Chapter 316: Old Huang’s Gift

Huang Lixing had mailed them a total of three packages, each one quite large and clearly containing a substantial amount of items.

Li Yi first carried the package that looked somewhat light and rather bulky onto the kang.

Then, in front of Tang Xue and Third Sister, he used a pair of scissors to cut open the burlap sack wrapped around it.

Watching him do this, Third Sister felt a pang of regret.

These days, plastic bags were a real treasure—sturdy, durable, and lightweight, far more practical than burlap sacks.

Such a large, high-quality plastic bag—it would have been so useful to keep for household use.

And yet here was her own wasteful younger brother squandering it like this—what a shame.

Li Yi didn’t care about any of that; his attention was completely absorbed by what was inside the burlap sack.

After cutting open the outer plastic bag, he found there was another layer inside.

Upon tearing it open, he found it was filled entirely with clothes.

As he took the clothes out one by one, he saw some for adults, but mostly for children.

There were three or four of each item, totaling some thirty or forty pieces.

“What beautiful little clothes!”

Looking at these adorable baby outfits, Tang Xue couldn’t help but exclaim.

Thinking of her own child wearing these beautiful clothes in the future, a mysterious gleam appeared in Tang Xue’s eyes.

Li Yi picked up a random piece to examine it. It was made of pure cotton, very thick, and the craftsmanship was exceptionally fine.

Although he didn’t recognize the brand, he could tell they wouldn’t come cheap.

To be honest, seeing these baby clothes made Li Yi feel quite happy as well.

It had to be said that these clothes had truly struck a chord with him; for Li Yi, this brought him more joy than receiving any nice gift for himself.

Li Yi also glanced at the few adult garments—all loose-fitting maternity wear.

There were denim overalls, knitted sweaters, cashmere leggings to wear underneath, and even extra-large maternity underwear.

Seeing these women’s undergarments, Tang Xue and Third Sister couldn’t help but blush.

Li Yi didn’t notice this; his attention was completely drawn to the two down jackets inside—one black and one white.

Although down jackets were already available in the country these days, they weren’t cheap.

The high price was one thing, but the main issue was that down jackets were primarily exported, making them hard for ordinary people to get their hands on.

But down jackets were truly practical—lightweight, warm, and highly resistant to the cold, far superior to the thick cotton coats the villagers were currently wearing.

They were especially comfortable for pregnant women.

A while back, Li Yi had planned to ask Jiang Longcheng to get his wife a down jacket for the winter, but since he wasn’t sure about her body measurements after she became pregnant, he intended to wait until he returned to take her measurements and then call him.

But now it seems that won’t be necessary.

Of course, that’s assuming these two down jackets fit Tang Xue.

Right then, he tore open the packaging and had Tang Xue try them on immediately.

Tang Xue didn’t make a fuss; she tried it on right there on the kang!

But when Li Yi saw his wife trying on the down jacket while still wearing her floral cotton-padded jacket, he couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing.

He immediately had her take off the cotton jacket underneath and put on the knit sweater instead.

You have to admit that Huang Lixing’s wife, with her delicate features, had a keen eye for style—whether it was the knit sweater or the down jacket, they both fit her perfectly.

Especially the down jacket—it was a bit loose on her now, but Tang Xue was only about six months along, so her belly wasn’t particularly big yet.

In a little while, once her belly grows bigger, it’ll fit perfectly.

If it fit perfectly now, she might not be able to wear it in a few months.

When Tang Xue changed into the knit sweater and down jacket, Li Yi and Li Na were both mesmerized—she looked absolutely stunning.

“Xiao Xue, this outfit is so stylish and gorgeous—you look just like a fairy who’s descended to earth!” Li Na exclaimed in awe.

“Sis Na, I’m not nearly as pretty as you say!”

Tang Xue said, blushing and looking a bit shy.

“Why would I lie to you? This outfit really is gorgeous. If you don’t believe me, ask Yi!”

Tang Xue instinctively glanced at Li Yi, only to find him staring intently at her, causing her face to flush even deeper.

“Xiao Yi, I’m talking to you—what are you just standing there for?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “The dress is pretty, but you’re even prettier!”

“You’re such a smooth talker!”

Tang Xue muttered under her breath, though her heart was filled with a sweet warmth.

At that moment, Li Na couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think a dress this beautiful must be really expensive?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Of course they’re expensive. An average worker might not even be able to afford this one with two or three months’ salary!”

“That… that expensive?”

Tang Xue and Li Na were both stunned. They didn’t usually buy clothes very often, and even when they did, they thought three or five yuan per item was already quite expensive.

They simply couldn’t imagine that this light, airy garment before them would cost a worker two or three months’ wages—it was completely beyond their wildest dreams.

Li Yi smiled but said nothing. Instead, he packed up all the clothes and then moved another, slightly heavier package onto the kang.

The package was somewhat heavy, and they could hear the sound of plastic bags rustling inside.

With a touch of curiosity, Li Yi quickly unwrapped this package as well.

When he removed the outer plastic bag and saw what was inside, Li Yi immediately smiled.

Inside, to his surprise, were all kinds of snacks from Hong Kong—black sesame-flavored mooncakes, egg rolls, red bean mille-feuille, water-fried pastries, as well as assorted candies and dried fish—filling the bag to the brim.

Wow, this really opened Li Yi’s eyes.

He had no idea that Hong Kong in the 1980s already had so many snacks.

With the thrill of opening a mystery box, Li Yi went for it and opened the last package in one go.

But when he opened it, he discovered it was actually a bag of spare parts.

Seeing this, Tang Xue and Li Na’s attention was immediately drawn to it!

“Yi, what are these wooden sticks for? And why are there wheels?”

Li Yi picked up the instruction manual inside and glanced at it, then said with a smile, “It’s a collapsible crib for little kids!”

“You mean these parts can be assembled into a little bed?” Li Na asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yep!”

With that, Li Yi went to the wooden chest in the main room, fetched a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, and immediately began assembling it according to the instructions.

Before long, a crib measuring one meter long, fifty centimeters wide, and seventy centimeters high was assembled.

Seeing the finished product, Tang Xue and Li Na were amazed once again.

Not only did the crib look beautiful, but it also had four small wheels underneath, allowing it to be pushed around.

Plus, it had a foam mattress on the bottom and a mosquito net on top, giving it a truly high-end, sophisticated look.

However, in Li Yi’s eyes, the thing was somewhat of a mixed blessing. While a crib might be somewhat useful for city dwellers, the village children would likely never get to use it.

Besides, they had twins—one crib would be completely useless.

Tang Xue had obviously thought of this as well. With a hint of regret, she said, “There’s only one of these cribs. We should give it to my older sister’s baby instead!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Alright, when our kids are born, I’ll personally get them two even nicer cribs!”

“Mm-hmm!”

After unwrapping the gifts, the three of them sat on the kang and chatted for a while.

It wasn’t until their father, Li Shankui, came back from outside with his hands behind his back that the three of them remembered lunch hadn’t been made yet.

Immediately, Li Yi asked his third sister and Tang Xue to tidy up the things on the kang, while he went to the kitchen to get to work.

After lunch, Li Yi told Tang Xue to go to the west room for a nap, while he discussed the move with his father.

Li Yi planned to meet with Wang Anguo and his wife tomorrow, and on his way back, he would pick up his eldest sister and mother as well.

So, they had to move his and Tang Xue’s belongings to the new house today to avoid a last-minute scramble.

Li Shan Kui naturally had no objections, and the two of them immediately got to work!