After spending a while together on the kang, Li Yi glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 5:30. Remembering he still had things to do today, he got dressed and got out of bed.
“Are we setting up the stall today?”
Tang Xue asked as she got dressed.
“It’s not so much about setting up the stall, but I have to deliver the mountain produce to the state-run restaurant. First, Old Li is waiting for it, and second, the mushrooms and such won’t keep, so I have to make a trip into town!” Li Yi said.
Tang Xue knew exactly what he meant—mushrooms are a finicky bunch; if they aren’t dealt with today, they’ll be wilted by tomorrow!
“Do you need me to come with you?”
“Yes!”
Hearing Li Yi’s reply, Tang Xue felt a sudden surge of happiness.
Perhaps it was because they were married, or perhaps it was because Li Yi had won her over with his actions lately—in any case, Tang Xue realized she simply enjoyed being with him.
After getting dressed and freshening up, the two locked the door and headed hand in hand toward the old family home!
Everyone at the old family home was already up; a group of people were discussing yesterday’s wedding!
Just as they were talking, little Zhang Ning suddenly leaned out on the windowsill, pointing outside with her little finger and babbling away.
Everyone looked out the window and saw Li Yi walking into the courtyard, holding his new bride’s hand.
Li Na immediately went outside, then jogged over to Tang Xue. She looked her up and down, staring so intently that Tang Xue began to feel a little self-conscious.
“Sis, what are you looking at?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
The third sister didn’t even acknowledge him, but turned to Tang Xue with a smile and said, “You’ve finally married into the Li family, girl. Call me Third Sister!”
Tang Xue’s face flushed slightly, and she replied at once, “Third Sister!”
“Good, good, good. I accept you as my sister-in-law. If that good-for-nothing dares to mistreat you in the future, just tell me, and I’ll tear his ears off!”
Li Yi: “%￥#@”
Soon, Eldest Sister Li Mei, Second Sister Li Lan, and their two husbands all came out to greet them.
For a moment, the Li household was filled with continuous laughter!
By then, their mother, Zhang Yuehong, had finished cooking, and the whole family returned to the inner room to prepare for dinner.
The food was all leftovers from yesterday’s banquet. Country folk aren’t fussy about such things, and they couldn’t bear to throw anything away.
After sharing some with the neighbors, the rest became the main course for today.
Before they finished eating, Li Shankui, as the head of the household, spoke up: “Xiao Yi, Xiao Xue, from now on, you’re part of this family. Whether you live well or not depends on you. I don’t expect you to become rich and powerful—I just want you to live in peace and harmony!”
Zhang Yuehong turned to her daughter-in-law and said, “Xiao Xue, our Xiao Yi has a stubborn streak and doesn’t think things through. You’ll have to keep a close eye on him from now on.”
Tang Xue nodded and said, “Mother, I will. I just worry he won’t listen to me!”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Li Shankui’s eyes widened, and he shouted, “He wouldn’t dare!”
“If he dares to disobey you, I’ll take care of him—he’s been scared of me since he was a kid!” Li Lan chimed in.
“Spank him…”
Her eldest nephew, Zhang Ning, suddenly blurted out something shocking!
In an instant, everyone in the room burst into laughter.
Li Yi couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Man, I got married and lost my standing in the family overnight. What kind of situation is this?”
His second brother-in-law spoke with the wisdom of someone who’d been there before: “This is just the beginning. Once you have kids, you’ll really know what it means to have no standing in the family!”
My second sister glared at him and said, “Zhang Xuefeng, do you have a problem with that?”
“No… no, how could I possibly have a problem with that!”
Seeing her husband back down so quickly, everyone burst into laughter again.
Mother looked at Second Sister with a touch of exasperation and said, “Lanzi, you’re a mother now, yet you’re still so feisty. Only Xiaofeng can put up with you—anyone else would have had their brains scrambled by now!”
“Mom, don’t worry about it. Everyone has their own way of living. This is just how we are!” Li Lan said calmly.
Just then, Yang Wenguang, the eldest sister’s husband, suddenly asked, “Xiao Yi, what are your plans for the future? Are you just going to stick to selling mountain produce and running a small stall?”
At the sound of this question, everyone fell silent, and the family’s gaze fixed on Li Yi.
Li Yi replied immediately, “I’ve already thought this through. I’ve not only made plans for myself, but I’ve taken all of you into account as well. It just depends on whether you’re willing!”
“What kind of plan? Spit it out!” the impatient Li Na demanded.
“My plan has two parts. First, to make money—big money! Second, while making money, to take care of the family and look after all of you!”
Li Yi continued, “For now, the main way to make money is still selling liangpi and mountain produce, but soon I’ll start buying up mountain produce on a large scale throughout the whole village.”
“At that time, I’ll be in charge of delivering goods to the county seat, while Xiaoxue will stay at home to weigh the produce and handle payments for the villagers—and study for her college entrance exams on the side…”
Before he could finish, Li Na asked again, “What about me? What will I do?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Third Sister, your main job from now on will be selling liangpi in town. Starting tomorrow, I’ll personally teach you how to make liangpi and white-skin pancakes, and I’ll also teach you how to make a few other kinds of snacks!”
“Alright!”
Then, Li Yi looked at his eldest sister and brother-in-law and said, “You two should just focus on working at the factory for now. After all, your health isn’t great, and you’re expecting a baby—it’s not a good idea for you to be running around all over the place right now!”
“Alright, thank you, Yi!” her husband replied immediately.
Li Yi nodded, then turned to his second sister.
“Xiao Yi, what are your plans for the two of us?” Li Lan asked.
Li Yi replied immediately, “Second Sister, I hope you’ll stay in the village to help me!”
“Help you? How exactly?”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be buying up mountain produce on a large scale. If all goes as planned, we’ll be receiving several thousand pounds of mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and other items every day.”
Li Yi continued, “These forest products not only need to be weighed, but also dried, packed, and so on. In short, Xiaoxue definitely can’t handle it all by herself—she needs you to come help!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than his brother-in-law hurriedly asked, “Well… what about me?”
“Second Brother-in-Law, go back to the village for now. Once you’re there, quit your job at the brick factory and start collecting wild produce in your village!” Li Yi said.
“How do I go about collecting them?”
“One mao per jin. Take as much as you can get!” Li Yi said.
My second sister’s husband furrowed his brow and said, “The mountains behind our village are full of mushrooms and wood ear fungus. You can fill a basket in no time. If we buy everything, we could easily collect thousands of pounds a day—where would we get that kind of money?”
“Money isn’t the issue. I’ll cover the cost of buying the mushrooms, and for every pound you bring to me, I’ll pay you fifteen cents!”
“Doesn’t that mean I’ll make five cents just by reselling them?” my second sister’s husband asked in surprise.
“Exactly!”
“But that’s not fair!”
“It’s fine. I’ll sell them for even more on the open market!”
“Alright, then!”
Just then, Old Man Li Shankui suddenly spoke up: “What about your mother and me? What are your plans for us?”
Li Yi replied immediately, “Dad, I think you’re not feeling well. You’ve been coughing nonstop every day. After dinner, why don’t you come with me to the county hospital…”
Before Li Yi could finish, Li Shankui frowned and said, “Why go to the hospital? I’m perfectly fine!”
“It’s not up to you to decide if I’m fine—the doctor has to say so. If you’re really healthy, I’ll find you a job that pays a hundred yuan a month!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, when has your son ever lied to you?”
Li Shankui shot him a look and said, “How many times have you tried to sweet-talk me?”
Li Yi: “%￥#@…”
Ignoring his father’s grumbling, Li Yi continued, “Mom, you’ve got the heaviest workload here. The rest of us are definitely going to be swamped, so you’ll be in charge of logistics for us!”
“What logistics?”
“Cooking, and you’ll have to help Second Sister take care of the baby!”
“Alright!”
……….