Evening. The Li Family’s New Home!
The entire Li family was gathered around the large kang in the main room, getting ready to eat.
Just as the dinner was being served onto the kang, Li Yi suddenly spoke up: “Father, Mother, everyone, please hold on a moment. I have something I’d like to discuss with you all!”
Li Shankui placed his eldest grandson, Li Yunrui, on his lap but said nothing, though his gaze turned toward Li Yi.
Second Sister Li Lan, while serving rice to her son Zhang Ning, asked, “What’s so formal about this?”
“It’s like this: my business in the capital has gotten a bit hectic, so I’d like to ask Eldest Sister to come to the capital to help me!”
Li Yi continued, “My brother-in-law has agreed as well. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, my eldest sister and her husband will be heading to the capital soon…”
Before he could finish, Second Sister exclaimed in surprise, “To Beijing? What about Eldest Sister and her husband’s jobs at the sugar factory? Won’t they lose them? That would be such a shame!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I want to ask you and my second sister’s husband what you think. Do you want to come with me to the capital to start a new life?”
My second sister didn’t refuse outright, but she frowned and said, “Neither of us even finished literacy class. We’re completely illiterate. What could we possibly do in a big city like the capital?”
“That sounds so discouraging,” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“That’s not being down—I’m just a little worried!”
Then my second sister added, “I heard from Mom and Dad that the capital is huge—there are alleys everywhere, big and small. Even the doors to the restrooms have signs on them. If my husband and I go there, we won’t even be able to tell the men’s from the women’s restrooms!”
Li Yi shook his head and said, “That’s exactly why, once you get to the capital, making money is secondary. The most important thing is to see and learn as much as you can!”
“How do we learn?”
“My idea is that once you get to Beijing, you’ll do what Third Sister did: start by helping out in the store. Once you’re familiar with how the business operates, you can go out and open your own branches.”
Li Yi continued, “Or I could place the two of you in a company where you can work and learn at the same time, and then come out to help me when the right opportunity arises.”
Li Yi knew Second Sister’s capabilities well. Although she wasn’t very literate, she was decisive and bold in her actions. In contrast, her husband was much more cautious and reserved.
“As long as she gets proper training and becomes familiar with all the processes of running a business, she’ll have no trouble managing a small company.”
“Zhang Xuefeng, what do you think?”
Her husband, standing nearby, hurriedly replied, “I don’t have any ideas—whatever you say goes!”
Hearing his brother-in-law’s words, which were clearly driven by a strong desire to survive, Li Yi couldn’t help but smile.
“Second brother-in-law, this is a major decision for you all after all. Leaving now could mean a lifetime away. Think it through before you decide!”
Zhang Xuefeng smiled upon hearing his brother-in-law’s words and said, “What’s there to think about? Our third brother is already in Beijing, and our eldest sister’s family is heading there too. We certainly can’t be left behind.”
“Who knows? In another couple of years, his grandparents will probably have to move there too. It’s only a matter of time!”
“So you’re in favor of going together?” Li Lan asked with a smile.
“We’re definitely going, but I want to wait until winter!”
“Why’s that?”
Zhang Xuefeng replied, “It’s almost September now, and the autumn harvest is just around the corner. We’ve been working hard for half a year—we should at least wait until the crops are harvested and the money and grain are distributed before we leave!”
“Plus, we harvested over 40,000 pounds of mushrooms this year and invested five or six thousand yuan in them. We can’t just abandon them, can we?”
Second Sister Li Lan added, “That makes sense. Let’s just wrap up our affairs in the village before heading to the capital. That way, we can leave with peace of mind.”
Just then, their father, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: “So you’re just going to leave like that? What about the land distribution in the village—do you even want it anymore?”
Hearing this, everyone froze.
Then, both the eldest sister and the second sister’s families turned their gaze toward Li Yi, the implication clear.
Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “We’ll take it. This land distribution is crucial. If we pass it up now, we might never get another chance. We should at least get our share first.”
“But what if we get the land and don’t farm it?” Father asked in a grave tone.
“Of course. If we don’t farm it ourselves, we can let others farm it. As long as we pay the agricultural tax in full, it’s fine,” Li Yi replied.
“Alright, let’s do it that way…”
……….
After dinner, Li Yi said goodbye to his family and headed out with Zhang Ziqiang.
First, he went to the homes of Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others, handing over the money and goods they had brought back to their parents one by one.
After that, Li Yi finally arrived at Xiaogouwa’s house.
The lights were on at Xiaogouwa’s house, but judging by the dim and flickering glow, they were likely still using a kerosene lamp.
When Li Yi stepped inside, he indeed saw a kerosene lamp in the kitchen of the main room, and Erdouzi was squatting in front of the stove, vigorously pumping the bellows.
A faint aroma wafting from the pot suggested that a meal was being prepared.
Because the bellows were so loud and it was already completely dark outside, Ergouzi hadn’t noticed anyone had arrived until he heard Li Yi’s soft cough.
Turning his head, Er Gouzi recognized Li Yi in the dim light and immediately exclaimed happily, “Brother Yi, what brings you here? Come on in!”
“Where’s your brother? I don’t see him,” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“My brother’s over by the sheep pen. One of the ewes is about to give birth today, so he has to stay with her!” Ergouzi explained.
“Why does your brother have to be the one watching over it? What about the other villagers?”
“Besides my brother, no one else in our village knows how to assist with lambing. Ever since my brother learned how to do it from Veterinarian Cui at the commune a few months ago, he’s been the go-to guy for everything—whether it’s lambing or calving!” Erdouzi said with a look of pride.
“That’s great!” Li Yi said sincerely.
The commotion outside startled the two little girls inside the house, and they both came out to see what was going on.
When they saw it was Li Yi, they both ran over happily and gathered around him, chattering away nonstop.
Li Yi was delighted as well. He immediately handed over the large bag of pastries and the sack of fruit he’d bought in the county seat to Daya and Erya, which made the two little girls even happier.
Just then, a series of “thump, thump” footsteps sounded from outside the front gate.
Just as Li Yi was about to turn to look, Er Gouzi called out, “Brother Yi, my older brother is back!”
Sure enough, before the person had even stepped inside, Li Yi heard Xiaogouwa’s voice call out: “Lao Er, is that Brother Yi?”
“Bro, it’s Brother Yi!”
“Then bring me a clean undershirt and a basin of water!”
“Okay, just you wait!”
Hearing the voices, Li Yi immediately stepped out of the main room and saw Xiaogouwa walking toward him, but the boy stopped about three or four meters away.
In the dim light spilling from the house, Li Yi saw that Xiaogouwa had grown a bit taller, though he was still rather thin.
Li Yi was about to step forward, but heard Xiaogouwa say hurriedly, “Brother Yi, don’t come over here—I just finished tending to the lambs, and I smell bad!”
“What’s the big deal? We’re not some rich kid from a government official’s family—we’re all kids raised in the village. I’m not afraid of a little smell!”
With that, Li Yi strode over!
As soon as he got close, Li Yi noticed that Xiaogouwa’s undershirt was covered in stains, and there were even bloodstains on his hands and arms. There was indeed a particularly strong, pungent odor coming from him.
“Is it always like this when you help deliver lambs?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.
“Not usually. This lamb just wouldn’t come out today, so I had to reach in and pull it out—that’s why I’m a bit dirty!”
Just as he spoke, the young boy brought out a basin of water.
Clearly, he was used to this sort of situation; as he came out, he also brought along a bar of soap about the size of a baby’s fist.
Without hesitation, Xiaogouwa took off his undershirt and began washing himself right there in the courtyard…
……..
PS: There’s another chapter coming before midnight!