Chapter 547: Gold Prices Skyrocket!

Hong Kong Island. Suburbs!

In a cramped little apartment, Yang Qian stared at the telegraph machine before her, her mind in a jumble, unsure how to report the situation here to her superiors.

She had been assigned by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange to infiltrate Star International Investment Company and monitor the movements of those 200 million in foreign exchange!

Although, after a thorough investigation into Li Yi’s background, her superiors had concluded it was unlikely he would embezzle the funds.

But after all, it was 200 million in foreign exchange—the equivalent of how much oil and agricultural products the country had exported to earn that amount.

If it were to simply vanish like this, who could possibly bear the responsibility?

That is why Yang Qian, an agent with a special status, had been sent to Hong Kong.

Of course, her mission in Hong Kong Island involved not only overseeing that foreign exchange but also carrying out other secret assignments.

But after Yang Qian successfully joined Starry Sky Company, she discovered that the company’s operations were particularly peculiar.

She had assumed that a company holding tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars would be busy every day seeking out projects to invest in.

Yet the reality was quite the opposite. Although the employees appeared busy—meeting clients and signing contracts daily—they were rarely seen seeking out investment projects.

Moreover, as soon as they secured an investment—regardless of the amount—they would immediately convert it into U.S. dollars and deposit it into designated banks.

Even the $200 million in foreign currency shipped from the mainland was deposited in batches at major banks like Citibank, Hang Seng, and Standard Chartered as soon as it arrived on Hong Kong Island.

What surprised Yang Qian the most was that the deposit term for this money was a full year.

In other words, the company would be unable to access this money for a full year, unless they were willing to forgo the interest.

This move left Yang Qian completely baffled. What on earth was Starry Sky Corporation up to? Could it be that their so-called “investment” simply meant putting money in the bank to earn interest?

If that were the case, why would the government even need to seek out Li Yi?

Because of this, Yang Qian specifically asked Manager Lan from the Investment Management Department about it, only to be told that it was the Big Boss’s order.

Feeling helpless, Yang Qian decided after work to report the situation back to China.

But once she sat down at the telegraph machine, she hesitated.

Although she hadn’t witnessed Li Yi’s dominance in the Hong Kong stock market firsthand, she had seen how he negotiated with higher-ups.

and with just a few words, that young man had forced the bureau to submit a report to the highest levels, ultimately securing approval to allocate 200 million in precious foreign exchange for him to manage.

Recalling her previous meeting with Li Yi, Yang Qian was convinced he wouldn’t treat such a massive sum lightly; there must be a deeper purpose behind his actions.

With that thought, her hand resting on the telegraph key couldn’t help but relax!

She decided not to report this situation back just yet; she would wait and see how things developed. There might be other developments down the line.

After all, the money had already been deposited in the bank, so security shouldn’t be a major concern for the time being.

Having made this decision, Yang Qian immediately put away the telegraph machine and hid it in a secret compartment in the bathroom.

After finishing all this, she walked slowly to the window and gazed out at the brightly lit city in the distance. Yang Qian couldn’t help but marvel at the prosperity of this place.

Although she had only been here for three or four days, she was amazed by everything about this city every single day—such as the high salaries, high property prices, and high rents.

Back home, she was a section-level official earning a Grade 18 salary of 89 yuan a month—which was considered a high salary in a country where 36 yuan was considered a fortune.

But here, even a random janitor at the company earned 2,000 Hong Kong dollars a month—the equivalent of about 700 yuan back home.

As for her colleagues, their base salaries were generally around 3,500 Hong Kong dollars, and department heads could even earn 5,000 to 6,000 Hong Kong dollars—equivalent to roughly 2,000 yuan back home.

That’s 20 times what she used to earn!

Of course, while she earns more here, the cost of living is also higher.

Take the small apartment she’s currently renting, for example. It’s only 25 square meters, and back home, the rent would definitely not exceed 8 yuan.

But here, it costs over 260 Hong Kong dollars a month—which is actually more than her monthly salary back home—and this isn’t even in the city center.

In the city center, a flat like this would cost at least 400 Hong Kong dollars a month.

Moreover, the people here—men and women alike—talk almost exclusively about money and housing, rather than the country, ethnicity, or matters of sentiment and ideals.

Compared to these people, Yang Qian, who used to think highly of herself, felt she was far too naive. She might even end up being sold out by them and still have to count out the money for them!

She was genuinely surprised at how that young man had managed, single-handedly, to completely outclass the elite of Hong Kong’s financial sector!

And was the investment opportunity he mentioned really as simple as just depositing money in a bank?

……….

In the same city, while Yang Qian was wrestling with her thoughts, Lan Xinyi was also suffering from insomnia!

Just this afternoon, she had mortgaged her only home to the bank and secured a loan of 250,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Combined with the 150,000 she’d earned over the years, plus 200,000 borrowed from her brother and other relatives and friends, she’d scraped together a full 600,000.

She then exchanged that money for nearly 120,000 US dollars and deposited it in the bank. She used the certificate of deposit as collateral to secure a loan of 580,000 Hong Kong dollars to invest in gold—exactly following the investment model currently employed by Starry Company.

It’s safe to say she’s staked her entire net worth on this.

This was the biggest gamble she had ever taken since entering the financial world.

If she failed, she would be left with nothing—and would even be saddled with massive debt!

But Lan Xinyi had no regrets; she trusted Li Yi’s judgment and was confident that this time, they wouldn’t lose money.

After all, compared to the mere 600,000 Hong Kong dollars she had invested, the big boss Li Yi had poured in over 6 billion Hong Kong dollars.

In fact, just a couple of days ago, he had injected another 200 million US dollars—which, when converted, amounts to over 1 billion Hong Kong dollars.

And that was precisely why Lan Xinyi was willing to take the gamble; even if they lost, she was prepared to accept it.

Although she had mentally prepared herself to accept any outcome, she still couldn’t help but suffer from insomnia.

However, just as Lan Xinyi was trying to figure out how to fall asleep quickly, a frantic knock suddenly sounded at the door.

In the middle of the night, living alone in her apartment, this sudden knocking inevitably made Lan Xinyi feel a bit nervous.

After all, public safety in Hong Kong these days was far from ideal, and late-night home invasions were nothing new.

Filled with worry, she first went to the kitchen to grab a kitchen knife, then cautiously asked, “Who is it?”

“Xinyi, it’s me!”

Hearing her brother’s voice, Lan Xinyi finally let out a sigh of relief and opened the door.

“Brother, why did you come over so late at night?”

Lan Xinyi’s voice sounded a bit anxious as she spoke.

Although her brother’s place wasn’t too far from hers, it was still two blocks away, and walking there was quite a distance.

Besides, it was so late now; unless something had happened, it was highly unlikely her brother would come looking for her.

“Xinyi, I need to ask you—did you invest all your money in gold?”

“Brother, you didn’t come all the way over here in the middle of the night just to ask about that, did you?”

Seeing his sister’s expression, Lan Xinming knew immediately that she must have invested the money. Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “How much did you invest?”

“6… 600,000!”

Lan Xinming suddenly grabbed Lan Xinyi’s shoulders and exclaimed excitedly, “Xinyi, you’re going to strike it rich… really strike it rich!”

“Bro, what do you mean by that?”

“The price of gold has gone up!”

“Bro… what nonsense are you talking about? Why would the gold price be rising in the middle of the night?”

But Lan Xinming said excitedly, “I just got reliable news that the gold price over in Zaiying has skyrocketed by $50 an ounce. If things go as expected, the gold price here will follow suit as soon as dawn breaks!”

Lan Xinyi thought it over carefully. Based on the time difference, it was indeed around 11 a.m. over at Thief Eagle’s place right now.

And since it was a trading day, it was theoretically possible that her brother had received news of a gold price increase—though this jump seemed a bit staggering!

“Bro, are you sure the gold price went up by $50?”

“The news is definitely accurate!”

After receiving her brother’s definitive answer, Lan Xinyi’s heart began to race.

She had invested in the international gold price, and with the price skyrocketing in Thief Eagle’s market, she would theoretically make a profit.

Immediately, Lan Xinyi began quietly calculating her potential returns.

She hadn’t realized it until she did the math, and the numbers truly made her heart race.

Based on a $50-per-ounce increase in the gold price, her profit would reach nearly $9,000.

Then, Lan Xinyi thought about the company’s profits. She knew that since the company had entered the market early, their purchase price for gold had been between $260 and $280 per ounce.

That meant the profit margin was even higher!

Even if calculated at a $50 increase, the company’s profit from this single surge alone would reach $260 million.

At this thought, Lan Xinyi felt a chill run through her…

……..

By the time Xiaogouwa had finished washing up, put on a clean vest, and returned to the house, Ergouzi’s dinner was ready.

When the lid was lifted and the dinner was brought into the house, both Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang, who had come with him, fell silent.

Little Dog’s family dinner was simply too simple… no, it was downright meager!

A bowl of watery congee with four or five yam tubers floating in it, plus a small bowl of cold-tossed bitter greens (wild vegetables)—it’s no exaggeration to say there wasn’t a single drop of oil in this meal.

If the porridge had been a bit thicker, it might have been acceptable, but Xiaogouwa’s was truly just watery rice gruel. With so much water and so little rice, the resulting porridge was nothing but water—the liquid and the grains remained completely separate.

Even so, Erdouzi and his two younger sisters ate it with such relish that it was enough to make anyone’s eyes well up.

“Is this all you’re having for dinner?” Li Yi asked in a subdued voice.

Xiaogouwa nodded first.

“Is it because your family can’t afford to buy rice or flour?”

Xiaogouwa shook his head, then smiled and said, “Brother Yi, hasn’t it always been like this in the village?”

Hearing this, Li Yi fell silent.

It was true—Xiaogouwa’s family wasn’t the only one struggling in the village; the vast majority of households were in a similar situation.

As long as they had a full meal at noon, dinner was usually just a meager bite—forget about eating well or having enough; as long as they could “get by” until morning, that was enough.

Thin porridge with yam tubers or watery noodle soup with potatoes—these were the most common dinners for villagers!

Even in the homes of the village Party secretary and the brigade leader, the most they’d add was a black-flour steamed bun.

After a long silence, Li Yi asked in a low voice, “How have things been lately?”

“It’s been great. Ever since I learned how to deliver lambs and calves from Vet Cui, I’ve earned quite a few labor points. I should get a bigger share of money and grain at the end of the year!” Xiaogouwa said happily.

“What’s that? Does the brigade give extra work points for delivering lambs and calves?”

“Yeah, they give 10 labor points for each one. I’ve earned over 800 labor points these past few months!”

Hearing this, Li Yi felt a pang of sadness.

He knew the going rate for labor points in the village: one point was worth about three cents, so those 800 points amounted to just 24 yuan.

But for Xiaogouwa, that was already a considerable sum.

With that in mind, Li Yi pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to him.

Xiaogouwa looked at Li Yi but didn’t take it. Instead, he said, “Brother Yi, what are you doing?”

“It’s your pay!”

“What wages?”

“I told you before to help me look after the sheep and cattle, and take care of my parents while you’re at it. This is the pay I’m giving you!” Li Yi said.

“I don’t want it. This is just what I’m supposed to do—how could I possibly take your money?”

“But we agreed on this…”

Before Li Yi could finish, Xiaogouwa cut him off: “Brother Yi, I know you want to help us, but we really don’t need it!”

“We might be struggling a bit right now, but at least we have a roof over our heads and food to eat. The uncles and aunts in the village look out for us too—we can still get by!”

Seeing the stubborn look on the boy’s face, Li Yi couldn’t help but give him a stern look and said, “You may be young, but you’ve got a lot of ideas. I said it’s a salary, so it’s a salary—I’m not doing this out of pity for you!”

“Yi…”

“Stop beating around the bush. Take the money. I’ve got something to tell you!”

Seeing that Li Yi was adamant and had more to tell him, Xiaogouwa finally took the envelope.

“There’s 500 yuan in here. Use this money to fix up the house first. Don’t let the roof collapse in the middle of winter—that could cost someone their life!”

“Got it!”

“Also, buy a few sets of clothes for Erdouzi, Daya, and Eya—especially thick winter clothes. That’s absolutely essential!”

Li Yi continued, “Once school starts in a few days, send them all to school. As long as their grades are decent and they can keep up with their studies, I’ll keep supporting them!”

“Got it, Brother Yi. Actually, I went to the school a few days ago to ask about this, and they agreed to take them in!” Xiaogouwa said.

“That’s great!”

Li Yi then added, “Xiaogouwa, I’m planning to invest in building a large-scale livestock farm in the village, with an investment of around 100,000 yuan.”

“The farm will be a joint venture with the village—I’ll provide the capital, and the village will contribute labor and feed. I plan to appoint you as the deputy manager of this farm!”

“Me, deputy manager?”

“That’s right. Uncle Feng will be the manager, and you and Gangzi will both be deputy managers—one in charge of the sheep farm, and the other in charge of the cattle farm!” Li Yi said.

“Well… are we up to the task…?”

“Why not? I’ll bring in two professionals from Beijing to teach you the ropes. It’ll only take a few years to learn!” Li Yi said.

“Alright then, I’ll follow Brother Yi’s lead!”

“Good. Since we have some time these next few days, starting tomorrow, you and Gangzi should contact the brick and stone factories. Then start hauling bricks and stones. Let’s aim to get this farm built before winter arrives!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll talk it over with Gangzi and Uncle Feng tomorrow!”

“Alright…”

After chatting for a while longer, Li Yi finally left Xiaogouwa’s house with Zhang Ziqiang.

On the way back, Zhang Ziqiang suddenly asked, “You… are you really planning to spend 100,000 yuan to build a farm here?”

Li Yi looked at this “bandit” comrade and asked in return, “Why do you ask?”

“I mean, you’re already so rich—over there, you can make tens or even hundreds of thousands just by batting an eyelid. Surely you wouldn’t bother with such a small sum?” Zhang Ziqiang said.

“Theoretically speaking, I really don’t need to waste my time on such a small sum, but is that really the point?”

Before Zhang Ziqiang could answer, Li Yi continued, ““This is Nianzishan Village, my hometown. Every single person here is a fellow villager who watched me grow up. This small sum I don’t think much of might be enough for them to feed their families for an entire year, cover medical expenses for treatment at the county hospital when they fall ill, or even pay for their children’s education, their son’s wedding, or their daughter’s dowry…”

“So you invested in this farm for the sake of the local people?”

“You could put it that way, but that’s not the whole story!” Li Yi replied honestly.

Although the idea of building a farm had only just been brought up, Li Yi had actually been thinking about it for quite some time.

After all, his main business back home was the restaurant industry—specifically, restaurants specializing in grilled and hot-pot meat dishes—so his reliance on beef and mutton was significant.

Although beef and lamb prices were currently standardized across the country and remained within his acceptable range,

However, Li Yi was well aware that with the implementation of the household contract responsibility system, price liberalization was inevitable.

Although the state didn’t fully liberalize grain and oil prices until 1993, starting from 1984 to 1985, the prices of the vast majority of products had already begun to be impacted by market forces, resulting in significant fluctuations.

Under these circumstances, establishing his own beef and mutton supply chain was essential.

Fortunately, their location sat at the intersection of agricultural and pastoral regions, offering ideal conditions for establishing a breeding base. Moreover, it would stimulate the local economy and help villagers lift themselves out of poverty—truly a win-win situation!

In response to Li Yi’s words, Zhang Ziqiang remained silent, as always.

He trusted his own judgment: Li Yi was investing in this farm solely for the benefit of the villagers.

After all, Zhang Ziqiang was well aware of the brilliant achievements this young man—who was a few years his junior—had made elsewhere. Someone like him would never be interested in the meager profits from raising cattle and sheep!

With that in mind, he knew exactly how he would report Li Yi’s activities and his assessment of him to his superiors upon his return.

At the same time, Li Yi’s image in his mind couldn’t help but grow larger and more imposing.

However, what Zhang Ziqiang didn’t know was that Yang Qian, far away on Hong Kong Island, was fretting over the very same matter.

PS: Chapter 2 is here!

Evening. The Li Family’s New Home!

The entire Li family was gathered around the large kang in the main room, getting ready to eat.

Just as the dinner was being served onto the kang, Li Yi suddenly spoke up: “Father, Mother, everyone, please hold on a moment. I have something I’d like to discuss with you all!”

Li Shankui placed his eldest grandson, Li Yunrui, on his lap but said nothing, though his gaze turned toward Li Yi.

Second Sister Li Lan, while serving rice to her son Zhang Ning, asked, “What’s so formal about this?”

“It’s like this: my business in the capital has gotten a bit hectic, so I’d like to ask Eldest Sister to come to the capital to help me!”

Li Yi continued, “My brother-in-law has agreed as well. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, my eldest sister and her husband will be heading to the capital soon…”

Before he could finish, Second Sister exclaimed in surprise, “To Beijing? What about Eldest Sister and her husband’s jobs at the sugar factory? Won’t they lose them? That would be such a shame!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I want to ask you and my second sister’s husband what you think. Do you want to come with me to the capital to start a new life?”

My second sister didn’t refuse outright, but she frowned and said, “Neither of us even finished literacy class. We’re completely illiterate. What could we possibly do in a big city like the capital?”

“That sounds so discouraging,” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“That’s not being down—I’m just a little worried!”

Then my second sister added, “I heard from Mom and Dad that the capital is huge—there are alleys everywhere, big and small. Even the doors to the restrooms have signs on them. If my husband and I go there, we won’t even be able to tell the men’s from the women’s restrooms!”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “That’s exactly why, once you get to the capital, making money is secondary. The most important thing is to see and learn as much as you can!”

“How do we learn?”

“My idea is that once you get to Beijing, you’ll do what Third Sister did: start by helping out in the store. Once you’re familiar with how the business operates, you can go out and open your own branches.”

Li Yi continued, “Or I could place the two of you in a company where you can work and learn at the same time, and then come out to help me when the right opportunity arises.”

Li Yi knew Second Sister’s capabilities well. Although she wasn’t very literate, she was decisive and bold in her actions. In contrast, her husband was much more cautious and reserved.

“As long as she gets proper training and becomes familiar with all the processes of running a business, she’ll have no trouble managing a small company.”

“Zhang Xuefeng, what do you think?”

Her husband, standing nearby, hurriedly replied, “I don’t have any ideas—whatever you say goes!”

Hearing his brother-in-law’s words, which were clearly driven by a strong desire to survive, Li Yi couldn’t help but smile.

“Second brother-in-law, this is a major decision for you all after all. Leaving now could mean a lifetime away. Think it through before you decide!”

Zhang Xuefeng smiled upon hearing his brother-in-law’s words and said, “What’s there to think about? Our third brother is already in Beijing, and our eldest sister’s family is heading there too. We certainly can’t be left behind.”

“Who knows? In another couple of years, his grandparents will probably have to move there too. It’s only a matter of time!”

“So you’re in favor of going together?” Li Lan asked with a smile.

“We’re definitely going, but I want to wait until winter!”

“Why’s that?”

Zhang Xuefeng replied, “It’s almost September now, and the autumn harvest is just around the corner. We’ve been working hard for half a year—we should at least wait until the crops are harvested and the money and grain are distributed before we leave!”

“Plus, we harvested over 40,000 pounds of mushrooms this year and invested five or six thousand yuan in them. We can’t just abandon them, can we?”

Second Sister Li Lan added, “That makes sense. Let’s just wrap up our affairs in the village before heading to the capital. That way, we can leave with peace of mind.”

Just then, their father, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: “So you’re just going to leave like that? What about the land distribution in the village—do you even want it anymore?”

Hearing this, everyone froze.

Then, both the eldest sister and the second sister’s families turned their gaze toward Li Yi, the implication clear.

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “We’ll take it. This land distribution is crucial. If we pass it up now, we might never get another chance. We should at least get our share first.”

“But what if we get the land and don’t farm it?” Father asked in a grave tone.

“Of course. If we don’t farm it ourselves, we can let others farm it. As long as we pay the agricultural tax in full, it’s fine,” Li Yi replied.

“Alright, let’s do it that way…”

……….

After dinner, Li Yi said goodbye to his family and headed out with Zhang Ziqiang.

First, he went to the homes of Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others, handing over the money and goods they had brought back to their parents one by one.

After that, Li Yi finally arrived at Xiaogouwa’s house.

The lights were on at Xiaogouwa’s house, but judging by the dim and flickering glow, they were likely still using a kerosene lamp.

When Li Yi stepped inside, he indeed saw a kerosene lamp in the kitchen of the main room, and Erdouzi was squatting in front of the stove, vigorously pumping the bellows.

A faint aroma wafting from the pot suggested that a meal was being prepared.

Because the bellows were so loud and it was already completely dark outside, Ergouzi hadn’t noticed anyone had arrived until he heard Li Yi’s soft cough.

Turning his head, Er Gouzi recognized Li Yi in the dim light and immediately exclaimed happily, “Brother Yi, what brings you here? Come on in!”

“Where’s your brother? I don’t see him,” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“My brother’s over by the sheep pen. One of the ewes is about to give birth today, so he has to stay with her!” Ergouzi explained.

“Why does your brother have to be the one watching over it? What about the other villagers?”

“Besides my brother, no one else in our village knows how to assist with lambing. Ever since my brother learned how to do it from Veterinarian Cui at the commune a few months ago, he’s been the go-to guy for everything—whether it’s lambing or calving!” Erdouzi said with a look of pride.

“That’s great!” Li Yi said sincerely.

The commotion outside startled the two little girls inside the house, and they both came out to see what was going on.

When they saw it was Li Yi, they both ran over happily and gathered around him, chattering away nonstop.

Li Yi was delighted as well. He immediately handed over the large bag of pastries and the sack of fruit he’d bought in the county seat to Daya and Erya, which made the two little girls even happier.

Just then, a series of “thump, thump” footsteps sounded from outside the front gate.

Just as Li Yi was about to turn to look, Er Gouzi called out, “Brother Yi, my older brother is back!”

Sure enough, before the person had even stepped inside, Li Yi heard Xiaogouwa’s voice call out: “Lao Er, is that Brother Yi?”

“Bro, it’s Brother Yi!”

“Then bring me a clean undershirt and a basin of water!”

“Okay, just you wait!”

Hearing the voices, Li Yi immediately stepped out of the main room and saw Xiaogouwa walking toward him, but the boy stopped about three or four meters away.

In the dim light spilling from the house, Li Yi saw that Xiaogouwa had grown a bit taller, though he was still rather thin.

Li Yi was about to step forward, but heard Xiaogouwa say hurriedly, “Brother Yi, don’t come over here—I just finished tending to the lambs, and I smell bad!”

“What’s the big deal? We’re not some rich kid from a government official’s family—we’re all kids raised in the village. I’m not afraid of a little smell!”

With that, Li Yi strode over!

As soon as he got close, Li Yi noticed that Xiaogouwa’s undershirt was covered in stains, and there were even bloodstains on his hands and arms. There was indeed a particularly strong, pungent odor coming from him.

“Is it always like this when you help deliver lambs?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.

“Not usually. This lamb just wouldn’t come out today, so I had to reach in and pull it out—that’s why I’m a bit dirty!”

Just as he spoke, the young boy brought out a basin of water.

Clearly, he was used to this sort of situation; as he came out, he also brought along a bar of soap about the size of a baby’s fist.

Without hesitation, Xiaogouwa took off his undershirt and began washing himself right there in the courtyard…

……..

PS: There’s another chapter coming before midnight!

By the time they left the sugar factory, it was already past ten in the morning!

They had come as a pair, but left as a group of five—my eldest sister’s family had joined them.

Li Yi personally asked Liang Yukui for time off, explaining that since he had finally made the trip back, he wanted to catch up with his older sister and brother-in-law.

Naturally, Liang Yukui wouldn’t refuse Li Yi’s request and immediately granted them leave without hesitation.

Of course, while Li Yi had brought his older sister and brother-in-law out to spend time together as a family,

But more importantly, Li Yi wanted to discuss with his brother-in-law the matter of expanding their business to Hong Kong Island.

Since this was a serious matter involving my older sister’s husband’s former unit and comrades, we couldn’t discuss it at the factory; we had to take him back to our hometown to talk about it.

However, after leaving the sugar factory, Li Yi didn’t go straight home; instead, he stopped by the county credit union first.

The loan he’d taken out from the credit union last year was about to mature, so he planned to pay it off while he was back home.

Otherwise, once he returned to Beijing, he didn’t know when he’d be able to come back.

The repayment process went smoothly!

When the credit union staff received the 40,000 yuan, Li Yi could clearly see the relief wash over their faces.

Clearly, they had been worried that this loan—originally issued by the former director—would turn into a bad debt or a deadbeat account. They hadn’t expected Li Yi to not only pay it back but do so ahead of schedule.

After repaying the loan, Li Yi made another stop at the supply and marketing cooperative!

After buying some rice, flour, cooking oil, meat, vegetables, and eggs, Li Yi drove to Li Yeqiao and Liu San’s homes. He delivered the money and goods the two had brought back for their families, left some gifts behind, and only then returned to Nianzishan Village with his eldest sister’s family.

Back home, when his eldest sister saw Jiang Xue and the two children, she was naturally overjoyed and couldn’t help but ask after their well-being.

While they were chatting, Li Yi took Zhang Ziqiang to Yaogou Village to bring his second sister’s family back as well.

With that, everyone from the Li family was back home—except for the third daughter, Li Na, who was far away in Beijing.

To celebrate this rare family reunion, Zhang Yuehong spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen with her two daughters and daughter-in-law, preparing fried rice cakes, stir-fried vegetables, braised meat, and scrambled eggs.

During the meal, Li Yi even brought out a bottle of Moutai!

The family clinked glasses and enjoyed a joyful, harmonious meal…

…….

When Li Yi woke up again, it was already past six in the evening!

Although neither of his brothers-in-law had tried to force him to drink at lunch—they’d only asked him to take a small sip when they clinked glasses—his tolerance was simply too low, and that single sip was enough to send him crawling under the table!

Crawling out from under the bed, he shook his dazed head and couldn’t help but sigh.

His tolerance for alcohol was hopeless—whether it was baijiu, beer, or red wine, he just couldn’t handle it.

It was like that in his past life, and it was the same in this one—not a shred of improvement!

After taking a moment to recover, Li Yi finally surveyed the room.

To his surprise, the spacious room was completely empty. Not only were Jiang Xue and the child gone, but he couldn’t even see his eldest and second sisters.

Just then, the sound of his eldest sister and his wife chatting and laughing drifted in from outside the door.

Immediately, Li Yi put on his shoes, got up, and walked toward the door.

Under the eaves, his mother was watching over the little ones, while his eldest and second sisters, along with Jiang Xue, were drying mushrooms by the drying shed.

Although Li Yi had stopped dealing in mushrooms this year, his second older sister and her husband had continued to collect them.

However, since Liu Jingshan from the county-run restaurant had been transferred to the city hotel, the newly appointed restaurant manager didn’t recognize his brother-in-law and therefore wouldn’t buy his mushrooms.

Consequently, after harvesting, his mushrooms could only be dried and set aside to be sold in the winter.

Since Second Sister’s family didn’t have a drying shed or enough rooms to store the dried goods, they had to wait until they’d collected a full cartload before taking it to Nianzishan Village to dry it at the Li family’s new house.

Seeing Li Yi come out of the house, Mother immediately asked, “Are you awake?”

“Mm-hmm. Where’d Dad, my eldest brother-in-law, and my second brother-in-law go?”

“Your father went to the commune. Your eldest brother-in-law and second brother-in-law had nothing to do, so they went to the fields to tend the livestock!”

Just as she spoke, the sound of jingling bells came from outside the courtyard.

Looking out toward the sound, he saw his two brothers-in-law returning, each riding a mule, with a large bundle of lush green grass strapped to the back of each animal.

After tying the bright red mule and the black horse to the posts in the courtyard, Yang Wenguang and Zhang Xuefeng carried the hay into the hayloft before making their way over to Li Yi.

Seeing his two brothers-in-law approaching, Li Yi immediately said, “Second Brother-in-Law, you take over for Eldest Sister and Xiao Xue in a moment so they can go cook. First Brother-in-Law, you wash your face and come out with me!”

“Alright!”

Soon, the eldest brother-in-law finished washing up and followed Li Yi out of the old house!

Zhang Ziqiang saw this and was about to go out with them, but Li Yi stopped him.

After all, what he was about to discuss with his eldest brother-in-law was rather sensitive; even though Zhang Ziqiang was a government official, Li Yi didn’t want him to overhear.

Zhang Ziqiang was tactful enough to back off; once he was sure Li Yi was safe here, he didn’t insist on tagging along.

After leaving the new house, the two walked along the gravel road toward the back mountain.

Once they were far enough away from the new house, Yang Wenguang asked, “Xiao Yi, you asked me to come out here alone—is there something you need to discuss?”

“Brother-in-law, there’s something I’d like to ask you—I hope it’s not too much trouble.”

“What is it?”

“Which unit did you serve in before?”

Yang Wenguang was taken aback for a moment, then asked in return, “Why do you ask? That’s classified information. Even though I’ve left the military, we’re not allowed to disclose it to outsiders!”

“Then let me rephrase it: how strong was your unit’s combat capability?”

“Very strong… no, actually, exceptionally strong!”

“How strong?”

“How do I put this? Let me put it this way: my unit has faced off against the Bandit Eagles, the Bear Alliance, the British, the French, the Southern Monkeys, and the White Elephants. I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’ve won every single battle, but the enemy has never gained the slightest advantage over us!” Yang Wenguang said.

Hearing this, Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly.

Wow, this unit has beaten the other four major thugs plus a whole bunch of troublemakers. Even within the Rabbit Army, where land warfare reigns supreme, they must be top-tier!

He knew his brother-in-law’s background was no ordinary one, and it turned out he was right!

With that, Li Yi felt much more confident!

“Brother-in-law, are you still in touch with your old comrades, especially the ones who’ve retired?”

“Yes. Are you looking to ask them for a favor?”

“Yeah!”

“Something illegal?”

“No, Old Huang and I have set up a security firm in Hong Kong, and we need a team of professionals to go over there!”

Li Yi then explained his plan in detail to his sister’s husband.

After listening to Li Yi’s explanation, Yang Wenguang let out a long sigh and said, “If that’s the case, I don’t think it’ll be a problem, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s just that my comrades are scattered all over the country, so it won’t be easy to get in touch with them. Plus, many of them were officers when they retired and have military decorations to their credit. Back in civilian life, they might hold official positions, so I’m not sure if they’d be willing to follow you to Hong Kong Island!” Yang Wenguang said.

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Brother-in-law, I’d like you to quit your job at the sugar factory and focus on handling this matter for me. Are you willing?”

“Why wouldn’t I? But I really can’t say for sure how many would be willing to follow you to Hong Kong!”

“No problem. We’ll take whoever’s available. At the start, we just need to get the framework set up; the rest can come later!”

Li Yi knew that the massive military downsizing would begin soon. When that happened, nearly a million troops would be disbanded across the country, and among them would be no shortage of elite soldiers from various units.

There would certainly be no shortage of talent in that regard—not just dozens, but even hundreds or thousands wouldn’t be a problem!

But before that, Hong Kong still needed a group of professional and trustworthy people to go over there and set up the security company’s framework, and while they were at it, give Old Huang’s rag-tag bunch a proper training.

“Alright, I’ll mention it to Director Liang when I go back this time. But as for your sister…”

“Don’t worry about my sister. I plan to bring her and the kids to Beijing to live with us. Once the kids are in their first year of college, I’ll find her a job!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll go back and talk to your sister about it!”

“I’ll bring it up at dinner tonight. And we’ll need to make arrangements for my second sister, too!” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

……..

“Boom…”

Loud firecrackers went off one after another at the edge of the forest on the Beiliang side, startling the birds in the woods into flying in all directions.

In front of the Li family’s ancestral graves, Li Shankui burned “paper money” for the ancestors while praising his son and daughter-in-law for their success.

Meanwhile, Li Yi could only obediently kneel before several dilapidated little mounds, respectfully kowtowing.

After all, with his father chatting with the ancestors, there was no room for him to interject.

As for Zhang Ziqiang, who was acting as the driver, he stood nearby setting off firecrackers while taking pleasure in Li Yi’s humiliated expression.

To be honest, when he first met Li Yi in Guangzhou, he thought he was a “capitalist” with real drive. He felt neither fondness nor hostility toward him; he was simply tagging along to fulfill his superiors’ orders.

But after returning to Beijing, he saw how Li Yi doted on his wife and children, treated the store employees with great kindness, and even prepared expensive gifts for everyone.

Zhang Ziqiang’s attitude toward Li Yi shifted slightly, but not by much!

Yet, since returning to Nianzishan Village yesterday, he had seen another side of Li Yi.

It turned out that the “capitalist” he had once viewed was not only kind to his employees but also to the villagers, and he was extremely filial—just like any ordinary young man in the village.

If there was any difference at all, it was that he was more capable and wealthier than the average person!

Li Yi had actually noticed Zhang Ziqiang’s “schadenfreude” on his face, but there was nothing he could do about it.

There was nothing he could do—his own father was a devoted son who wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d disturbed every single one of their “ancestors.” All he could do now was wait patiently.

Watching his father burn stacks of yellow joss paper while chattering away, Li Yi couldn’t help but think of the joss money that had become a sensation overseas in his previous life.

Many people thought it was a complete surprise that this stuff could break out of Asia and go global, leading foreigners into a whole new spiritual realm.

But judging by his own father’s excited state, it made perfect sense that joss paper could become a hit.

Burning paper money for one’s ancestors is by no means a way to fool the spirits; rather, it is a form of emotional release and an unconventional spiritual solace.

If you’re doing well, you tell your ancestors, “Our family has produced a capable person; you can rest in peace with a smile on your faces.”

If things aren’t going well, you pray for your ancestors’ protection: “You lot down there need to step up your game, or there won’t be a next generation to burn paper money for you.”

Look at it this way: this treats everyone as a consumer base. Unless you have no ancestors, it would be utterly unjust if this practice didn’t catch on!

Li Yi knelt on the ground, listening to his father’s rambling for nearly half an hour while his own mind wandered just as long. Only after burning through all those stacks of “paper money” did the group get back in the car and head back to the village.

After visiting the graves, Li Yi said a quick hello to his wife, then headed straight for the county seat, accompanied by Zhang Ziqiang!

Li Yi’s trip back to his hometown was partly to spend time with his parents and let them meet the two little ones.

On the other hand, he wanted to have a chat with his brother-in-law—after all, the security company in Hong Kong still relied on him.

The reason he asked his brother-in-law, Yang Wenguang, to step in was not only because he trusted him, but more importantly, because his brother-in-law was no ordinary man—he was a true professional when it came to handling weapons.

As long as he was willing to take on the job, the security company in Hong Kong would be in good hands.

……..

On the outskirts of the county… the sugar factory!

When Li Yi arrived at the sugar factory gate, he saw a row of large trucks parked there, though he had no idea what they were doing.

The security staff were startled when they saw the “Volga” sedan and hurried over to investigate.

After all, these days, few people could afford a 212 Jeep, and even fewer could afford a sedan—each one was a high-ranking official.

But when they saw that it was actually Li Yi sitting in the car, these old acquaintances from the security department were stunned.

They were well aware of the relationship between Li Yi and Factory Director Liang, so after a quick check-in, they let Li Yi through.

The car pulled up in front of the sugar factory’s office building, and Li Yi immediately got out and headed straight upstairs.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

In the director’s office, Liang Yukuai was reviewing documents when he suddenly heard urgent knocking at the door.

“Come in!”

“Squeak!”

As the office door swung open, Liang Yukui saw two young men walk in, led by none other than Li Yi, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Startled for a moment, Liang Yukui immediately stood up and said, “Oh my, what a rare visitor! When did you get back?”

“I got home yesterday afternoon and came straight here this morning!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Come on, come on, sit down!”

Then, Liang Yukui pointed to Zhang Ziqiang beside him and said, “This guy looks a bit unfamiliar…”

“Hehe, this is my bodyguard. Brother Liang, just call him Little Zhang!”

Hearing this, Liang Yukui’s eyes lit up, and he burst out laughing. “I haven’t seen you in a few months, and now you’ve even got a bodyguard. It really is true that you should look at a man with fresh eyes after three days apart!”

“Keep it low-key… keep it low-key!”

Li Yi then changed the subject: “On my way over, I saw a steady stream of delivery trucks outside. Looks like business is booming this year!”

“Things are looking decent so far, but I’m a bit worried about whether we’ll be able to collect the overdue payment from the Beijing Candy Factory!” Liang Yukui said.

“How much do they owe?”

“It’s about 1.2 million!”

Liang Yukui added, “To be honest, if you hadn’t called me, Brother Li Yi, I would never have supplied them again given their track record.”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, they won’t be able to pull a fast one on you guys!”

“If they can’t pay for these goods, I’ll cover it out of my own pocket!”

Liang Yukui replied immediately, “I wouldn’t let you pay out of your own pocket, but hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”

“Old Liang, how’s the factory’s production capacity this year?” Li Yi asked again.

“So-so. Since sales aren’t great, we don’t dare run at full capacity right now. We’re only maintaining about 50% of our peak output,” Liang Yukui replied.

“If you trust me, start ramping up production right now. Whatever you produce here, Beijing will take it all!” Li Yi said.

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true!”

“Alright then, I’ll pass that along right away. Starting tomorrow, both Workshop 4 and Workshop 5 will resume full production!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Liang Yukui couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Li Yi, what exactly is your connection to the Beijing Candy Factory? Why are you so invested in this factory’s affairs?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Because I’m the one calling the shots at this factory now!”

“You’re the factory director now?”

“No, I’m the chief consultant for their pilot reform program. Right now, I’m in charge of everything from personnel transfers to product R&D and production!” Li Yi said with a smile.

The Capital Candy Factory was one of the enterprises Jiang Longyin had entrusted to Li Yi as a reform pilot; the other was the Capital Television Factory.

As a notoriously loss-making enterprise in the capital, Jiang Longyin had handed the Candy Factory over to Li Yi as a last-ditch effort to turn things around.

After conducting an on-site assessment of the Candy Factory’s basic situation, Li Yi discovered that the main issues were outdated products and a lack of competitiveness.

Coupled with some management issues, this ultimately led to the company operating at a loss and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

Li Yi then formulated a detailed reform plan. First, he replaced the entire stagnant leadership team with younger, more dynamic and decisive individuals to take charge of the factory’s management.

At the same time, Li Yi taught them to segment the market. For children, he launched Rainbow Candy, Watermelon Candy, and the blockbuster Lollipop.

For women, he introduced new products such as ginger candy and brown sugar for pregnant women.

Upon learning that no upstream suppliers were willing to provide raw materials to the factory due to its widespread debt, Li Yi had no choice but to contact the Qingshan County Sugar Factory on their behalf.

After hearing Li Yi’s explanation, Liang Yukui immediately smiled and said, “That puts my mind even more at ease. With you, Li Yi, guiding them, that factory won’t just avoid bankruptcy—it could even be revived from the dead!”

Li Yi was instantly amused by Old Liang’s remark. He shook his head and said, “All right, enough about that. I came here today not only to discuss the candy factory with you, but mainly to see my older sister and brother-in-law. Could you have someone call them for me?”

“Sure, just give me a moment!”

Immediately, Liang Yukui called his secretary in and told her to go fetch Yang Wenguang and his wife right away!

……..

The Li Family’s New Home!

Ever since Li Yi took the initiative to move the belongings from the old house to the new one, his parents had been living there ever since.

At that moment, Zhang Yuehong and Tang Xue were busy in the kitchen, while Li Yi and his father were on the kang, playing with the two little ones.

Zhang Ziqiang, meanwhile, was perched on the edge of the kang, sipping his tea at a leisurely pace.

As Li Yi’s official bodyguard, Zhang Ziqiang had gained some understanding of Li Yi’s background, but he never imagined that the parents of this billionaire would still be living in such a remote mountain village, leading such a simple life.

“Why did you come back so suddenly?”

Li Shankui asked, still playing with his eldest grandson.

“No particular reason—I just wanted to come back and take a look!”

Li Yi added, “Besides, if I don’t come back now, I’ll have to wait until the New Year to visit!”

“Why?”

“Xiao Xue got into college. Classes start in September, and by then I won’t have time to come back home!” Li Yi said.

“Really? Which university?” his father asked, sounding a bit excited.

“Beijing University—one of the best universities in the country!”

“What? Is it even better than the school Wu Zhiqing went to?”

The “Wu Zhiqing” his father was referring to was Wu Yonghao, the first educated youth from Nianzishan Village—no, actually, the first from the entire Hongqi Commune—to get into college.

Back when Wu Yonghao got into college, it caused quite a stir in the village, even though he’d only been accepted into the Ning City Teachers’ College—not a true undergraduate program.

But even so, the members of the Nianzishan Brigade always spoke of him with great envy.

“The school that Young Comrade Wu got into can’t hold a candle to the one this kid got into—ours is way better!” Li Yi said proudly.

“That’s wonderful! Now the Li family has a college student of our own—it’s truly a blessing from our ancestors!”

Overcome with joy, Li Shankui added, “Xiao Yi, pack your things tomorrow and come with me to the gravesite to burn some joss paper for our ancestors. We’ve got to share this good news with them.”

“Sure, whatever you say goes!”

Although Li Yi wasn’t particularly keen on visiting the graves to burn paper money, he still had to listen to his father.

When it comes to filial piety, the key lies in the word “obedience.” Only by obeying one’s parents can one truly be considered filial!

Of course, obedience has its limits; otherwise, it’s just blind obedience.

“By the way, once Xiaoxue starts school, what will we do with the baby?”

“Beijing University has a daycare center, and we can also leave them at the Jiang family’s old house—there’ll be people there to look after them!” Li Yi replied.

Li Shan Kui looked slightly disappointed. He would have preferred his son to leave his grandchildren in the village, but he knew his son’s temperament wouldn’t allow it.

Li Yi could easily see through his father’s thoughts and immediately replied with a smile, “Dad, why don’t you and Mom just move to the capital too? That way, you can help us look after the kids.”

Hearing this, Li Shankui was indeed tempted.

They say grandparents have a special bond with their grandchildren. In his eyes, his son and daughter had already “made something of themselves,” and now he just wanted to spend more time looking after his grandchildren.

But when he thought of the countless narrow alleys in the capital, he couldn’t help but hesitate. With neither of them knowing a single character, they’d be lost the moment they stepped out the door if they went to the capital.

“Let’s talk about it later!”

“Alright!”

Li Yi didn’t press the issue. After all, his parents were still spry and in excellent health—they didn’t need his care just yet.

They could live wherever they pleased. If they ever became frail and unable to walk, or needed someone to look after them, it wouldn’t be too late to bring them to the city then!

“How are your third sister and that Long boy doing?”

Li Shankui was still very concerned about his only unmarried daughter.

“They’re doing great. I actually wanted to bring my third sister back with us, but the shop’s been so busy lately that she just can’t get away from there!” Li Yi said.

“It doesn’t matter if she comes back or not, as long as you’re all doing well…”

Just then, their mother’s voice suddenly called out from outside: “Honey, tidy up the bed—dinner’s ready!”

“Got it!”

The father and son stopped talking and busied themselves clearing the items off the kang and setting out bowls and chopsticks.

Before long, steaming hot stewed vegetables and large steamed buns were served…

……..

The rest of the night passed without incident!

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Yi heard a commotion outside. He opened his eyes and glanced at his watch, only to find it was not yet six o’clock.

Listening closely, he could indeed hear footsteps outside.

He pulled back the curtain and saw that the rain had stopped.

His father was leading the big red mule and the big black horse out the door; it looked like he was heading to the well to get water.

Li Yi immediately closed the curtains and got dressed.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw that Zhang Ziqiang had also gotten up and was carrying a basin of water outside.

“Daqiang, where are you headed?” Li Yi asked, a bit puzzled.

“The car’s all dirty, so I’m going to wash it!”

“Don’t bother. We’ll have to drive it to the county seat in a little while. Even if you wash it spotless, it’ll just be covered in mud again by the time we get back. Don’t waste your energy!”

With that, Li Yi grabbed the shoulder pole sitting on the windowsill, hoisted the two large metal buckets onto it, picked up the small leather bucket hanging from the well rope, and headed outside.

Seeing this, Zhang Ziqiang immediately followed him out!

Because there was a molybdenum mine beneath their house, it was difficult to store water. Therefore, after Li Yi finished building the house, he didn’t dig a well in the yard; the Li family still had to go to the village’s central well to fetch water.

The Li family’s new house was located at the easternmost edge of the village, three or four hundred meters from the nearest well, so carrying water every day was indeed a hassle.

As soon as Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang arrived at the well, they saw quite a few people gathered there drawing water. Li Yi’s father, leading a mule, was among them, chatting with Liu Darei, Zhang Tongfu, and others.

“Oh, Xiao Yi, have you come to help your father carry water?”

“Shankui, Little Yi is such a dutiful son—you’ve got someone to rely on!”

“You’re telling me. It’s nothing like that good-for-nothing of mine—just thinking about him gives me a headache…”

Hearing everyone praising his son, a faint smile spread across Li Shankui’s usually taciturn face, and he was overjoyed inside.

However, considering that his son hadn’t done this kind of physical labor in a long time, Li Shankui immediately said to Li Yi, “You lead the animals; I’ll carry the water!”

“No way! That’d just make the uncles and elders laugh at us!”

Li Yi then added, “Dad, once you’ve finished watering the animals, you should head back right away. Let’s get ready so we can go to the graves early. I still want to make a trip to the county seat this morning!”

Village Chief Zhang Tongfu asked in puzzlement, “Shan Kui, it’s neither Qingming Festival nor Ghost Festival—what are you going to the graves for?”

Li Shan Kui grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth, and said, “Little Yi’s wife got into college—and not just any college, but a prestigious one that’s even better than the one Wu the educated youth got into. I want to share the good news with our ancestors!”

The moment he said this, it was like dropping a bombshell into the crowd—everyone immediately went wild!

“Is that for real? Tang Zhiqing got into college? When did that happen?”

“What ‘Tang’s daughter’? She’s Xiao Yi’s wife now!”

“Huh? Didn’t they say Xiao Yi’s wife went to Beijing to reunite with her family and have a baby? How did she end up getting into college?”

“Shankui, which university did Xiao Yi’s wife get into…”

Hearing everyone chattering away and bombarding his father with questions, Li Yi hurriedly said, “Uncles, aunts, and everyone else, my wife Xiao Xue has indeed been accepted into a university in the capital. I’ll share the details with you all later when we have time. We still need to visit the graves, so let’s go fetch some water first!”

Liu Darei immediately said, “Xiao Yi, hurry up and bring the bucket over!”

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he immediately set the large iron bucket down.

Once Liu Darei had filled both buckets with water, he hoisted the yoke onto his shoulders and followed his father toward the new house.

After the Li family left, the villagers’ enthusiasm didn’t wane—it only grew stronger. They gathered around the well, chatting about how Li Yi’s wife had been accepted into college.

Before long, the news of Li Yi’s wife being accepted into college had spread throughout the entire village of Nianzishan…

……..

PS: I have friends visiting from out of town in Hohhot today, so I really have no choice—the update will be delayed!

Everyone in the village office was stunned by Li Yi’s words—mainly because he said it so matter-of-factly!

After a brief silence, Feng Kai spoke up first: “Xiao Yi, this isn’t like a production team assigning tasks—you can’t just refuse to do it. Can we really defy national policy?”

“That’s right, Little Yi. I heard the higher-ups are planning to roll this policy out nationwide. If we defy it like this, won’t we be singled out as a cautionary example?”

“Even if they do, an arm can’t possibly be stronger than a thigh…”

As he listened to the villagers chattering away, Li Yi immediately raised his hand to signal for silence.

Then, clearing his throat, he said, “Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, and everyone else, when I said ‘no division,’ I didn’t mean to go against national policy—that wouldn’t do. We still have to follow the state’s guidelines!”

“Xiao Yi, what do you mean then? If we don’t divide the land at all, how can that be considered following national policy…”

Before Feng Kai could finish, Li Yi cut him off and said directly, “Uncle Feng, that’s because you don’t fully understand national policy—you haven’t thoroughly grasped the contents of the Household Contract Responsibility System!”

“Well…”

“Fellow villagers, the Household Contract Responsibility System, also known as the ‘Grand Contract System,’ includes two forms: contracting to households and production quotas assigned to households.”

Li Yi continued, “Under the ‘contracting to households’ model, each contracted household is required to pay agricultural taxes to the state, deliver contract-purchased products, and contribute public reserves such as the collective fund and public welfare fund to the collective. The remainder belongs to the people. This is about distributing assets owned by the collective to individual farmers, so that in the future, everyone works independently and bears their own profits and losses!”

“But the production-to-household system is different. It operates under the conditions of unified planning, unified management, unified accounting, and unified distribution. Under this system, the production tasks for crops on cultivated land, as well as certain livestock, aquaculture, and sideline industries, are contracted to farmers, who are responsible for them. It implements a system of rewards for overproduction and compensation for underproduction. Under these circumstances, it is possible to operate without dividing up the production quotas!”

In reality, whether it’s “contracting by output” or “contracting by household,” the essence remains the same: farming households, as family units, sign contracting agreements with collective economic organizations, while the primary means of production still belong to the collective.

However, with the example of Xiaogang Village setting the precedent, the vast majority of regions adopted the form of household-based lump-sum contracting.

Consequently, the “output-based contracting to households” system has effectively become a mere formality; in many places, local governments do not even mention it when publicizing or promoting national policies.

Of course, this is understandable!

After all, given the current situation, production-based contracting to households isn’t much different from the “communal pot” system, and even if mentioned, it wouldn’t be very popular with the common people.

After hearing Li Yi’s words, everyone in the room was somewhat stirred. Zhang Tongfu said happily, “So, does that mean we don’t have to divide the harvest after all?”

“Phew, that gave me a heart attack! I thought we’d definitely have to divide it up!”

“You’re absolutely right…”

At that moment, Feng Kai cleared his throat and said with a hint of concern, “Xiao Yi, all the other villages are dividing up the land and working independently. Will it really be okay for our village not to do the same?”

“Uncle Feng, the household contract responsibility system actually has both pros and cons. The upside is that it’s greatly boosted farmers’ motivation to work. Once we split up, people won’t be working for the collective anymore—they’ll be working for themselves. If they don’t put in the effort, they’ll only be cheating themselves!”

Li Yi continued, “But the drawbacks are also obvious: once everything is divided among individuals, production resources become too scattered, making it difficult to scale up and grow stronger.”

“Another issue is that individual households are too weak and lack the capacity to withstand natural risks. So it’s not necessarily true that dividing the land is always good, or that keeping it undivided is always bad!”

After a brief pause, Feng Kai asked again, “Xiao Yi, you’ve seen the world. Help us figure this out—is it better for Nianzishan Village to split up or stay together?”

Hearing this, the room fell silent once more, with everyone’s gaze fixed on Li Yi.

Li Yi didn’t beat around the bush. He said directly, “In the short term, splitting up is definitely better, because it boosts production enthusiasm and, at the very least, ensures everyone has enough to eat. But in the long run, staying together offers greater potential for development!”

This point can be seen from the “model villages” that emerged across the country in the late 1980s, such as Huaxi Village in Jiangyin and Nanjie Village in Luohe—all of which adhered to the path of collective economy.

In contrast, in the villages that had split up, while small-scale farming had achieved some growth, it was difficult to scale up and build strength, let alone achieve economies of scale.

In the end, many residents of Huaxi Village and Nanjie Village became business owners, while those who went their separate ways remained farmers—or, a decade or so later, were forced to become migrant workers. That’s the difference.

“Xiao Yi, don’t beat around the bush. You know our village’s situation well enough. Just tell us: is it better for us to split up and go our separate ways, or to keep eating from the same pot?” Feng Kai said.

“It’s not good to split up, but we can’t keep eating from the communal pot either!” Li Yi replied.

Feng Kai was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Not splitting up, yet not eating from the communal pot—how is that…”

“Going it alone is definitely fine, but the village’s management model still needs to be adjusted. Otherwise, we’ll just be repeating the old ways, and that’s out of the question!”

Li Yi was well aware of the drawbacks of the communal system; over time, even the largest family estate could be drained dry.

“How do we adjust it?”

“The core of the household contract responsibility system is setting production quotas, investment levels, and labor points. Any surplus goes to the household, and any shortfall requires compensation!”

Li Yi continued, “We could do it this way: after surveying all the village’s land, we’d allocate it to 50 or 60 households, setting specific production quotas for each—they must meet a certain annual output!”

“As for the rest, we’ll have them raise cattle, sheep, mules, and horses—or perhaps some pigs or chickens. Once conditions allow, we can also set up factories, and some of them can work in the village-run factories.”

“But no matter what they do, they must have production quotas. We can’t go back to the old way where it didn’t matter how much or how little they worked.”

Feng Kai glanced at Li Yi with a hint of surprise, then filled his pipe with some dry tobacco, lit it, and took two deep puffs!

After exhaling a puff of slightly acrid smoke, he looked at Li Yi again and said, “Xiao Yi, you’ll help the villagers, won’t you?”

Without hesitation, Li Yi nodded and said, “I will!”

“Good. With you saying that, I can rest easy!”

He then glanced at the others in the room and said, “Xiao Yi has made his position clear. Now everyone can seriously consider whether or not to divide the land.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Tongfu, the brigade leader, spoke up loudly: “Since Little Yi says that splitting the land might just fill our bellies, but not splitting it could lead to greater development, I support keeping it all together. After all, we’re not going hungry right now, are we?”

“Right, I agree we shouldn’t split up either!” said Liu Darei.

“Why split up? We can see our lives are getting better. Let’s not split…”

“No split…”

Hearing that no one wanted to split up and go their separate ways, Feng Kai immediately slapped the round table in front of him, stood up, and declared, “Since no one wants to split up, then we won’t!”

At these words, the room erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Once the crowd had calmed down a bit, Feng Kai turned to Li Yi and asked, “Xiao Yi, what should we do next?”

“Uncle, you guys just keep focusing on this year’s production. Leave the rest to me!”

“What do you plan to do?”

“First, I’ll discuss the village’s request to implement the household responsibility system with the county leaders. Then I’ll draw up a detailed development plan for the village, and you can implement it step by step according to the plan!”

“Alright, then we’ll leave this to you!”

“Don’t worry…”

……….

Nianzi Mountain Village. Village Committee Office!

The phrase “If only Xiao Yi from the Shan Kui family were here” instantly silenced the previously noisy village committee office.

For some reason, everyone’s gaze instinctively turned to Li Shan Kui, who sat silently in the corner.

The sudden attention made this honest, down-to-earth farmer feel somewhat uncomfortable, so he could only keep his head down, staring at the Liberation shoes on his feet.

Perhaps it began when Li Yi stood tall and promised the entire village he would marry “Tang the educated youth”;

or perhaps it began when he built the village’s first brick-and-tile house in just a month, even inviting county officials to his wedding;

Or perhaps it was when he led the villagers in selling mushrooms and raising cattle and sheep, ensuring everyone had enough food to survive during a year of severe famine.

In short, without anyone really noticing, Li Yi’s image in the eyes of his fellow villagers had completely transformed.

He was no longer the “good-for-nothing” or “street urchin” who only knew how to cause trouble and get into fights; instead, he had become a “capable person” in everyone’s eyes.

So, when the villagers faced a major decision, the vast majority of them wanted to hear his opinion.

Feng Kai, of course, understood what everyone was getting at. After a brief pause, he glanced at Li Shankui and said, “Shankui, has your son Yi been in touch with you lately? Do you know when he’s coming back to the village?”

“No, he hasn’t. That kid’s been swamped!” Li Shankui replied somewhat gloomily.

That was just his nature—he wasn’t much of a talker.

“I heard you mention last time that Xiao Yi had a phone installed somewhere. See if you can give him a call, talk to him about this, and get his take on it while you’re at it!” Feng Kai said.

“That’s right, Brother Shan Kui. He owns the lion’s share of the village’s several hundred sheep and over four hundred head of cattle!” Production Team Leader Zhang Tongfu chimed in.

“Uncle Shankui, if all else fails, you could always write a letter. After all, that policy won’t take effect until after the autumn harvest…”

As everyone chimed in with their own suggestions, all eyes once again turned to Li Shan Kui.

After a brief silence, Li Shan Kui nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go into town tomorrow and give him a call!”

Although he didn’t want to drag his son into this mess, Secretary Feng and Team Leader Zhang did have a point.

After all, the village’s cattle and sheep had all been purchased with his son’s own money.

Now that the higher-ups were requiring the village to distribute assets to individual households, that meant everything had to be divided among the villagers. How to divide up these cattle and sheep was indeed a major problem—it would be best to ask his son!

Hearing that Li Shankui agreed to call Li Yi, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“All right, since Brother Shan Kui has agreed to handle this, there’s no need for anyone to worry. You can all go home now…”

However, before Feng Kai could finish his sentence, the sound of a car engine suddenly echoed from outside.

Through the small window of the village office, everyone saw a black sedan cut through the rain and pull up smoothly in front of the building.

Just as everyone was wondering who on earth would be coming to the brigade headquarters at a time like this, the car door opened.

First, a young stranger stepped out, and immediately afterward, everyone spotted a familiar figure getting out of the car!

“Hey, isn’t that Xiao Yi from the Shan family?”

“Oh my, it really is him! Xiao Yi is back!”

“Shan Kui, your son is back—come take a look…”

Amid the crowd’s exclamations, Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang jogged over to the brigade headquarters.

Li Yi was a bit speechless at that moment. When they left the capital, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear, but he never expected that as soon as they passed Zhangyuan City, a light rain began to fall.

By the time the car entered Qing Shan County, the rain had intensified, turning into a downpour.

Because of the heavy rain, what should have been a five- or six-hour drive ended up taking them over eight hours.

By the time they got home, it was already past 5:00 p.m.!

However, upon returning home, Li Yi discovered that only his mother was there; everyone else was gone.

Upon asking, he learned that his father had gone to the village committee office regarding the household-based production system, while his eldest sister had returned to work at the sugar factory in the county seat several months ago.

His second older sister and her husband did visit often, but since they were quite busy, they would usually just come by to dry some mushrooms and then head back once they were done; they generally didn’t stay overnight.

Upon hearing the news that the authorities were preparing to implement the household contract responsibility system in the village, Li Yi immediately felt restless and promptly had Zhang Ziqiang drive him over.

As soon as he walked in, Li Yi was surrounded by the crowd, who greeted him in a flurry of voices:

“Xiao Yi, when did you get back?”

“Did you come back alone? Did your wife and kids come back too?”

“We were just talking about you a moment ago, and here you are…”

While greeting everyone, Li Yi scanned the crowd for his father.

Soon, he spotted his father standing toward the back.

His father was still as stoic as ever, appearing almost impassive, but Li Yi could see suppressed excitement in his eyes.

“Dad!”

“You’re back?”

“Yeah, I just got home. I heard you were here, so I came right over!” Li Yi replied.

“Where are Xiaoxue and the kids?”

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

Hearing that his daughter-in-law and two little grandchildren had also returned, a rare smile appeared on Li Shankui’s face, and his gaze couldn’t help but drift toward the door.

Seeing this, Feng Kai cleared his throat and said, “Comrades, quiet down. Since Xiao Yi has just returned, let’s discuss this matter now!”

Feng Kai’s authority in the village was unquestionable; the moment he spoke, the room quickly fell silent.

“Xiao Yi, have a seat!”

Feng Kai continued, “Xiao Yi, the county issued a notice a few days ago. They’re going to implement the Household Contract Responsibility System here, which means we’ll be allocating land to individual households…”

“Uncle Feng, you don’t need to explain this to me. I’ve known about this policy for a long time and understand exactly what’s going on. Basically, it’s about putting an end to the era of communal dining!” Li Yi said.

“Right, we’re done with the communal dining system. That’s why we wanted to ask for your thoughts!” Feng Kai said.

“What good is my opinion? It all depends on what everyone else thinks!” Li Yi said.

“Most of the villagers don’t want to split up the land!”

“Why is that?”

“Mainly because everyone’s made money working with you, and the village is developing really well right now—especially with the cattle and sheep farming. It’s given everyone hope, and they’re worried that if we split the land among households, they won’t be able to keep it going!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Tongfu chimed in, “Yi, you might not be fully aware, but our village is really taking off right now. Most of those five hundred-plus ewes are already pregnant, and by the end of the year, we’ll be welcoming the first batch of lambs!”

“The calves and foals we bought from the back pastures last year have all grown up. This year, the village planted over 3,000 mu of corn and so many sugar beets—we’ve got plenty of grass and feed. If we raise them for another year, that herd of cattle, sheep, mules, and horses could easily fetch over a hundred thousand yuan. If we mess this up, the loss would be huge!”

Li Yi looked around at the crowd and then asked, “Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, you can’t just say we shouldn’t split up—you have to consider how many people in the village don’t want to split, and how many do.”

Feng Kai replied immediately, “We’ve already asked everyone for their opinions. Basically, no one in our village wants to split up!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi made a startling statement: “Since everyone doesn’t want to split up, then we won’t split up.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire village office fell silent, and everyone stared at him in shock…

………

Late at night, all was quiet!

After the passion had subsided, Jiang Xue, her face flushed, rested her head on Li Yi’s arm while tracing circles on his chest.

Earlier, after receiving jewelry worth a million, an excited and delighted Jiang Xue had taken the initiative to throw herself into her man’s arms and make her move.

It was rare for his wife to be so proactive, so Li Yi naturally wasn’t going to pass it up.

And so, sparks flew, leading to a passionate encounter.

Li Yi found her hands a bit ticklish, so he immediately pinned down her mischievous hands and said, “Stop fooling around!”

“You’re such a bossy guy. It’s okay for you to touch me, but not for me to touch you?” Jiang Xue said, sounding a bit indignant.

She clearly remembered that just moments ago, this stinky man had been rubbing her down there with all his might. Now that spot was throbbing slightly, and she was starting to wonder if he’d rubbed it until it was swollen.

“How could that be the same?”

“What’s the difference? It’s all flesh, isn’t it? How come yours is flesh, but mine is a soccer ball?”

Li Yi was instantly rendered speechless!

His wife was a typical woman from Qin Province—gentle as water when she was in a good mood, but when she had a bone to pick, she didn’t hold back.

Clearly, his slightly rough handling earlier had left her less than satisfied.

At that moment, Li Yi quickly changed the subject and said, “Xiao Xue, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you!”

Sure enough, Jiang Xue’s train of thought was quickly diverted by Li Yi. She asked, with a hint of languor, “What is it?”

“I’m thinking of going back to my hometown. Do you want to come with me?”

“Go back to your hometown? When?”

“In the next day or two,” Li Yi replied.

Jiang Xue didn’t ask what Li Yi was going back for; she simply replied, “Sure, I’ll go with you. It’ll give my parents a chance to meet Yunrui and Yunjin too!”

“Alright, if you’re coming, let’s head out after dawn!”

“That’s so sudden. I was planning to swing by the old family home to take that box of facial oil over to my mom!” Jiang Xue said.

“It’s cosmetics!”

“It’s all the same, isn’t it? It’s just like our Wan Zi Qian Hong and Yu Mei Jing!”

Li Yi smiled and didn’t argue; his wife was right.

“Then let’s go to the old family home first thing tomorrow morning, and then head back to our hometown!”

Li Yi then explained, “After all, school starts in a few days. If we’re going back, we need to leave early—otherwise, we won’t be able to stay for more than a few days!”

“Okay, I’ll do as you say!”

“Go to sleep. We’ll get up early tomorrow!”

“Mm-hmm…”

………

The next morning, at dawn!

Li Yi was fast asleep when he heard a rustling sound near his ear.

He was always a light sleeper, so he immediately opened his eyes and looked over, only to find Jiang Xue getting dressed beside him.

He glanced at the sky outside. Although it was already quite bright, the sun hadn’t risen yet—it was clearly not even eight o’clock.

Sure enough, Li Yi glanced at the wall clock—it was just past six.

“Honey, why are you up so early? Why not sleep a little longer?”

“You go back to sleep. I’m going to make some noodles for you, then pack the things we need to take back to our hometown!”

“What’s there to pack? If we’re missing anything, we can just buy it when we get back!” Li Yi said, rubbing his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter if we pack our own things, but we have to pack Yunrui and Yunjin’s!”

Only then did Li Yi remember his two kids. He immediately climbed out of bed and got ready to get up.

“You go back to sleep. Leave the rest to me!”

“You can’t handle it all by yourself—I’ll help you!”

With that, Li Yi quickly gathered the clothes he’d left scattered everywhere and put them on.

Then he put on his shoes, got up, and set to work.

By the time the two of them had finished washing up and packing their things, it was already 7:30 a.m. By then, Zhang Ziqiang and Juanzi had also gotten up.

Learning that Li Yi and his wife were returning to their hometown today, the two hurriedly packed a few essentials, and the group set off from the Li family’s courtyard house!

The group first stopped on the street for a quick breakfast, then headed straight for the Jiang family’s old residence.

After setting down the gifts they’d brought for his mother-in-law and the old man, and exchanging a few brief words, Li Yi and Jiang Xue left the Jiang family’s old residence and headed straight for their shop in Beiguan Village.

After all, since it was such a rare trip back home, Li Yi naturally had to ask Dongzi, Qiangzi, and Liu San if they had any letters or other items to send to their families.

Sure enough, upon hearing that Li Yi was returning to his hometown, the young men were all thrilled beyond measure. They eagerly handed over the money they had saved to Li Yi, asking him to take it back home.

Dongzi and Liu San’er, who were more literate, even took the trouble to write letters to their families, while the others were too lazy to write and simply asked Li Yi to pass on a few words for them.

After spending nearly half an hour at the shop, at 10:00 a.m., the Volga sedan finally pulled out of Beijing, heading straight for Nianzishan Village in Qingshan County!

……..

Nianzi Mountain Village. Village Committee Headquarters!

It had been pouring all day. With rain this heavy, it was impossible to work outside, so all the able-bodied young men in the village had gathered at the village committee office.

Although they had the rare chance to take the day off, the expressions on everyone’s faces weren’t particularly cheerful, and the atmosphere in the office was somewhat oppressive.

Old Party Secretary Feng Kai coughed slightly as he puffed on his pipe. When he finished a bowl, he tapped the pipe against the sole of his foot.

After shaking out the ashes, he tucked the pipe back into the tobacco pouch.

Then, clearing his throat, he said, “Stop looking so gloomy. Let’s hear it—what are your thoughts on this policy from the higher-ups?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone piped up, “Secretary Feng, I don’t agree with splitting up and going it alone!”

“I don’t agree either, but now that our village has been raising sheep with Xiaoyi, we can finally see a glimmer of hope for the future. What are we supposed to do if we have to go our separate ways?”

“That’s right. Things have finally started looking up, and now they want to split us up? What kind of nonsense is that!”

“You’re absolutely right. Can’t we just wait a little longer before splitting up…?”

…….

Ever since early spring, when Li Yi returned, slaughtered all those rams, and hauled them away, every household in the village had received a decent sum of money.

Over the past few months, the remaining ewes and the several hundred head of cattle and horses have all grown up. Barring any mishaps, they should be ready to give birth and reproduce next year.

Just as life was starting to look hopeful, an order came down from above requiring every village in the county to report the acreage of their land and population, and to prepare for a redistribution of land after this year’s autumn harvest, fully implementing the household contract responsibility system.

In other words, the authorities were putting an end to the communal dining system and wanted everyone to go it alone!

For most members of other production teams, this was a good thing, but for Nianzishan Village, the situation was different.

Once everyone went their separate ways, not to mention the risk of disrupting the team’s strong momentum,

More importantly, what would happen to the cattle, sheep, mules, and horses?

After all, they weren’t all collective property; they couldn’t be distributed like the land and the team’s production tools. Therefore, the vast majority of the village’s members didn’t want to go it alone.

Feng Kai tapped the weathered, patina-covered octagonal table in front of him with the bowl of his tobacco pipe and said, “Household-based production is a regulation from above; no one can change it. Haven’t you had enough of the communal dining system after all these years?”

“Secretary Feng, those years of the communal system were indeed tough, but haven’t things gotten better now?”

“Exactly! If others are splitting things up, why can’t we do the same?”

“Right, we won’t split up…”

Feng Kai sighed and said, “We can’t just ignore the policy from above and refuse to divide things up—that would be a serious mistake!”

“Then what are we supposed to do? Once we split up, who’s going to take care of all those cattle and sheep? Whose land will we use for forage? These are all big problems!”

“Exactly. Right now, everything belongs to the collective, so no one says anything. But once we split up, it’ll all be our own property. Who’s going to want to use their own supplies to feed the collective’s cattle and sheep?”

“That’s exactly it. Once we split up, it’ll be a complete breakup. We really need to think this through…”

Just then, someone in the crowd muttered, “If only Xiao Yi from the Shan Kui family were here!”

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent…

………

The Li Family Courtyard!

By the time they got home, it was almost midnight.

Since it was so late, everyone was feeling pretty worn out, so as soon as they got home, Li Yi told Zhang Ziqiang and Juanzi to go to their rooms to rest.

As for him and Jiang Xue, each holding a sleeping child, they also returned to the main room.

After settling Yunrui and Yunjin, Jiang Xue returned to the kang to make the bed and get ready for sleep.

She was absolutely exhausted today!

Knowing Li Yi was coming home today had actually kept her awake, and after being kept busy by him for so long at noon and staying up this late, her eyelids were already drooping.

But just as Jiang Xue was about to get some rest, she saw Li Yi emerge from the study in the inner room carrying a large suitcase.

“What are you doing dragging your suitcase out here in the middle of the night? Can’t you wait until tomorrow morning to look for whatever it is?”

Jiang Xue said, yawning and looking utterly exhausted.

“Are you sure?”

“What do you mean?”

“This suitcase contains a gift I brought back for you from Hong Kong. If you don’t want to look at it right now, I don’t mind at all!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xue froze for a moment, then rubbed her eyes—all traces of sleepiness gone.

She leaned back slightly, then patted the spot in front of her—the implication couldn’t have been clearer.

“Hehe, it seems someone didn’t want to look at it just now. Why don’t we wait until tomorrow?”

Jiang Xue’s face flushed, and she said in a slightly petulant tone, “You’re such a person—you don’t know how to give a girl a break!”

Li Yi laughed heartily, then picked up his suitcase and walked over to the edge of the kang, placing it in front of Jiang Xue.

“What kind of gift did you bring me?” Jiang Xue asked, her voice filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Earlier at the store, she’d seen Li Yi prepare gifts for everyone except her, so she knew her gift must be at home.

Having spent so much time together, she didn’t believe Li Yi would prepare gifts for everyone else and forget her—he wasn’t that kind of person.

It was just that there were so many people around at the time, and she hadn’t felt comfortable asking.

“Take a guess!”

“I’m guessing it’s probably some nice clothes or a watch—maybe shoes, too. You’ve bought me sandals before…”

“Haha, stop guessing—just open it and you’ll see!”

Then, encouraged by Li Yi, Jiang Xue slowly opened the suitcase in front of her.

The moment the suitcase opened, Jiang Xue saw it was filled with boxes of all sizes, each wrapped up tightly so she couldn’t make out what was inside.

But just looking at the packaging, it was clear that the contents were no ordinary items.

Just from the packaging alone, it was clear that the items inside were of a higher caliber than the gifts Li Yi had given to Dongzi and the others.

But when Jiang Xue opened one of the packages, she immediately blushed at the sight of what was inside.

Inside what appeared to be an exquisitely crafted box were, to her surprise, several pairs of women’s panties.

Jiang Xue didn’t find it strange that Li Yi bought intimate apparel for himself; back when they lived in the village, he often bought women’s items for himself.

But the panties right in front of her were simply too much for her to look at directly. The “frugal” fabric and the “translucent” material instantly threw Jiang Xue—who was traditional-minded and a bit conservative—off balance.

“You… this is the gift you bought for me?”

“These are foreign-style panties. Not only are they cool and breathable, but they also really accentuate a woman’s figure!” Li Yi explained with a straight face.

“But… but there’s hardly any fabric. How could I possibly wear this out in public…”

“This is meant to be worn underneath. Besides me, who else is going to pull your clothes aside to see what kind of panties you’re wearing!”

“‘Except me’—that’s like Sima Zhao’s ambition being obvious to everyone!”

Jiang Xue’s face flushed even redder. She recalled what had happened at noon—this jerk had spent most of the afternoon pulling down her panties, and then…

“Did you buy these ‘lewd’ clothes just so I’d wear them for you?”

“Am I that kind of person?”

Then Li Yi added, “Besides, this outfit looks so good on you—how could it possibly be lewd?”

“You’re twisting the truth!” Jiang Xue shot him a withering glance.

But to Li Yi, her gaze and expression were utterly captivating, making him feel a stir of desire he couldn’t quite suppress.

“So if I really wanted you to put them on for me, would you?”

“I would!” Jiang Xue whispered.

Pleased, Li Yi smiled happily and immediately planted a kiss on his wife’s pretty face.

“My wife is the best. But these panties really are just regular clothes—you’ll see once you get to Hong Kong!”

“Really?”

“Yep!”

Seeing how serious Li Yi was, Jiang Xue didn’t press the matter and opened the second box right away.

To her surprise, inside was a lacy, floral-patterned bra. Jiang Xue’s face flushed bright red again, and the look in her eyes toward Li Yi changed once more.

“Um… this is just regular clothing too!”

Jiang Xue said nothing and continued unwrapping the gifts.

By the time Jiang Xue had opened all seven or eight boxes on top, Li Yi couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore.

Inside were all kinds of intimate apparel, including six pairs of panties, four bras, and a set of lingerie that Jiang Xue glanced at before tossing it onto Li Yi’s head.

Li Yi knew he was in deep trouble—it was like mud getting stuck in his pants; no amount of washing in the Yellow River could clean it off.

He decided not to say anything and immediately urged Jiang Xue to unwrap the gifts below.

After removing the clothes on top, she finally unwrapped something that wasn’t embarrassing—it turned out to be a set of exquisite cosmetics.

Although Jiang Xue couldn’t read the text on the packaging, the sight of all the exquisite little bottles and jars inside made her reluctant to put them down.

“Is this face oil? It’s so pretty!”

“They call it ‘cosmetics’ over in Hong Kong. This is the Lancôme set I brought back for you!”

“Lancôme? That looks like foreign text—is it an imported product?”

“Yeah, it’s made in France!”

“Is it expensive?”

“It’s not too bad. This set is about 500 Hong Kong dollars, which is roughly 180 yuan in our currency!”

“180? You could buy a bicycle for that!”

However, when she saw that there were a full five boxes like this in the suitcase, Jiang Xue suddenly lost her composure and exclaimed in surprise, “Why did you buy so many? One set is enough for me…”

“They’re not all for you. You can send a set to Mom later, and you can give the rest to Third Sister!” Li Yi said.

When buying the cosmetics, Li Yi had originally planned to get a set for each of his sisters at home and his mother-in-law.

But considering the personalities of his eldest and second sisters, there was no way they’d use such expensive cosmetics. Only his carefree third sister, Li Na, would likely not mind.

“Alright…”

Just then, Jiang Xue suddenly spotted an antique-looking wooden box tucked beneath the suitcase. Curious, she asked, “What’s inside that? Is it a gift for me too?”

“Yeah, go ahead and open it!”

Jiang Xue didn’t hesitate. She immediately picked up the wooden box and opened it right in front of Li Yi.

The moment the box opened, Jiang Xue’s mouth dropped open in surprise!

Inside the box were nothing but beautiful jade jewelry pieces!

Although Jiang Xue didn’t recognize it as jade, women have an innate fascination with jade.

Before long, Jiang Xue’s attention was completely captivated by the exquisite jewelry before her.

After a long moment, Jiang Xue asked in awe, “Is this… is this jade or glass? It’s so beautiful!”

“It’s neither jade nor glass—it’s jadeite!”

“Is this the jadeite mentioned in books? I’ve heard it’s a type of hard jade, very rare and expensive. It must be worth a fortune, right?” Jiang Xue said.

“It’s certainly expensive. This set of jewelry is worth about 3 million Hong Kong dollars!”

“How… how much?”

“3 million Hong Kong dollars—that’s about 1 million in our currency!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xue was completely stunned. All she could think about was how many zeros there were in a million, and how much rice, flour, and cooking oil a million could buy…

……….

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!

Inside the private room, only Li Yi and his wife, along with Li Na and Long Zhanjun, remained.

Everyone else had gone outside to clean up, including Zhang Ziqiang and Juanzi!

By now, Yun Rui and Yun Jin had fallen asleep in the arms of Jiang Xue and Third Sister.

Because it was so hot, both children were drenched in sweat, and Jiang Xue kept dabbing at the sweat on their bodies and foreheads with a small handkerchief.

Li Yi took a sip of ice-cold soda, then looked at Long Zhanjun and said, “The shop can’t go on like this. I noticed Dongzi and the others were already staggering around during dinner—they must be completely exhausted from all this work!”

“Yeah, everyone’s been working really hard lately, but we can hold on a little longer if we just tough it out!” Long Zhanjun replied.

“How long can we hold out?”

Li Yi continued, “If things go as expected, business will likely stay this busy until the end of October. Do you think the guys at the shop can hold out that long?”

Grilled meat with beer and soft drinks—that’s the ultimate summer treat for so many young people!

Who could resist gathering a few friends and hanging out, grilling meat, drinking, and shooting the breeze?

If anyone can, it’s only because their wallet won’t allow it!

Hearing this, Long Zhanjun fell silent.

He could already sense it—everyone in the shop had reached their limit and simply couldn’t keep up anymore.

It wasn’t just that they were too busy; it was also that more than a dozen tables of customers had flooded in at once, all waiting for their food.

If the food was served even a moment too late, the short-tempered customers would start cursing.

That sense of tension and immense pressure was truly anxiety-inducing.

“Xiao Yi, why don’t we hire a few more people?” Li Na suggested.

Li Yi shook his head and said, “No, eight people is the absolute limit. If we go over that, it’ll be easy for people to find fault with us!”

Granted, given his current status and the clout of the Jiang and Ye families, such a minor issue shouldn’t really cause him any trouble.

But Li Yi knew that the more precarious the situation, the more cautious he had to be.

Once 1985 passed, they could hire as many people as they wanted, but right now, it was absolutely out of the question.

“Then what are we supposed to do? We can’t hire more people—are we going to turn away customers?” Li Na frowned.

“It won’t come to that, but we can adjust our business model!” Li Yi said.

“How exactly?”

“Right now, aside from being short-staffed, the main issue is that mealtimes are too concentrated, and most guests order different dishes, so it’s too much trouble to prepare them all!”

Li Yi continued, “If everyone ordered the same dishes, wouldn’t it be much easier to prepare?”

“Everyone eating the same thing? That’s impossible!” Li Na shook her head.

Long Zhanjun and Jiang Xue, however, looked pensive. Knowing Li Yi as they did, they realized he wouldn’t say something like that unless he had a plan.

But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t figure out how Li Yi could possibly get everyone to eat the same thing!

“Why not? Have you ever heard of a set meal?”

“Set meals?”

“Right, it’s when you bundle a set number of dishes together and sell them as a package!”

“But… how would you sell that?”

Li Yi immediately explained, “Take a two-person set, for example. We can put together a pound of beef, a pound of lamb, and some vegetables—enough to feed two people, for sure. As for three-person sets, or four-person, six-person, or ten-person sets—you get the idea!”

“That way, no matter how many people come in, we’ll have them order one of these set menus! And since the set menus can be pre-prepared, it’ll definitely cut down on everyone’s workload.”

Long Zhanjun frowned and said, “Preparing in advance would indeed reduce the workload, but the question is: will customers actually want to buy these set meals?”

“That depends on how we handle it!”

Li Yi continued, “Take the two-person set as an example. One pound of beef, one pound of lamb, plus the vegetable broth and seasonings—the cost is about 5 yuan. The à la carte price should be around 12 to 13 yuan, right?”

“Exactly!”

“Then we could set the set meal price a bit lower—say, 9.9 yuan. Do you think people would buy it?” Li Yi asked.

“But wouldn’t that mean we make less profit?”

“Heh, the profit per table would certainly be lower, but in the restaurant business, it’s all about serving speed and table turnover. Overall profits won’t decrease—they might even go up!” Li Yi said.

“Will that really work?”

“Yeah, it’ll definitely work!”

“Then let’s sit down and figure this out—see how we should set the menu items and prices!” said Long Zhanjun.

“Remember, in the restaurant business, it’s all about repeat customers—not one-time deals. You have to learn to give customers a little leeway; that’s the only way to build a sustainable business!” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

Li Yi added, “One more thing—I’m planning to open branch locations in Beijing and the surrounding areas in the near future. What do you think?”

“Open branches? Is that even possible? I don’t think the regulations allow that,” Long Zhanjun said, frowning.

Third Sister chimed in, “Opening branches means hiring staff, but didn’t you just say we can’t hire people?”

Jiang Xue looked at Li Yi and asked, “Do you have some clever plan to get around these risks?”

Li Yi was very pleased with his wife’s response. He then turned to Third Sister and Long Zhanjun and said, “Opening branches is also a good way to spread out our customer base. As for your concerns, they’re no big deal—we can completely work around them!”

“How do you plan to avoid them?” Third Sister asked curiously.

“For our second branch, I plan to have Third Sister serve as the manager and operator—all the paperwork will be in your name!”

“So that means it’ll be my store?”

“Right. But since I’ll be covering all the initial investment, the branch will have to give me half of the monthly profits, and the other half will be yours!”

“Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. Legally, we’re not breaking any rules. The store is yours, and you’re the one hiring the staff. As long as there are no more than eight employees, there’s no issue of exploitation.”

Li Yi continued, “Aside from you, Third Sister, the same applies to everyone else in the store. Once they’ve mastered the business operations, they can go out and run a branch of their own!”

“So you mean Dongzi, Qiangzi, and Xiaoqian will all become store managers someday?” Li Na asked in surprise.

“That’s right. Everyone has this opportunity—as long as they’re good enough!”

As for whether this business model was viable, it had already been proven by Haidilao in his previous life.

And Li Yi’s approach wasn’t merely to mitigate policy risks; beyond that, he was also carving out a path for his brothers.

He’d brought Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others to Beijing with a purpose that went far beyond just having them work as high-paid waiters in a restaurant. Relying on washing pots, wiping dishes, slicing meat, and chopping vegetables, they’d never truly make it big in life.

Opening a branch and serving as manager was Li Yi’s test for them; if they proved capable, they would move on to bigger things.

Of course, if they lacked business acumen, Li Yi would find another way.

In short, in this life, he had to live up to the expectations of his parents, wife, and children, while also taking good care of this group of brothers!

Long Zhanjun thought for a moment and said, “That sounds reasonable, but we must establish clear rules for this. Otherwise, things could easily go wrong!”

“Right. I’ll personally draw up the specific rules—there won’t be any slip-ups!”

Li Yi continued, “Also, once we open the branch, you can bring over the brothers from Yong County as well. It’s much smoother and more reassuring to work with our own brothers!”

Hearing this, Long Zhanjun’s eyes lit up.

He had dozens, if not hundreds, of brothers back in Yong County. If he could really bring them to Beijing to build a future, that would be a stroke of incredible luck.

Just look at Dongzi and Qiangzi’s current situations to see how promising it is. In less than a year, every one of these young men has become a “rich man” with savings of over a thousand yuan—enough to build three brick-and-tile houses back in Nianzishan Village.

After that, the two discussed some specific details.

It wasn’t until nearly 11:00 p.m. that Li Yi led Jiang Xue and the others back to their courtyard house in the city!

Beiguan Village. Hot Pot Restaurant!

At the counter, Long Zhanjun was busy greeting new customers while also ringing up the bills for those who had finished eating—he was having a blast!

The restaurant was short-staffed, yet the place was packed with customers!

So much so that Long Zhanjun, the store manager, was running around like a general helper… no, to be precise, more like a firefighter—wherever he was needed, there he went!

Just as he was busy, a group of people suddenly walked in through the door, led by a young man with quite a presence.

Jiang Longcheng instinctively called out, “Welcome to Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly spotted Li Yi and Jiang Xue behind the young man. He immediately exclaimed happily, “When did you guys get back? Why didn’t you give me a call?”

“We just wanted to surprise you!”

Li Yi certainly couldn’t admit that he’d been so busy calling Jiang Xue yesterday before coming back that he’d completely forgotten about the others.

“How’s business? Is the place busy?” Li Yi asked again.

“You can see for yourself—I feel like I’ve turned into a spinning top!” Long Zhanjun said with a wry smile.

Li Yi glanced toward the dining hall and saw that most of the tables were already occupied.

Knowing the place as he did, he realized that when the main dining area was nearly full, it meant all the private rooms were packed!

“Looks like business is booming today!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“It’s not just today—ever since the start of the dog days of summer, business here has been booming. We have to stay open until eleven or twelve every night, and everyone’s so exhausted they can barely keep going!!” Long Zhanjun said.

“We can’t keep this up. You can’t make money forever—we’ve got to close when it’s time to close and take a break when we need to!”

“We’d love to close early, but the customers aren’t having any of it!”

Then Long Zhanjun added, “Especially the customers who come to drink—they bring over a whole group of friends and buddies to support us. We can’t just kick them out the moment closing time hits. That wouldn’t be right, would it?”

“We’ll talk about this later. Are there any private rooms left?”

“We’re completely booked. Why don’t you wait a bit?” Long Zhanjun suggested.

“No need. If there are no private rooms, we’ll just eat in the main dining area…”

Just as they were speaking, a customer came over to settle the bill.

Li Yi told Long Zhanjun to attend to the other customer first, while he led Jiang Xue, Zhang Ziqiang, Juanzi, and the others to a vacant table in the main dining area.

After settling everyone in, Li Yi immediately headed toward the kitchen!

Just as he was about to enter, he heard Third Sister Li Na’s voice coming from the kitchen: “Table 7: two pounds of lamb, one pot of spare ribs, two pounds of beef, one pound of pork belly… Private Room 6: four pounds of sliced lamb, five pounds of sliced beef, three pounds of pork belly… Remember, the guests also ordered 50 liters of beer…”

Hearing his third sister’s nonstop calls, Li Yi knew just how busy the restaurant was.

Without hesitation, he pulled back the curtain and walked in.

Dongzi, who was slicing meat and plating dishes, spotted Li Yi first and immediately exclaimed happily, “Brother Yi, you’re back?”

Dongzi’s voice drew everyone’s attention. The others also spotted Li Yi and quickly put down their work to gather around him, instantly livening up the atmosphere in the kitchen.

Although Third Sister Li Na was also excited, she said, “Everyone, calm down. The customers can’t wait any longer. Let’s get back to preparing the dishes!”

Dongzi and the others were aware of the situation outside, so they immediately returned to their stations and got back to work.

Li Yi walked over to Third Sister, looked at the stack of orders in her hands, then glanced at Dongzi and the others working like machines, and couldn’t help but shake his head.

It was obvious without even thinking about it: they were definitely short-staffed.

A restaurant this size would normally require at least 15 employees, if not more.

But now that Zhang Xinyao was pregnant, Jiang Longcheng certainly wouldn’t let her work here.

Li Yeqiao had been assigned to the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill, and with only his third sister on hand, there were currently only eight people available to work in the restaurant—staff was definitely in short supply.

It seemed they’d have to figure something out, or else these few people would be worked to the bone sooner or later!

Right then, Li Yi took the order slip from Li Na’s hand and said, “Sis, I’ll handle this. You take a break!”

“I’m not tired. Besides, how could I let you, the big boss, do this?”

“What ‘big boss’? Xiaoxue and the kids are here. Go sit with them for a bit—I’ve got this covered!” Li Yi said.

This time, Li Na didn’t refuse; she immediately handed all the orders over to Li Yi.

At the same time, she added, “Just make sure you work quickly and don’t let the customers get impatient—some of them have pretty bad tempers!”

“Got it…”

………..

Late at night, all was quiet!

At Li Yi’s insistence, the barbecue and hot pot restaurant finally closed before 10 o’clock!

After seeing off the last table of customers and locking the door, Li Yi immediately called everyone over to the largest private room.

Since they hadn’t had time to eat all evening, everyone was starving.

Li Yi immediately had Dongzi slice up some meat and vegetables, grabbed some braised lamb ribs, and brought them into the private room, where they all began to wolf down their food.

After they were full, Li Yi personally went out to the car and brought in a large suitcase.

Then, under the puzzled yet eager gazes of the group, he opened the suitcase.

The moment the suitcase opened, everyone was stunned by what was inside.

Inside the trunk were all sorts of small, exquisite items, each wrapped in exquisite packaging.

Judging by the patterns on them, they could make out watches and cameras, though they weren’t quite sure what that small, square object that looked like a brick was.

“Xiao Yi, what on earth did you buy all this for?” Third Sister asked, cradling Yunrui in her arms.

“Digital watches, cameras, and a radio!”

“You mean that tiny thing is a radio?”

“Right, it’s the same radio we know, but over in Hong Kong, they made it smaller for portability, so you can carry it with you anytime!” Li Yi explained.

“That’s amazing… By the way, why did you buy so many of them?”

“Hehe, these are gifts I brought back for everyone from Hong Kong!”

“You mean all these are for us?” Third Sister asked in surprise.

“Yep, I brought them all back just for you guys!”

With that, Li Yi took out the dozens of digital watches and over a dozen radios from his suitcase and laid them all out on the table.

“One watch and one radio for each of you—pick your favorite colors!”

Liu San’er said excitedly, “I’ve seen these digital watches before at the Friendship Store. They cost 42 yuan with foreign exchange coupons, and that radio costs 120 yuan!”

Hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned!

Doing the math, the two items together cost over 160 yuan—enough to cover half a year’s salary for an ordinary worker.

In fact, Li Yi was also taken aback by Liu San’s words. When he had bought these digital watches, they had cost no more than 12 Hong Kong dollars—the equivalent of 4 yuan—yet here they were selling for over 40 yuan, a tenfold markup!

In comparison, the price of the radio was actually quite reasonable.

They sold for 48 Hong Kong dollars each on Hong Kong Island—equivalent to 16 yuan—while here they were 120 yuan, just a sevenfold markup.

“Brother Yi, are these really gifts for me?” Dongzi asked cautiously.

“Of course they are!”

With that, Li Yi shoved a watch and a radio into Dongzi’s hands, then began handing out gifts to the others!

Before long, everyone in the room had received a gift, including Zhang Ziqiang—after all, Li Yi wasn’t exactly short on a few pennies!

Besides, these were his bodyguards—they could save his life in a pinch, so naturally he had to keep them on his side.

Although Zhang Ziqiang wanted to refuse, he was no match for Li Yi’s eloquence, and after just a few words, he had no choice but to obediently accept the items.

After that, Li Yi gave a camera each to Third Sister and Long Zhanjun, and set one aside for Li Yeqiao—only then was the gift-giving complete!

Next, Li Yi immediately told Dongzi and the others to clean up the shop.

He, however, kept Third Sister and Long Zhanjun behind, intending to discuss shop matters with them!

PS: I’ve seen quite a few readers in the reviews section pointing out that Lao Cang’s exchange rates are incorrect, particularly noting that the exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the Renminbi isn’t 3:1, but rather 100:120.

Lao Cang would like to clarify here: there is definitely no issue with the exchange rates. You must understand that the RMB was very valuable in the 1980s. In 1980, the exchange rate between the RMB and the US dollar was 1.5:1, while the Hong Kong dollar to US dollar exchange rate was 5.56:1 during the same period.

As for 100 Hong Kong dollars exchanging for 120 Renminbi, that didn’t happen until after the 1990s.

Some also claim that the Hong Kong dollar has always been pegged at 7:1 against the US dollar, but this is incorrect. That fixed exchange rate wasn’t implemented until the mid-1980s; prior to that, it was a floating rate.

Lao Cang will elaborate on this in the upcoming plot in a few days; Li Yi’s second investment in Hong Kong Island is directly related to these exchange rate fluctuations.