Chapter 584: Jiang Xue’s Worries!
Downtown. The Li Family Residence!
By the time Li Yi returned to his family’s courtyard house, it was already past 6:00 p.m.
As soon as he stepped through the gate, he heard the sound of children crying from inside the house. The cries were loud and chaotic, as if several children were crying at once.
Instinctively, Li Yi quickened his pace!
As soon as he stepped inside, Li Yi was amused by the scene before him.
There stood Juanzi at the edge of the kang, holding the little girl Yunjin in one arm while watching Yunrui and her young nephew Yang Rui on the kang.
The three little ones were all wailing at the top of their lungs, their eyes filled with hurt as they stared at their eldest sister not far away.
His eldest sister, Li Mei, was standing on a cabinet nearby, fiddling with a few baby bottles—apparently preparing formula for the children.
Perhaps they’d caught a whiff of the formula’s scent, or maybe they were simply starving—in any case, the three little ones were wailing so loudly that anyone unaware of the situation might have thought something was seriously wrong.
Li Yi strode forward, grabbing one in each arm, and lifted his son Yunrui and his little nephew up at once.
The sudden lift into the air left the two little ones completely bewildered; though their eyes were filled with tears, they stopped crying.
Only then did his older sister and Juanzi realize that Li Yi had returned!
“Little Yi, you’re back?”
His older sister said happily, “When did you get back? Why didn’t you let us know in advance?”
“Hehe, I wanted to surprise you all, so I didn’t say anything beforehand!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“So Xue doesn’t know you’re back today either?”
“No, I didn’t have anyone tell her!”
“Playing these silly games with your own family—aren’t you afraid Xiao Xue will get mad at you when she gets back?”
His older sister said with a laugh as she handed out the prepared formula to the three children.
“What’s there to be upset about?”
Then Li Yi asked again, “Sis, are you and Ruirui settling in here okay?”
“It’s okay, but…”
“What is it?”
“Well, I can’t read, so it’s not very convenient whether I’m shopping or going out to do other things. That’s why Juanzi has had to go grocery shopping these past few days!”
Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “It’s true that not knowing how to read makes things a bit inconvenient. Here’s what we’ll do, sis. If you have time, you can ask Juanzi and Xiaoxue to teach you.”
“We don’t necessarily have to learn to write, but at the very least, we should be able to recognize all the common characters. That way, we won’t have to worry about being cheated when we go out to do things!” Li Yi said.
“Hmm, that’s exactly what I was thinking. I’ve been having Juanzi teach me to recognize characters these past few days!”
“So, how’s it going? Is it working?”
Just then, Juanzi chimed in, “Sister Meizi is picking up characters really fast—she already knows quite a few common ones!”
“That’s great. I’ll leave teaching Big Sister to read to you!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Sure…”
Before she could finish speaking, Big Sister asked again, “By the way, Xiao Yi, is there anything you’d like to eat? I can make it for you.”
“Big Sis, you’ve been watching the kids all day. I’ll make something myself!”
With that, Li Yi handed the child to his older sister and headed to the kitchen.
He took a quick look around the kitchen and saw only a small piece of pork, a few yam tubers, and a bunch of Chinese chives.
Seeing this, Li Yi could only shake his head with a wry smile.
They say even the most skilled cook can’t make a meal without ingredients. With just these few items, there was only one dish Li Yi could make—stir-fried noodles!
Immediately, Li Yi asked Zhang Ziqiang to tend the fire while he heated the wok and prepared the broth, then began kneading and rolling out the dough…
…….
While Li Yi was busy in the kitchen, at the bus stop at the end of the alley, Jiang Xue, carrying a cloth bag full of books and with her arm linked through her mother’s, got off the bus.
Lately, the two of them had been staying at the Li family’s courtyard house, going to school and coming home together every day.
The only difference was that Ye Lingyun went to school to teach, while Jiang Xue went to attend classes.
“Xiao Xue, how have the classes been these past few days? Are you able to follow along?”
“Yes, they’re all basic courses—nothing too difficult!” Jiang Xue said with a smile.
“That’s good. But don’t let your guard down—next semester you’ll start taking major-specific courses, and those can be quite challenging!” Ye Lingyun said.
“I think it’s fine. I didn’t have class during the second period yesterday afternoon, so I went next door to sit in on a sophomore-level class. The professor was teaching a major-specific course, and I thought he explained it very simply—in fact…”
“Even what?”
“I even think that professor’s explanations aren’t as profound as the things Yunrui’s dad usually talks about. I could understand everything he said, but with a lot of what Yunrui’s dad says, I only catch bits and pieces—and sometimes I don’t understand a thing!” Jiang Xue said.
Thinking of her son-in-law’s level of expertise, Ye Lingyun smiled and said, “Xiao Yi is in big business. What he talks about is quite different from what they teach in school, so it’s only natural that you don’t understand it!”
“By the way, Xiao Yi’s been over there for quite a while now. Haven’t you heard from him at all?”
“No,” Jiang Xue sighed.
To be honest, her husband had been gone for over half a month, and she hadn’t heard a single word from him during that time.
Although she knew he was off doing important work, Jiang Xue still felt a touch of disappointment and worry.
Seeing her daughter’s expression, Ye Lingyun knew exactly what she was thinking.
She smiled and said, “Don’t worry too much about it. Your father mentioned that direct phone calls aren’t possible between Hong Kong and here. If Xiao Yi wants to contact you, he’d have to come back to Guangzhou—it’s just too much of a hassle!”
“I understand, but I just can’t help feeling a little uneasy…”
“What’s there to feel uneasy about? True love between a husband and wife isn’t about romantic moonlit nights or the longing of long separations—it’s about mutual tolerance, mutual support, and helping each other succeed!”
Then Ye Lingyun added, “Xiao Yi isn’t just an ordinary person or a small-town citizen—he’s a man destined for great things. So he can’t just stay home with his wife and kids like an ordinary person. You have to understand that—and adapt to it!”
“Mom, of course I understand him. It’s just that he left in such a hurry this time. I can’t help but feel something bad has happened, so I’m a little worried about him!”
“Hmm, once we get back, I’ll give your father a call and have him try to find out what’s going on. It would be even better if we could get in touch with Xiao Yi!” Ye Lingyun said.
“Okay… Mom, you’re the best!”
“Hehe, you, you…”
The mother and daughter chatted as they walked, and before long they reached the entrance of the alley.
Just as they turned the corner, Jiang Xue spotted two young men with upright postures standing at their front door.
Jiang Xue seemed to realize something immediately; she grabbed her mother’s hand and hurried toward their home.
Just as they reached the door, they were stopped: “Excuse me, comrades, please show your IDs!”
Jiang Xue was momentarily taken aback and replied, “I… Do I need ID to enter my own home?”
“Your own home? Are you Comrade Li Yi’s wife?”
“Yes, I’m his wife. Has he come back?” Jiang Xue asked urgently.
“Yes!”
Even so, Zhou Wen and Yang Zhiwen insisted on checking Jiang Xue and Ye Lingyun’s IDs. Only after verifying their identities did they let them in.
As soon as they entered the gate, Jiang Xue couldn’t wait and ran straight into the house.
Not seeing Li Yi in either the main hall or the living room, Jiang Xue hurried anxiously to the bedroom.
Seeing Jiang Xue walk in, Yun Rui and Yun Jin—who had just finished their formula—immediately lit up with joy. They called out to her while reaching out their arms, clearly wanting to be picked up.
However, Jiang Xue seemed not to notice the children at all. She turned directly to Li Mei and asked, “Big Sister, where is he?”
Li Mei, of course, knew exactly who her sister-in-law was asking about. She immediately replied with a smile, “He’s in the kitchen cooking!”
Jiang Xue hurried through the bedroom and ran into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Li Yi had already rolled out the noodles and was preparing to cut them when he suddenly saw his wife burst in.
“You’re back?”
“You’re back?”
The two were so in sync that they spoke almost at the same time.
After that, they both laughed at the same time!
“You go set the table first. The noodles will be ready soon. We can talk about whatever’s on your mind after we eat!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Okay…”
………