After hanging up the phone, Li Yi immediately fell deep in thought!
Actually, he hadn’t planned on getting involved in Huang Lixing’s situation—after all, it didn’t really concern him.
Out of a sense of friendship, Li Yi thought a simple reminder would suffice; stepping in personally to help him would be going too far.
But as he thought about it, a question occurred to Li Yi: what was he going to do next?
The cotton mill business was essentially wrapped up; he could just leave the rest to Jiang Longcheng and his team to run, with himself offering only occasional guidance at most.
So, what should he do next? Li Yi felt a bit lost!
It wasn’t that there were no profitable ventures!
In fact, in Li Yi’s view, there were plenty of profitable ventures these days.
Put simply, anything related to people’s daily needs—food, clothing, housing, and transportation—could generally turn a profit.
But the problem was that the current business environment was indeed rather poor.
Foreign and Hong Kong investors were in a slightly better position; after all, the mainland genuinely needed them to invest here. Although there were certain restrictions, they were still reasonable.
However, for ordinary Chinese people looking to start a business, the restrictions are simply too severe. The labor regulations alone are enough to make any business implode.
According to relevant regulations, no matter what kind of business you run, if you employ more than eight people, you’ll basically be accused of exploiting workers!
Good grief, having such a huge accusation thrown at you has extremely serious consequences!
How can you run a business if you can’t hire workers?
And under these conditions, things won’t fully open up until at least 1985.
In other words, for the next four to five years, Li Yi will have no choice but to keep things small-scale, just as he is now.
This is clearly not what Li Yi wants!
This isn’t a matter of a month or two—he can’t just wait that long.
Four or five years—just think of how many opportunities he’ll miss. He really doesn’t want to spend that long just running this little shop.
Of course, there are other options.
To break through this limitation, there are currently three options.
The first is to seek the protection of the Jiang family and lie low while building up his strength.
But that would mean he’d be relying on the Jiang family’s influence to make money, and Li Yi wasn’t willing to do that.
While there was certainly a touch of self-righteousness in that, more importantly, it could very well drag the Jiang family down with him.
The second option is to expand abroad—to places like Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, or the United States, where there are no such restrictions.
The third option is to partner with Hong Kong or foreign businesses. By leveraging their status, he could not only overcome certain restrictions but also gain government support.
Of these three options, Li Yi felt that partnering with others was the best fit for him!
And Huang Lixing happened to be a Hong Kong businessman!
As a result, in Li Yi’s eyes, Huang Lixing was no longer just a friend—he was also a potential business partner.
Plus, Old Huang was a pretty decent guy, which is why Li Yi decided to step in personally to help him.
Besides, he had promised Old Huang that if he successfully built 100 Li Xing Hope Primary Schools, he would grant him a stroke of good fortune.
Lao Huang was serious about building schools; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent his brother-in-law to Beibei Province.
Since Old Huang kept his word, Li Yi couldn’t go back on his own either—so he planned to make a trip to Guangdong Province!
But not right now!
The kids were still young, and Jiang Xue had to focus on her studies, so Li Yi simply couldn’t get away.
He’d wait until the child was a little older to discuss it further; after all, Old Huang’s matter wasn’t urgent…
Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, Long Zhanjun suddenly walked over.
“Brother Yi, are you busy right now? I’ve got something I’d like to talk to you about!”
“Not really,” Li Yi replied.
“Shall we find a private room?”
“Sure!”
The two then headed toward a private room inside the restaurant. As they passed the kitchen, Long Zhanjun picked up a teapot and two cups.
Once inside the private room, Long Zhanjun first poured a glass of water for each of them, then said, “Brother Yi, there’s something I want to talk to you about!”
Li Yi could tell from his expression that the guy was about to come clean, so he nodded immediately and said, “What’s up?”
“Well, about me and Nana…”
“Who’s Nana?” Li Yi asked, feigning ignorance.
“Your third older sister, Li Na!”
Long Zhanjun had made up his mind and blurted out, “Brother Yi, I’m seeing your third older sister. I want to ask your opinion!”
Li Yi: …%￥##￥%…
Hearing this, Li Yi felt like a herd of alpacas was galloping right over him.
Wasn’t this just telling him outright: “It’s out in the open—I’m going to be your third sister’s husband. Do you approve or not?”
“You two are already together—what could I possibly have to say about it?”
“Uh… you don’t object?”
Li Yi shot him a glare and said, “Why would I object?”
“You know my family’s situation. Yi, don’t you think I’m not good enough for Nana?” Long Zhanjun asked.
Li Yi shook his head and said, “A temporary financial struggle doesn’t determine a person’s entire life. Just because your family’s circumstances aren’t great now doesn’t mean they won’t improve in the future. What matters is whether you and my third sister are serious about this relationship.”
“Of course we’re serious. I’ve already spoken to Uncle Li and gotten his blessing!” Long Zhanjun said.
“What? You’ve already talked to my dad?” Li Yi asked, looking surprised.
“Yeah. After the banquet ended yesterday and you guys had all gone home, I stayed behind with Uncle Li to drink at the shop. As we were drinking, somehow the conversation just turned to Nana’s marriage!”
Then Long Zhanjun added, “I could tell your dad was really anxious when he brought it up, so on a whim, I just blurted out about Nana and me to him!”
“What was my dad’s reaction?” Li Yi asked eagerly.
“Your father was overjoyed when he heard the news. He kept saying it was a great idea and kept clinking glasses with me…”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I mean, did my dad agree to let my third older sister marry you?” Li Yi said.
“He agreed, but… but…”
“But what? Just spit it out—why are you beating around the bush now?”
Long Zhanjun said with a hint of embarrassment, “But your father was already pretty drunk at the time, so I don’t know if he was serious or not!”
“That’s fine. My dad may not be much of a drinker, but no matter how much he has, he knows exactly what he’s saying,” Li Yi said.
“So Uncle Li, does that mean you approve of Nana and me?” Long Zhanjun asked happily.
“I think so, but don’t get too excited just yet!”
Then Li Yi added, “There are some things I need to make clear to you in advance!”
“What is it? Go ahead!”
“I won’t get involved in your relationship with my third older sister. I’m neither for nor against it. Whether you two are truly planning to grow old together or if this is just a passing fancy, I don’t care.”
Then Li Yi changed the subject and said again, “But you have to promise me: you must control yourself. You’re not allowed to touch my third older sister until you’re married!”
Long Zhanjun replied, looking somewhat flustered, “Well… I’ve already touched her. What am I supposed to do now?”
“You’ve already touched her?”
Li Yi shot up from his chair and frowned. “My third sister promised me yesterday that you hadn’t crossed the final line. When did you two end up in bed together?”
“Gone to bed? We didn’t go to bed!”
“Then what did you mean by ‘touched’ just now?”
“We held hands!” Long Zhanjun said, looking down.
“That’s it?”
“Um…”
Now it was Long Zhanjun’s turn to be baffled. What did “is that all?” mean? Why did that tone sound so dismissive?
Li Yi immediately said, “Forget it. Let’s just set some ground rules: no sleeping together before marriage. Can you stick to that?”
“I can!”
“My third older sister has always had a feisty temper and hates being wronged. No matter what happens, you’re not allowed to lay a hand on her. Can you do that?”
“I can!”
“You two need to be honest with each other. If you don’t like something, just say so. Don’t hurt each other. Can you do that?”
“I can!”
“Alright then. You two can handle the rest on your own. Just let me know when you decide to get married!” Li Yi said.
“Uncle Li, are you suggesting we get engaged first and then pick a suitable date for the wedding later?” Long Zhanjun asked.
“I have no objections. Discuss it with my third sister, and let me know once you’ve decided!”
“Alright!”
………