Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 420 A food ration certificate is needed to buy peach shortbread.
He Yuanchao followed Guo Boquan to the hotel lobby and met the troublesome old man that the old squad leader had mentioned.

The old man had gray hair and a face full of wrinkles; people would believe he was seventy just by looking at his face.

He was indeed a bit thin, but he was full of energy and spirit. Even when he was sitting alone, he was calm and cheerful.

"Hey! Manager Guo, you're finally back, you busy man?"

Upon seeing Guo Boquan appear, the old man's smile broadened, and he stood up to greet him.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Guo Boquan's face as he chuckled and said, "Director Li, I just got back myself. As soon as I heard you were here, I came straight over."

Upon hearing this, the old man laughed heartily, did not dwell on the topic, and pulled Guo Boquan to sit down, eagerly revealing his purpose.

"Manager Guo, I'm not here today to beg for money. I'm here to find jobs for my two children. You, Manager Guo, have to help me out, or I'll be bothering you every day."

He Yuanchao was about to leave, but upon hearing what the old man said, he immediately slowed down, wanting to hear what happened next.

Guo Boquan was initially pleased with the old man's words, but he immediately frowned as he heard the rest.

"Director Li, you should contact the neighborhood committee about this! What's the use of coming to me? My opinion doesn't count."

After listening, the old man looked at Guo Boquan with disbelief and said, "I've found the neighborhood committee, and I've also issued the letter of introduction and resettlement certificate. All that's left is for you, Manager Guo, to nod in acceptance. As for whether it's up to you or not, that's your business. You decide for yourself."

After saying that, the old man leaned back in his chair, adopting a stance that said he wouldn't leave until the problem was solved.

Seeing the old man resorting to shamelessness, Guo Boquan looked helpless and patiently explained, "Director Li, let's not talk about whether my word counts or not. The main issue is that our restaurant doesn't have any hiring plans this year..."

He Yuanchao listened for a while, but knowing that the matter would not be resolved anytime soon, he had no intention of lingering any longer and took a few steps out of Fengzeyuan.

He Yuanchao slowly rode his bicycle to the intersection of Beiyanhe Street. He stopped his bicycle, glanced at the time, and saw that it was not yet 4:30. He hesitated for a moment before pedaling his bicycle again towards Daxing Hutong.

He Yuanchao originally planned to just drop by Sha Zhu's place and leave, but he was afraid that if Yu Li came back first, it would be awkward for the two of them to be alone together.

These days, there are plenty of people with nothing better to do than spread rumors and gossip. A niece-in-law and an uncle—few people wouldn't want to hear this juicy gossip. Even if someone knows it's not true, if too many people talk about it, it'll become a scandal.

Upon reaching the entrance of Daxing Hutong, He Yuanchao did not turn and rode north along the road to Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

This is He Yuanchao's second visit to the Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative. The last time he came was right after he was demobilized and returned to civilian life.

The supply and marketing cooperative looked drab from the outside, but once inside, it was spacious and bright. Four or five salespeople, all wearing matching white coats, were chatting and laughing in front of a counter. When He Yuanchao came in, no one paid him any attention.

It wasn't time to leave work yet, and there weren't many people buying things inside; only seven or eight teenagers were wandering around.

One of the boys, around sixteen or seventeen years old, went to the bicycle section and couldn't resist touching the saddle of a Forever bicycle in front of him. This action immediately drew a reprimand from a female sales clerk. "Are you buying or not? If you're not buying, don't touch it. You can't afford to pay for it if you break it."

The boy, barely a teenager, blushed and didn't dare to argue. He shrank back and ran out of the supply and marketing cooperative in a flash. The other children couldn't help but burst into laughter. Some of the more timid ones also hurriedly lowered their heads and walked out of the cooperative, afraid of accidentally breaking something and causing trouble for their families.

These days, parents don't just talk to their kids gently when they're disciplining them; they really hit them and don't tolerate it at all. They'll grab whatever they can and use it to hit them, with shoe soles, belts, and feather dusters being common tools.

The saleswoman who spoke was young, barely twenty. Seeing that she had scared away two or three boys with just one sentence, a smug look appeared on her face. Pointing to the remaining four or five boys, she said:
"Is he saying you weren't talking about? Are you going to buy anything or not? If you're not going to buy anything, don't just wander around here. If the store is missing anything, I'll report you to the police and send you all to the police station."

The remaining children were all mischievous and easily intimidated by the sales clerk. They all loudly proclaimed that they were there to buy things. One of them even pulled out a few crumpled bills from his pocket, waved them proudly, and said:
"I came to buy candy, but you don't have any here. A supply and marketing cooperative this big doesn't even have candy, and you still have the nerve to accuse us of stealing? Have you no shame?"

The saleswoman blushed and pointed at the boy who had spoken, stammering "you" for a long time without being able to finish her sentence.

The other boys, who were also at the age where they were always looking for trouble, immediately joined in the commotion when they saw that their friends were winning. The once quiet supply and marketing cooperative suddenly became noisy.

Seeing this, a male sales clerk in his thirties quickly spoke up to smooth things over, saying, "You lot, stop causing trouble here. If you want to buy something, buy it now. If you don't want to buy anything, stop loitering around here and go do what you're supposed to do."

Seeing that the male sales clerk was tall and imposing, the group of teenagers felt a little intimidated. Since they hadn't suffered any losses, they lost interest in continuing the argument. After saying a few annoying things loudly, they laughed and ran out of the supply and marketing cooperative in a swarm.

He Yuanchao ignored the commotion between the boys and the sales clerk, glanced around, and walked straight to the food counter.

Looking at the few remaining and somewhat broken peach shortbreads in the display case, He Yuanchao couldn't help but frown.

A sales clerk glanced at He Yuanchao and came over to greet him, "Comrade, you want peach shortbread? These are all that's left. If you want some, I'll wrap them up for you right away."

After saying that, seeing that He Yuanchao remained silent for a long time, she immediately guessed what he was thinking.

"Comrade, let me tell you, although these peach shortbreads don't look very appealing, they're still delicious. You're lucky today. If you had come after get off work, there wouldn't have been any crumbs left."

He Yuanchao is someone who listens to advice. Besides, when buying something for family members, there aren't that many requirements; practicality is all that matters.

"Okay, could you please wrap all of these up for me, ma'am?"

The saleswoman paused for a moment upon hearing this, glanced at the peach shortbread in the counter, and then waved her hand, saying, "There are still three or four pounds left! I can't sell them all to you."

"It's not like I'm not willing to pay, so why can't you sell them all to me?" He Yuanchao asked, somewhat surprised.

Looking at He Yuanchao, who was dressed neatly, the saleswoman assumed he wasn't a frequent customer and explained with a smile:
"At the beginning of the year, new regulations were introduced. Due to the shortage of pastry supplies, residents can purchase cakes, peach shortbread, and glutinous rice strips with the 'Kyoto City Residents' Food Purchase Certificate,' with each household allowed to purchase one jin (500 grams) per month."

Upon hearing the sales clerk's words, He Yuanchao's hand, which had just taken out money and grain coupons from his pocket, suddenly stopped at his chest. Why did he need a food ration certificate? Where was he supposed to get one in such a short time?

(End of this chapter)