On another occasion when we went to procure supplies, something interesting happened. Our destination was Shahsavar; before reaching there, in Abbasabad, there was a village where we went and bought our rice. On our way back, near the roadside, officers took all our cargo, brought it to Shahsavar, and handed it over to a rice factory. They even confiscated our sacks; we were willing for them to take the rice but wanted the sacks back; they were very expensive and of high quality; special sacks that wouldn’t let rainwater through. We stayed there for a few days; followed up in various offices, but no one would answer us; they neither gave back our rice nor the sacks. One night, while we were sleeping in a coffeehouse, I asked if there was a higher authority here? Someone said, “Yes, there’s a person named Ekram-al-Molk who owns all this area. Reza Shah had confiscated all his properties, but after his departure, Ekram-al-Molk reclaimed them; now, he usually sits beside the river, in one of the government organizations.” I wrote a complaint letter explaining our situation in detail, where we came from, who we are, where we are going, and why we bought the rice, etc.
The next day, I went alone to Ekram-al-Molk’s house, my companions didn’t dare to come. There, the guard said, “The sir is going to the governorate, stay here until he returns”; he came; an elderly, tall, and dignified man; about twenty people were following him. I went forward, greeted him, and handed him the letter, explaining the situation. He didn’t take the letter, gestured for me to follow him. In the governorate, Ekram-al-Molk and his son entered a room; they didn’t allow the others in, but somehow I got in. The governor was there; saw a boy standing in the corner with shepherd clothing, a felt hat, and traditional shoes; asked, “Boy, what do you want?” I handed him the letter; he read it, laughed, and turned to Ekram-al-Molk, saying, “Sir, this problem is with your brother; a few days ago, Sabhan-Qoli-Khan saw the rice beside the road and confiscated it”; Sabhan-Qoli-Khan, Ekram-al-Molk’s brother and the head of the treasury. By Ekram-al-Molk’s order, the governor called him, saying, “Sir orders that the rice issue be resolved”; then he sent me to the treasury office in Shahsavar square; said to go there and say that I was sent by sir. There, Sabhan-Qoli-Khan said, “I can’t give the rice back, because it’s prohibited, but I order them to give both the sacks and the rice money”; I thanked and left. My companions were very happy; we went to the rice factory, got the money and the sacks. After this incident, we headed towards Chalus; stayed in one of the villages there. Before that, I had sent a message, and my father also came there. In this interval, we had spent some of the money; when my father arrived, he bought some rice for us, and we set off towards the village; part of the way, we had to go through the forest at night; it was almost New Year’s Eve when we arrived.