The Li Family’s Old Mansion!
Tang Xue was reading in the courtyard, keeping an eye on her second sister’s son while she was at it.
This had practically become her daily routine!
Ever since her marriage, the entire Li family had treated her like a goddess, especially after learning she was pregnant.
Not only was she forbidden from working in the fields, but she wasn’t even allowed to help with the household chores.
In other families, once a daughter-in-law is brought into the household, she inevitably faces her mother-in-law’s harsh criticism; they’d love to have her working in the fields every day, and few of them have it easy.
In contrast, Tang Xue slept until she woke up naturally every day.
Even though she woke up late, she never had to worry about missing breakfast, because her mother-in-law, Zhang Yuehong, would thoughtfully leave it for her in the pot every day.
After breakfast, she didn’t have to do any housework either. She spent the rest of her time either reading in her room or out in the courtyard.
When she gets tired from reading, her second sister-in-law brews her some tea or takes her for a walk to the village entrance!
It isn’t until the afternoon that she heads over to the new house to help with the bookkeeping!
To Tang Xue, this period was the most comfortable and pleasant time she had experienced since joining the commune.
Just then, a clear voice drifted in from outside: “Xiao Xue, Xiao Xue…”
Tang Xue looked up and was surprised to see her good friend Zhang Xinyao. She immediately smiled and called out, “Why are you standing out there? Come on in!”
“I’m not going in. I’ve got some things to take care of over at the commune!”
“Then why did you rush all the way over here?” Tang Xue asked immediately.
“I came to tell you that some officials from higher up are here to inspect our village, and they want to meet your husband!” Zhang Xinyao said.
“Meet Li Yi? Why?”
“I’m not sure. Also, there’s this guy speaking a language I can’t understand who said he wants to build a school for our village. He said it’s because this is Li Yi’s hometown, so that’s why they chose this place!” Zhang Xinyao added.
“Oh, because of Li Yi?”
“Yeah. If your husband’s back, tell him to go meet those people right away—it’s over by the elementary school!”
“Okay!”
But Zhang Xinyao didn’t even wait for her to finish speaking; she hurried off, leaving Tang Xue standing there, completely dumbfounded.
Second Sister Li Lan and Mother-in-Law Zhang Yuehong had also heard what was said just now, and they looked just as incredulous.
“Xue, did I hear that right? The bigwigs want to meet Yi, and it’s because he’s building a school for our village?” Second Sister asked excitedly.
“That’s what Xinyao said, but I’m not entirely sure what’s going on!” Tang Xue replied.
“Why don’t we go take a look?”
“Is that okay?”
“Why not? If they really are here for Xiao Yi, we can’t let this slip by!” Li Lan said.
“Alright, then!”
The two immediately left Xiao Zhangning in Zhang Yuehong’s care and headed over to the elementary school together.
The Li family’s home wasn’t far from the elementary school, and besides, Nianzishan Village had only a little over a hundred households—it wasn’t a long walk from one end of the village to the other.
They arrived in no time!
When the villagers saw Tang Xue and Li Lan, they were all abuzz. Everyone made way, letting the two women through.
Wang Anguo, part of the inspection team, was constantly on the lookout to ensure the safety of Huang Lixing and the others, so Tang Xue and Li Lan’s appearance immediately caught his attention.
Having attended Li Yi’s wedding, he had a vivid memory of Li Yi’s beautiful city-dwelling wife.
Immediately, Wang Anguo quietly tugged at Huang Lixing, who was discussing his plans for the new school with the leaders, and briefly explained Tang Xue’s identity to him.
Upon learning that Li Yi’s wife had arrived, Huang Lixing did not dare to be disrespectful.
He stopped immediately, smoothed out his clothes, and walked over to Tang Xue with his wife, Chen Chuhong.
As the center of attention, every move Huang Lixing made was the focus of everyone’s gaze, and this action immediately caught the others’ attention.
When they saw the Huang couple walking toward two simply dressed village women, everyone’s gaze instinctively fixed on Tang Xue and Li Lan.
“Hello, Mrs. Li. I’m Huang Lixing, a friend of your husband’s!” Huang Lixing said very formally.
Little did he know that his formal, Western-style introduction completely baffled Tang Xue and Li Lan.
“Mrs. Li? Who in China these days would dare to call themselves ‘Mrs.’? They must be tired of living!”
For a moment, Tang Xue didn’t know how to respond.
Just then, Wang Anguo stepped in to smooth things over: “Sis, do you remember me?”
“Oh, Captain Wang! I remember you!” Tang Xue said hurriedly.
“Don’t be nervous. This is Mr. Huang Lixing, and this is his wife, Ms. Chen Chuhong. They are distinguished guests from Hong Kong.”
Wang Anguo continued, “Since Brother Li Yi has done a favor for Mr. Huang and his wife, they’re taking advantage of this inspection trip to stop by and say hello!”
After learning the truth of the matter, Tang Xue and Li Lan were both stunned; they hadn’t heard Li Yi mention any of this.
But considering they were guests who had traveled a long way, Tang Xue said, “He’s gone to the county seat to deliver a shipment and won’t be back until this afternoon. Why don’t you come over to my place for a while?”
Huang Lixing was quite willing, but Chen Chuhong, standing nearby, glanced at the large group of government officials behind her and whispered a few words in Huang Lixing’s ear.
“Mrs. Li, let’s put the visit on hold for now. We’re planning to build a school here. Do you have any suggestions?”
Although Huang Lixing’s accent was peculiar, the gist of what he said was quite clear.
Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know much about this, so I don’t have any specific suggestions. But he’s always said that education is the foundation and the hope, so I think building a school in the village would definitely be a good thing!”
“Very well, very well. It’s settled then. We’ll build the school right here. I’ll allocate 100,000 yuan in initial funding for the construction!” Huang Lixing said readily.
Hearing this, all the accompanying officials were once again stunned by Huang Lixing’s generosity.
100,000 yuan is no small sum; at current prices, that amount could build several large buildings.
It was clear that Mr. Huang was genuinely committed to helping them build the school!
Wang Anmin and several other officials immediately stepped forward to express their gratitude, but Huang Lixing insisted repeatedly that if anyone deserved thanks, it was Li Yi—it was his suggestion that had led to this decision.
Afterward, the group gathered in front of the village’s dilapidated school to discuss the specific plans and timeline for the project.
Meanwhile, Huang Lixing’s wife, Chen Chuhong, stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Tang Xue and Li Lan.
Although her Mandarin was equally broken, it didn’t hinder their conversation.
Upon learning that Tang Xue was also pregnant, they seemed to find common ground, and the conversation quickly shifted to their unborn children, putting an end to the awkward small talk from earlier.
Seeing that the men showed no signs of wrapping up their discussion, Tang Xue immediately extended an invitation to Chen Chuhong, asking her to visit her home.
Chen Chuhong was already five or six months pregnant; after spending most of the day on the bus and walking around with them, she was quite exhausted.
She quickly said a word to Huang Lixing, then followed Tang Xue back to the Li family home.