After delivering the money to his second sister’s husband, Li Yi didn’t linger and headed straight back to Nianzishan Village.
He told his second sister to stay home for a few days and come back in a couple of days, since he was leaving for Qin Province in two days and the family needed her to be there to keep things in order.
Since the return trip was mostly downhill, it was quite easy.
He made excellent time, arriving back in less than an hour and a half.
By the time he got home, it was nearly noon. Li Yi took it upon himself to cook, preparing a pot of fragrant steamed rice for his family.
After lunch, braving the scorching sun, Li Yi hopped on his bicycle and headed for the county seat.
Once in town, Li Yi first stopped by the credit union to deposit a portion of the money Huang Lixing had given him.
Out of the 52,000 yuan, Li Yi gave 12,000 to his second sister’s husband, kept 10,000 for his own family, and deposited the remaining 30,000.
He planned to use this money later to buy other mountain produce, such as pine nuts, hazelnuts, and chestnuts.
He hadn’t originally planned to buy these items, mainly because the costs were high and he didn’t have enough capital.
Now that the funding issue was resolved and he had enough help at home, there was no harm in collecting them all at once when the time came.
After depositing the money, Li Yi went back to the office area behind the credit union, found Li Yeqiao, and asked how things were going with the loan.
Li Yeqiao was quite straightforward; he handed the loan contract documents directly to Li Yi—the matter had already been settled.
After that, Li Yi didn’t linger in the office; he took the documents to the front lobby.
He converted the loan from the contract directly into his own deposit—the kind he could withdraw at any time—and only then did he leave the credit union.
After leaving the credit union, Li Yi didn’t head to the market stall to find his father and third sister; instead, he rode his bicycle back to the village.
His second sister wasn’t there today either, so he had to get back early to help harvest the mushrooms; otherwise, Tang Xue would definitely be overwhelmed on her own.
By the time he got home, it was already 2:30 p.m. As soon as he walked in, he saw Tang Xue wearing a sun hat, leading her mother out the door.
Judging by the situation, Tang Xue was planning to have her mother-in-law go over to the new house to help out.
Seeing this, Li Yi chuckled; it was good to see the girl wasn’t trying to be too independent.
After pushing the bicycle inside, Li Yi told his mother to stay home and wait for his father and third sister to return, while he and Tang Xue headed over to the new house.
Once they arrived at the new house, Li Yi had Tang Xue sit in the shade for a while while he gathered up the mushrooms that had been dried over the past few days.
If he didn’t put them away, there wouldn’t be room to dry the new batch later.
Tang Xue wanted to help, but Li Yi wouldn’t dare ask her to do such work.
But Tang Xue didn’t want to sit in the shade alone, so she leaned against the doorframe of the drying shed and watched Li Yi work.
Li Yi worked with great efficiency, getting the job done both quickly and well.
Tang Xue thought Li Yi looked really handsome at that moment. Although she didn’t know how to describe it, Li Yi, working so earnestly, was truly charming and captivating.
Ever since she was a child, Tang Xue had always thought that Tan Cheng, the eldest son of Uncle Tan’s family, was the most handsome boy around; she had even fantasized about marrying him when she grew up.
But now, watching Li Yi work so hard, she suddenly felt that Tan Cheng didn’t seem quite as handsome after all, and that she didn’t like him as much as she had imagined.
On the contrary, her feelings for Li Yi were growing stronger by the minute.
For a moment, Tang Xue couldn’t help but be completely captivated!
…….
It was late at night, and all was quiet!
In the west room of the Li family’s old mansion, Tang Xue lay pale-faced on the kang, covered by a thin blanket.
She wasn’t ill, but suffering from morning sickness.
At dinner that evening, her mother had made her some chicken soup and chicken noodle soup.
Perhaps because the food was too greasy—or for some other reason—she had only taken a couple of bites before she started vomiting violently.
Seeing that she really couldn’t eat any more, Li Yi had no choice but to send her back to the west room to rest for a while.
“Creak!”
Hearing the sound, Tang Xue looked up and saw Li Yi coming in, holding a bowl.
“I don’t have an appetite…”
Li Yi smiled and said, “You’re saying you don’t have an appetite without even knowing what’s in it?”
“I don’t want to eat anything!” Tang Xue said listlessly.
She hadn’t eaten much tonight, so now she lay on the kang feeling listless.
Li Yi brought the bowl over, and she saw that it contained a pale yellow substance.
“Is that powdered milk?”
“No, it’s milk!”
“Milk? You mean the kind cows produce?” Tang Xue asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yep!”
“Where did you get the milk?” Tang Xue asked curiously.
“That big yellow cow in the production team had a calf. I asked Uncle Zhou to milk a teacup’s worth of colostrum for me.”
Li Yi continued, “Colostrum has high nutritional value. It’s rich in protein, which can boost a pregnant woman’s immunity and help replenish protein.”
“Additionally, colostrum contains various enzymes that aid digestion and absorption in pregnant women and inhibit bacterial growth, which is especially beneficial for someone like you who suffers from severe morning sickness.”
“You really know your stuff!”
“Get up and try some right away!” Li Yi said.
“Okay!”
After climbing out of bed, Tang Xue took the large bowl Li Yi handed her and took a small sip.
Although the fresh milk had a faint taste, it was rich in milky aroma.
After taking that first sip, a glimmer of delight flashed in Tang Xue’s eyes, and she began sipping it slowly.
However, just as she had drunk about half of it, Li Yi called out to her, “It’s evening now. Don’t drink too much milk. I’ll heat up the rest for you to drink tomorrow morning!”
“Okay!”
Li Yi then pulled a brown paper bag out of his pocket and said, “Try this!”
“What is it?”
“See for yourself!”
Tang Xue took the paper bag and discovered it contained candied fruit.
“Oh, where did these candied fruits come from?”
“Who cares where they came from? Just eat them if you like!” Li Yi said with a smile.
Tang Xue glanced at the sweat on Li Yi’s forehead and his half-damp shirt, then suddenly asked, “You… you didn’t just go to the supply and marketing cooperative, did you?”
“Yeah! I saw you weren’t eating anything, and I thought the sweet-and-sour candied fruit might help with morning sickness, so I went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some!” Li Yi explained.
“It’s so late—is the supply and marketing cooperative still open?”
“Hehe, the supply and marketing cooperative over at the commune stays open late!”
Although Li Yi said that, Tang Xue knew that no matter how late they closed, they couldn’t possibly still be open past eight o’clock.
This silly man must have just barged in and bought these candied fruits for himself.
“You…”
She managed to utter just one word before her voice caught in her throat, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever treated her this well—not even her parents, brother, or sister.
Whether she was sick or tired, they never showed any concern for her, let alone did things for her the way Li Yi had.
Li Yi stepped forward, gently patted her shoulder, and said with a smile, “Why are you crying now?”
“You’re so good to me, I’m just a little…”
“Hehe, well, just be nice to me in return from now on!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Okay!”
“By the way, I’ve already sorted out the loan today. Let’s pack our bags tomorrow, and we’ll set off for Qin Province the day after,” Li Yi said.
“Are we really leaving? Have you decided?” Tang Xue asked.
“Yeah, we’ll have to face it sooner or later. The sooner we deal with it, the better!” Li Yi said.
“Alright!”
…….