Chapter 331: Jiang Shiying Arrives

After leaving Jiang Longcheng’s place, Li Yi didn’t go back to the shop or his rented room; instead, he hopped on a bus and headed into the city!

He wanted to check the market price for dried goods; after all, he still had over 100,000 pounds of dried mushrooms at home that needed to be sold as soon as possible!

Only after sorting this out could he relax and stay home with his wife as she prepared for childbirth!

Actually, he already had a rough idea of the market prices for dried goods—after all, that was how he’d made his fortune in his previous life.

Barring any surprises, the current price was hovering around 1.8 yuan per jin; by New Year’s Day, it would likely rise to 2 yuan, and by the Spring Festival, it would soar to 2.4 yuan.

However, since he had such a large volume to sell, flooding the market with this much stock all at once would inevitably drive the price down.

There’s no way around it—the market is still relatively small right now. Very few people can afford dried mushrooms that cost two or three yuan per pound, and a volume of 100,000 pounds would be enough to significantly impact market prices.

So, he couldn’t dump all this stock at once; he had to take it slow.

The bus meandered through the city for nearly half an hour before finally arriving near a large market that Li Yi knew very well.

After getting off the bus, Li Yi headed straight into the market!

Although it was nearly evening, the market was still bustling with people buying and selling—it was incredibly lively!

As the capital’s largest wholesale market for dried goods, it attracted not only many sellers but also many buyers.

Upon entering a familiar dried goods shop, Li Yi asked the plump man who was sorting dried wood ear mushrooms, “Comrade, do you have any hazelnut mushrooms?”

“Yes!”

“How much per pound?”

“2.4 yuan a jin!”

“That expensive?” Li Yi feigned a frown.

“These are top-quality dried goods—pure wild hazelnut mushrooms. My cost price alone is over 2.2 yuan…”

Seeing that this guy was still just as full of hot air as he’d been in his past life, Li Yi couldn’t help but tease him: “Comrade, did you really buy your dried mushrooms for 2.20? You’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

“Comrade, why would I lie to you? It’s definitely 2.2 yuan!” the portly shop owner declared, pounding his chest.

“Well, how about these? I’m selling them for two yuan and one jiao a jin. Want some?”

The portly owner eyed Li Yi closely before asking, “Comrade, you’re not seriously trying to buy my mushrooms. What’s your real agenda?”

“I have some dried mushrooms—top-quality, pure wild ones. Would you buy them?” Li Yi finally revealed his true purpose.

“1.70 per pound!” the portly shopkeeper said bluntly.

“But you just said two yuan and twenty cents a pound,” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Well… Comrade, I just took you for a novice. If you really have dried goods—as long as the quality is good—I’ll take every last one at 1.7 yuan a pound!”

Seeing that Hu the Fat was just as thick-skinned as he’d been in his past life, Li Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That’s too low—it barely covers my cost!”

“Then how much do you want?”

“Two yuan at the very least!”

“No way, 1.80 at most!”

Li Yi replied immediately, “1.80 definitely won’t work. But no rush—if you think 2 yuan is acceptable, you can find me at the Grassland Beef and Lamb Shop in Beiguan Village. My name is Li Yi!”

With that, Li Yi turned and left the shop, heading to the next one!

He visited seven or eight shops in a row, but the highest offer he received was still only 1.8 yuan.

Li Yi was indeed somewhat dissatisfied with this price; after all, his costs were what they were, and anything too low simply wouldn’t be profitable.

In fact, Li Yi’s target price was between 2.10 and 2.20 yuan; he hadn’t even considered the peak price of 2.40 yuan.

Although he hadn’t found a suitable buyer, Li Yi didn’t lose heart.

He knew full well that the first batch of dried goods he’d purchased hadn’t been sold out yet, and prices hadn’t risen much.

In a few days, when people realized how difficult it was to source dried mushrooms, the price would naturally go up.

No rush—let the dust settle for a while!

……..

By the time he returned to the shop, it was already 8:00 p.m.!

As soon as he walked in, he heard Long Zhanjun say that someone was waiting for him in Private Room No. 4.

Li Yi didn’t ask any questions and immediately headed toward the private dining area.

The restaurant was pretty crowded today; more than half of the dozens of tables in the main dining area were occupied.

Even without considering table turnover, the occupancy rate alone was 70%—a figure that was nothing short of staggering for a restaurant.

When he reached the door of Private Room No. 4, Li Yi could already hear Jiang Longcheng’s loud, boisterous voice before he even stepped inside.

This guy only manages to rein himself in a little when he’s in front of me; with everyone else, he’s just the same as always.

However, after what happened last time, he generally didn’t drink at night and rarely went out partying—perhaps that was the biggest change!

Without hesitation, Li Yi pushed open the door and walked right in!

Once inside, Li Yi saw five people in the room, all of whom he knew.

Besides Jiang Longcheng, there were his second older brother, Jiang Longyin, and his third uncle, Jiang Shiying.

The other two were Ye Jianhua, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and his fiancée, Lin Ying!

Upon seeing Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng immediately exclaimed happily, “You’re finally back! If you’d been a moment later, we would’ve finished eating!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you guys to be here. Sorry!”

“No need to apologize—after all, we didn’t tell you we were coming either!” Jiang Longyin said with a laugh.

“How did you guys decide to come here for dinner?” Li Yi asked curiously.

“It was just a coincidence. I came here with my third uncle, and since I happened to see the three of you, we decided to join you at the table!” Jiang Longyin explained.

Ye Jianhua chimed in from the side, “It really is a coincidence. Ying’er and I were actually here today to deliver invitations to you and Brother Longcheng. We went to Brother Longcheng’s place first, only to find out he hadn’t eaten yet!”

“Since we still had to drop one off for you later, we figured we’d just grab a bite here. I never expected to run into Brother Jiang and Uncle San!”

“Invitations? Are you two getting married?”

“Yep!” said Ye Jianhua.

“When’s the wedding?”

“We plan to do it this calendar year!”

“Well then, congratulations to both of you on your marriage. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!” Li Yi said immediately.

“Thank you!” Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying said in unison.

At that moment, Jiang Longyin glanced at Jiang Longcheng and said, “Third Brother, look at Jianhua over there. Why aren’t you in the least bit anxious?”

Seeing the situation was getting tense, Jiang Longcheng hurriedly replied, “Why are you rushing me? It’ll be soon!”

“Talking to me won’t help. You’d better figure out how to handle Mom, Dad, and Grandpa!” Jiang Longyin said indifferently.

Jiang Longcheng ignored him and turned to Li Yi, saying, “Brother Li Yi, you better eat up. Once you’re done, my third uncle has something he wants to discuss with you!”

“Alright!”

After taking a few bites, Li Yi put down his chopsticks.

Seeing this, Jiang Longyin suddenly turned to Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying and said, “Jianhua, Ying, you two come with me for a walk!”

The two of them were smart enough to nod immediately and follow him out.

Jiang Longcheng actually wanted to stay and hear what his third uncle had to say to Li Yi, but Jiang Longyin casually pulled him out as well.

Soon, the private room was left with only Li Yi and Jiang Shiying!

Beiguan Village. Hot Pot and Grill Restaurant!

Li Yi’s meeting hadn’t even finished when customers started arriving at the restaurant, forcing the meeting to be cut short.

Since there were quite a few reservations today, the restaurant was nearly full in no time.

Under these circumstances, Li Yi, Zhang Xinyao, and An Hong, among others, didn’t sit idly by—they all pitched in to help!

They worked nonstop for three hours, and it wasn’t until 2:30 PM, after seeing off the last table of customers, that everyone could finally take a short break.

By then, everyone—Li Yi and the rest—was starving.

Right then, Li Yi had Dongzi bring out two copper pots and slice up some beef and lamb, and everyone sat down to enjoy a hot pot meal right in the restaurant!

Just as they were eating, the sound of a car engine suddenly roared outside. Moments later, Jiang Longcheng, looking rather flashy, walked in with a briefcase under his arm.

“Have you eaten yet? If not, help yourself to some chopsticks and a bowl!” Li Yi called out immediately.

“I’ve already eaten. You guys keep eating—we’ll chat after you’re done!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Alright!”

Li Yi took a few more bites, then set down his bowl and chopsticks!

“Where should we go to talk?”

“Let’s go to my place,” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Wait a moment!”

Then Li Yi turned to Long Zhanjun and said, “Big Long, I’ve also rented the side room to the right of Uncle Wen’s. That’s where my sister and the others will be staying.”

“In a moment, take them to the nearby supply and marketing cooperative to buy some daily necessities. I’m going out for a bit first!”

“Alright, leave that to me!”

“Alright!”

After saying that, Li Yi gave his third sister a few more instructions, then followed Jiang Longcheng out.

Soon, the car arrived at the cotton mill!

Back at the factory office, Jiang Longcheng instructed the rather alluring Secretary Wang not to disturb him unless it was urgent.

He then led Li Yi back to his office and locked the door from the inside.

Watching this series of actions, Li Yi couldn’t help but say with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “What are you doing? Is this really necessary?” dxmbang

“Of course it’s necessary. Damn it, I don’t trust a single one of those guys out there!” Jiang Longcheng said through gritted teeth.

“What’s going on?”

“The investigation into Gao Shubin’s case is complete!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“What’s the verdict?”

“You were right—that guy really is a fucking scumbag…”

“Watch your language—no swearing!” Li Yi said.

“Uh… okay!”

Then, with a touch of excitement, a touch of hatred, a touch of anger, and seven parts of elation, Jiang Longcheng recounted in detail the investigation into Gao Shubin and his associates.

“You have no idea how much clout I have at the factory right now. Whether it’s those parachute appointees or those fence-sitters, they all look at me with fear in their eyes now!” Jiang Longcheng said with a touch of smugness.

“That matter’s been settled, but have you resolved the issues with your factory’s cash crunch and declining profits?” Li Yi asked again.

“Not yet!”

Jiang Longcheng continued, “This time, over four million yuan was seized from Gao Shubin and the others’ homes. The district plans to return all of that money to our factory, but it won’t be available right away, so our situation remains dire!”

“So how do you plan to handle this?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet!”

At this point, Jiang Longcheng couldn’t help but sigh.

He continued, “I was actually puzzled. Although our factory isn’t as big as Cotton Spinning Plant No. 1, our performance has been decent. So why did things suddenly go downhill?”

“Now we finally understand why those units we used to cooperate with so well suddenly stopped taking our products. It’s entirely because there’s a problem with our products—it’s not their fault!”

It was only through the Gao Shubin case that the leaders of the cotton mill realized that, due to issues with the raw materials, the products they manufactured also had serious quality problems.

For example, their factory’s flagship product, cotton cloth, frequently had loose threads that wouldn’t hold.

With cotton fabric, if the threads don’t hold together, it creates a small hole.

Furthermore, the quality of the cotton yarn and thread they produced was also very poor—anyone who used them would shake their head in disappointment!

Li Yi nodded and said, “Your reputation has completely collapsed—no one trusts you anymore!”

“That’s right. We’re at a loss right now; we don’t know how to fix this!” Jiang Longcheng said with a bitter expression.

“Actually, this is easy to fix!” Li Yi said.

“How?” Jiang Longcheng asked urgently.

“First, sell off your inventory at a discount to stay afloat. Clear out that batch of substandard goods stuck in your warehouse at a low price to quickly recoup funds. Pay the workers’ wages first to keep them on board!”

Li Yi continued, “Second, we need to rebuild the brand and win back the public’s trust. This requires you to strictly control quality—ideally, by developing some new products!”

“That’s a good idea, but the products in our warehouse all have some quality issues to varying degrees. Who are we going to sell them to?” Jiang Longcheng asked.

Li Yi thought for a moment and asked, “How much inventory is currently sitting in the warehouse?”

“No less than a million yuan’s worth—cotton cloth, cotton yarn, cotton thread, and so on!”

“A million is indeed a bit much!”

Jiang Longcheng nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll figure that out later. Let’s get down to business first!”

“Isn’t this the main business?”

“How can factory matters be called the main business?” Jiang Longcheng said with a laugh.

“Then tell me what your real business is!” Li Yi said.

“My third uncle and aunt want to treat you to a meal. My third uncle—that workaholic—even went out of his way to reschedule his plans just for this!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Alright, just let me know the time and place!” Li Yi said.

He was also curious—was Uncle Jiang, who had such a fearsome reputation, simply trying to thank him, or did he have something else in mind?

“Also, I’d like to ask you for a favor!” Jiang Longcheng said again.

“What kind of favor? Can’t you just say it all at once?” Li Yi said with a hint of exasperation.

“Cast another divination for me…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off decisively: “No way. I won’t do it, and I don’t know how!”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse—I’m not asking you to actually do a divination!”

“Then what do you mean by this?” Li Yi asked.

“You have no idea how miserable I’ve been lately. My parents are constantly pushing me to go on blind dates. It’s bad enough that they’re all ugly as sin, but they have a million ridiculous demands too. It’s driving me crazy!”

Then Jiang Longcheng added, “Just tell my parents that I’m destined to be a ‘Lone Star of Misfortune,’ that I’m doomed to never get married and will be a bachelor for life. Let’s see if they still pressure me after that!”

“No way. You’re asking me to lie for you!” Li Yi said.

“Bro, I really don’t want to go on any more blind dates. Every time I go, I feel like a monkey in a zoo, with everyone gawking at me. It’s just not right!” Jiang Longcheng said with a grimace.

Li Yi chuckled. “Fortune-telling isn’t exactly reliable. If I actually went along with what you’re saying, what would you do if you met a girl you liked in the future? Don’t even think about your parents stopping you—I’d have to stop you too, or else it’d be a total embarrassment!”

“So, I really can’t help you with this. But I do have a suggestion—do you want to hear it?”

“What kind of suggestion?”

“If you really don’t want to get married but just want to please your family, you could find a woman to put on a show with you—just to placate your parents, right?”

“How would we do that?”

“Just bring her home to your parents and tell them you’ve found a daughter-in-law for them!”

“That’s not going to work. They’ll just pressure me to get married right away!” Jiang Longcheng shook his head vigorously.

“You’re such a dummy! Just tell them the girl doesn’t know you well yet and wants to get to know you better. That’ll put it off!” Li Yi said.

Jiang Longcheng thought about it for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Great idea! Let’s do it!”

Watching him like that, Li Yi couldn’t help but shake his head. Whoever ends up marrying this guy is bound to be driven to her grave sooner or later.

Beiguan Village. Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant!

Long Zhanjun was at the front desk organizing the private room reservations for lunch. Over the past few days, several departments from the district government had come to eat at their restaurant; they always called ahead to let them know so they could be prepared.

Meanwhile, Li Yeqiao was busy handling the accounts.

Every morning, the restaurant made a large bulk purchase. Upon returning, regardless of the amount spent, all expenses had to be reported to Li Yeqiao for bookkeeping.

After a period of adjustment, the restaurant’s key managers now work together seamlessly.

Long Zhanjun is primarily in charge of operations and oversees the big picture!

Li Yeqiao handles the financial side of things, while Liu San’er manages procurement and gathers market intelligence.

As for Dongzi, Qiangzi, Shitou, and Gangzi, the four of them were the shop’s main reception staff!

Working together, they complement each other perfectly, and the shop’s business is booming.

“Ring-ring-ring!”

Just as everyone was busy, the shop phone suddenly rang!

Long Zhanjun immediately put down the order form he was holding and picked up the phone.

“Hello, Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant… This is the Investment Promotion Bureau. About 15 people. Got it…”

After hanging up, Long Zhanjun immediately jotted down the reservation details on a sheet. He would pass the information on to the kitchen shortly so they could prepare in advance.

Just as he finished, Dongzi came out of the kitchen and asked, “Brother Long, how many tables have we booked for lunch today? I need to check if we have enough marinated beef and lamb.”

“Seven private rooms and eight tables in the main dining area!” Long Zhanjun replied.

“Looks like we’ll need to marinate another whole lamb!”

“That’s not enough. Marinate another 30 jin of beef, and some pork belly too!” Long Zhanjun instructed.

With the experience from the past few days, he knew that when guests came here to eat, their appetites were much bigger than usual.

So when preparing the food, he had to make sure to prepare plenty!

Better to have guests leave some food on their plates than to tell them we’re out of something when they order.

“Got it…”

Just as he spoke, Dongzi glanced outside and froze in surprise!

Long Zhanjun instinctively followed Dongzi’s gaze and caught sight of Li Yi pushing open the door, with several women trailing behind him.

The two of them immediately rushed over to greet them!

“Brother Yi, Sister Na, what brings you here?” Dongzi asked, sounding a bit excited.

“Hehe, I was worried you guys might be swamped, so I brought Zhang Zhqing and Feng Zhqing along!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Long Zhanjun immediately replied, “Well, you’ve come at just the right time—we really are swamped!”

“Looks like business is going well!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s really going well!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Dongzi, call everyone else out here. Let’s have a quick meeting before the crowds start rolling in!”

“Got it!”

Actually, there was no need to call them out—hearing the commotion outside, the guys in the kitchen had already come out to see what was going on.

When they saw it was Li Yi back, they all dropped what they were doing and ran out.

Soon, everyone was gathered and seated around a large round table!

Li Yi looked around at everyone and said, “Before we start the meeting, let me introduce the ladies here to you!”

“Li Na, my third older sister—she’ll be helping out at the shop from now on!”

“Zhang Xinyao… Feng Qian… An Hong…”

After briefly introducing them, Li Yi immediately turned to Long Zhanjun and asked, “Big Long, how’s business been at the shop lately?”

“Business has been excellent. We’re running at 70 to 80 percent capacity every lunch and dinner, selling at least eight sheep and one cow a day, plus several hundred pounds of pork and chicken!” Long Zhanjun replied.

“Huh, business is that good?” Li Yi asked, somewhat surprised.

He remembered that when he left, the shop could only sell two or three sheep a day.

It had only been a few days, yet sales had tripled or quadrupled—that was a pretty rapid pace!

“I don’t know what’s going on these past few days, but we’ve been getting a lot of people from the district government. Sometimes it’s just three or four tables, but other times we get as many as seventy or eighty people!”

Long Zhanjun continued, “Whenever they show up, all of us are running around like headless chickens, so I’d say these ladies arrived just in time!”

Hearing Long Zhanjun’s words, Li Yi felt a little more confident.

The district government is Jiang Longyin’s turf. Without his say-so, most organizations wouldn’t even give his little shop a second glance!

Don’t get me wrong—the food here tastes great and the menu is pretty innovative, but when it comes to class, it’s really not that high-end!

Heading into the city center, there were plenty of century-old shops!

Although they’ve all been nationalized, their standards haven’t dropped—his own shop clearly couldn’t hold a candle to them.

Most importantly, the majority of the district’s government agencies were located in the city center.

Just think about it—why would they skip the nearby, high-end restaurants and go all the way out here? There must be a reason.

If I’m not mistaken, this must have something to do with the Jiang family—they’re probably returning the favor!

“Mm, I understand!”

Li Yi then added, “Whether they’re district leaders or ordinary citizens, anyone who walks into our restaurant must receive attentive service and a warm welcome—we can’t give anyone the impression that we’re playing favorites!”

“Got it!”

“Is there anything else going on at the store?”

Long Zhanjun replied immediately, “I was actually just about to call you to discuss hiring, but I guess there’s no need to talk about that now.”

“But I think we need to add some equipment in the kitchen—otherwise, we’re really going to be short-handed!”

“What kind of equipment?” Li Yi asked right away.

“First, a refrigerator, and then various plates, bowls, and so on!”

Li Yi had already thought of this when he heard the shop sold seven or eight sheep a day, so he said right away, “You take care of that!”

“Alright!”

“By the way, how much money is in the account? Is it enough to buy a refrigerator?” Li Yi asked again.

Li Yeqiao replied immediately, “Excluding this morning’s expenses, there’s currently 18,312 yuan, 6 jiao, and 4 fen in the shop’s account—though we haven’t deducted the staff’s wages or the utility bills yet!”

Hearing Li Yeqiao’s words, Li Yi was secretly taken aback.

When he left, he had only left 1,500 yuan in the store as working capital, and the remaining 15,000-plus yuan had all been deposited.

In other words, in just over ten days, the shop had recouped more than 16,000 yuan—an average of 1,500 to 1,600 yuan per day.

An Hong, Zhang Xinyao, and the others were equally stunned. Although they didn’t know the exact profit margin, hearing Li Yi and Li Yeqiao discuss figures in the tens of thousands left them deeply impressed!

“Since we have enough money, let’s buy a few more refrigerators. We’ll definitely need them in the store!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Then, Li Yi looked at everyone and said, “Taking advantage of this opportunity today, I’d like to reiterate our store’s wage standards. Currently, we have an eight-tier wage system: Tier 1 is 60 yuan, Tier 2 is 80 yuan, Tier 3 is 100 yuan, Tier 4 is 120 yuan, Tier 5 is 150 yuan, Tier 6 is 180 yuan, Tier 7 is 240 yuan, and Tier 8 is 300 yuan!”

“Feng Qian’s salary is set at Level 2; Dongzi, Qiangzi, Shitou, Gangzi, Liu San, and Zhang Xinyao are set at Level 3; Li Yeqiao is Level 4; and Long Zhanjun is Level 5!”

“From now on, last month’s salary will be paid on the 15th of each month. The finance department will handle the direct payment then—no delays allowed!”

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned by Li Yi’s generosity.

Long Zhanjun, Li Yeqiao, Liu San, and the others had heard Li Yi mention the salary issue before and knew how much he was paying them.

But they never imagined that Long Zhanjun’s monthly salary of 150 yuan wasn’t even the highest.

And he was only at Level 5—there were still Levels 6, 7, and 8 above him, with the highest pay reaching 300 yuan a month, which was equivalent to an ordinary worker’s annual salary.

The rest of the group hadn’t heard a word of this from Li Yi and were left completely speechless.

This was especially true for Feng Qian and Zhang Xinyao—they never would have imagined that Li Yi had called them to Beijing just to pay them such high salaries.

An Hong felt the same way. She had always known that Li Yi had made a fortune; after all, with Wang Anguo, the captain of the criminal investigation team, around, many things couldn’t be kept from him.

And as Wang Anguo’s wife, An Hong naturally knew some of the inside details.

But she never imagined Li Yi would be so flush with cash that he’d pay his staff such high salaries.

Even the most ordinary person could earn a hundred or eighty yuan—far more than she made as a permanent employee at the textile factory.

For a moment, her gaze toward Feng Qian and Zhang Xinyao was filled with envy.

If it weren’t for the fact that she simply couldn’t stay in Beijing for long, she would have wanted to work for Li Yi herself.

What An Hong didn’t know was that Li Yi was currently thinking the same thing: how he could recruit her to his team!

Unfortunately, though both of them were thinking the same thing, neither of them said a word!

On December 8, after spending less than ten days at home, Li Yi set out once again on his journey to the capital.

Last time he left, he took four young men with him; this time, he brought four women: Zhang Xinyao, Feng Qian, Third Sister Li Na, and An Hong!

An Hong’s trip to the capital was arranged by Wang Anguo!

Last night, while Li Yi was packing up at his new place in preparation for today’s departure, he saw Li Gang pull up in his beat-up old car, with An Hong in tow.

As soon as she walked in, An Hong got straight to the point, saying she wanted to go to the capital with him to see the sights, and that she had already discussed it with Wang Anguo.

Li Yi knew that An Hong was a woman with progressive ideas and a sharp eye; it made perfect sense that she’d want to broaden her horizons in a big city like Beijing.

Whether out of his friendship with Wang Anguo or his own desire to invest in her, he had no intention of turning her down, so he immediately agreed to An Hong’s request.

So, when they set out today, there was one more person in their group.

Just like the last time they went to the capital, early in the morning, his father, Li Shankui, drove the horse-drawn carriage to take them to the county seat!

After meeting up with An Hong, they boarded that rickety old bus—the one that rattled and clattered nonstop as it drove—and headed for Ning City!

From there, they went to the train station, bought tickets, and boarded the green-painted train bound for Beijing!

With Captain Wang Anguo in the group, they naturally didn’t have to sit in hard-seat cars, so the journey wasn’t particularly arduous—though it was a bit long.

At 1:30 a.m. on the 9th, accompanied by a long, drawn-out whistle, the green-painted train finally pulled into the station.

Li Yi then led the four excited women off the train!

After smoothly passing through ticket inspection and exiting the station, Li Yi began thinking about how to take them to Beiguan Village.

However, as soon as they reached the exit, Li Yi heard someone calling his name.

Taking a closer look, he quickly spotted Jiang Longcheng’s imposing figure in the crowd.

Not only was the guy tall and burly, but he was also wearing a brand-new military overcoat and a thick woolen hat—looking every bit the giant bear, it would have been hard for him not to stand out.

To be honest, Li Yi really hadn’t expected this guy to come pick him up here in the middle of the night!

After all, he hadn’t called Jiang Longcheng before leaving, afraid of bothering him.

But to his surprise, the guy had actually shown up—how strange!

Without hesitation, Li Yi walked over to Jiang Longcheng with the women in tow!

“How did you know I was coming today? Did that kid Li Gang tell you?”

Jiang Longcheng grinned and said, “Yeah, I had Brother Li Gang give you a heads-up so I could come pick you up!”

“Huh, you’re even calling him ‘brother’ now? When did the two of you get so close?” Li Yi asked curiously.

“Hahaha, we exchanged a few phone calls. I thought he had a good personality, so we chatted a bit more!” Jiang Longcheng said with a laugh.

“That guy’s straightforward and doesn’t have a single scheming bone in his body—he’s actually pretty great!”

Li Yi then pointed to the women beside him and said, “Let me introduce you. This is my third older sister, Li Na, and my sister-in-law, An Hong. These two are my wife’s best friends, Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian!”

Jiang Longcheng immediately replied, “Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Longcheng, and I’m Li Yi’s good friend!”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group followed Jiang Longcheng to the parking lot.

Li Yi had originally thought he’d come alone, but to his surprise, he’d brought someone along—and they each had their own car.

Clearly, this guy had gotten all the details about his visit from Li Gang!

Then, Li Yi and Li Na got into Jiang Longcheng’s car, while the rest got into the other vehicle.

Then, the two cars headed straight for Beiguan Village!

Li Yi had originally planned to have Jiang Longcheng drive them to the store, where they could make do for a few hours, and then arrange accommodations for them once it got light out.

But to his surprise, Jiang Longcheng drove straight to their cotton mill and said he had already arranged accommodations for them.

Only then did Li Yi remember that the State-Owned Second Cotton Mill had its own guesthouse!

In fact, it wasn’t just the cotton mill that had an on-site guesthouse; virtually every large state-owned factory of any size had one, which wasn’t surprising at all.

If a factory didn’t have an in-house guesthouse, it meant either the factory director was a failure or the factory itself was struggling—there was no third option!

With Jiang Longcheng’s arrangements in place, things were indeed much easier for Li Yi!

Before long, Li Yi and the others were all staying at the guesthouse inside the cotton mill!

Although Jiang Longcheng still had a lot he wanted to say to Li Yi, it was already too late, so in the end, he said nothing.

After settling everyone in, he drove home.

…….

The night passed without incident. The next day, Li Yi slept until past nine in the morning before getting up.

When he got up, he realized that Zhang Xinyao, Feng Qian, and Third Sister had already been up for a while. They were huddled together, whispering about something—it was clear they were all in high spirits.

When they saw Li Yi come out of his room, Third Sister couldn’t wait to ask, “Xiao Yi, what are we doing now? Are we heading to the shop?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “Wait a minute. I’m going to the factory office first to say goodbye to Old Jiang. I’ll come back and help you guys find a place to stay!”

“Alright, go ahead then!”

However, as soon as Li Yi arrived downstairs at the guesthouse, he spotted the young driver who had accompanied Jiang Longcheng to pick them up yesterday, sitting at the front desk.

Upon seeing Li Yi, the young man immediately stood up and walked over to greet him.

“Comrade, what are you doing here?”

“Our plant manager told me to wait for you here!”

“Where is he?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“Our factory director has to attend an important meeting in the district this morning and won’t be back until noon. He told me to wait here. Wherever you need to go, I can drive you there!”

Li Yi hadn’t intended to trouble him, but he realized that Zhang Xinyao, Feng Qian, and his third sister were all carrying quite a bit of luggage.

Carrying it all the way to the rental apartment would be a bit of a hassle.

With that in mind, he said right away, “Alright, thanks a lot!”

“You’re welcome!”

Since Jiang Longcheng wasn’t there, there was no need for him to go to the factory office.

Li Yi then went up to the second floor and called all the women down.

Then he got into the young man’s car and left the cotton mill.

Soon, the car arrived at the rental house.

After getting out of the car, Li Yi thanked him repeatedly before leading Third Sister and the others into the courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Li Yi saw Uncle Wen coming out of the main house carrying a filthy bucket, apparently on his way to dump the dirty water outside.

Seeing Li Yi walk in with the girls, he said with some surprise, “Little Li, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Hehe, I went back to my hometown a few days ago!”

“And who are these ladies?”

“My third older sister and my sister-in-law—I brought them from my hometown to help me out!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Uncle Wen now knew that the popular restaurant on Main Street was run by Li Yi, so he smiled and said, “You really have quite a staff at your place!”

“By the way, Uncle Wen, do you have any vacant rooms left in your courtyard? I’d like to rent two more!” Li Yi asked.

“There aren’t two available, but there is one left!” Uncle Wen replied.

“One is fine!”

After all, An Hong wouldn’t be staying here for long, and with the three remaining women sharing one room, it wouldn’t be too crowded.

“It’s the northernmost room in the right-hand wing. The door isn’t locked—go right in!”

“Alright! Uncle Wen, you go ahead and take care of your business. I’ll pay you the rent in a little while!”

“No rush on that!”

With that, Uncle Wen pushed the slop bucket toward the courtyard exit, while Li Yi led the group to the adjacent room!

Yao Gou Village. The Zhang Family!

Li Lan was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen, while Zhang Xuefeng sat cross-legged on a stool by the stove, tending the fire.

As for little Zhang Ning, with two snot-streaks hanging from his nose, he was sitting on his father’s lap, happily munching on a cookie.

“I need to talk to you about something, okay?” Li Lan asked as she chopped vegetables.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuefeng couldn’t help but shudder.

His feisty wife was always straightforward; she was the one who made all the decisions, big and small, in the household, and she usually didn’t allow him to haggle.

The fact that she’d suddenly used the word “discuss” today meant it was almost certainly not good news.

Seeing that her husband hadn’t said a word, Li Lan immediately raised her voice slightly. “I’m asking you a question!”

“Just tell me what you want—why all this ‘discussing’?” Zhang Xuefeng said, his survival instinct kicking in.

“I think my older sister is about to give birth, so I want to go visit my parents’ house!”

Zhang Xuefeng let out a long sigh and said, “I thought it was something serious. Do you need me to drive you there?”

“Of course! If you don’t take me, how am I supposed to get there carrying the baby?”

“Alright, wait a sec—I’ll go borrow a car from the production brigade… Wait a minute, honey!”

“What’s wrong?”

“My older sister’s having a baby—what are you going to my parents’ place for? If we’re going, we should be going to my older sister’s house, right?”

“You’re so clueless, and you still think I’m being unfair!” Li Lan said exasperatedly.

“Let’s talk this out calmly. Why are you yelling at me?”

“Hmph, you know just as well as I do how Big Sister gets along with her in-laws. She definitely can’t go back there for her postpartum confinement. And since they don’t have a place in the city, staying in their dorm wouldn’t work for that either. I’d bet she’s spending her confinement at her parents’ house!” Li Lan said.

“You’re right about that!”

Then Zhang Xuefeng suddenly asked, “Honey, do you think Xiao Yi is home?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Every time I see those dried mushrooms in our side room, I get a little anxious. I want to ask Xiao Yi when we’re going to sell them!”

“It makes me nervous too. I’ll have to ask him about it once we get there…”

Just as they were talking, the sound of a bell ringing came from outside the house.

Li Lan looked up and glanced outside, only to be startled to see a mule cart parked right at the front gate.

That fiery red color—wasn’t that their own bright red mule?

Without a moment’s hesitation, she dropped the kitchen knife onto the cutting board, flung open the door, and ran outside.

Zhang Xuefeng was startled by her sudden movement and immediately grabbed his son, following her out.

As soon as they stepped outside, Zhang Xuefeng saw that the wooden gate had already been pushed open, and his brother-in-law, Li Yi, was striding in, driving the mule cart.

At the gate, Li Lan asked with a look of surprise, “Yi, what brings you here?”

“Everyone at home misses you. They asked me to come pick you and Ningning up to stay for a few days!”

Li Yi said as he unloaded the cart and tied up the mule.

“Let’s talk inside!”

Once they were inside, Second Sister asked immediately, “Xiao Yi, has something happened? You look pretty flustered.”

Li Yi smiled and said, “No, it’s just that Eldest Sister gave birth, and Third Sister and I were planning to…”

Before he could finish, his second older sister cut him off, then asked excitedly, “When did Big Sister give birth? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“A chubby little boy. He was born five or six days ago!”

“My son… my son, that’s right—what were you about to say just now?” Second Sister said happily.

“Third Sister and I are heading to the capital in a few days, so I wanted to ask you to stay at our place for a while and help me look after Xuexue!” Li Yi said.

Second Sister didn’t ask any further questions and simply replied, “Alright, then let’s head over after we finish eating!”

“Great!”

“You two go ahead and chat. I’m going to start cooking!”

With that, Li Lan turned and went into the main room.

Once Second Sister was back in the kitchen, her husband immediately asked, “With the New Year just around the corner, what are you and Third Sister going to the capital for?”

“I’ve opened a shop in the capital and I’m a bit busy, so I’ve asked Third Sister and a few female educated youths from the village to help out. I need to see them off!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“You opened a shop? In the capital?”

“Yeah, I opened a restaurant!”

“Hahaha, you’re quite the go-getter, aren’t you? How’s business?”

“Not bad!”

Then his second brother-in-law asked, “By the way, what are you doing with those dried mushrooms? I’ve been worrying about them every day!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I’m not worried, so why should you be? Besides, you’ve only got a few thousand pounds here, but I’ve got over a hundred thousand pounds back at my place!”

Originally, Li Yi had intended to haul all the dried mushrooms from his brother-in-law’s place back to Nianzishan Village.

But as he was hauling them back, he realized he didn’t have enough space at home, so he had to store the rest at his brother-in-law’s place. He hadn’t expected this to actually put pressure on him.

“Don’t say that! I’m just worried you’ll lose money. This is over 100,000 yuan worth of goods—if we can’t sell it, we’ll be in real trouble!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely sell it all!”

Then, Li Yi asked again, “Second Brother-in-Law, do you want to come stay in Nianzishan Village for a while?”

Hearing this, Zhang Xuefeng immediately shook his head and said, “Please, spare me. While your sister’s away, I can finally relax for a few days. You have no idea how hard it’s been for me day after day…”

Just then, Second Sister suddenly pushed open the door and said, “What are you two talking about? Acting all mysterious!”

“Um… I was telling Yi that I’d like to go with you guys. Do you think that’s okay?”

“Who’s going to watch the house if you go? Just stay home and wait for Ningning and me to come back!”

“Oh!”

Seeing his brother-in-law’s desperate look, Li Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

……

By the time Li Yi brought his second sister back from Yaogou Village, Yongzi and the others had already returned from the commune.

They had gone to the commune that morning to get a letter of introduction, but the official in charge wasn’t there, so they had to wait until the afternoon when he returned to get the matter settled.

Although the process had been a bit of a hassle, the outcome was still quite good!

Upon learning that the letters of introduction for all of them had been issued, Li Yi immediately told Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian to return to the educated youth commune first to pack their things and wait for his news.

Once he had settled things at home, he would take them to the capital!

Over the next few days, Li Yi was extremely busy, spending his time procuring supplies and furnishings for the new house.

Although the new house was spacious and bright, with decent decor—and by Nianzishan Village standards, it could definitely be called “luxurious”—

However, many essentials were still missing, especially pots, pans, utensils, and everyday condiments like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Normally, these everyday items shouldn’t be in short supply, but since no one had cooked in the new house since it was built, naturally, they weren’t all there. dxmbang

But there’s no choice now—it’s time to start cooking here!

After all, now that Tang Xue has moved in, the old house is a bit far away, and with her being heavily pregnant, it’s simply not convenient for her to go back there for meals.

So, Li Yi planned to have his second sister and Tang Xue cook here at the new house.

That meant they couldn’t be without anything.

Aside from oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, the new house was also running low on firewood and coal.

The village’s firewood is distributed to the members by the production team after autumn; if there isn’t enough, they go into the woods to gather branches or dig up stumps (tree roots).

After the Li family received their firewood allocation, they hauled it all to the old house, leaving hardly any at the new place.

The same goes for coal. This year, my father bought less than two tons in total, and all of it went to the old house.

But in the dead of winter, you simply can’t get by without firewood or coal.

So Li Yi spent two days, taking Yongzi and Xiaogouwa with him to haul firewood and go to town for coal—they were busier than ever.

After all, they didn’t know how long this trip to the capital would take, so Li Yi planned to take care of everything he could think of before setting off.

While Li Yi was busy making preparations, the situation in the capital was quite different.

Upon receiving a call from Li Gang, Jiang Longcheng learned that Li Yi would soon be arriving in the capital and immediately relayed the news back home.

Jiang Shiying, who had originally planned to return to Guangdong Province, heard the news and immediately decided to change her itinerary, planning to return at a later date.

He then shared the news with his wife, Ye Lingyun.

The couple began making preparations for their meeting with Li Yi, both of them filled with anticipation.

What they didn’t know, however, was that this meeting would lead Li Yi to uncover a momentous secret!

Nianzi Mountain Village. The Li Family’s New House!

When Li Yi saw Wang Anguo and Li Gang off and returned to the room, he overheard Tang Xue and Third Sister whispering to each other about something.

Seeing him walk in, the two stopped talking in perfect unison.

Li Yi asked curiously, “What were you two whispering about? Why did you stop the moment I walked in?”

Tang Xue didn’t answer his question, but instead said to Li Yi, “Why don’t you go visit Second Sister’s place today?”

“Why?”

“Could you bring Second Sister and Ningning over to stay with us for a few days? I miss them!” Tang Xue said.

“Um… since when have you gotten so close to Second Sister?”

Tang Xue blushed slightly, then said, “Isn’t it natural that we’re close? Second Sister and Ningning have been here with me all summer, helping me pick mushrooms. Just tell me—are you going or not?”

“I’ll go! I’ll fill up the water jar, then go home to hitch up the cart, and head to Yaogou Village!”

With that, Li Yi put on his cotton gloves, hoisted the carrying pole with the tin bucket, and headed out the door.

As soon as Li Yi left, the two women in the room started whispering to each other again!

By the time Li Yi returned with the water, Third Sister had already left, and only Tang Xue remained in the room.

After pouring one bucket of water into the water jar, Li Yi carried the other bucket to the corner of the room, where it would be easier to use.

After warming himself up a bit, Li Yi finally asked, “Why did you suddenly decide to have me pick up Second Sister and Ningning?”

“Can’t I miss them?” Tang Xue retorted.

“I know you too well. You’re always afraid of bothering others. Even if you really missed them, you wouldn’t have asked me to go pick them up on your own!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Tang Xue pouted and said, “You’re just too clever—you see right through everything. You’re definitely going to have me wrapped around your little finger from now on!”

“Heh, even the smartest people have a weak spot—and you’re mine!”

As he spoke, Li Yi glanced at Tang Xue’s prominently rounded belly and added, “And so are they!”

Tang Xue couldn’t handle such blatant sweet talk; her pretty face instantly flushed crimson.

“You’re such a smooth talker!”

“Alright, what’s the situation?” Li Yi asked again.

“It’s nothing much. You’re going to Beijing in a few days, so I thought I’d have Second Sister stay with me for a while!” Tang Xue said.

“Why Second Sister? Isn’t Third Sister still at home?” Li Yi asked curiously.

“Na… Na wants to go to Beijing with you!” Tang Xue said.

“What’s she going to the capital for? Just to buy clothes? I can just buy them for her when I get there…”

Before he could finish, Tang Xue immediately cut in, “What do you mean, buy clothes? Na Jie is going to find a man!”

“Snap!”

Li Yi felt like his whole world was shattering. Third Sister looking for a man—and in the capital, no less? Was this some kind of joke?

His third sister was definitely a progressive, modern woman. She hadn’t married once in her previous life—so why had she suddenly decided to look for a man now?

Besides, why did she have to go all the way to Beijing to find a man? Couldn’t she just find one in the village?

“What’s really going on?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“It’s really nothing much, it’s just that Third Sister…”

Then, Tang Xue explained in detail to Li Yi that Li Na had fallen for Long Zhanjun.

After hearing Tang Xue’s story, Li Yi felt completely dumbfounded!

Third Sister actually has a crush on Long Zhanjun?

How on earth did that happen? In their past lives, they were as different as chalk and cheese. In this life, they’d barely met once, and yet his own older sister had already taken a shine to him?

Seeing Li Yi’s furrowed brow and silent expression, Tang Xue asked nervously, “You… you don’t oppose Third Sister liking Brother Long, do you?”

“Uh… no, I’m just a little taken aback right now!”

Then Li Yi asked again, “Is Third Sister serious? Does she know about Da Long’s family situation?”

“She does. I’ve already told her, but Sister Na doesn’t seem to mind. I think she’s serious!” Tang Xue said.

Hearing this, Li Yi fell deep in thought.

Come to think of it, the two of them actually made a pretty good match. Third Sister had a stubborn and feisty personality, and in her previous life, she’d carried a lifetime of guilt over Tang Xue’s death.

After leaving home, she never returned and never married, living out her life in solitude.

Long Zhanjun was much the same. Dragged down by Wu Dabaozi, he ended up behind bars.

Upon his release, he found that both his mother and younger sister had passed away. Deeply tormented by guilt, he too remained unmarried for the rest of his life—a man of profound passion and integrity.

Most importantly, Long Zhanjun had been by Li Yi’s side for decades; Li Yi knew his character well. If Third Sister were to be with him, she wouldn’t be at a loss!

“What exactly do you mean? Do you approve of them being together?” Tang Xue asked again.

Li Yi shook his head and said, “What difference does it make whether I agree or not? They have to be interested in each other first!”

“That’s true, which is why Third Sister wants to go to the capital. If you don’t object, you should create the right conditions for them!” Tang Xue said.

“I don’t really object… Never mind. Since Third Sister has her heart set on it, I’ll make it happen for her!”

Hearing this, Tang Xue smiled happily. “That’s the spirit!”

Li Yi chuckled and said, “I knew it. Why else would she suddenly ask me to bring Second Sister back? This must be Third Sister’s idea!”

“Hmm, but I really do miss Ningning too!”

“Alright then, I’ll go pick up Second Sister right now. You stay home and take it easy—if anything comes up, just wait for me to get back!”

Then Li Yi added, “There’s still snow on the ground that hasn’t melted yet. Don’t go outside unless you have to!”

“Okay!”

Li Yi then added some large pieces of coal to the stove, poured Tang Xue a cup of hot water, and set off toward the old house.

Back at the old house, Li Yi saw his third sister feeding the big yellow dog.

When she saw Li Yi, she immediately set down the dog bowl and started to go inside.

“Wait, come here. I need to ask you something!”

To be honest, this matter had genuinely startled Li Yi, so his tone grew much more serious as he spoke.

Hearing the tone in his voice, Li Na stopped immediately and said nervously, “What do you want to ask?”

“Long Zhanjun—are you serious?” Li Yi asked sternly.

“If I’m not serious, do you think I’m just messing around?” Li Na retorted immediately.

“I know Long Zhanjun pretty well. His character, personality, and abilities are all top-notch. If the two of you really end up together, that wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Li Yi said.

“So you agree to let me go to Beijing?”

“If you want to go, then go!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Yongzi will be here in a bit to arrange a ride. He’ll take Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian to the commune to get their letters of introduction. You should go with them and get yours too!” Li Yi instructed.

“Alright!”

Seeing his third sister’s delighted expression, Li Yi shook his head without saying a word. Instead, he turned and walked straight to the front gate, pulling the bright red mule tied under the big elm tree inside.

After harnessing the mule, he said a quick goodbye to his mother and set off for Yaogou Village, where his second sister lived!

Li Yi hadn’t had much interaction with the Jiang family. Aside from Jiang Longcheng himself, he’d only met his second older brother, Jiang Longyin, and his third uncle, Jiang Shiying.

So, the “uncle” he was referring to must be Jiang Shiying!

But what did that man want with him? Had the medicine taken effect, or was there some other matter at hand?

To be honest, while Li Yi naturally admired Uncle Jiang—the man known as the “White-Haired Butcher”—he didn’t want to have too much to do with him.

The reason is simple: he’s a ruthless man!

Moreover, he was exceptionally clever and cautious. For someone like Li Yi, who was full of secrets, the last thing he wanted was to deal with someone like that.

Besides, Li Yi really didn’t want to go back to the capital right now.

He’d been home for less than a week, and having spent just a few days enjoying the sweet, intimate moments with his wife, he naturally didn’t want to go back.

Seeing Li Yi’s hesitation, Li Gang immediately said, “Brother Li Yi, if you don’t really want to go back so soon, just give me a rough date, and I’ll tell Director Jiang directly!”

“Why don’t you just call him back and tell him I’ll be back after New Year’s Day!” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

But just then, Tang Xue, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, “I think you should go back to dxmbang one more time!”

“Why?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.

“Never mind that Uncle Jiang might have something urgent to discuss with you—besides, haven’t you forgotten that Xinyao and Qianqian are also going to Beijing? Are you really going to let them go on their own?”

Tang Xue continued, “Also, I’ve been looking at those rooms full of dried mushrooms these past few days, and it’s been making me a little anxious. There’s only a little over a month left until the New Year—haven’t you thought about doing something with all that dried produce?”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “You’re right. I’ll make a trip to Beijing soon!”

The reason Li Yi changed his mind wasn’t because of Jiang Longcheng’s call, but because he’d just remembered something.

This was Tang Xue’s first pregnancy, and she was clueless about everything.

But Li Yi knew better—twins are different from a single pregnancy.

Normally, twins carry a risk of premature birth—a risk 7 to 10 times higher than that of a single pregnancy—and only about 50% of twin pregnancies reach full term.

Moreover, pregnant women carrying twins face a significantly higher risk of complications compared to those carrying a single fetus. Therefore, factors such as gestational hypertension, anemia, polyhydramnios, premature rupture of membranes, or excessive intrauterine pressure can drastically increase the likelihood of premature birth.

Tang Xue became pregnant in early June and is now nearly seven months along.

Normally, her due date would be at the end of February next year.

However, given that she is carrying twins, she may give birth earlier than expected, so Li Yi plans to resolve the mushroom matter sooner rather than later.

From now on, he wants to stay by Tang Xue’s side until the babies are born.

“Brother Li Yi, how should I respond to Director Jiang?” Li Gang asked again.

“Tell him I’ll be back in a week!” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wang Anguo suddenly interjected, “By the way, Brother Li Yi, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you!”

“What is it?”

“My brother got promoted!” Wang Anguo said.

Hearing this, Tang Xue was completely stunned.

Although Li Yi had already told her about it yesterday, she still found the whole thing a bit surreal—she hadn’t expected news so soon.

Li Yi was also a bit shocked inside, but he feigned calmness and said, “Well, congratulations to Secretary Wang!”

Seeing the “I knew it all along” look on Li Yi’s face, Wang Anguo and Li Gang found him even more enigmatic!

“Brother Li Yi, may I ask how my brother got promoted? He was suddenly appointed deputy director of the Prefectural Party Committee and Administrative Office yesterday. Our whole family is completely in the dark!” Wang Anguo said.

Li Yi smiled and said, “There’s nothing to worry about. Didn’t I tell you before? He has a benefactor helping him. This is good fortune, not a misfortune!”

“Who is this benefactor?”

“Don’t ask any more questions!”

Then Li Yi added, “I’ll pass a message to you on my behalf!”

“What message?”

“Stay true to your original aspirations, and you will see it through to the end!”

“Stay true to your original aspirations, and you will see it through to the end?”

“Yeah, just tell him not to overthink it—he just needs to do what he’s supposed to do!” Li Yi said.

Seeing that Li Yi didn’t want to say more, Wang Anguo immediately nodded and said, “Alright! I’ll pass the message along! It’s getting late, and I still have to head back to the city today, so I’ll take my leave now!”

“Let me walk you out!”

“No need to see us off—you’re being too polite!” Li Gang said with a laugh.

Despite his words, Li Yi still walked them both out to the main gate!

Watching the jeep gradually fade into the distance, Li Yi couldn’t help but let a hint of envy show on his face. Wang Anmin’s luck was truly off the charts.

Although he’d spoken in vague terms just now, the truth was that the circumstances surrounding Wang Anmin’s promotion were truly surreal.

The story was complicated—not only was the process incredibly convoluted, but it also involved a great deal of political maneuvering and power plays.

As far as Li Yi knew, the reason Wang Anmin had been promoted was not just due to his own efforts, but more importantly, due to sheer luck.

Some time ago, there had been significant personnel changes among the top leadership in North Sai Province, with several senior officials taking up new posts, including a deputy director (deputy governor).

Shortly after taking office, this deputy director heard some rumors. To gain a firsthand understanding of the actual conditions in various regions, he personally led a team to conduct both open and covert inspections in Lucheng, Ning City, and Echeng.

A few days ago, the delegation arrived in Ning City, where they immediately uncovered a host of problems. Almost every day, they witnessed employees from local enterprises coming to the Prefectural Party Committee and Administrative Office to cause disturbances.

Whether they were demanding wages or reporting factory management, the entire Prefectural Party Committee and Administrative Office was thrown into chaos.

This infuriated the provincial leadership, who immediately ordered an investigation into the matter. Because of this, the deputy director of the provincial government was also quite disappointed in the leaders of Ning City.

However, during their unannounced visit to Qingshan County, they discovered that the situation there was quite different.

Although the situation at various enterprises in Qingshan County didn’t seem particularly good, and many workers harbored grievances, they didn’t see any workers causing disturbances at the county seat.

On the contrary, during their stay in Qingshan County, they saw Wang Anmin almost every day inspecting various enterprises and institutions, resolving issues for workers and residents, and performing his duties with dedication—without the slightest air of a top county official.

Consequently, the deputy governor took an interest in Wang Anmin, requesting his resume and personnel file. After reviewing them, he was quite impressed.

Coincidentally, at that very moment, the results of the investigation in Ning City had been released, confirming that several leaders had violated discipline and the law.

The deputy governor, eager to establish his authority, ordered Wang Anmin’s immediate arrest on the spot.

With the position now vacant and the deputy governor having found a cadre he admired, Wang Anmin was promoted through a stroke of incredible luck.

Otherwise, even Wang Anmin himself wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on!

The reason Li Yi knew about this was also a coincidence—mainly because he happened to know the deputy director who had promoted Wang Anmin!

Of course, the person he knew wasn’t the Li Yi of today, but the Li Yi of fifteen years later—by then, that deputy director had already retired.

Knowing that Li Yi was from Qingshan County, they naturally brought up the topic!

However, when the man recounted the story, he didn’t mention Wang Anmin by name—he simply referred to “a certain young cadre from Qingshan County”—but he described the details in great depth.

At the time, Li Yi just listened to it as a story and didn’t give it much thought.

Yesterday, when Wang Anmin told him that he was running around every day handling matters for various enterprises in the county, he also mentioned some details.

Only then did Li Yi realize that the person in question was actually him, which led to the events that followed.

Still, Li Yi only mentioned it in passing and didn’t intend to make a big deal out of it—after all, he hadn’t played any role in Wang Anmin’s promotion!

But he had no idea that his offhand remark would set off a chain reaction!

Qing Bureau, Criminal Investigation Division!

Early in the morning, Li Gang had just arrived at the office and was getting ready to pick up where he left off a few days ago.

With the end of the year fast approaching, the Criminal Investigation Division still had to write their work summary, and there were also some files that needed to be updated—such as those related to Party building and comprehensive social governance.

Their daily work was usually so hectic that they rarely had time to handle these tasks; even when they did, the volume was far from sufficient.

Therefore, every year around the end of the year, they would set aside time specifically to fill in the gaps in the files.

In reality, it was just a cover-up to fob off the inspectors!

But before he’d even had a chance to settle in, someone from the communications room rushed over to call him, saying there was a long-distance call for him.

Li Gang immediately put down his pen and paper and went to the telecommunications room…

When he emerged from the telecommunications room, Li Gang was utterly stunned.

The call had come from Beijing, and it wasn’t for him—it was for Li Yi. They just wanted him to pass on a message.

However, since they had already spoken on the phone two or three times and weren’t strangers, the two exchanged introductions and chatted about some unrelated topics.

As they chatted, Li Gang was astonished to discover that the person on the other end of the line was actually the director of the Second State-Owned Cotton Spinning Factory in Beijing.

Wow, that really took Li Gang by surprise.

No matter where they were located, cotton mills were major state-owned enterprises, typically employing thousands or even tens of thousands of workers.

Moreover, generally speaking, the lower the number in the sequence, the larger the scale of the factory.

Although Li Gang wasn’t sure exactly what level the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill was, he figured the director of such a large factory must hold a high rank—perhaps even higher than that of a county leader.

And yet, this director of such a massive factory kept addressing Li Yi as “brother,” speaking with the utmost respect.

Li Gang had always known that Li Yi was capable and had a knack for getting things done, but he never imagined that he actually had such strong connections in the capital.

Recalling the instructions from Director Jiang, Li Gang immediately briefed the deputy captain, telling him to quickly organize a team to work on completing the files as soon as possible.

As for himself, he grabbed his car keys and headed out, intending to make a trip to Nianzishan Village.

But just as the car left the county bureau and turned onto the main street, Li Gang suddenly remembered something. He jerked the wheel and made a U-turn, heading toward the South Gate.

Over at the Wang residence, Wang Anguo and his wife, An Hong, were packing their bags at home.

Wang Anguo was about to return to the Municipal Bureau shortly; he had originally come home just a few days ago for a brief visit, but hadn’t expected heavy snow to block the roads and prevent his return.

Furthermore, since being promoted to captain of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Municipal Bureau, Wang Anguo hadn’t taken a single day off, so his superiors had encouraged him to use this opportunity to spend more time with his family.

Now that the snow had melted and the roads were clear, Wang Anguo was ready to return to work.

Just as they finished packing, before Wang Anguo could step out the door, a rapid “beep, beep” sounded from outside.

Wang Anguo immediately went out to investigate and discovered that a car from the county bureau was parked at the door—it was clearly Li Gang.

Without further ado, Wang Anguo said a quick goodbye to his wife and stepped out, carrying his luggage.

“I’m just heading back to the city for work—no need for you to drive me, kid!” Wang Anguo said with a smile.

Li Gang shot him a look and said, “What are you thinking? I’ve got something else I need to talk to you about!”

“What’s up?”

“I’m heading to Nianzishan Village right now. Want to come along?”

“Huh? Why are you heading out so early in the morning? Is something up?” Wang Anguo asked in surprise.

“I got a call from Beijing asking me to pass a message to Brother Li Yi. It’s pretty urgent!” Li Gang said.

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “I see. Well, I’ll go then. I’ll also mention my brother’s promotion to Brother Li Yi while I’m there!”

“Then hop in the car!”

“Alright!”

With that, Wang Anguo tossed his luggage into his own car, locked the door, and got into Li Gang’s car!

After the car pulled out of the alley at South Gate, Li Gang was about to drive out of the city when Wang Anguo stopped him and told him to go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative first.

Li Gang immediately understood what that meant—after all, Li Yi’s family currently included a pregnant woman, a new mother, and a newborn less than a month old.

It would clearly be inappropriate for them to show up empty-handed.

The two drove to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought some gifts—eggs, canned goods, and baby formula—and then headed to Baboliang Village.

…….

Babaoliang Village. The Li Family Ancestral Home!

Li Na was in the main hall washing Tongtong’s diapers—Tongtong was her eldest sister’s child—when she suddenly heard her eldest sister call from the inner room: “Na Na, there’s a car at the gate. Go take a look!”

Hearing her older sister’s voice, Li Na quickly wiped her hands on her apron, wrapped a headscarf around her head, and went outside.

As soon as she stepped out, she indeed saw a car parked outside the gate.

From a distance, Li Na recognized the two men getting out of the car: one was Captain Wang from the city, and the other was Captain Li from the county!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Na rushed out!

Reaching the entrance, Li Na asked right away, “Are you here to see Xiao Yi?”

“Yes, is Brother Li Yi home?” Wang Anguo asked immediately.

“He’s not at the old house; he and my sister-in-law have moved to the new house!” Li Na said.

Although Wang Anguo and his colleagues had been to Li Yi’s new house before, they only remembered that the area was quite desolate, with few other homes nearby, but they had forgotten the exact way there!

“Um, Comrade Li Na, could you take the two of us there?” Wang Anguo asked.

“Sure, just wait a moment. I’ll go back and let my mom know!”

“Alright!”

Afterward, Li Na went back inside to explain the situation to her mother and older sister, then got into Li Gang’s car and drove them to Li Yi’s new house.

When Li Gang’s car arrived at the new house, Li Yi was just about to head out carrying a bucket of water.

Everything about the new house was great, except that it was a bit far from the well—carrying a bucket of water meant walking two or three hundred meters.

All morning, apart from cooking some millet porridge for Tang Xue, Li Yi had spent the rest of his time fetching water.

Seeing Wang Anguo, Li Gang, and his third sister get out of the car, he was somewhat surprised.

“Why are you two here so early in the morning?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

Li Gang replied with a smile, “We’ve got business to attend to, of course. Do you think we’re just sitting around with nothing to do?”

“Then come inside and talk,” Li Yi said.

“Is it convenient?”

“Sure, why not?”

After that, Wang Anguo and Li Gang unloaded the gifts from the car and followed Li Yi inside.

Inside, Tang Xue had just finished breakfast and was getting ready to read for a while.

Seeing Li Yi walk in with the two men, she immediately invited them to sit on the kang, displaying the air of a hostess.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Gang said, “Here’s the thing—we just got a call from Beijing. Director Jiang asked me to pass a message on to you!”

“What’s the message?”

“He said the phone line for the store has been approved and will be installed soon. Also, his uncle wants to meet you and asked when you’ll be returning to Beijing!” Li Gang said.

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

The Jiang Family Ancestral Home!

Just as Jiang Longcheng was pondering how to repay the favor, people at the Jiang Family Ancestral Home were also discussing Li Yi!

“Father, here is the information we gathered from Qingshan County!”

Jiang Shiying still felt uneasy about Li Yi, a young man of mysterious origins, so he had specifically sent people to Ning City and Qing Shan County to investigate Li Yi’s background.

However, since the old man’s eyesight was failing and he couldn’t read the documents himself, Jiang Shiying had no choice but to read the collected information to him.

After a long pause, the old man said with a look of astonishment, “So that young man really does have some skills—he’s no ordinary con artist!”

“Yes, our investigation indicates that this man is indeed no ordinary person,” Jiang Shiying replied.

“If that’s the case, then we really should take this young man seriously!” Old Master Jiang said.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think!”

“What do you plan to do?”

Jiang Shiying replied immediately, “I plan to have a proper chat with that young man first. I was in a bit of a rush last time we met, so I didn’t get a chance to say much!”

“Hmm, a chat sounds good. Setting aside his connection to Longcheng for now, just regarding Yun’er alone, our Jiang and Ye families owe him a significant debt of gratitude—we can’t take that for granted!” Old Master Jiang said.

“I understand. You’ve taught us that we shouldn’t owe anyone favors, and if we do, we should repay them as soon as possible!” Jiang Shiying said.

“You mentioned you’ll be returning to Guangdong Province soon, so we’d better get on this right away!”

“Alright, I’ll have Longcheng get in touch with that young man to see when he can return to Beijing!”

“Hmm, then you handle the arrangements for this…”

Just as they were speaking, the front door suddenly swung open from the outside.

Immediately afterward, a slender, delicate woman walked in from outside.

Upon seeing her, Jiang Shiying hurried to greet her, saying softly, “Yun’er, what brings you here?”

“I was feeling cooped up in the side room, so I came up to see you and Father!” Ye Lingyun said softly.

“Yun’er, how are you feeling today?” the old man asked with a smile.

“I’m doing okay. I don’t feel as bad as I did before, and I even ate a big bowl of rice at lunch!” Ye Lingyun replied immediately.

“It seems that medicine is quite effective. Seeing you get better day by day puts my mind at ease!” Old Master Jiang said.

“Hmm, I heard that a friend from Longcheng told us about this medicine. I’d like to thank him in person—I wonder if that’s okay?”

Jiang Shiying smiled and said, “Of course you can. I was just discussing this with your father a moment ago. However, that young man went back to his hometown a few days ago, and we don’t know when he’ll be back!”

“I see. Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait then,” Ye Lingyun said, sounding a bit disappointed.

“No problem. I’ll have Longcheng get in touch with him to see if he’s coming to the capital anytime soon. If he is, we’ll invite him over for a meal!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Alright!”

Then Ye Lingyun changed the subject and said, “Shiying, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you!”

“Yun’er, are you thinking about going back to Yong County?”

Jiang Shiying knew his wife all too well; the moment she spoke, he knew exactly what she wanted to say.

“Yes! It’ll be exactly twenty years after the New Year. I want to go see the children!” Ye Lingyun’s expression was sorrowful, tinged with a hint of pleading.

Jiang Shiying hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’ll agree to that, but not right now!”

“Then when will we go?” Ye Lingyun asked urgently.

“Let’s wait until next spring!”

Jiang Shiying then explained, “First, you’ve only just recovered, and second, it’s freezing cold right now—neither is suitable for a long journey.”

Although Ye Lingyun really wanted to go sooner, she knew her husband was right. She sighed and said, “I suppose that’s the only option.”

Old Master Jiang, standing nearby, immediately added, “Yun’er, if you want to go to Yong County, you must take your medicine diligently. I’ll have someone write you a restorative prescription so you can recover as soon as possible!”

“Thank you, Father. I’ll do as you say,” Ye Lingyun replied.

“Shiying, Yun’er has been looking quite well these past few days. Why don’t you take her back to the Ye family for a visit?”

Then the old man added, “I hear that good-for-nothing from the Ye family and that girl from the Lin family are getting married. As her aunt and uncle, you should go and lend a hand!”

“Yun’er, do you want to go?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Then let’s pack up and head out!”

“Okay!”

…….

Nianzi Mountain Village. The Li Family!

Li Yi was unaware of the events unfolding in the capital; at that moment, he was at their new home, helping Tang Xue with her studies.

After seeing Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian off that evening, Li Yi wanted Tang Xue to get some rest early, but the girl refused outright, saying she wanted to read for a while before going to sleep.

Li Yi, of course, didn’t say much and let her have her way.

However, to Li Yi’s surprise, Tang Xue kept reading until 11:00 PM and still showed no signs of going to sleep.

At this point, Li Yi couldn’t hold back any longer and immediately said, “All right, everything has to be done step by step. You can’t keep me up like this!”

“It’s not that bad. Besides, those two little ones are so active right now—I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if I lay down!” Tang Xue said with a smile.

“Let me take a look!”

Saying this, Li Yi walked over to Tang Xue’s side and looked at her with hopeful eyes.

Tang Xue’s face flushed slightly, but she didn’t make a fuss; she simply lifted the loose cotton top she was wearing, revealing her round, white belly.

Li Yi wanted to hear the movements of the two little ones inside, so he immediately pressed his face against Tang Xue’s belly.

After listening for a while, he heard nothing but the rumbling sounds coming from inside Tang Xue’s belly.

Just as Li Yi was feeling puzzled, he felt something brush against his face. Immediately afterward, he noticed a distinct bulge where his cheek was pressed against her belly.

“Hahaha, is he saying hello to me?” Li Yi said happily.

“The baby’s trying to tell you that you’re sitting on him!”

“Uh…”

“It’s true—every time I press this spot with my hand, they make a sound!”

Perhaps fearing Li Yi wouldn’t believe her, Tang Xue placed her hand on her stomach after speaking.

Less than a minute later, Li Yi saw Tang Xue’s belly begin to move vigorously, and soon a bulge appeared where her hand was resting.

“Let me try!”

Saying this, Li Yi placed his hand there as well.

This time, as soon as he touched it, his hand was pushed away, and the shape of a tiny foot appeared right on Tang Xue’s stomach.

Both Tang Xue and Li Yi were stunned by the sight.

They exchanged a glance and burst into laughter together.

After the laughter died down, Li Yi rubbed his wife’s belly and said, “You’ve been through a lot, carrying such a big belly. It looks exhausting just to look at!”

Tang Xue smiled and said, “It’s not too bad, but as these two little ones grow bigger every day, I’m trying to study while I’m pregnant, and I’m really struggling to keep up.”

“In that case, why not put your studies on hold for now? If you don’t pass next year, there’s always the year after. No need to rush!” Li Yi said.

“No way. I have to pass next year, no matter what!”

“There’s no need to be so…”

“No, I know you want me to go to college, and I want to get married to you as soon as possible, so I have to work hard!” Tang Xue said earnestly.

Tang Xue was well aware of the connection between marriage and obtaining a marriage certificate. In recent years, many people had chosen to divorce—even going so far as to abandon their wives and children or husbands and daughters—in order to attend college. As a result, the Ministry of Education had ultimately revised the eligibility requirements for the college entrance exam.

Starting this year, all candidates taking the college entrance exam must be unmarried.

In other words, once married, one loses the eligibility to take the exam, and no matter how capable one is, there is no possibility of attending college.

That was precisely why, although they had held a wedding ceremony, they had never actually registered their marriage.

Tang Xue knew Li Yi was doing this for her own good, not wanting her to lose the chance to go to college.

She was deeply moved and grateful, which is why she was working so hard.

“So, how’s your studying going?”

“The other subjects are fine, but my progress in foreign languages, chemistry, and biology has been mediocre,” Tang Xue replied.

“Hmm, here’s what we’ll do: I’ll have someone get you some study materials, and if possible, I’ll find you a competent tutor to help you out!” Li Yi said.

“Will you be able to find one?”

“No problem!”

“That’s great!” Tang Xue said happily.

“Alright, get some sleep early!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Okay!”

……..

Beijing. State-Owned Second Cotton Spinning Factory!

In the factory director’s office, Jiang Longcheng sat in his chair, flipping through the investigation report page by page, his expression growing increasingly furious.

This report was a case briefing just delivered to him by the District Public Security Bureau, and its contents completely exceeded his expectations!

In fact, during the time Li Yi had been away, Jiang Longcheng had been busy investigating Gao Shubin, Tong Shouliang, and their gang of parasites.

After nearly a week of investigation, significant progress had been made; the investigators had finally uncovered how this group had embezzled state assets through raw material procurement.

However, as the investigation deepened, Hu Liang and his team discovered that the scale of the case far exceeded their previous estimates.

Therefore, after consulting with Jiang Longcheng, they immediately escalated the case to the district authorities.

Subsequently, the district authorities immediately established a special task force to take over the case!

Soon after, having secured concrete evidence, the public security authorities took decisive action and apprehended more than twenty suspects, including Gao Shubin and Tong Shouliang.

Immediately afterward, the police began interrogating Gao Shubin and the others.

After the interrogations, the truth of the case finally came to light!

The district bureau also briefed Jiang Longcheng, the factory director, on the situation. However, after reading the case report sent by the district authorities, Jiang Longcheng couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine!

At first, he had assumed this was just an ordinary corruption case, but now, after the interrogations, the complexity of the case far exceeded his imagination.

The greed and audacity of Gao Shubin and his accomplices completely surpassed Jiang Longcheng’s expectations.

The investigation revealed that as early as ten years ago, when Gao Shubin was a procurement officer, he had begun embezzling the factory’s purchase funds by falsifying quantities and prices and passing off inferior goods as high-quality ones.

However, in the beginning, he was worried about getting caught, so he didn’t dare to go too far. Coupled with his cunning tactics and willingness to spend money to curry favor with his superiors, he managed to avoid detection for a long time.

In fact, he continued to rise through the ranks; in just over a decade, he went from an ordinary sales representative to the deputy director of a large state-owned factory.

However, once he became deputy director, his ambition and greed only grew.

To make it easier to embezzle the factory’s funds and assets, he orchestrated a series of maneuvers to secure a position for his brother-in-law as the manager of a farm in a county in eastern Henan.

He then had the farm grow cotton, which was sold back to the factory.

What was originally 10,000 catties of cotton, with the addition of some worthless fiber impurities, became 15,000 catties.

Later, he stopped adding fibers altogether; when loading the trucks, he simply placed a layer of soil underneath, turning 10,000 catties into 20,000.

In other words, the cotton mill paid for 20,000 catties of cotton but ultimately received only 10,000 catties of low-grade material full of impurities.

In just a few short years, Gao Shubin and his associates embezzled over 4.8 million yuan from the factory using this scheme. Of that amount, 3 million yuan went into Gao Shubin’s own pocket, while the remainder was divided among Tong Shouliang, Gao Shubin’s brother-in-law Li Lechang, and others.

In short, by embezzling the factory’s assets, every member of Gao Shubin’s inner circle made a fortune, while the state and the factory’s employees were the only ones to lose out.

This also led to a steady decline in the quality of the cotton mill’s products over the years, with mounting financial losses and a corresponding drop in profitability.

Corruption alone would have been bad enough, but what truly sent a chill down Jiang Longcheng’s spine was the malicious intent behind Gao Shubin and his associates’ actions.

During the interrogation of Gao Shubin and his associates, the police uncovered a chilling revelation: Gao Shubin and his group had actually planned to set fire to the cotton mill to destroy the evidence.

According to Gao Shubin’s confession, while he was on a business trip in Henan Province, he suddenly received a call from Tong Shouliang.

Tong Shouliang reported that recently, numerous strangers had been investigating the factory’s accounts—not only last year’s records but also those from the year before and the year before that.

Gao Shubin, who was naturally suspicious, immediately sensed something was wrong. He realized that his sudden reassignment to a business trip in another province was likely because higher-ups had detected irregularities and were deliberately keeping him away.

Realizing the danger, Gao Shubin reacted immediately, instructing Tong Shouliang and his team to seize the opportunity to burn down the raw materials warehouse.

Without the raw materials or the warehouse’s entry and exit records, there would be no way to prove anything. Even if higher-ups wanted to investigate, there would be no evidence left.

As long as they stopped their activities from then on, they would be safe.

Tong Shouliang and the others knew that if this were ever uncovered, they would all be finished!

In other words, they had no way out, so they immediately agreed to Gao Shubin’s plan.

But what they never could have imagined was that just as they had finished making preparations, they were arrested before they even had a chance to act.

When Jiang Longcheng learned that Tong Shouliang and the others had been arrested—just one hour before the scheduled time to set fire to the raw materials warehouse—cold sweat broke out on his back.

At the same time, he recalled Li Yi’s earlier warning to be wary of Gao Shubin—a man who was no ordinary figure—and to be on guard against these men, who might become desperate and do anything.

Fortunately, sensing something was amiss, he immediately had the district bureau take over.

Otherwise, if things had dragged on, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable!

Setting fire to a cotton mill—how could those bastards even think of such a thing? This is a cotton mill, after all, filled with highly flammable materials.

Once a fire started, it would be extremely difficult to put out!

More importantly, he was now the factory director. If a major fire broke out there, he would be the primary person held responsible and would inevitably face accountability.

At this thought, cold sweat broke out on Jiang Longcheng’s back!

After reading the case report, he sat alone in his office, motionless for a long time.

Recalling Li Yi’s two warnings, his heart was filled with gratitude.

With that in mind, Jiang Longcheng felt he had to do something for Li Yi. Isn’t there a saying that goes, “One should repay kindness with gratitude”? And another that says, “One should repay even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude”?

If he didn’t do something, he wouldn’t feel at ease!

He quickly grabbed his coat and left the office, and soon the sound of a car engine roared downstairs.

Driving away from the cotton mill, Jiang Longcheng headed straight for the district government office; there were some matters he needed to discuss with his second older brother.

When Jiang Longcheng arrived, Jiang Longyin had just finished presiding over a meeting. As soon as he returned to his office, he saw his younger brother, Jiang Longcheng, sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, looking every bit the spoiled rich kid.

Jiang Longyin poured himself a glass of water and asked, “Why aren’t you at that run-down little factory? What are you doing here?”

“The case has been fully investigated, you know,” Jiang Longcheng said.

“I’ve seen it. We just had a meeting to discuss this!” said Jiang Longyin.

“What did the district say?”

“Although you bear some responsibility for oversight, Gao Shubin and the others have been corrupt for a long time, so it has little to do with you. Plus, you deserve credit for reporting it. Your merits and demerits cancel each other out, so you’ll neither be rewarded nor punished!” Jiang Longyin said indifferently.

“Gao Shubin was promoted during Old Zhang’s tenure; he never really had anything to do with me anyway… Never mind, let’s not talk about that. I came here today for something else!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“What is it?”

“Sign off on a request for me to install a phone line!”

“Doesn’t your factory already have a phone line? Why do you need another one? You know how tight phone lines are these days…”

Before Jiang Longyin could finish, Jiang Longcheng cut him off: “It’s not for me—it’s for Brother Li Yi’s place!”

Jiang Longyin paused briefly, then said, “Alright! I’ll approve this request, but this is a one-time exception!”

“Cut the crap!”

Jiang Longcheng then added, “Also, I think your district government’s hospitality standards are a bit lacking. I suggest that whenever you have official reception duties, you should go to Brother Li Yi’s restaurant for a meal—it’s much more upscale!”

Jiang Longyin chuckled and said, “If you want to return a favor, do it yourself—what’s that got to do with our district?”

“Hahaha, it’s just that you guys have a lot of people here—I only have a few at my place!”

Jiang Longyin quickly signed off on the slip, tossed it to Jiang Longcheng, and said, “Get out of here. How we handle our hospitality is none of your business!”

Jiang Longcheng didn’t say a word; he grabbed the slip and turned to leave Jiang Longyin’s office!

Watching the young man’s retreating figure, Jiang Longyin couldn’t help but shake his head.

Just then, Secretary Xiao Wang walked in and said, “Sir, we’re hosting a business delegation from Shancheng tonight. Should we use our staff cafeteria or the Jianguo Hotel?”

Jiang Longyin thought for a moment and said, “Neither. Book a table at the Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant in Beiguan Village!”

“That restaurant…”

“Just ask around in Beiguancun and you’ll find it. Go there ahead of time and let them know so they can prepare for the reception!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Yes, sir!”

…….

The Li Family’s New Home!

After seeing Li Gang off, Li Yi settled his eldest sister and young nephew into the west wing, where he and Tang Xue had previously lived.

After that, he packed up some personal belongings and brought Tang Xue over to the new house.

From now on, they would be living here permanently—at least until his older sister was out of her postpartum confinement!

Since most of their belongings had already been moved over, they only brought a few toiletries and traveled light!

Yesterday afternoon, while moving, Li Yi had already given the new place a thorough cleaning.

So, after they entered the house, Li Yi asked Tang Xue to sit on a stool for a moment while he lit the stove!

Lighting the stove is a skillful task; someone without experience might not be able to get it going.

Li Yi deftly stuffed a handful of hemp wood under the large iron stove, placed a few corn cobs on top, and added small pieces of coal.

With a single match, the fire was soon blazing!

Watching Li Yi bustling about, Tang Xue hesitated to speak, her expression a bit conflicted.

After getting the stove going, Li Yi poured some water into the iron teapot, preparing to boil a pot of water to pour into the thermos later.

Once he was done with that, he finally walked over to Tang Xue and said, “Just say what’s on your mind. This isn’t like you to be so tight-lipped!”

“What’s my style?”

“You really want me to say it?” Li Yi asked with a mischievous grin.

As soon as Tang Xue saw that look on his face, she knew he was definitely teasing her about how she’d boldly crawled into his bed earlier. She immediately shook her head and said, “No!”

“So what do you actually want to ask?”

“Can you please stop making things up from now on!” Tang Xue said.

“Talk nonsense?”

“Yeah, why did you have to tell Captain Wang’s older brother about that? Luckily, he didn’t take it seriously—otherwise, it would’ve been so awkward!” Tang Xue said.

She didn’t really want to bring up men’s business, but she felt that such baseless rumors shouldn’t be spread, so she couldn’t help but speak up to remind Li Yi.

However, Li Yi smiled and said, “How do you know I’m talking nonsense?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Of course not. I’m not the type to talk about things that aren’t true!” Li Yi said.

“Then how did you know he was going to get promoted? Do you really know how to read faces?” Tang Xue asked curiously.

“No, don’t believe in that stuff. I just have inside information!”

“Oh, I see. But it seems like Secretary Wang himself isn’t quite aware of this. What’s going on?”

“It’s really no big deal. It’s just that when the higher-ups came to Qing Shan County on an unannounced inspection, they happened to notice he’s quite capable and responsible, so they promoted him. Naturally, he has no idea about any of this!” Li Yi explained.

“Then how did you find out about this?” Tang Xue asked again.

“I happen to know the person who promoted Wang Anmin. I met him in Ning City a few days ago when I was back there, and he mentioned it to me!” Li Yi said, half-jokingly.

“Oh, I see. I was overthinking it!”

“Alright, you’ve been on your feet all day. Go lie down on the kang for a bit. I’ll gather some firewood to heat it up!”

“Okay!”

After settling his wife in, Li Yi went out to the woodpile, filled a wicker basket with hemp wood, and brought it inside.

Then he carried in an armful of dry branches and immediately lit the bed.

Winters in North Province were particularly cold; if the heated bed wasn’t properly warmed up, even lighting a stove wouldn’t be enough.

Most importantly, sleeping on a cold bed could make you sick!

Since Tang Xue was currently pregnant, Li Yi naturally dared not take any chances.

However, just as Li Yi had lit the stove, he heard a noise outside.

He went out to take a look and found Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian standing outside the front gate.

“Come inside and talk—what are you doing standing out there?” Li Yi called out with a smile.

Hearing Li Yi’s words, the two women immediately pushed open the gate and walked into the courtyard.

Inside the house, Tang Xue had just lain down but hadn’t fallen asleep yet; upon hearing the noise, she sat up immediately.

When she saw that it was Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian, the two young women, she immediately said happily, “Sister Xinyao, Qianqian, what brings you here?”

Zhang Xinyao smiled and said, “We came to see you, and we also have a few things we’d like to ask your Li Yi!”

“Then come on up to the bed and sit down. Let’s have a good long chat today!”

With all the snow and wind lately, she couldn’t go out with her big belly, so she’d been feeling a bit cooped up.

Seeing her friends from the educated youth commune naturally lifted her spirits.

Li Yi, meanwhile, said with a smile, “Spend the afternoon with Xue. I’ll make you some stewed meat for dinner!”

Zhang Xinyao immediately replied, “We couldn’t possibly accept that. We just came to ask you—when are you going to arrange for us to go to Beijing?”

Ever since Li Yi had spoken to them that night, the two of them had been waiting for him to arrange their trip to Beijing, but then Auntie San’s passing had occurred.

Knowing Li Yi had been busy those days and had no time for anything else, Zhang Xinyao and the others hadn’t come to bother him.

But now that Auntie San had been laid to rest, and Li Yi still hadn’t made a move, Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian were starting to get restless.

Li Yi immediately replied, “I haven’t forgotten about this. I was just a bit busy the past few days, and with the snow blocking the roads, I couldn’t arrange for you to go!”

“Oh, I see. We thought you’d forgotten all about it!” Zhang Xinyao said with a smile.

“Not at all!”

Li Yi then added, “Here’s what we’ll do: go back and pack your things. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone take you to get your letters of introduction, and then I’ll arrange for you to go to Beijing!”

“Alright!”

After wrapping up the business talk, Li Yi continued stoking the heated bed. A heated bed like this needs to be stoked for a while; if you don’t keep it going long enough, it’s not much use.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tang Xue called Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian over to the heated bed, and the three of them chatted happily.

Seeing how happily they were chatting, Li Yi decided not to join in.

Once the bed was properly heated, he asked Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian to stay in the room and keep Tang Xue company for a while while he went out to run some errands.

Then, Li Yi got dressed and headed straight out the door!

……….

Li Yi first went to Yongzi’s house, called him over, and then the two of them went together to Xiaogouwa’s house.

When they arrived, Xiaogouwa was helping Ergouzi clean up the trash in the yard.

The courtyard had been left in a mess during the funeral a few days earlier, with plenty of trash left behind.

Now that the funeral was over, the two brothers decided to clear all the trash out; otherwise, it would be much harder to deal with once it started snowing in a few days.

Upon seeing Li Yi and Yongzi, Xiaogouwa immediately came over to greet them.

“Brother Yi, Brother Yongzi, what brings you here?”

“We came to see if there’s anything else we can help with, and also to have a chat with you two!” Li Yi said.

Xiaogouwa replied right away, “Everything’s taken care of. There’s nothing left to do. Let’s go inside and talk!”

“Alright!”

Then, the group went inside together.

Inside, Daya was tending the fire by the stove, while Erya was circling around her older sister.

Upon seeing Li Yi and Yongzi, the two little girls immediately greeted them!

Daya even went so far as to fetch bowls for Li Yi and Yongzi, intending to pour them some water, but Li Yi stopped her.

Time was tight; he still had to go back and cook for Tang Xue, Zhang Xinyao, and the others, so he needed to keep this brief.

“Yongzi, Xiaogouwa, I called you over today mainly to discuss our future plans and to hear your thoughts!” Li Yi said.

Yongzi immediately replied, “Brother Yi, go ahead—we’re all ears!”

“Well, I know your situation—it’s definitely not feasible for you to go to Beijing right now. So I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in helping me out here in the village!” Li Yi said.

“Brother Yi, whatever you say, we’ll do it. But what exactly can we do in the village?” Xiaogouwa asked.

“In the future, our village will be focusing heavily on livestock farming, and the cattle and sheep we raise will be shipped directly to Beijing to supply my shops there!” Li Yi continued, “And since I’ll inevitably be moving to Beijing permanently and won’t be able to stay in the village for long periods, the two of you will need to handle the village affairs for me!”

In Li Yi’s plan, Nianzishan Village was destined to become his livestock breeding base.

Right now, we might be supplying just one store, but in the future, it could be dozens of chain stores, so we must have a stable and reliable source of ingredients.

Buying from others is not only expensive but also lacks quality assurance, so raising the animals himself was the most reliable option.

But running a farm isn’t easy, and relying solely on his elderly parents clearly wouldn’t work.

Yongzi and Xiaogouwa were young and driven, and as people he trusted, they were exactly the kind of responsible candidates Li Yi had in mind.

“What about Uncle Li and Auntie?” Yongzi asked.

“My parents are getting on in years and aren’t in the best of health. They can lend a hand, but the main work will still fall on the two of you!”

Li Yi immediately added, “Of course, I won’t have you work for free—I’ll pay you a salary!”

Li Yi didn’t specify the exact amount; he was afraid of scaring the two young men.

“Alright, I’ll listen to Brother Yi!”

“Me too!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Yongzi, go to my house tomorrow morning to catch the bus, then head to the educated youth camp to pick up Zhang and Feng. Take them to the commune to get their letters of introduction!”

“No problem!”

“Xiaogouwa, you don’t have to do anything for the next few days. Just take care of things at home first. In a few days, I’ll have a task for you to handle!” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

………

Returning to Wang Anmin’s side, he was called back by his secretary in the middle of his meal, told that someone from the Prefectural Party Committee had arrived and specifically requested to see him.

When Wang Anguo returned, he was astonished to discover that the visitor was none other than the Organization Minister of the Prefectural Committee.

And the reason for the visit was utterly baffling—he had been promoted!

Upon meeting him, Minister Huang first offered his congratulations, then got straight to the point: he had been promoted to Deputy Director of the Prefectural Party Committee and Administrative Office, ranking third among all deputy directors.

The Regional Committee gave him three days to wrap up his current tasks as quickly as possible and then report for duty in the city immediately.

Upon hearing this news, he was completely dumbfounded.

As the third-ranked deputy director of the Prefectural Party Committee—though not a member of the Standing Committee—he was undoubtedly a high-ranking official.

If it weren’t for the fact that the person standing before him was the Prefectural Committee’s Organization Minister, he would have thought someone was playing a cruel joke on him.

After repeated confirmations, Wang Anmin finally accepted that he had indeed been promoted.

After seeing off Minister Huang, Wang Anmin felt increasingly uneasy. Why on earth had he been promoted out of the blue?

With this question in mind, he immediately called his former boss.

Wang Anmin’s former boss was a powerful figure in the local government who had always looked out for him and served as Wang Anmin’s main connection in the city.

However, to Wang Anmin’s surprise, his former boss was just as baffled as to why he had suddenly been promoted to deputy director of the Prefectural Party Committee.

To be honest, if Wang Anmin hadn’t called him, he would have called Wang Anmin himself.

However, the former superior did provide Wang Anmin with a piece of information: he had been specifically nominated for the promotion.

According to the veteran leader, the Prefectural Committee had suddenly issued an urgent notice this morning to the heads of all departments, ordering them to immediately report to the Prefectural Committee office building for a meeting. The matter was sudden and extremely urgent.

It wasn’t until they arrived that they discovered the meeting was not being chaired by Director Liu of the Prefectural Committee, but by an official sent down from the provincial level.

Moreover, as soon as the meeting began, the Prefectural Committee’s former Deputy Director Zhou, along with the heads of multiple departments including Industry and Commerce and Finance, were removed from their posts on the spot.

The speed and decisiveness of the action exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Later, the provincial leader stated that the vacant positions on the Prefectural Committee could not remain unfilled and must be filled as soon as possible, and subsequently proposed that Wang Anmin take on the role of Deputy Director.

Consequently, everyone at the Prefectural Committee now says that Wang Anmin has struck it lucky and found a new patron; otherwise, how could such a windfall have fallen into his lap?

Even Wang Anmin’s former superior couldn’t help but ask him if he had connected with Dxmbang and the top provincial leaders, his tone lacking the arrogance of before.

But Wang Anmin knew nothing about this, so he just brushed it off with a few perfunctory remarks and hung up the phone.

After hanging up, he suddenly recalled what Li Yi had said at lunchtime.

“With the help of a powerful patron, a promotion is on the way!”

At that thought, his mind began to race. Others might not know, but that kid certainly did.

Immediately afterward, he got in his car and drove straight to his younger brother Wang Anguo’s house!

Wang Anguo had been discussing his resignation with his father and wife when, unexpectedly, his older brother burst in.

“Brother…”

Before he could finish, Wang Anmin cut him off: “An Guo, where’s Brother Li Yi?”

“He’s gone. What’s up, bro?”

“Where did he go?”

“He said he went to the county hospital to pick up his sister, and then he’s heading back to the village!” Wang Anguo replied.

“Come on, let’s go to his place!” Wang Anmin said, sounding somewhat urgent.

“Um… what’s going on, bro? Why the rush?”

Wang Anmin paused briefly, then said, “I got promoted. I’m the deputy director of the Regional Party Committee and Administrative Office—third in rank!”

Wang Anguo: &%……%

Old Man Wang: @￥%……

An Hong: @￥%（）&

………

A Jeep was speeding down the gravel road leading from the county seat to Nianzishan Village!

Inside the vehicle, the Wang brothers were discussing Wang Anmin’s mysterious promotion.

“Bro, you really don’t know how you got promoted?”

Wang Anmin said as he drove, “I really don’t know. There wasn’t a single sign beforehand!”

Wang Anguo couldn’t help but remark, “Brother Li Yi is truly a force to be reckoned with!”

To be honest, Wang Anguo was truly in awe of Li Yi.

Although he’d sensed something good was coming for his brother when Li Yi mentioned it earlier that afternoon, he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

It had only been an hour, and his prediction had come true—it was truly unbelievable.

“Anguo, is Brother Li Yi really that amazing? Couldn’t it just be a coincidence?” Wang Anmin asked.

“Coincidence? Brother, if one thing is a coincidence, how could every single thing be a coincidence?”

Hearing this, Wang Anmin fell silent.

In the past, if anyone had dared to say such a thing to him, he would have cursed them out.

Even when he first heard about it at noon, he hadn’t believed a word of it.

However, now he could find no grounds to refute it and could only remain silent.

Just as the two brothers were talking, a Jeep suddenly came speeding toward them!

As soon as he saw the license plate, Wang Anguo knew it was Li Gang’s and immediately told Wang Anmin to honk the horn and pull over.

At that moment, Li Gang also recognized Wang Anmin’s car and pulled over immediately.

“Brother Anmin, An Guo, where are you two headed?”

Since the two families had been friends for generations, Li Gang didn’t feel particularly self-conscious even in the presence of Wang Anmin, the county magistrate.

“We were just about to head over to Brother Li Yi’s place. Did you just come from there?” Wang Anmin asked immediately.

“Yep! I just walked them home!”

Li Gang then asked, “Brother Anmin, didn’t we just finish eating? Why are we going to see Brother Li Yi again?”

At that moment, Wang Anguo, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately interjected, “My brother has something he needs to ask Brother Li Yi about!”

“Is it about a promotion?” Li Gang asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Yes, my brother got promoted!”

“What… he got promoted?” Li Gang asked, looking stunned.

“Yeah, he got promoted!”

“What position?”

“Deputy Director of the Regional Party Committee and Administrative Office!”

“This… he got promoted just like that? Holy cow! No wonder Brother Li Yi didn’t want me to ask…”

Before Li Gang could finish, Wang Anmin immediately asked, “What was he telling you not to ask about?”

“Just now, before I left, I asked you out of curiosity about your promotion, Brother Anmin. But Brother Li Yi told me not to pry, saying it would happen in the next day or two—I’d find out soon enough!” Li Gang said.

Wang Anmin’s heart sank, and he asked in a grave tone, “Did Brother Li Yi really say that?”

“Yes, those were his exact words!”

Li Gang continued, “I was just thinking about this a moment ago. I didn’t expect to run into you guys before I could figure it out!”

Wang Anguo glanced at his older brother and said, “Brother, do you still think this is a coincidence?”

Wang Anmin took a deep breath and said, “Enough of this. Let’s go ask Brother Li Yi!”

Just then, Li Gang, who had been standing nearby, spoke up: “Brother Anmin, I think it’s best if you don’t go!”

“Why?”

“First, I just took Brother Li Yi’s older sister home. On the way, I heard she’s going to be in confinement at home. If we go over now, the red cloth has already been hung out—it wouldn’t be right for us to just barge in!”

Li Gang continued, “Also, I already asked him about this earlier, but Brother Li Yi didn’t say anything—he even told me not to pry. Clearly, it’s something he’s not at liberty to discuss. It might not be appropriate for you guys to go ask him now!”

Wang Anmin immediately began to hesitate; what Li Gang said made a lot of sense.

According to local custom, when a woman is in her postpartum confinement period, the family generally doesn’t welcome visitors, for fear of “stepping on” the baby.

If they showed up unannounced, would the family even let them inside?

Wang Anguo, standing nearby, chimed in, “Bro, I think Gangzi has a point. It’s a happy occasion anyway—we can always ask later!”

Wang Anmin nodded and said, “Alright! We’ll ask later then!”

With that, he exchanged a few words with Li Gang, turned the car around, and headed toward the county seat!