Chapter 908: Li Gang Again!

? Nothing happened that night!

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Yi was sound asleep with his wife in his arms when the village loudspeaker blared!

“Attention, men and women of the village! To celebrate the early distribution of funds in our Nianzi Mountain Village, and to welcome Yi and Xue back home, the entire village will gather for a meal at the school cafeteria this noon. Men, assemble now at the village committee office to prepare for slaughtering pigs and sheep. Women, head to the school cafeteria to clean up…”

Perhaps for fear that someone might be sleeping too soundly to hear it clearly, the announcement over the loudspeaker played three times before it ended.

Li Yi glanced at his watch—it was only six o’clock.

He rolled over and was about to go back to sleep.

There was nothing he could do about it—he’d gone to bed a bit late last night, and his eyelids were already drooping; he really didn’t feel like getting up.

He hadn’t stayed up late because he’d had a deep conversation with his wife last night, but because the two kids had worn him out.

He wasn’t sure if it was the change of scenery, but the two little ones just wouldn’t go to sleep. It wasn’t until 1:30 a.m. that they finally drifted off, lulled to sleep by Jiang Xue.

But just then, a series of footsteps suddenly echoed from the courtyard, followed by the “clop-clop” of a large animal’s hooves hitting the ground.

The moment he heard that sound, Li Yi knew his old man must be up already.

Based on his father’s daily routine, he would first lead the mules and horses out to the open field to roll around, then take them to the well to drink some water.

After returning, he would shoulder his carrying poles and head to the well to fetch water.

Usually, he had to carry at least three loads (six buckets) to meet the family’s daily needs.

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately crawled out of bed and began getting dressed; he was going to help his father carry water.

There was nothing he could do when he wasn’t home before, but now that he was, he couldn’t let his old man work so hard.

Once dressed and out of the house, Li Yi saw that Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and Zhang Feng had all gotten up and were doing stretching exercises in the courtyard; it looked like they were preparing for basic training.

Seeing Li Yi come out fully dressed, Zhang Ziqiang immediately stepped forward and asked, “Brother Yi, are you heading out?”

“Yeah, I’m going to the well to fetch water!” Li Yi replied.

“I’ll go. I know where the well is!” Zhang Ziqiang offered.

“No need. I can’t have you guys doing this—it’s not part of your job!”

With that, Li Yi picked up the shoulder pole from the windowsill, hooked the metal bucket onto it, and headed toward the front gate.

Seeing this, Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen immediately followed him.

The well wasn’t close to their new home—it was a good three hundred meters away.

It wasn’t a big deal to walk there normally, but carrying two buckets full of water made the journey feel quite long.

“Brother Yi, since getting water is such a hassle, why don’t we just dig a well in the yard?” Zhang Ziqiang asked curiously.

“I’d love to, but unfortunately, the ground here on the West Slope is full of rocks. Not only is it hard to dig, but there’s no water either!” Li Yi said with a hint of resignation.

A few years back, the production team had planned to drill a mechanized well here to boost crop yields on the farmland. Unexpectedly, after wearing out several drill bits and spending half a month drilling over a hundred meters deep, they still didn’t find any water.

Later, after professional exploration, they discovered that the ground here was entirely composed of molybdenum ore. Not only was there no groundwater, but even if there had been, the metal content would have been too high. That’s why Li Yi didn’t dig a well in the yard after building his house.

After hearing Li Yi’s explanation, Zhang Ziqiang said again, “Well, if that really doesn’t work, we’ll just run a pipe to the house. Otherwise, carrying water like this every day is just too exhausting!”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “Water pipes are fine in the summer, but it gets too cold in the winter. No pipe can withstand temperatures below minus thirty degrees.”

As for the water shortage, Li Yi didn’t have a very good solution either.

The best solution would be to bring his parents to live in Beijing, but they refused—unless he built them a new courtyard right next to the well.

But even if he had the money, his parents wouldn’t agree to it. After all, their family already had two courtyards—one old and one new—and they simply couldn’t bring themselves to ask the village committee for another plot of land.

As they spoke, the group arrived at the well in Banbanhaobang.

There were quite a few people drawing water; after all, with only two wells in the entire village and everyone tending to come at the same time, the crowd was naturally large.

What surprised Li Yi, however, was that the area around the well had changed. Not only were there dozens of large stone troughs set up—presumably for the village’s large livestock—

After all, with so many cattle, sheep, mules, and horses, there simply weren’t enough troughs to go around.

Stepping closer, Li Yi was astonished to discover that a water pump had actually been installed inside the well.

At that moment, the pump was steadily drawing water from the well.

When they saw Zhou Yang approaching, everyone greeted him, and Li Yi returned each greeting in turn.

Uncle Jin Kai, holding the hose, immediately asked Li Yi to bring over a bucket. He aimed the hose at the bucket, and with a steady “whoosh,” both metal buckets were full in less than a minute.

Li Yi then hoisted the buckets onto his shoulders and headed back to the house.

After making four trips back and forth, he finally filled the large water jar inside the house. Li Yi also set two additional buckets aside next to the stove in the kitchen.

By the time Li Yi had finished carrying water, Jiang Xue and his older sister had both gotten up, and his mother had even prepared breakfast—yet not a single one of the three children had woken up.

After a simple breakfast, his father went to the farm to help slaughter pigs and sheep, while his mother headed to the elementary school.

Li Yi didn’t stay home either; he took Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen by car to the county seat, leaving only Jiang Xue and his older sister at home to watch the kids.

Upon arriving in the county seat, Li Yi headed straight for the county police bureau!

In the Criminal Investigation Division’s office at the county bureau, Li Gang was holding the routine morning briefing when suddenly a young police officer pushed open the door, walked over to him, and whispered a few words.

Li Gang immediately stood up, asked the deputy captain to continue leading the meeting, and strode out of the conference room.

As soon as he reached the door of his office, Li Gang spotted Li Yi and immediately said cheerfully, “Brother Li Yi, when did you get back?”

Seeing Li Gang, Li Yi was equally delighted and replied with a smile, “I just got back yesterday afternoon, and I came to see you today!”

“Hahaha, that’s music to my ears!”

Li Gang then opened the office door and said, “Come on in!”

Once inside, Li Gang poured Li Yi a glass of water and said, “I was just hearing Brother Wang talk about you yesterday—I didn’t expect you to show up today!”

“Hahaha, I can’t stand being missed!”

Li Yi then asked, “By the way, is Brother Wang in the county seat right now?”

After placing the cup in front of Li Yi, Li Gang replied, “No, he’s still in Ning City. I just spoke to him on the phone!”

“Brother Wang mentioned he’s being transferred to Beijing. Once you guys are all gone, I’ll be the only one left here. Sigh!”

“What’s the matter? Do you want to go to Beijing too? If you do, I might be able to pull some strings for you,” Li Yi asked with a smile.

If it were anyone else, Li Yi definitely wouldn’t have bothered with such a trivial matter, but when it came to Li Gang, he didn’t mind giving him a hand.

Like Jiang Longcheng, this guy had a straightforward personality and was loyal—he was a friend worth keeping.

More importantly, Li Yi thought of Wang Anguo. He was heading to the capital all by himself, with no one to turn to—not a single person he could trust by his side.

If Li Gang could be transferred there as well, it would be good to have someone to look out for him.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Gang was taken aback for a moment. He had indeed been thinking along those lines and was just considering whether to ask Li Yi for help, but he felt a bit too embarrassed to bring it up.

After all, this was a personnel transfer—from a remote county to the capital—and it would undoubtedly require extraordinary connections, so he really felt a bit embarrassed to bring it up.

But he never expected Li Yi to bring it up on his own—it left him both surprised and deeply touched.

For a moment, Li Gang was so taken aback that he forgot to reply…

……….

“Xiaogouwa!”

Hearing Li Yi’s voice, the person at the door immediately turned around and strode toward Li Yi and the others.

“Uncle Shan Kui, Brother Yi, Sister-in-law, you’re back!” Little Dog said with a smile.

“Hmm, when did you get here? Why didn’t you come inside?” Li Yi asked.

“I just got here a little while ago. It’s so late; I figured Sister Meizi and Grandma must already be asleep, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to go in!” Little Dog said.

Li Yi glanced inside. The light was on in the main room, and he could hear the babbling cries of several children—clearly, they hadn’t gone to bed yet.

“You’re playing hard to get with me now, aren’t you…”

Before Li Yi could finish, Xiaogouwa chuckled and said, “It’s not that I’m ‘playing hard to get.’ It’s just that I just finished mucking out the calf pen and haven’t had time to bathe yet. I smell pretty bad—I don’t want to make the kids choke!”

“You’re definitely playing mind games with me. Come on, let’s go inside and talk!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Let’s not. We’ll just chat here for a bit. I actually have something I’d like to discuss with Brother Yi!” Xiaogouwa said.

“Alright!”

Li Yi then exchanged a few words with Jiang Xue and handed the burlap sack he was holding to his father to take inside.

After that, Li Yi turned to Xiaogouwa and said, “Judging by how you handled that calf today, you’ve picked up some pretty good veterinary skills!”

Xiaogouwa replied, looking a bit embarrassed: “It’s not bad. I’ve seen a lot and treated a lot, so I’ve gotten the hang of it!”

“Practice makes perfect—it’s the same with everything!” Li Yi said.

“Brother Yi, I’m getting married soon!” Xiao Gouwawa said.

“That’s great news. Have you set a date yet?”

“It’s set—the 18th of the 12th lunar month!”

Xiaogouwa continued, “Cui Ping actually wanted to move in sooner, but my mother passed away just last year, so I have to wait until after her first anniversary to get married!”

“That’s only right!”

People in this area take such matters very seriously; some families even observe a three-year mourning period for their elders, but ordinary folks generally avoid holding weddings within the first year.

“Xiaogouwa, what’s your fiancée like?” Li Yi asked again.

A faint smile flashed across Xiaogouwa’s lips as he replied, “She’s average-looking—not exactly pretty—but she’s a really good person!”

“In what way is she good?” Li Yi asked again.

“Well, how should I put it? Although Cuiping is a bit soft-hearted, she’s very kind and good at taking care of others. Most importantly, she doesn’t look down on her younger siblings—that’s what I’m most pleased about!” Xiaogouwa said with a smile.

Clearly, he was very pleased with his future wife.

Hearing this, Li Yi let out a long sigh of relief, then said, “That’s good. If you get the chance, bring her over so I can meet her!”

The reason Li Yi was so concerned about Xiaogouwa’s future wife was mainly because he felt so sorry for his younger brother.

In his previous life, Little Dog would, two years later and through the matchmaking of others, marry a notorious shrew from the neighboring village. After the wedding, that woman ran amok at home, turning Little Dog’s household into a complete mess!

She came from a large family with many sisters and three younger brothers. From the very start of their marriage, she had demanded a hefty dowry from Xiaogouwa, and after they were married, she only got worse, constantly taking things from her husband’s family to support her own.

If that were all, he might have been able to endure it.

But what was truly unbearable was that she also bullied Erdouzi, Daya, and Erya. She forced Xiaogouwa to split from his family and live on his own at the age of 16, and she even nearly sold Daya into servitude.

Because of this, Xiaogouwa, in a fit of rage, broke that woman’s leg, and as a result, he nearly ended up in prison.

Although Xiaogouwa finally divorced that woman in his forties, his life had already been ruined.

That’s why he’s so concerned about what kind of wife Xiaogouwa ends up with—he absolutely can’t let him end up with another nightmare like that from his past life!

“Alright!”

Then, changing the subject, Xiaogouwa asked, “Brother Yi, do you know anyone at the county livestock station?”

“Not at the livestock station, but I know people in other county departments. Have you run into some trouble?” Li Yi asked.

Xiaogouwa nodded and said, “I want to go to the Animal Husbandry Station to study for a while. You know, I learned all my veterinary skills from Cui Ping’s dad. My mentor is fine with large livestock, but he’s not so good with pigs and chickens.”

“My mentor says I have a real knack for being a vet. He thinks if I go to the county livestock station to learn from the experienced vets there, my skills will improve a lot. So I… I…”

“If that’s the case, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I’ll swing by the county seat later and ask around for you!” Li Yi said.

“Thanks a lot, Brother Yi!”

“Don’t mention it. If your skills improve, I’ll benefit too—it’s only right that I help you!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Well… I’ll be waiting for your good news, Brother Yi!” Xiaogouwa said.

“Sure!”

Then Li Yi changed the subject and asked, “By the way, Little Dog, I haven’t seen Yongzi today. Where’s he gone?”

Xiaogouwa grinned and said, “That guy went to the city for a blind date. He won’t be in the village for a few days!”

“In town? That kid’s really come into his own—he’s actually going on a blind date with a girl from the city?” Zhou Yang said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Brother Yi, you might not know this, but ever since you helped our village set up the cattle and sheep farms and boosted the villagers’ incomes, the young men and women here have become quite sought after!”

Xiaogouwa continued, “Back in the day, girls from other villages would turn their noses up the moment they heard a potential suitor was from our Nianzishan Village, and even the girls here wanted to marry into other villages.”

“But now, when girls from other villages hear their match is from our village, they’d rather accept a smaller dowry just to marry here. There are plenty of guys like Dayong who go to the city to find matches. And the girls from our village don’t marry out anymore—they’re bringing in sons-in-law instead. It’s a whole new ballgame!”

Hearing this, Zhou Yang didn’t seem all that surprised.

After all, Nianzishan Village was now a village with its own industries. Even without counting the harvest from the fields, the livestock industry alone had significantly boosted the villagers’ incomes.

Take this year, for instance—it’s only the first half of the year, and each able-bodied villager has already received a share of over 700 yuan. That’s equivalent to more than two years’ income for an urban office worker.

More importantly, many families hadn’t yet split into separate households. Judging by the distribution of money and grain over the past two years, quite a few households had likely already become “ten-thousand-yuan households.”

They say that the economic base determines the superstructure. Now that the villagers have money, their standing in the marriage market has changed. Naturally, it’s become much easier to find a wife, while the conditions for marrying off a daughter have become much more demanding—a perfectly normal phenomenon!

“So when is Dayong coming back?”

“He didn’t say, but I imagine it won’t be long—after all, the village is about to start the harvest!” Xiaogouwa replied.

“You’re right. Then I won’t go looking for him!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Alright, it’s getting pretty late. Brother Yi, I’ll head back now!”

“Alright, drive safely!”

“Alright…”

After watching Xiaogouwa leave, Li Yi strode back into the house.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Li family home, his mother, eldest sister, and the others were in shock over the half-snake-skin bag full of cash…

Nianzi Mountain Village. Village Committee Office!

With the support of Village Party Secretary Feng Kai and Village Chief Zhang Tongfu, and despite the county-wide push for the Household Contract Responsibility System, Nianzi Mountain Village—the only village in the county to retain its production brigade—had begun distributing dividends ahead of schedule.

Before the dividend distribution ceremony began, Brigade Leader Zhang Tongfu announced this year’s distribution principles to all villagers and cooperative members: after deducting the share allocated to Li Yi, the major shareholder, the remaining funds would be distributed according to the “50-50” principle.

The “50-50” principle refers to dividing the total income equally between per-capita dividends and labor-based dividends.

Generally speaking, the “50-50” distribution principle is only suitable for years with good harvests.

This is because during poor harvests, priority must be given to ensuring food rations for the working population, which inevitably reduces the share allocated to per capita rations.

Of course, the same applies to cash dividends.

Clearly, in the view of the village officials, the village’s earnings this year were strong, allowing for a larger share to be allocated to those unable to work.

After announcing the distribution principle, the accountant, Chen Mengying, immediately presented the village’s total income and various expenditures for the first half of the year.

According to the figures released by Chen Mengying, the village’s total revenue for the first half of the year reached 572,700 yuan, with the main sources being cattle, sheep, and pig farming.

After deducting the corresponding costs and the debt of over 700 yuan, the funds available for dividends amounted to 454,000 yuan, while the remaining few hundred yuan in change was set aside for tomorrow’s celebration.

According to the agreement between the village and Li Yi, in addition to repaying his 100,000 yuan investment, the village was to give him half of the profits—that is, 227,000 yuan.

The remaining 227,000 yuan was also to be split in two: one portion was to be distributed to all villagers, with each person receiving 320 yuan.

The other half was to be distributed among the 272 working-age residents, though not equally; instead, it was calculated based on the number of work points they had earned in the first half of the year.

The entire dividend distribution began in the evening and didn’t conclude until 10:30 p.m.!

After handing out the money to the last villager, Feng Kai, Zhang Tongfu, and the others breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Afterward, Feng Kai lit a pipe of dry tobacco and looked at Li Yi with a smile, saying, “We’ve finally distributed this money. Now we don’t have to live in constant fear anymore.”

Zhang Tongfu took a sip of tea and agreed, “You’re right. These past few days, Old Chen and the others have been guarding this money with their guns holstered, taking turns even to go to the bathroom. Now we can finally get a good night’s sleep!”

Chen Mengying grinned and said, “It was a bit tiring, but it was worth it.”

“Hahaha, of course it was worth it. Your Chen family has thirteen members, young and old. Just the per-capita share is over four thousand yuan, and with the labor dividend, each of you will end up with around seven thousand yuan,” Feng Kai said with a smile.

“No, it’s a little over six thousand six hundred yuan—not quite seven thousand!” Chen Mengying said with a laugh.

“That’s still a lot. By the end of the year, with the money from selling grain, your Chen family might just become a ‘ten-thousand-yuan household’!” Zhang Tongfu teased with a laugh.

“Don’t go saying things like that… don’t go saying things like that!” Chen Mengying said in a low voice.

Seeing how cautious he was, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

After the laughter died down, Feng Kai pointed to the half-bag of money packed in a burlap sack on the table and said to Li Yi, “Little Yi, this is your family’s share. Go ahead and take it home!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “No rush. I’ve got a few things I’d like to chat about with Uncle Feng and Uncle Zhang!”

“Yi, just tell us what’s on your mind!” Feng Kai said with a smile.

“Uncle, I think the existing road leading out of our village is in really bad shape. Could we fix it up?” Li Yi asked.

“Hmm, that road does need fixing. It gets so muddy and impassable whenever it rains.”

Then Feng Kai changed the subject and added, “But the autumn harvest is about to begin. Once it’s over, I’ll organize the villagers to haul some sand and gravel to fill in that road!”

At that moment, Zhang Tongfu chimed in, “That road isn’t just used by our village. We could talk to the commune and ask the other villages to contribute some labor so we can all work on it together!”

“I think that’s a good idea. In past years, whenever we’ve had road or bridge construction projects, the whole commune has worked together!” Feng Kai said.

Li Yi immediately chimed in, “Uncle Feng, here’s what I’m thinking: could we build a proper asphalt or concrete road? Gravel roads just don’t last. I remember this road was just repaired last year, and look how bad it’s already gotten this year!”

Hearing this, Feng Kai immediately frowned and said, “Yi, our village is nearly 30 li (15 kilometers) from the county seat. If we were to pave the entire road with asphalt or concrete, it would cost a fortune. Given our village’s circumstances, we simply can’t afford such a huge expense!”

“Uncle Feng, don’t worry about the money. I’ll cover the cost of the road repairs!” Li Yi said.

“You’ll pay for it?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “That’s right. I’ve done a rough estimate. If we’re talking about an asphalt road, we’ll need to hire a professional road and bridge construction company—I’m not entirely sure of the exact cost!”

“But if we go with a concrete road, excluding labor costs, it’ll cost about 3,000 yuan per li. For over 30 li, it’ll be no more than 100,000 yuan!”

“But Uncle Feng, you know I can’t stay home for long. I definitely won’t have time to handle this…”

Before he could finish, Feng Kai spoke up: “Yi, you’d better think this through. We’re talking about 100,000 yuan here!”

“I’ve thought it through!” Li Yi said firmly.

Feng Kai took a few puffs on his pipe, then turned to Li Shankui, who had been sitting silently nearby, and asked, “Brother Shankui, what do you think?”

Li Shankui glanced at Li Yi, then said in a deep, booming voice, “Building a road is a good thing. Since Little Yi has his heart set on it, let him do it!”

“Tang… Xue, what do you think?” Feng Kai asked again.

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “Uncle, I support him!”

Back when they were in Hong Kong, she had heard her husband talk about doing charity work, and he’d said it was a social responsibility that entrepreneurs should shoulder.

Plus, she really admired the way Huang Lixing and Chen Chuhong donated to schools all over the place, so naturally she wouldn’t stand in Li Yi’s way.

Of course, the main reason was that Jiang Xue knew Li Yi’s net worth—a hundred thousand or so was truly a drop in the bucket for her husband, and his “bucket” was a yak’s, the kind with a ton of fur!

At that moment, Li Yi spoke up: “Uncle Feng, I understand your concerns. Don’t worry—100,000 yuan won’t break the bank for me!”

“Hmm, since you’re such a kind-hearted fellow, you don’t need to worry about this. Tomorrow I’ll go to the commune and talk to Director Hao about it, and have him organize some support from the villagers in the other villages!” Feng Kai said.

“Alright, but could you grant me one small favor?” Li Yi asked again.

“What’s the request?”

“Don’t say I paid for this road—just say it was funded by our village collective!” Li Yi said.

“Why’s that? Building roads and bridges is a tremendous act of kindness. Most people would love to erect a monument at every bridge and intersection to promote themselves. Why would you, you silly boy, give that good reputation to the village instead?” Feng Kai asked, puzzled.

“Uncle Feng, I’m already pretty out there in our county. If I keep promoting myself like this, it might not be such a good thing. It’s better to keep a low profile!” Li Yi spoke his mind.

“But…”

“Uncle, just let me do this. I just want to fix up this stretch of road so I can get home faster and more comfortably. There’s no need for all that frivolous nonsense, don’t you think?” Li Yi said.

Seeing how determined Li Yi was, Feng Kai sighed and said, “Since you’re set on doing this, then let’s do it your way!”

“Great!”

With that, Li Yi counted out 100,000 yuan from a plastic bag and handed it directly to Feng Kai.

“Uncle Feng, go ahead and get it done. If you run short on money, just let me know!” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

After taking care of these matters, Li Yi picked up the burlap sack and, accompanied by Jiang Xue, his father, and the others, left the village committee office.

But when he reached the entrance of his new house, he spotted a familiar figure standing at his doorstep from a distance…

……….

The Li family’s dinner was simple: noodles with chili oil, sliced cucumber, and tomatoes tossed in sugar!

Although there was no meat, thanks to Li Yi’s amazing cooking skills, the whole family ate to their hearts’ content.

But before they had even finished eating, the village loudspeaker suddenly blared: “Ahem… Attention, villagers and cooperative members! Everyone, listen up! Each household should send one representative to assemble at the village office immediately—it’s time to distribute the money!”

“Attention, villagers and cooperative members…”

The announcement over the loudspeaker repeated three times before ending. Upon hearing Secretary Feng’s notice, the entire village of Nianzishan was instantly abuzz. Everyone rushed out of their homes and hurried excitedly toward the village committee office.

Ever since the village sold those cattle and sheep two months ago, everyone had been eagerly awaiting the distribution of the proceeds.

It wasn’t that the villagers were so poor they couldn’t make ends meet and were counting on that money to save their lives; it was just that seeing such a large sum sitting there made everyone unable to stop thinking about it!

They had assumed they’d have to wait at least until after the autumn harvest, when it would be distributed along with the village’s other earnings, so they were naturally overjoyed to learn the money was being distributed now.

Upon hearing the news of the village’s distribution, the Li family was naturally overjoyed as well, especially Jiang Xue.

She handed the two clingy little ones over to her older sister and mother, then grabbed Li Yi’s hand and headed out the door.

Seeing this, her father, Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others had no choice but to follow closely behind.

Perhaps it was seeing familiar faces, but Jiang Xue was particularly cheerful today, skipping and jumping all the way, as if she were back in her teens!

Seeing her like this, Li Yi was also very happy.

Perhaps this was how she was meant to be, but alas, life is unpredictable; after going through so much, it was rare to see this carefree side of her anymore.

By the time Li Yi and the others arrived at the village committee office, a large crowd of villagers had already gathered there, surrounding the low, dilapidated building in layers upon layers until it was completely packed.

The crowd included not only young adults but also the elderly and children.

The adults were all focused on what was happening inside the brigade headquarters, while the children were just there to watch the commotion.

They roamed around the village office in small groups, playing and laughing, their shrill shrieks and boisterous laughter audible from a great distance.

Low-roofed mountain cottages, the setting sun, mischievous children, birds chirping and cicadas singing…

Seeing these scenes, that unique atmosphere of the village suddenly washed over me.

Someone shouted, “Xiao Yi is here!” and in an instant, the villagers in the courtyard all turned around and gathered around to greet the young couple.

At the same time, the villagers even made way for them to pass!

Li Yi and Jiang Xue exchanged greetings with the villagers as they made their way toward the village committee office.

Inside, Feng Kai, Zhang Tongfu, and the others had heard the commotion outside. When they saw Li Yi, Jiang Xue, and the others push open the door, they all stood up to greet them.

“Xiao Yi, Xiao Xue, and Brother Shanwei, please sit down—we’ve been waiting just for you!” Feng Kai tapped his clay pipe against the weathered leg of a worn-out table as he spoke.

Li Yi knew his father wasn’t one for many words, so he immediately smiled and said, “We just finished eating. Sorry to keep everyone waiting!”

Feng Kai smiled and said, “No problem. Actually, there aren’t many people in our village—only about seventy or eighty households in total. It wouldn’t take much time to sort things out, but there are a few matters I’d like to discuss with you first, Yi!”

“What kind of advice, Uncle Feng? Go ahead.”

“As you know, every village in Qing Shan County except for our Nianzi Mountain Village has already implemented that household contract responsibility system. Ever since word got out that our village hasn’t split up yet, there’s been no shortage of gossip. I don’t know how many people are just waiting to see us fail.”

Feng Kai continued, “So, I think we should be generous when we distribute the money this time. Once we’re done today, tomorrow our brigade will treat everyone to a special meal—we’ll slaughter a pig and a sheep to let everyone really indulge their appetites. What do you think?”

“Great! We’ve just gotten back and already hit the jackpot. Xiao Xue and I really hit the jackpot here!” Li Yi said with a smile.

He knew Feng Kai wasn’t doing this just to entertain everyone; more than anything, it was to show off their strength to people from other villages, so that Nanzishan Village wouldn’t become the butt of everyone’s jokes.

Naturally, Li Yi was all for it!

At that moment, Feng Kai spoke again: “Also, we want to clear out the village’s food shortage before distributing the money. It’s just that this might put you at a bit of a disadvantage, Xiao Yi!”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Does our village have a famine? Where do we owe money?”

“These debts aren’t the village’s collective debts, but ones the villagers themselves have incurred…”

Before Feng Kai could finish, Li Yi frowned and said, “Since the villagers incurred these debts themselves, why shouldn’t they be the ones to repay them, rather than the village?”

Li Yi wasn’t saying this because he cared about the money. From what he knew of the villagers, they were all honest, hardworking farmers who wouldn’t have accumulated much debt even if they had any.

But the problem was that this wasn’t how things were supposed to be done. It made no sense for the collective to pay off personal debts. If this were to be approved, it would only lead to chaos in the future.

After all, with the collective acting as a safety net, some people would inevitably become reckless!

Just as Feng Kai was about to explain, Zhang Tongfu, the brigade leader, cut in: “Let me handle this. Most of these debts are owed by our village members and educated youths to the health clinic and the county hospital. Logically, they should repay them themselves, but some of the debtors are in their seventies or eighties and have long since lost their ability to work, while others have simply passed away!”

“As for the educated youth, some have returned to the city, while others are in prison—we certainly can’t count on them. But those famine-related debts are all listed under our village’s name. Until they’re paid off, we won’t have a moment’s peace!”

Hearing this, Li Yi suddenly understood—so this was what Uncle Feng and the others had meant by “the famine.”

In fact, this kind of debt wasn’t unique to Nianzi Mountain Village; every production team in the county had it. After all, droughts had plagued the region for years, and with meager harvests barely enough to feed a family, they were helpless when faced with childbirth or illness.

At times like these, the production team would step in, allowing members to run a tab at the hospital and pay it off later when they had the money.

That’s why, in the past, the hospital would send people down every year, carrying ledgers to collect debts village by village.

But in recent years, everyone has been living hand-to-mouth. So while some people have paid off these debts, others have carried them for half their lives—or even their entire lives—never repaying them until their deaths.

Clearly, these village officials didn’t want to carry this moral debt. After all, the hospital was willing to let villagers receive treatment on credit—they were saving people’s lives, and that kindness had to be remembered.

When they had no money, there was little to be said, but now that they have money, what kind of people would they be if they didn’t pay it back!

Most importantly, their Nianzishan Brigade hadn’t simply disbanded on the spot like other production teams. As expected, the stigma of the famine would continue to hang over their village.

Realizing this, Li Yi immediately said, “Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, I understand what you’re saying. I wonder how much these debts total?”

“763 yuan, 80 jiao, and 8 fen!” replied Chen Mengying, the accountant.

Li Yi nodded and said again, “Since it’s this kind of debt, the village will help pay it off. But we need to make it clear to everyone: from now on, for debts like this, you’ll have to figure it out on your own—you can’t rely on the collective anymore.”

Although Li Yi knew that in a few years the state would implement new healthcare reforms, and that with the dissolution of the collective, the state would eventually assume this portion of the debt, he thought that since it was a matter of conscience, they might as well pay it off if they could.

Besides, it wasn’t that much money anyway!

Hearing Li Yi’s response, Feng Kai smiled and said, “Since you agree, Xiao Yi, the Banbanhaobang team will pay this off on behalf of the famine-stricken households. Once we deduct this amount, we can proceed with the distribution!”

“Alright, let’s split it!”

Feng Kai gave a hearty laugh and immediately began organizing the distribution of the funds…

……..

The village’s livestock farm was built right next to Li Yi’s house, divided into a cattle pen and a sheep pen!

The main reason for choosing this location was that the black rocky soil was simply unsuitable for growing crops, so converting it into a farm was a way to put the land to good use.

When Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang arrived at the cattle farm, they could see from a distance that a crowd had gathered by the cattle shed. Besides Li Yi’s father, Li Shankui, there were also the village Party branch secretary, Feng Kai, and the brigade leader, Zhang Tongfu, among others.

Since everyone’s attention was focused on the inside of the barn, they didn’t notice Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang’s arrival.

As they drew closer, Li Yi saw a young heifer lying on the ground inside the shed, panting heavily, while Xiaogouwa was fiddling with something behind her.

Meanwhile, the onlookers were buzzing with chatter:

“The foot came out first—this is trouble!”

“This cow probably won’t make it—she’s already collapsed. What a shame!”

“Ah, animals are just like people—the first birth is always the hardest!”

“You’re absolutely right. It’s been so long—even if it’s born, it’ll probably be stillborn…”

Hearing the crowd’s murmurs and seeing the scene before him, Li Yi had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

It was most likely the cow’s first pregnancy, and she was having a difficult labor!

There wasn’t much he could do to help in a situation like this, so he immediately decided to call his father and head back.

“Dad…”

The sudden voice instantly caught everyone’s attention, and they all turned to look.

When they saw it was Li Yi, Li Shankui immediately grinned and said, “Xiao Yi, why are you back? Where are Xiao Xue and the kids?”

“They came back with me. They’re at home right now!”

As he spoke, Li Yi couldn’t help but sigh. Ever since Yun Rui and Yun Jin had arrived, his standing at home had plummeted.

Especially with his parents—their attention was completely captivated by the two little ones.

Fortunately, he’d brought Jiang Xue and the kids back with him this time; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid a lecture from his old man…

Just then, Feng Kai said, puffing on his pipe, “Yi, you’re back just in time. I was just telling your dad this afternoon that if you didn’t come back soon, I was going to give you a call!”

“Oh, Uncle Feng, is there something on your mind?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Well, first off, we’ve got another batch of cattle and sheep ready for market soon, so I need your guys to come back and haul them out!”

Feng Kai continued, “And second, I wanted to talk to you about splitting the profits!”

“What money?” Li Yi asked instinctively.

“This year, the village sold over 800 head of cattle and more than 2,000 sheep. The money’s all sitting in the collective’s account. It’s such a large sum that we have to station someone to guard it every day—it’s just too unsafe. So we figured we’d better distribute it as soon as possible!” Feng Kai explained.

At that moment, Zhang Tongfu chimed in from the side, “In another two weeks, it’ll be harvest time. Everyone will be busy then, and we simply won’t have the extra manpower to watch over that money. It’s better to distribute it now!”

“So that’s what this is about. Since Uncle Feng and Uncle Zhang both say we should split it, let’s go ahead and do it!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, then let’s go back and sort it out in a bit. We’ll call everyone to the village office tonight to divide the money!” Feng Kai said with a grin.

“Alright…”

Just as they were speaking, a sudden gasp caught their attention, and everyone’s gaze was drawn back to the scene in the cattle shed.

Following the crowd’s stunned gazes, they saw that as the little calf watched the heifer’s strength wane, it actually made a shocking move—reaching in!

That’s right—he was reaching inside!

He actually forced the calf’s half-extended leg back inside, while simultaneously reaching directly into the heifer’s birth canal and fumbling around amidst the crowd’s stunned gazes.

Under normal circumstances, the young heifer certainly wouldn’t have cooperated, but by now she had no strength left and could only let the little boy do as he pleased.

No one knew exactly how the little boy managed it, but after just a short while, he pulled a tiny calf’s head out.

Once the head emerged, the young cow suddenly regained some strength and struggled to her feet.

Seeing this, the young boy grabbed the calf by its head and front hooves and began to yank and pull, forcibly dragging the calf out of the mother cow’s womb!

But after the calf hit the ground, it lay motionless, with only a faint rise and fall in its belly indicating that it was still barely alive.

Just as Li Yi was beginning to think the calf might not survive, he saw Xiaogouwa using his blood-soaked hands to dig and prod at the calf’s mouth and nose.

After a short while, the heifer’s belly began to rise and fall more vigorously, and its previously drooping head lifted slightly.

By then, the adult cow had recovered and walked over to the calf, beginning to lick its body.

A few minutes later, under the older bull’s licking, the calf actually managed to stand up, trembling slightly.

Seeing this, everyone—including Li Yi—was deeply moved.

Someone clapped their hands first, and soon the scene erupted in enthusiastic applause…

After confirming that both the adult and the calf were fine, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Li Yi had intended to exchange a few words with Xiaogouwa, but seeing that he was still busy, he simply gave a brief nod of greeting before leaving the cattle farm with his father.

After leaving the ranch, Li Yi didn’t go home; instead, he and his father headed to the old homestead to pick vegetables.

That’s right—the Li family’s vegetable garden was at the old house. The black rocky soil around the new house wasn’t suitable for growing crops, let alone vegetables.

Fortunately, there were still a few plots of private land at the old house, so his parents had set them aside for growing vegetables.

The father and son chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the old house.

It was late August, and the vegetable garden was in its prime. Whether it was cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, or even cabbages and radishes, everything was lush and thriving, heavy with fruit!

Li Yi first picked a large cucumber, rubbed the prickles off with his hand, and without washing it, bit right into it.

After eating half the cucumber, Li Yi stopped and began picking vegetables.

He picked a few large cucumbers first, then a dozen or so bright red tomatoes. Just as he was about to look for some leafy greens, his attention was drawn to several rows of crops ahead!

Melons?

“Dad, are we growing muskmelons this year?”

Li Yi’s voice was full of delight, and as he spoke, he took long strides toward the melon patch.

“Your mom knows you love these, so she planted two rows just for you. Pick a few ripe ones so Xiaoxue and Zhang can try them too!” his father replied.

“Hahaha, Mom really does spoil me!”

As he spoke, a smile spread across Li Yi’s face, though his nose tingled with emotion.

Locally known as “little melons,” they were his absolute favorite fruit—bar none.

Back when he lived in the village, Li Yi would beg his mother every year to grow some.

Every time, his mother would agonize over whether to plant them or not for quite a while, but she’d always give in and plant a few dozen.

There was no helping it—cantaloupes were water- and fertilizer-intensive and required careful tending. With that time and energy, planting a couple of rows of vegetables was far more cost-effective than growing these.

In short, until the basic needs of food and shelter were met, any fruit was merely a luxury, not a necessity.

Ultimately, it all boils down to one word: “poverty.”

Now that our family has money and our standard of living has improved, my mother is willing to set aside such a large plot of land for growing muskmelons.

So, every single one of these melon plants is brimming with a mother’s love!

In this world, only parents can forget everything else yet always remember their children’s preferences—and prepare for these moments…

After picking two or three dozen ripe melons in one go and husking a dozen or so corn cobs, Li Yi finally returned to the new house with his father and Zhang Ziqiang, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Meanwhile, Village Party Secretary Feng Kai, accompanied by Brigade Captain Zhang Tongfu, accountant Chen Mengying, and others, arrived at the brigade headquarters…

………

Li Yi was a man of strong initiative, and since he was worried he might be invited out that afternoon, he packed his bags, had a quick bite to eat, and left Beijing with his family!

Although Li Yi had traveled this road back to his hometown countless times in both his past and present lives, the scenery along the way still captivated him, never failing to enchant him no matter how many times he saw it.

Li Yi knew that what truly brought him joy and made him linger wasn’t the scenery itself, but the fact that this road led to his hometown—the sanctuary of his soul.

So, even though he had visited the vast majority of countries in the world, witnessed countless wondrous sights, and been awed by the magnificent cultural and natural landscapes of various places, deep in Li Yi’s heart, it was that remote corner of Nianzishan Village that remained the most unforgettable.

At the same time, it was only this road leading to Nianzishan Village that he never grew tired of traveling, no matter how many times he took it.

At 5:30 p.m., the car entered Qing Shan County, with only about ten kilometers left to Nianzi Mountain Village.

But the stretch of road that followed proved to be quite a struggle for everyone. Because it had just rained, the gravel road was littered with potholes, making it particularly difficult to navigate.

Since his eldest sister and her son Ruirui were returning with them this time, along with four bodyguards—two men and two women—Li Yi had driven his third sister’s Mercedes-Benz back as well.

The Jeep leading the way fared well; thanks to its high ground clearance and excellent off-road capability, it wasn’t much affected—it just had to slow down a bit.

But the sedan following behind was in for a rough ride. With its low ground clearance, it had to navigate every puddle with extreme caution.

Even so, the sound of the undercarriage scraping against the ground could still be heard frequently, making it hard not to feel a bit nervous.

Li Yi felt somewhat helpless about the situation; that was just how things were back home—dusty in the dry and muddy in the rain.

With that in mind, Li Yi decided that when he returned home, he would discuss with Uncle Feng the need to properly repair this road.

It wasn’t just that the road was rough—it was dangerous, too.

Especially the mountain section near the village, with several-meter-deep ravines and cliffs dozens of meters high on both sides. Traveling for the villagers is extremely difficult and dangerous; every few years, there are reports of someone’s car rolling into a ravine or someone falling off a cliff.

Moreover, if someone were to fall ill—even with a simple fever—on a road like this, it could easily be fatal.

A few years back, a young intellectual sent to the village was gored in the stomach by a bull in heat. Because the road was so bad, it took too long to get him to the hospital, and he simply couldn’t be saved.

It was one thing when they lacked the means before, but now that he’s making money, he’s fully capable of repairing this lifeline to the county seat.

Of course, as for how to repair the road, Li Yi still wanted to seek the advice of Uncle Feng and Team Leader Zhang.

The fifteen-kilometer journey took the two vehicles nearly an hour to complete, and by the time they drove into the village, it was already 6:30 p.m.

This was right around the time villagers were finishing their work for the day. Seeing the two vehicles drive in along the main road on the west side of the village, many villagers stopped in their tracks, their eyes all fixed on the cars.

Although four years had passed since the reforms began, the economy in many coastal areas had undergone dramatic changes—so much so that in some places, households earning over 10,000 yuan had become commonplace, and there were even quite a few millionaires.

However, changes in inland regions had been limited, especially in remote, impoverished counties like Qing Shan. Perhaps the most significant change there was the distribution of land to elderly farmers and the implementation of the household contract responsibility system.

Apart from a little more hope for the future, life for the villagers hadn’t changed much; they were still struggling to make ends meet, and seeing a car was still a novelty to them…

Zhang Zi, Banbanhao, and Qiang knew how well-liked Li Yi was in the village, so as soon as the car entered the village, they instinctively slowed down.

When Li Yi spotted several men ahead carrying shovels, he immediately called out, “Stop the car,” and then stepped out.

When the villagers saw that it was Li Yi getting out of the car, they gathered around him with delighted expressions.

“Hahaha, I knew it was Xiao Yi coming back—I really guessed right!”

“You didn’t need to guess—who else in Nianzishan Village but Little Yi could afford a car?”

“Exactly. I didn’t even have to guess—I knew right away it was Little Yi coming back…”

…….

Listening to the chatter, Li Yi smiled and asked, “Brother Lei, where are my dad and mom? Have they finished work yet?”

“Your dad went to the county seat with Secretary Feng this afternoon to sell pigs. We don’t know if he’s back yet. Your mom’s over at the chicken farm; she should have finished work by now…”

Before he could finish, another man chimed in, “Shankui and the others came back around four o’clock. They should be home by now!”

“Got it, Uncle Shuqing. I’ll head back now, but I’ll catch up with everyone later!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Alright, head on home…”

After saying goodbye to everyone, Li Yi didn’t linger any longer and drove straight to the gate of the new house.

Sure enough, the front gate was wide open. His mother was feeding hay to the big red mule and the black horse, but there was no sign of his father!

Zhang Yuehong heard the noise outside the gate and immediately stopped what she was doing, looking up toward the entrance.

When she saw the jeep at the entrance, her heart leapt with excitement. She immediately set down the basket she was holding and hurried toward the gate!

After taking just a few steps, she saw her son get out of the car holding a small baby, followed closely by her daughter-in-law and eldest daughter.

Once they reached the gate, Zhang Yuehong couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my goodness! Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “We just wanted to surprise you and Dad!”

Zhang Yuehong immediately scolded him with a laugh, “You rascal, you’re always up to no good, but you should’ve at least given us a chance to prepare! If I’d known you were coming back today, I would’ve had your father pick up some pork when he went to the county seat!”

As she spoke, Zhang Yuehong’s gaze fell on Yun Jin in Li Yi’s arms. She quickly wiped her hands on her clothes before reaching out to stroke the little girl’s fair, delicate cheek. “My precious granddaughter, do you still remember Grandma?”

The little girl was quite obliging; without a hint of shyness, she replied, “Grandma…”

Though it was just one word, her pronunciation was crystal clear, which completely melted Zhang Yuehong’s heart.

She had originally felt that, having just returned from the chicken farm, she was filthy and didn’t dare touch her eldest granddaughter.

But now, hearing her call “Grandma,” she was over the moon. She didn’t care about that anymore. She snatched the little girl from Li Yi’s arms and exclaimed excitedly, “My eldest granddaughter can say ‘Grandma’ now! Good, good, good—what a good girl…”

Just then, Jiang Xue, holding Yunrui, and her older sister, holding Ruirui, also walked over. After another round of warm greetings, the family finally stepped into the courtyard!

Back inside, after placing the children on the kang, Li Yi finally asked his mother, “Mom, where’s Dad? Why haven’t I seen him?”

Zhang Yuehong replied as she washed her hands, “There’s a cow having a difficult birth over at the cattle farm. Your father went over to help!”

Realizing the cattle farm was right next to their new house, Li Yi immediately said, “I’ll go take a look!”

“What’s there to see in a calving? It’s all bloody and messy. You’d better think about what we’re having for dinner tonight!” his mother said.

“Mom, could you knead some dough for me? Let it rest for a bit. I’ll be back in a little while to make oil-drizzled noodles for everyone!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Alright… Oh, by the way, there are cucumbers and tomatoes growing in the vegetable patch at the old house. Pick some on your way back!”

“Okay…”

With that, Li Yi said goodbye to Jiang Xue and headed out the door with Zhang Ziqiang and Zhou Wen…

………

After leaving the bank, Jiang Xue clutched her passbook tightly, her mind still reeling.

Even now, she still found it hard to believe that she had just received a deposit of 100 million yuan.

Counting the over seven million she’d saved up before, the balance in this passbook totaled a whopping 107.8 million yuan. In an era where even those with ten million yuan were rare, she had actually become a billionaire.

This made Jiang Xue feel as though it were all a bit unreal; even after getting back in the car, she still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.

Seeing his wife like this, Li Yi couldn’t help but ask with a smile, “What’s going on? Are you overjoyed or just scared out of your wits?”

“A… bit of both!”

Then, in a lingering tone, Jiang Xue added, “So I’m a billionaire now? That’s just too…”

Jiang Xue didn’t know how to describe her feelings at that moment; they were simply complex and surreal.

However, Li Yi laughed and said, “That doesn’t make sense. I’ve helped you make so much money before and given you so many company shares—the total value of all that is way more than this one hundred million. I never saw you get scared then, so what’s going on today?”

Jiang Xue looked at her husband and replied immediately, “This is different!”

“What’s different?”

“Before, even though you gave me quite a bit of money, it was only a few million—still within my comfort zone. And those tens of millions of dollars we made in New York? We ended up converting it all into stocks and leaving it in the market, so it didn’t really feel like much!”

Jiang Xue continued, “As for those company shares, while they’re certainly valuable, to me they feel somewhat ethereal—like a moon in water or a flower in a mirror: visible but untouchable.”

“But this 100 million yuan is real and tangible—I can withdraw it whenever I want. Obviously, that’s far more impressive!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You’ll get used to it. As our country’s economy shifts into high gear, there will be more and more wealthy people.”

“Hmm, it’s just a bit of a shame for Third Brother and Brother Jianhua—a solid hundred million turned into a mere million!” Jiang Xue sighed.

“A million isn’t exactly chump change. Add that to the two or three million they got last year, and there aren’t many people in the whole country richer than them!”

Li Yi added, “Besides, money corrupts men. If such a huge sum had actually ended up in their hands, given Third Brother and Brother Jianhua’s personalities, who knows how much they would have flaunted it. I think this way is actually for the best.”

“You’re right…”

Suddenly, a thought struck Jiang Xue, and she looked at Li Yi and said, “You… did you do that on purpose?”

“What?”

“Did you intentionally not tell Grandpa and Grandpa on Mom’s side about the money distribution, so the family would confiscate the money Third Brother and Jianhua got?” Jiang Xue asked, looking at him suspiciously.

“No, don’t be ridiculous. Am I the kind of person who’d do that?” Li Yi denied it outright.

As he spoke, Li Yi silently gave his wife a mental thumbs-up. The girl was sharp and clever—she’d figured it out right away.

But there was no way he could admit to it. He remembered all too well the resentful looks those two had given him just a moment ago.

If they found out he’d done it on purpose, he might end up paying through the nose again.

But Jiang Xue was no fool. The moment she saw Li Yi’s expression, she knew she’d guessed right.

But she didn’t press the matter further. On this issue, Jiang Xue stood by her husband—just as Li Yi had said earlier, his cousin and his other cousin were simply a bit unreliable.

If such a large sum of money fell into their hands, they would inevitably spend it recklessly, perhaps even indulging in extravagant excess.

Plus, with all the shady friends they kept, they might actually cause trouble. It was better to hand the money over to the family—that would be the safe bet!

“By the way, you just said that men go bad when they have money. Is that true?”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression froze instantly… Damn it, wasn’t that like shooting himself in the foot?

“Well, it’s not an absolute rule—it depends on the person. Take your husband here, for example…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Xue gave him a half-smile and said, “What’s wrong? I know you’re way richer than Third Brother and Jianhua. Does that mean you’re more likely to go bad than they are?”

“No way!”

Then, Li Yi looked at Jiang Xue with a gentle gaze, causing her heart to race and a bashful blush to slowly spread across her cheeks.

“You… why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Xue asked shyly.

“I’m just blown away by your beauty again!” Li Yi said, looking at Jiang Xue with complete sincerity.

“Whoosh!”

Jiang Xue’s pretty face instantly turned bright red, and her small hands instinctively clutched the hem of her shirt—gone was the confrontational attitude she’d had just moments before.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ziqiang in the driver’s seat and Zhang Feng in the passenger seat looked utterly awkward. This sudden dose of romance caught them completely off guard—it nearly choked them!

“Don’t say that—Brother Qiang and Sister Feng are still here!” Jiang Xue whispered.

“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re all family. Besides, my love for you will never need to be hidden!”

Then, Li Yi spoke again, his face full of tenderness: “Xiao Xue, may I find one heart to love, and never part until we’re old. In this life of mine, Li Yi, you are my simplicity, you are my storms, you are my poverty, you are my glory—and for the rest of my days, my very life is you!”

After all, isn’t that exactly what women love to hear most? And Li Yi had just pulled out the ultimate, timeless line—one that would make any woman swoon!

Sure enough, the moment those words left his lips, Jiang Xue froze in place. Then, her two big, watery eyes locked onto Li Yi, her gaze so sweet it was practically dripping with affection!

Li Yi knew his wife was moved. He reached out and pulled her right into his arms!

If it weren’t for those two 1,000-watt “super lightbulbs” standing there, Li Yi would have loved to “silence” them and give this girl a passionate French kiss!

As for the two people up front, they took another massive hit—it was just too cruel. It’s like luring a dog in just to kill it…

Fortunately, the bank was only a few kilometers from the Li family’s courtyard house—just around the corner.

After dropping Li Yi and Jiang Xue off at their place, Zhang Ziqiang and Zhang Feng both let out a long sigh of relief.

Man, on that short stretch of road, those two in the back didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed, while the two of them were so awkward they almost dug a three-bedroom apartment right out of the ground.

But awkwardness aside, it wasn’t all bad!

Perhaps spurred by the public display of affection they’d just witnessed, the way Zhang Ziqiang and Zhang Feng looked at each other seemed to have changed a bit…

Of course, Li Yi and Jiang Xue were completely unaware of any of this.

When the two of them returned home, they found Big Sister and Yang Miao in the living room, snipping green beans with scissors while watching the three children play.

Seeing the couple walk in, the eldest sister immediately smiled and said, “You’re back?”

“Yeah, Big Sister, are you planning to sun-dry these green beans?”

Li Yi asked as he picked up his precious daughter, who had come running to greet him.

“Yes, I know you love dried green beans stewed with pork belly, and the beans are just right for drying right now, so I bought a little extra!” Big Sister said with a smile.

Hearing that his eldest sister still remembered what he liked to eat even after being married for so many years, a wave of emotion washed over Li Yi.

“Thanks, big sis!”

“We’re family—no need to thank me!”

At this point, his eldest sister sighed softly and said, “The green beans back home must be growing well by now. It’s just a shame we can’t go back—otherwise, using the green beans from back home to make dried green bean strips would be absolutely delicious!”

Hearing this, Li Yi knew his older sister was missing their parents!

At the same time, another thought crossed his mind: barring any surprises, his father-in-law would submit that document this afternoon.

After reviewing the document, that big shot would very likely summon him.

If he stayed in Beijing, it would be hard to refuse; the best course of action would be to get out of town for a while.

It had been over half a year since he’d last visited his parents, so why not take this opportunity to return home? He could visit his family and lie low at the same time—killing two birds with one stone.

With that in mind, Li Yi glanced at Jiang Xue and said, “Xiao Xue, once school starts in a few days, I’d like to go back to my hometown!”

“Why wait until I start school to go back? Don’t you want to take me with you?” Jiang Xue frowned.

“Of course I do! It’s just that school starts in three or four days, and if we go back now, we won’t be able to stay for very long!” Li Yi hurriedly explained.

“I… I want to visit our hometown too. I can always take a few days off. Besides, if you go back without me and the kids, aren’t you afraid Dad will whip you with a cane?” Jiang Xue said with a smug look on her face.

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Although the girl’s words were a bit exaggerated, knowing his father’s temperament, if he went back without bringing his two precious grandchildren, he was sure to get an earful.

“Alright, then. Let’s pack up and leave after lunch!” Li Yi said.

“Okay…”

……….

After leaving the Jiang family’s old mansion, Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief—at least he wouldn’t have to tag along with his father-in-law to meet that big shot.

It wasn’t that Li Yi didn’t understand his father-in-law’s intentions. After all, earning the favor of a true top-tier big shot would bring unimaginable benefits.

Clearly, the old man was expanding his network and paving the way for him.

But Li Yi knew full well that he couldn’t go see that person right now.

There were simply too many things he couldn’t say directly to that person; one misstep, and he might be misunderstood as criticizing the government’s policies.

There was no way around it; the country was currently feeling its way forward, and many policies were indeed baffling.

For instance, even though they knew the nation’s strength was still weak, in order to demonstrate the benefits of reform and opening-up, the authorities began raising workers’ wages and increasing grain purchase prices.

They even went so far as to build villas for veteran revolutionaries, provide them with imported cars, and improve their benefits—it was almost as if a nationwide celebration was about to begin.

But the problem is that all of this requires money. As these large-scale projects and generous welfare benefits were implemented, the national fiscal deficit ballooned from 17.06 billion yuan to hundreds of billions.

Seeing that the national finances were on the verge of collapse, an even more audacious move was made—they turned on the printing presses!

Consequently, banks were constantly tasked with massively increasing the money supply.

To cover the fiscal shortfall, the central bank had no choice but to keep printing more money.

From then on, printing money became as addictive as a drug, turning into a cancerous tumor on the national economy.

Before the reform and opening-up, the total cash in circulation was only 22.959 billion yuan, but by 1985, it had skyrocketed to 83.9 billion yuan. In 1984 alone, the increase in the money supply reached a staggering 39%.

Years of rampant money printing triggered hyperinflation, with many prices at least doubling. Prices for consumer goods such as premium tobacco and alcohol even rose tenfold, leading to “panic buying and hoarding” in some cities.

This was only one aspect of the problem. What was most alarming was that, in order to control the severe chaos in the macroeconomy, the central government was forced to cut investment. In recent years, a large number of medium- and large-scale projects have been suspended or delayed, and even more projects will be scrapped in the future, including strategic projects such as Baosteel, the Shiyan Second Automobile Works, and the Daqing 300,000-ton ethylene plant.

The blind pursuit of scale and foreign technology has caused severe harm to the national economy, hindering the development of strategic industries such as automobiles, electronics, and aviation.

Take Shanghai’s Y-10 aircraft, for example, which was ultimately scrapped after 15 years of development… The Beijing Electron Tube Factory (now BOE) also saw its LCD project fail due to a lack of state investment.

However, an even more severe crisis lay ahead: serious problems in our economy meant we lacked the funds to continue scientific research.

Consequently, we gradually fell behind Western nations in electronic technology, and for the next thirty years, we were forced to endure the humiliation of trading market access for technology.

Under the strict defenses of Western nations, it became extremely difficult for us to acquire advanced technology. Meanwhile, foreign companies, relying on their advanced technology, had free rein in our market and reaped all the benefits.

Take the computer market, for example: in order to acquire more advanced technology, we were forced in the 1990s to drastically reduce tariffs, abolish import and export permits for computer products, and open up the domestic computer market.

As a result, foreign 286 and 386 computers flooded the market, and domestic companies such as Great Wall, Inspur, and Lenovo were completely overwhelmed. The “black price-cutting storm” unleashed by Intel and AMD in 1991 only made matters worse for China’s computer industry.

Since the vast majority of computer manufacturers were left with a backlog of chips purchased at high prices, they were saddled with massive losses. One after another, these companies fell tragically in the midst of this cutthroat competition…

It was precisely because he understood these causes and consequences that Li Yi was extremely cautious when drafting that document, taking care not to use language that was too blunt or inflammatory.

While being a whistleblower is certainly admirable, a look at the history of human civilization reveals that very few whistleblowers have met a good end.

Had he not been born under the red flag and raised in the warm breeze of reform, with patriotism ingrained in his very bones as a genetic memory, he would never have risked writing those words.

After all, given his current standing, even if the entire nation’s economy were to collapse, it wouldn’t affect him in the slightest…

……….

The car drove through the city for over half an hour before pulling up in front of a bank!

This bank was the designated settlement bank for Star Investment Company’s mainland branch, and the vast majority of the company’s financial transactions were processed here.

As soon as he arrived, Li Yi spotted Jiang Longcheng’s car at the bank’s entrance and knew they hadn’t finished their transaction yet.

Well, that’s it—Jiang Longcheng’s hundred million is gone for good!

Noticing that Jiang Shiying had already gotten out of the car behind them, Li Yi immediately got out as well and followed her into the bank.

Once inside the lobby, however, they didn’t see An Hong, Jiang Longcheng, Ye Jianhua, or the others. It stood to reason that super-VIP clients like them wouldn’t be conducting business in the main lobby.

With that in mind, Li Yi briefly explained his identity to the teller. Upon learning he was from Star Investment and had come to see An Hong and the others, someone immediately came over and escorted them to the second floor.

Upstairs, accompanied by the bank manager, An Hong and the others were in the process of processing their dividend payments.

After all, in addition to depositing 100 million yuan in each of their four accounts, they also needed to withdraw a portion of the funds in cash to reward the entire project team.

However, just as the transaction was about to be completed, they saw Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng, and the others walk in through the door.

Upon recognizing who had arrived, everyone stood up to greet them!

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jiang Xue tugged at Li Yi’s arm and asked, “Why did you bring Dad along?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Dad came to see Third Brother!”

Hearing this, Jiang Longcheng immediately asked, “Uncle San, is there something you need from me?”

Jiang Shiying glanced at him and said with a smile, “I heard you’ve struck it rich, so the old man sent me to take a look.”

Instantly, a sense of foreboding welled up in Jiang Longcheng’s heart!

Knowing the old man as he did, he feared he wouldn’t be able to keep that money.

But when he thought about the fact that it was a hundred million, he still wanted to put up a fight.

“Well, it’s just a small amount—not much at all!”

As he spoke, Jiang Longcheng shot a glance at Li Yi and Ye Jianhua standing nearby, signaling them to cover for him.

However, Jiang Shiying had noticed all his little gestures. He didn’t want to waste words on this kid and cut straight to the point: “You’ve really gotten big-headed, haven’t you? A hundred million is just pocket change to you now?”

“Uncle San, you already know?” Jiang Longcheng asked, a touch of embarrassment in his voice.

As he spoke, he shot Li Yi a resentful glance, but Li Yi pretended not to notice.

“Alright, the old man asked me to pass on a message: if you can’t handle this hundred million, keep a million for yourself and hand the rest over to the family!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Uncle Li, come on. You could at least let me keep half. A million is way too little…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Shiying cut him off: “One million is the Old Master’s order. If you’re not happy with it, you can go back and talk to him yourself!”

Jiang Longcheng’s mouth twitched involuntarily. The Old Master was the absolute authority at home—how could he possibly dare to defy him?

If he actually dared to, a beating with a belt would be inevitable!

“I… I’m not objecting!” Jiang Longcheng said with a helpless expression.

Ye Jianhua, standing nearby, couldn’t help but chuckle at his hapless expression.

However, his smile hadn’t lasted three seconds before he heard Jiang Shiying say to him, “Don’t you dare laugh at him, kid. Your dad’s already on his way here; he should be here in three to five minutes.”

The smile on Ye Jianhua’s face vanished instantly, and he turned to look at Li Yi with an equally resentful expression.

Seeing this, Jiang Longcheng—who had been in a gloomy mood—burst into a carefree laugh…

……….

At the Jiang family’s ancestral home, Li Yi followed his father-in-law to the old man’s side and addressed him directly: “Grandfather, I’ve come to see you!”

Hearing the voice, Old Master Jiang immediately opened his eyes.

He had been listening to the opera with his eyes closed and hadn’t seen Li Yi come in.

Upon seeing Li Yi, he immediately smiled and said, “It’s Little Yi! Have a seat!”

Li Yi didn’t hesitate and immediately sat down on a small stool nearby.

Seeing this, Jiang Shiying sat down on the low wall of the flower bed nearby and handed the document Li Yi had written to the old man.

“Father, this was written by Yi. I think it’s very well written and quite forward-thinking!”

The old man’s eyesight wasn’t very good, so he didn’t take the document Jiang Shiying was offering; instead, he asked directly, “Tell me, what’s so good about it?”

Jiang Shiying gathered her thoughts and said, “According to Xiao Yi’s analysis, China’s economy will experience a wave of rapid growth following the reform and opening-up, with growth rates of at least 10%—and possibly as high as 15%. This aligns perfectly with the data I obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics!”

“Secondly, Xiao Yi has also analyzed the reasons behind this rapid economic growth. He believes the current pace is driven by the household contract responsibility system, which has spurred economic reform in rural areas and unleashed the vitality of the rural economy.”

“Coupled with the continuous rise in urban residents’ income and consumption levels, the ongoing reform of state-owned enterprises, increased labor productivity, and the constant release of urban residents’ consumption demand, the economy is developing rapidly… and this is almost entirely consistent with the analysis above!”

The old man nodded without comment, but then asked, “What do you mean by ‘forward-looking’?”

“Xiao Yi also mentioned potential problems our economy might face at this stage. I find this particularly meaningful—especially his view that our current obsession with massive investments and large-scale projects is highly inappropriate and could very well lead to a severe economic disaster. We must remain vigilant…”

As Jiang Shiying finished recounting Li Yi’s “predictions” in one breath, the old man’s face remained impassive, but inside, a storm of emotions had already begun to rage.

Just a few days earlier, when he had met with his old superior and friend, the other man had raised these very concerns and expressed similar deep anxiety.

More importantly, his old friend’s explanation had been far less clear than that of his own grandson-in-law. No wonder Old Chen had insisted on hearing this young man’s perspective.

After a long moment, the old man finally looked at Li Yi and said, “I never expected that besides being good at making money, you also have such keen economic insight. It’s a shame you’re not taking a position in local government!”

“Please spare me, sir. I really don’t have what it takes to be a government official!”

Li Yi continued, “Besides, this is just me daydreaming—it’s just my personal opinion. You and my father shouldn’t take it too seriously!”

Although Li Yi hadn’t officially entered the system, in his previous life he had held quite a few positions within the establishment—such as a CPPCC delegate, chamber of commerce president, and charity ambassador.

Even without being an official, there were still a ton of hassles—enough to drive anyone crazy.

Moreover, the bureaucratic world is all about social graces and playing the game—saying one thing to one person and another to another, being strict with subordinates and fawning over superiors!

Although he was smooth and worldly-wise, he had strong principles and simply wasn’t cut out for work within the system, so becoming an official was out of the question!

The old man glared at him and said, “It’s good for a young person to be humble, but being too humble and losing your youthful vigor is no good.”

“You’re just a kid in your twenties—even if you were to tear the sky apart, no one would say a word. Why are you walking around all timid and shrinking like some old geezer? It’s no fun!”

“I’m just trying to avoid trouble,” Li Yi said with a smile.

As he spoke, however, Li Yi was inwardly ranting: You have no idea how terrifying that campaign next year will be—millions arrested, tens of thousands dragged out to be shot, and even the underworld will have a line of people waiting to check in.

Among those who were “eliminated,” there were plenty of children of high-ranking officials, and even more young people in their teens and twenties—they were the “kids” you keep talking about. But when that time actually comes, who’s going to care about that!

At that moment, Jiang Shiying looked at Li Yi and asked, “Xiao Yi, will the economic disaster you mentioned in the document really happen?”

Li Yi paused briefly, then said, “It will!”

Actually, given his personality, he didn’t really want to answer so definitively and decisively. After all, saying that would be like cutting off all his own escape routes, which didn’t quite align with his usual principle of moderation—never committing fully to anything.

But considering the gravity of the matter, and since he’d already put it in writing, giving a definitive answer didn’t seem like such a big deal.

“Will the consequences really be as severe as you say?” Jiang Shiying asked again.

“They might be even more severe than I’ve described!”

Li Yi knew full well just how reckless the higher-ups had been acting over the past two years.

With foreign exchange reserves of just over 900 million dollars, the State Planning Commission had proposed a plan to spend 6.5 billion dollars over the next eight years to import technology and equipment from abroad.

And when this plan was discussed at a high-level meeting, the figure was increased to $10 billion, with the justification that importing equipment would boost China’s oil, coal, and light industrial output to earn more foreign exchange.

Later still, the import portion of this plan was raised to $15 billion.

And that wasn’t the end of it. During the implementation of the plan, the higher-ups decided that if they were going to do business and trade with foreign countries, they might as well go big—forget $15 billion, let’s aim for $50 billion.

Subsequently, the State Planning Commission preliminarily compiled and finalized a plan totaling $85 billion. Yet at present, our country’s fiscal revenue stands at just over 120 billion yuan, and the Baosteel project alone requires an investment of 30 billion yuan—this is simply beyond our national capacity to bear!

How is this any different from the Great Leap Forward of over a decade ago? It’s no wonder some have dubbed the economic activities of this period the “Foreign Leap Forward”—it’s nothing short of blind recklessness!

It is precisely because he is aware of these facts that he mentioned them in the document.

Jiang Shiying understood Li Yi’s character well enough to know that the young man was always low-key and cautious. Since he was so certain now, it meant that this terrifying scenario was indeed highly likely to occur.

With that in mind, he glanced at the old man and said, “Father, I’d like to pay a visit to Uncle Chen in a little while. Would you like to come along?”

The old man shook his head and said, “I won’t be going. I’m getting on in years and don’t feel like moving around. You, however, should take this young man with you!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yi immediately shook his head and said, “Grandpa, I have something else to do later…”

“Don’t you want to know who your ‘Grandpa Chen’ really is? Besides, you’re just a slacker—what could possibly be so urgent?” the old man said, glaring at him.

“Grandpa, you might not know this, but we’re splitting the profits for our project today. My third older brother and Jianhua have already gone over—they’re just waiting for me!” Li Yi said, half-jokingly.

Although he could guess that the identity of the “Uncle Chen” his father-in-law mentioned was certainly no ordinary person, Li Yi had no intention of meeting him.

The reason was simple: he didn’t want the hassle.

He could imagine that after meeting him, he’d inevitably be saddled with a whole bunch of tasks—and he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

After all, the man was both a big shot and an elder—it would be genuinely hard to bring himself to say no.

Dealing with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange was already a headache enough; he really didn’t want to invite more trouble onto himself.

“What money are you talking about?”

“Third Brother, Jianhua, and I worked on a project together. Now that we’ve made a profit, we’re ready to split the money!” Li Yi said.

“It’s just one project—how much could it possibly be? With a net worth of hundreds of billions, do you really care about such a small amount?”

“One hundred million…”

The old man’s expression visibly froze, and he asked, puzzled, “What one hundred million?”

“What I mean is, each of us gets to split one hundred million this time!” Li Yi explained.

After a long pause, the old man asked, his face filled with shock, “Are you saying Longcheng and that kid Jianhua each get 100 million too?”

“Yep!”

The old man immediately turned to Jiang Shiying and said, “Third Brother, don’t go to Old Chen’s place just yet. Go with this kid instead!”

“Why?”

“That good-for-nothing Longcheng can’t handle a hundred million. Leave him a million, and have him turn the rest over to the family!” the Old Master ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

“While you’re at it, give Old Ye a call. As for whether the Ye family should make that kid Jianhua hand over his share, that’s entirely up to Old Ye!”

“Alright, I’ll call him right now!”

Li Yi, standing nearby, was instantly stunned by this!

It’s like the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—it’s too cruel, too brutal. He couldn’t help but silently mourn for Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua for three whole minutes…

……….

Late at night, all the other rooms in the Li family courtyard were quiet, but the light in the study was still on.

Dressed in his pajamas, Li Yi sat upright at his desk, deep in thought, his pen occasionally scratching out a few lines on the manuscript paper.

He was recalling the trends of China’s economic development in the 1980s during his previous life, as well as the setbacks he had experienced, while simultaneously drafting a plan.

Li Yi took the task his father-in-law had entrusted to him very seriously.

Since returning, he had come to realize that what his father-in-law wanted was most likely not intended for Jiang Longyin. Setting aside Jiang Longyin’s personality—if he truly needed it, he certainly wouldn’t go through his father-in-law; he would have asked for it himself.

Furthermore, given Jiang Longyin’s current rank, even if he were to ask, it wouldn’t be about such a broad issue, but rather—as was the case last time—seeking specific solutions to problems.

Put simply, such macro-level matters weren’t something Jiang Longyin needed to concern himself with.

So Li Yi came to the conclusion that Jiang Longyin was just a front—this item wasn’t meant for him at all.

But even having seen through this, Li Yi didn’t refuse. Regardless of who his father-in-law ultimately intended to give the item to, since he had already offered, Li Yi couldn’t turn him down.

Soon, the draft was ready.

Li Yi then picked up the cold tea on his desk, gulped it down in a few quick sips, and immediately began writing furiously…

He didn’t know how much time had passed when the grandfather clock in the room chimed a few times.

Hearing the sound, Li Yi put down his pen and looked up.

He glanced at his watch—it was already past three in the morning.

He yawned, stood up, and stretched. After putting away the finished manuscript, he turned off the light with a satisfied smile and returned to his bedroom…

………..

The next morning!

In his sleep, Li Yi felt someone calling his name.

Opening his eyes, he saw it was his wife.

Still half-asleep, he reached out and pulled Jiang Xue, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, into his arms, giving her a quick kiss on her pretty face.

Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, a blush instantly spread across Jiang Xue’s face. When she felt her husband’s large hand slip beneath her clothes, she knew that if she didn’t stop him, the “high ground” would soon fall.

“Stop fooling around! Wake up quickly—Third Brother and Sister-in-law An Hong are here!”

As she spoke, Jiang Xue’s hand firmly restrained Li Yi’s large hand, preventing him from moving.

Li Yi, who had been half-asleep, snapped awake the moment he heard Jiang Xue’s words.

Opening his eyes again, he glanced at the large clock hanging on the wall. Good grief, it was almost ten o’clock.

“It’s ten o’clock? Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?”

Li Yi said as he crawled out from under the covers to get dressed.

“You stayed up most of the night yesterday, so I wanted you to sleep in a little longer!”

Jiang Xue replied as she helped him make the bed.

Working together, Li Yi was soon dressed and had finished his morning routine.

When he stepped out of the room, Li Yi saw that An Hong, Jiang Longcheng, and Ye Jianhua were all there.

As soon as they saw Li Yi, they immediately gathered around him, each with a look of excitement on their face.

Seeing their expressions, Li Yi knew that there was progress on the bonus matter.

Sure enough, An Hong cut straight to the point: “General Manager Lan has signed off on it—she’s approved our commission!”

“Hmm, so does that mean we’re getting paid today?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible!”

An Hong then explained, “I just went to the bank, and they said they don’t have that much cash on hand. They asked us to give them three days to transfer the funds!”

Li Yi paused for a moment and said, “Why do they need to raise funds? We don’t necessarily need cash—can’t the bank just open a passbook for us?”

Hearing this, An Hong’s face flushed red, and she said sheepishly, “I was so focused on withdrawing the money to distribute it that I forgot we could just deposit it directly into a passbook!”

Li Yi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, imagining the chaos that would ensue if they actually withdrew several hundred million yuan in cash.

Although the fourth series of banknotes had already been issued and was in circulation—with the highest denomination being the 100-yuan note—it was still a rare sight. The third series remained the dominant currency in circulation.

Just imagine the sight of hundreds of millions of “Great Unity” notes piled up together—it would be a truly staggering spectacle. If anyone saw that, there’d be no way to keep a low profile!

“Bro-in-law, what should we do now?” Jiang Longcheng asked.

“No problem. You guys go with Sister-in-law An Hong to the bank right now. Have them deposit the dividend money into your passbooks, and you can withdraw it whenever you need it!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, let’s go right now!” Jiang Longcheng said excitedly.

At that moment, Li Yi turned to look at An Hong and said, “Sis, I’ve looked into Brother Wang’s situation. Transferring him over shouldn’t be a problem, but there are a few things you need to think carefully about.”

Li Yi then recounted everything Jiang Shiying had told him the previous day to An Hong.

After Li Yi finished speaking, he expected An Hong to go back and discuss it with Wang Anguo, but to his surprise, she said directly, “Xiao Yi, we’ve already thought this through. If he’s willing to make sacrifices for our family, just have him transferred over!”

“Alright, since you’ve already decided, I’ll start making the arrangements!” Li Yi said.

“Great!”

Li Yi nodded, then glanced at Jiang Xue beside him and said, “Xiao Xue, you go with my sister-in-law and the others too. Bring your passbook and ID!”

Jiang Xue was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Are you asking my sister-in-law to give the money directly to me?”

“Yeah, just keep the savings book with you for now. I’ll come to you when I need it!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Well then…”

Jiang Xue was about to say something else, but seeing Li Yi’s determined expression, she nodded immediately.

“Brother-in-law, aren’t you coming with us?” Jiang Longcheng asked.

“No, thanks. I still need to swing by the old house in a bit. We’ll catch up later!” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

After seeing An Hong, Jiang Xue, and the others off, Li Yi said goodbye to his eldest sister, asking her and Yang Miao to look after the three children, then headed out with Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others.

When Li Yi and the others arrived at the Jiang family’s old house, Jiang Shiying was squatting in the courtyard washing clothes, while the old man sat by the flower bed, basking in the sun and listening to the mumbling opera tunes coming from the radio.

Li Yi wasn’t particularly interested in opera himself, so he couldn’t tell whether the old man was listening to Peking Opera or Shanxi Opera.

Seeing Li Yi enter, Jiang Shiying immediately asked with a smile, “Why are you here alone? Where are Xiaoxue and the kids? Why didn’t they come?”

“Xiao Xue had something to do this morning, so she went out with Third Brother and the others. My eldest sister is looking after the kids!”

Then Li Yi added, “I’ve already written what you asked for, so I brought it over while I had some free time!”

Hearing this, Jiang Shiying knew the young man must have figured something out.

However, seeing that Li Yi had no intention of asking further questions, he didn’t explain. Instead, he wiped his hands and took the stack of manuscripts Li Yi handed him.

Standing right there in the courtyard, Jiang Shiying carefully read through the documents.

The more he read, the more surprised he became. Although he was now a discipline inspection official and no longer in charge of local economic development, he had previously served as a county magistrate and director of the prefectural Party committee and administrative office, so he was by no means ignorant of local affairs.

Based on his experience, his son-in-law’s analysis of the nation’s future economic development in the article was spot-on, and his summary of current economic trends was particularly insightful and accurate.

But what alarmed him most were his predictions regarding future economic trends and his bold analysis of potential setbacks. If things truly unfolded as his son-in-law described, the value of this document would be extraordinary.

With that in mind, Jiang Shiying abandoned his laundry and led Li Yi straight to the old man sitting nearby with his eyes closed, listening to the opera…

………

As soon as Jiang Shiying entered, he looked at Li Yi and asked, “When did you get here?”

“Just walked in. Didn’t you go out, Dad?”

In Li Yi’s view, an official of Jiang Shiying’s rank must have plenty of social engagements. Plus, since he’d finally made it back for a visit, the dinner invitations must have been coming one after another.

“No, I was just chatting with the old man for a bit. I heard some noise over here, so I came to check it out!”

Then Jiang Shiying changed the subject and asked, “Didn’t you leave with Longcheng and Jianhua? Didn’t those two rascals take you out for a spin?”

Li Yi shook his head. “No. We spent the whole afternoon having tea at Third Brother’s place. Someone invited them out to dinner tonight, so I came over to the old house!”

“They didn’t take you with them?” Jiang Shiying frowned.

“Third Brother did invite me, but I turned him down!” Li Yi replied honestly.

“Why? Longcheng and Jianhua’s friends are all scions of prominent families in the capital. It would be beneficial for you to mingle with them more!”

However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “Dad, I understand what you mean, but I don’t want to have too much to do with them for now!”

“For now?”

“Yes. First, the timing isn’t right, and second, I’m not ready yet!”

Seeing the puzzled look on his father-in-law’s face, Li Yi immediately explained, “Father, do you know about the matter where Third Brother and Jianhua asked me to help them make money?”

“I’ve heard about it. It seems you made a million or two with them last year. That kid Longcheng even bragged about it to me!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Then do you know how much I’ve made with them this year?”

“How would I know that!” Jiang Shiying said with a laugh.

“One hundred million. To be precise, one hundred and fourteen million each!”

At those words, both Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun beside him looked dumbfounded, and even Jiang Xue wore the same expression.

Earlier that morning, while Li Yi and An Hong were discussing this matter, Jiang Xue had been in the living room with Zhang Xinyao and Lin Ying, so she hadn’t known the exact figures for the trade show’s profit split.

It took a while for Jiang Shiying to recover. She asked, her voice a bit flustered, “Are you really going to give those two good-for-nothings over 100 million each?”

“It’s not that I’m giving it to them—according to our partnership agreement, they’re entitled to that much!”

Li Yi then shifted the subject and continued, “Dad, although my affairs have been kept strictly confidential at the highest levels, many foreign powers are fully aware of them. In fact, numerous newspapers and media outlets have reported on them. I imagine many of the major families in the country are already well aware of my capabilities!”

“Plus, the fact that I’m helping Third Brother and Brother Jianhua make money can’t stay under wraps for long. Once word gets out, I’ll inevitably become a prize in the eyes of all the major families—everyone will want a piece of me. It’s not a good time to get involved with them right now!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiying fell silent.

He hadn’t actually considered the points Li Yi raised, but with his experience, he understood that his son-in-law’s concerns were by no means groundless—they were entirely justified.

It was entirely foreseeable that once Li Yi was thrust into the spotlight, and as his identity and capabilities became known, the major clans would inevitably swarm him, begging him to help them make money.

Just as Li Yi had said before, no major family could develop without money.

Once that happened, it would be a real headache to handle.

After all, people are not all equal; even a sage would struggle to treat everyone impartially, let alone an ordinary person.

If handled poorly, it could lead to offending people, and this “banbanhaobang” would truly backfire.

At that moment, Jiang Shiying looked up at Li Yi and said, “Your concerns are valid to a certain extent, but simply keeping a low profile isn’t a solution either. Don’t forget—you’re no longer just one person.”

“Dad, what do you mean by that?”

“Xiao Yi, it’s not just the people from your company who revolve around you now—it includes thousands of others, including Zhou Rui, Yang Qian, and Director Xu!”

Jiang Shiying continued, “You can choose to keep a low profile for all sorts of reasons—you can even decline the credit for the ‘Scythe Hand’ operation—but what about them?”

Hearing this, Li Yi froze in place.

That’s right—he might not care about the credit or the bonuses, but others do!

They had worked so hard and diligently, even risking their lives on missions, only to have a year’s worth of effort go to waste because he, the central figure, had given it all up.

Li Yi couldn’t help but think of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. At first, Old Zhao hadn’t intended to replace the Chai family, but he had no choice—his subordinates wanted promotions, so they staged a coup by draping him in the yellow robe, forcing him to ascend as Emperor Taizu of Song.

Had Old Zhao refused, the outcome might have been entirely different—he might not even have survived, since by then he had already blocked his subordinates’ career paths.

His current situation was much like Old Zhao’s—truly, the tree wants to stand still, but the wind won’t let it!

After a long pause, Li Yi finally said, “Father, I understand, but I need to think this through carefully before making a decision!”

“Good!”

Then Jiang Shiying added, “No matter what you ultimately decide, the Jiang and Ye families will always be your strongest support!”

“Thank you, Father!”

“We’re family—no need for formalities. Though I’d like to see you take center stage, your wishes come first!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Alright!”

Then, Li Yi changed the subject and said, “Father, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with!”

“What is it?”

“I’d like to ask you to help me transfer someone to the Beijing Municipal Bureau. I’m not sure if that’s possible,” Li Yi said.

“Is it that comrade surnamed Wang, or the one from Yong County…”

“It’s Wang Anguo. His wife, An Hong, works under me. Since they’ve been living apart for so long, An Hong asked me to help get Wang Anguo transferred to Beijing!” Li Yi explained.

At that moment, Jiang Xue also spoke up: “Dad, Sister-in-law An Hong and Brother Wang have always looked out for us. Back when we were secretly selling liangpi in the county town, it was Brother Wang who kept an eye on us behind the scenes. Otherwise, we would’ve been arrested long ago. If you can do anything, please help them!”

Jiang Shiying always took his daughter’s words very seriously. He replied, “I never said I wouldn’t help. It’s just that we need to think this through carefully. Once he’s transferred here, it’ll be really hard for him to go back!”

“Father, what do you mean?”

“Xiao Yi, I’m aware of Comrade Wang Anguo’s situation. He’s doing quite well in Ning City. If things go as expected, he should be able to take the top position at the Ning City Public Security Bureau within five years. Do you really want to transfer him to Beijing?”

Before Li Yi could answer, Jiang Shiying continued, “For our Jiang family, getting him transferred to Beijing wouldn’t be difficult. But once he’s there, at his current rank, the best he could hope for is a position as a police station chief. Plus, he has no political connections or network there—he’d have to start all over from scratch!”

After hearing Jiang Shiying’s words, Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Father, I’ll discuss this with An Hong and Wang Anguo and let them decide for themselves!”

“Alright, let me know once things are settled,” Jiang Shiying said.

“Alright!”

Just then, Ye Lingyun said with a smile, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Xue, I’ve asked the kitchen to prepare a bit extra. Why don’t you stay for dinner before heading back?”

Li Yi had other things on his mind, and since he hadn’t seen his two little treasures all day, he replied immediately, “Mom, not today. I want to get back early to check on Yunrui and Yunjin!”

“Alright then. If you’re not too busy, bring the kids back to the old house for a visit!” Ye Lingyun said.

“Sure…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Shiying spoke up again: “Don’t forget about your second brother’s matter. If you can, write it up as soon as possible so I can take a look too!”

“Alright, I’ll think about how to write it when I get back tonight!”

After saying that, Li Yi left the Jiang family’s old mansion with Jiang Xue…

………

In Jiang Longcheng’s study, the conversation continued.

After the silence, Jiang Longcheng asked again, “Brother-in-law, is there still any hope for that guy Yang Hua?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “It’s a long shot! And even if there’s a chance to turn things around, I wouldn’t recommend you get involved in this.”

Yang Hua’s transgressions fall into two main categories. First is his chaotic personal life.

Decades from now, this wouldn’t be a big deal—just look at Principal Wang, who makes the trending list every few days for switching girlfriends.

But most people view such matters with a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment. At worst, they might call Principal Wang a reckless playboy or a cad, but they wouldn’t consider him a criminal.

But things are different these days. Poor personal conduct is considered a violation of the law, and Yang Hua’s biggest problem is—coercion.

Even decades from now, this would be unforgivable. You can be accused of rape even if you’re engaged and have slept together—let alone in this era of simple, wholesome values, where coercion is a truly grave sin.

Moreover, Yang Hua didn’t just coerce one person. Faced with the raging public outcry, who could save him?

The Yang family couldn’t do it, and Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua certainly couldn’t either. If they tried to save him and failed, they might even be seen as accomplices—and that would be a real mess.

Of course, if this had happened before the incident, Li Yi wouldn’t have minded helping him—he would have seen it as helping those young girls he’d forced himself upon.

But now, with less than a year left before the truth came out—and given that, according to official reports from his previous life, Yang Hua’s misdeeds had been going on for years—it was clearly too late!

So Li Yi really didn’t want to get involved in this, nor did he want Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua to recklessly play the hero.

However, upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua looked somewhat distressed.

After all, they were childhood friends who’d grown up together. Watching him walk step by step toward the gallows, their feelings were easy to imagine…

After a long moment, Jiang Longcheng finally spoke up: “Brother-in-law, since you know the Yang family’s background, you must also realize that if we save Yang Hua, it would bring significant benefits to our family!”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “Third Brother, I know you feel sorry for him and want to help, but helping someone comes with the condition that it won’t bring trouble down on us. Unfortunately, his situation is a death trap—it’s not something we can get involved in!”

Jiang Longcheng looked at Li Yi and asked, “Brother-in-law, what kind of heinous crime did that bastard commit that even the old Yang family can’t protect him?”

“Lust is a double-edged sword,” Li Yi said coolly.

“Because of a woman?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Upon receiving Li Yi’s affirmative answer, Jiang Longcheng instinctively glanced at Ye Jianhua—Li Yi had said the same thing about him before.

But back then, his brother-in-law had only said that Jianhua was headed for prison—he hadn’t mentioned a threat to his life. Clearly, whatever Yang Hua had done was far more serious than Jianhua’s offense.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Longcheng spoke again: “By the way, brother-in-law, you looked a bit off during the banquet just now. Did something happen?”

Li Yi sighed and said, “The new son-in-law at Old Liang’s house isn’t right.”

Jiang Longcheng’s heart skipped a beat. He swallowed hard and asked, “Are you saying that girl Qiu Yue’s boyfriend is in for trouble too?”

“Yes. He has the mark of a short life, and just like Yang Hua, his brow is dark, and a deathly aura surrounds him!” Li Yi said.

“This… Brother-in-law, please don’t scare us. Why is it that everyone we’ve run into today is like this?” Jiang Longcheng said, his expression filled with horror.

Li Yi shook his head and said, “I don’t want to say this either, but that’s the reality!”

At that moment, Ye Jianhua chimed in, “Brother-in-law, even though Qiu Yue is older than us by seniority, we grew up together. We all treat her like our own sister. If possible, please try to help her fiancé!”

Jiang Longcheng agreed, “Right. Qiu Yue’s fiancé just graduated from military academy. He’s an upright guy and treats Qiu Yue well. If we can help, let’s do it!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “That’s not a problem, but I’ll have to go back and think about exactly how we can help!”

“Alright, just let us know if there’s anything we can do to help!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Alright…”

Just then, a rapid ring of a telephone came from the living room outside.

Immediately afterward, Zhang Xinyao called out toward the study: “Brother Longcheng, the phone—it’s for you!”

Jiang Longcheng immediately replied and hurried out, leaving Li Yi and Ye Jianhua in the study chatting idly…

A few minutes later, Jiang Longcheng returned to the study!

As soon as he walked in, Ye Jianhua asked with a smile, “Who was that? So urgent?”

“Yang Hua!”

Then Jiang Longcheng glanced at Li Yi and said, “He said since he’s finally back for a visit, he wants to take me out for drinks tonight—and he asked me to invite the two of you along too!”

After he finished speaking, both of their gazes fixed on Li Yi.

“I’ll pass. I need to go pick up Xiaoxue from the old family home in a bit, and there’s also the matter of Wang Anguo’s cross-regional transfer—I need to run it by Grandpa or my dad!” Li Yi said.

Jiang Longcheng nodded and said, “Since you’ve got important business to attend to, go ahead and take care of it!”

“Uh-huh…”

Just then, Ye Jianhua spoke up, “By the way, Xiao Yi, should we give Yang Hua a heads-up?”

“Sure, but I’d advise you to keep it brief. Don’t get your hopes up too high. After all, the Buddha saves those with karmic ties, and medicine can’t cure the dead. A child who’s destined to die will have purple lips!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, we’ll keep that in mind!” Ye Jianhua said.

Li Yi added, “Going out for drinks or a meal is fine, but remember not to get mixed up with that bunch of spoiled brats. If something really goes wrong, neither the Jiang family nor the Ye family will be able to save you!”

“Got it…”

………..

By the time they left Jiang Longcheng’s house, it was nearly five o’clock.

Thinking that matters with his mother-in-law should be settled by now, Li Yi had Zhang Ziqiang drive them to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Li Yi heard the sound of Jiang Xue chatting with his mother-in-law coming from the west wing—and even Jiang Xue’s cheerful laughter.

It was clear she was in a great mood!

The door was open, so Li Yi strolled in casually.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Ye Lingyun smiled slightly, waved him over, and said, “Little Yi, come on in!”

Jiang Xue also said happily, “Did you come to pick me up?”

“Yeah, I just left Third Brother’s place. Since it’s not far from the old family home, I thought I’d stop by to see if you’d returned yet!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“This afternoon, Mother took me to meet several aunts from the Wang, Luo, and Deng families, as well as their daughters and daughters-in-law. I just got back,” Jiang Xue explained.

Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression froze for a moment. It had been nearly two years since his wife had been reunited with her ancestral family, yet his mother-in-law had never once taken her to meet the women of those prominent families in the capital.

Part of the reason was certainly that his mother-in-law wasn’t in the best of health and didn’t have the energy for it.

But more importantly, he didn’t want Jiang Xue to mingle with those aristocratic ladies and heiresses too soon. After all, Li Yi knew all too well what those women were like—how they looked down on the lowly and fawned over the high-born, how they schemed against one another, and how they constantly competed with each other…

Although that might be a bit of an exaggeration, it’s pretty much the case.

Jiang Xue had grown up in the countryside with limited exposure and no experience navigating such social circles; being naturally innocent, she was bound to be looked down upon—or even bullied.

So, when Xiaoxue had just been reunited with her family, Li Yi firmly refused when his eldest and second aunts, along with his second sister-in-law Yang Rong, wanted to take her out into society.

This is also why the major families in Beijing haven’t really gotten to know the couple over the past two years…

But he never expected that today, his mother-in-law would actually take Jiang Xue out herself.

This couldn’t help but make Li Yi wonder if the Jiang family was intentionally pushing him and Jiang Xue into the spotlight.

If that were the case, then he’d have to rethink his plans!

“Hey… what are you spacing out about?”

“Just thinking about a few things!”

Li Yi then changed the subject, looking at Ye Lingyun and asking, “Mom, what made you decide to take Xiao Xue out today?”

Seeing the confusion and subtle scrutiny in Li Yi’s eyes, Ye Lingyun knew her son-in-law had grown suspicious, so she immediately decided to tell him the truth.

But just then, a series of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door, and moments later, Jiang Shiying walked in…

……….