Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1175 Delay strategy
Under the cover of night, Wang Zhan first escorted Zhang Erya home, then took his younger sister to his own house. Back in the main room of the backyard, he told his sister to hurry up and wash up, while he made himself a cup of tea and sat down to rest. As he drank his tea, he thought about the reactions of the people in the courtyard during the gathering.

Yi Zhonghai's sudden statement caught him off guard, but that was the truth. The operation of this house was all led by Director Wang, and he had just complied. As for the house in the east wing, he didn't really care. It didn't matter who lived there. He was also waiting for Uncle Li's reply to see what Uncle Li's suggestions were.

Although the meeting was all bark and no bite, and nothing really happened, Yi Zhonghai's attitude and reaction reminded Wang Zhan that there must be other reasons why Yi Zhonghai let him get the house in the front yard. Yi Zhonghai knew him to some extent, and he knew how much he disliked the people in that compound, but he still asked Director Wang to let him get the house in the front yard. It would be impossible for him not to have some ulterior motive.

Besides Yi Zhonghai, Wang Zhan also noticed many other things. It was certain that Sha Zhu was infatuated with Qin Huairu. Now that He Yushui was no longer holding him back, Sha Zhu had become quite reckless and didn't care about his reputation at all. What was Sha Zhu after?

Furthermore, Yan Bugui remained silent at the meeting, seemingly utterly disappointed with the people in the courtyard. However, he also appeared unwilling to offend anyone, choosing instead to remain a neighbor and not get involved in the affairs of the courtyard.

Zhao Desheng directly refuted what Yi Zhonghai said, which left a deep impression on Wang Zhan. He knew very well why Xu Delin and the Liu family had moved out of the courtyard. Could it be that Zhao Desheng would be the next one to move out?
Wang Zhan clearly saw Jia Zhangshi's contemptuous look at Sha Zhu, Sha Zhu's greedy expression when he looked at Qin Huairu, and Qin Huairu's secret smile when she lowered her head. He also saw Yi Zhonghai's desire for control, Liu Haizhong's face as he stared at Sha Zhu when his temper flared up, and Yan Bugui's calm and collected demeanor. These things made Wang Zhan feel that everyone in this courtyard was so unique.

However, the house in that courtyard had really become a hot potato. Wang Zhan felt that he couldn't leave it there any longer. Once he started working, he wouldn't have time to deal with this matter. Wang Zhan made up his mind to hand the house over to the neighborhood committee. As long as the house was his, that was fine. Anyway, it couldn't be run away. This house was a token of Aunt Sun's kindness, and he couldn't just give it up. As for who lived there, he didn't have any objections.

Before he knew it, there was only one day left for him to stay at home. Today happened to be the weekend, and Wang Li started asking her brother to take her to the park for a spring outing early in the morning. Wang Zhan thought about it and agreed.

Wang Zhan handed over the house to the subdistrict office yesterday. He was received by Deputy Director Zhao, as Director Wang had gone to a meeting in the district. When Deputy Director Zhao learned of Wang Zhan's idea, he was overjoyed and wholeheartedly supported it. Deputy Director Zhao also knew that the subdistrict office was also struggling with housing, with many people applying for housing and many eligible people waiting in line for allocation. Wang Zhan's house could solve the housing problem for at least two households.

After signing the entrustment agreement with Deputy Director Zhao, Wang Zhan left the street office. Wang Zhan had no idea what kind of expression Director Wang would have when he heard about this.

Wang Zhan brought two steamed buns, made of white flour. Up until now, Wang Zhan had never given his younger sister any coarse grains. He packed them in a lunchbox, along with two boiled eggs and some pickles. He also brought two bottles of soda. Then, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left home with Wang Li.

Wang Li was also carrying a small bag, but no one knew what she had with her. She had quite a lot of snacks, and Wang Zhan would buy them for her all the time. Wang Zhan really didn't know whether Wang Li bought them for herself or not, but Wang Li certainly had a lot of money.

As soon as the two stepped out of the courtyard, they ran into several middle-aged women from next door in the alley. The women were accompanied by a few young women, each carrying a basket containing tools such as small shovels.

Wang Zhan nodded and greeted them, then asked the women where they were going. The women replied with pained expressions, "Where else can we go? We're going to Dongzhimen to see if any wild vegetables have sprouted, and we'll dig some up." Wang Zhan was puzzled. It was only a few months old; even if some sprouted, they would only be tender shoots. Could they even eat them?
Wang Zhan didn't say much. Several middle-aged women and a group of people had already walked away. Wang Zhan took Wang Li directly to Shichahai, where there were mountains and water, and the mountains weren't very high, making it a perfect place.

As the two strolled along, Wang Zhan noticed that there were fewer people on the street. Last year, many people would head to Shichahai on weekends, but this year there were clearly fewer people going there. Those who were there were carrying baskets, just like the aunties next door, and they were obviously in a hurry.

Wang Zhan then realized that many families were already starving, and this was clearly a crowd searching for food. When they passed by Shichahai, Wang Zhan truly understood. Looking at the dense crowd on the shore, all of them were planning to fish, and Wang Zhan felt a chill run down his spine. Wang Li was also very surprised and asked, "Brother, are all these people here to fish? It feels like there are more people than fish in the river!"

“Lili, it seems you don’t know what the situation is like now. Our family is in a special situation. The ration has been reduced, and food supply is also difficult. Many families are already not getting enough to eat. Just know that, don’t say anything more. By the way, you must not tell anyone what we eat, understand?” Wang Zhan then instructed his sister once again.

Wang Li nodded and said, "I'm not stupid. Don't worry, I won't tell."

Looking at the situation at Shichahai, Wang Zhan felt that it might be inappropriate to take his sister to Jingshan Park. The whole mountain would be full of people looking for food, and the two of them would be too conspicuous as they leisurely strolled around. Wang Li seemed to realize this as well. There were no tourists around now. Didn't you see those younger children with nets catching small fish and shrimp by the river?

Wang Zhan looked at his backpack, then at the crowd, and said, "Lili, I think it's better if we go home. You can't take the things out of your pocket, and I don't dare take out what I prepared either. It's better if we go home."

Wang Li nodded and said, "Brother, let's go home. There's no one around here, just the two of us. We don't want anyone causing trouble for us. Let's hurry."

Wang Zhan thought the same thing. He also felt that he and his sister were out of place here. He thought that he wouldn't be so nervous if he had a fishing rod. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought about fishing when he left home.

The brother and sister had just reached this point when they had to turn back, mainly because they couldn't take out what they were carrying; if someone saw it, it would cause trouble.

Both siblings were intelligent people, and intelligent people don't create trouble for themselves, so they chose to go home.

(End of this chapter)