On the way back, Yang Wenguang looked at Li Yi with a stunned expression, still reeling from what he had just witnessed.
Just a few minutes earlier, Li Yi had led him to the reservoir at the back of the mountain.
There, dozens of children and female volunteers were waiting for him.
The moment the children and female educated youth saw the bright red mule cart, they let out a deafening cheer.
Immediately afterward, Yang Wenguang saw people on the dam come down carrying a large wicker basket between two or three of them, and then they loaded basket after basket of mushrooms and mountain produce onto the cart.
Before long, the massive flatbed cart was packed to the brim; they had to pile the goods right up against the sides just to get it all loaded.
That was one thing, but what his brother-in-law did next left him even more stunned.
He gathered everyone together and began handing out money.
Yes, he was handing out money—and in big wads!
The older children and the few female educated youth each received three to five yuan!
The younger children received one or two yuan each, with no one getting less than one yuan.
In less than five minutes, he was like a money-dispensing deity, handing out a hundred and forty or fifty yuan.
To earn that much money, he would have had to work at the forestry camp for at least seven or eight months—and that’s assuming he didn’t eat or drink a single thing.
More importantly, every single one of those kids, big or small, got a yuan—some even got five.
Think about himself—he only made 18 yuan a month, which worked out to six mao a day.
This made Yang Wenguang feel rather pathetic—he wasn’t even as well-off as a child.
More importantly, he felt he couldn’t figure out this younger brother-in-law he hadn’t seen in years.
In his eyes, Li Yi had always been nothing more than a child who hadn’t grown up yet—clueless about everything and always getting into trouble.
To be honest, Yang Wenguang had really found him a bit of a headache in the past.
He knew his wife, Li Mei, had a gentle disposition and doted on this younger brother—she had even sacrificed her own happiness for him—so Yang Wenguang had always looked down on this brother-in-law.
Li Mei hadn’t returned to her parents’ home in all these years, and it wasn’t entirely because of Yang Zhong and Yang Liushi’s objections; in fact, Yang Wenguang himself didn’t want Li Mei to come back.
But he never expected that in just a few short years, his brother-in-law would undergo such a dramatic change.
Noticing Yang Wenguang watching him, Li Yi immediately smiled and said, “Big Brother-in-law, is there something you want to say?”
“Hmm, did you buy all these mountain products from those kids?”
“That’s right!”
“That’s a lot of money—you’re getting shortchanged for such a small haul!”
Yang Wenguang had been working at the forestry station all these years and knew that this kind of mushroom was abundant in the woods—more than anyone could imagine.
Especially after it rains—the forest floor is covered with them.
If you wanted to pick them, you could fill a whole basket in no time.
“Brother-in-law, do you know how much I could sell these mushrooms for in the county seat?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“Does anyone in the county even buy this stuff?”
People have thought about selling mushrooms before and have even tried it, but the results have always been rather disappointing.
You might find a few people who actually like them and are willing to buy a few for pocket money, but they usually don’t pay more than 20 cents per pound.
After all, a pound of Fuqiang flour costs just 16 cents these days—how much could mushrooms possibly be worth?
As for ordinary folks, they wouldn’t spend money on mushrooms to eat.
If they want to eat them, wouldn’t it be better to just go pick some in the woods themselves?
“Haha, that’s for other people. If I haul this whole truckload of mushrooms into town, I could probably sell them for six or seven hundred yuan!” Li Yi said.
Hearing this, Yang Wenguang was instantly dumbfounded.
“Are these things really worth that much?”
“Other people’s aren’t worth much, but mine can fetch that price!”
What others sell are just mushrooms, but what Li Yi and Liu Jingshan are doing now is far more than just a business in wild mountain produce.
On the one hand, Li Yi frequently taught the chefs at the state-run restaurant how to prepare unique dishes, which greatly boosted the restaurant’s reputation—especially since they’d received praise from county leaders on multiple occasions.
On the other hand, Li Yi had processed his mushrooms further.
Although it was just simple sorting and cleaning, it significantly increased the value—a concept that was light-years ahead of its time.
More importantly, with Li Yi’s help, Liu Jingshan managed to market the mushrooms and other wild produce in the city.
Marketed as all-natural and pesticide-free, these mountain products fetched higher prices in the city, and the state-run restaurant profited handsomely as a result.
Furthermore, Liu Jingshan was well aware of his connections with Wang Anguo, Li Gang, Liang Yukuai, and others. By cultivating a good relationship with him, one could gain access to these influential figures—which is why his mushrooms were the only ones in the entire county that could command such a high price.
After all, he wasn’t just selling mushrooms—he was selling connections and political savvy!
Yang Wenguang didn’t ask why. He was a smart man who knew which questions to ask and which to avoid.
At that moment, he finally understood why Li Yi had brought him here!
With such a lucrative business, his brother-in-law certainly didn’t need those two factory job openings anymore.
He did this just to put his mind at ease.
Thinking of this, Yang Wenguang felt a quiet sense of gratitude.
…….
When he got home, his mother and sisters had already prepared dinner!
Today was a day of reunion for all the close relatives of the Li family. Since Li Mei and Li Lan got married, the Li family had never been this complete.
Now, not only were both sons-in-law present, but there was also a new nephew, and Li Mei was expecting another child.
More importantly, his future daughter-in-law, Tang Xue, was there as well.
If it weren’t for the fact that Li Na hadn’t found a partner yet, the second generation of the Li family would be completely assembled.
So, Li Shankui and Zhang Yuehong were overjoyed, and the dinner they prepared was incredibly lavish.
There were not only vegetables and meat, but also scrambled eggs and steamed rice.
Li Shankui even went so far as to open two bottles of liquor—specifically the Maotai that Li Yi had brought back, which cost eight yuan a bottle.
You see, he usually treasured this liquor so much that he wouldn’t even treat himself to a drink, yet today he made an exception and opened two bottles.
Although it stung a bit, it was a rare occasion to be this happy.
Although Li Yi didn’t usually drink much, he made an exception today and had two small glasses.
After all, with his dad and two brothers-in-law in high spirits, he couldn’t possibly dampen their enthusiasm.
But Li Yi knew his limits; two glasses were his absolute maximum. Any more and he’d get drunk.
So, after downing those two glasses, he immediately made a quick exit under the pretext of needing to use the restroom!
He knew his two brothers-in-law well—his eldest sister’s husband was still manageable, but his second sister’s husband was a different story once he’d had a drink.
Before he drank, he was just a man from the North; after he drank, the whole North was his.
If he stayed at home, he’d definitely be forced to drink more; fleeing the scene was the wisest choice.
Li Yi had just stepped out of the house and was standing at the front gate, enjoying the cool breeze.
He looked up suddenly and saw Tang Xue coming out as well, walking straight toward him!