Chapter 111: The Whole Village Turned Out

By the time they returned to the village, it was already past 5:00 p.m.—more than an hour later than usual.

Li Yi asked Tang Xue to accompany his eldest sister inside to sit down, while he and his third sister unloaded the items from the car.

Afterward, Li Yi asked his third sister to ride the red mule to the reservoir behind the mountain to pick up Dongzi, Shitou, and the others, while he went into the kitchen to cook.

On the heated bed in the main room, Li Mei watched Li Yi bustling in and out of the kitchen in astonishment. She simply couldn’t reconcile the “domestic god” before her with the memory of her younger brother—the one who used to get into fights and was a good-for-nothing.

Back then, her brother wouldn’t have even thought of cooking—let alone stoking the fire when the rest of them were cooking.

But look at him now—all by himself, tending the fire and stir-frying. Judging by how skilled he was, this clearly wasn’t his first time.

“Xiao Yi, he…”

Tang Xue clearly sensed what her older sister-in-law was thinking. She smiled and said, “He cooks all the time, and his food is actually really delicious!”

“R-really? He’s never cooked before!”

“Sister Na said the same thing, but he really is great at it!”

Tang Xue didn’t dare mention that Li Na had once speculated Li Yi was learning to cook just for her, since she hadn’t had much contact with this older sister-in-law before and didn’t know what kind of person she was.

If she found out Li Yi had learned to cook just to feed her—his sister-in-law—wouldn’t that upset her?

Li Mei had no time to worry about their affairs; she felt that after not coming back for several years, the changes at home were simply too great.

On the way back, Li Mei asked her younger sister all sorts of questions!

When she learned that Li Yi had earned several thousand yuan in less than twenty days—solely by selling mushrooms and other mountain produce, as well as setting up a street stall to sell liangpi—she thought it was absolutely crazy.

What amazed her even more was that her sister mentioned her younger brother had good connections with quite a few officials at the county Public Security Bureau and the sugar factory.

So, even though they set up their stall on the outskirts of the county every day, no one ever came to shut them down.

She also learned that her younger brother had not only built a new house for the family but had also become a respected figure in the village—now, who knows how many people were eager to follow his lead and make money!

At that moment, Li Mei finally believed that everything her younger brother had said before was true—their family had truly turned their fortunes around!

But the more she believed it, the more uneasy she felt!

It was a good thing that the family had turned their fortunes around and was living a better life, but knowing her brother as she did, the more successful he became, the more likely he was to force her to divorce Yang Wenguang.

Her brother Li Yi had the temperament of a stubborn mule—not even eight oxen could pull him back. When he had no means to support her and the child, it was one thing, but now that he actually had the ability to do so, he would certainly not let this matter slide so easily.

Although Li Mei also felt that the Yang family’s behavior had indeed been excessive and that they hadn’t treated her as a daughter-in-law, looking back, she also felt that giving all the dowry money to her brother to settle the matter had been a mistake.

Therefore, if this matter could be put behind them, she still wanted to build a good life with Yang Wenguang.

After all, only she knew whether the shoe fit, and she felt that Yang Wenguang was indeed the right person for her.

Li Yi, in the outer room, wasn’t thinking so deeply about it. He had already thought through the situation regarding his eldest sister and was just waiting to discuss it with his parents over dinner.

Now that his eldest sister was back, he had to prepare a proper feast!

He’d bought ten pounds of meat for his older sister at noon and had her bring it home. Since they didn’t have a refrigerator anyway, he used half of the pork belly to make braised pork.

He had the other half cut into fist-sized chunks, seasoned them with salt, and packed them into a jar along with the rendered lard to make cured pork.

This method of preserving the pork allowed it to keep for a long time; when ready to eat, he simply had to scoop it out of the oil—it had a unique flavor all its own.

Dinner was incredibly hearty. In addition to a huge bowl of braised pork, Li Yi also stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, sautéed some celery, prepared a cold salad, and simmered a pot of soup.

For the main dish, Li Yi made a few scallion pancakes, folded them in half, and cut them into diagonal triangles!

In less than an hour, a table full of dishes that were visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious was ready.

He put all the prepared food into a pot to keep it warm, then said goodbye to his older sister and Tang Xue before hopping on his bicycle to head over to the new house to call his parents to dinner.

However, when Li Yi arrived at the new house, he was instantly stunned by the scene before him.

The courtyard of his new home had been transformed into a massive construction site; as far as the eye could see, there were at least two or three hundred people helping out.

It seemed the entire village had turned out to help him.

The courtyard, which had been completely empty just yesterday, now not only had a perimeter wall up, but several tall walls had also been erected at the planned locations for the side rooms, storage shed, and drying shed.

Now, the beams and rafters were all in place, and all that remained was to cap the roof and lay the tiles!

The transformation was truly astonishing!

It didn’t take Li Yi long to figure it out—it must have been the words he’d spoken that morning before leaving that had made the difference.

He had told them that once the new house was finished—especially once the drying shed was built—he would take them along to make money.

Clearly, the villagers couldn’t wait any longer and had come over on their own to help.

On one hand, they wanted their own drying sheds built sooner so they could start making money with him!

On the other hand, it seemed like they were trying to put him in their debt, so he wouldn’t feel right about leaving them out later.

Although he knew the villagers’ motives were somewhat self-serving, Li Yi still appreciated their efforts—especially since he was genuinely grateful to the villagers.

He knew full well just how reckless he had been in the past few years.

To be honest, if it weren’t for the tolerance of these uncles and elders, he would have been sent to a labor camp by the police long ago.

Then there was the time in his previous life when, after he left the village in shame, his eldest sister passed away not long after, and his third sister stormed off in a huff—leaving the house suddenly devoid of life.

It was the villagers who helped his parents get through the hardest times. Although some gossiped behind their backs, most people still helped out whenever they could.

In his previous life, after Li Yi had made his fortune, he had given a sum of money to every household in the village.

But he felt that small sum wasn’t enough to express his gratitude, so in this life, he’d been determined from the very beginning to help them prosper alongside him.

It was simply because the current circumstances didn’t allow for it that he hadn’t told them about this plan yet.

Since they seemed a bit impatient, it was time to put this plan into action!

After all, with his current connections, as long as it wasn’t too big of a deal, the county officials would turn a blind eye.

Once the pilot program for individual businesses launches in the coastal areas this December, no one will dare to give him any trouble.

It’s only a matter of moving things up by a few months—no big deal!

With that thought, Li Yi unconsciously pedaled a bit harder, and the bicycle sped into the courtyard.