Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 416 Heart knot
When Liu Lihua asked about Zhang Zhao, He Yuanchao recounted what had happened after arriving in Yangqu without hesitation.

Women generally have a tendency to pry into everyday family matters, and high-ranking officials are no exception.

Liu Lihua didn't care about the military's handling of the matter; she was more interested in Zhang Zhao's divorce.

"Zhang Zhao and his wife have been married for almost ten years! Why are they getting a divorce? Tell me what happened."

Seeing his godmother Liu Lihua's curious expression, He Yuanchao didn't hide anything and told her the whole story of Zhang Zhao's divorce, including how he had started it.

Liu Lihua has worked in human resources for half her life and has her own insights into interpersonal relationships.

Upon hearing that Zhang Zhao's divorce was caused by He Yuanchao, he frowned, stopped sowing flower seeds, stood up, pondered for a moment, and then smiled:

"You silly boy, you've made your father-in-law your pawn."

He Yuanchao was completely baffled by what he heard. He stopped digging a hole, straightened up, and looked at his godmother Liu Lihua with a puzzled expression.

Seeing this, Liu Lihua didn't keep them in suspense and explained with a smile:

"I reckon your father-in-law had already planned for Zhang Zhao's divorce, but it wasn't appropriate for him to be the one to speak up. He could only try to get someone else to say it first, and you, you silly boy, just happened to walk right into the line of fire."

After listening to Liu Lihua's words, He Yuanchao carefully recalled the scene at that time and felt more and more that his godmother's words made sense.

Looking back now, Zhang Lide's anxious demeanor at that time seems a bit excessive. Based on my understanding of Zhang Lide, that kind of expression shouldn't have appeared on him. Even if Zhang Zhao was his only son, the matter of the army's food supplies shouldn't have caused him to lose his composure like that.

Hey! You really are a veteran actor; you even fooled yourself.

He Yuanchao figured out the key to it, and couldn't help but mutter to himself, while also praising, "Mom, you know what, my father-in-law's trick of secretly crossing the Chencang pass is really clever."

As he spoke, the knot in his heart that had been hidden for so long vanished without a trace.

Seeing that He Yuanchao showed no resentment despite knowing he was being used, Liu Lihua couldn't help but nod in approval. Being able to take things in stride and learn from mistakes is the mindset of someone who can achieve great things.

"Understanding the ways of the world is knowledge, and being adept at human relationships is literature. You still have a lot to learn, silly boy! When you have free time, visit your father-in-law more often. He may lack a broad perspective, but he's quite good at understanding people's thoughts."

Faced with such ambiguous words, He Yuanchao was at a loss for words and could only nod vaguely and say, "Okay, I'll definitely go more often if it's alright."

Liu Lihua immediately saw through He Yuanchao's thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't think nonsense, kid. I have no intention of belittling your father-in-law."

Developing a broad perspective is essential, but even seemingly simple tactics have their uses. By employing both orthodox and unorthodox methods, and combining the two, one gains more flexibility in dealing with situations and can handle them with greater ease.

He Yuanchao nodded repeatedly as he listened to Liu Lihua's words, and finally couldn't help but praise her: "Mom, I really didn't expect you to be so proficient in military strategy. I think you are even more capable than my old commander."

These words seemed to strike a chord with Liu Lihua, and her smile deepened, revealing even more wrinkles around her eyes. Without a hint of modesty, she said:

"This is nothing. How many cadres who came from our generation didn't know these things? But whether you can apply them flexibly depends on your own understanding..."

Seeing that her godmother was having a great time, He Yuanchao would occasionally chime in, which made Liu Lihua even more talkative.

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed, and it took them almost an hour to finally finish planting the flowers. After washing their hands inside, they found that the family's staff had already made tea and placed it on the coffee table in the living room.

Liu Lihua sat on the sofa, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then, as if remembering something, put down the teacup and looked at He Yuanchao sitting opposite her, saying:
"I just heard you mention that comrade-in-arms. Since you promised, you should give him an answer as soon as possible. What are your plans for this? Do you need my help?"

Upon hearing Liu Lihua mention Li Hongtao, He Yuanchao put down his teacup and shared his thoughts.

“I have a comrade-in-arms who is the general manager of Fengzeyuan. He has connections and should be able to get this done. I plan to ask him this afternoon. If that doesn’t work, I’ll get my comrade-in-arms transferred to the Ministry of Coal Industry on a temporary basis. I’ve already discussed this with my father-in-law.”

After saying that, he thought for a moment and then added with a grin.

"Mom, if I can't get my household registration and work relationship settled after being seconded to the Ministry of Coal Industry, I'll have to ask you to help me out."

Liu Lihua was delighted to hear this and nodded in agreement without hesitation.

He Yuanchao, the godson she adopted, is good in every way, except that he has a face that's too proud to ask for help. This is both a good and a bad thing.

On the positive side, there are fewer entanglements and fewer mistakes will be made. On the negative side, there is less "social interaction," which may narrow He Yuanchao's path at this stage.

Seeing that He Yuanchao is showing signs of change, Liu Lihua is both happy and gratified, feeling that all her nagging over the years has not been in vain.

After finishing discussing Li Hongtao's matter, the mother and son stopped talking about work and instead started chatting about everyday family matters.

Liu Lihua first asked a couple of questions about Zhang Min's situation, then smiled and said:
“Yuanchao, your sister Ting and your brother-in-law came over the day before yesterday. They complained to me for a long time, saying they invited you to dinner several times but you didn’t come. They asked me to ask you what you meant, whether you looked down on them.”

These words were rather harsh, so He Yuanchao quickly put down his teacup again and explained:

"Mom, I really didn't mean anything by it. I was just worried that Tingjie was pregnant and I didn't want to cause her any trouble! You have to give me a fair word and explain things to Lijie."

Liu Lihua waved her hand, adopting a mediator stance, and said, "This is a matter between you two sisters. I won't get involved. If you want to talk to her, go and tell her yourself."

When Chen Ting was mentioned, He Yuanchao suddenly thought of a restaurant waitress with a strong Northeastern accent.

Seeing Liu Lihua's attitude, He Yuanchao knew he couldn't avoid the meal, so he didn't say anything more. He patted his shirt pocket and changed the subject to the phone call.

"Mom, can our home phone make long-distance calls?"

Not all phones can make long-distance calls these days, and He Yuanchao wasn't sure if Chen Cheng's family had the authority to make long-distance calls, which is why he asked.

"can."

Liu Lihua didn't ask He Yuanchao who he wanted to call, and went straight to the point: "Are you making a long-distance call?"

Upon hearing that Chen Cheng's phone number allowed long-distance calls, He Yuanchao's face immediately lit up with joy, and he nodded in agreement:
"Yes, I want to make a long-distance call."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lihua didn't waste any words and immediately stood up to greet He Yuanchao:
"Come on, follow me to the study."

(End of this chapter)