Chapter 391: Grand Opening in Progress!

Beijing. Wangfujing Shopping Mall!

In the biting cold, hundreds of citizens were gathered outside the mall, waiting for it to open.

The Chinese people’s enthusiasm for the Lunar New Year has persisted for thousands of years; even if they live on a meager diet all year round, they still make sure to stock up on New Year’s goods during the holiday season.

However, just as the crowd was waiting for the mall to open, several young women and one young man suddenly emerged from the side entrance.

These young women, all in their twenties, were dressed identically: each wore a woolen coat, stylish pants, and high-heeled leather shoes.

Their youthful beauty and fashionable attire made them look as if they had stepped right out of a television screen, instantly capturing the attention of everyone in the crowd.

Because these women were so eye-catching, everyone instinctively overlooked the man walking beside them.

Then, amid the puzzled expressions of the crowd, the women walked toward the front of the group.

Each of them was holding a thick stack of beautifully printed papers, though no one knew what they intended to do.

When they reached the front of the crowd, the women lined up in a row, leaving a space in the middle.

Then, Li Yi stepped into the center of the women and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: “Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down!”

“I am Li Yi, General Manager of Feixue Apparel. First, allow me to introduce our company. Feixue Apparel is the first fashion apparel enterprise in the country, specializing in the production and sale of fashion clothing from overseas as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, including wool coats, batwing shirts, bell-bottom pants, and more. Any clothing you see on TV, Feixue Apparel will be rolling out one after another…”

“Today marks the grand opening of Feixue Apparel. To thank the public for their support, we’ve specially prepared these beautiful flyers. Simply bring this flyer to our store when purchasing clothing, and you’ll receive a 50-cent discount!”

Hearing that a single flyer could actually be worth 50 cents, the crowd immediately began whispering and discussing the offer.

Soon, someone shouted, “Is it really true that this can be used as a 50-cent discount?”

“Yes, of course—but only if you come to our store to buy clothes. This flyer is only valid for a 50-cent discount, and you can only use one flyer per item!” Li Yi replied.

“Are the clothes you sell the same style as what these ladies are wearing?” someone else asked.

“Yes, but we also have Zhongshan suits and Western-style suits for men!” Li Yi said.

A man in his thirties smiled and said, “These clothes are really nice. My wife would be thrilled if I bought her a set. Give me one!”

“Sure thing!”

Li Yi replied immediately and motioned to the woman standing next to him to hand the man a flyer.

As if his gesture had triggered a mechanism, the crowd gathered in front of the mall instantly sprang into action at the sound, swarming toward Li Yi and his group.

“Give me one!”

“Me too, give me one…”

Li Yi immediately called out, “Everyone, please don’t rush or push—there’s enough for everyone, enough for everyone…”

As he spoke, he immediately instructed the women to quickly distribute the flyers to the crowd.

The citizens who received the flyers immediately began studying them closely, and soon couldn’t help but let out a collective gasp of admiration.

The main reason was that these flyers were printed with such exquisite quality—not only was the paper thick and substantial, but they also featured a beautiful young woman dressed in fashionable attire.

It must be said that the factory’s beauty, Xu Taofang, was absolutely stunning; having her image printed on the flyers produced an effect that was simply off the charts.

Many elderly people happily remarked that even if they didn’t buy any clothes, they could still take the flyers home and display them as posters.

With the combination of the beautifully crafted flyers and the money-off incentive, the area was soon packed shoulder-to-shoulder with citizens lining up to pick them up…

Just then, the Wangfujing Department Store opened its doors.

As the mall doors swung open, a large crowd of people who had received the flyers immediately walked in and rushed en masse to the Feixue Clothing store on the north side of the first floor.

An Hong and her team were ready to welcome them, but what they hadn’t anticipated was that in the blink of an eye, over a hundred people had flooded into their store.

The greeting phrases like “Welcome” that Li Yi had specifically emphasized during training were now completely useless.

In an instant, the eight sales associates remaining in the store were overwhelmed by the throng of customers.

Meanwhile, the shoppers who entered the store were left speechless by what they saw.

The decor and service were completely different from other stores—even the way the clothes were displayed was entirely unique.

These days, whether at a supply and marketing cooperative or a regular department store, all merchandise is displayed behind the counter. Not only are customers separated from the goods by a counter, but if they want to check the quality, they have to ask a sales clerk to fetch the item.

If the clerk was in a bad mood or simply too busy, there was a good chance they wouldn’t give you the time of day!

However, this store is completely different.

Not only was there not a single counter in the entire store, but all the clothing samples were displayed out in the open for customers to inspect on the spot.

More importantly, the store has several mannequins dressed in the clothes, making the fit immediately obvious.

On top of that, the styles of these clothes really caught the eye of customers walking in.

Especially for the ladies—whether it was the wool coats or the flared pants, they found them quite appealing.

However, when everyone saw the price tags on the clothes, they were all startled by the staggering prices.

Although the country had already embarked on reform and opening-up, the vast majority of goods were still subject to the centralized purchasing and distribution policy, with fixed prices.

Whether you were shopping in the capital or in a small county town, there wasn’t much difference in price.

Moreover, prices for goods were generally quite low at the time.

A pair of pants cost 15 yuan, a light blouse 12 yuan, and a wool coat as much as 30 yuan—almost equivalent to an ordinary worker’s monthly wage.

For a time, the shop was crowded with onlookers and inquiries, but no one was willing to make a purchase!

Just then, a group of a dozen or so young people in their twenties walked in from outside.

The group included both men and women, and their attire made it clear they were no ordinary people.

The new arrivals were none other than Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying, along with some of their friends—all of whom Ye Jianhua had brought along to support Li Yi!

Ye Jianhua had heard from Jiang Longcheng that his brother-in-law had set the prices for the clothes exceptionally high, so he was a bit worried that the store would be deserted on opening day.

So, a few days earlier, he’d reached out to his friends, asking them to clear their schedules for the day of Li Yi’s grand opening, bring plenty of cash, and come show their support!

Most of Ye Jianhua’s friends were children of officials; while their families weren’t necessarily wealthy or powerful, they were all doing quite well for themselves and didn’t mind spending a few dozen yuan.

What they hadn’t expected, however, was that the shop—which they’d assumed would be deserted—was actually bustling with people, incredibly lively, with a long line even forming outside.

To save time, the group planned to get in and out quickly.

Upon entering, Ye Jianhua and his friends were stunned by the clothing styles and interior design. After just a quick glance, they quickly picked out the styles they liked.

They then immediately gave their heights to the attractive saleswoman so she could help them find the right sizes.

Once they had their clothes, Ye Jianhua and his group didn’t hesitate; they quickly headed to the counter to pay.

Their bold and decisive behavior caused quite a stir, stunning all the onlookers.

This also served as a powerful demonstration: customers who had been hesitating saw that people were actually making purchases and immediately made up their minds.

Soon, the checkout counter was swarming with customers waiting to pay.

But that wasn’t all. Just as Feixue Apparel was capturing the public’s attention, the arrival of Jiang Longyin and a group of district leaders sent the atmosphere into a frenzy!

On January 16, Li Yi woke up early in the morning.

After waking up the still-sleepy Jiang Longcheng, the two of them went to the cotton mill’s staff cafeteria for a quick bite.

Since they had worked late the previous day and had even more important matters to attend to today, Jiang Longcheng hadn’t gone home to sleep but had stayed at the factory guesthouse instead.

After breakfast, the two headed straight for the factory headquarters!

Today was the launch day for their clothing line. Whether it was Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng, or the other staff and managers at the cotton mill, everyone was paying close attention to this event.

Although on the surface, this clothing business was Li Yi’s venture and had little to do with the cotton mill,

However, the factory’s staff and management all knew that the success or failure of Li Yi’s clothing business was directly tied to the factory’s very survival.

This was mainly because Li Yi currently owed the mill over 200,000 yuan in unpaid goods (originally 300,000 yuan), as well as more than half a month’s wages to several hundred workers in the production workshop.

It could be said that the mill is currently relying on this money to stay afloat, while the workers are counting on their wages to get through the New Year.

If Li Yi fails to recoup his investment, the mill won’t receive payment, and the workers won’t get their wages—and then, from top to bottom, life will become very difficult for everyone.

They are like grasshoppers on the same string—when one prospers, they all prosper; when one suffers, they all suffer.

Therefore, everyone is hoping that Li Yi’s clothing business will get off to a flying start!

The reason they were heading to the factory office first, rather than going straight to the store, was mainly because there was a batch of important materials to pick up—flyers.

Just yesterday, Li Yi had specially designed a flyer, planning to print it out and have someone hand it out at the mall entrance.

He was well aware of the promotional power of flyers these days. In an era where TV commercials have vanished and newspaper ads are scarce, the impact of a well-designed flyer is beyond imagination.

However, after finalizing the design and looking for a place to print them, he was frustrated to discover that not a single advertising agency in the entire city could handle such a job.

Furthermore, most local print shops were unable to produce the full-color flyers Li Yi required.

Fortunately, Jiang Longcheng called his second older brother, Jiang Longyin, and learned that the district’s Publicity Department had recently acquired a new batch of equipment capable of printing color materials.

Jiang Longyin then contacted the head of the Publicity Department and arranged to borrow the advanced color printer for the cotton mill’s use, finally resolving the flyer issue.

Upon arriving at the factory office, the two headed straight to the Publicity Section’s office.

When they arrived, they found the office door wide open, and could hear the hum of machinery.

Upon entering, they saw two young women sorting through the printed leaflets, while the printer beside them continued to spew out freshly printed sheets.

Hearing footsteps, the two women immediately looked up.

When they saw it was Jiang Longcheng and Li Yi, one of the women immediately put down what she was doing and walked over.

“Director, you’re here?”

Li Yi looked at the young woman’s exhausted expression and the obvious bloodshot eyes, and asked in surprise, “You haven’t been sleeping all night, have you?”

“Well, we only have one machine here, and since you ordered such a large quantity, we had no choice but to print through the night!”

“You’ve worked so hard. Thank you!”

As he spoke, Li Yi felt a deep sense of gratitude.

To think that these two young women hadn’t gone home all night, staying up to tend to this cold, lifeless machine—what a display of dedication.

Although he knew that their all-night shift was merely a requirement from their superiors and not necessarily voluntary.

But even so, Li Yi was still grateful for their efforts, and at the same time, he felt the weight of his responsibility.

A small clothing store now carried not only his dreams but also the future of every employee at the cotton mill.

Right now, thousands of people, including him, were working hard on this; if it failed, the consequences would be dire.

Hearing Li Yi’s words, the two young women both flashed shy smiles. The slightly older one hurriedly said, “You’re too kind, sir. It’s our duty!”

“So how many copies have you printed so far?” Li Yi asked again.

“We’ve printed over five thousand so far, and the remaining five thousand should be ready by noon today!”

“Alright, then we’ll take these printed copies with us first!” Li Yi said.

“Sure, we’ll help you carry them!”

“No need. Let us men handle the heavy lifting!”

After saying that, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng loaded all the bundles of flyers—more than ten of them—onto the car.

Once in the car, Li Yi turned to Jiang Longcheng and said, “Third Brother, when we pay salaries at the end of the month, give these two ladies a 10-yuan bonus each—it’s on me!”

“Alright, it’s your money, so you call the shots!”

Jiang Longcheng then started the car and drove straight to the Dong’an Market branch near the district government.

By the time the two arrived at the Dong’an Market store, Xu Taofang and the others were already there, making final preparations before the grand opening.

The store’s sign was already up, with the two large characters “Feixue” at the top standing out prominently!

That’s right—Feixue was the brand Li Yi had created, named after Jiang Xue!

Although it was not yet eight o’clock, the store was already open, and a banner hung at the entrance.

As Li Yi had requested, a red carpet over ten meters long had been laid out in front of the door, giving the scene a festive and grand atmosphere.

Li Yi briefly inspected the store to ensure everything was in order. After confirming there were no issues, he left a few bundles of flyers behind and then headed to the flagship store at Wangfujing Mall with Jiang Longcheng.

That was where today’s main event was taking place!

…….

By the time Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng arrived at the Wangfujing Department Store, it was exactly 9:00 a.m.

After parking their car, they found the area outside the mall already packed with people waiting to shop.

Everyone was just waiting for the mall to open!

Queuing up to wait for a mall to open was indeed rare after the turn of the millennium, but it was very common at the moment.

On the one hand, with the Lunar New Year approaching, there were simply more people coming to buy holiday supplies.

On top of that, goods were still relatively scarce in those days, and many people preferred to shop early, fearing that if they arrived late, they would only get what others had left behind.

So, even before the mall opened, the area outside was already packed with people waiting to get in.

Upon seeing this, Li Yi immediately told Jiang Longcheng to wait in the car while he entered the mall through the staff entrance.

Meanwhile, inside the mall, the Flying Snow clothing store had been completely transformed!

Not only were the doors wide open, but all the staff were on duty as well.

As the star of today’s grand opening, Li Yi has high hopes for this store.

After all, from the location selection to the interior design, right down to the specific opening plan, Li Yi had personally overseen every detail.

Li Yi is well aware that this store is crucial to the success of Feixue Apparel.

After all, this store will serve as Feixue Apparel’s showcase to the public; the brand’s ability to build recognition depends entirely on it.

An Hong had just finished a motivational meeting with the sales associates when she saw Li Yi walk in and immediately went to greet him.

“Sis, how are the preparations coming along?”

Since An Hong was only temporarily filling in as store manager, Li Yi didn’t address her by her title but continued to call her “sister-in-law.”

“Everything’s ready!”

“Alright, the flyers are already printed and in the car outside!”

Li Yi continued, “Sis, while there are quite a few people outside waiting for the store to open, quickly gather a few of the female staff and come with me to the mall entrance to hand out the flyers!”

“Okay!”

After that, An Hong called out four young women and had them follow Li Yi outside to hand out the flyers.

And as the young women followed Li Yi toward the entrance, the battle waged by Li Yi and Feixue Apparel began with just a few flyers!

The fierce struggle among the major families did not affect Li Yi, who was currently busy preparing for the launch of his clothing line!

Ever since Ye Jianhua’s wedding, Li Yi had been staying at the cotton mill’s guesthouse with Jiang Longcheng, devoting all his energy to preparing for the clothing sales.

An Hong and Director Tan were in charge of production, while Sun Feng led the sales department in promoting the clothing and establishing distribution channels.

Jiang Longcheng was in charge of coordinating the cotton mill’s manpower and resources, providing full support to Li Yi.

As for Li Yi himself, he was in charge of setting up the specialty stores in the city.

At the same time, Li Yi formulated a detailed sales plan and had Jiang Longcheng select 20 young female factory workers from the cotton mill who were articulate and had a pleasant demeanor. He personally provided comprehensive training to these workers.

He understood very well that for a clothing store to succeed, in addition to the clothing itself being sufficiently attractive, a team of skilled salespeople was also crucial.

To be honest, in Li Yi’s view, the sales staff at both the supply and marketing cooperatives and the various large department stores currently fell far short in this regard.

The salespeople at the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores today were not ordinary employees; they were the elite with secure, lifelong jobs.

In comparison, the ordinary people coming to shop were the underdogs.

Just think about the signs hanging there in plain sight that read “No Hitting or Yelling at Customers”—it’s no wonder the staff in such stores have a poor attitude toward ordinary people.

Clearly, this is not the kind of sales staff Li Yi is looking for.

With no qualified salespeople readily available, Li Yi had no choice but to train a team himself.

And so, as the days passed in a flurry of activity, January 15 arrived in the blink of an eye.

After nearly two weeks of rushing to meet the deadline, the two specialty stores in the city were finally finished.

By this point, there were less than 20 days left until the Lunar New Year.

Under these circumstances, Li Yi put the launch of the clothing line on the agenda.

……

Cotton Spinning Mill. Small Conference Room!

The small conference room was now packed with people. Aside from Jiang Longcheng and Li Yi, An Hong, Director Tan, Sun Feng, Xu Taofang, and others had all arrived, filling the room to capacity.

Once everyone was present, Jiang Longcheng immediately said, “Everyone’s here, so let’s get started!”

Upon hearing Jiang Longcheng’s words, the room fell silent.

Jiang Longcheng then glanced at Li Yi and said, “Brother-in-law, why don’t you take the lead?”

Li Yi didn’t hesitate and immediately said, “Comrades, I’ve called everyone here today primarily to get an update on how each department is operating and to discuss the product launch!”

“Director Tan, since your workshop oversees production, please give us an update on the product’s production status!”

Upon being called upon by Li Yi, Director Tan did not dare to delay. He immediately stood up and said, “In our workshop, including the temporary workers we’ve brought in, a total of 436 people have been working day and night to ramp up production. During this period, it’s basically been a case of ‘people rest, but the machines don’t.’”

“So far, we’ve produced over 40,000 pairs of pants, over 30,000 batwing shirts, 20,000 wool coats, and 40,000 Zhongshan suits. We’ve used up a third of our raw materials, and we expect to have completed about two-thirds of production by the Lunar New Year!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Very good. I’m very satisfied with your pace, but speed alone isn’t enough—you must also ensure product quality!”

“Rest assured,” said Director Tan. “Every garment undergoes two rounds of manual inspection, and we only proceed with packaging once we’ve confirmed there are no issues!”

“Good!”

Li Yi then asked, “Section Chief Sun, how is the promotion going on your end?”

Sun Feng, the Sales Section Chief, replied immediately, “Our team has visited over fifty counties and districts in Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei Province for promotional activities. Currently, supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores in 22 of these counties and districts are willing to stock a trial batch of our garments to see how they perform!”

“If sales go well, they’ll continue to stock our products; if not, then in the future…”

Although Sun Feng didn’t finish his sentence, everyone in the conference room understood exactly what he meant.

Li Yi nodded and said, “That’s normal. It’s the same for everyone—if they can make a profit, they’ll naturally continue the partnership; if they can’t, they certainly won’t want to waste their time and energy!”

“Hmm, but during this promotional period, quite a few people have shown genuine interest in our clothes. I’m sure the results won’t be any worse once we officially launch!”

After all, having worked in sales for so many years, Sun Feng had a keen eye for these things.

Li Yi nodded, then turned to An Hong and asked, “Sis, how are things coming along on your end?”

A few days ago, Li Yi saw that the production workshop was basically running smoothly, so he transferred An Hong to the Wangfujing boutique and appointed her as the temporary store manager.

An Hong replied immediately, “Our store is almost ready—we’re just waiting for the clothes to arrive and the grand opening!”

“Manager Xu, what about your Dong’an store? Are you ready?”

Li Yi was addressing Xu Taofang, the manager of the Dong’an Market boutique—the very same “factory beauty” from the original garment production workshop.

The reason he chose her for this position was, in part, because this “factory beauty” was indeed stunning.

Don’t get the wrong idea—it wasn’t because Li Yi had any ulterior motives. It was mainly because the factory’s clothes looked absolutely stunning on her.

Just having her stand in the store was the best advertisement—more effective than any sales pitch.

On the other hand, when Li Yi was selecting the sales team for the flagship store a while back, he specifically transferred her there.

After getting to know her, Li Yi realized that this factory beauty, Xu, was not just a pretty face—she was highly capable.

Upon getting to know her better, he learned that she was not only a high school graduate but had also spent time working in the countryside in a certain town in Northeast China.

She spent four years in the Northeast and had only returned to Beijing two years prior.

To have survived in the harsh, frigid conditions of the Northeast, she was certainly more than just a mere figurehead.

Xu Taofang immediately stood up and said, “Our store is all set and ready to open at any time!”

“Excellent!”

Li Yi then stood up and said, “Comrades, everything is ready—we just need the final push. We’ve been working hard for so long; it’s time to put our plans to the test!”

“I’ve decided: we’ll spend today making final preparations, and the flagship store will officially open tomorrow morning. At the same time, the factory’s wholesale channels will officially open!”

Hearing this, everyone in the conference room felt a surge of excitement.

After all these days of hard work, the launch was finally here—it was time to see the fruits of everyone’s labor.

Just then, Jiang Longcheng suddenly asked, “Brother-in-law, have you decided yet how much our clothes will sell for?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Bell-bottoms are priced at 15 yuan, batwing shirts at 12 yuan, wool coats at 30 yuan, and a Zhongshan suit set at 20 yuan!”

“Whoa!”

At those words, everyone present couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Good grief, those prices were simply too high.

Take a standard Zhongshan suit, for example. A set requires about 12 feet of fabric, and a foot of fabric costs roughly 35 cents. That means the material cost for a single suit is no more than 4.20 yuan.

Add in the cost of buttons and labor, and the total would definitely not exceed 6 yuan.

Now Li Yi was asking for 20 yuan—more than triple the cost.

Take bell-bottom pants, for example. The market price for a pair of ordinary pants is definitely no more than 6 yuan.

Even if the style of the bell-bottoms is particularly novel, they’re still just a pair of pants—yet he’s asking for the exorbitant price of 15 yuan.

In short, Li Yi’s pricing left everyone present genuinely shocked and baffled.

“Bro-in-law, isn’t this price a bit too high?” Jiang Longcheng asked with a frown.

“It is a bit pricey, but that doesn’t mean no one will buy them. The price is set. Now let’s discuss the grand opening!”

Li Yi immediately added, “Director Tan, as soon as this meeting is over, arrange for the finished garments to be shipped out and make sure to keep proper shipping records!”

“Yes!”

“Sister-in-law, Store Manager Xu, after the meeting, transport some of the clothes to the store and get everything ready for the grand opening. We’ll open on time tomorrow morning!”

“Yes!”

“Old Li, have your finance team move into the cotton mill immediately and take over the financial operations of the garment workshop!”

“Yes!”

“And the sales department—you need to…”

…….

The Jiang Family’s Old Mansion!

When news of Du Haicheng’s death arrived, Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng, Ye Jianhua, Lin Yi, and the others were chatting at the old mansion.

Suddenly, Jiang Shiying, who had only just stepped out a short while ago, strode back in and stared at Li Yi without saying a word.

His behavior immediately left everyone in the living room stunned.

“Father, if you have something to say, just say it. You’re making me feel uneasy!” Li Yi said, sounding a bit guilty.

Jiang Shiying looked at Li Yi twice more, then dropped a bombshell: “Du Haicheng is dead!”

At those words, everyone in the living room froze.

Then, Jiang Longcheng, Ye Jianhua, and the others all turned to look at Li Yi in unison, just as Jiang Shiying had done moments earlier.

They all recalled Li Yi’s earlier assessment of Du Haicheng—a man on the verge of death!

Although everyone was staring at him so intently, Li Yi appeared calm on the surface, as if to say, “I knew this all along.”

But in reality, he was just as shocked inside.

He was aware that Du Haicheng was going to die, but the current situation seemed to have changed.

As far as he knew, Du Haicheng had been driving recklessly while drunk that very night, ultimately crashing and dying near the Imperial City.

But it was barely four o’clock now, and there was still some time before dark—how could he have died already?

With that thought, Li Yi immediately turned to Jiang Shiying and asked, “Dad, how did that guy die?”

“You don’t know?” Jiang Shiying retorted.

“How would I know how he died? I’m not a god!”

Jiang Shiying replied immediately, “A car accident!”

Ye Jianhua, however, said in surprise, “Uncle, Du could drive when he was just a teenager. How could he have been in a car accident? Besides, what kind of horrific crash could have killed him instantly?”

“According to the latest reports, not long ago, someone was speeding through the city in a Volga sedan, which caught the attention of the police. They immediately dispatched vehicles to intercept him, leading to a chase!”

Jiang Shiying continued, “During the chase, the Volga suddenly lost control and crashed into a tanker truck carrying gasoline. The tanker then exploded, killing both the driver of the sedan and the tanker truck driver instantly!”

“According to the police investigation, that Volga sedan was Du Lao’er’s personal vehicle, and the driver was none other than Du Haicheng!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Longcheng suddenly burst out laughing: “Brother-in-law, you really have a magic tongue—you say this guy’s going to die, and he does!”

Hearing this, the others looked at Li Yi with astonishment, their eyes now tinged with a hint of awe.

“It’s not as magical as you make it out to be. I just know a little about physiognomy. That guy was surrounded by an aura of death—a sign of great misfortune. He was either going to die or get seriously injured!”

Li Yi continued, “But that’s all I can tell. I can’t see anything more specific than that. Don’t think I’m some kind of genius!”

Jiang Shiying glanced at her son-in-law, then immediately said to Jiang Longcheng and the others, “This is something only the few of you need to know. Don’t go blabbing about it to anyone, or you’ll get Xiao Yi into trouble!”

“Got it, Uncle San!” Jiang Longcheng replied.

Ye Jianhua and Lin Yi also assured him they wouldn’t let this slip.

At that moment, Li Yi looked at Jiang Shiying and said, “Father, if we want to take on the Du family, I think now is a good opportunity!”

“You mean by using Du Haicheng’s reckless driving incident?”

“Yes. He’s a young man who’s only been working for a short while—he clearly isn’t qualified to have a company car. On top of that, he was speeding through downtown Beijing and caused such serious consequences. Someone has to take responsibility for this!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll contact the Ye and Lin families right away!”

With that, Jiang Shiying hurried out of the main hall.

Once Jiang Shiying had left, Jiang Longcheng immediately asked, “Brother-in-law, what should we do now? Should we take some action?”

Ye Jianhua and Lin Yi also fixed their gaze on Li Yi, waiting for his answer.

“What do you want to do?”

Before Jiang Longcheng could speak, Li Yi interjected again: “I advise you to keep a low profile for now. What’s coming next is bound to be a battle of titans. People like us are just small fry—we’re not even cannon fodder. It’s best not to get involved!”

“Uh… Brother-in-law, that really stings!”

“It’s just the truth!”

Li Yi then added, “If you’ve got the energy, get the flagship store up and running as soon as possible. If all goes as planned, our clothing line will hit the market in a few days. We’ll be swamped then!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered!” Jiang Longcheng said.

Ye Jianhua turned to Li Yi and said, “Bro-in-law, let us know when you’re opening. We can’t help much, but we can definitely come out to support you!”

“Right, make sure to invite a few of our comrades to come support us then!” Lin Yi added.

“Alright…”

……..

Du Haicheng’s death caused a huge stir in Beijing, not only because of his special status, but more importantly because the nature of the car accident was extremely heinous, and the consequences were severe.

Beijing is the heart of the nation.

Someone actually dared to speed through the streets of the capital—in broad daylight, no less.

Even when the police deployed patrol cars to intercept the vehicle, the driver showed no intention of stopping.

The two sides chased each other for over ten kilometers through the city, running countless red lights and causing several traffic accidents—a display of utter audacity.

If he hadn’t crashed into that tanker truck, who knows how long that guy would have kept it up!

And as for the consequences, they were equally severe.

There were two people in the Volga sedan and two in the tanker truck; in the end, all four died, with not a single survivor.

The two in the Volga certainly deserved their fate, but the people in the tanker truck died far too unjustly.

It was just a routine fuel delivery mission, and they were about to finish the job when this happened—who can you even complain to about this?

Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the driver of the sedan, Du Haicheng, had been driving under the influence.

After the incident, it caused a huge stir throughout the capital, and everyone’s attention turned to the Du family, watching to see how they would handle the fallout.

The Du family also realized the gravity of the situation; Du Haicheng’s incident had caught the entire family completely off guard.

They knew full well that if the situation were allowed to escalate, it would affect other members of the Du family, especially Du Haicheng’s father, Du Tao.

After all, the repercussions of this incident were simply too severe; the authorities would certainly not let it slide.

Consequently, immediately after the incident, the Du family began scrambling to cover up the truth.

First, they exerted control over various newspapers and magazines, strictly ordering them not to report on the incident.

At the same time, they approached the public security department handling the case, attempting to downplay Du Haicheng’s responsibility as much as possible—ideally shifting the blame onto the tanker truck driver.

However, although the Du family’s plans seemed foolproof, there were those who were determined to thwart their scheme.

The more the Du family tried to cover it up, the more the Ye, Jiang, and Lin families sought to bring it to light.

Consequently, thanks to the combined efforts of these families, the story appeared in the newspapers just two days after it had been hushed up.

Soon after, it made the news on television.

After a brief period of public outcry, the entire nation became aware of the incident.

In an instant, public outrage erupted, and calls for a thorough investigation rang out incessantly.

Meanwhile, the Jiang, Ye, and Lin families continued to press forward, determined to bring the Du family down in one fell swoop.

Naturally, the Du family was not about to sit idly by and wait for their doom; they immediately launched a full-scale counterattack.

In the blink of an eye, the entire capital was in an uproar, and the situation quickly spiraled into chaos!

The Ye Family’s Old Mansion!

Although Du Haicheng’s outburst lasted only a few minutes, it still caused quite a stir.

Both the Ye family patriarch and everyone else were furious.

They had already warned the Du family about this matter, but they never expected this brat to dare come and cause trouble.

This incident had completely crossed the Ye family’s red line, so Ye Shixiong decided that once his grandson’s wedding was over, he would teach the Du family a lesson.

Otherwise, the Ye family wouldn’t be able to stay in Beijing anymore.

The Lin family members who had come to escort the bride were also furious. The incident a few days prior had already severely damaged Lin Ying’s reputation, leading many uninformed people to assume she had an improper relationship with Du Haicheng.

Because of this, the Lin family had specifically confronted the Du family.

At the time, the Du family’s attitude had been reasonably cooperative; they claimed it was merely Du Haicheng’s personal conduct and had nothing to do with the Du family.

Moreover, the head of the Du family had apologized to the Lin family, so the Lins had decided not to pursue the matter further.

However, unexpectedly, just a few days later, that bastard was up to his old tricks again.

And this time, they were even bolder—they actually managed to infiltrate Lin Ying’s wedding.

This wasn’t just a slap in the face to the Ye family—it was also a direct provocation against the Lin family.

So, the Lin family has made up their minds: once the wedding is over, they will demand an explanation from the Du family.

If all else fails, the two families will go to war!

In short, Du Haicheng’s antics had dampened the festive atmosphere at the host family’s celebration.

The guests, however, were treated to a major scandal and immediately began buzzing with speculation.

Although Du Haicheng hadn’t caused any substantial harm to the Ye or Lin families, he had certainly made them look foolish.

Under these circumstances, the atmosphere of what had been a lively wedding grew somewhat awkward, and the event came to a swift close.

After the banquet, Li Yi took Jiang Xue and Zhang Xinyao back to the Jiang family’s ancestral home, while Jiang Longcheng was asked by Ye Jianhua to stay behind to drive them.

After all, not many people owned cars back then, so he naturally ended up serving as the driver.

As for Li Yi, upon returning to the Jiang family’s ancestral home, Tang Xue and Zhang Xinyao stayed behind to chat with their mother, Ye Lingyun, about women’s secrets, while Li Yi was summoned to the main hall by Jiang Shiying.

The old man was also in the living room.

As soon as he saw Li Yi and Jiang Shiying enter, the old man immediately said, “Sit down!”

Once the two had seated themselves, the old man turned to Li Yi and asked, “Xiao Yi, I hear that girl from Longcheng is one of your employees?”

Li Yi nodded and replied, “That’s right, Grandfather. She is indeed working at my shop right now!”

“So you know her pretty well, then, don’t you?”

“Yeah, pretty well! She’s actually an educated youth from our village who was sent down to the countryside. She shared a dorm with Xiaoxue and used to look out for her a lot!”

“So, this young lady has a decent personality?”

“Yeah, she’s kind-hearted and hardworking. Aside from her family’s modest financial situation, there’s nothing else to complain about!” Li Yi replied.

“In the Jiang family, we don’t place much importance on a prospective spouse’s family background. Since this young woman’s character and integrity are sound, and Longcheng likes her, let’s settle the matter then!” Old Master Jiang said.

Jiang Shiying nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll bring this up with my older brother and sister-in-law later!”

“Mm-hmm!”

At that moment, the old patriarch spoke again: “Shiying, what are your plans regarding the Du family?”

Jiang Shiying replied immediately, “A clash between the Ye and Du families is almost inevitable. Given the current situation, the Lin family will likely get involved as well.”

“I don’t think our Jiang family can just stand by and watch. Setting aside the relationship between our two families, given the Du family’s demonstrated ambition, the chances of us coexisting peacefully are slim!”

“Rather than rushing into battle later, we should seize this opportunity to wipe them all out—the Ye family and the Lin family included.”

Old Master Jiang nodded and said, “You have a point. While Old Ye and I are still alive, and the dxmbang can still hold the fort, do as you see fit!”

“Alright, I’ll get in touch with the Ye and Lin families tonight…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi spoke up from the side: “Father, you’d better hold off on this for now!”

“Why?”

“Do you remember what I said yesterday? Let’s hold off for now!” Li Yi said.

Jiang Shiying paused briefly, then said, “Alright, let’s hold off for now. But given the situation, it won’t be long before we have to act!”

“A day or two will be enough!”

“Hmm!”

Just as they were speaking, a clatter came from outside the door, and immediately afterward, Ye Jianhua, Jiang Shiying, and Lin Yi walked in together.

Jiang Shiying first went to take a look at the west wing, then led the two men into the main hall.

Upon entering, they saw the old master was also present and immediately bowed in greeting.

After the greetings, the old man excused himself, saying he was tired, and immediately retired to his bedroom.

Once the old man had left, Jiang Shiying asked immediately, “Jianhua, why aren’t you at home with your wife? What are you doing here?”

Ye Jianhua replied in a subdued tone, “Uncle, I’m feeling frustrated, so I wanted to talk things over with my brother-in-law!”

Jiang Shiying nodded and said, “Hmm, it’s good to talk things out, but don’t act on impulse—the Du family is no pushover!”

“Alright!”

“Then you two go ahead and talk. I’ve got some things I need to take care of!”

With that, Jiang Shiying turned and left the main living room.

As soon as Jiang Shiying left, Ye Jianhua couldn’t wait to say to Li Yi, “Brother-in-law, you saw what happened today…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi replied calmly, “Endure it.”

“Bro-in-law, that bastard has practically shat on our heads, and we’re supposed to just put up with it?” Ye Jianhua frowned.

Jiang Longcheng chimed in, “Exactly. If we put up with this, we’ll be nothing but a bunch of cowards. How are we supposed to make it in Beijing after that?”

Li Yi, however, remained unperturbed. “Du Haicheng is nothing more than a pawn the Du family has put forward. He’s just a troublemaker whose sole purpose is to provoke the Ye, Lin, and Jiang families.”

“If you lose your composure now and strike first, you’ll be playing right into their hands. You’ll definitely be the ones who lose out.”

“But if we don’t act, we’ll lose face big time…”

Li Yi, however, smiled and said, “If you trust me, wait another day or two. If you still want to settle the score with that guy by then, I’ll wholeheartedly support you!”

“Brother-in-law, are you saying something’s going to happen in the next day or two?” Jiang Longcheng asked thoughtfully.

“I can’t say… I can’t say!” Li Yi replied.

“Hahaha, got it… got it!”

Then, Jiang Longcheng turned to Ye Jianhua and Lin Yi standing nearby and said, “Since my brother-in-law has put it that way, let’s wait a day or two. The dog’s right there anyway—we can take him down anytime, no need to rush!”

Although Ye Jianhua felt a bit reluctant, he knew Li Yi’s capabilities and could only nod in agreement.

As for Lin Yi, although he thought Li Yi’s words were a bit too vague, since both Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua agreed, he naturally didn’t feel comfortable objecting.

Thus, the group reached a tentative consensus on the matter and decided to hold off for another day or two.

After that, they changed the subject and began discussing the cotton mill.

In the eyes of Ye Jianhua and Lin Yi, Li Yi was practically family. Since he was currently mired in the cotton mill’s quagmire and unable to extricate himself, they felt it was only right to lend a hand.

So the two asked Li Yi in detail about his current situation and offered to help him offload that batch of fabric.

However, Li Yi refused, even though he knew that with the resources of the Ye and Lin families, they could indeed help him move the shipment quickly and sell the fabric.

But for Li Yi, this business venture was not merely a simple investment; it was also an opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities to his father-in-law.

Consequently, unless absolutely necessary, he would never allow anyone else to assist him.

Yet, just as the group was chatting at the Jiang residence, a shocking piece of news arrived—Du Haicheng was dead!

The wedding at the Ye family’s ancestral home was still in full swing. Since all the guests were already seated, the sudden arrival of Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng, and Zhang Xinyao naturally made them the center of attention.

On the one hand, the Ye family was a prominent clan, and arriving after the banquet had already begun was somewhat impolite.

On the other hand, it was because of Zhang Xinyao. Amidst a sea of blue, black, and green, Zhang Xinyao, clad in a brown wool coat, was a real eye-catcher.

Add to that her flared pants, which accentuated her curves to perfection—it was impossible for her not to stand out.

Of course, what left everyone most speechless was the dynamic between Zhang Xinyao and Jiang Longcheng.

Jiang Longcheng was seen holding Zhang Xinyao’s hand and striding ahead, while Li Yi trailed behind, looking like a little sidekick.

Everyone present clearly knew who Jiang Longcheng was.

It was no secret in their circle that this playboy had no intention of getting married, much to the disappointment of many prominent families hoping to form an alliance with the Jiang clan.

Yet here he was, bringing a woman to such a grand occasion—the implication was all too clear.

In an instant, many began asking about Zhang Xinyao’s identity!

Everyone was curious: just which family’s daughter was fortunate enough to have caught the eye of the Jiang family’s third young master?

Jiang Longcheng paid no heed to others’ opinions. He simply took Zhang Xinyao by the hand and strode confidently into the inner chambers.

Then, under the stunned gazes of the entire Jiang family, he and Zhang Xinyao sat down at the table reserved for the Jiang clan’s relatives.

No sooner had they sat down than Jiang Longcheng’s mother, Wu Yongmei, hurriedly asked, “Longcheng, who is this young lady…?”

Before she could finish, Jiang Longcheng spoke up: “Dad, Mom, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Third Uncle… let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Zhang Xinyao. I brought her here to meet everyone on this joyous occasion of Jianhua’s wedding!”

Although Zhang Xinyao was a little nervous, she stood up and said, “Hello, everyone. My name is Zhang Xinyao, and I’m from Qin Province!”

Hearing Jiang Longcheng directly refer to Zhang Xinyao as his “girlfriend,” everyone except Li Yi and Ye Lingyun—who had known about the situation all along—was taken aback.

Jiang Longcheng’s marriage had long been a thorny issue for the Jiang family; at 28, he was definitely considered an “older bachelor” in this day and age.

If it weren’t for the Jiang family’s status, in a rural area, a man of that age who hadn’t married yet would have at least a 70% chance of remaining a bachelor.

He’d either have to marry a widow or a woman with some sort of issue—in short, it would be very difficult to find a normal woman.

Jiang’s mother, Wu Yongmei, was taken aback at first, but then she sprang to her feet with a look of delight and pulled Zhang Xinyao close to her.

“This girl is truly beautiful. Good, good, good! If Longcheng ever dares to mistreat you, Auntie will stand up for you!”

“Thank you, Auntie!” Zhang Xinyao said, blushing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xue, standing nearby, rubbed Li Yi’s hands as she asked, “Did you and Third Brother just go to the shop to pick up Sister Xinyao?”

“Yeah, Third Brother wanted to use this opportunity to make our relationship official!” Li Yi said.

“That’s a good idea—everyone’s home today!”

Standing nearby, Jiang Shiying asked in surprise, “Xiao Yi, isn’t that girl the one from your shop? What’s the deal between her and Longcheng?”

“Third Brother has taken a liking to her, and she’s agreed to go out with him!” Li Yi replied.

“Huh, this kid’s finally come to his senses—that’s rare!”

Li Yi remained silent. He really wanted to say that not only had the guy finally wised up, but he was also playing the field quite extensively.

But upon reflection, he held back; it was best not to get involved in such matters!

“By the way, Dad, have you already contributed to the wedding fund?” Li Yi asked.

“I have. Since you weren’t back, I went ahead and paid your share too!” Jiang Shiying said.

“How much? I’ll give it to you later!”

Jiang Shiying shot him a look, then turned to Jiang Xue beside him and said, “My precious daughter is all yours now—why are you being so nitpicky over a few bucks?”

Li Yi chuckled and said, “Hehe, you can choose not to accept it, but I can’t not give it!”

“You little rascal…”

Just as they were speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

Li Yi looked out and saw several young men suddenly walking in. Leading the group was none other than Du Haicheng, whom he had met the other day.

News of the feud between the Ye and Du families had already spread throughout the entire capital. There were even rumors that the second son of the Du family was entangled with Lin Ying, the daughter-in-law of the Ye family—that the sixth son of the Ye family had stolen her away.

For Lin Ying’s sake, Du Haicheng, the Du family’s young master, had gone so far as to risk a war with the Ye family by disrupting the gathering organized by Ye Jianhua. Now, the Du and Ye families were on the brink of conflict.

In short, all sorts of chaotic rumors were swirling everywhere, with people speculating about everything under the sun.

So, when Du Haicheng suddenly appeared at the wedding, he naturally caught the attention of all the guests.

Ye Jianhua, who was in the middle of toasting the elders and guests with his bride, also spotted Du Haicheng and immediately went to confront him—he wasn’t about to let that bastard ruin his wedding.

Seeing this, Lin Ying immediately followed her husband out!

Jiang Longcheng, seeing this, didn’t hesitate either. He immediately called out to Li Yi, and the two of them followed them out as well.

“Du Haicheng, what are you doing here? You’re not welcome at Ying’er and my wedding!” Ye Jianhua said coldly.

Although Ye Jianhua was pointing his finger in his face and telling him he wasn’t welcome, Du Haicheng wasn’t the least bit upset.

He flashed a sly, mischievous smile and said nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter to me whether you welcome me or not—I’m not here to congratulate you anyway!”

He then glanced at Lin Ying and said, feigning gentleness, “Ying’er is my junior sister. As her senior brother, I simply must make an appearance at her wedding!”

As he spoke, he clapped his hands.

Immediately, a young henchman behind him walked in, holding a long, rectangular box!

The box was rectangular in shape, not very large, but exuded an antique charm and was clearly quite valuable.

Du Haicheng then opened the box, revealing the gift inside.

When Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying saw what was inside, their expressions changed instantly.

Inside the wooden box lay a fan. Though it was not unfolded, its ribs were inlaid with numerous jewels, and at the bottom rested a milky-white jade carving—likely the fan’s pendant.

My goodness, the sight of all that glittering jewelry was truly breathtaking.

But anyone with even a modicum of social savvy knew that Du Haicheng hadn’t come to present a congratulatory gift—he was clearly provoking them!

“Fan” (扇) sounds like “disperse” (散)—the implication was crystal clear!

Moreover, fans are only used in the summer; once the cool autumn season arrives, they’re cast aside and forgotten, so the fan carries a connotation of heartlessness.

No matter how exquisite or expensive your fan may be, it’s best not to give one to newlyweds—you’re just asking for a beating.

“Du Haicheng, grab your junk and get the hell out of here, or I won’t hesitate to break your legs and make you crawl back…”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the bride, Lin Ying, spoke up: “Mr. Du, we are merely university alumni. We weren’t in the same class, nor did we study under the same professor, so I cannot accept the title of your junior. Please do not refer to me as your junior again!”

“Furthermore, your gift is far too valuable. Brother Jianhua and I simply cannot accept it. Please take it back!”

Just as everyone thought Du Haicheng wouldn’t let it go and was sure to make another move, they saw him cast a complex glance at Lin Ying, then a faint, enigmatic smile appear at the corner of his mouth.

Then, under everyone’s astonished gaze, he immediately turned and walked toward the exit.

Seeing this, Ye Jianhua clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment and anger!

Just as he was about to explode, Li Yi suddenly grabbed his arm and said calmly, “Don’t get angry. If you resort to violence, you’ll fall into his trap. Let’s get the wedding over with first!”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’ about it. Nothing is more important than the wedding today. Listen to me!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

With that, Ye Jianhua took Lin Ying back to the wedding reception and continued toasting the guests.

The wedding continues!

Downtown. The Ye Family Mansion!

The Ye family was in a particularly festive mood today, with lanterns and decorations everywhere, radiating joy.

By the time Li Yi arrived at the Ye family home with his father-in-law, Jiang Shiying, his mother-in-law, and Jiang Xue, it was already 10:30.

By then, the Ye family’s ancestral home was already filled to capacity with guests, while outside, firecrackers were going off and gongs and drums were blaring, creating a lively atmosphere.

Although the Ye family had intended to keep things low-key and avoid a lavish celebration,

However, as a prominent family, no matter how low-key they tried to be, certain things were simply unavoidable.

Take today’s wedding, for instance. Even though the Ye family had repeatedly tried to keep the scale down—and had even specifically chosen to hold the ceremony at the ancestral home rather than at a state-run hotel or the unit’s large dining hall—

it still failed to dampen the guests’ enthusiasm, and the number of attendees exceeded two hundred.

Fortunately, the Ye family’s ancestral home was spacious enough, with over a dozen rooms in total; otherwise, there simply wouldn’t have been enough room to accommodate so many people.

Li Yi and his party were, of course, treated with the utmost courtesy by the entire Ye family.

As soon as they entered, Jiang Xue and her mother were escorted by several of her aunts to the inner rooms, where they joined a group of distinguished ladies and socialites in conversation.

After all, this was Jiang Xue’s first visit to the Ye family home—a sort of formal introduction to the household. At the same time, these aunts intended to help Jiang Xue get acquainted with the female members of Beijing’s prominent families!

Li Yi, of course, had no interest in joining the fray. He followed Jiang Shiying over to Old Master Ye and joined the men of the Ye family in small talk.

After chatting for a while, the sound of firecrackers suddenly erupted outside, one after another, and someone immediately shouted, “The bride is here!”

Hearing this, many people in the room hurried outside.

Li Yi noticed that Jiang Xue, standing not far away, kept her gaze fixed on the window. He immediately said his goodbyes to Old Master Ye and his father-in-law, then headed toward the inner room.

Standing before his wife, Li Yi whispered, “The bride has arrived. Do you want to go out and take a look?”

Jiang Xue was tempted, but after glancing at her large belly, she shook her head and said, “Never mind. I’ll just wait here at home for my cousin and his wife!”

“Alright! Then I’ll go check on them!”

“Sure, go ahead!”

After Li Yi left, one of the middle-aged women looked at Ye Lingyun with some surprise and said, “Lingyun, that young man just now was really handsome. Is he your son-in-law?”

Ye Lingyun immediately smiled and said, “Yes, he’s Xue’er’s husband!”

“What does that young man do? He’s not only handsome, but he’s got such a commanding presence—you can tell right away he’s no ordinary person!”

Ye Lingyun smiled and said, “Right now, he runs a small restaurant…”

Just as these aristocratic ladies were discussing Li Yi inside the house, he had arrived at the entrance of the old family residence.

At that moment, several Jeeps were parked in front of the alley where the Ye family’s old mansion stood. All of them had large red “Double Happiness” characters stuck on their hoods, giving the scene a particularly festive air.

Ye Jianhua looked particularly sharp today, dressed in a light gray suit paired with polished leather shoes, which added an extra touch of handsomeness.

The bride, Lin Ying, was also very beautiful. Although she wasn’t wearing a wedding dress, the traditional red bridal gown she wore made her look even more elegant.

As soon as the car door opened, Ye Jianhua lifted the bride, Lin Ying, out of the vehicle.

However, a crowd of relatives and friends had gathered at the entrance to the alley, forming a human wall to block the newlyweds—a local wedding custom.

Ye Jianhua was clearly prepared for this; he immediately instructed Jiang Longcheng, who was accompanying him, to hand out candy and cigarettes to the relatives and friends.

With a barrage of sweets and cigarettes, they quickly cleared the way and carried the new bride to the entrance of the old family home.

After carrying the bride back to the old family home, Ye Jianhua proceeded to wash her and adorn her with flowers, as custom dictated.

After all that, it was already past eleven o’clock.

Just as Li Yi was about to go back inside to call Jiang Xue out and show her the bride, Jiang Longcheng suddenly walked over and pulled him aside.

“What’s with you? You look like a thief.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Stop beating around the bush. What’s going on? If there’s nothing…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Longcheng immediately asked, “There is something… there is something. Why haven’t I seen your sister and the others?”

Li Yi shot him a look and said, “If you want to ask about Zhang Xinyao, just ask her. Why drag my sister into this?”

“It just makes it sound a little more tactful!”

“Hah, you’ve always been so straightforward before. Now you’re being tactful? You’re not actually serious, are you?”

“No, I just thought today is Jianhua’s big day, so I should bring her to meet my relatives and friends!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Then why didn’t you say so sooner? My sister and Zhang Xinyao went to the store today!” Li Yi said.

“I completely forgot about it because I was so busy helping Jianhua with his wedding!”

“So what’s the plan? Are we going to pick her up now?” Li Yi asked again.

Jiang Longcheng glanced at his watch and said, “There’s still over an hour before the banquet starts. If we hurry, we should make it in time!”

Before Li Yi could say a word, Jiang Longcheng grabbed him and dragged him outside.

……..

Beiguan Village. Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant!

It was already noon, and the restaurant was filling up with customers. Li Na and Zhang Xinyao were already busy at work.

Just then, Jiang Longcheng and Li Yi suddenly arrived, and to everyone’s astonishment, they took Zhang Xinyao with them.

As soon as she got into the car, Zhang Xinyao was completely taken aback when Jiang Longcheng told her he was taking her to meet his parents and family.

“You… I… maybe we should do this another day? Look at me—I’m not dressed up at all. How can I meet your family like this?” Zhang Xinyao said nervously.

But Jiang Longcheng grinned and said, “I think you look just fine the way you are. There’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

“But… what if your parents don’t like me?” Zhang Xinyao asked again.

“Just relax. My parents are practically dying of worry over my marriage right now. As long as I bring a woman home, they won’t have any objections!”

Listening to this guy spout one impossible demand after another, Li Yi felt as if thunder were rolling overhead.

He couldn’t help but interject, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. My uncle and aunt have pretty high standards for a daughter-in-law, but you’re so beautiful and well-educated—they’ll definitely be pleased!”

“Should I go back and change my clothes?”

“Change what? There’s no time for that…”

Before Jiang Longcheng could finish his sentence, Li Yi suddenly blurted out, “Let’s go to the cotton mill!”

“What are we going to the cotton mill for?”

“Stop blabbering—let’s go!”

Jiang Longcheng didn’t ask any further questions and immediately drove to the cotton mill. Following Li Yi’s instructions, he drove the car to the garment factory in the back.

Li Yi then immediately took Zhang Xinyao to the production workshop and instructed Director Tan to find a suitable outfit for her right away, telling her to go find an empty room to change into it.

Soon, Zhang Xinyao appeared before them, dressed in bell-bottom pants, a batwing-sleeve top, and a wool coat.

Seeing Zhang Xinyao in her new outfit, as if she were a completely different person, Jiang Longcheng was completely mesmerized.

Zhang Xinyao, however, blushed deeply under his gaze and looked down, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Li Yi instantly sensed a strong surge of chemistry in the air.

However, time was of the essence, and there was no time for small talk. The group got back in the car and drove back to the Ye family’s old mansion.

However, since changing clothes had taken some time, even though Jiang Longcheng had been flooring the gas pedal the whole way, by the time they returned to the Ye family’s old mansion, the wedding banquet had already begun, and all the guests were seated.

When the two of them walked into the Ye family’s old mansion with Zhang Xinyao, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to the fashionably dressed young woman before them…

…….

January 1, 1981. New Year’s Day!

The 26th day of the 11th lunar month in the Year of the Monkey—an auspicious day for weddings!

Today is Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying’s big day, and everyone at the Jiang family’s old residence got up early!

After waking up and having a light meal, Jiang Shiying set out with Li Yi and Tang Xue.

However, they weren’t heading to the Ye family home; instead, they were going to the nearby police station to transfer Tang Xue’s household registration and, while they were at it, change her surname.

The main reason for the rush was that Jiang Shiying was too busy to stay at home for even a few days.

Since they had a few days free, they might as well get this taken care of sooner rather than later!

Moreover, for Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun, their daughter changing her surname was an absolute priority. The thought of their daughter carrying that scoundrel’s surname every day made both of them deeply uneasy.

Therefore, this matter had to be resolved without delay!

Li Yi and Tang Xue understood their feelings and naturally had no objections, so they fully went along with Jiang Shiying’s arrangements!

When the car arrived at the police station, someone was already waiting for them there.

Jiang Shiying had already mentioned to Li Yi on the way that he had specifically asked for help from a leader at the Municipal Bureau.

After a brief greeting, Li Yi and his group entered the police station under the guidance of this municipal bureau official.

With this person’s assistance, the process of transferring the household registration became much simpler and was completed quickly.

Moreover, at Jiang Shiying’s specific request, not only was Tang Xue’s household registration transferred to Beijing, but her name on the household registration booklet was also officially changed to Jiang Xue.

Looking at the two large handwritten characters “Jiang Xue” on her new household registration booklet, Tang Xue suddenly felt a mix of emotions.

It wasn’t that she objected to the surname Jiang; she just wasn’t quite used to it yet.

Although the name “Tang Xue” hadn’t left her with any fond memories—especially when it came to the Tang family, where all she could recall were painful experiences—

But after all, this name had been with her for twenty years, and suddenly switching to a different one left her feeling a bit at a loss.

Li Yi clearly sensed the shift in her mood and immediately said, “You were born with the Jiang surname anyway. Changing back to it is a good thing—just think of it as making a clean break from those people in Yong County!”

Tang Xue… no, Jiang Xue nodded slightly upon hearing Li Yi’s words. “You’re right. From now on, I’m Jiang Xue, and I have absolutely no connection left with the Tang family!”

“Hmm, I imagine Mother will be very happy to hear this!” Li Yi said.

“Yes, Mother cares deeply about this…”

Just then, Jiang Shiying finished saying goodbye to the official from the Municipal Bureau and returned to the two of them.

Hearing her daughter’s words, Jiang Shiying immediately asked, “What were you two talking about? What does your mother care about?”

Jiang Xue replied immediately, “We were saying that Mother cares a lot about my surname. Now that I’ve changed it back to Jiang, she must be especially happy!”

“Haha, silly girl, your mother and I aren’t concerned with what your surname is—we just want you to be happy!”

Jiang Shiying continued, “Those people from the Tang family never treated you like family in the first place. Using their surname—we feel that’s a disgrace to our whole family!”

“Dad, I understand!” Jiang Xue said.

“All right, get in the car. We still need to make a trip to the subdistrict office!” Jiang Shiying said.

“What are we going to the neighborhood office for?” Jiang Xue asked, a bit puzzled.

“To get your marriage certificate, of course. You’re both about to have babies—it’s time to get the paperwork done!”

Jiang Xue’s face flushed, and she lowered her head.

She had thought about getting a marriage certificate many times before, but she never imagined she’d be getting it in Beijing, let alone with her own father by her side.

Li Yi immediately helped his wife into the car, and the group promptly left the police station, heading toward the neighborhood office.

Jiang Shiying knew the way to the neighborhood office well and had the car there in no time.

He then led his daughter and Li Yi into the community office and headed straight for the Civil Affairs Office.

When the staff at the Civil Affairs Office learned that Jiang Xue and Li Yi had come to apply for a marriage certificate, they weren’t particularly surprised—even though Jiang Xue was visibly pregnant.

Such situations were all too common these days—it was even considered normal not to get a marriage certificate!

After verifying both parties’ household registrations, the staff member immediately retrieved two small red booklets, leaned over the desk, and began filling in the information by hand.

Soon, after stamping them with the official red seal, two brand-new marriage certificates were ready!

“Here are your marriage certificates. Please keep them safe!”

“Thank you!”

As Li Yi accepted the marriage certificates handed to him by the staff member, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of candies, and placed them on the other person’s desk.

He had brought these candies with him specifically when he left the Jiang family’s old mansion!

After leaving the Civil Affairs Office, Jiang Xue couldn’t wait to take the marriage certificate from Li Yi’s hands and began examining it carefully.

The marriage certificate was encased in red plastic; the front bore the three golden characters “Marriage Certificate,” while the back featured a large “Double Happiness” character.

When unfolded, the beautifully designed inner pages are revealed.

The inner pages contain the personal information of the bride and groom, including their names, genders, and ages.

In addition, the inner pages feature exquisite decorative illustrations, such as beautiful flowers symbolizing a wonderful life, and two magpies perched on a plum blossom tree, symbolizing joy and celebration.

It is worth noting that at that time, wedding photos were not required to be affixed to the marriage certificate.

Overall, the marriage certificate exudes a sense of simplicity with a touch of solemnity.

“Do you like it?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“It’s beautiful!”

“Do you know what these two little booklets mean?”

“Does it mean we’re officially married?”

“Yes, but not entirely!”

Li Yi continued, “These two little marriage certificates represent our commitment to each other. They mean that from now on, we’re no longer fighting this battle alone—I’ll always be by your side, walking this path with you.”

Jiang Xue reached out and clasped Li Yi’s strong arm, saying, “I’ll do the same. From now on, I’ll always be by your side. For this life and the next, we’ll never part…”

Before she could finish, a soft cough suddenly rang out from behind them!

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Yi knew it was his father-in-law.

He turned around, and sure enough, it was him.

However, it was clear his mood was somewhat complicated—his daughter had only just been reunited with him, and now they were getting married.

More importantly, that rascal Li Yi had already bought a house in Beijing so quickly; from now on, if he wanted to see his daughter, he’d have to go to his place, which left him feeling a bit annoyed.

“Dad, look at our marriage certificate!”

Jiang Xue clearly hadn’t given it much thought; she was actually showing off their marriage certificate right in front of her own father.

“Hmm, that’s great!”

Li Yi immediately changed the subject: “Dad, now that we’ve got the certificate, let’s head back early. We still have to go to Cousin Jianhua’s wedding later!”

“Let’s go. Your mother must be waiting impatiently by now!”

With that, Jiang Shiying led the two of them out of the neighborhood office and drove toward their family home.

Back home, Jiang Xue was immediately pulled into a room by Ye Lingyun, who began getting her ready.

Meanwhile, Li Yi and Jiang Shiying drove to a large shopping mall not far from DXMBang. Since Ye Jianhua was getting married, as close relatives, they couldn’t just contribute a little wedding money—they had to show their support in a more meaningful way.

So, while the mother and daughter were getting ready, the father-in-law and son-in-law set about preparing a wedding gift for Ye Jianhua!

Soon, Jiang Shiying emerged from the inner room, carrying an antique wooden chest.

The chest was a deep purple color and not very large, measuring only about a foot on each side.

However, Li Yi could tell at a glance that it was a sandalwood box.

And if he wasn’t mistaken, the wood used for this box was likely the most expensive variety of sandalwood—the famous small-leaf rosewood.

Instantly, he felt a tinge of curiosity about what was inside the chest.

Sandalwood is no cheap commodity; to put it simply, a small box made of this kind of rosewood would cost at least several thousand yuan these days.

And if such a precious sandalwood box was used as a container, the contents inside must certainly be of great value.

Jiang Shiying placed the box on the coffee table in front of them, then pushed it toward his wife, Ye Lingyun.

Then, in front of Li Yi and Tang Xue, Ye Lingyun opened the wooden box.

The moment the box opened, Li Yi and Tang Xue were stunned.

Inside, the box was a dazzling display of jewels and treasures—not only various gold and silver jewelry, but also numerous pearls and jade artifacts.

Wow, even someone like Li Yi, who was used to seeing grand spectacles, was awestruck by the jewelry and treasures in the box.

Even at today’s prices, this box of jewelry was worth at least 100,000 yuan.

Most importantly, there were no shops selling jewelry in those days—especially gold and silver pieces, which were practically impossible to find on the market.

Back when Li Yi had just been reborn, he didn’t have a single penny to his name and desperately needed money to marry Tang Xue.

He knew there was a general’s tomb on the back mountain containing several chests of gold, silver, and jewels.

If he had dug it up, he would certainly have gotten his hands on those treasures.

But in the end, he didn’t set his sights on that general’s tomb. Aside from the fact that he didn’t want to make money through illegal means,

more importantly, even if he did dig up the general’s tomb and get his hands on that gold and silver, it wouldn’t be easy to turn it into cash.

One misstep, and he could easily end up in serious trouble!

So since he’d been reborn into this life, he hadn’t actually seen any hard currency like gold or silver!

Yet, to his surprise, his father-in-law actually had nearly a whole trunk full of it.

Ye Lingyun took out the jewelry piece by piece from the box, filling half the coffee table.

Then, as she helped Tang Xue try them on, she said, “Xue’er, take a look and see which styles you like.”

“Mom, what are you doing?”

“I’m picking out some jewelry for you. A young lady can’t go through life without any jewelry!”

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately felt as though he were being indirectly criticized.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He had the money, but he didn’t know where to buy jewelry.

These days, most jewelry was either passed down from previous generations or obtained by sourcing gold and silver and having it custom-made.

For instance, his mother had a silver ring that Li Yi’s grandmother had had made by melting down a silver dollar.

That was precisely why, even after being married for so long, Li Yi hadn’t bought Tang Xue any jewelry.

Tang Xue was also taken aback by her mother’s extravagant gesture and immediately said, “Mom… this… this is too expensive!”

“Silly girl, I’m your mother—why are you being so formal with me?”

Then Ye Lingyun continued, “Some of these pieces of jewelry were left by your grandmother, and some were part of the dowry your maternal grandmother gave me. Although some of them look a bit old-fashioned, others are actually quite suitable for someone your age!”

“Mom, I’ve never worn jewelry before, so I don’t really know much about it!” Tang Xue said.

“It’s okay. You’ll get used to it in time…”

While the mother and daughter were busy picking out jewelry, Jiang Shiying and Li Yi started talking about the house.

“I heard from Long Cheng that you bought two courtyard houses?”

Li Yi immediately nodded and said, “Yeah, I did. They’re former employee housing units from the Beijing Steel Plant—not too far from here!”

“You’re such a stubborn one. Don’t the houses we already have at home provide enough living space for the two of you? Or are you worried that once you move into the old family home, you’ll end up being treated like a son-in-law living in his wife’s family’s house?” Jiang Shiying glared at Li Yi as she spoke.

“I’m not worried about that. The main reason I insisted on buying a place is to give Xiaoxue a place to call home in Beijing!”

Li Yi continued, “Actually, even if Xiaoxue hadn’t been recognized as family, I still planned to buy a place in Beijing. After all, I intend for Xiaoxue to attend university there!”

Hearing this, Ye Lingyun, who was standing nearby, suddenly asked, “How much did it cost?”

“Two courtyards—one large, one small—for a total of thirty-five thousand yuan!”

“That’s so expensive! That much money would be enough to buy an apartment in the city center. Why did you decide to buy old courtyard houses?” Ye Lingyun asked in confusion.

She believed that given Li Yi’s shrewd nature, he wouldn’t have failed to see the logic in this—there must be more to the story.

“Mom, buying these old courtyards isn’t just because Xiao Xue and I are used to living in single-story houses—it’s also an investment!” Li Yi explained.

“An investment?”

“Right. With more and more people flocking to Beijing, the current housing supply is far from enough to meet the public’s needs. Demolition and redevelopment in the inner city, as well as expansion in the outer city, are almost inevitable!”

Li Yi continued, “Under these circumstances, I believe these inner-city courtyard houses will inevitably become a scarce resource in the future—especially those within the Second Ring Road!”

Jiang Shiying remarked with some admiration, “You really are a shrewd businessman, with a long-term vision. Just a few days ago, the authorities decided to renovate the urban area of Beijing, and you’ve already thought of stockpiling properties!”

Ye Lingyun looked at Jiang Shiying and asked, “So does that mean Yi’s two courtyards will really turn a profit?”

“Not necessarily right now, but it should be no problem in the future!” Jiang Shiying replied.

“As long as we don’t lose money, that’s fine!”

After that, Ye Lingyun turned back to chatting with her daughter about jewelry!

Just then, Jiang Shiying suddenly remembered something else and turned to ask Li Yi, “By the way, I heard that kid from the Du family beat you up?”

Hearing this, Ye Lingyun and Tang Xue both stopped talking. Their eyes fixed on Li Yi as they waited for his explanation.

“Not exactly. That guy was trying to hit my cousin Jianhua, but he missed. The bottle flew toward Third Brother, and I blocked it!” Li Yi said.

“Did you get hurt?” Tang Xue asked urgently, looking a bit worried.

“No, but the watch we bought for our wedding got smashed!”

Tang Xue immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters. We can always buy a new watch later!”

Jiang Shiying, however, frowned and said, “The Du family has been getting a bit too cocky these past couple of years. Even a little brat thinks he can come strutting around and showing off in front of our Jiang and Ye families. Looks like we need to teach them a lesson!”

However, Li Yi shook his head and said, “Dad, please don’t get involved in this!”

“Why?”

“He’s just a man on his deathbed. There’s no need to make such a big deal out of it!”

“A man on his deathbed?”

“Yes. You don’t need to worry about this. We’ll have news in a day or two,” Li Yi said calmly.

“Alright, then I’ll wait a day or two. If nothing happens, I’ll go have a little chat with Du Er!”

Jiang Shiying knew his son-in-law’s capabilities and methods; since he’d said that, he decided to wait.

Just then, Ye Lingyun suddenly turned to her husband and said, “Shiying, I’ve spoken to Xue’er about changing her surname, and she’s agreed. Please take care of this as soon as possible!”

Hearing this, Jiang Shiying’s eyes lit up instantly, and he exclaimed excitedly, “All right, all right! I’ll take care of it tomorrow!”

Then, turning to Li Yi, he added, “You two haven’t registered your marriage yet. Once Xue’er’s name is changed, you should go get your marriage certificate!”

“I don’t mind, but if Xue’er and I get married, what about her college entrance exams?” Li Yi asked.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll just have Xue’er take the college entrance exam in Beijing next year—it shouldn’t be a problem!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Alright!”

“Then let’s get things ready. Let’s settle this as soon as possible!”

“Alright!”

……..

The Jiang Family Mansion. West Wing!

While Li Yi and Jiang Shiying were locked in a battle of wits in the study of the main hall, Tang Xue and Ye Lingyun—mother and daughter—were flipping through old photographs in the west wing!

“Mom, this is amazing. If it weren’t for the different clothes, I’d really think these photos were of me!”

Tang Xue gazed at the photos of her mother in her youth, unable to help but marvel.

Although Li Yi had told her long ago that she looked almost exactly like her mother in her youth, hearing it from someone else was a completely different experience from seeing it with her own eyes.

Ye Lingyun smiled and said, “It really is quite amazing. People always say daughters take after their fathers and sons after their mothers, but you’ve turned out just like me!”

“It’s good to take after Mom—Mom is beautiful!”

“You’re such a sweet-talker, you little girl!”

Then Ye Lingyun suddenly asked, “By the way, Xue’er, did you bring any new clothes? If not, should I have your father go buy you some?”

“I did. What’s up, Mom?”

“Your cousin Jianhua is getting married tomorrow. I want to dress you up all nice and pretty so you can meet those high-society ladies in the capital and tell them about your return to your ancestral family!” Ye Lingyun said.

“Mother, that’s not really necessary, is it?”

Tang Xue felt somewhat resistant to this sort of thing.

After all, she considered herself a country girl and really wasn’t very good at dealing with those high-society ladies.

“Silly girl, both the Jiang and Ye families are prominent clans with countless admirers. Even if we don’t say anything, others will find out anyway! Rather than letting them speculate wildly, we might as well tell them the truth openly!”

Ye Lingyun continued, “Besides, letting the other families know that you’re a direct descendant of both the Jiang and Ye families is a good thing for Xiao Yi—it should help his business!”

After hearing her mother’s explanation, Tang Xue nodded immediately and said, “All right, I’ll do as you say, Mother!”

“By the way, Xue’er, I never asked you—how did you end up marrying Xiao Yi, a village boy?”

Perhaps fearing her daughter might take it the wrong way, Ye Lingyun quickly added, “It’s not that I look down on village boys—I’m just curious. After all, you’re from the county seat and finished high school, whereas Xiao Yi doesn’t seem to have much to his name. You two are completely mismatched!”

Tang Xue thought of the “misunderstanding” between her and Li Yi, and her face flushed instantly.

Although it was just a matter of “helping him up,” it was still too embarrassing for her to bring up; she really didn’t know how to explain it to her mother.

Seeing her daughter’s bashful expression, Ye Lingyun immediately smiled and said, “I’ve been there too, dear. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

“Mom, you can’t make fun of me once I tell you!” Tang Xue said. dxmbang

“I won’t make fun of you. I’m your own mother—how could I?”

“The only reason we ended up together is because I played a little trick!”

“What kind of trick?”

“It went like this…”

Tang Xue then recounted in detail everything that had happened between her and Li Yi.

After hearing Tang Xue’s story, Ye Lingyun was a bit stunned.

The reason she had suddenly brought this up was mainly her husband, Jiang Shiying’s, idea.

After seeing the guests off earlier, her husband had quietly confided in her, asking her, as the mother, to probe the situation indirectly—to find out whether Li Yi had bullied their daughter, or if their daughter had bullied Li Yi.

To be honest, after hearing this, Ye Lingyun felt that her daughter was most likely the one being bullied.

First, as a well-bred young lady herself, she didn’t believe her daughter would be bold enough to actively bully a man.

Second, in her view, her daughter was both beautiful and well-educated, and she was an educated youth from the city.

In comparison, Li Yi was just an ordinary village boy—hardly someone her daughter would bother with.

But now, after hearing Tang Xue’s account, she was completely stunned!

It really was her daughter who made the first move!

“Sweetheart, tell your mother—what were you thinking at the time?” Ye Lingyun asked, looking puzzled.

Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “I’ve thought about this afterward. The reason I was so bold that night was, on the one hand, because I didn’t want to marry Liu Ermaozi and wanted to find an excuse to stay in the village!”

“On the other hand, I wanted to get back at Liu Ermazi. I didn’t want to give him my virginity!”

Thinking of her daughter’s situation at the time, Ye Lingyun’s face immediately filled with heartache. “Xue’er, it’s all my fault. I’ve put you through so much suffering!”

Tang Xue immediately took her mother’s hand and said, “Mother, you don’t need to blame yourself. This isn’t your fault!”

Ye Lingyun looked at her daughter and asked again, “So, do you like Xiao Yi?”

“I do!”

“Do you truly like him, or are you just doing this out of desperation?” Ye Lingyun asked again.

“Mother, to be honest, at first I was just giving up and didn’t expect him to marry me. But I never imagined he’d actually be willing to marry me. For that alone, I’m deeply grateful to him!”

Tang Xue continued, “Later on, he worked hard to earn money and brought me into his family with the most grand ceremony. Especially after he found out I was the one who crawled into his bed, he remained as kind to me as ever. He really is a responsible, good man. Meeting him is a blessing I earned in a past life!”

“Hmm, I can see that Xiao Yi truly cares for you. That puts my mind at ease!”

At that moment, Tang Xue’s mood suddenly grew a bit somber, and she said, “Mother, to be honest, I’ve always felt a little guilty toward him!”

“Why?”

Tang Xue sighed and said, “Actually, before that incident between us happened, Li Yi had someone he liked. But because of me, he had no choice but to…”

“If that’s the case, Xiao Yi really has been through a lot!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Ye Lingyun immediately said, “Xiao Xue, don’t dwell on it. I’ve been through it all, and I can tell that Xiao Yi truly cares for you!”

“Besides, if you really feel guilty toward him, our Jiang family will make it up to him in the future!”

“Thank you, Mother!”

At that moment, Ye Lingyun spoke again: “Xue’er, now that you’ve reconnected with your ancestral family, have you considered changing your surname back to Jiang?”

Tang Xue had anticipated this and had already discussed it with Li Yi. She replied immediately, “I have. If you and Father want me to change my surname, I have no objections!”

“Really?”

“Yes. The surname Tang brings back too many painful memories for me. Changing it back would be for the best!”

“Alright then. I’ll have your father change your surname back in a few days. From now on, you’ll be Jiang Xue!” Ye Lingyun said happily.

“Okay, but my household registration is still in Yong County!”

“No problem. With your father here, he can handle it!”

“Okay!”

Just as they were talking, Tang Xue suddenly let out a pained cry of “Ouch!”

Seeing this, Ye Lingyun was startled and asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing, just got kicked by these two little rascals. It really stings!” Tang Xue said.

Ye Lingyun smiled and said, “They really are two mischievous little rascals…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Shiying’s voice suddenly rang out from outside: “Who’s being naughty?”

Immediately afterward, Jiang Shiying walked in from outside, accompanied by Li Yi.

Ye Lingyun immediately explained, “The little ones in my belly just kicked Xue’er. I was saying they’re such little rascals!”

“Hahaha, if they’re that mischievous, they must be two boys!” Jiang Shiying said with a laugh.

“I actually think having one boy and one girl would be best—that way we’d have a son and a daughter right away. What do you think, Yi?” Ye Lingyun said.

Faced with such a tricky question, Li Yi wasn’t about to give a thoughtless answer. He replied immediately, “Whether it’s a son or a daughter, I think either would be great!”

Ye Lingyun nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Jiang Shiying beside her and said, “Shiying, go into the back room and bring that trunk out!”

“Sure!”

With that, Jiang Shiying headed toward the inner room!

The Jiang Family Mansion. Study in the Main Hall!

Li Yi looked at Jiang Shiying across the sofa, feeling a bit anxious.

Just moments ago, after the family recognition ceremony concluded, the two families had shared a meal together at the Jiang family’s ancestral home.

After the meal, the Ye family members had to prepare for Ye Jianhua’s wedding the next day, so they all left the Jiang residence.

Meanwhile, the members of the Jiang family’s first and second branches also had their own affairs to attend to and departed the ancestral home one after another.

After all the commotion, Ye Lingyun and Tang Xue were both exhausted. After seeing the others off, the mother and daughter returned to the west wing to rest.

Only poor Li Yi was kept behind by his father-in-law and summoned to the study!

“Dad, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t stare at me like that—it’s creepy!” Li Yi said.

“Hmph, you think you can scare me?” Jiang Shiying glared at Li Yi.

“You’re Xue’s father. Since ancient times, fathers-in-law have never looked favorably upon their sons-in-law—how could I not be afraid!”

“If anyone else said that, I might believe it. But as for you, I don’t believe a single word you say!”

Jiang Shiying continued, “I heard you were quite the sight when you first visited the Tang family. You walked in, and within five minutes, you’d beaten up your brother-in-law and father-in-law, and even trashed their restaurant. You remember that, don’t you?”

Li Yi replied, looking a bit embarrassed, “How could he be anything like you?”

“What’s the difference? Logically speaking, you didn’t know Xue’er’s background back then, and by all accounts, Tang Jizhong was your father-in-law. Yet you didn’t hold back at all!” Jiang Shiying retorted.

“Actually, I’d already started to suspect something about Xue’er’s background before we went to the Tang family’s place. Plus, it was a bit of a coincidence—we happened to overhear those shameless bastards discussing how to sell Xue’er for a good price. Under those circumstances, I certainly wasn’t going to give them a friendly reception,” Li Yi said.

“Hmm, in that case, it’s quite understandable!”

Then, Jiang Shiying asked again, “So, tell me about what happened between you and Xiaoxue!”

“What exactly do you want to know?”

“Hmph, don’t beat around the bush—just spit it out!” Jiang Shiying said sternly.

“Why don’t you ask Xiaoxue yourself? I can’t bring myself to say it!”

Jiang Shiying shot him a withering look and retorted, “Just because you can’t bring yourself to say it, do you think I’m going to ask?”

Li Yi grinned and said, “Actually, it’s no big deal. That night, Xiao Xue and I both had a few drinks, and then, before we knew it, we ended up doing that. I guess you could just call it a case of mistaken identity…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Shiying frowned and said, “If it was a case of mistaken identity, how can you say that Xue’er took advantage of you, rather than you taking advantage of her?”

“Um… actually, I always thought I was the one who took advantage of Xue’er. My dad even gave me a severe whipping for it. But later, Xue’er told me that I was the one who was taken advantage of that night…”

“Xue’er told you that herself?”

“Yes. Tell me, wasn’t that whipping I took completely unfair?”

Jiang Shiying looked at Li Yi and asked, “Your dad beat you?”

“He did!”

“With a whip?”

“Yeah, he really went at it hard. I was covered in welts all over my body!” Li Yi said.

“Good, that puts my mind at ease!”

Li Yi: …%￥#￥%…

After a long silence, Jiang Shiying spoke again: “No matter who bullied whom between the two of you, it was fate. There’s no point in talking about it anymore.”

“Now that you have a child, let’s not bring this up again. As long as the two of you live a good life together, your mother and I will have peace of mind!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “We weren’t even bringing it up—you’re the one who insisted on grilling us about it…”

Jiang Shiying glared at Li Yi, then said, “Hmph, I’m just worried that Xue’er might get bullied. You’ll understand how I feel once you have a daughter of your own!”

“I understand… I understand!”

Jiang Shiying didn’t care whether Li Yi truly understood or was just paying lip service; she continued, “I heard from Longcheng that you spent 500,000 yuan to buy up all the defective fabric from their factory, planning to turn it into clothes for sale. How confident are you that this will work?”

“If we’re just talking about selling the goods to recoup my investment, I’m 100% confident!”

Li Yi continued, “As for making a small profit, that shouldn’t be a problem. But if we’re talking about making a big profit, the success rate is only eighty percent!”

“Really, eighty percent?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“But that batch of fabric has defects. If you turn it into clothes, they’ll have defects too. Have you thought about how to handle that?” Jiang Shiying asked.

“I’ve got it covered. I’ve specifically arranged for professional quality inspectors to conduct rigorous product inspections on all garments before they come off the production line. This will definitely filter out the vast majority of defective items.”

Li Yi continued, “As for any strays that slip through the cracks, we’ll offer full refunds and exchanges—we’ll handle after-sales service properly!”

Jiang Shiying nodded and said, “That puts my mind at ease! Just remember, you can make money, but you must never make money by compromising your conscience!”

“Understood!”

“As for the cotton mill, handle it according to your plan. If sales really don’t pick up, don’t just hang on for the sake of it—try to sell some of the clothes. Our Jiang family has the resources to do that!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Father, I understand. But I already have a detailed plan for this; I don’t need your help for now!” Li Yi replied.

“Alright!”

Then, Jiang Shiying suddenly asked, “The arrests of Tan Cheng, Tang Bing, and Liu Ermao—you sent people to do that, didn’t you?”

Li Yi didn’t deny it. Instead, he looked at Jiang Shiying and asked, “You know about it?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Then, Jiang Shiying added, “It was a clever move, but not ruthless enough!”

Li Yi understood what his father-in-law meant and immediately replied, “I’d like to be more ruthless myself, but after all, this is a society governed by the rule of law…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Shiying cut in, “Being ruthless doesn’t mean breaking the law. Sometimes, you can make someone’s life a living hell without breaking a single law!”

He continued, “Take that bastard Liu, for example. You knew full well that his brother-in-law is the director of the steel mill. You shouldn’t have acted rashly before taking down the power behind him!”

“Are you worried that the people backing Liu Ermao will step in to protect him?” Li Yi asked calmly.

“It’s not worry—it’s that he’s already intervened in this matter and bailed that bastard out. Plus, your friend surnamed Xiao has been transferred to a township police station!” Jiang Shiying said in a low voice.

Li Yi’s lips curled slightly upward as he replied, “Just as I expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“Actually, all of this was exactly as I expected. Liu Ermao dares to commit such brazen crimes only because his brother-in-law is backing him up. That’s why I never intended to let him off the hook from the very beginning!”

Li Yi continued, “Long before I took on Liu Ermaozi, I’d already investigated that guy and gathered plenty of evidence of his crimes!”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you take action against him? Why did you let him bail Liu Ermao out?” Jiang Shiying couldn’t help but ask.

“For one thing, the evidence I had wasn’t enough to deal him a fatal blow. For another, I wasn’t sure if that bastard had even bigger backers behind him! So, Liu Ermao was just a test ball I threw out to feel the waters.”

Jiang Shiying’s eyes lit up, and he said, “You wanted to see how many people were backing that scumbag at the steel mill?”

“Exactly. If you don’t uproot the weed, it’ll sprout again when the spring breeze blows. Either don’t act at all, or once you do, you must strike to kill!” Li Yi said, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Thinking of Tang Xue’s tragic death in his past life—and the fact that her two children had never even been born—Li Yi felt a sharp pang of grief.

Therefore, in his heart, whether they were directly involved in the matter or indirectly responsible for Tang Xue’s suicide, they all deserved to die!

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Jiang Shiying immediately replied with relief, “Hahaha, that puts my mind at ease. They’re just a bunch of scum—no need to waste your energy on them. You don’t have to worry about this anymore!”

“Alright!”

……..

PS: I’m traveling far today to visit my father-in-law’s family on the China-Mongolia border, so I can only post one chapter. Sorry!

Although he’d bought the properties, both the large and small courtyards were in such a state of disrepair that they were completely uninhabitable.

The main problem was that when the original residents left, they had taken away quite a few items from the courtyards—including wooden doors, windows, and four-poster beds—leaving Li Yi with nothing but an empty shell.

Therefore, the immediate priority was to find someone to repair the courtyards as soon as possible.

At the same time, the interior of the house needed to be renovated as well.

However, since it was winter, exterior work was impossible, so they had to focus on the interior first.

The exterior walls, roof tiles, and other elements would have to wait until next year when the weather warmed up.

Li Yi immediately contacted Master Zhao, who had renovated his restaurant, and asked him to round up some carpenters, painters, and bricklayers to help refurbish the house.

Right now, only she and Tang Xue were in the capital—and at most, Third Sister—so there was certainly no need for that three-courtyard compound.

Plus, since they needed a place to stay urgently, Li Yi had Master Zhao and his team start by fixing up the small courtyard.

As for the large compound, given the scale of the work and the lengthy timeline, it would have to wait until next year!

While Li Yi was busy with the house, back at the hospital, Ye Lingyun was insisting on being discharged.

She really didn’t want to stay in the hospital any longer, so she asked Tang Xue to call Jiang Longcheng and have him come pick her up.

Partly because her nephew Jianhua was getting married, and as his aunt, she wanted to attend the wedding.

On the other hand, Ye Lingyun felt deeply for her own daughter, who had been staying at the hospital every day to accompany her while heavily pregnant, which broke her heart.

On top of that, she felt much better now and believed she could recover just fine at home, so she insisted on being discharged.

Upon hearing the news, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng didn’t waste any time and immediately drove to the hospital.

They first located Ye Lingyun’s attending physician and asked him to carefully assess her physical condition.

Only after the doctor confirmed that Ye Lingyun would be out of immediate danger even if she left the hospital did they agree to her discharge.

On December 31st, the very last day of 1980, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng drove Ye Lingyun and her daughter back to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.

At the same time, to make it easier to care for Ye Lingyun and Tang Xue, Li Yi, after consulting with the old patriarch, had his third older sister, Li Na, and Zhang Xinyao move into the Jiang family’s old mansion as well.

On the very day Ye Lingyun was discharged, all members of the second and third generations of the Jiang family who were in Beijing returned home.

This was at the Old Master’s specific instruction: today marked Tang Xue’s first return to the Jiang family, and he intended to use this opportunity to have her formally acknowledge her ancestral lineage.

For such an important occasion, the Old Master insisted that every member of the Jiang family be present.

As for Jiang Shiying, her father, he had boarded a flight to Beijing early that morning; by the time Li Yi and the others had just returned to the Jiang family’s ancestral home, he had already arrived.

In addition, the patriarch of the Ye family had personally led the Ye family members to the gathering as well, making the occasion truly grand.

……..

The Jiang Family Ancestral Home. Main Hall!

By now, all the direct descendants of the Jiang and Ye families had arrived—young and old alike, numbering some sixty or seventy people.

With so many people gathered, the occasion was partly to celebrate Ye Lingyun’s discharge from the hospital, but more importantly, it was to mark Tang Xue’s formal recognition of her ancestral lineage.

With so many people gathered, the atmosphere was naturally bustling.

The women gathered to chat about family matters, discussing not only events from the past but also the Ye family’s wedding the following day.

The men, meanwhile, gathered in the inner rooms to discuss work matters.

Young people like Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, however, had no place among them and could only stand in the crowd, listening to the elders chat.

Aside from that, the fourth-generation children from both families were running and playing in groups of three or five in the courtyard, with the occasional child letting out a loud cry.

In the bed of the west wing, Tang Xue clutched Li Yi’s hand tightly, looking somewhat nervous.

Just a moment ago, perhaps due to her nerves or the bumpy ride, Tang Xue had begun to feel a bit unwell upon returning to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.

Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun, deeply concerned for their daughter, immediately had her go to the west wing to rest for a while.

“Are you feeling better?” Li Yi asked with concern.

Although he knew her discomfort was caused by nerves and shouldn’t be anything serious,

But she was, after all, pregnant—and carrying twins at that. Any significant emotional upheaval could potentially lead to premature labor, so Li Yi couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Tang Xue nodded and said, “I’m fine. The palpitations have subsided a lot!”

“Don’t worry. They’re your family. They went through so much trouble to find you; it’s only natural they’d want you to reconnect with your roots!” Li Yi said.

“I know, but I’m just a little nervous!” Tang Xue said.

Although she had long since known she was a child of the Jiang family and had accepted Ye Lingyun and Jiang Shiying,

But the sudden prospect of reconnecting with her family meant she would not only have parents, but also a grandfather, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, uncles, and a whole host of cousins.

What’s more, since many third-generation members of the Jiang and Ye families had already married—and some even had children—Tang Xue’s status naturally rose, making her the children’s aunt.

This sudden change in status left her feeling a bit overwhelmed!

Li Yi sensed Tang Xue’s nervousness and immediately took her hand, saying, “Actually, you should be happy about this. From now on, besides me, there will be even more people who care for you and love you!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Tang Xue’s anxiety eased slightly. She nodded gently and said, “You’re right. It’s just that having so many new relatives all at once makes it feel a bit unreal!”

“It’s okay, you’ll get used to it gradually!” Li Yi said.

“Do you think I should change my surname after I’ve been reunited with my ancestral family?” Tang Xue asked again.

“Technically, you should, but it really depends on what you want. If you don’t want to change it…”

Before he could finish, Tang Xue cut him off: “If Mom and Dad want me to change it, then I’ll do it. The Tang surname doesn’t hold any memories worth clinging to for me!”

“Alright…”

Just then, a series of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door, and Jiang Shiying strode in.

Upon seeing the two people in the room, Jiang Shiying hurriedly asked, “Xue’er, are you feeling any better?”

“Father, don’t worry. I’m feeling much better. Did Grandfather and the others send me over?”

Jiang Shiying nodded and said, “Yes, everything’s ready in the main hall!”

“Alright then, let’s go!”

Li Yi immediately helped her up from the bed, and they followed Jiang Shiying toward the main hall.

By then, everything in the main hall was ready.

Jiang Dingfang, Ye Shixiong, and Lady Ye sat in the seats of honor, while the second generation of the Jiang and Ye families sat in the chairs beside them. The third generation—including Jiang Longyin, Jiang Longcheng, and Ye Jianhua—stood on one side of the living room.

The children stood quietly beside their parents, and everyone’s gaze was fixed on the doorway, waiting for Tang Xue and Li Yi to appear.

When Tang Xue entered from the west wing, accompanied by Li Yi, everyone broke into warm smiles.

At that moment, the old patriarch stood up and said, “Xue’er, come to Grandpa!”

Without hesitation, Li Yi immediately helped Tang Xue over to the old man.

“Grandpa!”

The old master nodded and said, “Although everyone is likely already aware of Xue’er’s background, I’d still like to briefly explain it to everyone. Xue’er is the child that Shiying and Yun’er left behind; she is a direct descendant of the Jiang family.”

“From this moment on, Xue’er is officially recognized as a member of our family. From now on, she is just like Long Yin, Long Cheng, and Long Ze—she is one of us, a member of the Jiang family!”

No sooner had Old Master Jiang finished speaking than Old Master Ye rose to his feet and said, “Originally, our Ye family planned to hold a separate family recognition ceremony for Xue’er, but Yun’er was worried her health might not withstand the strain, so we decided to hold them together.”

“From this moment on, Xue’er is also a direct descendant of the Ye family. If anything ever comes up in the future, don’t forget to turn to your uncles and cousins here—we’ll make sure everything is taken care of!”

Hearing the two old men’s words, Tang Xue felt a warm glow in her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears…

…….