Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 329 Canteen Ma Hua
When he arrived at the Security Department dormitory, He Yuanchao opened the door without knocking so as not to disturb others' rest.

Wow~~
The room was filled with the smell of cigarettes and smelly feet, which mixed together and almost made He Yuanchao fall.

Just as he was about to leave the room and go to the office to spend the night, he heard someone in the room calling him quietly, "Director, Director."

He Yuanchao stopped when he heard the voice, turned around and looked in the direction where the voice came from, only to see Li Jiefang lying on the bunk bed with half of his body leaning out and waving at him.

Holding his breath, He Yuanchao tiptoed to Li Jiefang and whispered, "What's the matter?"

"It's okay."

Li Jiefang shrunk back into bed and said with a smile, "The camp bed in your office was 'stolen' by Hao Xuebin. I guess you have to come over to stay up all night. It's waiting for you."

As he spoke, Li Jiefang, who was lying on the bunk bed, looked aside and pointed to the place next to him where the bedding was already laid out against the wall. "It's this late, Director, don't be picky. Just stay here for half the night!"

While the two were talking, He Yuanchao also realized that most of the team members who had just gone on the mission had not slept and were now looking at him quietly.

Seeing that he couldn't leave, he might as well take this opportunity to tell them what Lian Shouren had just told them.

Thinking of this, He Yuanchao didn't hesitate any longer. He quickly took off his coat and shoes and put them away, then went to the upper bunk and got into bed.

Enduring the musty smell on the quilt, He Yuanchao coughed twice and said, "Since you haven't slept yet, let me tell you something."

Everyone became excited after hearing this, and even those who were asleep were woken up by the people around them, making the originally quiet dormitory suddenly filled with dirty words.

It was not until someone turned on the light in the room that the man who was cursing saw He Yuanchao sitting up from the quilt that he became silent like a rooster with its neck strangled.

He Yuanchao turned a blind eye to the situation and pretended not to see it. He quickly explained the case in a few words, emphasizing the matters that the National Security Department requested to be kept confidential.

When people in the dormitory heard that the case had been taken advantage of by the National Security Bureau, their reactions varied. Some did not take it seriously, some sneered, and some were so indignant that they started cursing on the spot.

"What the hell is the National Security doing? They are obviously trying to steal the credit from our Security Department!"

"That's right. We discovered the case and we captured the suspect with great effort. Why can they take over the case with just a few words?"

"I will call my superiors tomorrow to report these idiots who are just trying to destroy the bridge after crossing it."

……

He Yuanchao listened to everyone's complaints without saying a word. He sat quietly on the bunk bed leaning against the wall, watching the security guards vent their dissatisfaction.

It is better to loosen up than to block. Anyone would feel bad if such a big piece of cake disappeared. If it was not because it involved national security, He Yuanchao would not give away the credit of his subordinates no matter what.

After about three or four minutes, a smart security guard saw that He Yuanchao had a blank expression on his face and had not said a word for a long time, so he secretly pulled his colleague who was still cursing beside him, and signaled with his eyes that the leader was still there. Seeing this, everyone in the dormitory slowly quieted down.

Seeing that everyone in the room was looking at him, He Yuanchao did not say anything reproachful, but calmly analyzed the pros and cons of the case.

The situation is stronger than people, and the security personnel present know exactly what department the National Security Bureau is.

After hearing the reasons, although some people still felt uncomfortable, they could understand He Yuanchao's difficulties. They cursed inwardly to vent their unhappiness, and the matter was forgotten.

He Yuanchao heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone had stopped making a fuss. After asking everyone to keep the secret again, he waved his hand and told everyone to lie down and go to sleep.

The lights in the dormitory were turned off. Everyone lay on their beds, whispering and talking for a while. Then someone in the room started snoring. Then the snoring became louder and louder, one after another, as if in a competition.

...the next day.

After listening to the chorus for half the night, He Yuanchao got up from bed early, put on his shoes and went out.

Li Jiefang, who was standing beside him, heard the noise and dazedly raised his hand to check the time. "Director, it's only five o'clock. Why are you getting up so early? Go get some more sleep!"

“I get up at this time every day.”

He Yuanchao buttoned up his coat and whispered, "It's still a while before work starts, so take a nap!"

After saying that, He Yuanchao, who had packed up neatly, didn't say anything else. He turned around and walked out of the Security Department dormitory.

After walking out of the dormitory, the cool morning breeze blew across his face, and He Yuanchao's dizzy mind instantly became clear.

I returned to the office, took off my coat, and poured out the half pot of water left over from yesterday's thermos. The thermos wasn't heat-insulating, so it remained just warm after a night in the oven.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I looked at the time and found that breakfast should have started being served in the cafeteria.

After spending most of the night with Lian Shouren, He Yuanchao was extremely hungry. He took out his lunch box from the kitchen under his desk and ran to the cafeteria.

The steel plant canteen had just started serving breakfast at this time, and there were not many people coming to get their meals. He Yuanchao responded to the people who greeted him while walking to the meal window and handing in the lunch box.

Seeing that the person who took his lunch box was a stranger in his twenties, He Yuanchao took a look at him and asked, "What's for breakfast this morning?"

"Steamed bread, steamed buns made of two-grain flour, stewed cabbage with potatoes, and... fried pickles. What... what would you like to order?"

The stranger lowered his head, holding the aluminum lunch box tightly in both hands, and responded with some nervousness.

"Four 1/2 cup steamed buns and a serving of potatoes and cabbage."

After He Yuanchao finished speaking, he handed in the meal ticket in his hand, looked at the unfamiliar face filling the lunch box with food and asked casually, "Are you new here? What's your name?"

"Is this person crazy? I just came to get a meal, but he's treating it like a household registration check."

The stranger muttered to himself, stopped serving the food, and looked up at He Yuanchao in surprise. Seeing that he was tall and sturdy, the anger that had just risen up in his heart disappeared completely in an instant.

"My name is Ma Hua, and I just reported in yesterday."

After saying that, Ma Hua stopped talking and continued to use a spoon to put food into He Yuanchao's lunch box.

If it weren't for the fact that this guy looked like someone who was not someone to be trifled with, Ma Hua would have shaken his hands vigorously while serving the food.

After his guess was confirmed, He Yuanchao didn't say anything else. He just smiled as he watched Ma Hua busy in the cafeteria.

When he watched TV in his previous life, he had a very good impression of Ma Hua. Although he was a bit talkative, he was loyal and sentimental, and he was also grateful to his master Sha Zhu.

Just when he was thinking about asking Sha Zhu to accept Ma Hua as his disciple as soon as possible and not use the old society's method of examining apprentices, he suddenly heard someone greeting him.

"Director He, it's really you! Why are you coming to the cafeteria to eat breakfast today?"

(End of this chapter)