Chapter 70: Li Gang’s Thanks
The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, Li Yi and Li Na got up early.
Since they didn’t know how sales had gone at the state-run restaurant the previous day, the siblings didn’t dare to make too many sheets of liangpi today; they prepared only 400.
One hundred of them were set aside for the state-run restaurant, while the rest were for their own street stall.
While the siblings were busy making liangpi, Li Shankui and his wife hurriedly ate a quick breakfast, then grabbed their shovels, pickaxes, and other tools and headed to the black rock field at the east end of the village.
Since they were laying the foundation for the new house today, they had to go over and supervise.
After all, the foundation determines whether a house is sturdy or not.
Especially for brick-and-tile houses—if the foundation isn’t laid properly, the consequences could be severe.
At 9:30 a.m., Li Yi arrived at the state-run restaurant alone, driving his bright red mule-drawn cart.
Before he even arrived, he spotted two familiar figures in the distance!
The white-and-blue police uniforms were so conspicuous that he knew without looking that they were Wang Anguo and Li Gang.
Besides them, Li Yi also spotted Liu Jingshan from the State-Owned Restaurant standing nearby; the three of them were chatting and laughing.
Although he had no idea what those two were doing here so early in the morning, Li Yi knew for certain they had come to find him.
Li Yi then called out to the bright red mule, and the animal, being quite responsive, immediately picked up the pace!
When Wang Anguo and the others spotted the familiar red mule-drawn cart, they immediately stopped talking and came over to greet him.
As soon as they met, Li Gang said excitedly, “Brother Li Yi, you’re finally here!”
Li Yi, somewhat puzzled, asked, “What’s going on? You seem pretty anxious.”
Wang Anguo smiled and said, “This young man came all the way here specifically to thank you for saving his life. He’s been waiting for you since eight o’clock!”
Hearing this, Li Yi instantly realized that the incident must have happened!
He looked closely at Li Gang, then smiled and said, “To have escaped death—those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune ahead!”
“Brother Li Yi, have you figured it out again?” Li Gang asked, looking stunned.
“Hahaha, I can’t say, I just can’t say!”
Seeing that the three of them seemed to have something to discuss, Liu Jingshan, who was standing nearby, immediately said, “Brother Li Yi, you guys go inside and talk. Leave the weighing and payment to me!”
Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he nodded immediately and said, “Alright!”
After handing the mule cart over to Liu Jingshan, the three of them entered the state-run restaurant once more!
It was the same table as before, but Wang Anguo and Li Gang’s moods were completely different from before.
After sitting down, Li Gang immediately said with a grateful expression, “Brother Li Yi, to be honest, the more I thought about it after returning yesterday, the more terrified I became! If it weren’t for your warning, I’m afraid I’d be…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off and said, “They say the Buddha saves those with karmic ties, and medicine doesn’t cure the dead! Ultimately, your time hadn’t come yet. Otherwise, even if I’d warned you, you wouldn’t have been able to escape that disaster!”
“So, let’s not bring this up again. Let the past stay in the past!”
Both Li Gang and Wang Anguo listened with deep respect!
If it had been anyone else, who knows what kind of a scene they would have made. Look at him—he’s got the true air of a master!
Li Gang then took an envelope out of his pocket, handed it to Li Yi, and said, “Brother Li Yi, this is the fee we agreed on earlier. Please accept it!”
Then, Li Gang pointed to a pile of bottles and jars sitting by the restaurant entrance and said, “Those items are for my wife and my little niece. Please accept them as well!”
Li Yi didn’t hesitate and replied immediately, “Alright, I’ll gladly accept them!”
At that moment, Wang Anguo also spoke up: “Brother Li Yi, there’s no need for thanks. If you ever need anything in the future, just come straight to the county bureau and find me. As long as it’s within my authority, I’ll go through fire and water for you—no matter the cost!”
“Alright, I’m sure I’ll be bothering you guys from time to time!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Oh, and by the way, I spoke to Old Liang at the sugar factory yesterday morning. You can set up your stall there without worry from now on—no one will dare to give you any trouble!” Wang Anguo added.
The case is solved!
Li Yi had always felt that yesterday’s incident was a bit fishy. The sugar factory executives were all prominent figures in the county—how could they all have ended up at his little stall eating liangpi?
So it turned out Wang Anguo had put in a good word for him. No wonder they’d all been so friendly.
“Thanks!”
“No need for thanks between brothers. Otherwise, neither of us would know how many times to say it!” Wang Anguo said with a smile.
Li Yi suddenly thought of something. After a moment’s reflection, he spoke up: “Team Leader Wang, how’s your relationship with that Plant Manager Liang?”
“Old Liang was personally trained by my old man. He’s on good terms with our family. What’s up?”
Seeing Li Yi’s hesitant expression, Wang Anguo added, “Brother Li Yi, if you need anything from him, just ask. If he can’t handle it, I’ll find someone else for you!”
Li Gang chimed in, “Brother, just tell us what’s on your mind. I can’t speak for other places, but here in Qing Shan County, there’s nothing we can’t handle!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “You’ve misunderstood. It’s not that I need help with anything; it’s just that Director Liang doesn’t seem to be having much luck lately!”
Wang Anguo and Li Gang exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking instantly—this scenario was all too familiar to them.
“Brother Li Yi, have you noticed something again?” Wang Anguo asked cautiously.
Li Yi nodded and said, “To be honest, yesterday at noon, Director Liang and a few other leaders from the sugar factory stopped by my little stall. Out of professional habit, I took a look at their facial features!”
“Does Old Liang’s face look a bit off?”
“Director Liang’s facial features aren’t bad, but the area between his eyebrows is pale. This indicates a tendency toward misfortune, an inauspicious early life, frequent disasters and hardships, and setbacks in everything he does.”
Seeing the bewildered expressions on Wang Anguo and Li Gang’s faces, Li Yi explained, “It means he might face an unexpected disaster in the near future!”
“How serious is it?”
“Well, at best he’ll be demoted; at worst, he could face prison time. You tell me if that’s serious!” Li Yi said.
“Well… that does sound pretty serious!”
Wang Anguo then asked again, “Brother Li Yi, is there any way to avert this?”
Li Yi replied immediately, “Yes! But as the saying goes, ‘Good advice falls on deaf ears, and mercy cannot save those who cut themselves off.’ I can warn him, but whether he listens is entirely up to him!”
Seeing that Li Yi was willing to help resolve the situation, Wang Anguo immediately said, “I understand. Please step in, Brother Li Yi. Afterward, I’ll have him come personally to thank you!”
“Let’s not worry about thanks for now. Even if he wants to thank me, he’ll have to survive this crisis first!”
“Yes!”
Then Li Yi added, “Yesterday I noticed that it wasn’t just Plant Manager Liang whose brow was turning pale—the others were in a similar state. Some even had their eyebrows scattered and radiating toward their brows, which indicates a tendency toward legal disputes and verbal conflicts, and there’s a risk of imprisonment.”
“It’s not unusual for one person to show such signs, but for a whole group to be like this—that’s definitely worth looking into!”
“What do you mean?” Li Gang asked, puzzled.
Wang Anguo furrowed his brow in thought, then said, “Brother Li Yi, are you suggesting that something major is about to happen at the sugar factory, and that it will involve these people?”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Yes, barring any surprises, it should be related to workplace safety!”
“If they’re willing to trust me, they should shut down operations immediately and inspect the factory buildings and equipment! If they don’t believe me, then just pretend I never said anything!”
With that, before Wang Anguo and Li Gang could say a word, Li Yi stood up and left, just as nonchalantly as before!