Chapter 67: Wang Anguo’s Transformation

“Didn’t you go back to celebrate your mom’s birthday? How did you end up looking like this?”

Looking at the disheveled Li Gang before him, Wang Anguo was utterly shocked.

In his eyes, Li Gang had always been a very presentable person. Although he didn’t pay much attention to his clothes, he was always clean and neat, no matter the occasion.

But the man before him bore no resemblance to his usual self—not only were his clothes torn and tattered, but he was filthy from head to toe.

Even harder to look at was his hair—half of it singed black. From a distance, it looked as if a dog had chewed on it.

Li Gang, however, paid no heed to any of this. He staggered over to Wang Anguo and said, panting, “Bro, thank you!”

Wang Anguo was completely taken aback and immediately asked, “What’s going on here, kid? What are you thanking me for?”

Li Gang’s expression remained somewhat agitated. He braced his hands on Wang Anguo’s desk and said in a solemn voice, “Brother Wang, I just had a narrow escape…”

At that point, he was at a loss for words, and Wang Anguo could even see tears welling up in his eyes.

Realizing what a terrifying ordeal his childhood friend might have gone through, Wang Anguo immediately walked over to him, patted his shoulder, and said, “It’s okay… it’s okay. It’s all over now!”

Then, Wang Anguo poured him a glass of water and gestured for him to drink it.

Li Gang downed the water in one gulp, then paused for a moment before saying, “Bro, Li Yi is absolutely amazing. If it weren’t for him, you’d be holding my memorial service tomorrow!”

Hearing Li Gang mention Li Yi, Wang Anguo hurriedly asked, “What exactly happened?”

By then, Li Gang’s agitation had finally subsided, and he immediately recounted the events in detail to Wang Anguo.

Then, Li Gang said earnestly, “I won’t lie to you—I had one foot inside already. If I hadn’t hesitated for half a second because of what Brother Li Yi said, I would’ve been hit square in the face by the collapsing gatehouse!”

“Even if I’d miraculously survived the initial impact, I would’ve been killed by the subsequent explosion or burned alive by the raging fire. In short, it would’ve been the kind of death where no intact body is found—there’s absolutely no chance of surviving by sheer luck!”

Upon hearing Li Gang’s words, Wang Anguo broke out in a cold sweat.

He really hadn’t expected that what Li Yi had said earlier would come true so quickly—it was nothing short of miraculous!

Compared to what he had gone through before, what Li had just experienced was also a life-or-death ordeal!

And the outcome was even more devastating.

Even if he had died, it would have been just a single gunshot wound—at least he would have had a whole body.

If Li Gang had actually charged in, he would have been reduced to nothing but ashes!

At that moment, Wang Anguo’s mind echoed the words Li Yi had spoken when he first met Li Gang: “Lacking water and afflicted by fire—a short-lived ghost!”

Clearly, Li Yi had foreseen this calamity befalling his own brother. Wasn’t this exactly “offended by fire”? And dying young at the age of 26—wasn’t that the very definition of a “short-lived wretch”?

Thinking of this, Wang Anguo couldn’t help but exclaim, “Brother Li Yi really is a divine being!”

Li Gang, speaking from deep personal experience, added, “Yes, so there really are such prescient seers in this world who can make such unerring predictions. We were just too ignorant before!”

“Do you remember what Brother Li Yi told you that day?” Wang Anguo suddenly asked.

“I remember. A deficiency in the Water element leading to a clash with Fire, the mark of a short life…”

“Stop right there—that’s not it!”

“Then what is it?”

“A 500-yuan reading fee!”

Only then did Li Gang recall that Li Yi had told him at the time that the reading wouldn’t be free—it would cost 500 yuan—and that if it wasn’t accurate, he wouldn’t charge a dime.

Now that he’d not only predicted it correctly but also indirectly saved his life, it was time to honor that promise.

“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve completely forgotten!”

Suddenly, Li Gang’s face fell as he said, “500 yuan? Where am I supposed to come up with 500 yuan right now?”

Wang Anguo immediately frowned and said, “You make 40 yuan a month, and with all the allowances, you take home at least 48 yuan. You’ve been working for eight years—how come you can’t even come up with 500 yuan?”

Li Gang gave a wry smile. “You know me better than anyone—I earn one yuan and spend two. I can’t save a single penny!”

“So what do you plan to do now? Try to renege on the debt?”

“It’s not that I’m trying to dodge the bill—I just can’t come up with that much money. You’ve got to help me out!”

“How am I supposed to help?”

“Lend me some money!”

Wang Anguo said with a hint of exasperation, “Fine, how much do you need?”

Li Gang thought for a moment and said, “I’ve got fifty!”

Wang Anguo: “*%￥%……&”

Seeing Li Gang’s utterly unconcerned expression, Wang Anguo was reminded of the time this kid bought a bicycle—same story, same routine.

“I don’t have 450—and even if I did, my wife wouldn’t let me lend it to you. Here’s 220; that’s all I’ve got!”

With that, Wang Anguo pulled a stack of 100-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to Li Gang.

Li Gang didn’t stand on ceremony; he stuffed the money straight into his pocket and said, “I’ll go ask my dad for the rest!”

Wang Anguo said with a hint of regret, “Pay me back as soon as you have the money. That’s my bonus for the past few months—you’ve taken it all, and it’s killing me!”

“Hahaha, I won’t let you down!”

“Alright, go change into some clean clothes and head home. Don’t keep your mom waiting!” Wang Anguo said.

“Got it!”

With that, Li Gang left Wang Anguo’s office!

Watching Li Gang’s receding figure, Wang Anguo fell deep in thought.

Today’s incident had once again completely changed his perception of Li Yi!

Such ability could no longer be called mere physiognomy; it was tantamount to foresight.

And even if such a person seems ordinary now, one day they will surely rise to greatness.

At that moment, Wang Anguo felt it necessary to adjust his approach to dealing with Li Yi.

Previously, he had simply found Li Yi to be a remarkable individual; coupled with the fact that Li Yi had saved his life, he felt nothing but gratitude toward him, and thus had wanted to look out for him in whatever ways he could.

But after the missing child case and the incident involving Li Gang, he suddenly realized that it wasn’t him looking out for Li Yi at all—rather, it was Li Yi who was looking out for him.

Moreover, Li Yi’s value to him extended far beyond saving his life; it was now clear that he was also providing immense support for his career.

A person like this absolutely cannot be treated as just a casual friend; he must be treated as a closest ally.

Although this line of thinking might seem a bit utilitarian, Wang Anguo believed it was absolutely necessary.

Setting aside how much time and effort a mentor’s guidance could save him, Li Yi’s almost prophetic abilities alone were enough to alter a person’s destiny.

Whether for his own sake or for the sake of his family and friends, Li Yi was someone he had to take seriously; he absolutely could not let him down.

What Li Yi didn’t know was that while he and his wife were sharing tender moments and bonding, Li Gang was facing a life-or-death crisis.

After seeing Li Yi off that afternoon, Li Gang couldn’t shake a sense of unease.

Although he wasn’t a superstitious person—and had previously scoffed at fortune-tellers and palm readers, dismissing them as charlatans—

But Li Yi was simply too extraordinary—so extraordinary that it made Li Gang question the education he had received.

Whenever he thought of Li Yi’s prediction that he was a “short-lived ghost,” Li Gang couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry.

He came from a very good family; both his parents were civil servants holding fairly high-ranking positions.

He also had a good job; although the work in the criminal investigation unit was grueling and exhausting, it was, after all, a role that ensured local safety and earned him respect.

And as a deputy captain, his future looked bright.

More importantly, he was only 26 years old—unmarried and without even an heir to leave his family. He didn’t want to die young!

So, remembering Li Yi’s warning, Li Gang secretly resolved to stay away from fire from now on.

To that end, he had even resolved to quit smoking!

Today was Li Gang’s mother’s birthday, so he decided to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative after work to buy her a dress as a birthday gift. He also planned to treat his parents to a nice meal at the state-run restaurant to show his filial piety.

But as he rode his bike past a courtyard, he suddenly saw thick smoke billowing from inside, accompanied by constant cries and screams, along with people shouting, “Fire!”

Driven by a public security officer’s sense of justice, Li Gang immediately abandoned his bicycle and rushed straight into the courtyard.

It was a large courtyard compound. After rushing in, Li Gang headed straight for the main house, where the cries were coming from.

Fighting the suffocating smoke, Li Gang saw an elderly man lying on the floor. Without hesitation, he picked the man up, intending to carry him to safety.

However, with his last ounce of strength, the old man pointed toward the inner room and said, “Save… save the child first…”

Li Gang immediately realized there were others inside and rushed toward the inner room.

At the foot of the bed in the inner room, two children, about three or four years old, were clinging tightly to each other and crying. The younger one appeared to have already lost consciousness.

Without a second thought, Li Gang grabbed one in each arm, tucking them under his armpits, and carried them out of the room.

As he passed the old man, Li Gang gritted his teeth, set the children down on the ground, hoisted the old man onto his shoulders, and, clutching the children once more, ran out into the courtyard.

By now, flames were leaping everywhere in the courtyard, and fierce waves of fire had turned the surroundings a glowing red.

The oxygen in the fire zone was being rapidly depleted. With every step Li Gang took, he felt a searing pain in his chest, and his throat felt constricted, making it difficult to breathe.

Fortunately, a crowd of onlookers outside had already gathered with buckets of water to help put out the fire. Upon seeing Li Gang, they all began splashing water in his direction.

Finally, with everyone’s help, Li Gang broke out of the fire.

After placing the elderly man and the child in a safe area, Li Gang prepared to rush back into the fire. Moments earlier, he had faintly heard cries for help coming from the side room to the west.

As a guardian of the people, he could not stand by and watch anyone burn to death right before his eyes.

But just as he was about to step into the fire, Li Yi’s words suddenly came to mind—stay away from the fire!

At that thought, Li Gang hesitated, and his outstretched leg stopped involuntarily.

Yet, in that very moment of hesitation, the wooden gatehouse of the courtyard suddenly collapsed.

In an instant, smoke and dust billowed everywhere, causing Li Gang and the bystanders trying to put out the fire to scramble backward in panic.

But what was even more unexpected was that, just as they had retreated several dozen meters, the courtyard that had been on fire moments earlier suddenly erupted in a violent explosion.

The rumbling explosions lasted for over ten seconds, hurling gravel and wood from the courtyard in all directions, striking many bystanders.

When the explosion finally subsided, the crowd looked on in horror as the courtyard was completely leveled, as if it had been hit by a precision artillery strike.

Seeing this, Li Gang couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat!

Fortunately, he had hesitated for just that split second; otherwise, he would likely be nothing but a pile of bones by now.

No one could have survived such a violent explosion—not even someone wearing a bulletproof vest.

Not to mention the raging inferno inside—even if the blast didn’t kill you, the fire would have reduced you to a charred husk.

It could be said that his momentary hesitation had literally saved his life.

And the reason he didn’t charge in recklessly like he had before was precisely because he remembered Li Yi’s warning—which meant, in effect, that Li Yi had saved his life.

Thinking of this, Li Gang really couldn’t help but want to kowtow to Li Yi!

Just as Li Gang was reeling from the shock of his narrow escape, the nearby fire brigade arrived.

Li Gang didn’t greet his colleagues; instead, he silently pushed his bicycle away.

He didn’t go to the supply and marketing cooperative, nor did he go home; instead, he headed straight back to his workplace.

…….

At the county bureau’s criminal investigation team, Wang Anguo was organizing case files!

Though his eyes were bloodshot and he looked exhausted, his gaze was filled with excitement.

Prompted by Li Yi, he had conducted an in-depth investigation into the backgrounds of those human traffickers, and his efforts had indeed uncovered several major cases.

Among the arrested human traffickers, there were cases involving homicides alone, with as many as 11 victims.

Two of these cases were major, high-priority cases that had been under long-term supervision by the Ministry of Public Security. Moreover, it had been a full seven years since these two major cases occurred, and there had been no leads whatsoever—they were essentially cold cases.

Yet, unexpectedly, such critical cases were actually solved by a small county-level public security bureau.

Consequently, once the case was reported to higher authorities, the central government immediately issued a directive: a special task force would be dispatched to take over the case, which would be consolidated with several other high-profile cases for joint investigation.

The higher authorities instructed the Qingshan County Criminal Investigation Team to immediately seal all case files and await the arrival of the special task force to take over.

Although they would no longer be responsible for investigating the case, Wang Anguo knew that, for them, it was still a major achievement.

The county bureau leadership had already announced today that they were petitioning the higher authorities for recognition of their achievements. A conservative estimate suggested at least a collective Second-Class Merit Award, and a First-Class Merit Award was even a possibility.

Furthermore, the officers involved would receive individual awards—especially Wang Anguo, who not only stepped up to the challenge in a crisis but also voluntarily pledged to solve the case, ultimately succeeding.

Not only had he rescued more than a dozen abducted children, but he had also uncovered so many major cases—a Second-Class Merit Award for him personally was a certainty.

So, even though he’s been exhausted to the point of collapse these past few days, Wang Anguo is still thrilled.

Just as Wang Anguo was about to seal the final case file, the office door burst open!

It was already past five in the afternoon when they returned to the village. As they passed the village office, Li Yi saw a dozen or so women standing there chatting idly. It was obvious they had just returned from working in the fields and were waiting to hand in their work reports.

Since the fields weren’t very busy at this time of year and there weren’t many production quotas to meet, they finished work relatively early each day.

Those who finished early and couldn’t hand in their work just yet had no choice but to hang out and chat at the village office—a form of leisure unique to rural life.

Just as this group of young women and housewives was chatting away, someone suddenly spotted the bright red mule cart in the distance and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my, isn’t that Yi from the Shan family? Has he come back from the city?”

Everyone looked toward the main road and sure enough, they spotted that familiar bright red mule.

“It is Yiwa. That kid’s a real gem—he takes those little ones out every day to gather and sell mountain produce. My Huzi has already earned over 20 yuan!” said a middle-aged woman in her forties, her face full of gratitude.

Immediately, someone nearby chimed in, “Only twenty yuan? My Shitou has already brought home nearly fifty yuan—that covers the tuition for the little ones next semester!”

“Fifty yuan? Shitou’s mom, you’re not pulling our leg, are you?”

“Why would I make that up? Old Liu’s two kids have earned at least seventy or eighty yuan this past while…”

Just as they were talking, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, look! There seems to be a little girl on the cart too!”

The rural women’s curiosity was instantly piqued, and they all craned their necks to look at the mule cart behind them.

“I can’t see very clearly, but it looks like there are two girls back there?”

“Dongzi’s Mom, you’re not seeing things—it really is two!”

“There’s Na, and the other one looks like Tang, the educated youth…”

“So Yiwa took his wife into town? Should we go take a look?”

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go take a look…”

Li Yi and Tang Xue were just talking when suddenly they saw a dozen or so women walk out onto the main road and block their path.

Li Yi was a bit taken aback and was about to ask what was going on when Shitou’s mother spoke up first: “Yi, have you brought your wife into town?”

“Yeah, we’re taking mushrooms to town and picking up some wedding supplies for my wife while we’re at it!” Li Yi replied immediately.

Hearing this, the women finally noticed the large and small bundles of goods in the back of the mule cart!

Since the mule cart had no cover, they could see at a glance the festive bedsheets and pillowcases inside, along with the snow-white cotton and other items.

This made the women incredibly envious!

Think back to their own weddings—which family didn’t arrive at the groom’s house carrying just a small bundle?

Families with better means might have bought a few new outfits, while those with less might not have even had half a yard of fabric.

But look at this family—their wedding trousseau filled nearly half the cart!

For a moment, the women all looked at Tang Xue with eyes brimming with envy.

“Tang Zhiqing is so lucky—she’ll live a life of luxury with Yiwa from now on!”

“Comrade Tang is so handsome—he and Yiwa make such a perfect match, just like the golden boy and jade girl you see on TV!”

“You’re absolutely right. Your children are sure to be the most beautiful of the lot…”

Tang Xue had never seen anything like this before. Faced with such a barrage of praise from the married women in the village, her face had long since turned bright red.

She could only stand there with her head down, smiling awkwardly, not knowing what to say!

Li Na knew her best friend was shy, so she quickly said, “Ladies, we have to go pick up the kids from the back mountain in a bit, so we can’t stay and chat with you!”

Li Yi chimed in, “Ladies, we’ll chat later. We’ve got to go!”

Then, Li Yi gave the big red mule a few light tugs on the reins. The mule cart quickly picked up speed and soon left the village office far behind.

But even so, Tang Xue’s face remained bright red, like a perfectly ripe peach, making Li Yi’s heart flutter!

…….

He had originally planned to drop Tang Xue off at the educated youth commune first, then head to the back mountain to pick up the little rascals.

The kids had gathered quite a lot of mountain produce lately, so Li Yi usually had to drive the mule cart to the back mountain to pick them up.

To Li Yi’s surprise, however, Tang Xue took the initiative today and asked to go with him!

Naturally, Li Yi was more than happy to oblige.

When they got home, they found that neither of their parents was there!

The three of them immediately unloaded everything from the cart into the house. Li Na stayed behind to watch the house while washing the bamboo cups and chopsticks.

Meanwhile, Li Yi took Tang Xue and drove the mule cart to the back mountain.

With Li Na—that super third wheel—out of the picture, Li Yi noticed that Tang Xue didn’t seem as reserved as she had been before.

“Honey, how was your trip to the city?”

Hearing Li Yi call her “wifey” with increasing ease, Tang Xue didn’t bother correcting him—she knew he wouldn’t change it anyway.

“It was nice, but I feel like you spend way too much money!” Tang Xue said honestly.

“Hahaha, isn’t this all to throw us a grand wedding? Actually, I’m pretty frugal in my daily life!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“You’re frugal? Don’t act like I don’t know—you never even ask the price when you buy things. How is that frugal?”

“Honey, do you know what the most painful thing in the world is?” Li Yi suddenly asked.

“Um… loving someone but not being able to have them?”

“No!”

“Then what is it?” Tang Xue asked curiously.

“The most painful thing in the world is when you’re broke but still alive!” Li Yi said with a serious expression.

“Ha!”

Tang Xue burst out laughing at Li Yi’s remark, then covered her mouth and said, “You’re always spouting nonsense!”

But Li Yi just smiled and said, “Honey, money is something you can’t take with you when you’re born or when you die. Don’t take it too seriously—spend it whenever you want!”

“But what if we run out?” Tang Xue asked playfully.

“As long as I’m here, there’s nothing to worry about!”

Hearing this, Tang Xue felt a sudden pang in her heart—a warm sensation, but more than that, a sense of reassurance. It was as if she’d suddenly found a courage that came straight from the depths of her soul.

“Mm!”

And Tang Xue’s soft “Mm” filled Li Yi’s heart with immense joy.

Li Yi had actually been subtly testing Tang Xue with those words just now. He knew that when a man tells a woman, “I’m here—don’t worry,” he’s secretly conveying, “I can protect you, and I’m willing to stand by you.”

If a woman is interested in you, she’ll respond positively; otherwise, she won’t.

Although Tang Xue’s reply was just a soft “Mm,” it signaled her willingness to accept his protection, indicating that she was gradually opening up to him.

Moreover, Li Yi had noticed over the past few days that Tang Xue’s attitude toward him had indeed changed significantly.

Regardless of whether she loves him or not, at the very least she’s willing to communicate with him and no longer rejects his kindness toward her.

Although Li Yi has always known that love is nothing more than a two-way exchange of hearts, the prerequisite is that the other person is willing to exchange with you.

If she won’t let you get close or accept your kindness, what’s the point of exchanging anything?

That’s not an exchange—it’s just throwing yourself at someone who’s not interested. To put it bluntly, that’s being a “lapdog”!

And what Li Yi disliked most was being a “lapdog”—not even if the person being fawned over was Tang Xue.

It seemed now that his wife wasn’t indifferent to his efforts after all; she was starting to respond positively.

Li Yi believes that although their relationship started as a marriage before love, the outcome will surely be a beautiful, mutual love story.

County Bureau, Criminal Investigation Division!

When Li Yi arrived in his mule cart, Li Gang was interrogating a suspect in the interrogation room. Upon learning that Li Yi had arrived, he immediately handed his work over to someone else and came out to greet him.

“Brother Li Yi, I’ve finally been waiting for you!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Captain Li, thanks for your help today!”

“No need to thank me. You’re ridding the community of a menace—we’re on the same side!” Li Gang replied immediately.

It was only then that Li Gang noticed there were other people behind Li Yi. He hurriedly asked, “Who are these two?”

Actually, Li Gang had already noticed Tang Xue and Li Na back at the supply and marketing cooperative. After all, both of them were quite attractive—especially Tang Xue, who stood out as a striking sight among the group of dark-skinned, short, and plump village women.

He just hadn’t realized at the time that they were actually related to Li Yi.

“My sister and my wife!”

Li Yi immediately introduced Li Na and Tang Xue to Li Gang, and at the same time, he revealed Li Gang’s identity to the two women!

Upon learning that the police officer chatting and laughing with Li Yi was actually the deputy captain of the county criminal investigation team, both Li Na and Tang Xue were stunned.

To them, the head of the production brigade was already a big shot; a commune official was a top-level leader; and the captain of the criminal investigation squad was a figure so high-ranking they’d never even dared to imagine.

In an instant, both of them became somewhat self-conscious!

Li Gang, however, didn’t read too much into it and simply invited the three of them into his office.

Once inside, Li Gang had someone pour each of them a glass of water, then sat down across from Li Yi.

“Captain Li, weren’t we supposed to take a statement? Why are we in your office?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.

“Brother Li Yi, there’s no rush with the statement. I have something I’d like to ask you!”

Seeing the look on Li Gang’s face, Li Yi knew exactly what the guy was going to ask.

Before Li Gang could speak, he immediately said, “I know what you’re going to ask. All I can tell you is to stay away from Huo in the future. If you really have no choice, then at least know your limits—don’t try to be a hero!”

Li Gang was instantly shaken, and found Li Yi even more unfathomable.

He hadn’t even opened his mouth, yet the other guy already knew what he was going to ask—this was definitely a true master!

“Then I really am… well, lacking in that area…”

Li Yi cut him off immediately and said, “According to your facial features, yes. But that’s not something that can’t be changed!”

“It can really be changed?”

“It can be changed. Just think about your Captain Wang—he also had the face of one who dies young, but hasn’t he changed that now?” Li Yi said.

“How do you change it? Does it cost money?”

Li Yi shot him a withering look and said, “Can money buy a life? Don’t think money is all-powerful!”

“Then what do we do?”

“Didn’t I tell you to stay away from fire from now on? How many times do I have to say this?” Li Yi said helplessly.

Li Gang hurriedly replied, “I’ll remember. From now on, I’ll definitely stay away from all kinds of fire—even the bonfires on New Year’s Eve, I’ll keep a safe distance from them!”

“That’s the spirit!”

Li Yi then checked the time and said, “Enough of this nonsense. Let’s get this statement recorded. We’ve got to get back!”

“Alright, I’ll take the statement myself!”

Li Gang then led Li Yi to the interrogation room to take the statement, while Tang Xue and Li Na stayed in his office to drink tea.

…….

After the two left, Tang Xue asked in surprise, “How on earth does he know someone like Captain Li? That’s so surprising!”

Li Na was just as confused; she shook her head and said, “I have no idea!”

“Didn’t he mention it to you before, Sister Na?”

“No!”

Li Na continued, “You know what he’s like—he’s a wild one. He never wants to talk to his family about anything. To be honest, if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t even stay home for two days in a month!”

“But… what does that have to do with me?”

“Haha, of course it has something to do with you!”

Li Na added, “I’ll tell you this: ever since that thing happened between you and Xiao Yi, he’s completely changed. For days now, he’s been getting up early and coming home late, working hard to earn money to marry a wife. He hasn’t gone over to the next village to fool around anymore!”

Tang Xue smiled and said, “Well, he really has changed—and he’s got more self-control now!”

“No, it’s because our little Xue is just too charming!” Li Na teased.

Tang Xue’s face flushed slightly, and she said shyly, “Sis Na, if you keep saying things like that, I’m not going to talk to you anymore!”

“Hahaha, I won’t say it anymore, I won’t say it anymore. Why are you getting shy all of a sudden!”

Li Na loved teasing her best friend; seeing the young girl blush made her truly happy.

“Sis Na, I didn’t quite understand what Captain Li was saying to him just now. Did you get it?” Tang Xue asked again.

“No, I’m just as confused as you are!”

Then Li Na added, “Never mind them. Judging by what happened today, Xiao Yi really wasn’t lying to us. He does have connections in the county, so we won’t have to worry about him getting caught selling at his stall anymore!”

“Yeah, he really didn’t lie to us!” Tang Xue said, sounding a bit happy herself.

Li Na looked at her best friend and said with a touch of relief, “Xiao Xue, I’ve actually always felt really guilty toward you. Otherwise, with your qualifications, you’d probably be back in the city by now. And I’ve always felt that Xiao Yi isn’t good enough for you. To be honest, I’m the one who ruined things for you!”

Ever since that incident, Li Na had blamed herself for days on end; it had almost become a constant source of guilt for her!

“Sis Na, don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault—after all, no one could have predicted…”

Before Tang Xue could finish, Li Na cut her off and said, “Xiao Xue, listen to me. Before, I really did feel guilty toward you, like I’d pushed you into a pit of fire, but now, more than anything, I’m grateful to you!”

“What are you grateful to me for?”

“I’m grateful that you helped Xiao Yi settle down, that you helped him become so outstanding, and that you didn’t choose to send him into the abyss at the most critical moment!”

In truth, every time Li Na thought back to what happened that day, she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine and break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Tang Xue had a gentle disposition. If it had been anyone else, they would have insisted that her younger brother was a hooligan, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Given the current climate, her younger brother might have ended up in jail.

So, just as she’d said, Li Na felt both deep remorse and immense gratitude toward Tang Xue.

Tang Xue, however, shook her head and said, “Sister Na, you’ve had some education; you should know that every cloud has a silver lining!”

“It’s true that we got entangled because of an accident, and at first, I felt utterly hopeless. But now I feel that accident might not have been such a bad thing for me after all, and I don’t think going back to the city would necessarily be better!”

“Xiao Xue, do you really feel that way?”

“Yes, that’s exactly how I feel!”

“That’s truly wonderful. Although you’re destined to marry into our Li family, I still hope that when you and Xiao Yi exchange vows, you’ll do so willingly!” Li Na said.

“I do!”

…….

Li Yi felt that the workers were particularly enthusiastic today, and they were also more generous than usual.

Normally, many of them would be satisfied with just a serving of liangpi and a pancake, or at the very least, a cup of cold water.

But today, many were having two servings of dxmbang liangpi with one pancake, or even one serving of liangpi with two pancakes—they were really going all out!

He’d also heard the factory announcement earlier. Though he was surprised the factory would address this matter to the workers, he could still sense the management’s goodwill in the broadcast.

To return the favor, Li Yi was especially generous when portioning out the sides today—everyone got a huge, heaping serving!

Just as Li Yi was busy at work, someone suddenly shouted, “The factory director is coming!” and the workers immediately cleared a path for him.

Almost immediately, Li Yi saw seven or eight middle-aged men wearing Zhongshan suits walking toward him!

Li Yi immediately stopped what he was doing; after all, he was on their turf and couldn’t afford to be rude.

Just as Li Yi was hesitating whether to go over and say hello, he saw the middle-aged man leading the group actually say to him with a friendly smile, “You’ve been working hard, young man. With you here, the food at our factory has clearly improved. Thank you!”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s first thought was, “Has the sun come up in the west?”

These days, when someone sets up a stall on their own turf, the first reaction of those in charge should be to chase them away immediately—after all, no one wants to get dragged into trouble, right?

So the reaction of these sugar factory officials was off—very off!

But Li Yi was no ordinary person. Although he sensed something was off, he didn’t let it show on his face.

Instead, he said with feigned humility, “It’s no trouble at all. I must thank you all for your generosity in allowing a commoner like me to make a living here. I also want to thank my fellow workers for their support. Thank you, everyone!”

At that moment, Director Qiu stepped forward and pointed to the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier, saying, “Young comrade, let me introduce you. This is Director Liang of our sugar factory!”

“You’re Comrade Plant Manager? I truly neglected my manners just now!” Li Yi said hurriedly.

“I’m just an ordinary person too—don’t worry about it!”

Then Director Liang turned to Director Qiu and said, “Liangyong, didn’t you say you’d treat the six of us to some liangpi? Let’s get on with it!”

Director Qiu immediately replied, “Young comrade, there are eight of us. Bring us eight servings of liangpi, plus twelve white pancakes—and make sure to load them up with chili!”

“Sure thing, everyone, just a moment!”

The liangpi was prepared in no time, and Li Yi handed it out to the officials one by one, but he didn’t accept any payment from them.

However, Director Qiu clearly didn’t want to take advantage of him, so in the end, he handed the money and grain coupons to Li Na.

Meanwhile, Tang Xue sat to the side, watching the sugar factory’s top officials squat on the ground just like ordinary workers, eating the cold noodles and flatbreads Li Yi had made. She couldn’t help but feel that the scene was a bit bizarre!

In fact, Tang Xue wasn’t the only one who felt this way; most of the workers also found it somewhat unbelievable.

Don’t let their modest administrative ranks fool you—within this factory, these plant managers and deputy managers were local tyrants with immense power.

Normally, it was hard enough for ordinary factory workers like them to even catch a glimpse of these executives, let alone sit down and eat together like this.

Moreover, they knew the factory had a dedicated canteen for the executives. Under normal circumstances, master chefs prepared their meals for lunch and dinner—so why on earth would they come here to eat liangpi?

Of course, they had no idea that the executives were doing this simply to make a good impression on the young man selling liangpi.

They assumed Li Yi’s liangpi was simply so delicious that the executives couldn’t resist trying it—which, in effect, served as a free advertisement for his business.

More importantly, with these executives setting the example, it effectively signaled to the rest of the factory’s employees that buying liangpi here was perfectly acceptable.

As a result, even more workers came to sample Li Yi’s liangpi!

Over 300 servings of liangpi were completely sold out by a little past 1:00 p.m., and the 200-plus liangpi cakes had been sold out long before that.

Afterward, Li Yi, accompanied by Li Na and Tang Xue, cleaned up the area and then set off for the county public security bureau in a mule cart.

On the way, Tang Xue asked in surprise, “Is your business usually this good every day?”

“Pretty much, but today seems even better. Usually, it takes until around 2:00 PM to sell all 300 portions of liangpi!” Li Yi replied.

“That’s still pretty fast!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “So, would you be interested in setting up a stall with me in the future?”

“Me… would I be able to?”

“Of course you can, but I think it’s a bit of a waste to spend your time running a stall. You should be doing something more meaningful!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“What do you mean by ‘more meaningful things’?”

“Studying!”

“Studying?” Tang Xue asked, looking utterly incredulous.

“Hmm, I remember you went to high school, right?”

“I did, but I was sent to the countryside before I graduated!” Tang Xue replied.

“As you know, the national college entrance exam has been reinstated. In the past two years, many people have changed their lives through it. So I hope you can settle down and study hard—maybe the Li family will have a college graduate of our own someday!” Li Yi said.

Tang Xue’s eyes lit up instantly, but then darkened again.

“Only unmarried people can take the college entrance exam, and we’re about to…”

There hadn’t been this requirement a few years ago, but starting this year, the authorities issued a directive setting two criteria for the college entrance exam: applicants must be under 25 and unmarried!

Tang Xue was only 19 this year, so age wasn’t an issue, but since she was about to get married, she clearly didn’t meet the requirements.

However, Li Yi smiled and said, “What’s the big deal? We can hold the wedding banquet first, and as for the marriage certificate, we can wait to get it for now!”

“But… does not having a marriage certificate mean you’re unmarried?” Tang Xue asked in surprise.

“Exactly. As long as we don’t get the marriage certificate, legally you’re still unmarried!”

Li Yi then added, “I definitely won’t put off getting married to you forever, so if you want to go to college, you’d better buckle down and study. Once you get into college, we’ll go get the certificate!”

“Okay, thank you!” Tang Xue said earnestly.

To be honest, she never would have imagined that Li Yi would actually be willing to let her study and go to college.

After all, these days, let alone married women—even for unmarried girls, there are few families willing to pay for their education.

In the traditional view held by most people, what good is it for a woman to study so much?

Even if women hold up half the sky, girls are ultimately meant to get married—and the sky they’ll be holding up belongs to someone else’s family. Yet the money spent on their education comes from their own family.

Therefore, most parents were reluctant to let their daughters pursue an education.

This was especially true for married women—after all, once married, they were expected to be the family’s main labor force, earning work points and bearing children.

But Li Yi believed that for her, earning money was a waste of time; only studying was truly meaningful.

These words struck a chord deep within Tang Xue’s heart, making her instantly feel that marrying Li Yi might be the absolute best decision of her life—without a doubt!

Qingshan County State-Owned Sugar Factory!

As the county’s only large-scale sugar manufacturing plant, it employed over a thousand workers daily and was a well-known major enterprise in Qingshan County.

Yet this morning, as the workers arrived for their shifts, their conversations weren’t about production progress or how many spots were left for permanent positions—instead, they were all discussing whether that young man with the street stall would be back.

Everyone at the sugar factory—from the director and deputy director down to the ordinary workers—was absolutely fascinated by Li Yi’s little stall.

Since the sugar factory is doing exceptionally well, the workers’ wages are among the highest in Qing Shan County. Even temporary workers who’ve just joined the factory can earn 25 yuan a month.

As for the permanent employees, their wages generally ranged from 35 to 38 yuan, while for team leaders and management, they were at least 45 yuan.

High wages meant strong purchasing power, but before Li Yi set up his stall here, even if they had money, they didn’t really know how to spend it.

In their spare time, they’d usually get a few friends together and chip in to buy some meat for a stew!

But ever since Li Yi arrived, everyone has gotten used to stopping by his little stall at lunchtime to grab a serving of liangpi and a white-crust pancake, then chatting with a few friends—life couldn’t be better.

And even doing this every day only costs six or seven yuan a month—it’s a real bargain.

But just yesterday, some damn snitch reported that young guy, and the police took him right away.

Everyone knows that these days, the police crack down hard on street vendors and small-scale traders—that young guy might even end up getting sentenced.

Thinking about never being able to eat such delicious liangpi again, everyone feels a bit of regret!

As the workday drew to a close, the workers—who had grown accustomed to their midday meal of liangpi and white-skin pancakes—felt a sense of emptiness, as if something important were missing.

“Ring-ring-ring…”

The bell signaling the end of the workday finally rang, and the workers immediately put down their tools and walked out of the production hall.

Just as everyone was wondering what to do for lunch, a broadcast suddenly blared from the sugar factory’s loudspeakers: “Attention workers in all workshops! The young vendor at the gate is back—he’s back!”

The announcement played three times in a row before finally ending, leaving all the workers staring in utter bewilderment.

Everyone was curious about how that young man had managed to escape the police, but they were even more curious about why the factory’s announcer had suddenly lost her mind and started broadcasting such things.

But these thoughts were merely fleeting; in the next moment, everyone’s actions were remarkably in sync as they took off running toward the main gate!

Yesterday, many had missed out on the liangpi because they arrived too late—they couldn’t be late today!

Just as the workers were swarming toward the main gate, several factory executives in the small two-story office building directly across from the gate stood there, staring blankly at the scene!

After a long silence, a middle-aged man in his forties suddenly asked, “Why did the broadcast room suddenly announce this? Isn’t this just nonsense?”

“Director Qiu, you’re in charge of that. Why don’t you go check it out?” another executive said with a frown.

Director Qiu from the sugar factory’s office looked just as baffled and immediately replied, “I had no idea about this. I never instructed the broadcast room to announce it. I’ll go check what’s going on right now…”

Just then, Plant Manager Liang Yukuai, seated at the head of the table, suddenly said, “No need to investigate. I told the broadcast room to announce it!”

“Old Liang, what are you doing? Is that young man a relative of yours?” Deputy Plant Manager Zhou Jian asked in surprise.

Director Liang shook his head and said, “If he were really a relative of mine, I wouldn’t have done this. Wouldn’t it be better to just invite him to work in our factory’s small canteen and have him make liangpi exclusively for us?”

“Then what’s this about…”

“A friend from the Public Security Bureau asked me to handle it this way. He said that young man setting up his stall at the entrance isn’t breaking the law. Yesterday, they didn’t understand the situation and disrupted his business, so he asked me to look out for him!”

Hearing Director Liang’s words, everyone present fell into deep thought.

Every one of them had risen to their current positions through cunning and experience.

Although Director Liang had phrased it rather vaguely, they all understood perfectly well: the young man outside had connections at the Public Security Bureau.

And anyone who was on good terms with Director Liang—and whom he referred to as a “friend”—was certainly no ordinary person.

With someone of that rank and status looking out for him, running a small business on the outskirts of the county certainly didn’t require him to worry about much.

Just then, Office Director Qiu Liangyong suddenly spoke up: “I gather none of you leaders have had lunch yet. How about I treat everyone to liangpi with white flatbread today?”

Factory Director Liang thought for a moment, then said, “Since Director Qiu is willing to splurge, let’s not stand on ceremony. Let’s go!”

“Hahaha, Old Qiu is treating us—we’d be fools not to accept!”

“Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll have two pancakes today…”

With that, the group left the office in high spirits, heading straight for Li Yi’s food stall.

By then, the small stall outside the factory grounds was already crowded with workers.

It was Tang Xue’s first time accompanying Li Yi to his stall, and she never imagined his little business would be so bustling.

Seeing the sea of workers waiting to eat liangpi before her, Tang Xue was stunned.

In contrast, Li Na moved with practiced ease, helping Li Yi collect payments and give change, clearly enjoying the hustle and bustle.

Tang Xue wanted to help too, but she realized she couldn’t really do much, and Li Yi didn’t want her to get involved anyway, so he just had her sit in the shade and watch.

To be honest, watching the brother and sister bustling about like this, Tang Xue thought it was actually quite a lovely scene.

Actually, before coming, she’d wondered what Li Yi’s stall would be like during business hours—whether it would be like the black market in the county town, with everyone rushing about as if they were up to no good.

But once she arrived, she realized it wasn’t like that at all—both buyers and sellers were completely relaxed.

After buying the liangpi, the workers would carry their bamboo tubes over to the shade of the nearby trees, then eat while chatting with their friends.

They ate to their hearts’ content and chatted happily, with not a trace of tension!

At the same time, Tang Xue found herself wondering if she might be the one standing by Li Yi’s side in the future!

If that were the case, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Although she had to commute to the county seat every day—a round trip of dozens of kilometers—having a stable and decent income, plus someone who liked her by her side, and not having to worry about all the nonsense back home, made life seem pretty good.

At this thought, Tang Xue couldn’t help but daydream!

………

After seeing Wang Guoguang off, Li Yi and Li Na both breathed a sigh of relief.

Mr. Wang’s status was truly extraordinary. Not only was he a figure of considerable importance himself, but his son was a big shot they couldn’t afford to cross—someone they simply couldn’t afford to slight.

“Sis Na, who is this old gentleman…”

Before Li Na could answer, Li Yi said, “He’s the elderly gentleman we rescued on the night of our engagement. His background is a bit complicated—I’ll explain it to you in detail later. For now, let’s just go shopping!”

“Okay!”

Li Yi then led Tang Xue and Li Na to the counter.

Because of the incident earlier, all the clerks at the supply and marketing cooperative knew these people weren’t to be messed with, so a seasoned clerk immediately came over to assist them.

Moreover, several veteran employees recognized Li Yi, knowing he was the wealthy man who had been coming to their supply and marketing cooperative every day lately to buy up supplies in bulk.

At the same time, everyone secretly mocked that fool Zhou Fengmei, who spent all day trying to seduce her boss and paid no attention to anything else.

If only she’d paid a little more attention to those influential big-spending customers—or even listened to what us ordinary sales clerks had to say—she wouldn’t have mistaken Li Yi for some ordinary peasant.

“Comrade, what can I help you with?”

Li Yi glanced at the red quilt cover that had sparked the earlier altercation and asked, “How many of these do you have in stock?”

He knew that for high-end goods like this, even the county supply and marketing cooperative wouldn’t keep many in stock.

The saleswoman counted carefully and said, “We have four in total!”

“I’ll take them all!” Li Yi declared boldly.

“All… all of them?”

“Yes, I’ll take them all. I don’t want to say it a third time!” Li Yi said calmly.

At those words, everyone in the room was stunned!

Is this the “peasant” that stupid woman was talking about—the one who can’t afford to buy anything?

What kind of judgment is that?

Not only did he buy them, but he snapped up all four at once—surprised? Unexpected?

It’s just a shame that stupid woman was taken away by the police. If she were here, I’d really love to see the look on her face.

Tang Xue was also looking completely astonished, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something, but Li Na held her back.

Then Li Yi spoke again: “Get me some more plain-colored fabric—the kind used for mattress pads!”

“How many do you need?”

“Enough for four mattress pads!”

Li Yi continued, “Oh, and cotton—two thick quilts, two thin ones, plus four mattress pads. How many pounds do you think that’ll be?”

The sales clerk seemed quite experienced in this area; after a quick calculation, she said, “About 28 jin should be enough!”

“Then let’s get 30 jin!”

“Alright!”

“Do you have any red wedding gowns here?”

“We don’t have those, but we do have fabric for making wedding gowns. Most people buy the fabric themselves and have it tailored!”

“Alright, then. I’ll take a set of fabric for a red wedding gown, plus two sets of plain cotton fabric, and some shoes…”

……..

Today, Li Yi showed everyone present exactly what it means to be extravagant and to spend money without a second thought!

Anything that could be used for the wedding—or anything he thought his bride might like—he had one word for it: Buy!

In less than half an hour, Li Yi had already spent over two hundred yuan, leaving everyone present utterly stunned.

If Tang Xue hadn’t felt that Li Yi’s behavior was truly a bit outrageous and forced herself to speak up and stop him, they would have genuinely worried that he might end up blowing through the entire 700 yuan in his pocket.

Even so, Tang Xue gained a whole new perspective on Li Yi’s spending habits!

Of course, she also gained a clearer understanding of her own standing in Li Yi’s heart.

Don’t get me wrong—Li Yi certainly didn’t hold back on spending today, but aside from a small amount on ordinary cotton fabric, the vast majority of the money went toward her.

But Tang Xue could see clearly that Li Yi didn’t even bat an eye when he was buying things for her!

She did the math carefully: from the dowry and gifts given by Dxmbang for their engagement, to the bicycle and various small gifts that followed, plus all the things he’d bought her today.

Even without counting the new house currently under construction, Li Yi had spent over 500 yuan on her.

That’s 500 yuan!

Given the income level of ordinary villagers, even if a family of four were all earning work points, it would take at least three years to save up that much money.

But Li Yi had spent it all on her like that, seemingly without a second thought!

If Li Yi didn’t like her, Tang Xue didn’t think she’d believe it. After all, no man would willingly spend money on a woman he didn’t like—especially not that much.

Unless he’s out of his mind!

But clearly, Li Yi is a smart man!

There was only one possible explanation for his actions: he liked her—truly, from the bottom of his heart.

With this realization, Tang Xue felt she really should give their relationship some serious thought.

Before, she’d thought she could give Li Yi a chance to pursue her, but now she felt she might try taking the initiative herself.

So, after leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Tang Xue took the initiative to sit in the front right seat of the mule cart, just a body’s length away from Li Yi.

Li Yi thought she had something to ask him, so after saying goodbye to Liu San’er, he spoke up: “Are you upset that I’m spending money recklessly?”

Tang Xue had originally intended to shake her head; after all, it was his money, and she had no right to tell him how much to spend.

But then she thought about how the two of them would be living together in the future. If he continued to spend money so recklessly, that wouldn’t be good, so she nodded immediately.

“Some things really aren’t worth buying!”

Li Na chimed in, “Exactly. Take bedding, for instance—who gets four sets of bedding for a wedding? Two new quilts is more than enough!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s just a few new quilts. I don’t think that’s a waste. Xiao Xue and I are only getting married once in our lives—we can’t just settle for something mediocre!”

Li Na shot him a look and complained helplessly, “What do you mean ‘making do’? Never mind the dowry—just the wedding supplies you’re buying would make so many girls green with envy!”

“Third Sister, are you jealous too?”

“Of course! A bicycle, a new house, and all these wonderful things—I’m so jealous my eyes are red!”

“Hahaha, then hurry up and find me a brother-in-law. When you get married, I’ll give you a matching set of the same things!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Really?”

“Of course I do. When Big Sister and Second Sister got married, I was too young and didn’t have the means, but when you get married, I’ll definitely make sure you’re the envy of everyone!”

“Then it’s a deal—no backing out!” Li Na said with a smile.

“No backing out!”

Distracted by Li Na’s banter, Tang Xue forgot to mention anything else to Li Yi. By the time she remembered, they had already arrived at the sugar factory gate!

Li Gang had risen to the rank of deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Division for a reason—he was a shrewd man. With just a single glance, he understood exactly what Li Yi meant.

He pushed through the crowd, walked up to Li Yi, and said, “Comrade, what kind of report do you wish to file?”

“Officer, I want to report them for class discrimination, looking down on ordinary people, and humiliating others.”

Li Yi continued, “Furthermore, I’m reporting these two for engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct. What that woman just said proves it—everyone here can vouch for me!”

The bald director was now panicking, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

“Officer, it’s a misunderstanding—it’s all a misunderstanding…”

However, Li Gang didn’t give him a chance to explain or make excuses. He said in a deep voice, “Shut up! I’m not asking you anything right now!” dxmbang

Shouted at like that by Li Gang, the bald director shuddered and dared not speak another word.

At that moment, Li Gang turned to Li Yi again and said, “Comrade, could you tell us the specifics of the situation?”

“Certainly. We’re just ordinary farmers from the countryside. We were thinking…”

Li Yi immediately recounted everything that had just happened in minute detail, neither embellishing the story nor evading the issues; he simply repeated the sequence of events as they had occurred.

Whether it was Wang Guoguang standing nearby or the other villagers, everyone nodded in agreement after hearing Li Yi’s words.

They thought to themselves, “This young man is impressive; he speaks with great fairness.”

Li Gang now understood what had happened. He glanced at Wang Guoguang standing nearby; seeing the old man give a subtle nod, he knew that everything Li Yi had said was true.

Immediately, he walked up to the bald director with a stern expression and said, “Please come with me.”

“Officer, this… I…”

Li Gang ignored him and instead addressed the several subordinates behind him: “Take them back to the station, and call their immediate superiors to report this!”

“Yes, sir!”

Now Director Gu Tongfu and Zhou Fengmei were both stunned. They never would have imagined that a simple verbal altercation would land them in the police station.

Being taken to the station wasn’t the scary part—what was terrifying were the potential repercussions!

Although this trivial matter wouldn’t land them in prison, it would have a major impact on their careers. After all, as the police officer had just said, the first step was to notify their superiors.

It was easy to imagine that next, their families—and even the Commission for Discipline Inspection—would be notified.

After all this turmoil, they might not even be able to keep their government jobs!

At this thought, Gu Tongfu shot Zhou Fengmei a look filled with resentment. It was all because of this stupid woman. Why couldn’t she just stick to selling her goods? Why did she have to pick fights and hurl insults at everyone day in and day out!

Now look at this—she’s not only ruined herself, but dragged me down with her!

But with things having come to this, there was nothing he could do. He could only pray that this stupid woman would keep her mouth shut—and not blab everything out once she got to the police station!

If that happened, it might not end with just being fired from public office!

…….

Leaving aside the two of them being led away with such pitiful expressions, back at the supply and marketing cooperative, after issuing his orders, Li Gang approached Wang Guoguang and said cautiously, “Uncle Wang!”

Wang Guoguang glanced at him, nodded, and said, “Not bad. You’re starting to look the part of a People’s Public Security officer. It seems those years in the army weren’t wasted!”

Li Gang gave an awkward smile and said, “Uncle Wang, weren’t you hospitalized a few days ago? How are you feeling now?”

“I’m all better now. Nothing serious!”

“That’s good to hear. My dad mentioned just the other day that he wanted to visit you, but right after he said that, he was sent on a business trip to the provincial capital!”

“Hahaha, tell him not to worry about such trivial matters—work comes first!”

At that moment, Li Yi smiled and asked, “Do you two know each other?”

Li Gang smiled and said, “Our families are neighbors. My dad and Uncle Wang have been close friends for decades!”

Hearing this, Li Yi was secretly surprised. It seemed this young man’s family background wasn’t half bad either.

After all, if his family has a long-standing friendship with the county Party secretary’s family, his own family must be well-connected too.

That’s just how social circles work—people within the same circle are generally on a similar level.

It’s rare for a billionaire to have a lifelong friendship with someone earning a monthly salary of three thousand yuan—though this isn’t an absolute rule, it’s generally the case.

Old Man Wang then turned to Li Gang and said, “If you’ve got nothing else to do, go about your business. I’d like to have a word with this young man!”

Li Gang didn’t think much of it and replied, “Uncle Wang, after all, this comrade filed the report today. According to procedure, we should take his statement… What do you think?”

In truth, taking a statement was one thing, but what was more important was that Li Gang wanted to have a proper chat with Li Yi.

But he didn’t dare say that outright, fearing that Uncle Wang Guoguang—who was notoriously curious—might probe further, and then he’d really have a hard time explaining himself.

He certainly couldn’t say he was talking to him because the guy had called him a “short-lived ghost”!

If he did that, Li Gang could easily imagine his uncle giving him a good scolding.

Li Yi replied immediately, “As for the statement, I’ll come to your station this afternoon after I’m done with my work. Does that work for you?”

“Sure, I’ll wait for you at the station!”

“Sure!”

After Li Gang left, Old Master Wang stepped forward and said, “You really gave me a hard time trying to find you, you rascal!”

Li Yi smiled and replied, “It’s just that when I saw you were out of danger the other day, I didn’t want to bother you. And after I found out who you really were, I certainly didn’t dare to come back!”

“You’re my savior, old man. What’s there to be afraid of?” Wang Guoguang frowned.

“Hahaha, it’s not about you—I was worried people might say I was exploiting your kindness for personal gain. After all, who knows how many people are trying to curry favor with your son through you!” Li Yi replied honestly.

Wang Guoguang chuckled. “You’re a sharp one, you are. But young people should show a bit more ambition. Why overthink things like that? You’re acting just like an old man!”

“Maybe I’m overthinking it, or maybe you’re just more laid-back. I’ll come visit you when I have time!”

“I’ll take you at your word!”

“Alright, alright. Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll definitely come visit you in person…”

Just then, Wang Guoguang turned to Li Na standing nearby and said, “Young lady, I don’t quite trust this kid. Promise your uncle that when you’re not so busy, you’ll come over to my place for a visit. My name is Wang Guoguang, and I live in the staff housing complex at the glass factory!”

Li Na knew exactly who this old man was, so she hurriedly replied, “Sure, once things calm down, I’ll bring him over. I promise!”

“That’s great! You two look pretty busy, so I won’t keep you any longer. See you later!” Wang Guoguang said.

“See you later, take care!”

“Mm-hmm!”

……..

Li Yi turned his head and was surprised to see a familiar face!

He really hadn’t expected to see Old Master Wang here.

Wang Guoguang recognized Li Yi as well, but instead of approaching him, he merely nodded in his direction.

The bald director frowned at the old man who had suddenly appeared, then said, “Comrade, this has nothing to do with you. Please don’t make trouble where there isn’t any!”

Wang Guoguang immediately retorted angrily, “How is this none of my business? Did you see the slogan on your heads? ‘Serve the People.’ I am one of the people you’re supposed to serve!”

Wang Guoguang continued, “This doesn’t just concern me—it concerns everyone here, because we are all the people!”

“You… you’re just being unreasonable!” the bald director said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“What do you mean, ‘making a fuss’? I think you’re just feeling guilty!” Wang Guoguang said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

“What do I have to feel guilty about?”

“Hah. Think about what you just said: ‘If you can’t afford it, don’t hold up the staff.’ If we don’t ask about the price, how are we supposed to know if we can afford it? If we don’t ask anything at all, then what’s the point of having you people here?”

Then the old man added, “I’d also like to emphasize one more point: this supply and marketing cooperative is merely a unit under the government’s centralized purchasing and distribution system. All goods are intended for the common people—it’s not as if expensive items are reserved for officials!”

Seeing Wang Guoguang’s commanding presence, the bald director knew he was no ordinary person and immediately asked, “Who exactly are you, and why are you getting involved in this mess?”

“Just an ordinary citizen. What’s wrong with that? Is there a problem?”

“You…”

Seeing the bald man’s furious expression, Li Yi immediately interjected, “Old man, don’t stoop to his level. I think we should report this to the Public Security Bureau and the Commission for Discipline Inspection!”

The bald man snapped, “What does this have to do with the police or the Commission?”

“Why wouldn’t it? We came here to shop and were verbally abused by your staff—isn’t that something the police should handle?” Li Yi said calmly.

“And what does the Commission for Discipline Inspection have to do with it?”

“Haha, I have serious doubts about your work ethic and competence. I really wonder how you managed to get hired at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. So I’m asking the comrades from the Commission for Discipline Inspection to look into it—is that a problem?”

Before the bald director could answer, Li Yi continued, “Also, I think there’s something fishy going on between you and this female colleague. Where have you ever seen a woman who’s been wronged throw herself at her boss, crying and wailing like that? So I have reason to believe you two are involved in an improper romantic relationship—that needs to be investigated by the Discipline Inspection Commission as well!”

To be honest, Li Yi had spotted the shady dealings between the bald man and the female sales clerk at a glance.

He hadn’t intended to get involved with these people, but since the two of them were being so tactless, he saw no need to spare their feelings and spoke up on the spot.

The bald director’s face turned pale the moment he heard this, and he immediately retorted, “You… you’re slandering me! I have every right to sue you!”

“No need for you to sue me—I’ll go get the police and the Discipline Inspection Commission right now!” Li Yi said, completely unafraid.

“You… Comrade, I admit that Comrade Zhou Fengmei’s work attitude was at fault. I’ll have her apologize to you, and we’ll call it even, okay?”

The bald director was flexible enough to know that if this matter were to escalate, it would be bad for both him and Zhou Fengmei, so he wanted to smooth things over.

However, he had underestimated just how foolish the woman standing next to him was. Upon hearing the bald director tell her to apologize, she immediately became displeased.

“I won’t apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong…”

“Shut up! This isn’t up to you. Apologize right now, or don’t bother coming to work tomorrow!” the bald director snapped.

“Just you wait, Gu Tongfu! You’ve already taken advantage of a young, beautiful, innocent girl like me, and now you want to fire me? I’m going to the county authorities to report you…”

The moment those words left her mouth, the entire room erupted in an uproar!

Everyone had initially thought Li Yi was just talking nonsense, but they never expected his words to come true!

In an instant, the expressions on everyone’s faces changed as they looked at the two of them!

Even the bald director, Gu Tongfu, turned pale with fear at the foolish woman’s words. Was this really something to be said in such a setting? If word got back to higher-ups, he’d be finished.

This was a matter of conduct. If the higher-ups really got wind of it, not even a god could save him!

“Smack!”

A hard slap landed squarely across her face, sending the saleswoman named Zhou Fengmei stumbling backward several steps before she finally steadied herself.

At that moment, the saleswoman realized she had said the wrong thing. She immediately covered her face and began crying in the corner, not daring to utter another word.

Gu Tongfu, however, addressed the crowd: “I’m sorry, folks. This comrade of ours has a habit of talking nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart…”

Li Yi, however, replied coldly, “Whether it’s nonsense or not, telling us won’t do you any good. You’d better start thinking about how you’re going to explain this to the comrades from the Commission for Discipline Inspection!”

Gu Tongfu said with a grim expression, “Comrade, why are you being so relentless? What exactly do you want?”

“You make it sound like we’ve done something to you. Remember what I just told you—this isn’t over!”

Faced with such a scoundrel, Li Yi just wanted to beat him to death with a club—he had no intention of keeping him alive for the New Year.

Just then, someone shouted, “The police are here!”

Li Yi looked toward the entrance of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and sure enough, saw several uniformed police officers hurrying inside, led by someone he recognized.

As soon as Li Gang stepped inside the supply and marketing cooperative, his eyes darted around the room, as if he were looking for someone.

When he spotted Li Yi in the crowd, he immediately walked over.

Seeing Li Gang walking straight toward him, and judging by his demeanor that he intended to greet him, Li Yi spoke up immediately: “Comrade Police Officer, I need to file a report!”

Li Gang had originally intended to have a word with Li Yi. Ever since returning home a few days ago, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the words Li Yi had spoken to him that day; the phrase “short-lived ghost” kept popping into his mind like a curse.

He had never believed in ghosts or spirits, and at first, he hadn’t given the matter a second thought.

But when he saw Wang Anguo follow Li Yi’s lead and effortlessly crack the missing child case that day, his resolve truly began to waver.

Especially Li Yi’s words, “Dig deep”—they still echoed in his ears.

No one could have imagined that those despicable human traffickers had actually locked the children inside an abandoned mine shaft—dozens of meters underground.

Without Li Yi’s guidance, they would never have been able to find the children.

So, not wanting to meet an untimely end, he decided to seek out Li Yi for a chat.

Coincidentally, while running errands today, he spotted Li Yi’s bright red mule outside the supply and marketing cooperative and immediately went inside.

But he never would have guessed that the moment they met, Li Yi would be shouting about calling the police!

The Supply and Marketing Cooperative wasn’t far from the state-run restaurant, and they arrived in no time.

Upon arrival, Li Yi first had his third sister take Tang Xue inside to pick out some items, while he went to park the car.

Since there were still quite a few things in the car, they were easy targets for thieves.

Don’t go spouting nonsense about how people were “simple and honest” back then—in an era of extreme material scarcity, there were plenty of people who couldn’t even put food on the table.

Given the slightest opportunity, those people wouldn’t pass it up.

And since Li Yi’s cart was loaded with food, if left unattended, plenty of people would surely have their eyes on it.

So after securing the mule cart, Li Yi didn’t go inside right away; instead, he crossed the street to call Liu San over.

Li Yi had exchanged bills with Liu San a few times and had privately inquired about the young man.

Although his reputation among the neighbors wasn’t great, he was actually quite loyal and a reliable guy to have around.

Li Yi first traded some grain and cloth coupons with him, then took all the industrial coupons he had, and finally asked Liu San to keep an eye on the cart before striding into the supply and marketing cooperative.

But as soon as he stepped inside, he heard a commotion; listening closely, it sounded like people were arguing.

Li Yi didn’t usually pay much attention to such things. These days, arguments—let alone fistfights—were a daily occurrence at the supply and marketing cooperative. As long as it didn’t involve him, Li Yi generally didn’t bother to get involved.

But he soon realized he couldn’t just ignore it—because the person in the argument was none other than his third older sister, Li Na!

“…What gives you the right to look down on people? Just because I’m not buying anything, does that mean I can’t look? Can’t I ask questions?”

Although he’d only caught a few snippets of the conversation, Li Yi could roughly guess why his third sister was arguing. The sales clerk on the other side had clearly looked down on her, which had sparked her displeasure.

Li Yi immediately walked over and asked, “Sis, what’s going on?”

Seeing her younger brother approach, Li Na felt reassured. Though he was a bit of a rough-and-tumble type, he never backed down in an argument or a fight.

“Yi, she’s being mean! Xue and I had our eyes on that red bedspread—we wanted to buy it to make a wedding quilt for you two—but she looked totally annoyed and even took jabs at Xue!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than the saleswoman in her twenties behind the counter snapped, “How am I bullying you? I just told you not to touch it if you can’t afford it. What did I do wrong?”

Li Yi frowned and said, “How do you know we can’t afford it?”

“Do you know how much that wedding quilt set costs? A whopping 18 yuan. Do you really think you can afford it?”

The saleswoman said smugly. She couldn’t believe that a bunch of penniless country bumpkins would have the nerve to argue with her after hearing that price.

However, what happened next completely caught her off guard!

Li Yi said coldly, “Do you think that just because these two ladies are dressed more simply—not as flashy as you—they aren’t worthy of your service?”

“No…”

“Don’t explain—explanations are just excuses! Let me tell you, behavior like this is class discrimination. It shows you look down on the masses and discriminate against the vast majority of farmers!”

Li Yi continued, “Everyone says workers and farmers are one and the same, but it seems you’ve forgotten your roots. Never mind whether we dress well or not—we live with dignity. We haven’t eaten a single grain of rice from your family, nor worn an inch of cloth from your family. What right do you have to flaunt your superiority in front of us?”

“Besides, the only reason you lot can stand here acting all high and mighty isn’t because you’re so exceptional, but because ordinary folks like us are toiling away in the countryside, tilling the land to support you.”

“Just look at how you act—eating the grain we grow, yet behaving this way, all while claiming to ‘serve the people.’ Don’t you feel ashamed of yourselves…”

Before she could finish, someone in the crowd shouted in approval, “Well said! That’s exactly right!”

“Exactly! Let them keep looking down on people with their dog’s eyes—this time they’ve met their match!”

“That’s the spirit! They’re all so stuck-up, don’t know where to vent their frustration, and we have to put up with their nonsense just to buy something…”

This sales clerk’s attitude had always been poor, so many people were already fed up with her.

Now that someone had directly confronted her, many people stepped forward to criticize her.

In an instant, the whole supply and marketing cooperative was in an uproar, as if it were a public trial.

The saleswoman had never seen anything like this before; she turned pale with fear.

She was genuinely afraid these roughnecks would overturn the counter and rush in to beat her up.

Just then, a balding middle-aged man emerged from a door behind the display cases and shouted, “What’s all the commotion about? Don’t you know this is a supply and marketing cooperative?”

Seeing the bald man enter, the female clerk looked at him as if he were her savior and immediately began wailing at the top of her lungs, looking as though she’d suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

The bald man hurriedly asked, “Why are you crying? What happened? Who’s bullying you?”

The female clerk immediately pointed at Li Yi and said, “It’s him… he’s bullying me!”

The bald man turned to Li Yi and snapped, “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to bully people? Don’t you know this is a supply and marketing cooperative?”

Hearing this, Li Yi flew into a rage and shouted, “If you hadn’t said that, I would’ve thought this was some kind of shady shop!”

“What do you mean by that? You’re slandering our Supply and Marketing Cooperative!” the bald man shouted.

“With your attitude toward work, do I even need to slander you? Just look at the looks on everyone’s faces—you should know how angry they are!” Li Yi said coldly.

The bald man glanced at the crowd of onlookers and, sure enough, saw everyone staring at him with anger in their eyes. He immediately realized something was wrong.

“Comrade Zhou Fengmei, what exactly is going on here?”

“Director… it’s just that they didn’t have the money to buy anything, yet they kept asking all sorts of questions. Plus, she reached out to touch that expensive duvet cover of ours, so I scolded them a bit. I never expected this comrade to start yelling at me!”

No sooner had the saleswoman finished speaking than the bald manager turned to Li Yi and said, “Comrade, this is where you’re in the wrong…”

Before the man could finish, Li Yi took a step forward and said coldly, “I’d like to hear exactly what we, as consumers, did wrong. Let me tell you, we’re going to settle this today!”

As he spoke, Li Yi exuded the aura of a big shot from his past life, and everyone was intimidated by his presence.

The bald manager was clearly startled, but he stubbornly retorted, “It’s clearly your fault. You should shop within your means. If you can’t afford it, don’t waste our staff’s time—we’re very busy!”

“Besides, we have to set aside many of these expensive items for our superiors. If you get them dirty or damage them, how are we supposed to sell them to other customers?”

Hearing this, Li Yi burst out laughing in exasperation. Just as he was about to give the bald director a sharp retort…

Suddenly, an angry voice rang out from behind him: “Shut up!”

……

After leaving the state-run restaurant, Li Yi drove straight to the supply and marketing cooperative with Tang Xue and Li Na in tow.

Today, he planned to buy some wedding supplies for Tang Xue. After all, for women in this era, getting married was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and one should do everything possible to avoid any regrets!

Meanwhile, Tang Xue felt a bit dazed in the cart. When she glanced at the olive-green shoulder bag hanging from Li Yi’s waist, her face was filled with disbelief.

She had seen it with her own eyes just moments ago: by selling mushrooms and a small batch of liangpi, Li Yi had managed to bring back at least six or seven hundred yuan from the state-run restaurant. It was truly astonishing.

She had heard from Li Na before that Li Yi was good at making money.

But back then, Li Na had only mentioned that he could make a few dozen yuan a day.

Although, in Tang Xue’s eyes, a few dozen yuan a day was already a lot—enough to match someone else’s monthly salary.

But now it seemed she had underestimated Li Yi’s earning potential—this was completely beyond her imagination.

Seeing the hesitant look on his wife’s face, Li Yi smiled and said, “We’re family. Just say what’s on your mind. It’s hard to watch you beating around the bush like this!”

Tang Xue was a little hesitant to look at him, but she asked curiously, “How much did you make today?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Tang Xue realized the question was a bit… well, she hurriedly explained, “I… I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just curious…”

Li Yi smiled and said, “658!”

“658, in one day?”

Although she had mentally prepared herself, Tang Xue was still taken aback by the answer.

She had recently received her reassignment order, and according to the transfer notice, her assigned workplace was the woolen mill in their city.

Tang Xue was well aware of the pay and working conditions at the woolen mill, since her mother was a factory worker there.

As far as she knew, a full-time female worker at the woolen mill earned a maximum of 28 yuan a month; only team leaders could make 30 yuan.

In other words, the money Li Yi earned in a single day was equivalent to her salary for two and a half years after returning to the city!

More importantly, the money he earned came so easily—it was practically a gift.

“It’s not that much. I still have to share some with the kids back in the village when I get home!” Li Yi said.

“Last night I saw you give them a total of only a hundred or two yuan. Does that mean the rest is all your pure profit?”

“Yeah, on a day like today, I can make about four hundred yuan!” Li Yi said.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Na chimed in from the side, “You haven’t even counted the money from the street stall yet—it’s definitely more than four hundred yuan!”

But to Tang Xue, standing nearby, whether it was four hundred or a little more, it was a figure she could never hope to reach.

Suddenly, Tang Xue recalled what Zhang Xinyao had said that night.

Li Yi wasn’t the good-for-nothing he used to be anymore. Not only was he handsome, but now he was also so good at making money.

At this rate, the Li family wouldn’t take long to become a family with assets over ten thousand yuan. She feared she really wasn’t good enough for him anymore.

In an instant, Tang Xue realized that the things she had once taken pride in meant nothing to Li Yi. With his current capabilities, he could easily marry someone younger and more beautiful.

Moreover, Tang Xue was certain that if the villagers knew he could earn in a single day what others made in a year, countless families would be clamoring to marry their daughters to him.

At this thought, Tang Xue suddenly felt a twinge of pressure!

Li Yi noticed Tang Xue’s unease, smiled, and said, “Did that scare you?”

Tang Xue didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed; she nodded immediately and said, “A little!”

“Hehe, it’s fine. From now on, you’ll handle the finances in our household!”

“Me… I’ll handle the money?”

“That’s right. I’ll be in charge of earning money to support the family, and you’ll be in charge of looking as beautiful as a flower!” Li Yi said earnestly.

Tang Xue had never heard such a “flirtatious” remark before; her face instantly flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her head, unable to look at Li Yi.

Meanwhile, Li Na, standing nearby, looked as if she’d been struck by a thousand blows. She said bitterly, “Li Yi, you’re done for. You’re completely finished!”

“What’s wrong? Why am I finished?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.

“You’re already spoiling her this much before she’s even moved in. I can already see what your status will be at home—you’re definitely going to be a henpecked husband!” Li Na said.

Li Yi shrugged it off. “Is it wrong to spoil my own wife? I’m proud to be a henpecked husband—so what?”

“Being afraid of your wife is a badge of honor? Did a donkey kick you in the head or something?”

Fearing Li Yi might come out with more “lewd” remarks, Tang Xue hurriedly interjected, “Sis Na, don’t tease him. From now on, he’ll make the big decisions in our household, and I’ll handle the small ones!”

Hearing this, before Li Na could even speak, Li Yi couldn’t help but burst out laughing!

Li Na frowned and said, “What are you laughing at? I think what Xiao Xue said makes perfect sense.”

Tang Xue also looked puzzled and said, “Right? Do you think I’m wrong?”

“It’s not wrong, but it reminds me of a story about an old gentleman!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“What story?” Tang Xue asked immediately.

Li Yi replied, “I once heard an old gentleman say that when he first got married, his wife told him, ‘From now on, you’ll make the big decisions at home, and I’ll handle the small ones.’ I was over the moon, thinking I was so lucky to have married such a wonderful wife. But later, I realized I’d fallen into a cesspool!”

“For example, whenever I thought something was a big deal and was about to voice my opinion, my wife would say, ‘It’s such a small thing—do you really need to get involved, you big man?’”

“The result is that in over thirty years of marriage, not a single major incident has ever happened in our household!”

Hearing this, Li Na and Tang Xue couldn’t help but burst into laughter as well, drawing curious glances from passersby on both sides of the street.

After a long pause, Tang Xue suddenly said earnestly, “As long as you treat me well, I’ll allow major events to happen in our family from now on!”

Li Yi, however, smiled faintly. “It’s fine. It’s actually nice not to have any major events at home. A quiet, uneventful life is a blessing!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Seeing the two of them starting to get all lovey-dovey, Li Na said with a hint of exasperation, “Can you two stop being so lovey-dovey in front of me? Hurry up and go shopping—we still have to set up the stall after we’re done!”

Li Yi shot his third older sister—a single woman—a pitying glance, but didn’t say anything else.

His third older sister had always been strong-willed and had high standards.

Over the past few years, there had been no shortage of marriage proposals for her—even the village chief from the neighboring village had come to propose on behalf of his son—but she had turned them all down.

In Li Na’s own words, she wanted to find someone she actually liked.

But Li Yi knew the real reason: she couldn’t bring herself to leave her parents behind.

He hadn’t been doing well for the past few years, and their parents were growing older. If she were to get married, there would truly be no one left to take care of them.

So even if there were a family that truly captured her heart, she could only reluctantly turn them down—in the end, she felt she was just dragging her third sister down.

Still, Li Yi didn’t think there was anything wrong with his third sister’s decision. After all, she was only 21 and still had plenty of options.

Once his business was up and running, he would find her a better match.

With that thought, Li Yi immediately called out to the red mule twice and sped up toward the supply and marketing cooperative!

The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, Li Yi got up at the crack of dawn.

He’d already decided yesterday that he needed to make extra liangpi today. Besides setting up his own stall at the sugar factory gate, he planned to set aside a portion for the state-run restaurant to test the waters.

So, he worked from five in the morning until 8:30 a.m. to finish making over four hundred sheets of liangpi.

Fortunately, Third Sister was there to help; otherwise, if he’d been on his own, he would have been busy until at least ten o’clock.

After loading all the prepared liangpi and sliced toppings onto the cart, Li Yi set off with his third older sister.

They first drove the bright red mule cart to the educated youth commune. By the time they arrived, Tang Xue had already finished packing up.

She hadn’t even needed Li Yi or Captain Zhang to ask for time off for her; Tang Xue had already taken care of everything herself.

Then, the three of them set off for the county seat together!

This was the first time Li Yi had taken Tang Xue out. Although it was just a trip to the county seat, he was still very happy.

In contrast, Tang Xue was a bit shy.

Whenever they encountered other commune members on the road, she would lower her head as much as possible, afraid that others might notice her.

But with only the three of them in the car, there was no way anyone could miss her.

It wasn’t until they left the village that Tang Xue finally snapped out of her “head-in-the-sand” state and began chatting quietly with Li Na.

“Sister Na, didn’t you go to the county seat with him to sell liangpi before? How was it?” Tang Xue asked quietly.

“It was great. You should’ve seen the scene—hundreds of people surrounding us, shoving money into our hands nonstop. It was amazing!” Li Na replied honestly.

“Are there really that many people who like his liangpi?” Tang Xue asked, a bit surprised.

“You bet. Xiao Yi’s cold noodles are chewy, generous in portion, and made with quality ingredients—there are definitely a lot of people who love them!” Li Na said with pride.

“If the police really don’t interfere, this business could actually keep going!” Tang Xue remarked.

“You bet. If we can really keep this business going, you’ll be living the good life from now on!”

Tang Xue’s face flushed instantly, and she said, “Sister Na, and Uncle and Auntie too—let’s all enjoy the good life together!”

“Hmm…”

Although the two of them were speaking very quietly—under normal circumstances, Li Yi wouldn’t have been able to make them out—since his rebirth, Li Yi felt as though some of his sensory functions had been enhanced.

So he had heard every word they’d just said perfectly clear!

Feeling that Tang Xue had begun to accept and was trying to integrate into his family, Li Yi couldn’t have been happier!

And so, listening to Tang Xue and Third Sister whispering to each other, Li Yi drove the mule cart into the county town.

Once in town, Li Yi headed to the state-run restaurant as usual to deliver the mushrooms!

He unloaded the mushrooms from the cart and had his third sister hand them over to the staff to be weighed, while he took Tang Xue to Liu Jingshan’s office.

“Ding-ding-ding!!!”

“Come in!”

Pushing the door open, Li Yi saw Liu Jingshan sitting at his desk, fiddling with an abacus, seemingly doing some calculations.

Seeing Li Yi arrive with a beautiful woman, Liu Jingshan hurriedly stood up and said, “It’s Brother Li Yi! And this is…?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “This is my wife-to-be, Tang Xue!”

Seeing Tang Xue’s face flush again, Li Yi quickly added, “But we haven’t officially moved in yet—the wedding is set for two weeks from now!”

Liu Jingshan paused for a moment, then said warmly, “Hahaha, so she’s my future sister-in-law! Please, have a seat!”

After the two sat down on the small sofa across from Liu Jingshan’s desk, Li Yi immediately said, “Brother Liu, I came over today because there’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?”

“Of course, of course! What’s on your mind, Brother Li Yi?” Liu Jingshan replied immediately.

“Brother, I have a business venture I’d like to discuss with Brother Liu… no… actually, I’d like to collaborate with the State-Owned Restaurant. I wonder if that’s possible?” Li Yi cut straight to the chase.

“Oh, what kind of business is it?”

“Liangpi!”

“Liangpi?”

“That’s right. It’s a famous delicacy in Qin Province. Lately, besides delivering mushrooms to your place, I’ve been setting up a stall outside the sugar factory on the outskirts of town to sell liangpi. Business has been booming—I can sell several hundred servings in just an hour or two…”

Before he could finish, Liu Jingshan exclaimed in surprise, “So that young man running the stall outside the sugar factory is actually you, Brother Li Yi!”

“What? You know about that too, Brother Liu?”

“Yeah, a few days ago, some executives from the sugar factory came to my place for a meal and specifically mentioned it. They couldn’t stop raving about your liangpi!”

Liu Jingshan continued, “I’ve been wondering these past few days and was planning to take some time to check out this divine delicacy that’s got those fat cats from the sugar factory so hooked! I never imagined it was you, Brother Li Yi!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I really didn’t know about this, but since you’ve heard about it, Brother Liu, I’ll just come right out and say it: I want to partner with your state-run restaurant to sell liangpi!”

“So, Brother Li Yi, how do you propose we collaborate?”

“I’d deliver a batch of liangpi to your state-run restaurant every day at wholesale prices. As for how much you charge your customers, that’s entirely up to you!” Li Yi said.

“Brother Li Yi, how much do you sell your liangpi for on the market, and what’s the wholesale price you’re offering us?”

Since this was a business matter, Liu Jingshan had to take it seriously. After all, the state-run restaurant currently had monthly sales quotas to meet, and the pressure on them was considerable.

“At my street stall, I sell them for 20 cents a serving, plus 2 liang of flour coupons! As for the wholesale price, I can offer you 15 cents a serving, and no flour coupons required!”

Hearing Li Yi’s offer, Liu Jingshan was genuinely tempted.

If you did the math, that price was effectively a 40% discount.

Even if they sold it to the public for 20 cents a serving, they’d still make a decent profit!

Not to mention, the state-run restaurant’s retail price certainly couldn’t be the same as Li Yi’s street stall price—it would have to be at least double that. Selling them for 40 to 50 cents wouldn’t be unreasonable, would it?

With that in mind, Liu Jingshan immediately said, “Sounds good to me. Brother Li Yi, why don’t you set aside a portion today so we can give it a try!”

Liu Jingshan then added, “If people really like this dish, we’ll make this a long-term partnership. But if it doesn’t sell well, we’ll just have to see what happens later!”

“Alright, I’ll set aside a hundred portions for you first!”

“Deal!”

After the deal was sealed, Li Yi immediately carried the hundred pre-portioned servings of liangpi from the mule cart into the kitchen of the state-run restaurant.

He then brought in various side dishes and condiments as well!

Knowing that the head chefs at the state-run restaurant had likely never seen this dish before, Li Yi immediately gave them a hands-on demonstration, teaching them step-by-step how to prepare the liangpi.

These head chefs were all professionals, so they caught on quickly. They realized this dish was actually quite similar to the cold noodles they served at their own restaurant, and they mastered it in no time.

After tasting the cold noodles prepared by the chefs on the spot and finding them nearly identical to his own, Li Yi finally felt at ease and left the state-run restaurant with the two women.