Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 410 The Brother-in-Law Who Smooths the Donkey

Stop staring and start eating!

He Yuanchao helped the short-haired waiter set the dishes and bowls on the table and then greeted him.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lide and the other two didn't stand on ceremony and picked up their chopsticks to start eating.

Zhang Zhao and the driver Xiao Wang were fine, but Zhang Lide frowned after taking a bite of shredded potatoes.

"Why is this dish so sour?"

There were four people at the table. The driver, Xiao Wang, was a native of Xishan, while Zhang Zhao could only be considered half a local.

Seeing that Zhang Zhao remained silent, and in order to prevent Zhang Lide's words from falling flat, the driver, Xiao Wang, had no choice but to muster his courage and explain:
"Boss, we Xishan people love vinegar, so our stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar are a bit more sour than elsewhere. You'll get used to it after a few bites. Besides, I heard a doctor say that eating more vinegar is good for your health and can soften blood vessels."

"Oh, it has that effect too. I'll have to try it."

That's what he said, but Zhang Lide rarely touched the stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar after that, obviously not very pleased with the sour taste.

The restaurant wasn't very busy at the moment, and the group barely had a chance to eat a few bites of the stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar before the remaining three dishes and steamed buns were served one after another.

The four men, all grown men, and without drinking any alcohol, devoured the four dishes and ten steamed buns on the table in just ten minutes, leaving not a drop of soup behind, clearly putting the slogan of thrift and frugality into practice.

Zhang Lide and the other two, who were the first to finish eating, put down their chopsticks, smiled, picked up a pack of Peony cigarettes from the table, and handed one to each of them.

It was only 6:30, and there was still plenty of time before they had to leave for the train. The group wasn't in a hurry, so they smoked cigarettes and chatted about all sorts of things.

Just as they were talking animatedly, Zhang Zhao stood up and said, "I'm going to use the restroom," before walking out of the restaurant.

At present, apart from a few high-end hotels that have restrooms, the vast majority of people use public toilets.

Moreover, due to habit and lack of publicity, many people have no hygiene awareness at all. As long as you don't look up, there are latrines everywhere, and it is common for people to find any corner to relieve themselves.

Seeing Zhang Zhao leave the restaurant, He Yuanchao and the other two didn't take it seriously and continued chatting to pass the time.

But after about half an hour, Zhang Zhao still hadn't returned, and He Yuanchao couldn't help but glance out the window and say:

"Dad, my older brother hasn't come back yet. Did something happen to him? Should I go out and check on him?"

After saying that, he got up and started to walk out.

Zhang Lide knew what Zhang Zhao had gone to do, and quickly stopped him, saying, "There's no need to go out and look for him. He's over thirty years old, what could possibly happen to him?"

My brother-in-law came to see me off; if something were to happen to me, I'd be too ashamed to face my father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Thinking of this, He Yuanchao said, "Dad, the area around the train station is quite chaotic. I'd better go out and take a look!"

Hearing their conversation, driver Xiao Wang also stood up and said:

"Yes, boss, Brother He is right. This area is indeed quite chaotic. Let's go out and take a look. If you're worried, I'll go with Brother He."

Seeing that he couldn't fool them, Zhang Lide was about to tell the truth when the restaurant door was opened from the outside, and Zhang Zhao walked in carrying a cloth bag.

Seeing Zhang Zhao return, He Yuanchao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, finally putting his mind at ease.

"What are you two doing? Go to the waiting room, there's still some time before departure."

Zhang Zhao walked to the table, placed the cloth bag on it, and looked at He Yuanchao and the driver, Xiao Wang, with some confusion. Before He Yuanchao and Xiao Wang could speak, Zhang Lide, who was sitting to the side, chuckled and chimed in:

"They saw that you hadn't come back for a while, so they wanted to go out and look for you."

As expected of father and son, they even speak in the same tone. Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao couldn't help but frown and said to He Yuanchao, "I'm over thirty years old, how could I possibly get lost?"

He Yuanchao knew his brother-in-law had a stubborn personality, and even kind words would sound distorted in his mouth, so he didn't respond, just smiled and sat down on a stool nearby.
The driver, Xiao Wang, didn't know what was going on. Seeing Zhang Zhao's expression, he thought Zhang Zhao was being ungrateful and spoke up for He Yuanchao:

"This area around the train station has never been peaceful. Brother He and I were just worried you might run into some thugs, which is why we came to find you. We weren't worried you wouldn't be able to find your way!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao realized that his tone of voice had once again caused a misunderstanding. Without explaining, he pushed the cloth bag in front of He Yuanchao and said:

"I bought this for you to eat on the way."

Looking at the cloth bag in front of him, He Yuanchao realized that Zhang Zhao had been gone for so long to buy things for him.

He Yuanchao had gotten a pretty good grasp of Zhang Zhao's temperament and personality over the past few days. He knew this man was like a donkey—you had to stroke him the right way. So, without any hesitation, he smiled and said:
"Then I'll have to see what my older brother buys for me. If it's not good, I won't accept it."

After saying that, he opened the cloth bag in front of Zhang Lide and the others.

Upon seeing He Yuanchao's actions, Zhang Lide and the driver, Xiao Wang, were also intrigued, and their eyes turned to the contents of the cloth bag.

Wow! There's a lot of good stuff here.

Upon seeing the two bottles of Fenjiu liquor, two bottles of canned fruit, six boxes of Shuangtoufeng cigarettes, and a bag of pastries in the cloth bag, driver Xiao Wang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

It's not that Xiao Wang hasn't seen good things before, it's just that in the current environment, it's really not easy to find canned fruit and pastries.

He Yuanchao knew his brother-in-law had put a lot of thought into it, so he retied the cloth bag and said with a smile:
“I was just wondering what to buy to take back after going out, and these things you gave me are perfect. I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao waved his hand, his face showing an indifferent expression, but anyone could see the smugness in his eyes.

Zhang Zhao was very pleased that He Yuanchao treated him like a brother-in-law, and his goodwill towards this brother-in-law increased considerably.

After this little incident, the group didn't stay at the restaurant for long; they packed their things and left.

Chatting and laughing as they walked to the train station, He Yuanchao saw Zhang Lide and the others about to follow him inside, so he stopped and said:

"Dad, don't bother seeing me off. You might not be able to get into the sleeper waiting room without tickets. Besides, you've been through so much this afternoon, you should find a place to rest as soon as possible!"

Zhang Lide himself was fine, but after glancing at the driver Xiao Wang beside him, he thought that once they arrived in Yuantai, he should let him go home as soon as possible, so he didn't insist anymore. After telling him to be careful on the road, he stood at the entrance of the train station and watched He Yuanchao enter the waiting room.

He Yuanchao, carrying a handbag in his left hand, things Zhang Zhao had bought for him in his right, and two white cloth bags given to him by Li Hongtao slung over his shoulder, had just entered the waiting room when he saw the two young people he had shared a table with at the restaurant earlier.

When the older young people saw He Yuanchao, their expressions changed. They grabbed another young person next to them, took their luggage, and moved closer to the railway staff, occasionally glancing back at He Yuanchao.

"He really thinks he's a bad guy."

He Yuanchao muttered something to himself, but didn't take it seriously. He glanced around, found the sleeper waiting room, and walked straight over without stopping.

He's not interested in anything right now; all he wants is for the train to leave quickly so he can get home sooner.

(End of this chapter)