with? Is that alright?"

The short-haired waitress seemed to be in a bad mood. When He Yuanchao stopped bothering her, her face immediately fell. Just as she was about to say something, the waitress with two braids next to her spoke up first.

"Okay, go ask. If someone is willing, you can come back and order."

He Yuanchao thanked him and turned to walk towards Zhang Lide and the others.

It's just that commission-based systems aren't popular now. Otherwise, based solely on the attitude of the waitress with the braided hair, He Yuanchao would have to order a few good dishes to boost her sales.

"Guizhi, listen to your sister's advice, change your temper. It's not easy for anyone to be away from home these days. Help others if you can, and if you can't, don't give them a hard time."

The waitress with the braided hair watched He Yuanchao walk away and quietly advised the short-haired waitress next to her.

……

He Yuanchao walked over to Zhang Lide and the others and mentioned the idea of ​​sharing a table. Seeing that none of them objected, he walked over to the table where they had been having such a good time.

There were about twenty tables in the restaurant, not all of them were full, some were less crowded, but most of them had both men and women, and some had children, which was not very convenient. The only table that He Yuanchao had chosen was occupied by two men.

The two men were in their early twenties and looked like brothers. They were startled when the tall, burly He Yuanchao walked straight up to them.

One of them, who looked older, quietly gripped the bowl in front of him and asked with a stern face, "Comrade, is there something you need?"

He Yuanchao saw the young man's actions but didn't think much of it. He reached for a cigarette, only to realize upon checking his pocket that he had already given it to the driver, Xiao Wang. He smiled awkwardly and said:
"We actually have something to discuss with you two. We came to eat, but there were no seats available. We were thinking of sharing a table with you, is that alright?"

After saying that, he pointed to Zhang Lide and the other two standing at the restaurant entrance to prove that he was telling the truth.

Seeing Zhang Lide and his two companions carrying bags at the door, the two young men breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought they were being robbed when He Yuanchao touched his pocket earlier!
The older young man wanted to refuse, but looking at He Yuanchao's physique, he swallowed back the words he was about to say and nodded:
"We're almost finished eating and we're leaving soon. Please come and sit down if you'd like!"

When traveling, one should not have the intention to harm others, but one should be wary of others. The young man did not know who He Yuanchao was and did not want to cause trouble. After finishing his speech, he quickly gave another young man a wink, signaling him to eat quickly.

"Then I thank you both." After thanking the two young men, He Yuanchao turned around and beckoned Zhang Lide and the other two over.

Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't high-end and used long benches; otherwise, even with tables and chairs, there wouldn't have been enough seats.

After arranging for Zhang Lide and the other two to sit down, He Yuanchao went to the service counter again.

"Comrade, I've managed to get a table. I wonder what dishes the restaurant offers right now? Could you recommend a few quick-to-prepare dishes?"

After the braided waitress's advice, the short-haired waitress's attitude improved considerably. Although she still had a stern face, her tone of voice was no longer as aggressive as before.

"Anything with a sign on the wall can be made, take a look for yourself!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuanchao didn't waste any words. He turned his head, glanced at the wall, and then named four dishes and a staple food.

"Stir-fried pork, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, braised tofu, stewed vegetables, and ten steamed buns made from two kinds of flour."

None of the four had anything good to drink, and He Yuanchao didn't order any baijiu (Chinese liquor).

The short-haired waitress wrote down He Yuanchao's order in a small notebook, and only after the braided waitress collected the money did she turn and walk towards the kitchen.

When He Yuanchao finished ordering and returned to the table with his change, the two young men had already finished eating and were getting up to leave with their luggage.

Seeing this, He Yuanchao knew what was going on and said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Gentlemen, if you've finished eating, please sit a while longer and wait for my food to arrive before eating some more. Don't worry, we're not bad people."

The older young man thought to himself, "Bad guys don't put stickers on their foreheads." He tightened the straps of his luggage and said:

"Our train is coming soon, or we'll miss it."

After saying that, without waiting for He Yuanchao's reply, she reached out and grabbed another young man, quickly walking out of the restaurant.

He Yuanchao shook his head, sat down at the table, and seeing that Zhang Lide and the other two were looking at him, he knew what they wanted to ask, so he smiled and told them about coming over to share the table earlier.

Driver Xiao Wang and He Yuanchao got along well. After listening to his story, Xiao Wang immediately laughed and teased him:
"What kind of eyes do those two have? How could they think you're a bad guy? With your handsome looks, you'd be a hero in any movie."

Hahaha~~
"Xiao Wang, you said those two have bad eyesight, but I don't think you're much better than them."

As soon as driver Xiao Wang finished speaking, Zhang Zhao laughed and chimed in, "I won't argue with you if you say Yuan Chao has a rugged appearance, but look at him, what part of him is handsome?"

"Brother Zhang, I was just using a metaphor."

Seeing the two talking so enthusiastically, He Yuanchao, having nothing else to do, joined in.

"Xiao Wang, I've noticed that you're not very firm in your stance! If this were wartime, you might end up deserting."

"That can't be."

Xiao Wang looked indignant after hearing this, and patted his chest, saying, "If I were a soldier during wartime, I would definitely be a hero. Little RZ and Big LM would tremble in fear when they see me."

……

While the group was chatting and laughing, the short-haired waitress brought a bowl, chopsticks, and a plate of shredded potatoes to the table on a wooden tray.

(End of this chapter)