Chapter 79: The Hands-Off Manager

Suburbs. Sugar Factory!

As Li Yi headed toward the textile factory with the two women, Wang Anguo arrived at the sugar factory once again on his bicycle.

After identifying himself, he headed straight for Liang Yukuai’s office.

At that moment, Liang Yukui was in a meeting in the conference room.

Yesterday’s comprehensive safety inspection of the factory grounds had indeed uncovered numerous issues.

In particular, electrical safety hazards were the most serious; the slightest mishap could lead to a fire.

So last night, staff from the technical department immediately carried out emergency repairs on the factory’s wiring. After working through the night, they finally replaced all the aging wires before dawn.

First thing this morning, Plant Manager Liang gathered all the mid- and senior-level managers and made arrangements for resuming operations.

Just as the meeting was getting underway, an assistant hurried in and whispered a few words into Director Liang’s ear!

After hearing the assistant’s words, Plant Manager Liang immediately asked Deputy Plant Manager Guo to take over the meeting while he left the conference room.

Back in his office, he saw Wang Anguo standing by the window, watching the employees coming and going outside, lost in thought.

“Anguo, aren’t you busy? What brings you over here so early in the morning?”

Wang Anguo snapped out of his reverie and said with a grave expression, “Brother Liang, I just went to see that expert!”

After identifying safety hazards in the factory premises yesterday, Liang Yukuai had personally visited the county bureau and then briefed Wang Anguo on the situation.

Seeing that there were results, Wang Anguo didn’t keep it from Liang Yukuai and immediately explained the source of the information.

However, he did not reveal Li Yi’s identity, referring to him simply as “the expert.”

Although Liang Yukui was deeply shocked inside, after hearing Wang Anguo recount how he had come to know this “master,” he chose to believe him and pulled out 200 yuan as a token of gratitude.

So when Wang Anguo mentioned that person again, Liang Yukui hurriedly asked, “What did that ‘wise man’ say?”

“He said you’ve only uncovered some minor issues and told you to keep investigating!”

“Continue the inspection?”

“Yes, and he also said you should focus on inspecting the structural safety of the factory buildings!” Wang Anguo said.

“Our factory buildings were all newly constructed just a few years ago. There shouldn’t be any problems, right?”

“Brother Liang, we can’t rely on ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ here. I still think it’s better to check them out. After all, everything that expert has said so far has been spot on!” Wang Anguo said.

Liang Yukuai thought for a moment and said, “Alright, we’ve already wasted a day anyway, so what’s another day?”

After saying that, he told Wang Anguo to wait a moment while he went to make the arrangements and would be right back.

When Liang Yukuai returned to the office, he had barely sat down when Deputy Director Guo said, “Old Liang, I’ve already given the orders. In a moment, the workers will resume production immediately. And just as we decided earlier, they’ll work overtime to try and exceed the quota!”

However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than Liang Yukui said in a deep voice, “Suspend the resumption of production!”

The room erupted in an uproar at his words!

The decision to resume production had been made by Director Liang just moments ago during the meeting. Less than half an hour had passed—why the sudden change of course?

“Old Liang, what’s this?” Deputy Plant Manager Guo asked, furrowing his brow.

“Old Guo, I feel that yesterday’s inspection wasn’t thorough enough—especially regarding the safety of the production workshops and other buildings. To be on the safe side, we’ll conduct a comprehensive inspection of all factory buildings and facilities today!” said Plant Manager Liang.

“But what about our production targets?”

“Production targets are important, but workplace safety is even more so.”

Director Liang continued, “If the safety inspection delays production and ultimately affects the completion of our targets, and if higher-ups hold us accountable, I will take full responsibility myself!”

Everyone was stunned by Director Liang’s words—this was essentially staking his own career on the line!

The higher-ups were keeping a tight grip on the sugar mill’s production targets; even with three shifts running, meeting the schedule was far from guaranteed.

Now, with time needed for plant maintenance—which would set us back at least two days—production would inevitably become even more strained.

If the quota isn’t met and higher-ups investigate, Director Liang would almost certainly face disciplinary action.

While he might not be completely fired, a demotion or a formal warning was very likely.

But since Plant Manager Liang had said that, they couldn’t really say anything else.

Soon, under Director Liang’s arrangements, all employees of the sugar factory continued with the comprehensive safety inspection.

……..

In contrast to the busyness and anxiety of Director Liang and the others, Li Yi was unusually relaxed.

He knew Wang Anguo would certainly notify the sugar factory as soon as possible; barring any surprises, the sugar factory workers would definitely not be coming out today.

So Li Yi decisively drove the mule cart over to the textile factory!

Since there were only a little over a hundred portions of liangpi, and Li Yi also wanted to give Li Na some practice, he let her set up the stall on her own.

He and Tang Xue stood by watching, with no intention of helping.

However, Li Na’s performance left Li Yi and Tang Xue utterly astonished. Though she seemed a bit flustered at first, she quickly got the hang of it.

She sold all 100 portions of liangpi in less than half an hour, and even the two or three hundred liangpi wrappers on the cart were completely sold out.

Watching Li Na handle the stall with such ease, even Li Yi felt that his third sister was a natural at business.

The three of them packed up their things and immediately set off back to the village in the mule cart!

On the way, Li Na suddenly asked, “Xiao Yi, what do you think of how I did today?”

“Great, really great!” Li Yi replied.

“Then how about I set up a stall with you from now on? You go over to the sugar factory, and I’ll go to the textile mill!” Li Na suggested.

Tang Xue also thought it was a good idea and immediately said, “I think that’s a great idea. If the two of you each take charge of one spot, you’re sure to make a good profit every day!”

However, Li Yi shook his head and said, “No way!”

“Why not?” Li Na asked, puzzled.

“It’s way too dangerous!”

“The police aren’t arresting us, so why is it still dangerous?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “People just assume I’m running a street stall, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come after you! Don’t you see that even I wouldn’t dare set up in the city like this? I’m afraid of being reported.”

“If just one or two people report us, maybe it’ll be fine, but once there are too many reports, not even Captain Wang and his team can protect us!”

“Then what’s the point of me learning how to run a business?” Li Na said disappointedly.

“Of course it’s worth it. I plan to hand over the stall here at the sugar factory to you!” Li Yi said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be back home with my wife and kids, of course! Hahaha!” Li Yi roared with laughter.

Tang Xue blushed and said, “You can’t expect a dog to spit out ivory!”

Li Na also realized Li Yi was joking with her. She sighed and said, “When will I ever be able to earn as much as you do in a day? No, I’d be happy just to make 10 yuan a day!”

“Ten yuan a day? Is that all you’re aiming for?” Li Yi said with a smile.

Li Na rolled her eyes at him and said, “You think everyone’s like you? You’re a freak!”

Tang Xue chimed in, “10 yuan isn’t bad—that’s 300 yuan a month!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Sis, what I told you earlier was true. You should come set up a stall over at the sugar factory from now on. I’ve got other things to do!”

“What could be more important than making money?”

“There is. First, I need to plan my wedding with Xiao Xue. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event—I have to make sure it’s a grand affair!”

Li Yi continued, “The liangpi business slows down in the winter. While I have the time, I need to figure out some other ways to make money!”

“Are you really planning to walk away from it?” Li Na asked in surprise.

“It’s not that I’m walking away—I’ll still have to handle the liangpi myself. I just won’t be the one manning the stall anymore!” Li Yi said.

“Let’s talk about this later. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it!”

“Yeah, let’s see how it goes for a few days first!”

“Okay!”

……..

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Yi asked right away, “Captain Wang, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

Wang Anguo chuckled and said, “You’re just playing dumb!”

Li Yi glanced at him and said, “So, I guess there’s news from the sugar factory?”

“Yeah, after the major inspection yesterday, we did uncover a lot of safety issues. What really gave the factory leaders a scare was that the factory’s electrical circuits actually had blown fuses and other problems. If you hadn’t warned us, given how hard they’ve been working lately, there’s a 90% chance a safety accident would’ve happened!” Wang Anguo said.

“Is that all they found?” Li Yi frowned.

“Yeah, is that not right?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “No, that’s not enough. Tell them to keep investigating!”

“We need to keep investigating?”

“Yes. These issues alone aren’t enough to explain why so many of them look so pale. Based on my experience, the problems at the sugar factory are far more serious than what’s been uncovered so far!” Li Yi said.

Wang Anguo immediately asked in a grave tone, “Brother Li Yi, are there any specific areas we should focus on?”

Li Yi was silent for a moment before saying, “Have them focus on inspecting the structural safety of the factory buildings!”

“Alright!”

With that, Wang Anguo pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Li Yi!

“Who gave this to you?”

Li Yi didn’t even have to think to know what was inside, but he didn’t take it; instead, he asked directly.

“It certainly wasn’t me—it was given by Plant Manager Liang!” Wang Anguo said.

Only then did Li Yi take the envelope, and he said, “If he gave it to me, I’ll accept it. But you must be especially careful—try not to resume production until all safety hazards have been identified!”

“Got it! I’ll go talk to him right away!”

“Mm-hmm!”

After seeing Wang Anguo off, Tang Xue asked curiously, “What were the two of you talking about? I didn’t understand a single word.”

“Haha, nothing much. I just discovered some safety hazards in the sugar factory’s production workshop, so I mentioned it to Team Leader Wang and asked him to have the sugar factory conduct an inspection to prevent any accidents!”

Li Yi continued, “They inspected it yesterday, so Team Leader Wang came over to tell me the results!”

“But you just said they hadn’t found anything yet. Does that mean you know where the problem lies?” Tang Xue sensed something was off and asked immediately.

“Right, but I can’t say exactly what it is!”

“Why?”

“First, I deduced it from chatting with the sugar factory workers, so I can’t explain where I got the information. Second, I wanted to teach them a lesson so they wouldn’t keep ignoring production safety like this!” Li Yi made up an excuse.

“So that’s how it is. You’re really something!” Tang Xue said with a touch of admiration.

“Hahaha, I love hearing you say that. Remember to praise me more often in the future!” Li Yi laughed heartily.

“You’ve got some nerve!”

“How thick?”

“As thick as the corner of the city wall!”

“Hahaha, all right, let’s hurry over and check on Third Sister. Otherwise, she’ll say we’re ignoring her again!”

“Yeah!”

Sure enough, as Li Yi and Tang Xue walked over, Li Na immediately fired off a complaint: “You two really have become absentee landlords—aren’t you afraid I’ll embezzle your money?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You’re my sister. Spend as much as you want—no need to ‘steal’ it!”

“That’s music to my ears!”

With that, Li Na handed the bill to Li Yi and said, “Just as you instructed, Xue and the others’ share is calculated separately. The total comes to 76 yuan!”

Li Yi took the bill, glanced at it, and nodded.

Just then, Liu Jingshan said with a smile, “Brother Li Yi, how many plates of liangpi did you make today?”

“I made nearly five hundred sheets. Why?”

“I’ll take four hundred!” Liu Jingshan said.

“Will you guys be able to sell that many?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

“We’ll sell them all. You probably don’t know this, but the county is holding a big meeting today, and our restaurant has been tasked with delivering lunch. I plan to give each attendee a serving of liangpi!” Liu Jingshan explained.

“There are 400 people at the meeting!”

“No, about three hundred. I’ll keep the remaining hundred at the restaurant to sell!”

Liu Jingshan continued, “Brother Li Yi, you have no idea—liangpi has become the signature dish of our state-run restaurant!”

“Alright, 400 portions it is!” Li Yi said.

Although selling in bulk to Liu Jingshan meant making significantly less profit—at least 15 yuan less for 300 portions—it saved him a lot of trouble.

Liu Jingshan said again, “This conference is going to last three days. Can you deliver four hundred sheets to me every day for those three days?”

“No problem!”

“Then it’s settled!”

“Alright!”

…….

After leaving the state-run restaurant, Li Na and Tang Xue both felt a bit dazed.

They had originally thought it would take them ages to sell 500 portions of liangpi, but they never expected to sell 400 of them as soon as they arrived at the state-run restaurant.

The remaining 100 would likely be snapped up the moment they arrived at the sugar factory!

Plus, they’d just seen the price Liu Jingshan paid Li Yi: 15 cents per sheet, while the cost of each sheet was less than 5 cents.

A net profit of 10 cents per sheet—meaning Li Yi had just pocketed 40 yuan in one fell swoop.

That’s an unbeatable rate of earning money!

Not to mention that they’d already made several hundred yuan selling mountain produce today. In Tang Xue and Li Na’s eyes, Li Yi was nothing short of a walking money-printing machine.

On the mule cart, Li Na looked at Tang Xue and said, “Xiao Xue, I’m actually a little jealous of you right now!”

Tang Xue asked, puzzled, “What are you envious of?”

“With Xiao Yi around, you’re definitely going to be a rich housewife someday—sipping tea and reading the paper every day, with more money than you could ever spend!”

“Haha, sis, that’s the life of a capitalist—I wouldn’t want that!” Tang Xue said with a laugh.

Li Yi, standing nearby, asked, “Then what kind of life do you want?”

Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “Two people, three meals a day, and the four seasons. A warm home and someone who loves me—it doesn’t have to be you supporting me, but you must like me. And I want to be able to do what I want to do, not just have to do certain things!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “That’s simple—I’ll make it happen!”

Li Na added confidently, “With Little Yi’s capabilities, he’ll definitely be able to fulfill your wishes—but I’m not so sure about myself!”

“Sister Na, what does your ideal life look like?” Tang Xue asked in return.

“Me? I don’t want to be a caged sheep. I don’t want to tie myself to a man. If I could, I’d never get married!” Li Na said, making a startling statement.

“Not getting married? How could that work?” Tang Xue asked in surprise.

“If I can support myself, what’s wrong with not getting married?” Li Na said matter-of-factly.

Then, Li Yi glanced at Li Yi, who was staring blankly, and asked, “Little Yi, what do you think of what your sister just said?”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Actually, for a woman, the best way to live is to do three things well!”

“What are those three things?”

“Constantly improving yourself, being financially independent, and living a refined life!”

“Well…”

Both Tang Xue and Li Na were left somewhat bewildered by Li Yi’s words; clearly, given their current mindset and perspective, they were unable to fully grasp what he was saying.

Li Yi immediately explained, “Continuously improving yourself frees your mind and broadens your horizons, allowing you to better understand both yourself and the world. That’s why I encouraged Xiao Xue to study hard and go to college!”

“And financial independence gives you the courage to face anything. If we don’t have the means, then we’ll do our best to get them!”

“Living a refined life is the key to pleasing yourself, and it’s a sign that your life has reached an ideal state. I hope that every day from now on, you can live a refined life, rather than scraping by in poverty just to make ends meet!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, both girls’ eyes lit up with intense longing!

Nothing happened that night, and early the next morning, Li Shankui and his wife headed over to the new house with their tools.

The foundation had been mostly laid the day before, so today they were set to begin building the walls.

Li Yi didn’t concern himself with that. After preparing the cold noodles early in the morning, he set off for the county seat with his third older sister, Li Na.

But before heading to the county seat, they had to make a detour to the educated youth commune to pick up the female educated youths and their mushrooms.

When the bright red mule cart arrived at the sent-down youth camp, most of the youths were already out in the fields.

Although the farm work wasn’t particularly busy and they could have skipped it, the educated youth chose not to rest in order to earn a few more work points.

Tang Xue didn’t go to work today—not because she didn’t want to, but because Li Yi simply wouldn’t let her.

Besides, she had to wait in the dormitory for Li Yi to come pick up the mushrooms—she simply couldn’t leave!

The moment the mule cart pulled up outside the female educated youth dormitory, Tang Xue opened the door and stepped out carrying a basket of mushrooms.

Seeing this, Li Yi hurriedly called out, “Where should I put it? Let me carry it!”

With that, he took a few quick steps forward and snatched the basket from Tang Xue’s hands, causing Li Na, standing nearby, to roll her eyes.

Her younger brother really was a strange one. Before they’d even confirmed their relationship, he acted like he owned the place. It wasn’t just Tang Xue—there had been over twenty female educated youth of all ages at the commune over the past two years, yet he hadn’t set his sights on a single one.

Of course, no one had any interest in him either!

But look at him now—as soon as they got serious, he turned into a total wife’s slave.

It’s just a basket—maybe thirty or fifty pounds—is it really that big of a deal?

Every woman in the village is treated like a man, and the men are treated like beasts of burden—yet I’ve never seen a woman in any household who isn’t allowed to lift even a single basket.

But she had no idea that Li Yi knew Tang Xue was already carrying his child, and that this was the most unstable stage of the pregnancy—jerking or tugging at it could cause a miscarriage. He couldn’t afford to be careless!

If he hadn’t been worried that the girl would be scared if she found out, Li Yi would have explained the situation to her.

With just two back baskets and a single basket of goods, it didn’t take much. In less than two minutes, Li Yi had loaded everything into the car. He then asked Tang Xue to lock the dormitory door, and the three of them set off for the county seat.

But the moment the three of them stepped out the door, a figure as skinny as a stick crept silently toward the female educated youth dormitory.

Xu Hong had seen those female educated youth go into the mountains to pick mushrooms yesterday afternoon, but he hadn’t given it much thought. After all, life had been incredibly hard for them these past few years; going hungry due to a lack of food was a common occurrence.

So many people had the habit of picking mushrooms in the summer to stew for a meal, or drying them to store for later, to eat when there was no grain in the winter.

Especially the female educated youth—as soon as the farming season ended, they’d head into the mountains to forage for mushrooms. It had become second nature to them!

Consequently, Xu Hong didn’t think much of it!

But last night, he saw Li Yi escort Tang Xue back and stay in the female educated youth dormitory for quite a while. The chatter of the female educated youths carried far, and Xu Hong faintly heard something about mushrooms and mountain produce.

This made him suspicious—was Li Yi planning to take those female educated youth out to sell mushrooms?

So today, he deliberately skipped work and waited here specifically to see if his hunch was correct.

Sure enough, after everyone else had gone to work, that bastard Li Yi drove his mule cart right up to the educated youth settlement.

He’d just seen the guy carry several baskets of stuff out of the female educated youth dormitory with his own eyes. Although he was too far away to make out exactly what it was, it had to be mushrooms.

But just to be safe, he decided to sneak into the female educated youth dormitory to see if the mushrooms those women had picked yesterday were still there!

If Li Yi really was secretly running a mushroom business with those female educated youths, he’d talk the male educated youths into joining in too.

Knowing Li Yi as he did, that guy would absolutely never agree.

That guy was nothing but a lecher—why would he care about the male educated youths?

Doing so would inevitably alienate Zhou Guangya and the others. With all of them joining forces, wouldn’t they be able to take down a petty troublemaker like that?

The dorms at the educated youth camp were in pretty rough shape, with drafty holes everywhere.

Plus, in the middle of summer, people usually didn’t keep their windows shut tight—otherwise, when they came back, their homes would be as hot as a steamer, which was just too uncomfortable.

So Xu Hong didn’t even need to pick the lock; he just had to press his face against the window to get a clear view of what was inside.

He scanned the room from side to side and, sure enough, spotted some mushrooms drying near the window.

Xu Hong had just felt a bit disappointed, thinking he might have imagined things, but upon closer inspection, the quantity clearly didn’t add up.

He had seen it clearly yesterday: those female educated youth had picked at least several baskets of mushrooms—at least seventy or eighty pounds, possibly even over a hundred.

But now, looking at what was by the window, there was barely enough to weigh ten pounds.

Moreover, the mushrooms were either too small or too large—likely just the leftovers.

Realizing that the high-quality mushrooms were indeed missing, Xu Hong finally felt certain of his suspicions.

He decided right then and there that once Zhou Guangya and the others returned, he would definitely tell them about this.

……..

Li Yi had no idea he was being targeted by those petty people again, but given his personality, he wouldn’t have cared even if he had known.

After all, in his eyes, the people at the educated youth commune were all scum—utterly insignificant and no match for him.

If he wanted to, he could crush them at any moment.

After all, those people were just a bunch of outsiders with no real roots in the Nanzishan Brigade; if anything were to happen, the villagers would absolutely never come to their aid.

Even if they were in the right, it wouldn’t matter!

That’s just how villagers are—forget all the high-minded principles. As long as someone hasn’t done something to provoke the wrath of heaven and the people, everyone would still rather help a relative than stand up for what’s right!

With Tang Xue by his side, Li Yi felt the ten-mile journey was far too short; before he knew it, they had arrived.

But even before they reached the State-Run Restaurant, Li Yi spotted Wang Anguo and the others standing at the entrance from a distance, waiting for him like door gods.

Sure enough, the moment the bright red mule cart pulled up to the entrance, Wang Anguo came rushing over to greet them!

He had Li Na and Liu Jingshan handle the unloading of the goods, while Li Yi, accompanied by Tang Xue, followed Wang Anguo inside the restaurant.

After they sat down, Li Yi asked with a smile, “Brother Wang, you’re a criminal investigation captain, after all. Coming out to greet me at the entrance of the State-Owned Restaurant every day—aren’t you afraid people will talk?”

Wang Anguo chuckled and said, “What can I do? This is the only place I can catch you!”

“Hahaha, what do you need from me? I’ve got to get back to my stall after this!”

Instead of getting down to business, Wang Anguo pointed at Tang Xue and said, “No need to rush! Brother Li Yi, you haven’t introduced me to this young lady yet.”

Li Yi immediately caught on—the guy was worried Tang Xue might spill the beans. He burst out laughing and said, “Tang Xue, my wife. She’s an educated youth from the city!”

Just as Li Yi was about to introduce Wang Anguo to Tang Xue, the man spoke up first: “So you’re my brother’s wife. I’m Wang Anguo, captain of the county criminal investigation team, and a good friend of Li Yi’s!”

Tang Xue hurriedly replied, “Um… Hello, Captain Wang!”

“Calling me ‘Captain’ is too formal. Just call me Brother Wang from now on!”

Wang Anguo’s enthusiasm left Li Yi a bit bewildered. If he hadn’t known that the guy was married—and that his wife was that feisty woman An Hong—Li Yi would’ve genuinely worried that the guy had his eye on his wife.

Moonlight shone like water; the night was deep and still!

On the pitch-black country road, Li Yi pushed his bicycle while Tang Xue shone a flashlight.

The two walked and chatted, the atmosphere warm and cozy.

Li Yi noticed that ever since he’d confessed his feelings, Tang Xue had completely changed—she was like a young girl head over heels in love.

Not only did she smile more than before, but her gaze would often drift toward him without her realizing it.

Suddenly, Li Yi thought of something and asked right away, “Honey, have you told your girlfriends about the wild foraging trip?”

“I did. They were all really happy and very grateful to you!” Tang Xue said cheerfully.

“So when are they planning to start?”

“They’re free this afternoon. Sun Lu, Zhong Na, and Feng Qian said they plan to head into the mountains. I wonder how it’ll go?” Tang Xue said.

“Hmm, then let’s go check it out in a bit!”

Then Li Yi added, “And you know the standards we set for the county-run restaurant—nothing too small, nothing too big, and everything has to be spotless. So you’ve got to make sure the quality is up to par!”

“I’ve already told them. I’m sure they’ll handle it properly!” Tang Xue said.

“And make sure they’re careful when they go into the mountains—after all, they’re all girls!” Li Yi said.

“Okay, I’ll remind them! Besides, we haven’t heard of any wild animals attacking people in our village for years—nothing should go wrong!”

Li Yi smiled but said nothing. He knew full well that, compared to wild beasts, human nature was the most terrifying thing of all!

The two chatted as they walked, and before long, they arrived at the educated youth camp!

Just as Li Yi had escorted Tang Xue to the entrance, he heard the giggling and chatter of the girls coming from the female educated youth dormitory—clearly, those girls hadn’t gone to bed yet.

Tang Xue whispered to Li Yi, “Wait here for a moment. I’m going in to take a look!”

“Okay!”

With that, Tang Xue pushed open the door and walked inside!

As soon as she went in, Li Yi heard a clear female voice from outside the door: “Xiao Xue, I thought you were going to spend the night at your mother-in-law’s today. Why are you back in the middle of the night?”

Tang Xue immediately replied, “Xiao Qian, we aren’t even married yet. How could we move in together so soon?”

“Hahaha, what are you thinking? Didn’t you used to go home and stay with Sister Na all the time? It’s just that now you’re living with Li Yi!”

Right after that, another girl’s voice chimed in: “Xiao Xue, you aren’t really thinking of moving in with Li Yi, are you…”

“If you want to, just go for it. He’s your man anyway—what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Xiao Xue, I’m rooting for you…”

Tang Xue’s face instantly flushed crimson at her friends’ teasing. She knew these girls usually spoke without holding back and often talked about boys when they were together.

It usually wasn’t a big deal, but with Li Yi right outside the door, it was incredibly embarrassing to hear.

“Stop talking nonsense—he’s… he’s right outside!”

“Him… who?”

Someone quickly exclaimed, “Xiao Xue, you don’t mean your husband, do you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“He… he…”

After a flurry of commotion, Tang Xue poked her head out of the dorm and said, “Xiao Qian and the others are asking you to come in!”

Li Yi didn’t really want to go in. After all, it was late at night, and a grown man entering the female educated youth dormitory was bound to cause misunderstandings.

But then he remembered they’d gone into the mountains to pick mushrooms that afternoon, and he wanted to see how their hunt had gone.

Besides, foraging for wild plants was a skill that required some know-how. He had to make sure they knew the basics—otherwise, they might accidentally pick up some poisonous red-stemmed mushrooms, which could be deadly.

After parking the car, Li Yi walked straight into the dormitory!

To avoid any suspicion, he deliberately left the door open!

But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw Zhang Xinyao close the door, explaining, “We’re not worried about people gossiping, but we are worried about those long-legged mosquitoes!”

Qingshan County lies at the junction of pastoral and agricultural regions, and the mosquitoes here are truly terrifying.

Not only are they huge, but they’re also exceptionally venomous—they can bite through even thick clothing.

And once bitten, a huge bump would inevitably form, taking at least three to five days to go down.

Li Yi didn’t pay it much mind; instead, he looked at the girls inside the room.

Including Tang Xue, there were five of them. Aside from Tang Xue, the others were average-looking—not particularly pretty, but not ugly either.

The only difference among them was their skin tone: Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian had relatively fairer complexions, while Zhong Na and Sun Lu had rougher skin, though they looked healthier.

“I heard you guys went into the mountains this afternoon. How did it go?” Li Yi asked.

Sun Lu, the oldest of the group, replied immediately, “Not bad. We picked two baskets of mushrooms and half a basket of wood ear mushrooms!”

“Let me take a look at the quality!”

Sun Lu immediately moved the back baskets from beside the bed and said, “Li Yi, take a look. We don’t know if these meet the standards!”

Li Yi walked over to the baskets, crouched down, and examined them closely.

“The wood ear mushrooms are fine—as long as they’re not too small, they’ll do!”

Next, Li Yi turned his attention to the mushrooms in the baskets!

He picked out a few thumb-sized straw mushrooms and said, “Don’t pick ones this small in the future. If you do, use them to make soup at home. The state-run restaurants won’t accept them if they’re too small!”

“Also, most of the ones this big are past their prime. You can pick them to eat yourselves, but don’t send them to the state-run restaurant!”

“Okay! We’ll keep that in mind!” Sun Lu replied immediately.

Li Yi gave everything a final check and concluded, “Overall, it’s fine, but there’s quite a bit of dirt and debris on them. It’s best to give them a quick rinse after you bring them back!”

“Also, pay special attention to the mushroom varieties. Don’t pick any you’re not familiar with. We’re supplying these to restaurants, and if we send over poisonous mushrooms, we’ll be held responsible!”

Feng Qian immediately replied with a smile, “We understand that. Besides, we’ve lived in this village for so many years—we know exactly which mushrooms are edible and which aren’t!”

Zhong Na added, “Don’t worry—there definitely won’t be any poisonous mushrooms mixed in!”

“That’s good to hear! Also, be extra careful when you go into the mountains—don’t go to any places that are too remote!” Li Yi reminded them again.

“Got it. We’ll stay close to the kids so we can look out for each other!”

“That’s good!”

Then Li Yi added, “Let’s leave the mushrooms here for now. I’ll come back to pick them up tomorrow morning on my way into town!”

“Alright!”

After that, Li Yi exchanged a few more words with Tang Xue before reluctantly leaving the female educated youth dormitory.

What Li Yi didn’t know, however, was that just as he rode his bike out the gate of the educated youth commune, a figure emerged from a shadowy corner. Watching his receding figure, the figure clenched their fists tightly!

After returning from the back mountain, Li Yi was in a great mood—even a bit overexcited—so much so that Tang Xue couldn’t help but chuckle.

She knew exactly why Li Yi was so excited; it was undoubtedly directly related to her having confessed her feelings to him.

By now, Tang Xue could clearly sense Li Yi’s affection for her. It wasn’t something he was faking out of fear that she might report him, nor was it a performance to avoid responsibility—he genuinely liked her.

Thinking back on Li Yi’s behavior lately, he’d noticed her living conditions weren’t great, so he’d buy her all sorts of treats every few days, while he himself wouldn’t treat himself to anything.

When he saw her being bullied, he didn’t hesitate—he single-handedly stormed into the male educated youth dormitory and beat up Xu Hong twice in front of everyone.

And even though his family was dirt poor, he promised to throw her a grand wedding, going so far as to risk going into town to run a small business—even getting arrested by the police at one point.

Yet once he made money, he didn’t hesitate to treat himself to a bicycle, pretty clothes, and festive bedding—whatever he could use, regardless of the price, he just kept buying, buying, buying.

Even when she made a request that put him in a difficult position, he agreed without hesitation. Tang Xue couldn’t help but feel a warm glow in her heart; it really felt good to be loved.

After Tang Xue also confessed her feelings, their relationship took a new turn before they even realized it.

Now, when they were together, they seemed to interact much more naturally.

This caught the attention of Li Na and the Li Shan Kui couple when they returned home!

Although Tang Xue was still a bit shy, she no longer minded Li Yi’s casual displays of affection—like holding hands, wiping her face, or serving her food during meals.

Seeing that their son’s heart and eyes were completely focused on their daughter-in-law, and that she didn’t seem to dislike him either, Li Shankui and his wife were overjoyed.

They had always worried that the two were only together out of obligation, spending their days glaring at each other or constantly arguing and fighting.

Now it seemed their worries were unfounded—the two truly seemed to be drawn to each other!

Tang Xue stayed for dinner at the Li household!

Li Yi cooked the meal himself: he simmered a pot of millet porridge, fried a few scallion oil pancakes, and prepared a simple salad of fresh vegetables.

Although there was no meat, it was incredibly fragrant.

During the meal, Li Yi made an announcement: from now on, Tang Xue would eat at home instead of at the collective canteen at the educated youth commune.

Hearing this, both Tang Xue and the Li Shan Kui couple were taken aback.

Tang Xue, in particular, was taken aback—Li Yi hadn’t discussed this with her beforehand, leaving her completely caught off guard.

“But… isn’t that a bit inappropriate? After all, we aren’t married yet,” Tang Xue said softly.

Li Na, however, smiled and said, “What’s wrong with that? It’s only a matter of ten days or so. What difference does it make if it’s a little later?”

Zhang Yuehong quickly chimed in, “Exactly! It’s better to come over sooner. I’ve heard the food at your sent-down youth commune isn’t very good!”

Li Yi added a piece of flatbread to Tang Xue’s bowl and said, “Actually, there’s another reason I asked you to come over for dinner early!”

“What considerations?”

“For one thing, just like my mom said, the food at the sent-down youth camp is a bit poor. I don’t want you to suffer!”

Li Yi continued, “On the other hand, I want to spend a little more time with you every day so we can get to know each other better.”

Actually, there was one more thing Li Yi hadn’t mentioned: Tang Xue was already carrying his child. During pregnancy, a woman not only needs plenty of nutrition, but more importantly, her emotional changes are extremely intense and sensitive, so it was better to bring her over sooner rather than later.

Hearing Li Yi speak so bluntly, Tang Xue didn’t feel shy for once. Instead, she nodded seriously and said, “Alright, then I’ll come here for meals every day from now on!”

Li Yi then added, “Third Sister, you and Xiao Xue don’t have to go to work anymore. Is that okay?”

“Huh? What are we supposed to do if we don’t work?” Li Na asked, puzzled.

“Xiao Xue will study, and you’ll learn how to run a business!” Li Yi said.

This left the rest of the family completely baffled. Studying and running a business—what on earth did that have to do with anything?

“Xiao Yi, what are you thinking?” Li Shankui asked, setting down his bowl.

He knew his son always had a mind of his own; since he’d said it, it certainly wasn’t just idle talk.

“Dad, times have changed. Relying solely on farming won’t kill us, but it won’t make us rich either!”

Li Yi continued, “Two years ago, Anhui Province began piloting the household responsibility system, and the results have been excellent. I heard that Xiaogang Village, which was the first to reap the benefits, saw its grain yield increase fivefold that year. So, barring any surprises, it should be rolled out nationwide within a year or two at most.”

“Besides, the government has started to allow the private sector to emerge. Pilot reforms for the individual economy have already been implemented in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the full liberalization of the private sector is just around the corner. If we want to live a better life, we can’t just keep things the same!”

“But we can’t just stop working! What if we don’t get our food rations?” Zhang Yuehong said with some concern.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Given our family’s current situation, do we really need to worry about running out of food?”

As he spoke, Li Yi pulled out a stack of thin sheets of paper from under the kang mat and said, “This is my ledger for the past month and a half. After setting aside money for the kids, covering our expenses, and giving some to my dad for building his house, I still have 4,260 yuan left!”

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

They all knew Li Yi had been making good money lately; after all, he settled accounts for several hundred yuan every time he worked at the state-run restaurant.

But they also saw that Li Yi’s expenses were staggering—he had to hand out at least 140 to 150 yuan to the children every day, plus spend several dozen yuan on supplies.

Add to that the costs of building a house and buying wedding supplies, and they estimated he’d managed to save at most a thousand or so yuan.

But no one could have imagined that he actually still had over four thousand yuan.

That’s over four thousand yuan!

Even though wages for urban workers had risen over the past two years, an ordinary worker’s salary was still only around 35 to 40 yuan, while managers made less than 50 yuan.

This sum of over four thousand yuan is equivalent to a decade’s wages for an ordinary worker—and that’s assuming they lived without eating or drinking.

Most importantly, Li Yi had saved this money in just half a month—how could they not be stunned?

Seeing that he’d made his point, Li Yi immediately said, “Dad, Mom, our family doesn’t lack money for food, but if we want to live a good life, we can’t just follow the crowd!”

“Do you want your third sister to join you in business?” Li Shankui asked in a deep voice.

“Yes. My sister has a natural talent for business, but she lacks experience, so I want to teach her myself!” Li Yi replied.

“Then why don’t you teach Xiaoxue instead, so she can help you in the future?” Li Na asked, puzzled.

“Xiao Xue has a gentle nature; she’s not really cut out for business, so I want her to study and go to college!”

Li Yi continued, “In the future, our family must not only be wealthy but also cultured. The descendants of the Li family can’t just be good at making money—they must also be able to pick up a book. We want people to say that our family has passed down a tradition of farming and scholarship, and this important responsibility falls to Xiao Xue!”

Tang Xue’s pretty face flushed, but she still said excitedly, “Okay, I’ll definitely study hard and do my best to get into college!”

“Mm-hmm, I believe in you. My little wife is definitely going to get into college!” Li Yi said with a touch of doting affection.

Li Shankui knew that once his son had made up his mind, not even eight oxen could pull him back. So he decided to go with the flow: “Since you think it’s a good idea, let’s do it that way. With me and your mother here, you won’t go hungry!”

As he spoke, whether he’d choked on something or what, he suddenly coughed a few times!

Hearing his father’s cough, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow!

Back home, the big red mule had already finished eating the fresh grass.

Li Yi immediately hitched it to the wooden cart and set off with Tang Xue toward the back mountain!

They passed quite a few villagers along the way, and upon seeing Li Yi and Tang Xue, everyone broke into a friendly, warm smile!

Tang Xue had grown somewhat accustomed to this now. Although she still didn’t quite dare to greet these villagers, she no longer acted like an ostrich, burying her head in the sand whenever she encountered them, as she had before.

When they reached the back mountain, only a few children were by the embankment; the rest hadn’t returned yet.

Li Yi wasn’t in a hurry. He untied the big red mule and let it graze nearby on its own.

He took Tang Xue’s hand and began strolling around the reservoir.

With Li Yi holding her hand like this, Tang Xue’s heart couldn’t help but race a little faster. She whispered, “You’re such a tease—what if someone sees us?”

Li Yi chuckled and said, “What’s so bad about it? I’m just holding my wife’s hand—I’m not cheating on anyone!”

Hearing Li Yi speak so boldly, Tang Xue felt a bit helpless. She shot him a look and said, “You’re being a total jerk!”

“Well, do you like it?”

Tang Xue didn’t answer that question. Instead, she lowered her head and said, “Why do you always have to pick on me?”

“Take the ‘bullying’ out of it!”

“Take it out?”

“Hmm!”

Tang Xue thought about it carefully. If she took out the “bullying,” wouldn’t that leave only “liking”? She couldn’t help but laugh—this guy really had a sense of humor!

Watching the girl’s gentle smile, Li Yi was truly captivated.

Tang Xue wasn’t the type to take your breath away at first glance. Her skin was fair and smooth, her features delicate, and her large, watery eyes were particularly captivating.

However, she was somewhat slender, and her clothes were simply too worn—not only were they bleached white from repeated washing, but they were also covered in patch upon patch, so at first glance, she didn’t appear particularly striking.

Yet there was something about her that grew on you—the more he looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Feeling Li Yi’s intense gaze, Tang Xue grew flustered and blurted out.

“You’re beautiful!”

Tang Xue had heard this so many times she was already immune to it, and she immediately retorted, “There are so many beautiful people out there—do you just stare at everyone like that?”

“Haha, let’s not even get into whether there’s a woman in the world more beautiful than my wife—and even if there were, what’s it got to do with me?”

Li Yi continued, “No matter how beautiful someone else is, she belongs to someone else. I only have eyes for my own!”

Women just can’t stand hearing a man say things like that!

On top of that, Tang Xue didn’t have much dating experience to begin with. Hearing Li Yi say this, she instantly felt as if she’d been doused in honey, her delight clearly written all over her face.

“You’ve got such a way with words—I bet you’ve charmed countless young girls!”

“Hahaha, you’re the first—and the last!”

“Then you’d better treat me well from now on, or else…”

“Or else what?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Then I’ll die right in front of you!”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression changed drastically.

He recalled how, in his previous life, this girl had taken her own life by jumping into a river in a moment of despair, her entire life frozen in the bloom of youth.

Her death had not only taken the lives of himself and their child, but also stolen Li Yi’s heart, shattered his third sister Li Na’s spirit, and claimed the life of his father, Li Shankui.

At this thought, Li Yi pulled Tang Xue into his arms, clutching her frail body tightly, and said with a choked voice, “I swear on my own life: if I ever treat you even a fraction badly, may I be struck by five bolts of lightning, may I be cast into hell after death, and may I never be reborn for all eternity!”

Tang Xue hadn’t expected that a casual remark of hers would provoke such a strong reaction from Li Yi; she was momentarily taken aback.

Once she came to her senses, she hurriedly said, “I was just joking—you actually took me seriously!”

“You can’t say that. You shouldn’t even think about such things! No matter what happens in the future, I’ve got your back. You must never do anything reckless!” Li Yi said.

“I know. I’m not as fragile as you think…”

“No, you have to promise me—no matter what, you must never think about those terrible things!” Li Yi said earnestly.

“Fine, fine, I promise you—no matter what, I won’t take my own life!” Tang Xue said helplessly.

“Mm-hmm! Honey, you’re my whole world. I can’t live without you!” Li Yi said, his voice tinged with emotion.

Seeing how deeply Li Yi cared for her, Tang Xue was deeply moved.

Just moments ago, she had truly sensed the confusion and helplessness in Li Yi’s heart, as well as the fear emanating from his very soul.

He was afraid of losing her—he truly loved her!

Thinking about their seemingly absurd relationship, Tang Xue suddenly felt that perhaps what had happened wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Maybe this was Yue Lao intentionally bringing them together.

Since fate had already brought them together, and this man loved her so deeply, she shouldn’t run away!

With that thought, Tang Xue seemed to have made up her mind. She spoke softly, “Don’t worry. As long as you treat me well, I’ll never leave you! In life, I’m yours, Li Yi; in death, I’ll be your ghost!”

This was the first time Tang Xue had ever said such words, in either her past or present life, and Li Yi’s tears instantly began to fall.

He didn’t know what kind of emotions he was feeling right now; he just wanted to hold his wife close and let it all out.

But he forced himself to hold it back—he was afraid he might scare her!

After a long while, Li Yi let go of Tang Xue and asked, his eyes red-rimmed, “My dear, do you feel wronged by marrying me?”

Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “I did used to feel that way. After all, I’d already received my transfer order back to the city, but now I have to stay in this village and be a farmer for the rest of my life. It really does feel like a sacrifice!”

“But after spending time with you, I don’t feel quite so wronged anymore!”

“Why?”

“First of all, you’re not the jerk everyone says you are. They only talk about you that way because they don’t know you!”

Before she could finish, Li Yi couldn’t help but ask, “So you do understand me?”

“Yes. The person I’ve seen is someone who’s ambitious, capable, kind-hearted, and has a strong sense of justice. More importantly, you’re good to me—really, really good!”

At this point, Tang Xue looked up at Li Yi, then continued, “A woman’s life is full of hardships. To meet someone who truly loves you—and whom you don’t dislike in return—is a gift from heaven!”

“I can’t say I’m head over heels for you yet, but I’ll try to get to know you better and work on falling in love with you!”

Seeing the young woman’s sincere expression, Li Yi was deeply moved.

“Hmm, I won’t let you down, and I believe you’ll fall in love with me too!”

Li Yi continued, “And I won’t keep you stuck in the village as a housewife forever. You’ll have a much broader stage to shine on, and I’ll be your strongest support!”

“Thank you!”

……..

At 3:30 p.m., Li Yi returned to the village, much earlier than usual!

Since Li Yi had only prepared a little over two hundred servings of liangpi today, and the textile factory had far more workers than the sugar factory,

Furthermore, the textile factory was predominantly staffed by women, and women naturally have little resistance to delicacies like liangpi, so the supply sold out in no time.

Upon returning home, Li Yi saw that no one was there, so he unloaded the supplies from his cart into the house.

Then he gave the big red mule some water and a basket of fresh grass.

After finishing these tasks, Li Yi pushed his bicycle out of the house and rode straight toward the new house!

When Li Yi reached the eastern end of the village, he could see from a distance that quite a few people were busy working on the site of the former black rock field, which was piled high with building materials like stones and red bricks.

It wasn’t until he got closer that he could see clearly—there were quite a few people there to help build his house, more than thirty in fact.

Li Yi even spotted Tang Xue in the crowd; the girl was helping carry stones alongside Third Sister and Zhang Xinyao.

Seeing this, Li Yi was taken aback.

He knew full well that she was already carrying his child.

Although it had only been half a month, and it was likely still just a fertilized egg, lifting stones like this could still be dangerous for her.

Li Yi pushed down hard on the pedals, pedaling quickly a few times before bringing the bike to a stop right next to the pile of stones.

After parking the bike, Li Yi hurried over to Tang Xue’s side. Amid the stunned gazes of the onlookers, he snatched the basin-sized stone from her hands.

“Let me handle this. Don’t do heavy lifting like this anymore!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words—one part reproach, two parts concern, and seven parts doting affection—everyone present was stunned!

This dose of romance came completely out of the blue!

Tang Xue was also startled by Li Yi’s bold move—he was way too bold, especially with so many people watching!

Li Na shot her younger brother a disapproving glance, then turned to Zhang Xinyao beside her and said, “All this kid sees now is Xue!”

Zhang Xinyao smiled and replied, “I think this is actually pretty good. It’s better than the two of them standing together all awkwardly!”

“You’re right. At first, I was worried that Xiao Xue wouldn’t like my brother, and I was also afraid that Li Yi would be reckless and end up hurting her!”

Li Na continued, “Fortunately, it seems they’ve hit it off now, so I can finally rest easy!”

“Hmm, you can tell your brother really cares about Xiaoxue. You can’t hide your feelings for someone!” Zhang Xinyao said.

“Yeah, I can tell too. He treats Xiao Xue better than he treats me, his own sister!”

“That’s for sure—a sister can’t compare to a wife!” Zhang Xinyao said with a laugh.

Li Yi carried the stones over to the foundation trench, handed them to the workers laying the foundation, and then returned to Tang Xue’s side.

Seeing that she was about to step in to help, he hurriedly said, “It’s okay, take a break!”

“Everyone’s busy. What am I supposed to do just sitting here by myself?” Tang Xue said.

Li Yi then turned to Li Na and Zhang Xinyao and said, “Sis, Zhang, you two take a break too!”

Then, Li Yi called his parents over as well!

“Xiao Yi, everyone’s busy. Is there something you need us for?” his mother, Zhang Yuehong, asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

Li Yi replied immediately, “Dad, Mom, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you. See if you think it’s a good idea!”

“What is it?” Li Shankui asked bluntly.

He knew his son well. Don’t let the boy’s meek tone fool you—he’s a man of strong convictions.

Judging by the way he was acting, this didn’t seem like a consultation at all—he’d likely already made up his mind and was just here to inform them!

“Dad, I want to replace the ‘soft-inside, hard-outside’ bricks with solid bricks. What do you think?”

Although a “soft interior, hard exterior” structure was already quite decent by today’s standards, Li Yi still felt that an all-brick construction would be better.

The reason they’d opted for the soft-inside, hard-outside construction plan earlier was mainly because they didn’t have enough money on hand.

But now he could earn several hundred yuan a day, and his savings had already reached four thousand yuan.

And building a house made entirely of brick would cost no more than six or seven hundred yuan at most. There was no need to skimp on a few hundred yuan and make life difficult for himself, Tang Xue, and the child.

Li Shankui knew his son had been making good money lately; the money he’d given him just for the house alone was over 800 yuan—more than enough to build a house made entirely of bricks.

“All right then. I’ll have your Uncle Yougen go to the brick yard tomorrow to bring back two truckloads of red bricks. It’s just a shame about those mud bricks!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “The mud bricks won’t go to waste—they’ll be perfect for building the courtyard wall!”

“Hmm, that works too!”

“Dad, you’ve got to keep a close eye on the construction, especially making sure the drainage system I drew up is done right, along with the bathroom and toilet—those are for your daughter-in-law!” Li Yi said.

Hearing this, everyone’s gaze shifted to Tang Xue, instantly making the young woman blush bright red.

“Alright, I’ve already given the blueprints you drew to Master Zhao. Don’t you trust his craftsmanship?” Li Shankui said.

“Alright then! Dad, you guys go ahead and get to work. I need to take a trip to the back mountain!”

With that, Li Yi grabbed Tang Xue’s hand and headed for the door.

Tang Xue looked completely flustered at that moment. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away from Li Yi’s grasp, but found he was holding on tightly.

After struggling a few times to no avail, she gave up.

When they reached the bicycle, Li Yi straddled the crossbar himself first, then asked, “Do you want to sit in front or in back?”

“In the back!” Tang Xue replied without hesitation.

Not only was the front seat uncomfortable, but the position also looked rather unseemly; from a distance, it would appear as if he were holding her in his arms.

Although Tang Xue had been trying to accept Li Yi, she wasn’t yet mentally prepared for such close physical contact with him.

What she didn’t know was that Li Yi had already noticed her change.

Realizing that the girl had developed feelings for him, Li Yi immediately decided to take the initiative and keep stepping up his efforts, aiming to completely win over her heart before they got married.

Li Yi knew his future wife was slow to warm up emotionally and had a somewhat gentle disposition. If he didn’t take the initiative, she might eventually come to like him, but the process could take years.

But if he took the initiative and gradually broke through her emotional defenses, it would certainly shorten that timeframe significantly.

So today, Li Yi was exceptionally bold, catching Tang Xue somewhat off guard!

That said, Tang Xue didn’t shy away from it. She knew their relationship was a bit complicated, and if she kept ignoring his advances, it might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

Besides, she wasn’t the type to turn people down.

Since she had decided to marry Li Yi and to take him seriously as a person, Tang Xue felt she could occasionally accept this kind of “excessive” behavior from him.

But what she didn’t realize was that a thousand-mile dyke can be breached by a single ant hole; once her inner defenses crumbled in one place, it would inevitably lead to a total collapse!

At 11:00 a.m., Li Yi arrived at the sugar factory gate as usual to set up his stall.

But as soon as he arrived, Uncle Zhu, the gatekeeper, informed him that a comprehensive safety inspection was underway at the factory today, and no employees were allowed to leave the premises until it was over.

Upon hearing the news, Li Yi was left feeling both amused and exasperated. Was this what they called shooting oneself in the foot?

If he hadn’t asked Wang Anguo to remind Plant Manager Liang, none of this would have happened, and he could have continued setting up his stall without a care.

But now? Clearly, he couldn’t set up here anymore!

Despite this, he was still quite pleased inside.

Because this meant Wang Anguo had already notified the sugar factory, and they hadn’t ignored the issue—they had already begun their inspection.

In his previous life, the Qing Shan County Sugar Factory had collapsed when a steel beam in the production workshop suddenly snapped, causing the building to lose its support in an instant. Since most of the machinery was running at the time, a massive explosion ensued.

The accident directly claimed the lives of more than sixty people and injured over two hundred; two workshops at this third-largest sugar factory in the Northern Frontier region were completely leveled.

The incident quickly alarmed the provincial leadership in Northern Frontier, who immediately dispatched an accident response team to the sugar factory.

Subsequently, the director and deputy director of the Qingshan County Sugar Factory were dismissed, and another deputy director in charge of safety was sentenced to prison. Dozens of people, including several county-level officials in charge of relevant departments, were held accountable, triggering an unprecedented political upheaval in Qingshan County.

The reason Li Yi brought this up with Wang Anguo was, in part, to return the favor.

After all, Wang Anguo had indeed approached Director Liang to ensure Li Yi could operate his stall without worry. And since Director Liang hadn’t refused Wang Anguo’s request, Li Yi felt he owed him a favor.

Moreover, Li Yi could tell that Director Liang was a decent person; the employees who had been eating at his stall lately spoke of him in glowing terms.

So, if he could help him weather this crisis, Li Yi would be more than happy to do so!

But more importantly, Li Yi wanted to help the ordinary workers at the sugar factory.

For the vast majority of the country’s people, that industrial accident was just a news item in the papers; regardless of how many people were killed or injured, it was nothing more than a string of insignificant numbers.

But for the families of the victims, their world had come crashing down.

Keep in mind that it was a production workshop that collapsed, and all the victims were young, able-bodied workers—most of whom were the breadwinners of their families.

This meant that dozens of families were shattered by the accident—women lost their husbands, children lost their fathers, and the elderly lost their sons. It was a true human tragedy.

In his previous life, Li Yi hadn’t paid much attention to such matters; after all, these people were far removed from his world.

Whether it was Plant Manager Liang or these ordinary workers, they were not the sort of people a disreputable street thug like him could ever have access to.

But this life was different. Li Yi had chosen to set up a stall right outside the sugar factory, and the factory workers were his customers.

Most importantly, they got along very well.

The factory workers didn’t look down on him for running a small, under-the-radar business; on the contrary, they were very supportive of his venture, and everyone treated him with kindness.

Even the old man who guarded the factory gate was happy to call him “Little Li”!

Although that nickname reminded him of the one who lost his testicles in the palace, he couldn’t deny the goodwill of these simple-hearted people.

Li Yi truly didn’t want anything to happen to them, which is why he deliberately let the cat out of the bag!

Since the sugar factory workers wouldn’t be able to leave today, Li Yi had no choice but to find another location; otherwise, he’d have to throw away all that cold noodle skin.

After all, this was the hottest time of the year in the northern frontier; if they didn’t sell it that day, it would surely spoil by the next.

With that in mind, Zhou Yang immediately set off on his bright red mule toward the nearby textile factory!

As for the final inspection results at the sugar factory, Li Yi didn’t pay them much mind. After all, according to the accident investigation report released by government authorities in his previous life, there had long been warning signs of the steel beams in the factory’s production workshop fracturing—it was simply that production deadlines were too tight, so the issue had been overlooked.

In fact, long before the accident occurred, the sugar factory’s technical department had submitted a relevant report to the deputy factory director in charge of workplace safety, but he had suppressed it, ultimately leading to the tragedy.

With his reminder, coupled with Wang Anguo’s intervention, such an obvious safety hazard would surely be brought to Director Liang’s attention immediately.

If they still failed to take it seriously even then, Li Yi would have been powerless to do anything!

Just as he had told Wang Anguo and Li Gang: Medicine cannot cure the incurable; the Buddha saves only those with karmic affinity; wise counsel cannot dissuade those destined to perish; compassion cannot save those who have chosen their own ruin.

……..

Qingshan County Textile Factory!

By the time Li Yi arrived at the textile factory riding his bright red mule, it was nearly noon.

Seeing that the factory workers were about to clock out, Li Yi immediately pulled his mule cart to a stop not far from the factory gates.

He then set up his stall, planning to make do here for the day.

He would return once the safety inspection at the sugar factory was over!

No sooner had Li Yi set up his dxmbang stall than he heard the factory bell ringing loudly in the distance—clearly, the workers were heading home.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, employees in uniforms began trickling out of the factory grounds.

As a well-known livestock county in North Sai Province, Qingshan County boasts over 20,000 square kilometers of pastureland—an area larger than that of the vast majority of prefecture-level cities nationwide.

Extensive pastures mean ample resources for livestock farming, so Qingshan County’s cattle and sheep herds have consistently ranked among the top three in the province and are also among the leading numbers nationwide.

With such a large number of cattle and sheep, in addition to the well-developed slaughter and processing industries, the wool textile industry is also a key sector for development.

Consequently, the textile industry has long been a vital pillar of Qingshan County’s economy, and the textile mill stands as one of the county’s most significant production facilities. It employs over 1,500 workers on the production floor alone—more than the sugar factory.

However, unlike the sugar factory, where the workforce is evenly split between men and women, the textile factory is predominantly staffed by female workers, with only a small number of positions open to men.

When the female workers spotted Li Yi’s small stall, they were all curious, but most chose to walk around it.

Li Yi knew this was because most of the female workers were rather shy and reserved; seeing a young man like him running a stall here, they felt too embarrassed to approach even if they wanted to buy something.

With that in mind, he immediately raised his voice and shouted, “Authentic Qin Province Daliangpi—delicious and affordable, just two cents a serving!”

“Everyone passing by, don’t miss out! You can enjoy a specialty from Qin Province without even leaving the building—what are you waiting for?”

“For two cents, you won’t get ripped off or feel cheated—you’ll get a steaming hot serving of delicious Da Liangpi…”

The promotional slogan, which had been a cliché in his past life, instantly caught the attention of many, and soon some people plucked up the courage to come ask!

And once the first person took the plunge, the rest naturally followed suit…

Seeing that Li Yi was busy, Wang Anguo and Li Gang didn’t press him for further details.

They’d known Li Yi for quite some time and understood his temperament: he’d said everything he could, and as for what he couldn’t say, he wouldn’t utter a single word.

So the two immediately said their goodbyes to Li Yi and Liu Jingshan, then rode off on their bicycles.

As for Liu Jingshan, while Li Yi and the others were talking, he had been keeping a close eye on the situation over here.

Seeing the three of them chatting and laughing, Liu Jingshan was utterly stunned.

While others might not know the identities of the two men standing before Li Yi, he certainly did.

Not only were they the captains of the county bureau’s criminal investigation squad, but more importantly, their family backgrounds were absolutely staggering.

He had originally assumed Li Yi was just lucky to have hooked up with these two big shots.

But now it didn’t seem quite like that. Among the three, Li Yi appeared to be the one in charge, while the other two seemed more like his underlings.

Realizing this, Liu Jingshan felt a chill run through his entire body!

Was the world going mad, or had he simply fallen behind the times? Since when did tigers serve as sidekicks to monkeys?

Although he didn’t fully understand the exact nature of the relationship between these three, he knew that this young man, Li Yi, was definitely no ordinary person. He had to make sure to treat this big shot well—who knows, maybe someday he could get in on their circle too.

Seeing Li Yi walking toward him, Liu Jingshan immediately tore the paper with the calculations off the pad and went to meet him!

“Director Liu, are you done calculating?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“All done. The mushrooms total 721 jin, the wood ear mushrooms and other mountain produce 223 jin—that comes to 703 yuan in total!” Liu Jingshan said.

Hearing the total, Li Yi was taken aback at first, then frowned and said, “Director Liu, it can’t be that much. You must have made a mistake!”

Liu Jingshan smiled and said, “No mistake. The purchase price for the mushrooms has been raised to 75 cents per jin!”

With that, Liu Jingshan handed the receipt to Li Yi!

Li Yi took the receipt and glanced at it; sure enough, he saw that the mushrooms were priced at 75 cents per pound, which added an extra 36 yuan to the bill just for that item.

“Well, thanks a lot!”

Li Yi was no fool. Although he didn’t quite understand why Liu Jingshan had suddenly raised the price, it was clearly related to Wang Anguo and Li Gang.

Besides, he couldn’t refuse something like this; otherwise, it would be a bit hurtful.

When someone has their desire to befriend you written all over their face, turning them down would be an insult.

So, regarding Liu Jingshan’s price hike, he had no choice but to accept it.

“By the way, Brother Li Yi, there’s something else I need to tell you!”

“What is it? Go ahead,” Li Yi said.

“Here’s the thing: the liangpi went over really well at our state-run restaurant yesterday. We sold out all 100 portions in just one lunch service, so you’ll have to set some extra aside for us today!”

Li Yi laughed heartily. “Alright, I’ll set aside fifty extra portions for you today.”

“150 portions is a bit too few. Could you set aside a few more? I’m guessing even 200 portions a day might not be enough,” Liu Jingshan said.

“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll set aside 150 portions today, and tomorrow I’ll make extra to get you 200!”

“Alright!”

Since he was in a hurry to set up his stall at the sugar factory, Li Yi didn’t linger to chat with Liu Jingshan. After settling the bill, he left the state-run restaurant!

…….

As for Wang Anguo and Li Gang, after leaving the state-run restaurant, the two hurried back to the county bureau.

After sorting out the team’s work, Wang Anguo immediately hopped into the team’s small jeep and headed straight for the sugar factory on the outskirts of town.

Just as Wang Anguo had mentioned earlier at the state-run restaurant, Liang Yukui had always maintained a good relationship with his family, and his bond with the old man in particular was both that of a mentor and a friend.

So, after hearing what Li Yi had said, he couldn’t sit still.

When Wang Anguo arrived, Liang Yukui was holding a morning meeting with the factory’s management.

The sugar factory’s production targets were particularly demanding at the moment; this year’s quota had been set 20% higher than last year’s, but a severe drought had gripped the northern regions, resulting in smaller sugar beets with lower sugar content.

As a result, the amount of raw material required per ton of sugar had increased by one-fifth, forcing the factory to work overtime.

The meeting had just ended when Director Liang received a report from his assistant that a police officer was looking for him and was already in his office!

Returning to his office, Director Liang saw that it was Wang Anguo and immediately said with a smile, “It’s you, Anguo! What wind has blown you here today?”

Wang Anguo replied immediately, “A northwesterly wind—the kind that carries sand and dust!”

“Huh, what’s going on? Has something happened?”

Liang Yukuai knew Wang Anguo well; he was a very meticulous man, so there must be a reason for him to speak like that.

“Brother Liang, is your factory’s production workload heavy right now?”

“Heavy. We’ve been swamped lately. I just issued the order: starting today, every workshop will switch to three shifts. The machines can’t stop even when the workers rest—we have to make sure we exceed our production targets!” said Factory Director Liang.

Hearing this, a sense of foreboding immediately welled up in Wang Anguo’s heart!

“Brother Liang, if you do this, will the machinery be able to handle it?”

“No problem. We’ve done this plenty of times before…”

At this point, Plant Manager Liang changed the subject, saying with a hint of puzzlement, “Anguo, you seem a bit off today. I know you well—you don’t come to me unless there’s a problem. Just spit it out!”

Wang Anguo’s expression grew serious as he said, “Brother Liang, I want you to temporarily halt production so we can inspect the factory and equipment. Is that okay or not?”

“Why? You’ve got to give me a reason!” Factory Director Liang frowned.

“I can’t give you a reason right now, but trust me—I wouldn’t do anything to harm you!” Wang Anguo said.

Factory Director Liang fell silent. Although Wang Anguo was more than a decade younger than him, Liang had already been working as an apprentice at the glass factory with his father when Wang was just two or three years old.

Whenever things weren’t too busy, Plant Manager Liang would go to the Wang family’s home to help carry water, chop firewood, and have a meal. So, Wang Anguo was practically a child he’d watched grow up.

He believed Wang Anguo would never harm him; there must be a valid reason for his actions.

The fact that he couldn’t speak of it meant there were certainly disciplinary requirements involved.

After giving it careful thought, Director Liang nodded and said, “Apart from the factory buildings and equipment, are there any other requirements?”

“Brother Liang, you know the sugar factory better than I do. In short, treat this as a comprehensive safety hazard inspection. No matter where it is, if there’s a hazard, you absolutely must not let it slip by!” Wang Anguo said.

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements right away!”

With that, Director Liang immediately called out to the door, “Director Qiu, come in!”

The office door swung open, and the portly office director strode in, asking, “Director Liang, you called for me?”

“Pass the word: all departments and production workshops are to halt operations immediately. Have everyone from the technical department assemble right away—we’re conducting a comprehensive safety inspection throughout the entire plant!”

“Yes, sir!”

……..

The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, Li Yi and Li Na got up early.

Since they didn’t know how sales had gone at the state-run restaurant the previous day, the siblings didn’t dare to make too many sheets of liangpi today; they prepared only 400.

One hundred of them were set aside for the state-run restaurant, while the rest were for their own street stall.

While the siblings were busy making liangpi, Li Shankui and his wife hurriedly ate a quick breakfast, then grabbed their shovels, pickaxes, and other tools and headed to the black rock field at the east end of the village.

Since they were laying the foundation for the new house today, they had to go over and supervise.

After all, the foundation determines whether a house is sturdy or not.

Especially for brick-and-tile houses—if the foundation isn’t laid properly, the consequences could be severe.

At 9:30 a.m., Li Yi arrived at the state-run restaurant alone, driving his bright red mule-drawn cart.

Before he even arrived, he spotted two familiar figures in the distance!

The white-and-blue police uniforms were so conspicuous that he knew without looking that they were Wang Anguo and Li Gang.

Besides them, Li Yi also spotted Liu Jingshan from the State-Owned Restaurant standing nearby; the three of them were chatting and laughing.

Although he had no idea what those two were doing here so early in the morning, Li Yi knew for certain they had come to find him.

Li Yi then called out to the bright red mule, and the animal, being quite responsive, immediately picked up the pace!

When Wang Anguo and the others spotted the familiar red mule-drawn cart, they immediately stopped talking and came over to greet him.

As soon as they met, Li Gang said excitedly, “Brother Li Yi, you’re finally here!”

Li Yi, somewhat puzzled, asked, “What’s going on? You seem pretty anxious.”

Wang Anguo smiled and said, “This young man came all the way here specifically to thank you for saving his life. He’s been waiting for you since eight o’clock!”

Hearing this, Li Yi instantly realized that the incident must have happened!

He looked closely at Li Gang, then smiled and said, “To have escaped death—those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune ahead!”

“Brother Li Yi, have you figured it out again?” Li Gang asked, looking stunned.

“Hahaha, I can’t say, I just can’t say!”

Seeing that the three of them seemed to have something to discuss, Liu Jingshan, who was standing nearby, immediately said, “Brother Li Yi, you guys go inside and talk. Leave the weighing and payment to me!”

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he nodded immediately and said, “Alright!”

After handing the mule cart over to Liu Jingshan, the three of them entered the state-run restaurant once more!

It was the same table as before, but Wang Anguo and Li Gang’s moods were completely different from before.

After sitting down, Li Gang immediately said with a grateful expression, “Brother Li Yi, to be honest, the more I thought about it after returning yesterday, the more terrified I became! If it weren’t for your warning, I’m afraid I’d be…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off and said, “They say the Buddha saves those with karmic ties, and medicine doesn’t cure the dead! Ultimately, your time hadn’t come yet. Otherwise, even if I’d warned you, you wouldn’t have been able to escape that disaster!”

“So, let’s not bring this up again. Let the past stay in the past!”

Both Li Gang and Wang Anguo listened with deep respect!

If it had been anyone else, who knows what kind of a scene they would have made. Look at him—he’s got the true air of a master!

Li Gang then took an envelope out of his pocket, handed it to Li Yi, and said, “Brother Li Yi, this is the fee we agreed on earlier. Please accept it!”

Then, Li Gang pointed to a pile of bottles and jars sitting by the restaurant entrance and said, “Those items are for my wife and my little niece. Please accept them as well!”

Li Yi didn’t hesitate and replied immediately, “Alright, I’ll gladly accept them!”

At that moment, Wang Anguo also spoke up: “Brother Li Yi, there’s no need for thanks. If you ever need anything in the future, just come straight to the county bureau and find me. As long as it’s within my authority, I’ll go through fire and water for you—no matter the cost!”

“Alright, I’m sure I’ll be bothering you guys from time to time!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Oh, and by the way, I spoke to Old Liang at the sugar factory yesterday morning. You can set up your stall there without worry from now on—no one will dare to give you any trouble!” Wang Anguo added.

The case is solved!

Li Yi had always felt that yesterday’s incident was a bit fishy. The sugar factory executives were all prominent figures in the county—how could they all have ended up at his little stall eating liangpi?

So it turned out Wang Anguo had put in a good word for him. No wonder they’d all been so friendly.

“Thanks!”

“No need for thanks between brothers. Otherwise, neither of us would know how many times to say it!” Wang Anguo said with a smile.

Li Yi suddenly thought of something. After a moment’s reflection, he spoke up: “Team Leader Wang, how’s your relationship with that Plant Manager Liang?”

“Old Liang was personally trained by my old man. He’s on good terms with our family. What’s up?”

Seeing Li Yi’s hesitant expression, Wang Anguo added, “Brother Li Yi, if you need anything from him, just ask. If he can’t handle it, I’ll find someone else for you!”

Li Gang chimed in, “Brother, just tell us what’s on your mind. I can’t speak for other places, but here in Qing Shan County, there’s nothing we can’t handle!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You’ve misunderstood. It’s not that I need help with anything; it’s just that Director Liang doesn’t seem to be having much luck lately!”

Wang Anguo and Li Gang exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking instantly—this scenario was all too familiar to them.

“Brother Li Yi, have you noticed something again?” Wang Anguo asked cautiously.

Li Yi nodded and said, “To be honest, yesterday at noon, Director Liang and a few other leaders from the sugar factory stopped by my little stall. Out of professional habit, I took a look at their facial features!”

“Does Old Liang’s face look a bit off?”

“Director Liang’s facial features aren’t bad, but the area between his eyebrows is pale. This indicates a tendency toward misfortune, an inauspicious early life, frequent disasters and hardships, and setbacks in everything he does.”

Seeing the bewildered expressions on Wang Anguo and Li Gang’s faces, Li Yi explained, “It means he might face an unexpected disaster in the near future!”

“How serious is it?”

“Well, at best he’ll be demoted; at worst, he could face prison time. You tell me if that’s serious!” Li Yi said.

“Well… that does sound pretty serious!”

Wang Anguo then asked again, “Brother Li Yi, is there any way to avert this?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Yes! But as the saying goes, ‘Good advice falls on deaf ears, and mercy cannot save those who cut themselves off.’ I can warn him, but whether he listens is entirely up to him!”

Seeing that Li Yi was willing to help resolve the situation, Wang Anguo immediately said, “I understand. Please step in, Brother Li Yi. Afterward, I’ll have him come personally to thank you!”

“Let’s not worry about thanks for now. Even if he wants to thank me, he’ll have to survive this crisis first!”

“Yes!”

Then Li Yi added, “Yesterday I noticed that it wasn’t just Plant Manager Liang whose brow was turning pale—the others were in a similar state. Some even had their eyebrows scattered and radiating toward their brows, which indicates a tendency toward legal disputes and verbal conflicts, and there’s a risk of imprisonment.”

“It’s not unusual for one person to show such signs, but for a whole group to be like this—that’s definitely worth looking into!”

“What do you mean?” Li Gang asked, puzzled.

Wang Anguo furrowed his brow in thought, then said, “Brother Li Yi, are you suggesting that something major is about to happen at the sugar factory, and that it will involve these people?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Yes, barring any surprises, it should be related to workplace safety!”

“If they’re willing to trust me, they should shut down operations immediately and inspect the factory buildings and equipment! If they don’t believe me, then just pretend I never said anything!”

With that, before Wang Anguo and Li Gang could say a word, Li Yi stood up and left, just as nonchalantly as before!

Seeing how happy Tang Xue looked, Li Yi was deeply moved.

What a kind-hearted girl!

Her own situation wasn’t exactly rosy either; after what happened, the pressure she’d been under must have been immense.

Even so, she still wanted to help others—a girl like this must have been an angel in a past life.

No matter what, he had to treat her well and help her keep that pure, innocent joy in her heart forever.

Seeing Li Yi staring intently at her, Tang Xue forced herself to suppress her inner panic and asked softly, “Why are you looking at me?”

“Hehe, honey, you’re really beautiful.”

“Am I prettier, or is Wang Xuemei prettier?” Tang Xue suddenly asked.

“Wang Xuemei? Who’s that?”

Li Yi frowned. He honestly couldn’t remember when he’d ever met such a woman!

“Don’t play dumb. She’s that woman from the next village… the one with the… well, you know, the big one!”

“What do you mean, ‘a bit on the heavy side’?”

Tang Xue’s face flushed, and she shot Li Yi a glare. “What do you mean? Don’t all you men care about that sort of thing? …If you don’t want to say it, just don’t. Playing dumb is no fun.”

With Tang Xue’s reminder, Li Yi suddenly remembered.

Wang Xuemei was the village beauty from the next village, wasn’t she? Her ample bust was indeed impressive!

In his previous life, he’d been completely mesmerized by her ample bust—so much so that he’d flat-out rejected Tang Xue’s marriage proposal, which led to the tragedy that followed.

However, that woman had only lingered in his memories for a short while before he turned twenty. After that, Li Yi had never seen her again, so he had long since forgotten her.

If Tang Xue hadn’t mentioned her this time, Li Yi would have almost forgotten she even existed.

Once he realized it, Li Yi immediately sensed a thick whiff of jealousy in the air.

“Honey, how could you do this?”

Caught off guard by Li Yi’s question, Tang Xue was momentarily flustered and hurriedly replied, “I… what did I do?”

“How can someone as ethereal as you be compared to a country girl like Wang Xuemei? That’s just cruel!” Li Yi said with a serious expression.

“Ha! How can you be so mean?” Tang Xue said with a smile playing at the corners of her eyes.

“Women don’t love men who aren’t a little bad. To make you fall for me, I have to be a bit naughty!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“If you keep talking nonsense like this, I won’t go out with you anymore!” Tang Xue said, feigning anger.

Knowing she was just being shy, Li Yi smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Let’s talk about something serious!”

Tang Xue wasn’t really angry. Hearing this, she replied, “What serious business?”

“I don’t object to you helping Zhang Xinyao and the others, but there are two things I need to discuss with you first!” Li Yi said seriously.

“Okay, go ahead!”

“The first thing is, no matter how much the mushrooms sell for, you can only give each of them two yuan a day!”

Before Tang Xue could speak, Li Yi explained, “It’s not that I’m stingy, but giving too much might make others jealous!”

“Besides, you should know the saying: ‘A measure of rice creates gratitude; a measure less creates resentment.’ Giving too much at the start isn’t necessarily a good thing—you can always give a little more later on!”

Tang Xue wasn’t stupid; she nodded immediately and said, “I get it. Besides, two yuan isn’t exactly chump change—that adds up to sixty yuan a month!”

“The second issue is, once you open this door, plenty of other people will come looking for you later. You need to be mentally prepared for that!” Li Yi said.

Tang Xue froze in her tracks. She’d been so focused on helping those few girlfriends that she’d completely forgotten there were other people in the village!

Never mind others—the male educated youths at the work-study camp alone wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.

“Then… what should I do?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “If those male educated youths from the camp come looking for you, just turn them down flat. I don’t want to take any of those guys!”

Seeing the look of utter distaste on Li Yi’s face, Tang Xue couldn’t help but smile. This guy really holds a grudge!

However, Tang Xue didn’t have much regard for the male educated youths at the camp either, and she had no intention of dealing with them.

“But what if other women from the village come looking for me?”

“Just tell them you’ll take them along in a month, but not right now!”

“Why in a month?” Tang Xue asked, puzzled.

“Hehe, because in a month we’ll be married. By then, you’ll be my legally wedded wife, Li Yi’s proper bride—and you’ll be the one calling the shots!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Tang Xue’s face flushed crimson at Li Yi’s words, but a warm wave of emotion swept through her heart!

Although Tang Xue knew Li Yi was definitely teasing her, she sensed that his request to wait a month was about more than just getting married.

But hearing those words, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her heart.

Through her time with Li Yi over the past few days, Tang Xue discovered that he was completely different from what she had previously imagined.

Not only was he witty and humorous, but he was also exceptionally sharp-minded.

Moreover, he handled matters with tact yet never strayed from propriety; his social skills were impeccable, leaving absolutely no room for error.

In comparison, both she and Li Na seemed incredibly immature.

She could sense that the request she’d made today had put him in a difficult position.

“I’m sorry!”

“Why bring this up all of a sudden?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“I think I’ve caused you trouble!” Tang Xue said, lowering her head.

“Not really. It’s just that now isn’t the right time to take them on large-scale business ventures. Things will be fine in a little while!”

Under normal market conditions, helping the villagers lift themselves out of poverty and become prosperous wouldn’t be out of the question—in fact, that was exactly what Li Yi wanted to see.

But right now, the government hasn’t fully opened up the private sector yet. If he were to lead so many villagers in business together, they’d easily attract unwanted attention.

Drawing too much attention to oneself wasn’t a good thing these days. Take Mr. Nian, the founder of Shazi Sunflower Seeds, for example. Even though his sunflower seed business was booming, his large factory with over 100 employees was undoubtedly seen as an “oddity” at the moment.

Because of this, he was once labeled a “capitalist,” and the matter even reached the attention of higher-ups.

Li Yi certainly didn’t want to get on the authorities’ radar over something like this; otherwise, relying solely on his limited connections in the county, he might not be able to smooth things over.

Tang Xue, of course, didn’t think as deeply as Li Yi, but she knew he was telling the truth. She immediately replied, “Okay! I won’t be so headstrong from now on!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You can be that way with me!”

“Huh?”

“You can still be willful in the future, but only with me!”

Then Li Yi added, “Also, remember this: you never have to say ‘I’m sorry’ to me, because you’re my woman. Taking care of you and solving your problems is my duty!”

Once again, Li Yi’s words made Tang Xue’s heart race, and her pretty face flushed.

She was a simple girl who had never been in a relationship before meeting Li Yi.

Even that so-called childhood sweetheart was nothing more than a one-sided crush on her part; over the years, they had communicated through nothing more than a few letters.

A girl as innocent as a blank sheet of paper—how could she possibly withstand Li Yi’s fierce advances? Tang Xue felt that if she stayed any longer, she would have to surrender.

Seeing that the mule cart was about to pass the educated youth camp, Tang Xue suddenly told Li Yi to stop.

She jumped off the cart, waved at Li Yi, and dashed into the commune in a flash, leaving a bewildered Li Yi standing there, his hair tousled by the wind!

Li Yi had no idea what was happening in the county seat. After all, he only knew the general outline of Li Gang’s situation and wasn’t clear on the specifics, so naturally, he hadn’t anticipated that Li Gang would be in danger today.

By the time he and Tang Xue arrived at the back mountain, the children were already waiting by the reservoir dam.

Seeing the two of them approach, the children immediately surrounded them, chattering away as they reported their day’s achievements to Li Yi.

Li Yi was generous with his praise, constantly commending the children for their hard work and diligence.

Each child was overjoyed to receive Li Yi’s praise, and their eyes sparkled with admiration as they looked at him!

Watching Li Yi sincerely praise each child—so gentle and patient—Tang Xue suddenly sensed a special aura about him.

Although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, she found it truly captivating.

For a moment, Tang Xue found herself gazing at him in a daze!

Li Yi didn’t notice Tang Xue watching him from the sidelines; he was busy directing the children as they packed up the mountain produce.

Since they had returned early today and the sun hadn’t set yet, Li Yi wasn’t in a hurry to head back.

He had the children sort the mushrooms and wild produce right there, then perform a preliminary selection.

Those that were too small or too old were set aside for the children to take home and use in soups and stews.

Only those of the right size would be placed in baskets and delivered to the state-run restaurant the next day.

At seven o’clock in the evening, the sun finally set, and all the wild produce had been processed and loaded onto the truck.

Li Yi then gathered the children together and handed out their pay for the previous day.

“Dongzi, 5 yuan!”

“Xiao Jing, 3 yuan!”

“Shitou, 5 yuan!”

…

“Erya, 1 yuan!”

“Goudan, 1 yuan…”

After distributing everyone’s pay, Li Yi finally set off with Tang Xue, driving the cart toward home.

On the way back, Tang Xue kept glancing at Li Yi, as if she had something to say but was too shy to speak up.

“What’s up? You’re making me feel a little weird!” Li Yi asked with a smile.

Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “There’s something I want to ask you, but I’m not sure if I should bring it up!”

“Just say it. You’re my wife—what’s there to be shy about?”

“I want to ask you to help Xinyao and the others!” Tang Xue said.

“Zhang Xinyao—what’s wrong with her?”

“It’s not just Xinyao—it’s also Feng Qian, Zhong Na, and Sun Lu. You know we’re the only female educated youth left in the entire commune. The rest have either been transferred back to the city or left after passing their exams, and now we’re just stuck here, killing time!”

Tang Xue continued, “Life at the sent-down youth settlement is incredibly hard, and most of the families who stayed behind aren’t well-off—take Xinyao, for example.”

“Her family’s circumstances were already difficult to begin with. Her father is disabled, and her mother has health issues. Her grandmother doesn’t approve of her mother and doesn’t like her either, so she’s never made any arrangements for her to return to the city. On top of that, she keeps making her mother write letters asking for money!”

Zhang Xinyao had been sent down to the Nianzishan Brigade for over four years now, and Li Yi knew her character well. Aside from being a bit too outspoken, there was truly nothing to fault about this girl.

Especially when it came to dealing with people, she was leagues ahead of scum like Xu Hong; her character was renowned throughout the entire commune.

Most importantly, this girl was truly a gem to his own wife.

It wasn’t just now; after Tang Xue’s suicide in his previous life, Zhang Xinyao was one of the few educated youths who remembered her.

Every year or two, she would visit Tang Xue’s grave to lay flowers and burn some joss paper.

If he could help this girl out a little in this life, Li Yi would be more than happy to!

“How do you want me to help them?” Li Yi asked.

Tang Xue thought for a moment and said, “If possible, I’d like to ask you to take them out to forage for mushrooms and other wild produce to earn some money and improve their lives!”

“I know this puts you in a tough spot—after all, you don’t even take the villagers out! But the sisters at the educated youth commune are suffering so much. You could say that everyone who stayed behind is barely scraping by, living hand-to-mouth.”

“You don’t need to explain—I know!”

Then Li Yi said again, “Taking them to gather wild produce to earn money isn’t out of the question, but I can’t be the one to do it—you’ll have to handle it!”

“Me?”

“Right. Do you know why I didn’t let the adults in the village go mushroom picking?”

“I don’t know!”

“For one thing, the state-run restaurant has limited capacity—they can’t handle too much wild produce. For another, I don’t want this to cause unnecessary complications among the villagers!”

Tang Xue understood that the state-run restaurant had limited capacity; after all, it was just a small county-level restaurant, and a few hundred pounds of mountain produce a day was indeed the absolute limit.

But she didn’t understand what came next.

With that thought, Tang Xue stared at Li Yi with her beautiful, wide eyes, a look of complete bewilderment on her face.

Li Yi immediately explained, “You’ve seen how profitable selling wild mountain produce is. Just by making a single delivery into town, I can earn what others make in several years. Even the kids in the village can make more in a single day than their parents do working the fields for labor points!”

“If I were to take them on to run the mountain produce business full-time, how many people in the village would still be willing to work the fields?”

Tang Xue seemed to get the picture; upon reflection, she could understand Li Yi’s predicament.

After all, a single work point was currently worth only about three cents. Even if someone earned the full 12 points in a day, that would amount to just 30 or 40 cents.

But those little brats in the village—even the youngest ones—could earn a whole yuan a day.

The older ones could even make five yuan a day!

Who wouldn’t be envious of that?

Tang Xue was certain that if Li Yi announced he was willing to lead the villagers in a mountain produce business, everyone in Nianzishan Brigade would likely be willing to put down their hoes and join him.

But then, who would tend the crops in the fields?

One wrong move, and they’d be accused of sabotaging production!

And if he were to take on only a select few, picking and choosing who to include, he’d inevitably end up offending people!

Given that, it would be better not to take anyone at all.

“I’m sorry, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Maybe we should just drop the idea then?” Tang Xue said.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Since you want to help those girls, that’s fine—as long as I don’t get personally involved, everything will be fine!”

“But what if you don’t get involved?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “That’s easy. Have those female educated youth give you the mushrooms they’ve gathered, and I’ll transport them to the city to sell for money. Then you can just give the money to them—problem solved!”

“Is that any different from you taking them along to do it yourself?”

“Of course there is. First of all, I won’t be dealing with them directly, and I won’t be the one giving them the money. I’m just helping my wife sell some mushrooms on the side!” Li Yi said.

Tang Xue’s eyes lit up, and she immediately said happily, “Alright, I’ll go back and talk to them!”

Tang Xue was genuinely happy to be able to help Zhang Xinyao and the others.

They were all female educated youth sent from other parts of the country to work in the countryside. When they first arrived, they were all alone and had no one to rely on.

Over the years, they’d looked out for and helped one another, which was how they’d managed to get through the hardest times.

That’s why, after seeing that Li Yi could actually make money selling mountain produce, Tang Xue had thought about whether she could help them too—and she never expected Li Yi would actually agree!