Chapter 729: Midnight Talk About Women!

The moon shone brightly amidst sparse stars, and a cold wind howled!

Walking through the dense forest was a tremendous test of both courage and willpower.

Fortunately, for Li Yi, Yongzi, Xiaogouwa, and the others—who had lived at the foot of the mountain for years—this was nothing out of the ordinary.

As the saying goes, “Make use of what’s at hand”—they had grown up playing in these mountains and forests since childhood and were intimately familiar with the terrain.

In truth, the greatest danger in the mountains comes from wolves, tigers, and leopards. However, the most fearsome beast ever spotted in these woods was merely a wolf; tigers, leopards, or bears had never been seen here.

As for the wolves, they had been virtually eradicated by decades of government and militia campaigns. Even the few that managed to survive had either fled far north to the grasslands or hidden deep in the mountains, too afraid to come out.

Plus, since they were now traveling in a group of four, they had absolutely nothing to fear.

They set traps as they went, working from 5:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.—a total of over five hours—until they had finally set all two hundred wire snares.

Afterward, they found a small hill sheltered from the wind and sat down to rest for a while.

That’s how it goes with driving game into snares: once the wire snares are set, you can’t immediately return to check for prey; instead, you need to give the rabbits, pheasants, and foxes time to move about.

After all, most wild animals are nocturnal, especially active in the late night. If you go to check the snares too early, you’re likely to miss the time when the game comes out to forage.

They say it’s colder when the snow melts than when it’s falling. Since it had just snowed, the weather was particularly cold, so the group huddled together back-to-back, huddling close to keep warm.

As for why they didn’t build a fire for warmth, it was mainly because they were in a forested area; lighting a fire in the dead of winter could easily spark a wildfire if not handled carefully.

If a wildfire were to break out, fueled by the northwest wind, you’d likely be roasted alive before you even had a chance to escape.

That’s why children living near the mountains are warned from a young age by their elders never to start a fire once they’re in the woods, unless they’re in a log cabin or a cave.

Taking advantage of the break, Li Yi asked, “Little Doggie, how much grain did the village allocate to you this year?”

Xiaogouwa immediately grinned and said, “We didn’t get much grain—the four of us siblings got less than 1,400 jin in total—but we did get about 800 yuan!”

“Oh, and Yi, I’ll pay you back the money I owe you as soon as I get home!”

“No need to pay it back. I’ll deduct the money you borrowed from your wages, and I’ll give you the rest tomorrow!”

Then Li Yi turned to Yongzi standing nearby and said, “And your share—I’ll pay you that tomorrow too!”

Yongzi hurriedly said, “Brother Yi, the village has already given Xiao Gouwa and me our share. You really don’t need to pay us wages!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Do you guys know how much Dongzi, Qiangzi, and Shitou make in a year?”

“Well… we’re not really sure…”

“Let me tell you, Dongzi and the others’ monthly wages have already gone up to 120 yuan. That comes to 1,440 yuan a year!” Li Yi said.

“Whoa!”

Yongzi and Xiaogouwa both couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. For them, a year of hard work back in the village used to yield little more than a few hundred pounds of grain, and it was rare to even receive 100 yuan at year’s end.

This year, those unable to work received 120 yuan, while those able to work got 260—and they were already quite satisfied with that.

But they never would have imagined that the brothers who’d set out to make their fortunes with Brother Yi could earn over 1,400 yuan in a single year—enough to build five brick-and-tile houses back in the village!

At that moment, Li Yi spoke again: “My dad told me the village allocated over 80,000 yuan to me this year, and you guys played a big part in that. So your pay and benefits will be the same as Dongzi’s group!”

“W-well… 1,400 yuan too?” Yongzi asked instinctively.

“That’s right!”

“Brother Yi, that… that’s way too much. Just give us half—after all, the village has already given us our share!” Yongzi said.

“The village’s money is the village’s, and mine is mine—that’s different!”

Li Yi continued, “Yongzi, Xiaogouwa, I’ll have someone arrange for you to go to the county or the regional government’s livestock station for some training. You can’t run a large-scale livestock operation without the right skills!”

“Alright, we’ll definitely study hard and raise Brother Yi’s cattle and sheep well!” Yongzi said.

“Me too!” said Xiaogouwa.

Then Li Yi suddenly remembered something and turned to Yongzi: “By the way, didn’t your parents start looking for a wife for you two years ago? We haven’t heard anything yet.”

Yongzi grimaced and said, “The people my parents found for me were either burly, dim-witted girls or clueless girls who couldn’t even write their own names. No way am I taking any of them!”

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to have such high standards!”

Li Yi pressed further, “So tell me, what kind of girl do you like? Someone ‘pretty,’ someone ‘sharp,’ or maybe someone who’s good at bearing children?”

Yongzi thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think a wife has to be super ‘pretty,’ but she can’t be too ugly either. As long as she’s well-proportioned, that’s fine.”

“The most important thing is that she’s smart. It’d be best if she’s been to school and knows a few words. Those dumb as rocks who can’t even string a sentence together—marrying one of those would be a disaster!”

“Hahaha, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, kid. That’s right—when choosing a wife, you’ve got to look for virtue, not just a pretty face!”

Li Yi then turned to Xiaogouwa and asked, “What are your thoughts on this, kid?”

Xiaogouwa immediately lowered his head. After a long moment, he said, “Brother Yi, you know my family’s situation. For someone like me, it’s already a blessing if anyone’s willing to marry into it—I can’t very well be picky!”

Thinking back to his previous life, where Xiaogouwa had married that shrew and ended up with a life in shambles—he was the one living the worst among this group of young brothers.

Li Yi immediately patted him on the back of the head and frowned. “Get a grip. What’s wrong with your family? You’re just a little poor right now and have a few younger siblings, that’s all.”

“They say fortune changes every thirty years. Don’t look down on a young man just because he’s poor—you’re just a little short on cash right now, not that you’ll stay that way forever.”

“Besides, now that you’re working for me, you’re making over a thousand a year. Look around Qing Shan County—how many people earn that much? Even the county leaders don’t make much more than that. Why shouldn’t you be able to pick a wife?”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Xiaogouwa immediately lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with determination.

“Brother Yi, I get it. I won’t just settle for any woman!”

“That’s the spirit. Let me know when you’re looking for a wife—I’ll help you vet her!” Li Yi said again.

“Okay…”

Li Yi then turned his gaze to Zhang Ziqiang and asked, “Ziqiang, what’s your situation? You’re over twenty—why aren’t you married yet?”

Zhang Ziqiang replied immediately, “I just don’t have the time. Plus, with my job, I’m on the road all year round—there’s no telling when I’ll be back. If I got married now, wouldn’t she just be a widow in name only? I’d rather wait until I retire before thinking about settling down!”

“You’re an idiot!”

Li Yi continued, “Do you think women are like yams in your family’s field—you can just dig them up whenever you want?”

“Let me tell you this: by the time you retire, you’ll be getting on in years. Girls your age will have all been married off long ago. All that’ll be left for you are the older women others have passed over, or women looking for a second marriage. Do you really want to wait?”

“Well… maybe I’ll just forget it, but what about my job…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut in, “What’s wrong with your job? Can’t you find a girl who’s a good match for you? Like Zhang Feng, the one around your sister-in-law, or Yang Miao—I think either of them would work just fine!”

“Then when I’m out on business, you can come along, and when I get back, the three of you can spend time together. It’d be perfect!”

Hearing Li Yi’s suggestion, Zhang Ziqiang couldn’t help but feel tempted…

The group huddled together, chatting as they waited, and before they knew it, it was past 1:00 a.m.

Seeing that it was about time, the group got up and prepared to head back the way they came to retrieve the traps!

However, what they didn’t know was that right ahead of them, a crisis was waiting…

……….