Chapter 43: Wang Anguo’s Headache

Over the next two days, Li Yi juggled delivering goods and running his stall while also helping build the house, keeping him as busy as a bee.

Of course, the progress on the house was encouraging.

In just two days, with everyone pitching in, they had purchased all the stones, red bricks, and lumber needed for the house.

Although the money was flying out the door, Li Yi was in high spirits.

After all, these building materials would soon be transformed into a tall, spacious brick house, and it was in such a house that he would marry Tang Xue, making up for the regret he had carried with him his entire life in his previous existence.

Compared to that, what does this little bit of money amount to?

But while Li Yi was busy and focused on his work, Wang Anguo had been having a very hard time these past few days.

As the deadline set by the Municipal Bureau draws ever closer, they still have no leads whatsoever, which has made him seem rather irritable.

Criminal Investigation Division. Conference Room!

The room was filled with smoke; everyone had a cigarette clamped between their fingers. To an outsider, it would look like the place was on fire.

But no one paid any attention to that; everyone had their heads bowed, their expressions extremely grave.

“Smack!”

Wang Anguo slammed his hand down on the conference table in front of him and shouted angrily, “Still no news? What the hell are you lot doing?”

Deputy Captain Li immediately stood up and said, “Captain Wang, please don’t get angry. The team has done their best…”

“Is ‘doing our best’ enough? The public and the higher-ups are all waiting for us to crack this case. What they want is results—do you understand that?” Wang Anguo shouted.

“Captain Wang, our team of over three thousand people has turned the county upside down, but we still can’t find the human traffickers’ hideout or any trace of the children. We’re at a loss…”

Wang Anguo slammed his fist on the table again. “What do you mean, ‘we’re at a loss’? Do you expect me to explain this to the parents who’ve lost their children?”

Deputy Captain Li thought for a moment and said, “Could it be that our approach is wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Captain Wang, our search these past few days has focused entirely on the county seat. Do you think the traffickers might not even be in the county seat at all?” Deputy Captain Li asked.

“That’s possible, but if we expand the search beyond the city limits—or even to the townships and communes below—we simply don’t have enough manpower to handle it,” Wang Anguo said gravely.

“But we’ve already mobilized the militia from every commune—we simply don’t have any extra manpower!”

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “If we don’t have enough people, we’ll have to bring in reinforcements from other counties and districts. In any case, we must solve this case as quickly as possible—otherwise, the reputation of our county bureau will be completely ruined!”

“Team Leader Wang, if we’re going to borrow personnel from other areas, we’ll need to submit a request to higher-ups…”

“I’ll handle the report. You all immediately consult the map and redraw the priority search areas. I’m calling the county and the municipal bureau right now!” Wang Anguo said.

“Yes, sir!”

Following Wang Anguo’s calls, several counties neighboring Qingshan County quickly dispatched large numbers of personnel into Qingshan County. At the same time, checkpoints were set up within the county to do everything possible to cut off any chance of human traffickers fleeing to their counties.

In an instant, the atmosphere throughout Qing Shan County grew increasingly tense!

…….

Aside from Wang Anguo, who was in a foul mood, there was another person feeling rather miserable at the moment. This person was none other than Xu Hong, who was determined to take revenge on Li Yi.

After returning from the county seat that day, Xu Hong had been thoroughly mocked by the people at the educated youth commune.

Everyone had been eagerly awaiting his return to share the money with them, but in the end, they didn’t get a single penny.

When they heard that the state-run restaurant wouldn’t accept mushrooms from outside vendors, the other educated youths looked at Xu Hong with utter contempt.

As the saying goes, it’s not that people don’t recognize quality—it’s that they compare one thing to another.

They’d heard that Li Jia’s good-for-nothing son delivered hundreds of pounds of mushrooms to the county seat every day, while Xu Hong—who’d clearly promised a market—hadn’t managed to sell a single pound.

When you compare the two, it’s immediately clear who’s better and who’s worse!

Xu Hong was furious. This wasn’t what he’d intended—the staff at the state-run restaurant had clearly said they’d buy his mushrooms, but he never expected them to change their minds the very next day.

Furious, Xu Hong immediately told the people at the educated youth commune that Li Yi had deliberately prevented the state-run restaurant from taking their mushrooms, even going so far as to have them claim the mushrooms didn’t meet standards.

Hearing this, the sent-down youths at the camp reached the peak of their frustration with Li Yi, and one after another, they spoke out, harshly condemning him for being dishonest.

Seeing that he had successfully diverted the anger of these educated youths, Xu Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was now filled with resentment and jealousy. Since he, Xu Hong, couldn’t do business, no one else would be allowed to either.

Anyway, the anonymous tip had already been sent up; now he just had to wait for that Li guy to get his comeuppance!

Oh, and that slut Tang Xue—this time they’d better throw her in jail too. Only then would he be able to vent his pent-up hatred.

But what frustrated Xu Hong was that no matter how long he waited, he never received any news of Li Yi’s arrest.

Every day, watching Li Yi drive his bright red mule cart into the county seat and return to the village loaded with supplies, Xu Hong felt a mix of impatience, rage, and helplessness.

He didn’t know where things had gone wrong or why this was happening. It seemed like all it would take was for someone to casually investigate at the sugar factory’s gate to catch him red-handed, so why was Li Yi still walking around completely unscathed?

In his rage, he had no idea that at that very moment, every single soldier, police officer, and militia member in the county was busy searching for human traffickers and missing children—who had time to go after a small-time trader?

After all, across the entire county, there were at least two thousand, if not three thousand, people conducting illicit trade on the sly—how could they possibly catch them all?

Besides, the authorities haven’t been cracking down on this as strictly as they used to in the past couple of years. Even if they caught someone, the most they’d do is confiscate the illegal proceeds.

Since the higher-ups were taking this approach, they naturally turned a blind eye.

So what Xu Hong considered a major case was, to the county bureau, nothing more than a minor matter.

If the bureau weren’t so busy at the moment, they certainly wouldn’t have ignored a tip like this.

At the very least, they wouldn’t just set it aside like this; they’d send someone to investigate the actual situation.

As long as the scale isn’t too large, the most likely outcome would be a warning or detention.

If the amount involved were particularly large, they would handle it more seriously.

But to be honest, judging by the cases of this nature investigated in recent years, the amounts involved for most people are only a few hundred yuan, and cases exceeding a thousand yuan are rare.

So, the county bureau generally doesn’t pay much attention to these kinds of cases.

Not to mention that the entire bureau is currently swamped with the missing children case, and they’re already stretched thin—they’ve even had to borrow personnel from neighboring counties.

Under these circumstances, where would they find the manpower to investigate such a trivial matter?

One thing led to another, and Li Yi’s case was put on hold!

Li Yi was completely unaware of this, but Xu Hong wasn’t having it.

Furious, he decided to pay another visit to the county bureau tomorrow. No matter what, he was determined to have that good-for-nothing arrested; otherwise, it would be a travesty of justice given all the injustices he had suffered.

Today was another cheerful day; on his way back to the village, Li Yi couldn’t help but hum a tune.

However, just as the mule cart was about to leave the city, he spotted a long line of people in the distance and wondered what was going on.

As the mule cart drew nearer, he realized a temporary checkpoint had appeared out of nowhere. Several armed People’s Armed Police soldiers in olive-green uniforms were stationed at the intersection, inspecting passing pedestrians and vehicles.

Seeing this scene, Li Yi knew immediately what had likely happened.

He clearly remembered that after that incident, all military, police, and militia forces in Zhengqingshan County had been mobilized, and thousands of personnel had even been borrowed from neighboring counties to join the search.

In desperation, the county authorities even issued an order requiring the entire population to join the search.

In the end, despite the efforts of over 100,000 people for nearly a month, they still came up empty-handed.

In the end, the person was never found, the case remained unsolved, and the massive commotion led to disciplinary actions against dozens of officials, including the county bureau chief, deputy chiefs, and the head of the criminal investigation unit.

It can be said that this incident triggered an unprecedented upheaval in the political circles of Qing Shan County.

More importantly, it wasn’t until eighteen years later that the case was finally solved.

This was exactly the incident Li Yi had warned Wang Anguo about earlier—he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Soon it was Li Yi’s turn. Upon seeing the bright red mule cart, the Armed Police soldier inspected it thoroughly.

After all, for those human traffickers to smuggle people out, they would inevitably need a vehicle. Since cars were rare, the most likely option for them would be to use a horse-drawn cart to transport people.

Plus, with Li Yi’s cart piled high with large baskets, it would be all too easy to hide something inside.

However, much to the disappointment of the young soldiers, the cart contained nothing but rice, flour, and cooking oil.

Therefore, after the inspection, they had no choice but to let Li Yi go!

As they passed by, Li Yi saw the young soldiers’ faces, flushed crimson from the scorching sun, and felt a pang of sympathy.

In fact, he knew exactly where those human traffickers were hiding, because for certain special reasons, Li Yi had personally been involved in the entire process of cracking this case.

Although the traffickers hadn’t been arrested specifically for this case at the time—it was only after one of the suspects was apprehended for other crimes that he voluntarily revealed this case in hopes of earning credit—

It was only then that people realized that the child abduction case eighteen years ago—which had shaken more than 100,000 people—had actually been perpetrated by this very group.

At the time, Li Yi was already a business tycoon, and he happened to become involved in the case due to work-related matters. He was forced to participate in the entire investigation, which is how he came to know some of the details.

But even though he knew all this, Li Yi couldn’t tell them—after all, there were some things he simply couldn’t explain.

Fortunately, he also knew that the traffickers were only after money and had no intention of killing anyone, so the children were safe for the time being.

So Li Yi had no intention of intervening for the time being; if the relevant county authorities were capable of solving the case, that would be ideal.

If, however, the case remained unsolved as it had in his previous life, Li Yi would have no choice but to step in personally.

Fortunately, he had already warned Wang Anguo; if Wang wasn’t too stupid, he would come to him, and using his help to save the children would be acceptable.

……

When he returned home, Li Yi found the courtyard completely empty except for his third older sister, Li Na.

When he’d left that morning, the dozen or so people who’d been helping were all gone—even his parents weren’t home.

“Sis, why are you the only one left? Where are Mom and Dad?”

Li Na came over to help unload the cart as she replied, “All the mud bricks are ready. We just need to let them dry before we can use them. While it’s still light out, Mom and Dad went with Uncle Feng to the east end of the village to measure out the plot for our new house!”

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately stopped what he was doing and shoved the canvas bag containing the money from his waist into Li Na’s hands.

“Sis, you go move them inside. I’m going to take a look!”

With that, Li Yi dashed out of the courtyard!

Li Na called out after him, “Take it easy…”

Li Yi’s home wasn’t far from the site of the new house’s plot, so he arrived in no time.

From a distance, Li Yi could see a crowd gathered around the patch of black stone ground. Some held ropes, others held shovels—it was clear they were surveying the land.

Seeing Li Yi approaching, Feng Kai called out immediately, “Yi, come here!”

Upon reaching Feng Kai, Li Yi greeted them: “Dad, Uncle Feng!”

“Yi, the plot of land you requested has been approved. It’s five mu for the homestead and two and a half mu for private farming—a total of three mu!” Feng Kai said.

Li Yi felt a surge of joy and immediately replied, “Thank you, Uncle Feng!”

“This plot covers nearly a hundred acres. Just tell us where you want it, and we’ll mark it out for you!” Feng Kai added.

Li Yi looked around and picked out a spot that appeared generally flat. “Let’s go with this one. We’ll build the house here, set up a small courtyard, and use the rest as our private plot!”

“Alright!”

Shortly after, under Feng Kai’s guidance and with a dozen or so villagers looking on, Li Yi’s homestead plot was officially designated.

With the site settled, construction could begin.

That evening, after Li Yi had seen off the group of children who’d come to deliver mountain produce, the family could finally sit down and rest for a while.

Sitting on a small stool by the stove, Li Shankui packed tobacco leaves into his pipe as he said, “Now that the site is set, I’ll take some men to the quarry tomorrow to haul stones and lay the foundation. Remember to cook meals for the workers!”

“San’er, don’t go to work tomorrow. Stay home and help your mother cook—she can’t manage it all by herself!”

Li Na nodded and said, “Okay!”

Just then, Li Yi spoke up, “Mom, I bought quite a bit of tofu and glass noodles today, and I also bought a few pounds of meat. You can cook that tomorrow!”

“I’ll cook the tofu and glass noodles, but I think we should skip the meat for now. We can save that for when we raise the ridge beam!” Zhang Yuehong said, a bit reluctant.

These days, as long as the workers’ meals are passable, that’s good enough—after all, the family still has to pay them wages in the end.

Li Shankui took two deep puffs from his pipe, then said in a deep voice, “Listen to Little Yi—go ahead and cook it!”

“Husband, if we really make it, what will we eat when we raise the ridge beam?”

Li Yi immediately replied, “Mom, I’ll just buy something for the ridge-raising ceremony. It’s not like we’re short on a few bucks!”

“You’re such a kid—you’ve earned a little money and already think you’re the boss. That’s no way to act!” Zhang Yuehong scolded him.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Mom, buying all this meat and vegetables today only cost me five or six yuan, but do you know how much I made today?”

“How much?”

“Five hundred yuan!”

“How… much?”

“Over five hundred—608 yuan and 50 fen, to be exact!” Li Yi said.

Everyone in the family was taken aback by Li Yi’s words. Just a few days ago, he’d only been making a little over a hundred yuan a day, and even on his best days, it was only around 160 or 170 yuan.

They never imagined that in just a few days, their son could earn 500 yuan in a single day—an amount that matched what others made in a whole year.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Right now, there are over forty kids helping me pick mushrooms. Every day, we gather a total of seven or eight hundred pounds of various mountain produce. With more goods, the money naturally increases—there’s nothing to be surprised about!”

“Besides, the mountain produce business doesn’t pay this much every day. With so many people going into the mountains daily, it won’t be long before the yield drops.”

Li Shankui nodded and said, “Hmm, it’s good that you understand that. So, save as much of your earnings as you can—after all, you’ll need to support your family in the future!”

“Alright!”

Now that she knew Li Yi was such a money-maker, Zhang Yuehong didn’t feel bad about spending a little on meat anymore. She immediately decided to serve the workers pork stewed with glass noodles for dinner the next day.

Mushrooms are a delicate commodity; if anything goes wrong during harvesting, transportation, or storage, it can affect their quality.

With so many people coming into town every day to sell mushrooms, why did Liu Jingshan single out Li Yi’s shipment, and why was he willing to pay above market price for them?

Aside from the fact that Liu Jingshan thought Li Yi was a shrewd and down-to-earth guy, the more important reason was that the mushrooms he delivered were truly second to none.

It was obvious at a glance that this young man wasn’t a seasoned businessman and knew nothing about the mountain produce trade.

Putting mushrooms in a plastic bag—how on earth did he come up with that idea!

Sure enough, the moment the burlap sack was opened, Liu Jingshan’s expression changed.

It was clear that the quality of these mushrooms was quite good—not only were they large, but each one was plump and white, clearly pure wild-grown.

However, compared to the carefully selected, top-quality mushrooms Li Yi had brought, these ones were not only uneven in size but also littered with debris, looking downright grubby.

Most importantly, because they were packed in a burlap sack, more than half of the mushrooms were now crushed, and the ones that weren’t were all bruised!

Mushrooms like this simply can’t be stored for long!

In fact, if they aren’t processed immediately after being harvested today, they’ll be spoiled by tomorrow.

“Comrade, the quality of your mushrooms doesn’t meet our standards. We can’t accept them!” Liu Jingshan said in a stern voice.

Xu Hong flew into a rage again, shouting, “How can they not meet standards? How can you go back on your word and just refuse them like that?”

Liu Jingshan replied immediately, “Comrade, just look for yourself—these mushrooms are all crushed. How can we possibly buy them?”

“But mushrooms are supposed to be chopped up when you eat them—it doesn’t affect their use!”

Xu Hong realized the problem, but he still stubbornly insisted.

“Fine, our state-run restaurant won’t take your mushrooms. If you think someone else will take them, go find them!”

Liu Jingshan was getting a bit annoyed. How could this man be so unreasonable? They’d already told him his mushrooms were subpar, yet he kept harping on and on about it.

After saying that, Liu Jingshan turned and walked away.

Naturally, the other staff members weren’t about to be polite to Xu Hong; they immediately pushed him and his mushrooms out the door.

Xu Hong was furious. His mushrooms and the ones Li Yi had brought were both picked from the same mountain. Why were Li Yi’s mushrooms acceptable, but his weren’t?

This was nothing short of bullying!

To think that he, an intellectual from the city, was actually outdone by a good-for-nothing from the village—what kind of world was this?

His family wasn’t exactly wealthy, but at least his parents were factory workers, and he was a high school student.

What does that good-for-nothing have?

Apart from a good-looking face, what does he have?

That slut Tang Xue is just like that—she’d rather marry that good-for-nothing than be with him.

The people at the state-run restaurant were the same—they’d take that good-for-nothing’s stuff over his. Xu Hong felt like he was being maliciously targeted by this bunch of ignorant people.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got—his face even began to contort!

He had already planned to report Li Yi today in order to relocate his mushroom business, and now that this had happened, it only strengthened his resolve to report him.

So, pushing his bicycle and carrying the complaint letter he’d written earlier, he headed to the county public security bureau!

…….

What Li Yi didn’t know was that he had already been targeted by a scheming individual. After purchasing his supplies, he set off in his bright red mule cart toward the sugar factory gate!

The security guards at the sugar factory had become quite familiar with Li Yi. As soon as they saw him approaching, they immediately came over to help unload his cart!

Li Yi didn’t hesitate. After setting up his stall, he immediately prepared a fresh serving of liangpi for each of the two men, which made them so happy they could hardly stop smiling.

The factory workers really liked this young man.

Although his liangpi was certainly not cheap—a single bowl cost a full two mao, enough to buy over a pound of white flour—

But you had to admit, the liangpi was truly delicious—with its chewy, springy texture and spicy, numbing, savory flavor, it was addictive from the very first bite.

Moreover, although the young man’s stall was small, it was very clean and hygienic.

What’s even more commendable is that every day after packing up, he cleans up all the trash around him, never leaving a mess behind.

He’s also very friendly to the factory workers. With such a down-to-earth and hardworking young man, how could anyone dislike him?

As for whether setting up a stall here was legal, nobody really cared about that.

It’s now 1980. Although the authorities haven’t officially permitted free trade, they aren’t cracking down as strictly as they used to.

The black markets that used to operate in the shadows could now exist semi-openly.

Many people were quietly selling goods, so someone like Li Yi didn’t stand out all that much.

Before long, Li Yi’s little stall was set up and ready, just waiting for the factory workers to get off shift!

At noon, the bell signaling the end of the workday rang on time, and immediately afterward, a large crowd of workers poured out the door!

Before long, Li Yi’s little stall was surrounded by a crowd!

In the past, when people wanted to treat themselves to a better meal, they would pool their money to buy some meat and cook a feast together.

In the local dialect of Qingshan County, this is called “da ping huo,” which essentially means splitting the bill.

But now, when the factory workers wanted to treat themselves, they’d head to the gate to buy a steaming bowl of liangpi, topped with a white flatbread.

Enjoying a little meal like this on a sweltering day was pure bliss.

Plus, everyone eats their own portion, so no one complains that someone else ate too much while they got too little—it’s hassle-free!

What’s more, quite a few female workers come by every day to buy liangpi, and seeing them standing in line has become quite a sight to behold.

This naturally attracts the attention of many single male workers, who might just have a chance encounter here with a girl they like.

Before he knew it, Li Yi’s little stall had become a special spot at the sugar factory.

Just as Li Yi was busy setting up his stall, Xu Hong arrived at the county public security bureau and explained the purpose of his visit.

After the officer on duty read his tip-off letter, he immediately reported the situation to his superiors.

However, in recent days, the entire county’s police force had been overwhelmed by the missing children case. To locate the hiding places of the missing children, the county had not only mobilized all police and armed police but had even drafted a portion of the militia to join the search—leaving no energy to deal with such trivial matters.

Subsequently, higher-ups instructed the officer on duty to inform Xu Hong that the case had been accepted and that they would make an arrest once the investigation was complete.

They also informed Xu Hong that if the report proved true, he would receive a corresponding reward.

Satisfied with this response, Xu Hong left the county police bureau and returned to the educated youth commune with the mushrooms no one wanted.

At four in the morning the next day, Li Yi got up early to make liangpi!

He had no choice—his family was building a house these days, so Li Yi had to get up a bit earlier to avoid being seen while making the noodles.

After all, street vending was currently prohibited, and he’d been making quite a splash lately. If anyone saw him, some narrow-minded folks might go behind his back and report him to the commune.

Although Li Yi wasn’t afraid of that, it would still be a hassle, so it was better to be cautious!

By a little past seven, when the commune members helping out arrived at the Li household, Li Yi had already finished making the liangpi and the white flatbreads.

Plus, with the abundance of mountain produce lately, no one had any idea that the mule cart carried other “contraband” besides mushrooms and wood ear fungus.

At nine o’clock in the morning, Li Yi showed up right on time at the entrance of the state-run restaurant!

The staff at the restaurant had long since become familiar with Li Yi, and upon seeing the bright red mule cart, they immediately came out to greet him.

They knew just how highly Director Liu regarded this young man from the countryside.

As usual, they weighed the goods and settled the bill. By the time Li Yi stepped out of the state-run restaurant, all those baskets of wild produce had been exchanged for “Great Unity” banknotes.

With another 650 yuan in his pocket, Li Yi was in high spirits.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he became the first person in the village to earn 10,000 yuan.

Of course, what Li Yi valued wasn’t the title of “ten-thousand-yuan household” itself, but the initial accumulation of capital.

As a successful businessman, Li Yi understands all too well why some people—despite having the ability and no shortage of opportunities—end up spending their entire lives as corporate drones, stuck in a nine-to-five routine.

A key reason is their inability to achieve the initial accumulation of capital. Without that seed money, even the best ideas and the strongest abilities cannot be put into practice.

With the curtain on reform and opening-up now raised, it is expected that Wenzhou will launch pilot reforms for the private economy this year, leading to a surge of individual businesses springing up like bamboo shoots after rain.

Seizing this opportunity, the national economy will enter a fast track within just a few short years.

From that point on, success in business would no longer depend on who was the boldest, but on who had the deepest pockets and the sharpest vision.

Consequently, Li Yi secretly resolved to accumulate sufficient capital before that time.

After leaving the state-run restaurant, Li Yi headed straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.

With the house under construction these past few days, he not only had to pay the workers but also provide meals.

After all, they had invited people to help, and since the wages weren’t high, the food had to be decent.

So Li Yi decided to buy some tofu, glass noodles, and other items to take home; he couldn’t let people say the Li family was too stingy.

With over a dozen people cooking at home, the daily consumption was simply enormous, so Li Yi bought quite a lot of supplies today.

In addition to about ten pounds of tofu and seven or eight pounds of dried glass noodles, Li Yi also bought 10 pounds of meat, two large bags of nearly 100 pounds of Fuqiang flour, and a 50-pound bag of rice. All told, he filled nearly half a cart.

But he didn’t mind; at the rate he was making money these days, a mere few dozen yuan was really nothing.

Just as Li Yi was busy making a big purchase at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Xu Hong arrived at the state-run restaurant on his bicycle.

After returning home yesterday, he had called over a few educated youth he was close with and told them he’d found a way to make money.

Learning that Xu Hong had a way to sell the unwanted mushrooms from the back mountain for three mao a jin, these educated youths were overjoyed. Immediately after finishing their assigned tasks, they headed straight for the back mountain.

However, over the past few days, Dongzi, Shitou, and their crew had already picked clean every hilltop near the village. The mushrooms that had once covered the ground were now few and far between.

With no other choice, Xu Hong and the others had to venture deep into the mountains to search.

Since Li Yi had strictly forbidden the children from venturing deep into the woods to avoid danger, Xu Hong and the others actually managed to find a few patches of mushrooms.

After a Herculean effort, Xu Hong and the others finally gathered several baskets full.

Thinking that so many mushrooms could easily fetch fifty or sixty yuan—and that even after sharing some with the other educated youths, he’d still make twenty or thirty yuan for himself—Xu Hong was so excited he couldn’t sleep all night.

Early the next morning, he borrowed a bicycle, tied the mushrooms to the back seat in a plastic bag, and headed straight for the county seat.

To keep Li Yi from finding out he was poaching his business, Xu Hong didn’t go to the state-run restaurant first. Instead, he waited until Li Yi had finished delivering his goods before sneaking up to the restaurant entrance.

When Xu Hong pushed open the door, the restaurant staff immediately asked, “Comrade, we don’t serve breakfast here…”

Xu Hong hurriedly replied, “Hello, comrade. I’m not here to eat; I’m here to deliver mushrooms!”

“Deliver mushrooms?”

The staff member immediately realized this man was there to sell mushrooms. Recalling Director Liu’s notice from the previous day, he said, “I’m sorry to inform you, but we’re no longer accepting mushrooms here!”

“You… aren’t accepting them anymore?”

Xu Hong was momentarily taken aback and hurriedly asked, “But everything was fine yesterday. Why have you suddenly stopped accepting them?”

“I’m sorry, that’s our boss’s decision. I don’t know the details!”

“That can’t be right. I just saw someone else come in to sell mushrooms. Why are you accepting his but refusing mine? This isn’t fair…”

“Comrade, whether or not we accept mushrooms—and whose mushrooms we accept—is our state-run restaurant’s own business. Please don’t make a scene here!”

The staff member was getting a bit annoyed by Xu Hong’s persistence, and his tone had involuntarily grown a bit harsh.

Just then, Liu Jingshan happened to be coming out of his office. Hearing the commotion, he immediately came over to check on the situation.

“Little Li, what’s going on?”

“Director, this comrade came to sell mushrooms. I told him we don’t accept mushrooms here anymore, and he got upset!” Little Li reported honestly.

Liu Jingshan glanced at Xu Hong and said, “It’s like this, comrade. Our state-run restaurant isn’t very large, and the mushrooms we’ve already purchased are enough to meet our needs, so we’re no longer accepting mushrooms from outside sources. You’d better try somewhere else!”

“How can you do this? They’re the same mushrooms—why do you buy others’ but not mine?” Xu Hong was furious inside, and his voice involuntarily rose.

Liu Jingshan thought it best not to make a scene, lest it tarnish the state-run restaurant’s reputation. Plus, feeling sorry for him since mushroom picking wasn’t easy, he immediately asked, “How many mushrooms did you bring? If the quality is decent, we’ll buy them today—but this is a one-time exception only!”

Hearing this, Xu Hong felt a sudden sense of relief.

Although being able to sell them only once wasn’t quite what he’d hoped for, at least he’d managed to sell the mushrooms he’d picked yesterday, and he could now give the other educated youths a satisfactory explanation.

Besides, Xu Hong was already scheming: once that good-for-nothing was out of the picture and no one else was delivering mushrooms to the state-run restaurant, they wouldn’t be able to refuse his supply then!

With that in mind, Xu Hong immediately went out to his bicycle and carried the tightly bound plastic sacks into the restaurant.

When Liu Jingshan saw that he was actually using burlap sacks to carry the mushrooms, a sense of foreboding instantly welled up inside him!

Late at night, in the quiet of the female educated youth dormitory!

Lying side by side on the earthen bed, the girls were all awake.

Suddenly, Zhang Xinyao sat up and said, “Xiao Xue, have you noticed? Li Yi seems to have changed!”

“Has he?”

“Yeah, quite a bit. He used to be so cocky and had no manners at all. But look at him now—he greets everyone he sees, and…”

“And what?” Tang Xue asked immediately.

“And he seems really into you now!”

“Really?”

“Haha, Xue, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed a thing. Never mind how much he spent on the betrothal gifts—don’t you have any idea how many things Li Yi has sent you lately?” Zhang Xinyao said with a smile.

How could Tang Xue not feel it? On the contrary, she was a very sensitive girl. She could remember even the smallest kindness from others for a long time, let alone Li Yi expressing his inner feelings to her so directly—how could she not feel a thing!

It was just that Tang Xue didn’t know how to respond to Li Yi; her feelings were incredibly complicated!

Seeing Tang Xue’s sudden silence, Zhang Xinyao sighed and said, “Xiao Xue, you aren’t still thinking about that Tan Cheng, are you?”

Zhang Xinyao knew that Tang Xue had always had a special place in her heart for Tan Cheng, the older brother she’d grown up with since childhood, and she knew Tang Xue had been waiting for him all these years. But Zhang Xinyao really didn’t have the slightest bit of affection for Tan Cheng.

“No… it’s not that…”

“Xiao Xue, we’ve been friends for three or four years now—don’t you think I know what’s on your mind?”

Then Zhang Xinyao added, “I don’t mean to criticize you, but that childhood friend of yours, Tan Cheng, might not be the right match for you. Think about it—in all these years since you went to the countryside, has he ever come to see you even once?”

“We’ve written letters…”

“Hmph, you’ve been writing to each other, but I heard he only replied to one of your letters!”

“Well…”

“Xiao Xue, I know you grew up together, and he did look out for you back then! But from my perspective, he either sees you as a little sister or doesn’t like you at all!”

“You… how do you know all this?”

“Because you can’t hide your feelings for someone!”

“What?”

“Take Li Yi, for example. He knows living conditions at our educated youth commune are rough, so he brings you treats every now and then. He also knows girls like to look pretty, so he buys you face cream, flowery dresses, and sandals. Though these things may seem ordinary, they show he truly cares about you!”

Hearing Zhang Xinyao’s words, Tang Xue fell silent once more.

Thinking about Li Yi’s behavior lately, she could sense that his responsibility toward her wasn’t merely out of obligation, but that he genuinely wanted to marry her.

“Xinyao, you’re right. He has changed a lot, and he’s been really good to me, so I’ve decided to give him a chance!”

“What kind of chance?”

“The chance to court me!” Tang Xue said earnestly.

“What? Girl, you’re about to get married, and you’re letting him court you? What are you thinking?” Zhang Xinyao said, looking utterly surprised.

“We haven’t even had the wedding banquet yet. Besides, when I said I’d marry him before, it was just because I had no other choice—I never actually planned on building a life with him!”

“So what about now? Are you planning to build a life with him?”

“Yes. As long as he proves himself to me, I’ll be happy to settle down with him. I wouldn’t regret it even if I spent the rest of my life as a village wife!” Tang Xue said earnestly.

Zhang Xinyao smiled and said, “Xue, I’m really happy to hear you think that way. It’s not easy for us women to find someone who’s truly sincere with us. I hope you’ll cherish Li Yi!”

“I’m worried he’ll just be all talk and no action!” Tang Xue said with a hint of concern.

“I don’t think so. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t be going to all this trouble!”

Then Zhang Xinyao added, “Xiao Xue, you must know about Li Yi taking the village children out to gather wild produce and sell mushrooms, right?”

“I know—Na Jie told me about it!”

“Do you know how much Li Yi pays those kids each day?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Why?”

“I was paired up with Gou Sheng’s mom today. She told me Gou Sheng has been picking mushrooms with Li Yi for five days now, and he’s bringing home two yuan a day!”

“Two yuan? That much?”

Although Tang Xue had heard from Li Na that Li Yi had been making good money lately, she hadn’t asked exactly how much.

After all, she hadn’t officially joined the family yet, and asking about such things might give the impression that she was in a hurry to take charge.

“Gou Shen’s mom said that’s not even the most. Apparently, for the older kids—Dongzi, Shitou, and Qiangzi—Li Yi gives them five yuan a day!”

As she spoke, Zhang Xinyao couldn’t hide the envy in her voice.

After all, even working themselves to the bone every day, they could only earn 8 to 10 work points—each point worth just 3 or 4 cents, adding up to only a few dimes a day.

An income of five yuan a day was simply too tempting for them!

“Then I’ll have him take you along to earn money too!” Tang Xue said.

“Xiao Xue, I didn’t say that because I want to make money with Li Yi, but to remind you that Li Yi isn’t the same person he used to be.”

Zhang Xinyao continued, “Everyone in the village now says Li Yi is capable. I heard from Gou Sheng’s mom that even the Li family—who live the best life in the village—have quietly hinted they want to form an alliance with the Li Yi family.”

“If you keep thinking about just getting by like you used to, I’m afraid you’ll lose Li Yi one day. By then, if you regret it, there’ll be nowhere to cry!”

Tang Xue was clearly startled by Zhang Xinyao’s words and hurriedly asked, “Xinyao, the girl from the Old Li family you’re talking about—is she that young girl named Li Meiqin?”

“Yes, you’ve met her too. Not only is she pretty, but I hear she’s only 17 this year and has even studied in the city—she’s no worse off than us educated youth!”

“Well… Xinyao… what should I do?”

Tang Xue had just been preparing to give Li Yi a chance, but hearing this news now left her feeling a bit at a loss.

“Don’t worry. It’s clear Li Yi still has feelings for you. As long as you give him a little encouragement—and since you’re already engaged—no one can take him away from you!” Zhang Xinyao said.

“Hmm, if he dares to change his mind, I’ll have Sister Na beat him up!” Tang Xue said, raising her little fist.

“Hahaha, right! I’ve heard Li Yi is pretty scared of his third older sister!”

“That’s for sure. I’ve seen Sister Na beat Li Yi before—she’d just whack him with a fire poker right across the body, and he didn’t even dare fight back. It was so pitiful!” Tang Xue said with a laugh.

“Then you’d better cling to your older sister-in-law’s leg. If Li Yi ever dares to bully you in the future, have Sister Na beat him up!”

“Okay!”

…….

When Li Yi returned home, he saw the courtyard gate wide open, with quite a few people moving about inside. Ox-drawn and horse-drawn carts were coming and going, some hauling soil, others carrying water.

It turned out his father had already hired people to help make mud bricks. Judging by the yard full of bricks drying in the sun, construction had clearly been underway for quite some time.

After tying up the big red mule, Li Yi unhitched the cart, exchanged a few greetings with the crowd, and then went back inside.

He then fetched a jar of sugar from the house, followed by a thermos of hot water and a stack of large bowls.

“Uncles and elders, please take a break and have some sugar water!”

He then began preparing the sugar water on the stone millstone under the eaves.

Although it was already 1980, supplies were still very scarce; white sugar sold for 1.2 yuan per jin at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Most importantly, it was rationed—each family received only a limited number of sugar coupons per year—so to the commune members, it was truly a precious commodity.

Hearing there was sugar water to drink, the group of cooperative members who had been helping all stopped what they were doing and came over to get bowls!

Li Yi wasn’t stingy—he filled each bowl with two heaping spoonfuls of white sugar and poured in scalding hot water. The sweet aroma hit them all at once!

Taking advantage of this break, the men gathered together to chat!

“Brother Shan Kui, time sure flies. Before we know it, Little Yi will be building a house and getting married!”

“You’re telling me! Just a few years ago, I saw that kid running around in diapers, and now he’s all grown up!”

“Hahaha, Yiwa’s been a rascal since he was a kid. He’s caused no end of trouble in my little orchard!”

“That’s nothing. A couple of years ago, my place…”

Everyone chimed in with stories about Li Yi’s embarrassing moments, making him squirm with embarrassment.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say a word in defense—after all, none of them were accusing him of anything he hadn’t done.

Leaving his childhood aside, ever since he started school, he’d been the village ringleader, leading a gang of young lads to wreak havoc at one household today and another tomorrow.

You could say that there wasn’t a single household in the village with “special goods” that he hadn’t raided at least once.

In recent years, things had only gotten worse—what started as harmless pranks had turned into outright petty theft. With all this being brought up, he felt too embarrassed to even stay at home.

Thinking he needed to discuss something with Tang Xue, Li Yi immediately told Li Shankui, “Dad, I’m heading over to the educated youth camp. You guys go ahead and get on with your work!”

With that, Li Yi grabbed the things he’d bought for Tang Xue in the county seat and rode his bicycle straight to the educated youth commune!

It was the off-season for farming, and the brigade’s work assignments were relatively light—just gathering pig fodder and cleaning the irrigation ditches—so everyone finished work early.

By the time Li Yi arrived, most of the educated youth had already returned and were gathered in small groups under the shade of the trees, chatting and joking around.

It was already June 1980, and most of the educated youth with connections or abilities had returned to the city.

Some had jobs arranged by their families, while others had simply been admitted to university. Those who remained were either without connections or without the necessary skills.

This group was the most hopeless of all the educated youth; they could only bide their time and wait for an opportunity.

Therefore, in Li Yi’s eyes, these people looked particularly dejected!

And these people looked down on Li Yi as well. Watching him ride his bicycle past them at full speed, someone immediately remarked with a sour tone, “He’s just a good-for-nothing—what’s there to be so smug about!”

Someone immediately chimed in, “Exactly. Just a hick. He’s acting all high and mighty just because he’s got a bicycle. What a joke!”

“Guys, why bother with him? What do you think about what Brother Xu mentioned? Will that mushroom business actually work? Can those mushrooms really make money?”

“I think it’ll work out. Didn’t Xu Hong say he’d already found a way to sell them? We picked so many mushrooms this afternoon—we should be able to make at least a few dozen yuan!”

“A few dozen yuan? Really? That much?”

“Haha, do you guys know how much that good-for-nothing pays those village kids for a day’s work? You’ll be shocked—the highest they get is five yuan!”

“Good heavens! Five yuan a day? That’d be 150 yuan a month…”

……

Li Yi ignored them and drove straight to the female educated youth dormitory.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Zhang Xinyao washing clothes outside.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Zhang Xinyao immediately called out to the house, “Xiao Xue, your man is here to see you!”

Hearing Zhang Xinyao refer to him directly as Tang Xue’s man, Li Yi couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. This woman was easy to get along with—she was a person of principle.

Inside, Tang Xue was cleaning up. Like other educated youth, she and the others worked just as hard as the ordinary villagers, heading out to work early every morning and rarely taking a break at noon. They only had time to tidy up after returning home in the evening.

Hearing Zhang Xinyao’s words, Tang Xue knew it was Li Yi who had arrived and immediately stepped out of the house.

Sure enough, she saw Li Yi standing not far away, leaning on his bicycle—he must have been waiting for her.

Tang Xue had now come to terms with her fate. Having lost her virtue, she dared not return home even though she had received her transfer order back to the city.

Since Li Yi was willing to take responsibility, and he had truly turned his life around during this time, she felt she should give him a chance—and give herself a chance as well.

“Wait a moment, I’ll be right there!”

After saying that, Tang Xue went back inside, changed into clean clothes, and came out.

When she reached Li Yi, Tang Xue looked at him and said, “How did you find the time to come over? Didn’t you go to the back mountain to pick up those kids?”

Tang Xue knew that Li Yi had been taking the village children out to gather wild produce lately. With Li Na and the other “internal spies” around, Li Yi had practically no secrets from her—unless even Li Na herself was unaware of them.

“No need to pick them up. Dongzi, Shitou, and the others are leading them—it shouldn’t be a problem!”

Li Yi then took a small mesh bag off the handlebars, handed it to Tang Xue, and said, “Here, this is for you!”

“Sandals?”

Through the mesh, Tang Xue saw that the bag actually contained a pair of plastic sandals—light yellow in color, with some metallic embellishments that made them look very pretty.

“Yeah, I saw them at the supply and marketing cooperative today. I thought they’d look great on you, so I bought them!”

Tang Xue hesitated for a moment, but took them anyway.

“It’s not easy for you to earn money—don’t be so wasteful in the future!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Buying something for my own wife—how could that be considered a waste?”

Hearing Li Yi call her “wife” over and over, Tang Xue’s face instantly flushed crimson. She whispered, “Keep your voice down—we’re not even married yet!”

“It’s only a matter of time!”

Then Li Yi added, “Oh, right—I came over today to discuss something with you. No, actually, I should say to ask for your opinion!”

“What… what is it?”

Seeing how serious Li Yi sounded, Tang Xue asked nervously.

“My family is planning to build a new house, so I wanted to ask you what kind of house you’d like and if you have any specific requirements for the layout,” Li Yi said.

“Huh? Why are we suddenly building a house?” Tang Xue asked in surprise.

“Well, since I’m planning to marry you, I was worried that using the old house as your wedding home might be a bit of a letdown, so we’re building a new one!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tang Xue replied, “It’s not a big deal. Isn’t that just how things are these days?”

“I don’t care what other people do, but since I have the means, I can’t let you settle for less!” Li Yi said earnestly.

Tang Xue’s heart skipped a beat, and she whispered, “Actually, you really don’t have to go to such lengths!”

“I said I’d throw you a grand wedding and marry you in style. I, Li Yi, always keep my word!”

“Okay! Thank you!”

“Go ahead and tell me—what are your requirements for the house? I need to go back and make some plans,” Li Yi said.

“Could you set up a place for me to take a shower? You know how inconvenient it is for us women to bathe!”

“No problem, I’ll design a bathroom for you!”

“Also, could you make the kitchen a little bigger?”

“Hmm, bigger is better!”

“That’s about it!”

“Alright, I’ll go back and design it exactly as you requested. This is our first home together, so I have to make sure you’re satisfied!”

Li Yi chatted with Tang Xue for a little while longer, and only when it was nearly dark did he reluctantly leave the educated youth commune!

Li Yi was in a great mood today. From selling mountain produce in the morning to selling liangpi at noon, he had made over 600 yuan in just a single day.

Even after deducting all expenses, his net profit for the day still reached 400 yuan.

At a time when the private economy was still a topic of debate, such income was absolutely staggering—even Li Yi himself was a bit surprised.

Of course, this was mainly due to the significant increase in the number of people responsible for mushroom picking during this period.

Originally, only Dongzi and his crew picked mushrooms for Li Yi, yielding at most a little over 100 jin a day—though on good days, they’d occasionally hit 150 or 160 jin.

But now, nearly forty children from the village—anyone who could walk—had joined the effort.

With more people, the yield naturally increased. Last night, over 800 jin of mountain produce was delivered to Li Yi’s home, worth nearly 600 yuan.

Although Li Yi knew this kind of business wouldn’t last long, it still made him happy.

At the very least, by running this small business, he could earn his first fortune before the implementation of the household contract responsibility system.

What Li Yi didn’t know was that trouble was just around the corner!

Xu Hong had taken another day off today, claiming he wasn’t feeling well and needed to see a doctor in the county seat.

Although Zhang Tongfu was dissatisfied with Xu Hong’s habit of taking leave every other day, he realized that spring plowing had just ended and there was still some time before the autumn harvest, so the production team’s workload wasn’t heavy.

So he turned a blind eye to it and approved his leave!

But no one could have guessed that Xu Hong hadn’t taken the day off to see a doctor—he’d come to visit Li Yi.

Ever since he found out that Li Yi was secretly running a small business in the county seat, Xu Hong’s mind had been racing.

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t get into the liangpi business—wasn’t there still the mushroom business? That stuff wasn’t exactly high-stakes.

As long as he could figure out Li Yi’s sales channels, Xu Hong was confident that even a high school graduate like him could handle it.

So Xu Hong arrived near the county town early today to stake out Li Yi. He didn’t dare follow him from the village—that would have been too easy to spot.

When Xu Hong saw that Li Yi was delivering the mushrooms to the state-run restaurant, he instantly felt he had finally uncovered the core secret to Li Yi’s earnings.

Overcome with excitement, Xu Hong headed straight to the state-run restaurant as soon as Li Yi left.

The staff inside the restaurant saw someone enter and immediately called out, “Comrade, we don’t open until after 11:00!”

Xu Hong replied immediately, “Hello, comrade, I’m not here to eat!”

No sooner had he spoken than the staff member frowned and asked, “If you’re not here to eat, then what are you doing at the State-Run Restaurant?”

Just like the staff at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, everyone at the state-run restaurant—from the head chef down to the waitstaff—was a permanent employee with a secure job.

So, you must never compare today’s restaurant staff to those of later generations—if they snap at you, they’ll snap at you.

Just look—even the walls of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative are plastered with signs that read: “Verbal abuse or physical assault of customers is strictly prohibited!”

Xu Hong paid no mind to the staff member’s attitude and hurriedly asked, “I just wanted to ask if you buy mushrooms here?”

The staff member glanced at Xu Hong and replied, “Yes, of course we do!”

“Well… how much per pound?”

“That depends on the quality. For higher-quality ones, we can pay six or seven mao; for average quality, just three or four mao!” the staff member said indifferently.

Hearing that a pound of mushrooms could fetch so much money, and thinking of the mountains behind the village covered in them, Xu Hong suddenly felt as if he could see piles of small bills waving at him.

“Thanks a lot, comrade. I’ll bring you a batch tomorrow!” Xu Hong said.

“Alright!”

With a sense of excitement, Xu Hong then left the state-run hotel!

What he didn’t know, however, was that just a few minutes after he left the hotel, Liu Jingshan arrived at the front desk and said to several staff members, “You lot, come here for a moment!”

Once everyone had gathered, Liu Jingshan announced loudly, “I have an announcement to make: with the exception of Brother Li Yi, we will no longer accept any mountain produce from anyone else!”

“Director, why aren’t we accepting them anymore?” someone asked in surprise.

Liu Jingshan replied immediately, “Our hotel doesn’t use that much mushrooms, and we don’t supply much to the city either. Before, Brother Li Yi would bring in just over a hundred pounds a day, which was fine. But now he’s delivering several hundred pounds a day—that’s more than enough for us. Why would we need to accept anyone else’s?”

Only then did everyone realize that the man had delivered over 800 pounds of mountain produce today—more than 600 pounds of mushrooms alone.

Besides, mushrooms don’t keep for long. If they aren’t sold that day, they have to be dried. Buying too much would indeed be hard to handle.

Liu Jingshan didn’t care what these people thought; after giving his instructions, he left.

Little did Xu Hong know that his mushroom business had come to an end before it even began!

…….

At noon, Xu Hong was once again hiding in a small grove far from the sugar factory, enduring the scorching sun and mosquito bites, watching with envy as Li Yi tearfully raked in small amounts of money.

On the way back, Xu Hong was seething with envy and resentment!

He had seen a whole truckload of wild mountain produce delivered to the state-run restaurant today—at least several hundred pounds. According to the staff member there, it was worth six or seven mao per pound, meaning that just from those goods alone, that good-for-nothing could pocket several hundred yuan today.

And Xu Hong knew full well that the money Li Yi gave to the village children wasn’t much—four or five yuan a day for the older kids, and just one or two yuan for the little ones.

What a crook—a total crook!

He doesn’t have to do a thing—just make a single trip to the county seat to deliver the wild produce the kids gathered, and he pockets hundreds of yuan. There’s probably no easier way to make money in this world.

And then there’s that cold noodle business—with hundreds of people flocking in every day to buy them, even if he only made five cents off each person, that’s still dozens of yuan!

And given that good-for-nothing profiteer’s nature, there’s no way he’d settle for just five cents.

Clearly, the cold noodle business is doing quite well, too.

More importantly, selling mushrooms is a seasonal business with no guaranteed yield—once the weather turns cool, the mushrooms disappear.

But the liangpi business is different—it can be run year-round. It’s a real cash cow!

It’s a real shame that I, a true native of Qin Province, don’t even know how to make it—how infuriating is that!

So Xu Hong secretly decided: he would take over Li Yi’s mushroom business, and since he couldn’t run the liangpi business himself, he would ruin it.

Consequently, all the way there, Xu Hong was scheming about how he could not only snatch Li Yi’s business but also screw him over in the process.

After much deliberation, Xu Hong decided that no matter what, he would go to the county seat tomorrow and report Li Yi for profiteering.

That way, he could seize the opportunity to take over his mushroom business.

Xu Hong figured that even if Li Yi wasn’t sentenced to prison for profiteering, he’d still be locked up for at least three to five months.

Even if that good-for-nothing eventually got out, it would be nearly autumn by then—the mushroom season would be winding down, and he’d have made a decent profit by that point. Perfect!

With that thought, Xu Hong’s step grew noticeably lighter!

Another busy morning!

Since his family was planning to build a house, Li Yi couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

So, after kneading the dough this morning, he took advantage of the proofing time to make a trip to that plot of land with the black rocks.

When Li Yi arrived, he found his father measuring the land with Uncle Feng and the others, clearly preparing for the upcoming construction of the house.

When they saw Li Yi approaching, everyone gave him strange looks.

Village Chief Zhang Tongfu asked, somewhat puzzled, “Yi, are you really planning to build a house here? And bring your private plot over here too?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Uncle Zhang, this is a prime feng shui spot. I’ve got a good eye, don’t I?”

Zhang Tongfu was a straight-talking man himself, and he retorted immediately, “You’re just being a troublemaker. You’re building a house, not looking for a burial plot—what do you need a feng shui treasure spot for?”

Feng Kai frowned and added, “Building a house here isn’t the issue, but you’re insisting on moving your private plot here too. Aren’t you just asking for people to laugh at you?”

But Li Yi just burst out laughing. “Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, don’t worry. Anyone who dares to make fun of me over this is bound to eat their words later!”

Seeing Li Yi’s resolute attitude, Feng Kai could only turn to Li Shankui standing nearby and say, “Brother Shankui, your son Yi is dead set on getting this plot of land. What do you think we should do?”

Li Shankui already knew what Li Yi was thinking. He could only sigh and say, “A son grows up and doesn’t listen to his mother anymore. If he wants this larger plot of land, let him have it!”

“Then let’s measure it. Once we’re done, I’ll submit the application to the commune and wait for approval!” Feng Kai said.

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Old Feng!” Li Shankui said.

While everyone was busy surveying the plot of black-rock land, Li Yi stood at the edge of the field with a silly grin on his face.

He was already daydreaming about the wonderful life ahead. Once the tiled-roof house was built in a few months, he’d give it a proper makeover.

The walls would be whitewashed, and he’d install a plaster ceiling—not the kind covered in newspaper.

Especially the windows—they had to be large panes; small ones were just too jarring to look at.

In addition, he planned to have some solid wood furniture made for the house. Li Yi had already decided to invite Old Zhao, the carpenter from the neighboring village, to come and do the work.

Not only was the old man a good-hearted fellow, but his woodworking skills were second to none—he was undoubtedly the best in the entire region.

Once everything is finished and the house has had a chance to settle, he’ll be ready to bring Tang Xue home. And barring any surprises, Tang Xue is already carrying his little one.

In a few months, this place would welcome his first child with Tang Xue, and it would become their love nest for years to come.

Every time he thought of this, Li Yi felt even more motivated!

He couldn’t help with surveying the land, and knowing there was a pile of chores waiting for him at home, Li Yi said goodbye to his father and rode his bicycle back.

Actually, he’d considered stopping by the educated youth commune to see Tang Xue. After all, building a house was no small matter, and since he wouldn’t be living there alone once it was finished, he needed to get her input as well.

However, Li Yi knew that at this hour, Tang Xue must already be out in the fields working, so he wouldn’t see her even if he went.

He also didn’t know where the educated youth were working today, so he decided to go back in the evening instead!

Back home, Li Yi set to work making today’s cold noodles and flatbreads!

……..

Li Yi went about his usual business of setting up his stall to make a living, but Wang Anguo and the others at the county bureau were swamped with work.

As police stations from various townships and communes reported their investigation findings, they discovered that the first family to lose a child wasn’t the one in the county seat who had filed the initial report, but rather a family in Xiaojingzi Commune. Their child had gone missing on June 1st—meaning nearly two weeks had already passed.

The reason they had delayed reporting it was, first, because Xiaojingzi Commune was over eighty kilometers from the county seat, and the round trip took too much time.

Secondly, the family lived in Kaoshan Village, backed by vast stretches of primeval forest where wild wolves and bears were known to roam. Consequently, the family had assumed their child had been carried off by a wolf, which is why they had not chosen to report it to the police.

Furthermore, based on reports from various areas, the number of missing children across the county had reached a staggering 17—far higher than their previous estimates.

Faced with a case of this magnitude, Wang Anguo and his team naturally took it very seriously. They immediately reported the situation to the county bureau, which in turn reported it to the municipal bureau.

The Municipal Bureau swiftly issued instructions, ordering the County Bureau to solve the case as quickly as possible at all costs to alleviate public panic.

At the same time, the Municipal Bureau set a deadline: no more than one week. If the case remained unsolved within that timeframe, all leadership—including the director and deputy directors—would face disciplinary action.

As soon as the municipal bureau’s instructions arrived, the county bureau’s leadership panicked!

This was a disciplinary action—at best, it meant no promotions for several years; at worst, it could cost them their jobs.

Left with no other choice, the county bureau leadership had no option but to put pressure on Wang Anguo, the officer in charge of the case!

The county bureau chief personally convened an emergency meeting with the criminal investigation team, ordering them to overcome all obstacles and locate the kidnappers’ hideout within three days, and rescue every single child within a week.

Otherwise, everyone from the squad leader down to the rank-and-file officers would face disciplinary action.

They had no choice; after all, the higher-ups were putting just as much pressure on them.

With the pressure mounting from above, Wang Anguo and his team found the case growing increasingly complex. They knew nothing about the traffickers’ situation—not how many of them there were, where they were hiding, or whether they had already moved the children to another location.

Solving the case within a week was no easy feat!

Although it was difficult, Wang Anguo and his team had no room to bargain. After all, the lives of more than a dozen children were at stake—and indeed, the fates of more than a dozen families—so they had no choice but to take it seriously.

Consequently, under intense pressure from both the municipal and county police departments, the Criminal Investigation Division swiftly established the “Special Investigation Task Force for the June 15 Major Child Abduction Case.” They deployed a large number of police officers and local security personnel to conduct a county-wide search.

They had to locate the kidnappers’ hideout and rescue the children.

Yet despite the massive manpower deployed, there were no results.

As the situation continued to escalate—especially with the parents of missing children gathering at the county bureau to protest and weep—nearly everyone in the county came to believe that there were child traffickers in the area, specifically targeting children.

Worse still, as the rumors spread, they began to take a sinister turn—what started as abductions and thefts eventually turned into outright kidnappings.

Under these circumstances, panic spread not only throughout the county seat but also to every township and commune.

Back then, the one-child policy hadn’t been implemented yet; every family had at least two or three children, and some had as many as ten or more.

If a child were actually stolen or snatched by a kidnapper, how could anyone possibly go on living?

As a result, in many places, commune members simply stopped going to work and stayed home to watch over their children.

As these incidents became more frequent, they began to seriously impact agricultural production across all production teams.

Left with no other choice, the leaders of each production team had no option but to report the situation up the chain of command.

Upon learning of the situation, the county authorities immediately put pressure on the county bureau and the task force, insisting that the case be solved within a set timeframe.

Faced with immense pressure from all levels of authority, the pressure on the task force was unimaginable.

For a time, a gloomy and despondent mood hung over the entire criminal investigation team, and the atmosphere was extremely tense and oppressive!

County Public Security Bureau Conference Room!

While Li Yi was at home waging a battle of wits with his father over the homestead and house construction, the county Public Security Bureau’s conference room was filled with tension. Wang Anguo sat in the chair of authority with a grim expression, listening to the case briefing!

After Deputy Captain Li finished briefing them on the basic details of the case, Wang Anguo said in a deep voice, “This is the situation: in just five short days, there have been a total of nine cases of missing children in the county town and the surrounding townships and communes. Now that the case has gained traction, it has caused widespread panic among the local population!”

“Now, many ordinary people don’t dare leave their children at home when they go to the fields—they don’t even dare leave them in the care of their elders. This has already severely disrupted people’s normal lives and livelihoods!”

“That’s why the county has ordered us to solve this case within a set deadline. Otherwise, we’ll all be held accountable!”

Deputy Captain Li also spoke up: “Comrades, this case has now drawn not only the county’s attention but also the city’s high-level concern. If we can’t provide the public with a satisfactory explanation, the consequences will be severe!”

At that moment, a veteran police officer stood up and said, “Captain, after reviewing the evidence, we’ve found that all nine reports we’ve received so far have come in over the last few days. Abducting so many children in such a short time clearly isn’t the work of a single person, so we believe this is the work of a criminal gang!”

“Moreover, in recent days, in our efforts to apprehend Zhou Baoshan, we’ve been conducting strict checks on passersby—especially those from out of town. So it’s highly unlikely the traffickers would risk leaving right now. We therefore deduce that those children are still within our county and haven’t been taken out yet!”

“Old Geng, you really are a seasoned detective—your analysis makes perfect sense. Go on!” Wang Anguo said immediately.

“Captain, our first priority now is to determine exactly how many of these traffickers there are and where they’re hiding, while also figuring out exactly how many families in the county have reported missing children!” Old Geng said in a grave tone.

“Are you suggesting there are more than just these nine families who’ve reported missing children?”

“Yes. Captain, as you know, in some areas—due to poor transportation or because parents are still searching for their children—families haven’t yet chosen to report it to the police!”

“In the name of the County Bureau, immediately notify all the local police stations. Have them verify village by village to determine exactly how many households have reported missing children. They must submit accurate data by tomorrow afternoon!” Wang Anguo ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Wang Guo’an then added, “The disappearance of a child can have a devastating impact on a family. Therefore, even if we have to overcome every possible obstacle, we must find these children. Immediately submit a request to our superiors in the name of the Criminal Investigation Division, stating that Zhou Baoshan and his accomplices are still at large, and ask for an extension of the cordon and search operation.”

“Additionally, deploy elite personnel, assisted by police dogs, to search for hiding places in the county town and surrounding communes and villages. We must round up this gang of brazen kidnappers in one fell swoop and restore peace and order to the people!”

“Yes, sir!”

…….

After the meeting adjourned, Wang Anguo glanced at his watch and saw it was already 1:00 a.m. He couldn’t help but sigh.

Looks like he wouldn’t be going home tonight either!

He had practically made the office his home, while his actual home felt more like a hotel—a place he only returned to occasionally.

His wife and daughter were very upset with him about this.

But what could he do? He worked in law enforcement—it was only natural that he was rarely home!

Just then, Deputy Captain Li walked over carrying a bowl of noodles and said, “I know you skipped dinner again. Have some—I specifically asked the kitchen to add two eggs just for you!”

Wang Anguo didn’t hesitate; he took the large bowl and started eating.

But when he saw the diced mushrooms in the bowl, he suddenly thought of Li Yi—and the words Li Yi had spoken that morning just before leaving.

“You’re such a jinx!”

Wang Anguo’s sudden outburst left Deputy Captain Li completely dumbfounded!

“What do you mean, ‘jinx’?”

Wang Anguo realized he’d spoken out of turn and immediately smiled, saying, “Nothing much. Just some funny guy said some peculiar things to me this morning, and I didn’t expect them to come true so quickly!”

Deputy Captain Li was also quite curious and couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of special words were they?”

“That guy told me something bad was going to happen in the county soon, and that it might affect my career prospects! I never thought it would actually come true in just a single day!” Wang Anguo sighed.

“It was probably just a coincidence. You don’t think that guy can actually predict the future, do you?” Deputy Captain Li said with a laugh.

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it—that guy might actually have that kind of ability!”

“You believe him?”

“I do!” Wang Anguo said this without a shred of hesitation.

“You really believe it?”

Now it was Deputy Captain Li’s turn to be baffled. He knew exactly what kind of background his partner came from—he usually hated charlatans more than anything—so how could he suddenly believe in this?

Just then, Wang Anguo suddenly pulled a deformed one-yuan coin from his pocket. Stuck in the coin was a similarly deformed bullet tip; part of the bullet had pierced through the coin, as if it were embedded in it.

“That guy gave me this coin!”

“Huh?”

“And before he gave me this coin, he said something like this: he saw that my brow was dark, and that I would soon face a bloody disaster—this coin could save my life!”

Wang Anguo continued, “And he personally slipped this coin into my shirt pocket!”

Hearing Wang Anguo’s words, Deputy Captain Li was completely stunned. It took him quite a while to come to his senses.

“Could that person be…”

Wang Anguo knew what he was thinking and immediately replied with certainty, “No, he didn’t know me before, he isn’t part of the system, and he didn’t come looking for me afterward—I was the one who went to find him!”

“Have you looked into his background?”

“I haven’t had time to investigate yet, but I trust my instincts—he doesn’t have any ulterior motives toward me!”

“I just can’t quite believe it. This is just… too unbelievable!”

“I felt the same way as you at first, but after facing life and death, I believe it!”

Then Wang Anguo suddenly put down his chopsticks and said, “Old Li, you know, when I saw Zhou Baoshan pull the trigger that day, I felt utter despair.”

“That guy was a former soldier turned ruthless bandit. His marksmanship was top-notch in his unit. At such close range, there was practically no way he could miss. And in that situation, he wouldn’t have shown any mercy. So the moment the gun went off, I was prepared to die!”

“But no one could have imagined that the bullet would hit this coin—right there. If it had been even a centimeter to the left or right, I’d be dead!”

Deputy Captain Li fell silent. Although deep down he still didn’t quite believe anyone could predict a person’s fate, he couldn’t refute his good friend’s words.

Just then, Wang Anguo suddenly spoke up again: “I have a feeling this missing child case isn’t going to go smoothly!”

“What do you mean?”

“Because that man told me it might affect my career—which means he predicted this case won’t be so easy to crack.”

“Are you doubting our team’s abilities? With a county bureau this size and dozens of experienced detectives, are we really no match for some charlatan?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe in them—it’s just a hunch. You know how these things are!”

Wang Anguo then changed the subject and added, “But he also said that if we really hit a dead end, we can go to him for help!”

“Hmph, I just don’t believe it. With so many people in our county bureau, we’d never need his help to solve a case!”

Wang Anguo replied thoughtfully, “I hope we don’t need him either. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

“Then we’d owe him a huge favor—and not just me, but the entire county bureau!”

Deputy Captain Li: “#￥%……&*”

……..

When Li Shankui returned home, Li Yi had just seen Dongzi and the others off.

Spotting two bottles of fine sorghum liquor on the cabinet, Li Shankui frowned and asked, “Didn’t you go see Uncle Feng today?”

“I did, and the land was approved!” Li Yi replied.

“Then you didn’t give him any liquor?”

“I did, but he refused it and even said…”

“What else did he say?”

“Uncle Feng said he was afraid you’d break his legs!”

“You’re such a chatterbox. He’s already approved the land for you—why would I cause him trouble just over two bottles of wine?” Li Shankui shot his son a look and said.

“The wine is a minor issue. The main thing is that Uncle Feng has allocated that plot of land at the east end of the village to me!”

“Is there still residential land at the east end of the village? How come I didn’t know about that?” Li Shankui asked, puzzled.

“Yes, there is—it’s that patch of black rock soil!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Shankui stopped mid-drag on his cigarette and said in a deep voice, “You mean that plot of land where nothing grows?”

“Yeah, that’s the one!”

“How can we take that plot? If we do, we won’t be able to grow anything in front of or behind the house. No way. I’m going to go talk to him. Isn’t this just bullying us?”

Seeing his hot-tempered father about to lose his cool again, Li Yi immediately stepped forward to stop him and said, “Dad… Dad… Calm down. It’s not Uncle Feng’s fault!”

“He’s the Party Secretary—if it’s not his fault, whose is it?”

“It’s my fault. I was the one who insisted Uncle Feng allocate that plot to me!” Li Yi admitted honestly.

“You… you insisted?” Li Shankui pointed at Li Yi, his face a mask of disbelief.

“Yes, I’m the one who insisted Uncle Feng approve that plot of land for me—he had no choice but to agree!”

“You… you good-for-nothing! What on earth do you need that barren wasteland for…”

Seeing his father’s temper flaring up again, Li Yi hurriedly said, “Dad… my own father, for heaven’s sake, can you just let me speak? I have my reasons for doing this!”

“What the hell kind of reason is that? I think you’re just thick as mud…”

Just then, Li Na returned from the educated youth commune. Hearing her father’s shouting from a distance, she immediately came inside to ask what was going on!

Although Li Shankui had a short temper, he was very kind to his third daughter. He immediately said, “Third daughter, this good-for-nothing actually asked Uncle Feng for that patch of black rocky land at the east end of the village as a homestead. Isn’t that just nonsense!”

She glanced at Li Yi, and her brows involuntarily furrowed.

Everyone in the village knew the condition of that black-rock plot, and Li Na couldn’t believe her younger brother wasn’t aware of it.

Besides, given Uncle Feng’s relationship with their father, even if her younger brother didn’t know, he would have explained it clearly.

“Xiao Yi, tell your third sister—what were you thinking?”

Seeing his third sister by his side, Li Yi knew his father’s temper would likely be slightly more in check, giving him a chance to wriggle out of this… to explain himself!

“Dad, I know the situation with the Black Stone Land. Aside from not being able to grow crops, nothing else is a problem!” Li Yi said.

“The fact that we can’t grow anything there is already bad enough. What more do you want?” Li Shankui retorted.

“Dad, do you know how big a plot Uncle Feng allocated to me?”

“How big?”

“A full three mu!”

Li Shankui shot him a disapproving look and said, “It’s not small, but if you can’t even grow a single potato, what good is it, no matter how big it is?”

“It’s incredibly useful!”

Li Yi continued, “Dad, I begged Uncle Feng to give me that plot mainly because it’s big enough. I plan to set up a farm there someday—I can’t do that without enough space!”

“A… farm? What are you going to raise?”

Li Shankui was taken aback by his son’s outlandish idea. These days, although the authorities didn’t really interfere with villagers raising their own livestock—unlike a few years ago when each household was limited to three chickens and forbidden from raising pigs, cows, sheep, horses, mules, or donkeys—

But they were merely turning a blind eye; the restrictions hadn’t actually been lifted.

Raising a few chickens on the sly or keeping a single pig was already nerve-wracking enough—yet his son actually wanted to set up a full-scale farm in broad daylight? Wasn’t that just asking to be caught red-handed?

“Dad, I know what you’re worried about, but the policies have changed now!”

Li Yi continued, “Household-based production contracts have been in place in Anhui Province for over two years now, and the household-based production responsibility system has begun pilot programs in some provinces. Whether we can put food on the table will depend entirely on us!”

“Then you should definitely get some good land. That way, you’ll be able to grow more grain!” Li Shankui said.

“Father, working the land may keep us from starving, but it won’t make us rich! With your son’s ability to make money, do you really think I’ll be tilling the soil just for food in the future?”

Hearing his son’s words, Li Shankui fell silent.

If Li Yi had said this to him before, he would have certainly grabbed his shoe and given him a good thrashing.

But ever since he and Li Na had helped out at a stall last time, Li Shankui had been completely blown away.

In less than half a day, his son had earned the equivalent of six months’ salary for a full-time job by selling mountain produce and running a stall selling liangpi.

For old farmers like them, who toiled in the fields, it might take two years just to earn that much.

So when Li Yi said he wouldn’t farm just to make ends meet anymore, Li Shankui believed him.

Seeing that his father seemed to be warming up to the idea, Li Yi continued, “Dad, I want that plot of black rock land not just because I want to build a big house, but also because once the policies allow it, I plan to set up a livestock farm there. This is part of my long-term planning—it’s not just a passing whim!”

Li Na glanced at Li Yi and asked, “Can you make money running a farm?”

“Absolutely!”

Li Yi spoke with absolute certainty; he knew that with the recognition of the private sector, the nation’s economy would enter a period of rapid growth.

In just a few decades, the nation’s economic standing would shift from looking up to the West to looking down on the rest of the world.

In this environment, public demand for meat would experience explosive growth, and for most of the coming decades, the livestock industry would be a profitable venture.

“If that’s the case, I support Xiao Yi’s decision!” Li Na said.

Li Shankui was a bit taken aback. “Did I ask for your opinion? What good does your approval do?”

But he couldn’t help but seriously consider what his son had just said. If his son were content to be a farmer, having a few acres of fertile land to cultivate would indeed be quite nice.

However, his son’s aspirations clearly didn’t lie in becoming a simple, hardworking farmer—in which case, even the black soil of Northeast China would be of little use to him!

In that case, that patch of rocky land might actually be more useful to him!

With that in mind, Li Shankui could only sigh and say, “I’ve said all I needed to say. I hope you don’t regret this later, kid!”

“I won’t regret it—I definitely won’t!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Hmm, since you’ve made up your mind, when do you plan to start?” Li Shankui asked again.

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Dad, the sooner the better! After all, we’re building a house that’s soft on the inside and hard on the outside (mud bricks on the inside, brick cladding on the outside). We need to make the mud bricks in advance, and it takes at least a week from shaping them to drying them out!”

“Add in preparing the other materials and hiring carpenters and bricklayers—if we wait too long, we won’t make it in time!”

Li Shankui nodded and said, “Then I’ll go find people tomorrow. Farm work isn’t too busy right now, so it should be easy to hire people!”

“Alright, leave it to me!”

Li Yi then handed over all the money he’d saved up over the past few months—more than six hundred yuan—to Li Shankui, telling him to use it for building the house.

And Li Shankui didn’t hesitate—he pocketed the money right away!

……..

After waiting another half hour, the sick cow—which had been rolling on the ground, barely clinging to life just moments ago—actually managed to stand up. This made everyone look at Li Yi with even greater respect!

Li Yi stepped forward to examine it, then said to Feng Kai, “Uncle Feng, the cow is fine now, but we need to make sure it doesn’t catch a chill over the next few days!”

“Alright, I’ll have the production team put it in a separate, rainproof shed tonight!” Feng Kai replied.

“Hmm, and when you feed it, don’t just give it fresh grass!”

“Why’s that? Besides, what else are we supposed to feed it at this time of year?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Summer grass is tender and watery. If the cow eats too much of it, it’s prone to diarrhea and other illnesses!”

“This old yellow cow has just caught a chill. Feeding it too much fresh grass would only make matters worse. It’s best to mix some higher-quality dried grass into its feed, or you could use grain byproducts like soybean meal or wheat bran.”

Actually, it would be best to feed it some cornmeal or whole corn kernels, but considering that many families are barely scraping by on a diet of bran and vegetables these days, they simply don’t have that much grain to spare for the cattle.

So Li Yi didn’t even mention this, to avoid coming across as a nuisance!

“You know a lot, Yi. I’ll make sure to pass this on to the cowherd!”

Then, Feng Kai called out to the other villagers, “Alright, everyone, let’s call it a day. Aren’t any of you going home?”

Seeing there was nothing left to watch, the crowd dispersed one by one, and soon there were only a few people left on the scene.

Feng Kai noticed Li Yi hadn’t left yet and asked in puzzlement, “Your sister and your wife have both gone. Why haven’t you left?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I’ve got some business to discuss with you, Uncle Feng. Why would I go home before it’s settled?”

“I was wondering why you’d come over for no reason. So it turns out you don’t visit without a reason—spit it out, what’s on your mind!”

“I’d like to ask you to approve a plot of land…”

“What? Allot land? What are you up to, you rascal? I’m just a lowly village secretary—I don’t have that kind of authority!” Before Li Yi could finish, Feng Kai flew into a rage.

The village’s land was strictly rationed—people would fight tooth and nail even over a tiny plot of private land. He certainly didn’t dare set that precedent!

“You’ve got the wrong idea, sir. I want to build a house—after all, I’m getting married soon. How can I manage without a place to live?” Li Yi explained.

“Build a house? Are you talking about a homestead plot?”

“Yeah, a residential plot!”

Feng Kai immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Approving residential plots was indeed the village’s jurisdiction, and if he gave the go-ahead, no one would dare say a word.

“The village isn’t that big. You can have the plot over there, but let’s be clear—it can’t exceed three mu!”

Li Yi did the math: one mu is about 666 square meters, so three mu would be nearly 200 square meters!

And three brick-and-tile houses would take up about 90 square meters, leaving over 100 square meters for a small courtyard!

But when he thought about how the vegetable garden alone at his family’s old house covered 200 square meters, Li Yi felt this plot was a bit small. He immediately said, “Uncle Feng, after building the house on three mu of land, there won’t be much space left. I’d like to plant some fruit trees and vegetables in the yard later, but there won’t be room. Could you approve a bit more land for me?”

As he spoke, Li Yi handed over the two bottles of liquor hanging from his handlebars!

He wasn’t worried about being accused of bribery; these days in the village, when people needed favors from the Party Secretary or the Brigade Leader, everyone did the same.

Feng Kai shot him a look and said, “That patch of black rocky land at the east end of the village hasn’t grown a thing in years. I discussed it with Uncle Zhang a while back—we’re not going to farm it anymore. If you don’t mind, you can take a section for yourself!”

The black rocky plot at the east end of the village?

Li Yi immediately remembered. That plot was located at the very eastern edge of the village; less than half a meter below the surface lay a vast layer of grayish-brown stones, with occasional black ones mixed in.

Because of the abundance of rocks and the difficulty in retaining rainwater, nothing ever grew there, so over the past few years, the production team had gradually let it fall into disuse.

But Li Yi knew better—that was a treasure trove!

The villagers didn’t know it yet, but the ground beneath that rocky plot was filled with ore—precious molybdenum ore, at that.

A few years later, an exploration team discovered high-grade molybdenum ore beneath that very spot, and the government subsequently established a molybdenum mining base there.

At the time, a newcomer to the village had bought that plot of land and set up a pig farm there. When it came time for relocation compensation, he was paid a whopping 500,000 yuan!

What did 500,000 yuan mean back in the 1980s? In terms of purchasing power, it was equivalent to tens of millions—or even hundreds of millions—in later years.

Now that hundreds of millions were right in front of Li Yi, could he possibly turn them down?

Seeing Li Yi’s pensive expression, Feng Kai sighed and said, “Everyone’s eyeing the prime spots in the village—three mu is already the limit. But if you really can’t stand that plot on the east end of the village…”

Before Feng Kai could finish, Li Yi snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, “I don’t mind it… I don’t mind it at all. It’s settled then—I’ll take that plot!”

Now it was Feng Kai’s turn to fall silent. The plot was large, yes, but it really didn’t grow anything!

“You’d better think this through. You only get one chance to apply for a homestead plot in the village. If you choose the Black Stone plot, there’s no turning back!”

“No regrets… no regrets! Whoever has regrets is a coward!” Li Yi blurted out.

That was prime land worth hundreds of millions in the future—who would regret getting it for free now!

“Yi, I’ve made the situation of that plot crystal clear to you. It’s big, sure, but basically nothing grows there. Are you sure you want that plot?” Feng Kai asked again for confirmation.

“Yes, that’s the one. But you’ve got to approve a bigger plot for me!”

“How big do you want?”

“Five mu!”

“Get lost! No one’s residential plot is that big. I’ll give you one mu at most!”

“Uncle Feng, how big is one mu anyway? Besides, every household has their own private plot these days—my family should have one too!”

Li Yi continued, “Besides, that plot has such low yields—surely I deserve a bigger share!”

Feng Kai thought it over and realized Li Yi had a point. He immediately said, “That plot is about ten or so mu. I’ll decide to give you three mu—half a mu for your homestead, and the remaining two and a half mu as private plots!”

Although three mu was still a bit small, Li Yi was satisfied and immediately said, “Alright, thank you, Uncle Feng!”

With that, Li Yi was about to leave!

“Wait a minute!”

“Uncle Feng, is there something else?” Li Yi asked hurriedly.

“Take the wine back!”

“Come on, Uncle Feng. Once a gift is given, it’s not something you take back. Besides, my dad told me to bring this to you. If I take it back, he’ll break my legs!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Hmph. If he found out I gave you the Black Stone plot, I’d be worried he’d come to my house and break my legs!”

With that, Feng Kai hoisted his tobacco pipe and walked toward the village without looking back!

Watching the old man’s figure—full of resignation yet tinged with resolve—Li Yi couldn’t help but feel a sense of tragic grandeur!

But thinking of his father’s fiery temper, he knew he’d have to have a serious talk with him when he got back—otherwise, he might really go looking for trouble with the old man!

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately hopped on his bicycle and sped off toward the village!

Before Feng Kai could say a word, some of the cooperative members grew restless and began voicing their doubts:

“Secretary, are you really going to let that kid treat him? Isn’t that just fooling around?”

“Exactly. I’ve never heard of Yiwa treating cows. What if he kills it?”

“You’re absolutely right. This isn’t the time to show off—he really has no sense of the gravity of the situation!”

“If we slaughter it now, we can at least get some money for the meat. But if we wait until it dies, then we’re completely out of luck…”

Hearing the crowd’s skeptical murmurs, Li Yi replied calmly, “I said I’m confident, and I mean it. If that’s how you feel, then I’m out of here. Anyway, if the cow dies, it’s none of my business!”

With that, Li Yi stepped back into the crowd!

He’d meant well just now, but he hadn’t expected these people to be so harsh!

What’s the deal? Did they expect him to sign a pledge of personal responsibility before treating the cow? He wasn’t some saint!

Feng Kai frowned and shouted, “Everyone, stop arguing!”

Once the crowd had quieted down, he turned to Li Yi and said, “Yi, tell your uncle honestly—what are your chances of curing this cow?”

“If I had the medicine, about ninety percent,” Li Yi replied.

He still held Feng Kai in high regard, so his tone was relatively gentle—not as sharp as it had been earlier!

“Alright, I trust you. Go ahead and treat it!” Feng Kai decided.

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; treating this common condition wasn’t difficult.

Western medical treatment is based on the principles of relieving spasms, alleviating pain, and clearing the intestines to inhibit fermentation. A 40-milliliter dose of 30% Ananin injection can be administered via intramuscular injection.

Alternatively, 30 mg of atropine sulfate injection can be administered via subcutaneous injection, accompanied by a deep enema with warm water.

Alternatively, 30 ml of belladonna tincture can be mixed with 3,000 ml of warm water and administered orally in a single dose.

Traditional Chinese medicine is also effective. Simply use 90 grams of Euphorbia, 30 grams of Fennel, 30 grams of Green Tangerine Peel, 30 grams of Wood Fragrance, 20 grams of Sichuan Pepper, 60 grams of Artemisia, 60 grams of White Peony, 30 grams of Wine-processed Rhubarb, and 15 grams of Licorice.

The method is simple: decoct the herbs, strain out the residue, let it cool to a warm temperature, and administer the entire dose at once.

The production team had no Western doctors, but there was a barefoot doctor who had a fairly complete supply of Chinese herbs.

Li Yi immediately made a trip to Dr. Liang’s house, spent 50 cents to gather all the necessary herbs, and then used the family’s decoction pot to prepare the medicine.

Since it was for an animal anyway, the amount of decoction didn’t matter, so it was ready in no time.

After straining out the residue, Li Yi carried the decoction back to Xiahewan.

By then, the villagers had heard that Li Yi was treating the cow and had all rushed over to watch the spectacle. The scene was packed with people; anyone unaware of the situation would have thought something major had happened.

When Li Yi arrived, he spotted Tang Xue and his third older sister, Li Na, in the crowd!

However, Li Yi didn’t go over to say hello—treating the cow was the priority!

Upon reaching the sick cow, Li Yi immediately called over two young, strong men. One held the cow’s head in place, while the other inserted the medicine-dispensing horn tube into its mouth.

The big yellow cow was unwell and simply didn’t have the strength to struggle, so it could only let these burly men do as they pleased.

Li Yi didn’t care if it was a pregnant cow; he showed no mercy whatsoever, directly pouring two large bowls of thick medicinal liquid into the sick cow’s mouth.

Worried the medicine might be spat out, Li Yi thoughtfully closed the cow’s jaws and stroked its neck.

Only after confirming that the sick cow had swallowed all the medicine did he order them to let the cow go!

Seeing that the medicine had gone down smoothly, Feng Kai walked up to Li Yi with his pipe and asked, “Yi, will this really work?”

“It’s not up to me to say whether it works—it’s up to the cow!”

Saying this, Li Yi pointed at the pregnant cow on the ground, panting heavily!

“Hmm, let’s hope it pulls through!” Feng Kai said with a sigh.

“Are you saying you don’t have faith in me, old man?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“You’re no vet, so where am I supposed to get that confidence from?” Feng Kai shot him a look and said.

“Then why did you ask me to treat it in the first place? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill it?” Li Yi said, speechless.

“It’s a long shot, but what else can we do?”

“Just give it a cut and be done with it!”

Feng Kai sighed and said, “I just can’t bring myself to do it!”

He then stood up, glanced at the villagers gathered around, and said, “I’m letting Yi treat this cow today. If it dies, I’ll take full responsibility—I’ll pay whatever it’s worth!”

Team Leader Zhang Tongfu hurriedly interjected, “Old Feng, why are you putting yourself through this?”

Secretary Feng raised his hand to silence him and continued, “You may not know this, but this cow is already 22 years old. I personally hauled it back from the county when I was 28.”

“I remember back then it was just a calf, not even eight months old. I raised it day by day, right up until I became the brigade’s accountant, then deputy captain, and finally captain—and I kept feeding it all along.”

“This ox is just like a cat or a dog—you grow attached to it as you raise it. I really can’t bear the thought of it working for the brigade its whole life only to be slaughtered by us with a single stroke of the knife. I just can’t bear it…”

At this point, Secretary Feng’s voice was trembling!

The old secretary’s words were so moving that everyone fell silent. Many of the female educated youth even began to wipe away tears on the sly—anyone unaware of the situation might have thought they were watching a tearjerker!

Li Yi simply couldn’t stand the scene anymore. He stepped forward, patted the old Party Secretary on the shoulder, and said, “Uncle Feng, that’s enough. It’s not like it’s hopeless. You’re making it sound like a life-and-death parting!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, everyone burst out laughing!

“You’re just asking for a beating, you little rascal…”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Uncle. The cow just got wet and caught a chill. It’s just that it’s old and has a calf, so it’s more fragile. Look, isn’t it already looking better now?”

Hearing this, the gathered villagers all looked down at the sick cow on the ground. They noticed that the cow, which had been rolling around on the ground just moments ago, had calmed down considerably and wasn’t panting as heavily as before.

“Hey, you know what? It really does seem to be feeling much better!”

“It’s stopped rolling around and isn’t panting anymore. Yiwa really knows his stuff!”

“Who’d have thought Yiwa, who’s usually such a slacker, could actually come through when it counts!”

“You’re absolutely right. Do you think our village is about to produce a veterinarian…?”

Just as everyone was chatting about this, Tang Xue, standing nearby, asked Li Na in surprise, “He… he can treat cows too?”

Li Na looked just as baffled and shook her head. “I’ve never heard of that before!”

“Then how…”

“Don’t ask me. My little brother’s got some wild connections! Take that liangpi, for example—I have no idea where he learned it, but his skills are top-notch. You wouldn’t believe how popular his little stall is…”

As Tang Xue listened to Li Na speak, her eyes kept drifting toward Li Yi, who stood in the center of the scene like the main character.

The more she looked at him, the more she felt this man was full of mysteries. The villagers all said he was good-for-nothing, but from what she knew of him, that wasn’t the case at all.

He could make liangpi, bake flatbreads, and earn money selling mountain produce—and now he could even handle veterinary work. How could someone like that possibly be called uneducated?

Some also said he was a loose cannon with no sense of propriety, but Tang Xue had discovered that while he liked to talk a big game, deep down he was actually quite upright.

Never mind that he’d once risked his life to save someone on the street; even just considering that they’d been engaged for so long and he’d never made any unreasonable demands of her, that accusation clearly didn’t hold water.

Moreover, for some reason, Tang Xue felt that Li Yi looked quite handsome now, and he had a certain air about him.

He was still the same person, and his clothes and appearance hadn’t changed much, but there was something different about him—he was incredibly charming!

At this thought, she couldn’t help but become completely captivated!