After returning from the back mountain, Li Yi was in a great mood—even a bit overexcited—so much so that Tang Xue couldn’t help but chuckle.
She knew exactly why Li Yi was so excited; it was undoubtedly directly related to her having confessed her feelings to him.
By now, Tang Xue could clearly sense Li Yi’s affection for her. It wasn’t something he was faking out of fear that she might report him, nor was it a performance to avoid responsibility—he genuinely liked her.
Thinking back on Li Yi’s behavior lately, he’d noticed her living conditions weren’t great, so he’d buy her all sorts of treats every few days, while he himself wouldn’t treat himself to anything.
When he saw her being bullied, he didn’t hesitate—he single-handedly stormed into the male educated youth dormitory and beat up Xu Hong twice in front of everyone.
And even though his family was dirt poor, he promised to throw her a grand wedding, going so far as to risk going into town to run a small business—even getting arrested by the police at one point.
Yet once he made money, he didn’t hesitate to treat himself to a bicycle, pretty clothes, and festive bedding—whatever he could use, regardless of the price, he just kept buying, buying, buying.
Even when she made a request that put him in a difficult position, he agreed without hesitation. Tang Xue couldn’t help but feel a warm glow in her heart; it really felt good to be loved.
After Tang Xue also confessed her feelings, their relationship took a new turn before they even realized it.
Now, when they were together, they seemed to interact much more naturally.
This caught the attention of Li Na and the Li Shan Kui couple when they returned home!
Although Tang Xue was still a bit shy, she no longer minded Li Yi’s casual displays of affection—like holding hands, wiping her face, or serving her food during meals.
Seeing that their son’s heart and eyes were completely focused on their daughter-in-law, and that she didn’t seem to dislike him either, Li Shankui and his wife were overjoyed.
They had always worried that the two were only together out of obligation, spending their days glaring at each other or constantly arguing and fighting.
Now it seemed their worries were unfounded—the two truly seemed to be drawn to each other!
Tang Xue stayed for dinner at the Li household!
Li Yi cooked the meal himself: he simmered a pot of millet porridge, fried a few scallion oil pancakes, and prepared a simple salad of fresh vegetables.
Although there was no meat, it was incredibly fragrant.
During the meal, Li Yi made an announcement: from now on, Tang Xue would eat at home instead of at the collective canteen at the educated youth commune.
Hearing this, both Tang Xue and the Li Shan Kui couple were taken aback.
Tang Xue, in particular, was taken aback—Li Yi hadn’t discussed this with her beforehand, leaving her completely caught off guard.
“But… isn’t that a bit inappropriate? After all, we aren’t married yet,” Tang Xue said softly.
Li Na, however, smiled and said, “What’s wrong with that? It’s only a matter of ten days or so. What difference does it make if it’s a little later?”
Zhang Yuehong quickly chimed in, “Exactly! It’s better to come over sooner. I’ve heard the food at your sent-down youth commune isn’t very good!”
Li Yi added a piece of flatbread to Tang Xue’s bowl and said, “Actually, there’s another reason I asked you to come over for dinner early!”
“What considerations?”
“For one thing, just like my mom said, the food at the sent-down youth camp is a bit poor. I don’t want you to suffer!”
Li Yi continued, “On the other hand, I want to spend a little more time with you every day so we can get to know each other better.”
Actually, there was one more thing Li Yi hadn’t mentioned: Tang Xue was already carrying his child. During pregnancy, a woman not only needs plenty of nutrition, but more importantly, her emotional changes are extremely intense and sensitive, so it was better to bring her over sooner rather than later.
Hearing Li Yi speak so bluntly, Tang Xue didn’t feel shy for once. Instead, she nodded seriously and said, “Alright, then I’ll come here for meals every day from now on!”
Li Yi then added, “Third Sister, you and Xiao Xue don’t have to go to work anymore. Is that okay?”
“Huh? What are we supposed to do if we don’t work?” Li Na asked, puzzled.
“Xiao Xue will study, and you’ll learn how to run a business!” Li Yi said.
This left the rest of the family completely baffled. Studying and running a business—what on earth did that have to do with anything?
“Xiao Yi, what are you thinking?” Li Shankui asked, setting down his bowl.
He knew his son always had a mind of his own; since he’d said it, it certainly wasn’t just idle talk.
“Dad, times have changed. Relying solely on farming won’t kill us, but it won’t make us rich either!”
Li Yi continued, “Two years ago, Anhui Province began piloting the household responsibility system, and the results have been excellent. I heard that Xiaogang Village, which was the first to reap the benefits, saw its grain yield increase fivefold that year. So, barring any surprises, it should be rolled out nationwide within a year or two at most.”
“Besides, the government has started to allow the private sector to emerge. Pilot reforms for the individual economy have already been implemented in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the full liberalization of the private sector is just around the corner. If we want to live a better life, we can’t just keep things the same!”
“But we can’t just stop working! What if we don’t get our food rations?” Zhang Yuehong said with some concern.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Given our family’s current situation, do we really need to worry about running out of food?”
As he spoke, Li Yi pulled out a stack of thin sheets of paper from under the kang mat and said, “This is my ledger for the past month and a half. After setting aside money for the kids, covering our expenses, and giving some to my dad for building his house, I still have 4,260 yuan left!”
Hearing this, everyone present was stunned.
They all knew Li Yi had been making good money lately; after all, he settled accounts for several hundred yuan every time he worked at the state-run restaurant.
But they also saw that Li Yi’s expenses were staggering—he had to hand out at least 140 to 150 yuan to the children every day, plus spend several dozen yuan on supplies.
Add to that the costs of building a house and buying wedding supplies, and they estimated he’d managed to save at most a thousand or so yuan.
But no one could have imagined that he actually still had over four thousand yuan.
That’s over four thousand yuan!
Even though wages for urban workers had risen over the past two years, an ordinary worker’s salary was still only around 35 to 40 yuan, while managers made less than 50 yuan.
This sum of over four thousand yuan is equivalent to a decade’s wages for an ordinary worker—and that’s assuming they lived without eating or drinking.
Most importantly, Li Yi had saved this money in just half a month—how could they not be stunned?
Seeing that he’d made his point, Li Yi immediately said, “Dad, Mom, our family doesn’t lack money for food, but if we want to live a good life, we can’t just follow the crowd!”
“Do you want your third sister to join you in business?” Li Shankui asked in a deep voice.
“Yes. My sister has a natural talent for business, but she lacks experience, so I want to teach her myself!” Li Yi replied.
“Then why don’t you teach Xiaoxue instead, so she can help you in the future?” Li Na asked, puzzled.
“Xiao Xue has a gentle nature; she’s not really cut out for business, so I want her to study and go to college!”
Li Yi continued, “In the future, our family must not only be wealthy but also cultured. The descendants of the Li family can’t just be good at making money—they must also be able to pick up a book. We want people to say that our family has passed down a tradition of farming and scholarship, and this important responsibility falls to Xiao Xue!”
Tang Xue’s pretty face flushed, but she still said excitedly, “Okay, I’ll definitely study hard and do my best to get into college!”
“Mm-hmm, I believe in you. My little wife is definitely going to get into college!” Li Yi said with a touch of doting affection.
Li Shankui knew that once his son had made up his mind, not even eight oxen could pull him back. So he decided to go with the flow: “Since you think it’s a good idea, let’s do it that way. With me and your mother here, you won’t go hungry!”
As he spoke, whether he’d choked on something or what, he suddenly coughed a few times!
Hearing his father’s cough, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow!