The next day!
When Li Yi woke up the next day, he found that Jiang Xue and the kids had already left for school.
He immediately got dressed and got out of bed.
Although the night’s exertions had left his body feeling slightly weary, his spirit was deeply satisfied.
Stepping out of the main house, he saw Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen clearing the snow. The thick layer of snow in the courtyard had already been mostly cleared away, revealing the red-brick pavement.
Apart from these two, Li Yi didn’t see a single other person.
“Qiangzi, Wen, where is everyone else? Where did they go?”
Hearing Li Yi’s voice, Zhang Ziqiang replied immediately, “My wife and Mrs. Ye went to the school, and Auntie and Brother Yang took Sister Meizi to the hospital for a prenatal checkup!”
“What about Yang Zhiwen and Xiao Wu? Why don’t I see them?” Li Yi asked again.
“We don’t need that many people back in Beijing, so those two are on rotation leave. They’ll be back in three days!” Zhang Ziqiang replied.
“I see. So does that mean you and Awen will be taking time off in a few days too?” Li Yi asked.
“Yes, I was just about to mention that. In a couple of days, Feng and I would like to take two days off. We’d appreciate your approval,” Zhang Ziqiang said.
“You and Zhang Feng are taking leave together—are you planning to get married, or are you going back to meet her parents?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
Zhang Ziqiang’s face flushed slightly before he said, “Our marriage application has already been approved. I plan to take advantage of our upcoming rotation days to take Ah Feng back to meet my parents. If we have time, we’ll also make a trip to Ah Feng’s family home!”
“That’s great news. Approved!”
Li Yi continued, “Just let me know before you leave, and you can drive the Volga back home!”
“No… I don’t think that’s necessary…”
Before Zhang Ziqiang could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Don’t even think about refusing. There probably isn’t a train line to your hometown yet—do you really want to make Feng Feng transfer buses all the way there?”
“Driving the family car back will save you time and make you look good—it’s a win-win!”
“Well… all right then. Thanks, Brother Yi!” Zhang Ziqiang said.
“If it weren’t for you and Wen keeping me under close protection these past two years, I don’t know how many times those bastards would’ve tried to assassinate me. Don’t be so formal about such a small favor!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“It’s the least we can do!”
Zhang Ziqiang clearly didn’t want to dwell on the subject. Changing the subject, he added, “Oh, by the way, when Auntie left, she told us she’d saved some food for you in the pot and asked us to remind you to eat it!”
“Alright!”
With that, Li Yi strode toward the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, he indeed saw a clay pot on the stove containing a small amount of golden-yellow millet porridge, and in the steamer basket beside it were several large buns giving off a fragrant aroma.
He didn’t even need to taste them; just by looking at the buns, Li Yi knew they were definitely his mother’s potato-filled buns.
Store-bought buns aren’t made this big, and the way the dough is pinched to create the folds is very different from how his mother makes them.
Without hesitation, Li Yi ladled out a bowl of porridge, picked up a bun, and stood right by the stove, devouring it in big bites.
The first bite was pure bliss!
It was that taste—the taste of home…
Having burned so much energy last night, Li Yi devoured four large buns in one go and drank two bowls of congee before finally putting down his bowl and chopsticks.
After finishing his meal, Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then decided to swing by the office.
Jiang Xue had told him last night that things had been particularly hectic at the office lately, with many people having to work late into the night before heading home, so he wanted to see for himself what all the commotion was about.
Besides, New Year’s Day was just around the corner, and it was time to start assigning some tasks.
More importantly, his wife had mentioned last night that An Hong had come to their home looking for him; if things went as expected, she must have had something important to discuss.
Now that he was back, he really should go see her!
However, when Li Yi arrived at the front door and asked Zhang Ziqiang and the others to get the car ready, he discovered that there was no car at home.
The family originally had two cars: the Volga that Jiang Longcheng had given them, and the Tigerhead Benz that Old Li had given to his third sister and her husband. Under normal circumstances, that was more than enough.
But now, the Volga was being driven by Zhang Feng, who had taken Jiang Xue and the children to school and usually didn’t return until the evening.
As for the Tiger Head Benz, his eldest sister’s husband had driven it to the hospital, and there was no telling when it would return.
With no car available, Li Yi had no choice but to abandon the idea of going to the hospital—after all, his home wasn’t exactly close to the office.
Since he couldn’t go in person, Li Yi decided to call first and ask about the situation.
With that in mind, Li Yi immediately went back inside, picked up the phone, and dialed An Hong’s office directly.
“Ring ring…”
After a few rings, the call was picked up.
“Hello, Star Investment Company. Who’s this?”
Hearing An Hong’s familiar voice, Li Yi immediately said, “Sis, it’s me, Li Yi!”
“Brother Li Yi… are you back?” An Hong asked, her voice tinged with excitement.
“Yeah, I’m back. I got back yesterday afternoon!”
Li Yi continued, “Xiao Xue told me you came to see me a couple of days ago. Was there something you needed?”
“There are indeed some matters I’d like to discuss with you, and there’s also something else I’d like to ask for your help with!” An Hong said.
“What is it? Go ahead, Sister-in-law!”
An Hong paused briefly, then said, “This is hard to explain over the phone. How about this: if it’s convenient for you, I’ll come over right now, and we can talk in person!”
“Sure, I’m at home right now. Come on over, Sister-in-law!” Li Yi said.
“Alright, I’ll be right over!”
After saying that, An Hong hung up the phone…
Half an hour later, just as Li Yi was thinking about what to make for lunch, he heard voices outside.
Through the window, Li Yi saw three familiar figures walk in from outside, only to be stopped by Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen.
The three were An Hong and her husband Wang Anguo, along with Li Gang.
Seeing this, Li Yi immediately went out to greet them!
Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen had met An Hong and the others before, but out of a sense of duty, they still asked a few brief questions.
Just then, Li Yi’s voice rang out across the courtyard: “Qiangzi, they’re all our own people—let them in!”
Following Li Yi’s instructions, Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen immediately let Wang Anguo, An Hong, and the others inside.
It had been a while since Li Yi and Wang Anguo had seen each other, so naturally, they exchanged pleasantries before entering the living room of the main house.
Zhang Ziqiang took on the role of a secretary for the moment, immediately serving tea and water to everyone.
After the brief pleasantries, Li Yi turned to An Hong and said, “Sis, you mentioned on the phone that you needed to talk to me. Can you tell me what it’s about now?”
An Hong nodded and said, “Let’s start with work. Over the past few months, we’ve established exhibition centers in more than forty major and medium-sized cities across the country, and now we host dozens of trade shows almost every day.”
“On top of that, while hosting these trade fairs, we’ve also implemented promotional strategies like prize giveaways, spend-and-save offers, and discounts. Sales have been climbing steadily. In just four short months, our revenue has reached 9.6 billion yuan. After deducting various costs, our net profit stands at 1.29 billion yuan.”
“The funds have already been remitted to headquarters. President Lan’s directive is that the company finalize its financial statements before New Year’s Day, and ideally distribute these funds to shareholders. So I’d like to seek your approval as the top executive.”
Li Yi replied immediately, “If the funds have already been recovered, then go ahead and distribute them. I have no objections!”
“Alright, I’ll take care of that in the next few days!”
Then An Hong added, “As for the rest, let An Guo discuss it with you—he’s the one who wants your help!”
Hearing this, Li Yi immediately turned his gaze to Wang Anguo standing nearby…
………