Chapter 728: Trapping Rabbits in the Mountains!

Arriving at the storefront, Long Zhanjun stared in astonishment at the two trucks, which were completely covered with tarps.

“Director Zhu, these two trucks aren’t all for me, are they?”

“Comrade Long Zhanjun, you don’t actually not know what’s in those trucks, do you?” Director Zhu asked, looking just as surprised.

“Um… I really don’t know. My brother-in-law just said it was a wedding gift for me and my wife, but I have no idea what exactly it is!”

Hearing this, Director Zhu, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded!

Good grief, all this stuff in the cars is a wedding gift? How is that even possible?

Who gives such expensive gifts for a wedding? The person giving these must be incredibly wealthy.

Seeing the man in front of him suddenly go blank, Long Zhanjun hurriedly said, “Director Zhu… Director Zhu…”

Director Zhu quickly snapped out of it and said apologetically, “I’m really sorry, I was just spacing out for a moment!”

“No problem. By the way, Director Zhu, what exactly is in the car?” Long Zhanjun asked curiously.

“It’s… Never mind, you’d better see for yourself!”

With that, Director Zhu had someone lift the tarp covering the truck, revealing its contents.

When he saw the truck packed to the brim with wooden crates, Long Zhanjun was completely baffled. They were wrapped so tightly—how could he possibly tell what was inside!

At that moment, Director Zhu took a document out of his briefcase and said, “Comrade Long Zhanjun, let’s go over the types and quantities of these items together!”

“Alright!”

“Two cameras, one Panasonic automatic washing machine, one motorcycle, one piano, two watches… one Mercedes-Benz sedan…”

Upon hearing this string of gifts, Long Zhanjun was completely dumbfounded. He stood there in shock, unable to react for a long time!

He had assumed that the so-called gifts would be small packages, nothing too valuable.

But he never imagined that these gifts would not only fill two entire truckloads, but that every single item would be so valuable.

“Comrade Long Zhanjun, please check the list to see if everything is correct…”

Hearing Director Zhu’s voice, Long Zhanjun finally snapped out of it.

He immediately asked, “Director Zhu, are you sure all these items are meant for me?”

“This has all been verified by the relevant departments, so there’s no mistake. Besides, our plant manager instructed that if you have any questions, you can contact Comrade Li Yi—he should know!” Director Zhu replied.

“Right, right, right… I’ll contact him right away!”

Saying this, Long Zhanjun hurried back into the store and picked up the phone!

But just as he was about to dial, he paused. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to contact his wife instead.

With that in mind, Long Zhanjun dialed the Dong’an Market branch directly!

“Ring, ring!”

After a few rings, Li Na’s familiar voice came through the phone: “Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill…”

“Nana, it’s me!”

“Huh, why are you calling at a time like this? We’re about to start serving customers!” Li Na asked, sounding a bit puzzled.

“Nana, the gifts Xiao Yi mentioned have come back. There’s quite a lot of stuff, and they’re pretty valuable. Why don’t you come take a look and see how we should handle them?” Long Zhanjun said.

“What exactly is in there? Do I really need to come over to handle it?” Li Na asked curiously.

“Cameras, washing machines, a piano, watches, and even a car—I think it’s a Mercedes!”

Li Na was completely stunned. Although she knew her younger brother Li Yi’s friends weren’t ordinary people and that the gifts they sent wouldn’t be cheap, she hadn’t expected them to be this valuable.

Just as Li Na was lost in thought, Long Zhanjun’s voice came through the receiver again: “Nana… what do you think we should do with all this stuff?”

“Well… I don’t know what to do with them either. What do you think?” Li Na asked.

“I think it’s best to let Yi handle it!”

“Why?”

“First of all, these items were given to us specifically because of Xiao Yi. We shouldn’t accept a gift for which we haven’t earned anything—it wouldn’t be right!”

Long Zhanjun continued, “Secondly, gift-giving is all about reciprocity. They’ve given us such valuable gifts. When they have a celebration of their own, we can’t exactly give them something more expensive than what they gave us—but we certainly can’t give them something much less valuable either. The problem is, we simply can’t afford to give such expensive gifts in return!”

“But after all, this is a wedding gift they gave us. Returning it wouldn’t be right—it would make them lose face. So it’s best to let Xiao Yi handle it!”

Li Na nodded immediately and said, “You’re right. It really wouldn’t be appropriate for us to accept such an expensive gift. Why don’t you get in touch with Xiao Yi and see what he thinks?”

“Alright!”

Then Long Zhanjun asked again, “So, are you coming over?”

“I won’t be able to make it. We’ve already got staff on the floor, and things are about to get busy!” Li Na replied.

“Alright, then I’ll pick you up at the shop tonight, and we’ll go home together!”

“Okay…”

………..

Nianzishan Village!

Li Yi and Jiang Xue spent the entire morning at the pig farm, watching everyone slaughter the pigs and divide up the meat.

Around noon, Chen Wuge, the village butcher, slaughtered a huge, fat pig weighing two hundred and seventy or eighty pounds—the heaviest pig slaughtered in the village this year.

Shortly after, at the suggestion of Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu, the pig was allocated to the Li family.

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he immediately sent for a cart and had the huge pig hauled back home.

The Li family spent the entire afternoon butchering the pig.

Li Yi first stripped the meat from the bones, then singed off the remaining bristles from the head and hooves, and proceeded to prepare the meat—curing what needed to be cured and salting what needed to be salted.

It took them the entire afternoon just to barely get the fat pig mostly processed.

However, just as Li Yi was about to take a break, Xiao Gouwawa’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the front gate: “Banbanhaobang!”

Li Yi immediately stepped out of the house and called out, “Xiaogouwa, what’s up? Come inside and tell me!”

“Brother Yi, Yongzi and I are heading up the mountain to set traps. Are you coming?”

“Sure, just give me a minute!”

Naturally, Li Yi wouldn’t turn down an invitation like this, so he gladly agreed.

After that, Li Yi put on some warm clothes, called his bandit buddies, and left home.

At the front gate, Yongzi and Xiaogouwa were already waiting for them.

They were fully equipped, wearing thick cotton jackets, dog-skin hats, and their legs were wrapped up tightly.

They were also carrying a hunting rifle, a large bundle of barbed wire and large iron nails, and a sheep’s-horn hammer. The rifle was for self-defense, while the wire and nails were for setting traps.

Villagers going into the mountains to set rabbit snares usually carry several hundred wire snares.

They usually set out around three or four in the afternoon, searching for traces of wild rabbits and pheasants to set their snares. By the time all the snares were in place, it was nearly midnight.

They would then wait on the mountain for an hour or two before returning the way they came, checking along the way to see if they had caught anything; if not, they would retrieve the wire snares.

So, every time they go up the mountain, they not only have to bring all the necessary tools but also take precautions against the cold and frostbite.

The group chatted as they walked, and before long they reached the foot of the mountain behind the village.

They then split up to search for signs of wild rabbits and pheasants.

Since it had just snowed, the animals’ tracks were very clear, and they soon discovered two hare trails.

Yongzi immediately took down two wire snares, shaped them into circles by hand, tied them to large iron nails, and hammered the nails into the path the hares were bound to take.

As long as the hares continued to use this path, they would be doomed.

Soon, the two snares were set.

After briefly camouflaging the traps, Yongzi led Li Yi and the others deeper into the mountains!

But what they didn’t know was that on the other side of the mountain, several shadowy figures had also appeared at the edge of the woods…

……..

Nianzi Mountain Village Pig Farm!

As the village’s most influential figure, Li Yi’s every move was always closely watched.

While Feng Kai and Li Yi were talking, quite a few people were listening nearby.

When they heard Li Yi announce that this year’s pork wouldn’t be sold but would instead be distributed to the cooperative members, a glimmer of hope lit up in many of their eyes.

After working so hard all year, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a sumptuous New Year’s feast?

But everyone also felt it was unlikely—after all, slaughtering pigs and selling the meat was the village’s annual tradition, and the Party Secretary and the Brigade Captain would never agree to it.

To everyone’s surprise, however, Secretary Feng immediately agreed to Li Yi’s proposal, and the Brigade Commander raised no objections.

When Feng Kai announced the news aloud, the entire pig farm erupted in a deafening cheer.

Some thanked Feng Kai, others thanked Zhang Tongfu, but most were shouting, “Long live Li Yi!”

Goodness, this left Li Yi and Jiang Xue standing nearby feeling both amused and exasperated, yet also somewhat moved!

Fortunately, over by the cooking area, two pigs had already been thoroughly dehaired and gutted. Seeing this, the crowd stopped their chaotic shouting and, at Feng Kai’s call, stepped forward to help.

The women immediately stepped forward to help clean the offal—a task that required both courage and meticulousness, as well as strong stomach, since the sight of intestines and guts was not for the faint of heart.

Meanwhile, the master butchers began deboning the carcasses after cleaning out the entrails. The others weren’t idle either; under Feng Kai’s direction, they lined up to wait for their share of the meat.

Standing nearby, Li Yi watched as the master butchers picked out one bleaching-white bone after another. He felt a twinge of pity and a sense of regret.

What excellent ribs and large bones—isn’t this a waste?

Since people in those days were short on fat and protein, they all preferred fatty meat. No one wanted the lean meat near the bones; no one was happy to be given it.

As for the bones, no one wanted them at all—not only were they lean and lacking in fat, but they also had a strong gamey smell and wasted firewood when cooked.

So every year when the pig was slaughtered, the village butcher would strip out all the bones and distribute the lean meat—still attached to the fat—to the villagers.

With that in mind, Li Yi turned to Feng Kai and asked, “Uncle Feng, do you think our family of seven could get a whole pig?”

“Pretty much. Why do you ask?”

“Here’s what we’ll do, Uncle Feng. Later, ask Fifth Uncle to pick out a fatter pig for us to slaughter. Don’t strip the bones—just weigh it as is. We’ll see how many pounds it comes to, and we’ll make up the difference wherever necessary. What do you think?” Li Yi suggested.

“Sure, that’s fine. But why don’t you want the bones removed?” Feng Kai asked curiously.

“I want to eat the big bones with meat on them. They’re so delicious stewed with pickled cabbage, and they’re great when braised in soy sauce too!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Haha, you’ve been out in the world for two years, and you’ve picked up the city folks’ eating habits!”

Feng Kai continued, “Alright, there are a few ‘year-old pigs’ in the pen—they’re really fat. I’ll have Old Chen set some aside for you!”

“Alright…”

Just as they were talking, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind Li Yi: “Brother Yi!”

Turning around, Li Yi was surprised to see Yongzi. He immediately smiled and said, “Where’ve you been, kid? Why didn’t you come by yesterday?”

Yongzi grinned and replied, “I went into the mountains to set rabbit traps yesterday afternoon. By the time I got back, it was already past three in the morning. My dad just told me this morning that you and your wife were back!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly. “How many rabbits did you catch?”

“Eight rabbits, plus four pheasants, and I even snared a big one—but it snapped the wire and got away!” Yongzi said with a laugh.

“That’s a lot! Your skills at driving game are truly unmatched. Take me up the mountain sometime!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Going up the mountain is such a drag. I just took three rabbits and two pheasants over to Auntie’s place—that should be enough for you guys to eat!” Yongzi said.

“I didn’t go up the mountain just to eat meat—I just wanted to take a walk. It’s been years since I’ve set traps for rabbits or caught pheasants!” Li Yi said.

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll give you a call when I’m leaving this afternoon!” Yongzi said.

“Okay…”

………

Beijing. Hot Pot and Grill Restaurant!

Just as Li Yi was busy distributing meat in the village and planning to go rabbit hunting with Yongzi that evening, Long Zhanjun and Li Na were getting busy again back in Jingcheng.

Since business at the restaurant was booming, the couple had no intention of closing up shop—even though they were newlyweds.

After seeing off the guests, the shops in Jingcheng reopened.

At that moment, Long Zhanjun was sitting at the counter of the main branch, tallying up the accounts, when the phone next to him suddenly rang.

Without a second thought, Long Zhanjun picked up the phone and said, “Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant, how may I help you?”

“Is this Comrade Long Zhanjun? This is Sun Feng from the Yanjing Television Factory. We’ve met before…”

“Hello, Director Sun. Are you looking for…”

Before Long Zhanjun could finish, Sun Feng cut him off: “I’m looking for you, not Comrade Li Yi!”

“Me?”

“Here’s the thing,” Sun Feng explained. “A shipment of yours arrived in Beijing along with our factory’s equipment. We’ve already signed for it on your behalf, so I’m calling to ask where we should deliver this shipment to you.”

Hearing this, Long Zhanjun realized that the gifts his brother-in-law, Li Yi, had mentioned had arrived.

When Li Yi left yesterday, he had specifically reminded him that his friends in Hong Kong had heard about their marriage and had sent some gifts back to them from there.

These gifts were likely to arrive in Beijing in the next few days, and he was to receive them when they did.

With that in mind, Long Zhanjun immediately replied, “Director Sun, if it’s convenient, please have the items delivered to our store in Beiguan Village. If that’s not possible…”

“It’s convenient, but…”

“But what?”

“Uh… never mind, I’ll have them sent over right away!” Sun Feng said.

“Great, thank you for your help, Director Sun!” Long Zhanjun said.

“No trouble at all…”

With that, Sun Feng hung up the phone!

Half an hour later, Long Zhanjun had finally finished balancing yesterday’s accounts and was just about to head to the kitchen to check on the preparations!

Just as he stood up, he felt the light in the room suddenly dim.

He looked up and saw that two large trucks loaded with goods had pulled up right in front of their restaurant. It was these trucks blocking the light, and one of them was even blocking the entrance to their shop.

Long Zhanjun was about to go out and see what was going on—even if they were customers coming in to eat, they shouldn’t be blocking the door!

Before he could step outside, he saw a middle-aged man in a government official’s uniform, clutching a briefcase, stride in.

Upon seeing Long Zhanjun, the man immediately asked with a smile, “You must be Comrade Long Zhanjun, right?”

“I am Long Zhanjun. And you are?”

“I’m Zhu Wenxi, the Office Director at our Yanjing Television Factory. Director Sun asked me to bring you something!”

“Hello, Director Zhu. Thank you for making the trip—I’m truly sorry to have inconvenienced you!” said Long Zhanjun.

“Don’t mention it. It was just a detour; there’s no need to worry about it!”

Director Zhu then asked again, “By the way, where would you like me to put those items?”

“Put them inside,” said Long Zhanjun.

“Um… I’m afraid that won’t work!”

Long Zhanjun was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Why? Is it inconvenient for you?”

“No… it’s just that there’s too much stuff, and you still need to run your business here—there’s simply no room!”

Director Zhu continued, “Also, a few of the items are just a bit too big to fit inside!”

Too much? A bit too big?

Long Zhanjun looked up at the two large trucks outside, and a chill ran down his spine. Could it be that those two trucks were loaded with wedding gifts for him and Li Na?

With that thought, Long Zhanjun immediately hurried outside. He was curious to see just how many gifts there were—and just how big they were.

………

The night passed without incident!

Early the next morning, Li Yi was fast asleep when he was suddenly roused by the village loudspeaker.

He opened his eyes, took a moment to compose himself, and then listened intently to the announcement.

It turned out to be Village Party Secretary Feng Kai notifying the villagers to get up and gather at the village pig farm—today was the day to slaughter the pig and distribute the meat.

Hearing that they were going to slaughter the New Year pig, Li Yi immediately perked up.

Slaughtering and distributing pork every winter was the liveliest and most bustling time in the village; practically everyone—young and old, men and women—would rush over to help and watch the festivities.

Without delay, he got dressed and got out of bed, ready to head over to the pig farm!

The rustling sounds also woke up Jiang Xue. The young girl first glanced at Yun Rui and Yun Jin beside her, finding the two little ones sleeping soundly.

Then, still half-asleep, she looked at Li Yi and asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you up so early for?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “The loudspeaker just announced that the village is slaughtering a pig and distributing the meat today!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Xue’s sleepy expression quickly cleared, and she sat up straight in bed.

The young girl, paying no mind to the revealing glimpse of her figure beneath her loose nightgown, hurriedly exclaimed, “I want to go see too!”

Having lived in the village for nearly four years, Jiang Xue knew full well how lively the annual pig slaughter was, and she also fondly remembered the scenes of slaughtering and distributing pork from her time working in the countryside.

“Alright, then go wash up quickly. I’ll go fetch some water first!”

“Okay!”

By the time Li Yi had dressed and stepped out of the main house, Zhang Ziqiang and Yang Zhiwen had already gotten up and were washing up in the courtyard.

Seeing Li Yi come out, the two quickly wiped the water from their faces with towels and walked over.

“Come on, let’s head to the well!”

Saying this, Li Yi picked up a shoulder pole and hoisted two water buckets onto it.

He then had Zhang Ziqiang and Yang Zhiwen harness the red mule and the black horse, and the group set off for the well, looking as though they were on a pilgrimage to the West.

By the time Li Yi and the others reached the well, a crowd of villagers had already gathered there, most of them waiting to draw water.

Seeing Li Yi approach, the crowd greeted him warmly:

Uncle Chen Liu, puffing on his pipe, asked, “Little Yi, you’re not leaving before the New Year, are you?”

“I’m not leaving. If I do, it won’t be until after the New Year!” Li Yi replied with a smile.

Zhang Danian immediately chimed in, “I knew it! You’ve finally come back—you’ve got to stay at least until after the New Year. Your parents will be over the moon this year!”

“Hahaha, they’ll definitely be happy. Last year, my wife hadn’t finished her postpartum confinement yet, so there was just no way I could come back for the New Year!” Li Yi explained.

“Xiao Yi, my daughter Chunhua’s been home these past few days. If your wife has time, she should come over for a visit!”

“Sure…”

Just as they were talking, a chorus of “baa-baa” bleats suddenly rose from the distance.

Li Yi turned to look and saw a huge flock of sheep approaching from the distance. It was a massive procession—at least a thousand or two!

Just then, Liu Darei, who was walking by carrying a load on his shoulders, immediately said to Li Yi, “Little Yi, you better water the mules and horses and lead them away right away, or the sheep will get spooked!”

“Got it!”

As Li Yi led the big red mule and the big black horse to the trough to drink, he asked, “Brother Lei, are those all the village’s sheep? There sure seem to be a lot of them!”

“Yeah. Remember you left the village 100,000 yuan for livestock farming? We spent 20,000 yuan building a sheep farm and a cattle farm, and used the remaining 80,000 yuan to buy cattle and sheep from the pastures!” Liu Darei replied.

“So how many cattle and sheep does the village have now?” Li Yi asked again.

“We have over two thousand sheep and more than eight hundred head of cattle!”

“Eight hundred?”

Li Yi asked in surprise; he really hadn’t expected the village to have 800 head of cattle.

Wow, that’s really something!

Liu Darei smiled and said, “It’s just over 800, but the calves we bought this year make up a little over half of that. The remaining 400 or so adult cattle are the calves you bought for us in the back pastures two years ago—they’ve grown up now!”

“With so many cattle and sheep, does our village have enough fodder?” Li Yi asked.

“Heh, with those huge mountains right here, why would we need extra fodder? Besides, after the autumn harvest, the village didn’t distribute any firewood or hay to the villagers—we saved it all for the livestock to get through the winter!” Liu Darei explained.

“Hmm, as long as there’s enough to feed them. The worst part about raising livestock is when they run out of food—that’s even more stressful than people going hungry!” Li Yi said with a look of deep feeling.

“Hahaha, I never would’ve guessed you knew so much about livestock, Little Yi. I’ve never seen you raise any before!” Liu Darei said with a laugh.

“You don’t have to raise them yourself to know what’s going on—just watching others do it is enough!” Li Yi said.

“Exactly. It’s like how we men can’t give birth, but we still feel the pain when women go into labor!”

Li Yi: @#￥%……

You have to admit, that analogy is absolutely brilliant!

As they spoke, the big red mule and the big black horse had both had their fill of water, so Li Yi immediately had Zhang Ziqiang and Yang Zhiwen lead them away from the well.

As for himself, he hoisted the buckets filled with water by the villagers and headed home!

Back home, his father had already gotten up. Seeing that his son had carried the water back and had also watered the mules and horses, a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face.

Seeing that Zhang Ziqiang and Yang Zhiwen were preparing to lead the mules and horses back to the corral, Li Shankui immediately stepped forward and said, “Leave it to me. I’ll take them out for a walk and let them roll around a bit!”

Yang Zhiwen immediately said, “Uncle, let me come with you!”

“No need. You two should hurry inside and eat!” Li Shankui said.

Li Yi, standing nearby, added, “Zhiwen, let Dad go. Later, you can help me see my second sister and the others off!”

“Sure!”

After a quick breakfast, he saw his second sister’s family off in the jeep, then drove the bus and the truck to the village entrance. Only then did Li Yi head to the pig farm with Jiang Xue, Zhang Ziqiang, Zhang Feng, and the others.

The village pig farm was located southeast of the threshing floor, not far from the village committee office.

By the time Li Yi and the others arrived, the area was already packed with villagers and cooperative members—men, women, the elderly, and children—forming a tight circle that left no room to move.

Upon seeing Li Yi and Jiang Xue approach, the crowd voluntarily parted to make way for them.

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he immediately led Jiang Xue and the others through the crowd into the pig farm’s courtyard.

The pig slaughter had already begun in the courtyard. Two of the village’s renowned butchers wielded their sharp knives, relentlessly striking the struggling black-haired pigs.

Beside a makeshift stove, two large, fat pigs—half-dehaired—were already in place. Several men were pouring scalding hot water over the pigs while using pumice stones to remove the remaining bristles.

It had been many years since Li Yi had seen such a scene, and it instantly brought back countless memories from his past life…

Just then, Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu spotted Li Yi and Jiang Xue and immediately walked over.

Seeing that they had come empty-handed, Feng Kai immediately said, “Xiao Yi, why didn’t you even bring a basin? How are we going to divide the meat later?”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, “I was so caught up in watching the excitement that I completely forgot about dividing the meat. I don’t know how much there is, but if there isn’t much, we can each take a little to take home!”

Zhang Tongfu chuckled and said, “The village raised over eighty pigs this year. After accounting for the ones sold, everyone should get at least 10 jin of meat.”

“Your Li family has seven people, including adults and children. That’s still seventy or eighty pounds!”

Li Yi smiled and asked, “Does my third older sister still get a share even though she’s married?”

“Nana is married, but her household registration hasn’t been transferred out yet, so she’s entitled to her share!” Feng Kai said.

“Then thank you, Uncle Feng!”

Then Li Yi added, “By the way, Uncle Feng and Uncle Zhang, I don’t see that many pigs this year. Why don’t we just not sell them?”

“Don’t sell them? You mean we’ll just distribute them all to the villagers?” Feng Kai asked in surprise.

“Exactly. Even if we slaughter all 80 pigs, that’s only about 14,000 to 15,000 catties of meat. With over 600 people in our village, big and small, that works out to just over 20 catties per person—it really isn’t much!”

Li Yi continued, “Besides, with just this much meat, selling it would only net each person ten or eight yuan. Everyone’s already received their fair share this year—we’re not short on money!”

Li Yi said this not only because he wanted everyone to have a little more meat, but more importantly, he didn’t want the villagers to have to eat offal during the New Year festivities.

According to the village’s long-standing practice, after slaughtering the New Year pigs, the best cuts were hauled off to the county seat to be sold, while the remaining heads, hooves, offal, and unsellable parts were distributed to the villagers.

For as long as Li Yi could remember, this had been the village’s custom—all because of their “poverty.”

Back then, they had no choice. But now that Li Yi had the means to lead everyone to a better life, he truly didn’t want them to spend the New Year feeling deprived just for the sake of a few yuan!

Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu exchanged a glance; as partners who’d worked together for decades, they instantly understood each other’s meaning.

Feng Kai then turned to Li Yi and said, “Since you’ve put it that way, Little Yi, we won’t buy any meat for the village this year. We’ll distribute it all to the villagers so everyone can have a bountiful New Year!”

“Hahaha, great! Uncle Feng, go tell everyone the good news!”

“Alright!”

With that, Feng Kai immediately walked toward the front of the crowd…

……..

By the time the convoy arrived at Nianzishan Village, it was already past two in the afternoon.

It had taken them nearly seven hours to cover a distance of over 300 kilometers!

The main reason for the delay was that, once they entered Qing Shan County, the snow on the road hadn’t melted at all. With the vehicles plowing through snow half a foot deep, they simply couldn’t pick up speed.

Upon returning to the village, Li Yi saw that the entire village was blanketed in snow.

Since the snow had only just stopped, most of it hadn’t melted yet; the fields, rooftops, and quiet paths were all covered in snow.

Nianzi Mountain Village seemed unusually quiet after the heavy snowfall; perhaps because it was so cold, not a single person was to be seen on the main street.

Apart from the wisp of smoke drifting from every household’s chimney, the entire village showed no signs of life; the scene looked as if it had been frozen in time.

Once they entered the village, Li Yi instructed the bus driver and the truck carrying supplies to drop off Feng Kai, Zhang Tongfu, and the others one by one, while the Li family headed straight for their new house.

Soon, the convoy arrived at the Li family’s new residence.

Stepping off the bus, Li Yi, bundled up in a down jacket, couldn’t help but shiver.

Man, it was freezing out here—it must have been at least minus thirty-five or thirty-six degrees.

Don’t be fooled by the similar latitude to Beijing—it’s only about 300 kilometers away—but the temperature difference is at least five degrees.

On one hand, big cities have their own built-in greenhouse effect; on the other, Nanzi Village sits right in the path of the fierce northern winds of the Great Wall region. Every year, the Siberian cold fronts brought by these gales freeze the place into a completely different world.

Stomping his feet, Li Yi pulled out his keys and prepared to open the door.

However, when he reached the front gate, he was stunned by the scene in the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, the snow was half a foot deep, but the Li family’s yard was spotless, not a single snowflake in sight—clearly someone had meticulously cleared it.

Just then, Li Shankui got out of the car. Seeing Li Yi standing frozen at the gate, he immediately walked over and asked, “What are you just standing there for? Why aren’t you opening the door?”

Li Yi snapped out of his daze, opened the door, and said to his father, “Dad, look at the yard!”

Li Shankui looked up and froze in surprise.

“It must have been Xiaogouwa who cleaned it up. We left him the house keys when we left, asking him to keep an eye on the place and feed the animals while he was at it!”

As Li Yi opened the gate, he said, “Then it must have been him!”

Once the gate was open, Li Shankui said again, “Xiao Yi, go open the front door. I’ll head to the woodshed to get some hemp stalks and corn cobs. We need to get the stove going right away, or the kids won’t be able to stand the cold once they come inside!”

Li Yi knew that if a house was left unoccupied for a long time, it would become cold and damp.

Especially in winter—even if the fire hadn’t been lit for just a single day, the house would feel like an ice cellar.

“Alright, I’ll go in first!”

With that, Li Yi headed toward the courtyard!

He opened the door, and sure enough, the room was as cold as a freezer. Even though he was wearing a down jacket and thick cotton pants, Li Yi could feel the cold seeping right through his clothes.

Li Yi immediately grabbed a feather duster and gave the kang a quick sweep to remove the fine dust. Then he pulled two mattresses from the pile of bedding and laid them on the kang, so the children wouldn’t have to play on the cold surface when they came in later.

Just as Li Yi was about to go outside to meet Jiang Xue and the children, his elderly father, Li Shankui, walked in carrying a basket of corn cobs and a bundle of hemp stalks.

As soon as he stepped inside, he said, “There’s quite a bit more split firewood over by the woodshed—it must have been brought by that little rascal. That kid is truly a good soul.”

Hearing his father’s words, Li Yi felt quite moved.

Though sweeping the yard and delivering some firewood weren’t exactly major favors, it showed that Xiaogouwa remembered his kindness—and that was enough.

“Father, you stoke the stove. I’ll go out and bring the children inside!”

“Wait a moment. It’s too cold inside. Let the kids stay in the cart for a while before coming in!”

Then Li Shankui added, “Go call your mother and your second sister in first. Have them start cooking right away—I’m sure everyone’s hungry!”

“Okay…”

After about ten minutes of fiddling, the stove in the house finally caught fire, and Mother and Second Sister had boiled half a pot of water.

The steam from the pot instantly warmed the room, and only then did Li Yi carry Jiang Xue, his eldest sister, and the children inside.

At the same time, he invited Zhang Ziqiang, Zhang Feng, and the drivers in charge of the vehicles into the house.

After offering everyone some water, his mother and second sister went into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Everyone was starving, so there was no time to prepare anything too complicated. After some discussion, his mother decided to make the local specialty, pot-stirred noodles, for everyone.

Just as his mother and second sister were busy in the kitchen, Li Yi heard the familiar jingle of a bell outside the front gate.

Li Yi immediately pushed open the door and stepped outside. Sure enough, he saw a slightly frail figure leading a mule and a horse, walking into the courtyard.

It was none other than Xiaogouwa!

Upon seeing Li Yi, Xiaogouwa strode over immediately, exclaiming happily, “I knew it had to be you, Brother Yi! No one else would make such a big fuss!”

“Were you out walking the mule and horse?”

“Yeah, it snowed all day yesterday, so I didn’t take them out. Now that the snow has stopped, I thought I’d take them for a walk. You can’t keep big animals tied up in the pen every day!” Xiao Gouwa said.

Looking at Little Dog’s gaunt face and his somewhat thin clothing, Li Yi sighed and said, “It’s so cold out here—aren’t you afraid of catching a chill?”

“It’s fine, Brother Yi. I’m used to it…”

Just then, the big red mule behind Xiaogouwa let out a series of “neighs,” then walked past Xiaogouwa to Li Yi’s side and began rubbing its large head against Li Yi repeatedly, looking very happy.

Li Yi immediately burst out laughing. “You still remember me!”

With that, Li Yi took the reins of the big red mule from Little Dog’s hands and walked toward the nearby corral.

After tying up the mule and horse, the two of them added some hay to the troughs of the two large animals before returning to the house.

However, no sooner had Li Yi and Xiaogouwa stepped inside than someone else arrived at the front door.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Dongzi’s mother, carrying a large iron basin and accompanied by Jingzi.

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately went out to greet them!

“Sister-in-law, Jingzi, what brings you here?”

“Da Lei told me you hadn’t eaten yet. We just finished frying some pastries at home, so I brought them over for you—and so the guests can try our Nianzi Mountain pastries too!”

Li Yi knew Dongzi’s mother’s temperament well, so he didn’t stand on ceremony. Smiling, he said, “Hahaha, I was just wondering what to eat. Thanks a lot, Sister-in-law. Come on in…”

Dongzi’s mother handed the bowl of fried cakes to Li Yi and said, “Since you have guests at home, I won’t go in. I’ll come by later to see you!”

With that, before Li Yi could say a word, she turned and walked out with Jingzi!

What Li Yi didn’t expect was that this was just the beginning.

Not long after Dongzi’s mother left, Qiangzi’s father arrived, bringing Li Yi two plump wild rabbits and two pheasants.

Then Juanzi’s mother arrived, bringing Li Yi a basket of eggs.

One after another, villagers began to arrive. They all acted in perfect unison: they didn’t come inside, but simply set down their gifts and left.

Before long, the floor of Li Yi’s home was covered with gifts from the villagers—all kinds of delicious food—leaving Zhang Ziqiang, Zhang Feng, and the others completely speechless.

Li Yi, too, was deeply moved by the villagers’ gestures. Though these items might not seem valuable, they were the very delicacies these simple-hearted villagers usually couldn’t bring themselves to eat.

Now they had given all of these to him, and it warmed Li Yi’s heart…

…….

January 14, the 20th day of the 12th lunar month!

On the gravel road leading from the capital to Qingshan County, a massive yet somewhat peculiar convoy was speeding through the wind and snow.

The reason it was called strange was mainly because the composition of this convoy was truly baffling.

The convoy was led by a Jeep, followed by a Volga sedan and a large passenger bus.

That alone would have been odd enough, but to top it off, five or six Jiefang heavy-duty trucks brought up the rear. This combination made the convoy look somewhat strange and incongruous!

In the Volga sedan, Li Yi held Yun Jin in one arm while gazing out the window.

In the back seat, Jiang Xue held Yunrui in her arms and chatted with her mother about the grand spectacle of her third sister’s wedding the day before yesterday.

That wedding two days ago was indeed an unprecedented spectacle—at least for the Li family.

Although it wasn’t as grand as the weddings of Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, it was far more lavish than the ceremony Li Yi and Jiang Xue had had back in the day.

In fact, Li Yi had intended from the very beginning to throw a grand wedding for his third sister, Li Na, and had no intention of rushing through it.

After all, she was his own sister, and this was her first marriage in two lifetimes—it simply had to be a grand affair.

But even with all that preparation, the sheer scale of the wedding day still caught Li Yi off guard—and left him a little stunned.

That morning, the rituals—such as picking up the bride and sending her off—went smoothly. Although a motorcade was used to pick her up, there was nothing particularly special about it.

However, when it came time for the banquet at noon, things suddenly took an unexpected turn.

First, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua arrived with their wives. Besides them, a group of young people from their circle who were familiar with Li Yi also showed up—a grand procession of over a dozen people.

Right after that, the leadership teams from the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill, the Beijing Candy Factory, and the Yanjing Television Factory all arrived. These groups alone added another twenty or thirty guests to the wedding banquet.

But that wasn’t all. Just before the auspicious hour, his eldest aunt arrived with his eldest brother’s widow, Xu Manqiu, and their two young grandsons, followed shortly by Jiang Longyin’s family.

Shortly after, my second aunt and Jiang Longze’s family, along with several prominent branches of the Ye family in Beijing, arrived one after another. Even the Lin family, with whom we were not very close, sent a representative.

Most surprisingly of all, the patriarchs of the Jiang and Ye families finally made an appearance as well.

This left the Li and Long families speechless and stunned the other guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

Wow, they had thought it was just an ordinary wedding, but they never expected so many bigwigs to show up.

Fortunately, Li Yi and Long Zhanjun had anticipated this and had made sure to prepare several extra tables of food.

Even so, because there were simply too many guests, they nearly caused a bit of a fiasco that day!

But in any case, Third Sister’s wedding concluded successfully, and Li Yi finally had one less thing weighing on his mind—another item crossed off his to-do list!

However, with Third Sister’s marriage, another matter had to be put on the agenda: saving Jing Shu’s biological parents.

Li Jingyu was Third Sister’s adopted daughter from her previous life.

This girl’s background was truly pitiful. Her biological parents were both employees at the Lin’an Furniture Factory, and the family had once lived a busy yet happy life, just like any ordinary family.

But this past March, a sudden disaster struck the family, leaving them devastated. Jing Shu’s parents both perished in the tragedy, leaving behind only three-year-old Jing Shu.

Since none of Jingzhu’s other relatives were willing to adopt her, the little girl was eventually sent by the government to the Lin’an City Orphanage, where she became an orphan awaiting adoption.

The bond between Third Sister and Jing Shu was also quite special. According to Third Sister, after she left home all those years ago, she traveled south and eventually settled in Lin’an.

Later, by a twist of fate, she became a temporary worker washing sheets and pillowcases at the orphanage, and the two unfortunate souls met unexpectedly at the Lin’an Orphanage.

At first, Third Sister hadn’t considered adopting Xiao Jingyu, but after providing her with special care on one occasion, she grew fond of the poor little girl and ultimately decided to adopt her.

Third Sister said it was her eighth month at the orphanage. One morning, the director suddenly gathered all the teachers and caregivers, explaining that a child had contracted pneumonia and was in critical condition, requiring emergency hospital care. He asked who would be willing to go to the hospital to look after the child.

Everyone knew pneumonia was contagious, so no one wanted to go. In the end, Third Sister stepped forward and volunteered to stay at the hospital and care for the child.

And so, Third Sister stayed with Xiao Jingyu in the hospital for a month and a half. Upon returning to the orphanage, Third Sister formally adopted Xiao Jingyu.

Although her circumstances at the time did not meet the requirements for adopting an orphan, fortunately, she was an employee of the orphanage. Additionally, the director saw that she genuinely cared for Xiao Jingyu, so he ultimately helped her complete the adoption paperwork.

The fact that Third Sister had always been alone in her previous life was partly related to her adoption of Xiao Jingyu, but Li Yi remained deeply grateful to his niece.

It wasn’t just because the little girl had accompanied Third Sister through those most difficult years; more importantly, she had proven through her actions that Third Sister’s lifelong dedication had been worthwhile.

In her previous life, Third Sister had developed a severe liver disease before Li Yi found her. Upon learning that she could save her mother by donating part of her own liver, Xiao Jingyu did not hesitate to undergo the procedure—a decision that even led to a breakup with the boyfriend she had been dating for three years.

Fortunately, Li Yi found them around that time and brought my third sister to Beijing for treatment, so in the end, Xiaojingyu’s liver donation wasn’t needed.

For the decades that followed, Third Sister lived happily by Xiao Jingyu’s side.

In this lifetime, he changed the fate of many people, including Third Sister’s.

Now, Third Sister has married Long Zhanjun, and in the near future, they will have children of their own. She and Xiao Jingyu no longer share the bond of mother and daughter.

Besides, it’s better for a child to live with their biological parents, so Li Yi decided to make time to visit Lin’an and help the little girl’s parents survive that life-or-death crisis.

Fortunately, the disaster was scheduled to strike at the end of March, and it was only late January now, so there was no rush.

The most important thing right now was to celebrate the New Year properly. After working hard all year, it was time to give himself a few days off.

Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, Zhang Ziqiang’s voice suddenly rang out: “Brother Yi, we’ve entered Qing Shan County. Should we head straight back to the village, or go into the county seat?”

“Let’s go back to the village!”

After speaking, Li Yi turned his gaze back out the car window.

January in the northern frontier is the coldest time of the year; the region, frozen solid, can only be described as desolate.

The landscape was a stark contrast of white and black: the white was the snow that hadn’t yet melted, and the black was the bare earth.

Apart from that, there was not a single other color in sight!

Though such a scene could hardly be called beautiful, in Li Yi’s eyes, it was the most beautiful sight in the world.

Because these were the colors of his hometown, the backdrop etched deep into his very bones.

It had been four and a half months since he last left home, and he now felt a sense of trepidation as he neared his hometown.

Although there were beautiful courtyard houses in the capital and luxurious villas on Hong Kong Island, Li Yi still felt that the brick-and-tile houses of Nianzi Mountain Village were the most comforting.

No one understands homesickness better than Li Yi. In his past life, when he wandered alone in the capital, he would often dream of his family’s mud-brick house, the stone millstone in the village office courtyard, the large reservoir on the back mountain, the water pumping station at the western edge of the village, and Dongzi, Shitou, Yongzi, Xiaogouwa…

No matter how far he traveled, or how his status might change, there was always a place in his heart that he longed for—because that was where his roots lay, the ultimate home of his soul.

Thinking about his imminent return to Nianzishan Village, Li Yi couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement…

……

January 12. The 18th day of the 12th lunar month. An auspicious day for weddings!

Early in the morning, the Li family courtyard was already bustling with activity.

Relatives and friends had all gathered to witness Li Na’s wedding.

Among them were relatives and friends from their hometown, as well as local friends from the capital.

Although the Li family hadn’t invited many people, Li Yi’s popularity and extensive network meant that, even within a small circle, quite a few people had turned out.

Fortunately, most of the guests were only planning to attend the banquet at the restaurant; only close family members and those brought over from the village came to the Li family’s courtyard.

In the side room on the west side, Li Na had already finished getting dressed and was wearing her wedding gown, chatting with her mother and two older sisters.

Just then, Li Yi walked in from outside.

Seeing his third older sister all dressed up, Li Yi was momentarily taken aback.

His third sister had clearly been carefully dressed for the occasion today: her face was lightly powdered, her hair adorned with flowers, and gold earrings sparkled in her ears, though she wasn’t heavily made up.

Paired with her festive red wedding gown, she looked exceptionally beautiful.

“Xiao Yi, why are you standing there dumbfounded without saying a word?” Li Na asked with a smile.

Li Yi hurriedly replied, “Um… Third Sister’s husband just called. He said they’ve already set off, and the wedding procession is expected to arrive in ten minutes. You’d better get ready!”

Before Third Sister could say a word, Second Sister Li Lan blurted out, “Oh my, that fast? Then I’d better hurry out to block the door—we can’t let them just take Nana away that easily!”

“Second Sister, that’s enough. Don’t give him too hard a time!” Li Na urged.

“Got it. Look how scared you are!” Li Lan said with a laugh.

Li Na’s face flushed slightly, and she said, “It took me ages to find someone I like who’s willing to marry me. You can’t scare him away!”

“Haha, I know, I know. I won’t give him a hard time—it’s just a formality!”

With that, Li Lan walked toward the door and called out to the guests drinking tea in the main hall, asking them to join her at the entrance to perform the “blocking the door” ritual.

Blocking the door is a custom in central North Province, where the groom is set up with a series of challenges to pass through one by one.

This is done partly for the festive atmosphere, and partly to make the groom realize that marrying a wife is no easy feat, so he’ll cherish his hard-won bride.

As soon as Second Sister stepped outside, Li Yi pulled a small red booklet from his pocket and handed it to Li Na.

“What’s this?”

Li Na asked as she took the item.

However, when she saw exactly what she was holding, she froze for a moment, then frowned and said, “Xiao Yi, why are you giving me a passbook?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “This is some pocket money Xiao Xue and I saved up for you!”

Li Na opened the passbook and took a look, then let out a gasp: “Ten… ten thousand… you… you… I can’t accept this…”

Hearing the figure of 100,000 yuan, Li Na’s mother, who was in the room, was also stunned.

She never imagined her son would give his younger sister 100,000 yuan in pocket money; it was completely beyond her wildest dreams.

Only the eldest sister, Li Mei, remained relatively calm. During her trip to Hong Kong, she had truly witnessed just how wealthy her younger brother really was.

Never mind the luxurious villa worth hundreds of millions; just their spending during those few days in Hong Kong had given her a clear understanding of her younger brother’s financial standing.

100,000 yuan was certainly a substantial sum, but when she recalled how they had spent over 500,000 yuan on gold jewelry in a single day while in Hong Kong, Li Mei found nothing to be surprised about.

Seeing her third sister at a loss for words, Li Yi smiled and said, “They say a poor couple faces endless troubles. There will be plenty of expenses after we get married, so just keep this money!”

“But that’s way too much—it’s almost half a year’s revenue for the shop!” Li Na said.

“My income isn’t limited to just those few restaurants!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“But you don’t usually give away ten thousand at a time. Besides, your brother-in-law and I have our salaries plus the shop’s profits—we can’t even spend it all. We have no use for this money!” Li Na said.

“If it’s useless, just put it in the bank to earn interest. Anyway, I’ve already given it away and have no intention of taking it back!”

With that, Li Yi turned and walked out of the side room.

The moment he turned to leave, Li Yi’s eyes reddened slightly.

In his previous life, aside from Jiang Xue and their unborn child, the people he owed the most to were his family—especially his third older sister, Li Na.

She had always believed she was the one who had ruined her best friend “Tang Xue,” which left her filled with guilt and ultimately drove her to leave for a distant land.

Li Yi could only imagine how difficult it must have been for her—a young woman—to make a living alone in a foreign land during an era of such strict household registration controls. She must have endured a great deal of hardship.

What pained him even more was that his third older sister never married and spent the rest of her life caring for her adopted daughter.

The only consolation was that her adopted daughter was a kind-hearted person, and his third older sister’s later years were relatively comfortable.

But no matter what, his third older sister had been unlucky in her previous life, so Li Yi was determined to make it up to her.

Honestly, if he weren’t afraid of scaring her, Li Yi would have given her a million—or even ten million—yuan right then and there.

But on second thought, he decided against it. After all, given the current economic climate in the country, that much money was actually unnecessary.

After all, the average person only makes thirty or forty yuan a month, and making ten thousand yuan a month is still practically a myth.

After composing himself slightly, Li Yi returned to the main hall.

Inside, his elderly father, Li Shankui, was watching Yun Rui and Yun Jin play on the kang while chatting with Feng Kai, Zhang Tongfu, Liu Darei, and the others.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xue was getting ready in the inner room. With her older sister-in-law—and best friend—getting married today, she, as the younger sister-in-law, had to look her best and be in top form.

Li Shankui and the villagers had all been specially invited by Li Yi.

He knew his father was a man who valued his reputation, so he couldn’t let anyone say the Li family was marrying off their daughter on the sly.

Besides, Feng Kai was Qiangzi’s grandfather, Zhang Tongfu was Juanzi’s grandfather, and Liu Darei was Dongzi’s father—inviting them over was also a chance to let them see how their younger relatives were doing!

Seeing Li Yi push open the door and walk in, Feng Kai asked with a smile, “I heard from your dad that we’re heading back to the village tomorrow?”

“Right, either tomorrow or the day after. What’s up, Uncle Feng?” Li Yi replied.

“Since we’ve finally made it to Beijing, we old-timers were thinking of buying a few things to take back. Would that be okay?”

At that moment, his father, who was sitting on the kang, explained, “Uncle Feng is asking if the car we’re taking back can hold it all. We don’t think that little jeep will have much room for luggage once it’s full of people!”

“What was I thinking? Buy whatever you want. I’ll find a big truck to haul your stuff back for you. How does that sound?” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Is that really feasible? Hiring a big truck isn’t cheap. Maybe we shouldn’t sell it after all…”

Before Feng Kai could finish, Li Yi cut in: “It won’t cost a thing. Our county’s sugar factory sends a convoy to Beijing every few days to deliver goods. I’ll give them a call right now to see if there’s a convoy coming in the next couple of days!”

“That’s great! Hahaha!”

“If that’s the case, then let’s head into town this afternoon to check out the big market. I heard from Dongzi that there’s a ‘Wang Something’ mall in the capital—it’s huge! You can find anything you want there!”

“Right, I heard that from Shitou too. I just wonder if the money and ration tickets we brought will be enough!”

“If it’s not enough, we’ll just buy a little less. We’re only here in the capital thanks to Xiao Yi, so we might as well pick up some things we’ve never seen before to show off to our wives and kids back home…”

Li Shankui listened as his old friends chatted back and forth, his heart brimming with pride.

His son had grown up. Now who would dare say that Li Shankui’s son was good-for-nothing, or that he was just a street urchin…

Just then, the sound of firecrackers suddenly rang out from outside.

Immediately afterward, firecrackers at the entrance began to crackle and pop.

Everyone in the room immediately realized that the groom had arrived to fetch his bride. They stopped talking and filed out toward the front door…

………

The conversation in the Jiang family study continued. The old patriarch said with a look of satisfaction, “Xiao Yi, Grandfather had thought the Jiang family would just slowly decline from here on out. I never expected that heaven has its eyes—not only have we found Xue’er, but we’ve also gained such an outstanding son-in-law in you!”

“Thanks to your arrival, the Jiang family will enjoy at least another fifty years of prosperity. The entire Jiang family’s fate will be transformed because of you!”

Li Yi truly admired the old patriarch’s foresight. As things stood, the Jiang family was indeed about to reach a turning point in its destiny because of his arrival.

It was truly remarkable that the old man could see this clearly, rather than simply attributing the family’s strength to the Jiang clan itself.

However, even though he understood this, he couldn’t simply accept such praise. He immediately replied, “Grandfather, your words leave me feeling a bit overwhelmed. I won’t deny that the matters I brought up with the higher-ups might have been a contributing factor to Uncle First and Uncle Second’s promotions, but it certainly wasn’t the main reason…”

Before he could finish, the old man cut him off: “No, their promotions are directly related to you—or rather, they’re riding on your coattails. I know this better than anyone!”

“Well… you’re overestimating me. Someone like me—how could I possibly influence the promotions of provincial and ministerial-level leaders?” Li Yi said.

The old man said solemnly, “You may not realize it, but that sum of money was a tremendous help to the country. At that time, our foreign exchange reserves had hit rock bottom; we had even drawn down a significant portion of our gold reserves, yet it was still far from enough, with a large number of projects awaiting foreign exchange settlement.”

“If you hadn’t managed to bring back those more than a billion dollars in precious foreign exchange in time, the commercial credibility the country had worked so hard to establish would have been severely damaged due to a lack of sufficient foreign exchange!”

“But that shouldn’t have affected the promotions of those two provincial-level officials!” Li Yi said.

The old man chuckled and said, “It’s not just two of them!”

“Are you implying we should add Second Brother to the list?”

“Not just him!”

“Who else? Could it be Brother Longze too…”

“No, it’s the Ye family!” the old man said.

Li Yi said in surprise, “The Ye family gets a share too?”

“Of course. After all, Xue’er is Old Ye’s granddaughter, so as her son-in-law, you naturally have to share the rewards with the Ye family!” the old man said.

“So who in the Ye family got promoted?”

“The eldest and fourth sons of the Ye family have both been promoted. Plus, Old Ye’s children are far more capable than your eldest and second uncles. The Ye family is truly set to soar to new heights!” the old man said with a hint of envy.

“Grandpa, about this… I can’t help but feel a little uneasy. I just managed to secure some funds from the higher-ups—it shouldn’t have caused such a huge stir, should it?” Li Yi said in a subdued tone.

The old man smiled and said, “Don’t worry. There are some matters restricted by confidentiality that I can’t discuss with you, but you’ve truly been of great help to the country—your contributions are undeniable!”

“Originally, such a great achievement should have been credited to you personally. But since you don’t hold public office and have no interest in a political career—and since no one in our family has ever been in politics—the higher-ups, after much deliberation, ultimately decided to attribute the credit to the Jiang and Ye families!”

Li Yi took a deep breath, then nodded and said, “Since there’s no issue, let’s accept it with grace!”

“Xiao Yi, the old commander asked me to pass on a message for him!” the old man suddenly said, his words coming as a surprise.

Li Yi’s expression flickered slightly, and he hurriedly asked, “What did you say?”

“The old commander is asking if, once you’ve made enough money, you’d be interested in taking a position at the Ministry of State-Owned Assets or the Ministry of Commerce!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi fell deep in thought.

In fact, more than one person had suggested this to him—from the Wang Anmin and Wang Anguo brothers in Qingshan County to his own father-in-law—but no matter who made the offer, Li Yi had never been tempted and had always refused decisively.

But today, he hesitated.

It wasn’t that he had forgotten his original aspirations or altered his life plans, but rather that he could hear in the old man’s tone just how humble the former commander had made himself in offering this, and he could see how high the old man’s expectations of him were.

How could he possibly say no to an elder like that!

The old man also sensed Li Yi’s dilemma and immediately said, “The old commander told me not to put any pressure on you. Just say what’s on your mind—none of us would ever force a distinguished veteran like you to do anything!”

Li Yi thought for a moment, then said earnestly, “Grandfather, the old commander wants me to work at these two units with strong economic focus because he values my ability to manage economic operations!”

“That’s right!”

“But I don’t think the old commander actually needs someone like me—or rather, my skills aren’t really a good fit for those two departments!” Li Yi said.

“What do you mean?”

“Grandpa, my skills actually fall under the realm of investment—they lean more toward capital operations and are micro-level in nature. But whether it’s the State-owned Assets Department or the Commerce Department, they actually place greater emphasis on formulating and adjusting economic policies, which is macro-level. The difference between the two is quite significant!”

Li Yi continued, “I’m not afraid to put my life on the line—though I wouldn’t go so far as to say I have the courage to die for my country—but I’m not afraid to do my part for the nation. However, I believe I can make a far greater impact in the investment sector than I could in those government agencies!”

“I see what you mean. I’ll bring this up with the old commander later!” the old man said.

“Yes, just tell the old commander that the country doesn’t need another official named Li Yi, but it does need an expert in foreign investment!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Then the old man added, “By the way, I heard your assets overseas have already reached several tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars. Is that true?”

“It’s true. All my assets combined come to about 30 billion,” Li Yi replied.

“So how do you plan to spend all that money? Have you thought about investing back home?” the old man asked.

“Yes!”

Li Yi continued, “Over the next year or two, there probably won’t be opportunities abroad to make as much money as we did this year, so I’ve decided to shift my investment focus to the mainland.”

“It’s not just me—Chinese businesspeople from Hong Kong will also be coming in groups to invest here in the mainland. You can rest assured about that, Grandpa.”

“Very well, very well. With you saying that, Grandpa can rest easy!”

The old man continued, “You’re already on their radar now. Every move you make is being watched. If things go as expected, the people in power know exactly how much money you have—probably better than you do yourself. If you don’t make a gesture, it’s inevitable that some people will start getting ideas!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “I understand what you mean, Grandfather. The higher-ups want me to set an example, and I know exactly how to handle this!”

The old man sighed and said, “Ah, I’m putting you in a difficult position!”

“Heh, it’s no trouble. For me, this isn’t a bad thing at all!” Li Yi replied.

“Oh, do you really think so?”

“Yes!”

Then Li Yi added, “Grandpa, do you know the story of the wooden pole at the city gate?”

“I do!”

“Actually, our situation is quite similar to that of the Qin Dynasty back then. We’re both seeking reform—whether it’s our Reform and Opening-Up or Shang Yang’s reforms in the Qin Dynasty—we all hope to make our country stronger through these changes.”

Li Yi continued, “The current efforts to attract investment are just like Shang Yang placing that log at the city gate back then. The man who carried the log for Shang Yang was rewarded and received gold.”

“And now the country wants me to be that man who carries the log. If I do it, the outcome certainly won’t be too bad.”

Hearing this, the old man fell into deep thought.

To be honest, there were some things he hadn’t thought through very deeply.

After a long while, the old man suddenly burst into hearty laughter, saying, “Hahaha, it’s true that ambition knows no age limit. Good lad, you really are a good lad…”

The old man had already held his grandson-in-law in high regard, but through today’s conversation, he realized he had previously underestimated the young man’s capabilities.

His vision, his competence, and his political acumen were on par with even those seasoned veterans who’d been in politics for years.

With him around, the Jiang family truly has nothing to worry about!

The Jiang Family’s Old Mansion!

When Li Yi and Jiang Xue arrived at the old family home, the Old Master was sitting in the small pavilion in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze, accompanied by several young soldiers.

Seeing his granddaughter and son-in-law approaching with bags of all sizes, the Old Master immediately stood up, waved them over, and said, “Over here!”

Li Yi and Jiang Xue walked over to the small pavilion and immediately greeted the old man, saying, “Grandpa!”

The old man looked them over, saw that they hadn’t brought the children, and asked, “Why are there only the two of you? Where are the kids?”

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “Yunjin isn’t feeling well today, so we left him with his grandmother and aunts!”

“What’s wrong with the little one? Is it serious?”

“Nothing serious. We probably left the window open last night, and she caught a chill,” Jiang Xue replied.

“You’ll have to be more careful from now on. After all, she’s just a little baby—she gets sick easily!” the old man admonished.

“I know, Grandpa!”

Then Jiang Xue asked again, “By the way, Grandpa, where’s Mom?”

“She’s in the kitchen, stewing some meat for you!”

At that moment, the old man noticed the various items they were carrying and said, “You’ve come all this way, but why bring anything? Just take it back with you when you leave!”

“Grandpa, are you sure?”

Jiang Xue then added, “There are a few bottles of vintage liquor over 30 years old, plus a bottle of imported liquor over 50 years old. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them back and give them to my third older brother!”

The old man’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, “Don’t do that. Your third brother doesn’t know anything about wine. To him, Erguotou and Moutai taste the same. Giving him aged liquor would be a waste of good stuff!”

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “When I saw my third brother the other day, I told him you said he’s like a wild boar—he can’t handle fine food!”

“Hahaha, you little rascal—how did you go and get into such mischief just from a trip down south!”

The old man then glanced at Li Yi and said, “They say you’re as black as the ink you’re near, and as red as the vermilion you’re near—I bet you’re the one who taught her that!”

Li Yi chuckled and said, “So in your eyes, I’m that black-hearted rascal, am I?”

“I don’t know about ‘black-hearted,’ but you’re certainly a rascal. Just look at how you swindled those foreigners—they clearly took a huge loss, yet they still had to hold their noses and apologize to us, not to mention compensate for the damages. It’s infuriating just thinking about it!” Old Man Jiang said with a laugh.

“So, Old Man, what do you think of how we handled this? Was it good? Was it up to par?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Good. You really did a fine job with this…”

Just then, Jiang Xue suddenly said, “Grandpa, you two keep chatting. I’ll take these things to the back room for you!”

“We’ll come in with you!”

Then the old man turned to Li Yi and said, “You young man, come over and help me up. Dinner isn’t ready yet; let’s go sit in the study for a while!”

“Sure!”

With that, Li Yi immediately stepped forward and helped the old man walk toward the inner room!

…………

Back in the study, the two sat down across from each other at a small round table.

The old man was getting on in years; even though he hadn’t walked far, he was still slightly out of breath.

After resting on the sofa for a while, he looked at Li Yi and said, “I’ve heard about what you did in Hong Kong. Good job, son!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s nothing. Without the country’s support, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything, especially the Navy—they really came through for us this time!”

“I’m not talking about dealing with those foreigners—taking care of a bunch of strays isn’t really anything to brag about. I’m talking about the over a billion in foreign exchange you brought back for the country!”

The old man continued, “Don’t think that just because we’re such a big country, with countless talented people capable of handling any major project and doing it well, that we have plenty of them. But people like you—who can bring back such a huge sum of foreign exchange—are few and far between. Even the old Commander couldn’t help but praise you!”

“Which old commander are you referring to?” Li Yi asked curiously.

“The Second-in-Command!”

Although he had mentally prepared himself, Li Yi’s pupils still contracted slightly upon hearing the old man’s words!

“Grandpa, what did the Commander say about me?”

“The old Commander said you’re a capable young man with a broad perspective. He also said you’re the first person to actually strike at the enemy’s home turf—you’ve accomplished what we couldn’t!” the old man said.

Li Yi grinned and said, “The old Commander is too kind. I’m not nearly as good as he makes me out to be. At best, I just used business rules to make a few billion from them—nothing worth mentioning!”

“Heh, modesty is a virtue, but I think the old commander was right—you’ve earned that praise!”

The old man continued, “You brought back a full ten billion US dollars for the country. Most people wouldn’t even have the capability to do that—and even if they did, they might not have the courage to dedicate such a massive sum to the nation.”

“But you managed to do it, and to ensure this money was safely returned to the country, you even went so far as to risk offending the British Hong Kong government and putting yourself in danger—that makes it all the more commendable!”

Thinking back to the words the old commander had spoken when he summoned him to the Forbidden City for a talk, the old man couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. With this son-in-law in the family, the Jiang clan would surely thrive for at least another fifty years.

Li Yi had no idea what the old man was thinking. He smiled and said, “Grandfather, the situation isn’t actually as perilous as you make it out to be. Just as you said, the British Hong Kong government is nothing but a pack of stray dogs. They may have the will and the audacity to cause trouble, but they lack the strength to back it up.”

“They know full well I’m on our side, yet they dare not strike at me openly. At the end of the day, they’re still wary of our nation’s strength. With the motherland as my backing, I can operate over there with ease!”

The old man smiled, then suddenly said, “You know what? Your second uncle has been promoted!”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “So my second uncle is now…”

“A full minister!”

“I think my second uncle is 51 this year. A ministerial-level leader so young—his future is limitless!” Li Yi said.

“Hmm. If he does a good job, he might even move up another rank in ten years!”

Then the old man looked at Li Yi and said with a hint of gratitude, “To be honest, Grandpa has you to thank for this!”

“Grandpa, you’re making a big deal out of this. I can’t possibly accept such praise!” Li Yi hurriedly replied.

The old man sighed and said, “You don’t know—ever since your eldest brother was killed in action on the front lines, the entire Jiang family has faced the dilemma of having no one to carry on the family line. That’s why I’ve always been worried: how many more years can the Jiang family survive after I’m gone?”

“How could that be? Not to mention the second generation of the Jiang family, but even in the third generation, we have Second Brother and Brother Longze…”

Before Li Yi could finish, the old man shook his head and said, “Your eldest and second uncles have limited potential. While they aren’t exactly mediocre, they lack the necessary drive. Realistically, the rank of vice-ministerial level is already their ceiling.”

“As for your father-in-law, he has ability and doesn’t lack drive, but he wasn’t in good shape before Xue’er was found. Plus, your mother-in-law’s health has been a major distraction for him. Grandfather doesn’t have high hopes for him either.”

“Of the third generation, Long Yin is decent enough, but he’s too calculating. As for Long Cheng… never mind, let’s not talk about him. As for Long Ze and the others, they’re all too young. It’s highly unlikely they’ll mature enough before I die.”

“That’s why Grandfather has been worried these past few years. If I were to pass away, given the Jiang family’s state at the time, its decline would be almost inevitable. While it wouldn’t vanish entirely, it would sink to the ranks of a third- or fourth-rate family, never to regain the prosperity it enjoys today…”

Hearing this, Li Yi felt a quiet sense of admiration.

They say experience is the best teacher, and the old man’s foresight was truly spot-on.

In his previous life, the Jiang family had indeed declined rapidly after his death; within just a few years, the second generation had dwindled to a single member: Jiang Shiying.

Among the third generation, only Jiang Longyin had achieved anything of note; the rest, lacking resources, ultimately failed to rise to prominence.

As a result, the once-illustrious Jiang family of the capital had completely fallen into obscurity, becoming a fourth-rate clan. It wasn’t until his father-in-law rose to power, sword in hand, trampling over the heads of countless corrupt officials, that the Jiang family finally restored its former glory.

But by then, the political landscape had shifted, and the Jiang family had already missed its prime opportunity for growth!

Just then, the old man’s voice echoed in his ears once more…

…….

District Government Office Building!

When Li Yi and the others arrived, Jiang Longyin had just finished a meeting with the district officials and was in his office listening to his subordinates’ work reports.

Hearing a knock at the door, he immediately had them ushered in.

When he saw that it was Li Yi pushing open the door, Jiang Longyin was taken aback for a moment. He immediately stood up and smiled, “I just heard from Third Brother this morning that you’d returned. I was actually planning to come see you tonight—I didn’t expect you to come to me instead!”

“Hehe, I came to discuss something with Second Brother!”

Li Yi then glanced at the middle-aged man sitting across from Jiang Longyin’s desk and added, “Or maybe you should go back to work, Second Brother. I’ll wait a bit…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Longyin turned to the middle-aged man and said, “Section Chief Wang, I’m already aware of your situation. I’ll discuss it with Deputy Director Zhang and the others later to come up with a proper solution as soon as possible. We’ll contact you once we’ve finalized the details!”

Section Chief Wang knew Jiang Longyin was busy, so he tactfully replied, “Alright, then I’ll leave this matter in Secretary Jiang’s hands. I’ll head back now!”

“Alright!”

After seeing Section Chief Wang off, Jiang Longyin poured water for Li Yi to make tea while saying, “Brother-in-law, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Nothing much. It’s just that the color TV production line we ordered from Zaiying has been shipped back to the country. It’s expected to arrive in Beijing in a few days, so I wanted to let you and Second Brother know!” Li Yi said.

“Hahaha, that’s wonderful news!”

Jiang Longyin continued, “You don’t know this, brother-in-law, but with the Beijing and Shanghai TV factories gradually starting production of color TVs, the black-and-white TV market has taken quite a hit.”

“Is the situation serious?” Li Yi asked.

“It’s not exactly severe, but it’s not great either. For the past two months, the televisions produced by the Yanjing TV Factory have been in short supply—they’re basically hauled away by trucks the moment they roll off the production line. But sales have dropped significantly recently, and the district is genuinely worried they might slip back into that half-dead state!” Jiang Longyin said.

Li Yi shook his head and said, “I don’t think so. Color TVs are still quite expensive right now, and most families can’t afford them—especially in rural areas, where there’s still a huge demand for black-and-white TVs.”

“And Yanjing TVs have already made a name for themselves in most northern cities. At the very least, we don’t need to worry about them being phased out in the next couple of years. But sales certainly can’t compare to those of the past few months, and they’ll likely continue to decline gradually in the future.”

“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease, but just to be on the safe side, we need to get our color TV production up and running as soon as possible!” Jiang Longyin said.

“The production line will definitely be shipped to Beijing within a week, but before that, there are a few things I’d like to discuss with Second Brother—or perhaps with the district office!” Li Yi said.

“What is it? Go ahead!”

“Second Brother, I spent a total of 55 million US dollars on this production line. Including other expenses, the total cost comes to around 58 million US dollars…”

Before Li Yi could finish, Jiang Longyin interjected, “That’s not expensive at all. As far as I know, the production line Shanghai ordered from Japan cost over 90 million US dollars—much more than ours!”

“It’s not that it’s expensive, but right now I’ve had to cover all this money out of my own pocket. Doesn’t the district have to give me some kind of explanation?” Li Yi said.

“Brother-in-law, didn’t we agree that you’d invest 100 million yuan in the Yanjing Television Factory? The money you’ve advanced will count as your investment capital!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Second Brother, let’s talk business. Using the production line purchase price to offset the investment is fine, but even at the official exchange rate, 58 million US dollars is far more than 100 million RMB!”

Li Yi continued, “More importantly, the joint venture restructuring of the TV factory was just a verbal agreement between the two of us—we never signed a contract!”

Jiang Longyin immediately replied, “Brother-in-law, I understand what you’re getting at. You want to formally sign an equity agreement with the district government and the State-owned Assets Department?”

“Exactly. I don’t care exactly how much 58 million USD is worth, but if the Yanjing TV Factory wants to use this production line, they need to sign an equity agreement with me as soon as possible!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll report this to the city authorities as soon as possible and do my best to get the agreement signed before the New Year so you can rest easy!” Jiang Longyin said.

Li Yi nodded and said, “Right. Once we sign the agreement here, my investment company in Hong Kong can apply for a work permit here. Otherwise, they won’t be able to come over at all.”

Jiang Longyin looked at Li Yi and said, “Actually, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I was planning to push you to get this done. This matter involves the city government, the district government, the State-owned Assets Department, and the Yanjing TV Factory—it’s incredibly complicated. We absolutely must resolve this before I leave the district, so you don’t end up at a disadvantage!”

“Second Brother, from the sound of it, you’re being transferred out of the district?”

“Yeah, the higher-ups have already spoken with me. It’s basically a done deal!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “Where are they planning to send you, Second Brother? Has your position been finalized yet?”

“They’ve given me two options: one is to take a lower-ranking deputy minister position at a central government ministry, and the other is to become the top official in Pengcheng!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Which one do you prefer, Second Brother?” Li Yi asked.

Jiang Longyin shook his head and said, “I haven’t decided yet. Going to the ministry would be a promotion, but the work there offers little flexibility—I wouldn’t be able to expect any further changes in the short term.”

“If I choose Pengcheng, it would be a lateral transfer, but once I’m there, I’d be the top leader. I’d have much more freedom to act, and it would be easier to achieve results.”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Second Brother, I suggest you go to Pengcheng!”

“Why?”

“Although Pengcheng has only been a city for less than two years and its urban development is still lagging—it’s basically equivalent to a small county town in the interior—it’s located in the coastal region, close to Hong Kong, and has just been designated as a Special Economic Zone. Its geographical advantages are obvious. With strong national support, its future is promising, and achieving results is inevitable.”

Li Yi continued, “More importantly, Second Brother, you’ve always served in Beijing. If you were to join a central government ministry, your resume would lack experience working at the grassroots level—and that could be a weakness for you down the road!”

Although Pengcheng had only recently been established as a city and everything was still in its infancy, Li Yi knew just how immense its development potential was.

This former fishing village had leaped to become one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities in just over a decade. By the turn of the millennium, it had risen to become a first-tier metropolis on par with Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

In terms of growth speed, it was the fastest in the world—without a doubt.

If Jiang Longyin could secure a post there, he could achieve remarkable results even with his eyes closed. Therefore, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity for him.

With a track record of achievements and the backing of the Jiang family’s resources, his rise to the ranks of provincial or ministerial-level officials would be only a matter of time.

Moreover, Li Yi knew that it wouldn’t be long before Pengcheng was elevated to a sub-provincial city, at which point the ranks of local officials would naturally rise accordingly.

Jiang Longyin nodded and said, “The old man said the same thing. He also mentioned that I’m still young, and rising too quickly might not be a good thing—I should go down to the lower levels to gain some experience!”

“You know the Old Man’s judgment, Second Brother. I think you should give this some serious thought!” Li Yi said.

“Yeah, I will!”

Li Yi then glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly five o’clock. “The Old Man invited Xiao Xue and me to dinner at the old family home tonight. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back now. Give me a call if anything comes up!”

“Alright, I’ll get back to you once we hear back from the city!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Alright…”

With that, Li Yi stood up and left Jiang Longyin’s office…

………

The Li Family Courtyard!

Hearing the urgent ringing of the phone coming from the study, Li Yi immediately strode inside and picked up the receiver!

“This is Li Yi. Who’s calling?”

“Comrade Li Yi, this is Zhou Rui. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Yes, what’s up, Zhou?”

“Here’s the situation: the equipment we ordered from Corning has arrived safely in Pengcheng. It’s expected to reach Yangcheng tonight and will then be transported by train to Beijing…”

Before Zhou Rui could finish, Li Yi exclaimed happily, “Hahaha, that’s great! Did they not send any coast guard vessels to intercept us this time?”

“Heh, would they dare? We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it this time. Otherwise, just their reckless boarding and forced search of our government vessel would have been reason enough for us to send warships into Victoria Harbor!”

Zhou Rui continued, “As long as those foreigners haven’t been kicked in the head by a donkey, they’d never dare to come looking for trouble again. Right on our doorstep, we’ve got a hundred ways to deal with them!”

“That’s good to hear. Now I can go back home for the New Year with peace of mind!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Hold on a moment. I called today not only to let you know the equipment has arrived safely in Pengcheng, but also to discuss a few other matters with you!” Zhou Rui said.

“What’s up? Go ahead.”

“First off, those technicians from Corning. When they arrived in Pengcheng and found out the final destination was Beijing, they all walked out on the job!”

Li Yi asked in a low voice, “Where are they now?”

“Those guys refused to leave after arriving in Pengcheng. They’re currently staging a protest at the accommodations we arranged for them!” Zhou Rui said.

“What have you done about it?” Li Yi asked again.

“We appealed to their sense of duty and reason, asking them to go to Beijing to help us set up those production lines, but they absolutely refused…”

Before Zhou Rui could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Your approach is wrong!”

“Then what do you suggest we do? We can’t exactly threaten them with knives and guns, can we?”

“Threatening them with knives and guns is so lame—it makes us look like bandits. Have someone tell those guys that if they come to the capital and set up the production lines properly, we’ll give each of them a $10,000 bonus.”

Li Yi continued, “At the same time, tell them that if they choose to go back now, we won’t stand in their way—we’ll send them back across the river immediately.”

“But they haven’t fulfilled their promise to install the production line—that’s a major breach of contract. We’ll certainly hold them accountable. Not only will Corning have to pay compensation, but they’ll also lose this job. Let them choose for themselves!”

“What if they insist on going back?” Zhou Rui asked.

“Then we’ll send them back to Hong Kong Island!”

“You’ll really send them?”

“We really will!”

Li Yi continued, “Without Butcher Zhang, are we supposed to eat pigs with the hair still on them? If it comes down to it, I’ll find engineers from elsewhere—we’ll get this production line up and running one way or another. But I doubt those guys will dare go back after we’ve had our say.”

Li Yi was well aware of just how dire the job market was over in Thief Eagle right now. Due to the severe stagflation the economy had been experiencing in recent years, a large number of companies couldn’t sell the products they produced and eventually went out of business, driving the unemployment rate to a terrifying 11% at one point.

More importantly, the local economy is currently suffering from severe hyperinflation, with prices for all daily necessities—including food—skyrocketing.

Under these circumstances, it’s safe to say that the vast majority of workers would cherish their current job opportunities.

“Alright, I’ll have someone pass on what you just said to them right away!” Zhou Rui said.

“Alright, anything else?”

Zhou Rui replied immediately, “I just got a call from our colleagues at Pengcheng Customs. They said they discovered a large quantity of other items while unloading the ship and asked us what they should do!”

“What other items? Are there things besides that equipment?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

“Hmm!”

“What’s going on? Director Zhou, did you ask Zhou Wen who would be so bold as to…”

“Comrade Li Yi, it’s not what you think. I asked Wen, and he said those items were gifts sent to you by prominent Chinese business figures from Hong Kong… no, I should say they were wedding gifts for your sister!”

Zhou Rui continued, “If it were just a small amount, the customs officials certainly wouldn’t have said anything, but this time the quantity is really quite large, and the items are quite valuable…”

“Officer Zhou, I understand. So what should we do now?”

Li Yi understood—his friends in Hong Kong must have heard his sister was getting married and decided to send some wedding gifts.

Traveling back and forth between the two sides was still quite a hassle, and bringing a large quantity of items through customs was even more difficult, which is why he had asked Huang Lixing for help.

Old Huang took this opportunity to deliver both the gift and the equipment.

Fortunately, Zhou Wen was in charge of this operation, and since he is Zhou Rui’s own nephew, otherwise this situation would have been impossible to explain.

Zhou Rui thought for a moment and said, “Normally, in a situation like this, the goods would be confiscated by customs, but your case is rather special, so we certainly can’t handle it that way.”

“First, these items are wedding gifts sent to your sister by those Hong Kong businessmen—they weren’t smuggled in for profit. If they were confiscated like this, it would seriously hurt those businessmen’s feelings.”

“Second, you weren’t aware of this—it was our people who helped them transport the goods back, so we share some responsibility! Therefore, I plan to submit a report to our superiors, explain the situation, and request that this be treated as a one-time exception!”

Li Yi paused briefly, then said, “Zhou Chu, how about this: you talk to the Pengcheng Customs office. We’ll pay the customs duties on those items, and we’ll treat them as normal imports. How does that sound?”

“We’ll still have to report this to our superiors!” Zhou Rui replied.

“Alright!”

“Alright then, let’s settle it this way. I’ll give you a call when that shipment of equipment is loaded for Beijing!”

“Alright…”

Then, the two hung up the phone!

After the call ended, Li Yi felt a bit helpless—this whole situation was a real headache.

Old Huang and the others didn’t really understand the situation back home; they thought there’d be no harm in sending some congratulatory gifts over on this occasion.

After all, in their eyes, Li Yi was a special envoy working on behalf of the state.

If shipping such a large shipment of equipment had caused no problems, surely a few gifts wouldn’t be an issue!

But what they didn’t know was that the equipment had been purchased to support the Yanjing Television Factory; for the sake of economic revitalization, the higher-ups were naturally happy to see it happen.

However, those gifts were intended for private individuals, which, in the eyes of customs, constituted outright smuggling.

Moreover, the fact that Zhou Rui felt it necessary to call personally suggested that the gifts sent by Old Huang and his group likely contained something rather sensitive. If they were merely clothes and shoes, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to make this call.

Of course, there was another possibility: Zhou Rui’s primary purpose in making this call was to remind himself.

After all, there would certainly be no shortage of instances in the future where supplies and equipment were shipped in this manner. If such situations occurred frequently, it would be difficult for them to explain.

So, barring any surprises, the items sent by Old Huang and his team will arrive in Beijing along with the color TV production line, and it’s unlikely he’ll be required to pay back taxes.

But if this kind of situation were to happen again in the future, it would be difficult to handle.

It seems he’ll have to find time to talk to Old Huang and the others—they can’t cut corners like this in the future.

Of course, this also applies to my brother-in-law, Yan Guangming, Jin Junze, and others—to prevent them from taking advantage of their trips between Hong Kong and Pengcheng to smuggle all sorts of things for personal gain.

Although the likelihood of that wasn’t very high, it was still necessary to be prepared.

That said, this matter isn’t urgent. The most important thing right now is to inform my second older brother, Jiang Longyin, that the color TV production line has been brought back to the country.

After all, he had advanced the money for the equipment, so it had to be made clear.

With that in mind, Li Yi stepped out of his study, exchanged a few words with Jiang Xue, then called Zhang Ziqiang over and left the house.

After a moment of surprise, Xue Jianzhong, the head of the finance department, hurriedly said, “Old Li, all of us have checked these accounts three times—there’s no way there’s a mistake. Don’t just make things up!”

Jiang Longcheng also chimed in, “Old Li, you must have misread it. The accountants from the State-owned Assets Department have already verified these accounts—they didn’t say there was a problem!”

Li Yeqiao said in a low voice, “The State-owned Assets Department definitely wouldn’t say anything. After all, if there’s a mistake here, they’d have to pay over a million yuan less. Only a fool would admit it!”

“What? Over a million yuan?” Jiang Longcheng asked, looking stunned.

Xue Jianzhong, looking anxious, asked, “Old Li, where exactly did the calculation go wrong? Tell us quickly!”

Li Yeqiao replied immediately, “The total sales and net profit calculated by your finance department are correct, but the distribution to us can’t be calculated that way!”

“Isn’t it 12% of the net profit?” Xue Jianzhong asked.

“Of course not. Didn’t you guys read the original agreement?” Li Yeqiao retorted.

“Well… actually, I didn’t. I remember the agreement was signed based on 12%…”

Before Xue Jianzhong could finish, Li Yeqiao cut in: “According to the agreement we signed back then, if annual revenue exceeds 20 million yuan, State Cotton Mill No. 2 is required to allocate 12% of the total revenue to us—not 12% of the net profit. Your calculation is wrong!”

This left both Jiang Longcheng and Xue Jianzhong completely dumbfounded!

After a long moment, Jiang Longcheng asked, “Old Li, aren’t ‘revenue’ and ‘net profit’ the same thing?”

“Of course they’re not the same. Revenue refers to the extra income after deducting costs, but net profit requires deducting all expenses, including investments. The difference between the two is huge!”

Seeing that Jiang Longcheng still looked confused, Li Yeqiao explained again: “Director Jiang, let me put it this way: Last year, State Cotton Mill No. 2 had total sales of over 75.896 million yuan, with direct costs of only 15.25 million yuan. This includes the cost of raw materials for making clothes, workers’ wages, and utilities like water and electricity. After deducting these costs, the remaining amount is State Cotton Mill No. 2’s revenue!”

“But over the past year, your factory has opened 185 specialty stores one after another. On top of that, the factory has introduced a lot of new equipment and even purchased more than 30 vehicles of various sizes. These expenses are all investments in expanded production, and we shouldn’t have to bear this cost. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Although Jiang Longcheng still didn’t quite understand, he could sense that something wasn’t quite right with the figures.

He immediately turned to Xue Jianzhong, the head of the finance department, and asked, “Section Chief Xue, is Old Li right?”

Having worked in finance for decades, Xue Jianzhong quickly grasped Li Yeqiao’s point.

He paused briefly, then answered honestly, “Revenue is indeed different from net profit. If the agreement refers to revenue, then… then we did indeed make a mistake in our calculations!”

“Smack!”

Jiang Longcheng slammed his fist down on the table and shouted angrily, “Section Chief Xue, what the hell is going on in your finance department? How could you possibly make a mistake like this?”

“Director… we…”

Seeing that Jiang Longcheng was about to lose his temper, Li Yi hurriedly interjected, “Third Brother, don’t get angry. You can’t blame Section Chief Xue and his team entirely for this. After all, such a subtle difference is hard for most people to notice. Just recalculate it!”

Jiang Longcheng glared at Xue Jianzhong and said, “Recalculate it immediately. If there’s another mistake, you’re out of a job as head of the Finance Section!”

“Yes…”

With that, Xue Jianzhong immediately summoned the staff from the Finance Section and began recalculating.

Since the factory’s investment expenditures had already been tallied, the recalculation was completed quickly.

When Xue Jianzhong handed the recalculated statement to Jiang Longcheng, the latter looked at the figures and asked in a grave tone, “7.2768 million. Are you certain this is correct this time?”

“It’s definitely correct this time!” Xue Jianzhong replied, sweat beading on his forehead.

After the recalculation, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Because the basis for the calculation was different, there was a discrepancy of nearly 1.5 million yuan—meaning they had previously underpaid Li Yi by 1.5 million.

If this had involved anyone else, the plant manager might not only have refrained from getting angry but might even have praised him.

But Li Yi was the factory director’s brother-in-law. If their mistake caused Li Yi to lose 1.5 million yuan, he could only imagine that the enraged director would certainly fire him on the spot.

Fortunately, Li Yeqiao had noticed something was wrong, and thankfully, there was still time to salvage the situation.

Jiang Longcheng handed the bill to Li Yi while addressing Xue Jianzhong: “Old Xue, you’re the head of our factory’s finance department. The thoroughness of your work directly affects our factory’s finances. I hope something like this never happens again.”

“Yes… yes, I promise I won’t make such a mistake again!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Jiang Longcheng then turned to Li Yi again and said, “Brother-in-law, take a look and see if everything’s correct. If there are no issues, then have Old Xue process the paperwork for you!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “It’s all good. We can go ahead with the paperwork!”

“Alright…”

………

By the time they left the bank, it was already past three in the afternoon.

After dropping Li Yeqiao off at the shop, Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang returned home.

As soon as they walked in, they saw quite a few people in the house. Besides Jiang Xue, her mother, and the others, Third Sister was there too.

Seeing Li Yi push the door open, Jiang Xue immediately asked with a smile, “You’re back. Did you get everything taken care of?”

“It’s all taken care of!”

Saying this, Li Yi pulled a passbook out of his pocket and handed it to Jiang Xue.

Since the room was crowded, Jiang Xue didn’t check the balance; she simply took the passbook into the study in the back room.

Taking advantage of the moment while Jiang Xue was putting the passbook away, Li Yi looked at Li Na and said, “Third Sister, aren’t you supposed to be at the new store? How did you find the time to come over?”

“I just went back to the new place to drop off some things, and since I was passing by, I thought I’d pop in and say hello!” Li Na replied.

“By the way, Third Sister, where is your new house? Is it far from here?”

“Not far. We’re only two houses away from Director Jiang’s place!”

“What a coincidence!”

Just then, Jiang Xue emerged from the study and picked up the conversation: “Not at all. Third Sister’s courtyard was actually bought through Third Brother—the seller was one of his acquaintances!”

“So that’s how it is. No wonder!”

Li Yi then turned to Li Na again and said, “Sis, I’ve already made the arrangements. Tomorrow, I’ll send a car back to the village to pick up Dad and Second Brother-in-Law. See if there’s anyone else you want to invite, and I’ll have them brought over at the same time!”

Third Sister thought for a moment and said, “Then please bring Chunnie, Second Sister Chun, and Sister Guihua over for me!”

“Sure!”

Just then, Jiang Xue suddenly said, “Oh, right, there’s something I forgot to tell you. The old house called this afternoon. Mom said Grandpa wants us to go over for dinner tonight. Do you have time?”

“I do!”

“Great, I’ll call the old house right now and tell them we’ll be over tonight!” Jiang Xue said.

“Alright, and while you’re at it, bring the gift we bought for Grandpa over too!” Li Yi said.

“Okay…”

However, just as the two were talking, the phone in the inner room suddenly rang urgently…

…….

State Cotton Mill No. 2!

When Li Yi, Zhang Ziqiang, Li Yeqiao, and the others arrived, Jiang Longcheng was in the middle of a meeting at the factory office. After receiving a report from his secretary, he immediately had the deputy factory director take over the meeting, while he himself stepped out of the conference room accompanied by the head of the finance department.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng immediately smiled and said, “Brother-in-law, you’ve arrived just in time. If you’d been any later, the factory’s profits would have been remitted to the State-owned Assets Department. Once that happens, it won’t be easy for you to get the money back from them!”

Li Yi smiled and replied, “Don’t worry. Even if the money goes to the State-owned Assets Department, they’ll still have to give us what’s ours!”

Although Jiang Longcheng’s concern was well-founded, Li Yi was confident that, given his current status, no one would dare to embezzle his funds.

Not to mention that everything was clearly laid out in writing between him and the Second National Cotton Mill; if the State-owned Assets Department dared to embezzle his money, it would be unjustifiable in terms of reason, morality, and the law.

More importantly, he was currently a prized asset in the eyes of the bigwigs at the top. He had brought back over a billion US dollars for the country on several consecutive occasions—and hadn’t taken a single penny in commission.

If they were to anger him over this and he were to walk away, the consequences would be too severe even for Wang Tianrong of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to bear.

“You’d better take it right away, so we don’t have to haggle with them later!”

“Alright!”

Accompanied by Jiang Longcheng and Xue Jianzhong, the group then proceeded to the Finance Department of State Cotton Mill No. 2.

Upon arriving at the finance department, Xue Jianzhong immediately instructed the staff to retrieve the factory’s financial statements and year-end performance reports for the past year and place them in front of Li Yi.

Li Yi didn’t look at them himself; instead, he pushed the entire stack over to Li Yeqiao, who was standing nearby.

As Li Yi’s chief accountant, Li Yeqiao immediately took the documents and began reviewing them.

While Li Yeqiao was reviewing the documents, Jiang Longcheng looked at Li Yi and said, “Brother-in-law, there’s something I’d like to hear your thoughts on!”

“What is it?”

“Quite a few colleagues have suggested lowering the prices of the factory’s clothing, and I’m not quite sure what to do about it,” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Lower the prices? Who suggested it, and why?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.

“Brother-in-law, it’s not just one or two people suggesting a price cut—a large number of our colleagues share this view. As for whether we’re willing to do it, the main issue is that we’re feeling the pressure right now!”

Li Yi furrowed his brow and asked, “Is anyone just following the crowd?”

“Yeah!”

Jiang Longcheng continued, “In the second half of this year, quite a few textile mills have started copying us. They’re copying our clothing styles and opening their own specialty stores just like we do!”

“Among them, Beijing National Cotton Mill No. 1 and Shanghai Textile Factory have been particularly successful. They’ve opened quite a few direct-sales stores in multiple locations, mimicking our model, and our sales have taken a bit of a hit.”

“How significant is the impact?”

Jiang Longcheng replied immediately, “It’s not that significant. Mainly because we have a large number of specialty stores, with a sales reach covering almost all major and medium-sized cities nationwide, while those textile mills are limited to Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. So the overall impact is limited!”

“But we’ve noticed that in any city where National Cotton Mill No. 1 or Shanghai Textile Factory has a store, our specialty stores’ sales growth slows down—or even drops slightly!”

“Are you planning to engage in a price war with them?” Li Yi asked, frowning.

“It’s not exactly a price war, but we’ve noticed that those factories really are selling their products cheaper! For the same Dacron shirt, we’re selling it for 12 yuan, but they’re selling it for only 8 yuan—a full third cheaper than us.”

Jiang Longcheng continued, “After comparing prices across several stores, many ordinary people simply choose the cheaper option. So quite a few people at the factory are considering whether we should lower our prices as well…”

“We can’t lower our prices!” Li Yi said firmly.

“Brother-in-law, can we really get by without lowering our prices? After all, our prices are so much higher than theirs for the same product. If I were in their shoes, I’d buy from someone else too!” Jiang Longcheng said.

Li Yi glanced at him and said, “Are you sure our products are the same as theirs?”

“Well, same cotton fabric, same style—that means they’re the same product, right?”

“Third Brother, don’t forget—our clothes are made by Feixue Apparel. Just the Feixue brand alone justifies a higher price than the competition!” Li Yi said.

“Well…”

Li Yi knew Jiang Longcheng didn’t understand much about business, so he might not grasp the concept of brand premium.

So, Li Yi paused to gather his thoughts, then said, “Third Brother, do you know how much a color TV sells for in the country these days?”

“I actually do know that. A few days ago, that kid Jianhua bought a Goldstar color TV for 1,800 yuan. Why are you suddenly asking about this? Are you planning to…”

“Don’t get any ideas—that’s not what I mean!”

Li Yi continued, “Then do you know how much an imported color TV costs?”

“I’m not really sure about that. You know our old man isn’t too fond of foreign goods, so we don’t pay much attention to those foreign gadgets!” Jiang Longcheng replied.

Li Yi immediately replied, “I know. A Panasonic color TV made in Taiwan can fetch as much as 3,500 yuan here in China. Even on the black market in Guangdong Province, smuggled goods go for around 2,800 yuan!”

“That expensive?”

“Yeah, but you know what? The production line for the Goldstar color TVs you mentioned also comes from Japan. Aside from a slight difference in the casing, there’s no real difference between them and Panasonic TVs.”

Then, changing the subject, Li Yi continued, “According to your logic, aren’t they essentially the same product? So why can others sell theirs for 3,500 yuan, while our domestically produced ones can only fetch 1,800?”

“Well…”

Before Jiang Longcheng could formulate a response, Li Yi continued, “It’s because it’s a Panasonic product. Most countries in the world recognize this company, and their brand has the power to command a premium!”

“Our Feixue Apparel has already made a name for itself nationwide and gained public recognition. As long as we ensure our designs consistently align with mainstream tastes and lead fashion trends, and we maintain top-notch quality, we don’t need to worry about prices being too high and nobody buying them!”

Li Yi actually had very high expectations for State Cotton Mill No. 2.

As one of the earliest factories in the country to transition into ready-to-wear apparel, State Cotton Mill No. 2 has already taken the lead among all textile mills. Coupled with the fact that they have now opened over a hundred specialty stores across the country, if they can stay the course, they are very likely to become a true giant in the domestic apparel industry in the future.

As for pricing, it’s undeniable that Feixue Apparel’s prices are indeed a bit higher, but they’re not exorbitant—far from reaching the level of luxury goods.

Moreover, every industry in every country needs a high-end brand, and Li Yi hopes Feixue Apparel will become the leading brand in China’s apparel industry.

“What about the First National Cotton Mill and the Shanghai Textile Factory…”

“Don’t worry about them. We just need to focus on doing our own thing. They won’t pose a threat to us anytime soon!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I know what to do…”

Just then, Li Yeqiao, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: “The numbers don’t add up!”

Hearing this, everyone in the room froze!

Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng also stopped talking and turned to look over.

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!