Chapter 31: The Cow Is Sick

Business was as brisk as ever today. Over three hundred servings of liangpi and more than two hundred white-skinned pancakes sold out in less than two hours, bringing in a conservative estimate of seventy or eighty yuan!

After packing up, Li Yi cleaned up the trash on the ground and then drove the mule cart toward the village!

Just as Li Yi had left, Xu Hong arrived at the spot where he’d been selling his goods and began striking up a conversation with a few older men from the Security Department who were cooling off in the shade of a tree.

While Li Yi had been setting up his stall, Xu Hong had been hiding in the shadows, watching him.

He noticed that Li Yi was selling the very same cold noodles that were most common in their province of Qin, and those white flatbreads were also something he often ate at home—if only there had been a bit of meat, it would have been perfect!

If it hadn’t been Li Yi running the stall, he wouldn’t have been able to resist going out to grab a serving.

Although he was hiding quite a distance away and couldn’t see clearly, Xu Hong could tell Li Yi’s business was booming—after all, that swarm of people couldn’t be faked!

Instantly, Xu Hong felt he had cracked the secret to Li Yi’s fortune!

Upon learning that Li Yi had made his fortune by setting up an unauthorized stall to sell liangpi, Xu Hong’s first thought was: Could he do this for a living?

To be honest, he was absolutely terrified of being poor!

He’d been stationed here for five years, and aside from his basic rations, the most he’d ever received in a single year was 43 yuan!

That was his entire annual cash income—averaging out to less than four yuan a month!

If there was a chance to make money, he certainly wouldn’t let it slip by!

But he soon realized with dismay that, although he was from Qin Province, he didn’t know how to make liangpi!

He’d seen his mother make it before, but he only had a vague idea of the process—he’d never actually tried his hand at it himself.

Xu Hong knew that with liangpi, a slight misstep could lead to a world of difference—the slightest error could completely ruin the flavor.

So, he could only grudgingly give up on the idea!

Since he couldn’t make a living from it, Xu Hong’s next thought was: If I can’t do it, you sure as hell aren’t going to either!

Considering the current policies, Xu Hong was absolutely certain that Li Yi’s actions constituted profiteering and were bound to be severely cracked down on.

Once caught, regardless of whether he’d be jailed or sentenced, at the very least, this business would be over.

Moreover, Xu Hong believed Tang Xue was inevitably involved in this matter, so he decided to report her as well.

After all, in his view, how could a hick like Li Yi—who’d never even left the county—possibly make liangpi? That was a specialty delicacy of their Qin Province; Tang Xue must have prepared it for him, with Li Yi handling the sales.

It must be said, jealousy really does distort one’s judgment!

However, while Xu Hong’s character left much to be desired, he was meticulous in his work.

Since he’d decided to report Li Yi and Tang Xue, he had to come up with solid evidence—and he had to nail Li Yi once and for all, preferably with him caught red-handed!

So, he decided to first get a good grasp of Li Yi’s routine—did he set up his stall here every day, or just once in a while?

If he came every day, it would be simple—he could just have the police or the industrial and commercial authorities come and arrest him.

If not, he’d have to pinpoint the specific locations where Li Yi frequently set up his stall so he could catch him red-handed.

After striking up a conversation with the elderly security guard at the sugar factory, Xu Hong finally learned that Li Yi had been setting up his stall here almost every day recently. Now he felt confident.

After that, he skipped the post office and headed straight back to the educated youth commune!

He was going to write a report!

……..

Unaware of any of this, Li Yi was basking in the joy of his upcoming house construction. After driving the mule cart back to the village, he unloaded the supplies into his house, fed the big red mule some hay, and then hopped on his bicycle, heading straight for the village committee office!

When Li Yi walked into the village committee office carrying a bottle of liquor, he was told that Secretary Feng was out in the fields!

After confirming it was at Xiahewan, Li Yi hopped on his bicycle and rushed over!

When he reached the edge of the field, he could see a large crowd gathered from a distance, and he had no idea what was going on!

As he drew closer, he saw a cow lying on the ground, twitching intermittently—it seemed to be quite ill!

Secretary Feng and several production team captains were all present, standing around the cow with somber expressions.

“Old Feng, what should we do? You make the call!” said Zhang Tongfu, the brigade leader, in a low voice.

Feng Kai was also a bit hesitant. After taking a few deep puffs on his pipe, he said, “I’m afraid this cow isn’t going to make it. If it’s no good, we’ll just have to put it down.”

Hearing this, Li Yi began to understand—they were discussing whether to slaughter the sick cow!

This was the village custom: whenever a large animal fell seriously ill, they had to consider whether to put it down.

Whether or not the sick animal was fit to eat was beside the point; these days, most people were going hungry, so who cared about such things?

More importantly, if they slaughtered it now while it was still alive, they could bleed it out, and the meat could still be sold for money.

If they didn’t slaughter it and waited until it died, the blood wouldn’t flow out, and the meat would go bad!

Zhang Tongfu said with a pang of regret, “Our team only has 11 cows in total, and this one is carrying a calf. It’s such a waste to slaughter her!”

“That may be true, but if we don’t slaughter it now and let it die on its own, the loss will be even greater!”

“Ah, well, I suppose there’s nothing we can do about it!”

“How could a perfectly healthy cow suddenly go down like this…”

As the team members exchanged their opinions, Li Yi quietly walked over to the cow and began to examine its condition closely.

The cow appeared completely weak, restless, and unable to stand or lie down properly. It kept falling to the ground and rolling around, its body twitching constantly.

Thinking back to last night’s thunderstorm, Li Yi had an idea.

“Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, we don’t need to slaughter this cow just yet!” Li Yi suddenly called out.

Hearing Li Yi’s voice, Feng Kai furrowed his brow and asked, “Yi, what do you mean by that?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Although the cow’s illness looks serious, it’s not fatal—it’ll be fine with some treatment!”

In his previous life, Li Yi had raised cattle for a while. Although he wasn’t a professional veterinarian, he could still identify common ailments.

The condition this cow is suffering from is called “cold pain.” Essentially, it occurs when a cow, having sweated, is drenched by rain and exposed to cold, which easily triggers spasmodic abdominal pain. The symptoms manifest exactly as they do in this cow right now.

It is also accompanied by increased defecation, with the cow continuously passing loose, watery feces. Bowel sounds intensify, with the sounds from the large and small intestines becoming high-pitched and continuous. In severe cases, the cow’s muscles tremble, it collapses and cannot get up, its head and neck stiffen, and it moans.

“Yi, don’t just blurt out nonsense. You know how much a cow is worth—if we delay treatment, the team will suffer a huge loss!” Zhang Tongfu said in a grave tone.

“Uncle Zhang, don’t worry. Leave this cow to me—I guarantee it’ll be cured as soon as I treat it!” Li Yi said confidently.

Feng Kai immediately asked, “Are you really that confident?”

“I do!”

………

As he stepped out of the state-run restaurant, Li Yi was in high spirits!

He had saved Wang Anguo partly out of pity, not wanting a hero like him to meet such a tragic end.

But more importantly, Li Yi wanted to use Wang Anguo to test the possibility of changing a person’s fate.

After all, the inertia of history is immense, and forcibly altering a person’s destiny is actually very difficult.

In his previous life, Li Yi had once watched a movie where the male lead knew the female lead was going to be in a car accident that day, so he changed his plans in advance to prevent her from encountering that particular vehicle. Yet, the very next moment, she was struck and killed by another car. No matter how hard the male lead tried, the outcome remained unchangeable.

Having been reborn, Li Yi’s greatest wish was to change the fate of Tang Xue and their unborn child.

But he truly feared that his own strength alone was limited and that he would be unable to alter the arrangements of fate!

Furthermore, Li Yi wanted to know what impact recklessly altering one person’s fate would have on the entire world.

He dares not use Tang Xue as a guinea pig, but since Wang Anguo has offered himself up as a test subject, Li Yi naturally won’t hold back.

So far, the results have been quite promising!

Wang Anguo is alive, the suspect has been apprehended, and he’s even established a connection with this detective captain.

From now on, as long as it wasn’t anything major, this guy alone would be enough to keep him safe!

However, this was merely Li Yi’s initial assessment; whether he could completely alter Wang Anguo’s inevitable fate remained to be seen!

In high spirits, Li Yi drove his mule cart to the sugar factory to begin his street vending venture!

As he passed the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Yi went inside and bought a large quantity of rice and flour, along with two bottles of top-quality sorghum liquor!

Now that he had both money and ration coupons, he no longer needed to wait until after setting up his stall to redeem his grain coupons and make a special trip into town to buy supplies. He could easily stock up on everything he needed on his way back after selling his mountain produce!

What Li Yi didn’t know was that someone with ulterior motives had just spotted him carrying large bundles of goods out of the supply and marketing cooperative!

Xu Hong hadn’t expected to run into Li Yi in the county seat; his main reason for coming into town today was to check the post office for any packages addressed to him.

Even though they’d been sent down to the Nianzishan Production Brigade for nearly five years, they still struggled to adapt to the harsh conditions there. The vast majority of educated youth relied on regular financial support from their families.

Xu Hong’s family lived in Qin Province. Although their financial situation wasn’t particularly affluent, both his parents were factory workers, and their combined monthly wages totaled around eighty yuan—which wasn’t a small amount.

So, every month, his family would send him a package—sometimes money orders, sometimes food.

But this month, with the end of the month fast approaching, the package from home still hadn’t arrived. Xu Hong couldn’t help but feel anxious. Taking advantage of the fact that the fields weren’t too busy these past few days, he asked the brigade leader for a day off to go to the post office and check.

As he passed by the supply and marketing cooperative, he caught a glimpse of Li Yi out of the corner of his eye!

As for Li Yi, Xu Hong was seething with hatred!

In his eyes, Li Yi was nothing but an uneducated good-for-nothing, a parasite on society, scum!

None of this would have concerned him, but the fact that this bastard had made a pass at his beloved girl and even forced her to marry him had crossed his line.

But compared to Li Yi—who was tall, burly, and a local—Xu Hong was completely powerless.

That day, he had mustered the courage to bully Tang Xue, only to nearly get beaten to death by Li Yi. This made him even more wary of Li Yi, so whenever he saw Li Yi lately, he kept his distance.

He had originally planned to pretend he hadn’t seen him today, but Li Yi’s behavior was simply too conspicuous. He kept going in and out of the supply and marketing cooperative, bringing out large quantities of goods each time he went in.

Although he was across the street and couldn’t see clearly, Xu Hong could still make out rice, flour, cooking oil, quite a few condiments, and even bottled liquor!

It’s important to remember that even though the country had already undergone reform and opening-up, life in their remote little county town was still incredibly hard.

It was considered a luxury for any family to have a few spare yuan; who could possibly go on such a shopping spree at the supply and marketing cooperative?

As for drinking, if you were really craving a drink, you’d just buy some loose liquor—who could afford to buy bottled liquor at a dollar or two a bottle?

So, when he realized it was Li Yi, Xu Hong was absolutely seething with jealousy!

But after his jealousy subsided, Xu Hong began to wonder: where did this Li guy get all that money? What gave him the right to be so extravagant?

For the past few days, the villagers had been buzzing about Li Yi striking it rich. After all, the Li family had paid a dowry for Tang Xue and bought a bicycle—all of which required a lot of money.

Given that Li Shankui and his wife were just honest, hardworking peasants, even if they’d cashed in their life savings, they wouldn’t have that much money.

They’d also heard that Li Yi was organizing the village lads to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms to sell, so everyone assumed he’d made his fortune selling mushrooms!

But Xu Hong knew better: while there might be buyers for mushrooms, the price certainly wouldn’t be high.

After all, they’d once tried gathering mountain produce to supplement their income. They’d picked plenty of mushrooms, but when they took them to the city, hardly anyone was interested. In the end, they’d had to sell them off for a pittance just to get rid of them.

He just couldn’t believe that Li Yi’s mushrooms were any different from theirs. If theirs couldn’t sell, why would anyone pay a high price for Li Yi’s?

So Xu Hong concluded that Li Yi must have another source of income!

With that thought, Xu Hong suddenly felt that going to the post office wasn’t so urgent after all. He decided to keep an eye on Li today and see exactly what he was up to!

Li Yi had no idea he was already being watched. At that moment, he had successfully procured all the supplies he needed and was, feeling quite satisfied, preparing to set up his stall at the entrance to the sugar factory!

All he wanted now was to sell out the cold noodles and white pancakes in his truck as soon as possible, then return to the village to ask Feng Kai for a plot of land and get the house built as quickly as possible.

After all, there were only about twenty days left until his wedding to Tang Xue, and building a house and getting it ready in such a short time was a tight squeeze.

But he really didn’t want Tang Xue to feel shortchanged!

After all, for the vast majority of people in this day and age, marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and everyone wants to make it a grand affair!

The conditions in the old house were simply too poor—not only was it cramped and cramped, but living with his parents and older sister was just too inconvenient.

Building a house and marrying a wife were Li Yi’s top priorities right now; as for making money by running a street stall, that was secondary!

In his haste to get there, Li Yi didn’t notice that, at some point, a “tail” had attached itself to the back of his bright red mule cart, trailing him from a distance the whole time!

And so, Xu Hong quietly followed Li Yi all the way to the entrance of the sugar factory!

When he saw Li Yi park the mule cart, skillfully unload his market stall equipment, and quickly set up his stall, a hint of inexplicable madness flashed in Xu Hong’s eyes!

County Town. State-Run Hotel!

When Li Yi arrived at the State-Run Restaurant in his mule cart, he spotted Liu Jingshan from a distance, standing outside the door with a man in an olive-green uniform, doing who knows what.

He didn’t pay it much mind. As soon as the mule cart reached the hotel entrance, Li Yi called out, “Whoa!”

The bright red mule heard the sound and stopped immediately.

Just as Li Yi was about to tie the mule to the large poplar tree nearby, he suddenly heard Liu Jingshan say, “Brother Li Yi, you’re here! Captain Wang needs to see you!”

Li Yi looked up and realized it was Wang Anguo, whom he had met briefly the other day.

Wang Anguo strode up to Li Yi, grabbed his hand, and said, “I’ve finally been waiting for you!”

Seeing Wang Anguo’s excited and enthusiastic demeanor, Li Yi guessed that his one-yuan coin had worked!

“It’s so good to see you alive!” Li Yi said sincerely.

Hearing this, Wang Anguo was secretly stunned!

After the arrest operation ended yesterday, when he pulled out that one-yuan coin pierced by a bullet, everyone—including himself—broke out in a cold sweat.

While everyone else marveled at his good luck, Wang Anguo knew it wasn’t a matter of luck—someone had saved his life!

In fact, after meeting Li Yi that day, Wang Anguo hadn’t taken his words to heart.

As a staunch atheist, he naturally didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, nor did he believe in fortune-telling.

The only reason he kept that coin was simply because he had forgotten about it.

Little did he know that it was precisely that coin that had saved his life.

“Brother Li Yi, do you really know how to read faces?” Wang Anguo asked in a low voice.

Last night, after returning home, he had carefully recalled the scene when Li Yi gave him the coin, including every word he had said.

He was certain he didn’t know that young man, and there was no way word had gotten out that Zhou Baoshan, that notorious bandit, had fled to Qing Shan County. Therefore, it was impossible that the other party had known about this in advance and set a trap for him.

Moreover, his decision to personally lead the arrest operation on the front lines had been made on the spur of the moment; there had been no prior plan.

Thus, Wang Anguo ultimately concluded that the other party had genuinely sensed he would be in danger and had taken preventive measures for him in advance.

If it hadn’t been for that one-yuan coin, Wang Anguo was certain he would already be a corpse.

Once he realized this, Wang Anguo was immediately filled with gratitude toward Li Yi; he wanted to thank this man in person!

At the same time, he developed a keen interest in Li Yi. He wanted to meet him and ask how he had foreseen the danger and used such an incredible method to save him from harm.

Recalling that he had seen Li Yi at the State-Owned Hotel that day—where the man appeared to be delivering goods—Wang Anguo arrived at the State-Owned Hotel early this morning and inquired about Li Yi from Liu Jingshan.

As the manager of the state-run hotel, Liu Jingshan naturally recognized Wang Anguo, the captain of the criminal investigation team, and answered his questions without reservation.

And that’s how Wang Anguo came to be waiting here for Li Yi!

“Actually, you already have the answer in your heart, don’t you?” Li Yi said calmly.

Wang Anguo burst out laughing. “Brother Li Yi, you really are a remarkable man. I’ll never forget the debt of gratitude I owe you for saving my life. May I treat you to a meal?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “There’s no rush for dinner. I’ll deliver the goods first!”

Liu Jingshan, standing nearby, hurriedly interjected, “Brother Li Yi and Captain Wang, please come inside and have a seat for a moment. I’ll handle the weighing!”

With that, Liu Jingshan immediately called the store staff out to unload the goods.

Seeing that someone else was taking care of it, Li Yi was happy to have some free time. After saying thank you, he walked into the state-run restaurant with Wang Anguo.

As soon as they entered, Wang Anguo was about to call over a staff member to order, but Li Yi stopped him.

It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet; it was still far too early for lunch, and he certainly wasn’t hungry enough to eat.

Li Yi then looked at Wang Anguo and said, “I know you have many questions, but our line of work has its own rules. I’m afraid I can’t explain too much to you!”

Wang Anguo had heard of some mysterious sects with strict rules that their members rarely dared to break, so he nodded immediately and said, “Then I won’t ask any further!”

Wang Anguo paused to think for a moment before continuing, “I suppose Brother Li Yi doesn’t know who I am yet. Let me introduce myself first…”

But before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Your name is Wang Anguo. You’re 28 years old. You served in the military earlier in life, suffered a life-threatening injury, and now you’re the captain of the county criminal investigation team!”

“You… you…”

“I haven’t investigated you, nor do I have the ability to do so. I deduced all this myself. Of course, you’re free to disbelieve me!” Li Yi said.

“No, I believe you!” Wang Anguo hurriedly replied.

The fact that he was the captain of the criminal investigation team was known to many in the county, and his military service wasn’t exactly a secret either. But the fact that he had suffered a life-threatening injury was something even his parents and family didn’t know—so how on earth could Li Yi possibly know?

Combined with the earlier incident where the coin had saved his life, Wang Anguo now had absolute faith in Li Yi’s ability to read faces and predict the future.

“Captain Wang, I’m just an ordinary guy. I saved you simply because I didn’t want a man like you—who’s been wounded and shed blood for the country—to die such a pathetic death at the hands of a scumbag. So don’t worry about it!” Li Yi said.

“Brother Li Yi, a life-saving favor isn’t something one forgets easily. If you ever need anything in the future, come find me at the county bureau—I, Wang Anguo, will give my life for you!”

Seeing the earnest look on Wang Anguo’s face, Li Yi couldn’t help but nod.

He’s a man who knows how to repay a debt of gratitude—it was well worth saving his life.

Suddenly, Li Yi remembered something: shortly after Wang Anguo’s death, a terrifying incident had shaken Qing Shan County.

Within a very short period, more than a dozen children went missing across the county. Although the county mobilized a large number of police officers to investigate the matter, they were never able to solve the case.

Li Yi recalled that at the time, many officials at the county bureau had faced disciplinary action from higher-ups over this incident; the bureau chief, deputy chief, and the captain of the criminal investigation squad had all been demoted.

Right now, Wang Anguo was still alive and remained the head of the Criminal Investigation Division. If this incident were to occur, he would likely face disciplinary action.

Thinking of this, Li Yi hesitated, wondering whether he should warn him.

Wang Anguo, noticing Li Yi staring at him with a furrowed brow, couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong, Brother Li Yi? Is there something troubling you?”

“I don’t, but you do!”

“What do you mean? I’m fine,” Wang Anguo asked, puzzled.

“You will be soon!”

Li Yi then looked at him and said, “If things go as expected, a major incident will soon occur in the county. If it’s not handled properly, your future prospects will be severely affected!”

“Ah, what kind of major incident? Is it that serious?” Wang Anguo asked urgently.

“I can’t reveal the secrets of heaven!”

After showing off, Li Yi added, “Just wait and see for now. If you really can’t handle it, come find me!”

With that, Li Yi walked over to Liu Jingshan, who was tallying the payment, leaving Wang Anguo standing there completely baffled!

Li Yi knew his father’s mindset was somewhat old-fashioned, so it was understandable that he might find it hard to accept such seemingly risky behavior right away. Therefore, Li Yi didn’t say much more.

He believed that, with time, his father’s views and attitude would change.

After briefly informing his father, Li Yi headed straight for the back mountain!

By the time Li Yi arrived, more than a dozen baskets had already been placed on the reservoir dam, and quite a few children were busy processing the wild produce they’d gathered.

Seeing Li Yi approach, the children all gathered around him.

Li Yi glanced around and noticed that the number of children gathering wild produce had been growing over the past few days—there were as many as thirty of them.

“Dongzi, what’s the story with them?” Li Yi asked, pointing to a few seven- or eight-year-olds.

Dongzi replied immediately, “Brother Yi, everyone in the village knows we’ve been making money picking mushrooms with you. Their parents came to me, wanting them to join us too!”

“They’re too young!” Li Yi said, frowning.

Just then, a grubby little boy shouted, “We’re not little anymore—we can pick mushrooms too!”

Li Yi recognized the little guy; he was the third son of Lame Dong’s family at the west end of the village.

His father had polio and was disabled, his mother was mute, and with five children in the household, they lived a very hard life.

Dongzi chimed in, “Brother Yi, we’re all mountain kids—picking mushrooms is no problem for us!”

Li Yi sighed and said, “The mountains aren’t safe, after all. Not to mention wild beasts like jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, and wild boars—even just gathering wild produce is no easy task. Climbing up and down all over the place, I’m worried something might happen to them!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the children chimed in in unison, “We’re not afraid!”

“That’s right, we’re not afraid!”

“We run around the mountains every day—we really aren’t afraid…”

Li Yi motioned for them to quiet down, then said, “If you want to come with me to earn some money, that’s fine. But first, have your parents come to my house to talk to me. We need to get everything straight before I’ll take you along—otherwise, it’s out of the question!”

It wasn’t that Li Yi was being overly cautious; it was just that there were certain things he had to think through in advance.

Foraging for wild produce is a genuinely dangerous line of work. Although the government has organized militias in recent years to hunt down and eliminate large wild beasts like wolves, tigers, and leopards in the mountains—and even if any remain, they’ve retreated deep into the mountains—there are still wild boars, gazelles, and roe deer.

Wild boars, in particular, were still quite common in the mountains. If the children ever encountered one, it would be genuinely dangerous.

If a child were to get hurt or even killed while gathering wild produce for him, the child’s parents would surely burn down Li Yi’s house—he couldn’t take that risk!

Hearing that Li Yi wasn’t actually turning them away—but rather asking their parents to come speak with him—the children said no more.

Afterward, under Li Yi’s direction, a large group of children carried over a dozen baskets of cleaned mushrooms and wood ear fungus back to the village!

Once back home, Li Yi also paid them their wages for the previous day’s work.

In the evening, after the production team had finished work, villagers began trickling into Li Yi’s home.

They all had the same goal: to have their children work with Li Yi and earn some pocket money to help support the family.

Li Yi’s stance was clear: they could work with him, but they had to sign an agreement.

The terms of the agreement were simple: the children would be working part-time to earn money during their free time, and he would not be considered an employer of child labor.

Secondly, the children had to follow the older kids’ instructions when going up the mountain and were not allowed to act on their own; furthermore, he would not be held responsible for any safety issues that might arise.

Everyone understood Li Yi’s predicament, so they all signed the agreement.

Some even asked if Li Yi wanted the wild produce the adults had gathered, but he declined.

It wasn’t that Li Yi lacked a market for them; rather, the agricultural commune had not yet been dissolved. If he encouraged these adults to go into the mountains to gather wild produce, it would inevitably affect the production team’s progress—something that was absolutely out of the question.

Furthermore, the reason he wanted to take Dongzi and the others into the wild produce trade was, on the one hand, because he needed money, and on the other, because he wanted these younger brothers to earn money alongside him.

But if all the adults in the village went into the mountains to pick mushrooms and wood ear fungus, what would be left for the children to do?

So although Li Yi was very tempted by the adults’ suggestion, he ultimately held back!

……..

By the time everyone left Li Yi’s house, it was already past ten o’clock at night!

The family tidied up and got ready for bed!

Just then, Li Yi suddenly turned to his parents and said, “Dad, Mom, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you!”

Li Shan Kui tapped the pipe he was holding against the edge of the kang, then asked, “What is it?”

“Dad, I want to build a house!” Li Yi said earnestly.

Li Yi had been thinking about building a house for several days. He knew his parents’ plan was to clear out the room he currently occupied and use it as their wedding chamber once he married Tang Xue.

But Li Yi felt that was a bit too shabby. For one thing, that room was originally used for storing odds and ends; not only was it small, but it also didn’t keep the heat in.

It was bearable in the summer, but in the winter, with drafts coming in from all sides, it was simply unsuitable as a bridal chamber.

Besides, barring any surprises, Tang Xue was likely already carrying their child. Even if only for the sake of the child, he had to start thinking about a proper home.

Li Shankui was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why are you thinking about building a house now?”

His mother, Zhang Yuehong, also asked, “The west room is a bit small, but it’s livable, isn’t it? If it really doesn’t work out, once Xue moves in, your father and I can take the west room, and you two can have the east room!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “I’ve actually been thinking about building a house for a long time. On one hand, Xue and I want our own little home after we get married, and on the other hand, our house is just too small.”

“Since the house is too small to accommodate many people, my eldest and second sisters haven’t been coming back to visit much these past few years. Even when they do come back, they never stay overnight.”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Shankui and Zhang Yuehong both fell silent.

They both knew their son was telling the truth, but building a house wasn’t that simple—between labor and materials, it wouldn’t be cheap!

After a long pause, Li Shankui finally said, “Building a house costs money, and you’re getting married soon—that costs money too. Why not hold off on building for a while?”

“I’ve got about 500 yuan on hand right now. I’m not sure if that’s enough,” Li Yi replied.

Li Shankui and Zhang Yuehong exchanged a glance. They were genuinely surprised—they hadn’t expected their son to still have 500 yuan left after paying the dowry and buying a bicycle.

“It’s not quite enough for a brick-and-tile house, but it’s plenty for an adobe one!”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Dad, I want to build a brick-and-tile house. Let’s build three rooms this year, and next year we’ll renovate the old house and turn it into a brick-and-tile house too!”

Li Shankui took a drag on his cigarette and said, “We’ll worry about the old house later. Take care of yourselves first!”

“If you’re okay with it, I’ll go see Uncle Feng tomorrow and ask him to allocate a plot of land for me!” Li Yi said.

“Hmm, remember to bring Old Feng a couple of bottles of liquor when you go!” Li Shankui reminded him.

Since his son had the money, he certainly wasn’t going to stand in his way.

Besides, he was worried his son might fall back into his old, reckless ways and squander the money—it would be better to use it for building a house now.

“Alright!”

……..

Li Yi was unaware of what had happened in the county seat; at that moment, he was pedaling his bicycle toward the town.

After Secretary Wang left, the people at the commune tried to cozy up to him, but Li Yi was worried about his third older sister, Li Na, and had no time to deal with them.

So Li Yi made up a flimsy excuse and left the Hongqi Commune.

Li Yi knew full well that those people were only trying to get close to him to gain access to Wang Anmin’s connections—they didn’t truly value him.

As for the connection with the Wang family, Li Yi intended to use it cautiously; after all, favors tend to diminish the more they’re used, so he couldn’t afford to waste them carelessly.

Naturally, Li Yi had no interest in dealing with those people!

It had been years since Li Yi had ridden a bicycle, but to his surprise, it felt as natural as ever—not the slightest bit of effort!

He covered the dozen or so kilometers from Hongqi Commune to the county seat in less than half an hour—that was really fast.

In fact, Li Yi had noticed that since his rebirth, his body seemed to have undergone some kind of change.

This change wasn’t as powerful as the “golden finger” abilities in novels; it was just that his strength had increased slightly, and his physical condition had improved.

Although it wasn’t particularly noticeable, Li Yi could feel it deeply himself.

By the time he reached the county seat, it was already 11 o’clock. Instead of heading to the state-run restaurant, Li Yi went straight to the sugar factory!

When Li Yi arrived at the sugar factory gate, he found his father, Li Shankui, and his third older sister had already set up their stall.

Seeing Li Yi approach, Li Na immediately exclaimed happily, “Did you manage to sort things out over there?”

“Yeah, it’s all taken care of!”

“What exactly happened? Did those people at the commune have nothing better to do than investigate you?” Li Na asked immediately.

She’d been worried the whole way there, fearing that something might have actually happened to Li Yi.

When her younger brother stood before her, safe and sound, she knew he was innocent, and that lingering worry turned into anger toward those people at the commune.

“It’s nothing much. They just gave me a certificate of merit and 200 yuan!”

“Huh? What does that mean? Why would they give you a certificate and money?” Li Shankui asked, puzzled.

“Do you remember when I saved an old man on the day of my engagement?”

“How could I forget? Because of that, you nearly messed up the marriage proposal!” Li Shankui said.

Li Yi immediately explained, “That old man’s son is a local official in the county seat. After he found out we’d saved his father, he wanted to thank us. But his secretary miscommunicated the message, and the commune misunderstood. Long story short, it was all a huge mix-up!”

Before Li Shankui could say anything, Li Na chimed in from the side: “So that’s how it was. I always said that even though you’re no model student, you wouldn’t have the guts to break the law!”

Li Yi didn’t want to get into an argument with his third sister over this, so he quickly changed the subject: “Sis, how’s the sale of the mountain produce going?”

“Take a guess.”

“Yesterday’s sales weren’t huge. I’d guess about 120 yuan?”

Li Na smiled and said, “It’s way more than that!”

“How much then?”

Li Yi asked curiously; after all, he was quite confident in his own judgment.

Yesterday’s haul of mountain produce totaled only about 170 to 180 jin. Based on the going rate, that would be worth no more than 120 to 130 yuan, with a margin of error of no more than 5 yuan.

This was a skill he’d honed from going door-to-door in his previous life—it was almost impossible for him to be wrong.

“I’m not kidding you—it sold for a total of 153 yuan!”

“That can’t be right. Why so much?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

Li Na replied immediately, “That guy surnamed Liu said there’s a type of mushroom in our mountain produce called ‘monkey something-or-other.’ That stuff is really valuable—it’s worth 5 yuan a jin!”

“We had a total of six and a half jin of that mushroom—that alone brought in over thirty yuan!”

With Li Na’s reminder, Li Yi suddenly remembered—yesterday, those young guys had indeed picked a bag of monkey head mushrooms.

He knew that in the future, that stuff was indeed very valuable—pure wild specimens could sell for at least a hundred yuan per kilogram.

But he never imagined they’d be this valuable in this era—costing six or seven times as much as ordinary tea tree mushrooms.

“Since they’re worth that much, I’ll have Dongzi and the others pick more from now on!” Li Yi said.

“Mm-hmm!”

Just as they were speaking, a pleasant bell rang out from inside the sugar factory!

The two knew the sugar factory workers were about to get off shift, and people would soon be coming to buy liangpi and white-skinned pancakes, so they immediately got ready.

Sure enough, within minutes, hundreds of workers streamed out of the factory, heading straight for Li Yi’s little stall!

……..

At 4:00 p.m., after restocking, the three of them returned to the village!

After unloading the supplies at home, Li Shankui didn’t go out to help in the fields; instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, smoking with a pensive expression.

Seeing his father like this, Li Yi knew he had something to say.

After all these years, how could he not know his own father’s temperament!

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Li Yi asked as he tidied up.

“Sit down. I have something to ask you!”

Li Yi immediately put down what he was doing, walked over, and said, “Dad, go ahead—I’m all ears!”

“Why don’t you just sell mountain produce from now on? You should stop selling those cold noodles, okay?”

Before Li Yi could say a word, his third older sister, Li Na, piped up, “Why? Father, you’ve seen how booming Xiao Yi’s business is—it’d be such a waste to stop now!”

Li Shankui took two deep puffs from his pipe, then said, “It’s precisely because I see how booming that business is that I don’t dare let your brother continue it! Don’t forget, the agricultural cooperative hasn’t been dissolved yet!”

Li Yi knew exactly what his father was worried about: as long as the agricultural cooperative remained intact, the country was still operating under a planned economy.

Under these circumstances, his street vending and small-scale trading were illegal.

If it was illegal, he could be reported, or even arrested and sentenced.

“Dad, times have changed. The government has already allowed the emergence of a private economy. Although it hasn’t been implemented here yet, it’s already started in the southern regions!” Li Yi said.

“Then wait until the policies are in place here before you start. Anyway, even selling mountain produce can make you a decent profit!” Li Shankui said in a stern voice.

“Dad, selling mountain produce isn’t a long-term solution. Once winter sets in, the mushrooms and wood ear fungus will be gone!” Li Yi said.

“So what if they’re gone? With the rate you’re making money now, do you really think we’ll be short of cash for the New Year?”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Father, I know what you’re worried about, but I promise nothing will go wrong!”

“What do you have to back that up?”

Li Shankui then raised his voice and said, “You’re not a child anymore. If you won’t think of yourself, at least think of that girl, Xiaoxue!”

“People are already gossiping about a city girl running off with you. If you get arrested, she’ll never be able to hold her head up again!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “Father, do you know who the son of that old man I saved the other day is?”

Knowing his father’s stubborn nature, Li Yi realized that simply appealing to reason wouldn’t work. He decided to bring up the heavyweight figure of Wang Anmin.

“Who?”

“His name is Wang Anmin—the top official in our county!” Li Yi declared, dropping a bombshell.

“The top official? The county Party secretary?”

“Right. He also said that if anything comes up in the future, I can go straight to him—we’ve got connections up there!”

Li Shankui knew exactly what his son meant and fell silent.

To be honest, seeing that his son had earned a month’s wages in a single day just by selling liangpi, Li Shankui was reluctant to give it up.

But recalling the severity of the crackdown on profiteering in recent years, he decided to make his son swallow his pride and quit.

If his son really did have connections in high places, perhaps this business could actually continue.

After all, the situation had indeed changed in recent years. Many households were raising far more chickens and pigs than the commune allowed, and quite a few were secretly taking their livestock to the black market to sell.

Whether it was the commune or the production team, they turned a blind eye to such activities, clearly tacitly approving them.

Thinking of this, Li Shankui couldn’t help but hesitate!

Inside the small jeep, Wang Anmin asked with a grave expression, “Xiao Yang, what’s the update from the Public Security Bureau?”

“Sir, according to Director Lu’s report, their team discovered a suspicious target during their investigation. After further verification, they confirmed it was the suspect Zhou Baoshan!” Secretary Yang replied.

“So, what does the county bureau plan to do?”

“Director Lu has already ordered the Criminal Investigation Division to close in and is preparing to apprehend him immediately!”

Secretary Yang continued, “Considering the possibility of the suspect escaping, Director Lu has also ordered militia units from several nearby communes and the Armed Police to set up perimeter defenses, forming a second line of containment to ensure the arrest operation goes off without a hitch!”

“Hmm, the overall plan is sound, but they must prioritize the safety of the people during the arrest!” Wang Anmin said in a grave tone.

“Yes, sir!”

“Old Zhang, hurry up. Don’t go back to the County Party Committee—head straight to the County Bureau. With an incident of this magnitude, I must be on-site to command the operation!”

“Yes, sir!”

……

The county bureau was also bustling with activity at that moment, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense!

Wang Anguo asked in a cold, sharp tone, “How’s the suspect’s identity verification coming along?”

“Reporting, Captain, it’s 100% confirmed to be Zhou Baoshan!” his subordinate replied immediately.

“Good! Are the arrest teams in position?”

“All units are in position!”

“Good. Have the Armed Police send over a contingent of elite officers as a precaution!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Any news from the County Party Committee?” Wang Anguo asked again.

“Reporting, Captain. Secretary Wang went out to the countryside this morning and is currently on his way back!”

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “We can’t wait any longer. Let’s go to the scene to take command. Have Deputy Director Huang and the others wait here!”

With that, Wang Anguo immediately led several subordinates straight to the scene.

The location where the suspect was spotted was a black market in the northwest corner of the county seat—a place teeming with all sorts of people, where residents from surrounding townships and communes, as well as local speculators, liked to gather.

Zhou Baoshan needed to gather supplies to flee, but he didn’t dare go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, so he had no choice but to head to the black market.

The county police bureau, however, was already prepared, so Zhou Baoshan was spotted the moment he appeared.

However, as a notorious bandit who had roamed seven provinces and had more than ten lives on his hands, Zhou Baoshan possessed strong counter-surveillance skills. He quickly sensed that something was amiss.

Sensing that his movements might have been compromised—or that he was already under police surveillance—Zhou Baoshan immediately decided to flee.

He looked around and noticed that something was off about the people nearby; they seemed to be closing in on him, whether intentionally or not.

A sudden idea struck Zhou Baoshan, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, “The police are here! The police are here! Everyone, run!”

The police back then weren’t like the neighborhood committee ladies of later years—they wielded immense power.

Small-scale traders feared the police more than anything; if caught, the best-case scenario was having their goods confiscated—a devastating loss—while the worst-case scenario was being arrested and charged with profiteering!

So when they heard the police were coming, the hundred or so people in the black market panicked instantly and scattered in all directions.

Carried along by the crowd, Zhou Baoshan quickly fled toward the exit!

The police officers, who had been preparing to make an arrest, were stunned by the sudden turn of events. They hadn’t expected Zhou Baoshan to be so cunning—the moment he sensed something was wrong, he immediately created chaos and took the opportunity to flee.

When Wang Anguo and his team arrived at the scene, they found chaos all around and were instantly enraged!

“The suspect just escaped this way amid the chaos. He’ll definitely head toward crowded areas to evade our surveillance—chase him toward the main streets!”

Wang Anguo continued, “Activate Plan B immediately. Seal off the entire city. We absolutely cannot let the suspect slip away right under our noses!”

“Yes!”

Shortly after the order was given, the team leader in charge of the frontline operation sent a report stating that a suspect had been spotted near the supply and marketing cooperative.

Wang Anguo immediately led his team toward the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. He had made a solemn pledge to the Municipal Bureau regarding this operation; if it failed, the consequences would extend far beyond himself—the entire County Bureau would suffer as well.

When Wang Anguo and his team arrived, they spotted a middle-aged man of medium build with slanted eyes darting through the crowd like a slippery catfish.

Behind him were a dozen or so police officers, with several dozen meters separating the two groups.

Wang Anguo surveyed the surroundings and made a snap decision: “Flank him! We absolutely cannot let him get away!”

With that, he charged forward at the head of the group!

Zhou Baoshan hadn’t expected these police officers to be so tenacious. He’d barely managed to escape from the black market, but after taking only a few steps, his trail was picked up and they were already in hot pursuit.

Fortunately, he had experience dealing with these police officers. He knew that in situations like this, he must avoid taking back alleys or paths with few people.

On the one hand, fewer people meant he stood out more, making it harder to escape in the chaos.

On the other hand, being unfamiliar with the area, taking a remote path could easily lead him into a dead end—and then he’d truly be in a situation where no one would come to his aid.

So, he made his way toward the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where the crowd was at its thickest.

Just as he was about to rely on the massive crowd to escape to safety, Zhou Baoshan noticed several people in public security uniforms suddenly appearing directly ahead, closing in on him from all sides.

Realizing the danger, Zhou Baoshan acted without hesitation. He immediately pulled out the gun he had hidden on his person and fired into the air!

“Bang!”

The sudden gunshot shattered the tranquility of the small county town. Upon hearing the blast, everyone froze in shock before scattering in all directions. Chaos erupted on the streets, even more uncontrollable than the earlier turmoil at the black market.

Wang Anguo and the others never expected Zhou Baoshan to have a gun. After all, over the past few months, although this demon had committed numerous crimes and killed without mercy, he had never once used a firearm.

So it wasn’t just Wang Anguo and his team—even the city police department had assumed he didn’t have a gun, and at most, he might have a butcher’s knife.

But now it was clear the situation was nothing like they’d anticipated—not only did he have a gun, but he dared to fire it in broad daylight.

“We must stop him! This is the county seat—we can’t let him fire a gun here!”

With that, Wang Anguo charged forward, heading straight for Zhou Baoshan.

With the chaotic crowd providing cover, Zhou Baoshan felt his chances of escape had greatly increased. In high spirits, he immediately fled toward an alleyway nearby.

He knew full well that the police were currently focused on the main street, so slipping into an alley at this moment would be unlikely to attract attention.

Moreover, alleys near the main street rarely dead-end, which further increased his chances of escape.

However, just as he was about to enter the alley, a figure clad in olive green came charging up from his side and behind him—the distance between them was a mere four or five meters!

“Zhou Baoshan, freeze!”

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Baoshan showed no sign of fear; instead, a cruel smile spread across his face.

He spun around and suddenly pulled the trigger!

“Bang!”

The gun went off!

At such close range, there was no way he could miss!

Wang Anguo watched the bullet fly straight toward his heart, unable even to make a move to dodge it; his mind went completely blank.

Yet the pain he had imagined never came.

Wang Anguo didn’t stop to wonder why. Seeing Zhou Baoshan right in front of him, his face still bearing the same cruelty and bloodlust as before, he pounced like a tiger and immediately pinned him to the ground.

He then used a joint lock to twist the bandit’s right arm behind his back and slammed the hand holding the gun down hard onto his knee.

“Crack!”

The gun in Zhou Baoshan’s hand was knocked straight out of his grasp and onto the ground!

The fierce man struggled to pick up the gun, but Wang Anguo wasn’t about to give him that chance.

With a single kick, Wang An Guo sent the gun flying far away, while at the same time using all his strength to pin the man firmly to the ground.

By then, nearby police officers had rushed over to provide backup, and soon the crowd had subdued this demon who had killed countless people.

Only then did the breathless Wang Anguo have a chance to examine his own body. When he saw the obvious bullet hole in his chest, he immediately reached inside to inspect it.

He then pulled a deformed bullet from his jacket pocket—and on top of that bullet was a one-yuan coin!

“Squeak!”

Just as the atmosphere in the conference room was growing awkward, the middle-aged man who had stepped out to make a phone call returned.

He hurried over to Director Huang and began whispering in his ear!

No one knew what the middle-aged man had said, but everyone watched as Director Huang suddenly stood up and asked in shock, “Did Secretary Yang really say that?”

“That’s absolutely true—I’m afraid they’re probably already on their way!”

Director Huang glanced at Li Yi and said, “I hope you really are as upright as you claim to be—if you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear!”

“Heh, don’t worry—I won’t go astray!” Li Yi said confidently.

Although he had his fair share of minor quirks, he’d never committed any major offenses. Right now, his biggest problem was probably setting up a street stall without permission!

However, markets were gradually opening up in many parts of the country. Just this year, Wenzhou took the lead by issuing the nation’s first batch of individual business licenses.

It had only been a few months since then, so even though setting up a stall without permission wasn’t allowed, it wasn’t a big deal!

Even if he got caught, the worst that would happen was a verbal warning—it wouldn’t be like a few years ago when he’d been charged with profiteering.

“All right, everyone, get ready. We’ve just received word that Secretary Wang from the County Party Committee is already on his way to our Hongqi Commune!” Director Huang announced.

Hearing this, everyone in the conference room was stunned, and the looks they gave Li Yi changed instantly!

Every single person present was a shrewd operator. Seeing this commotion, they knew immediately that they’d misread the situation—the county officials weren’t summoning this young man to discipline him.

After all, if they truly intended to discipline him, Secretary Wang of the County Party Committee wouldn’t have needed to come in person!

There was likely some inside information they weren’t privy to!

Fortunately, the county seat was only about ten kilometers from Hongqi Commune—a mere ten-minute drive—so the truth would soon be revealed.

While everyone here was busy preparing to welcome Secretary Wang, Wang Anmin was already on his way to Hongqi Commune.

“Young Yang, have you got everything ready?”

“Sir, everything is ready: a certificate of honor, 200 yuan in cash, and some daily necessities!” Secretary Yang replied.

“Good. This person is my old man’s lifesaver—we can’t afford to be negligent!”

To be honest, Wang Anmin was filled with gratitude toward that young man he’d never met. If not for him, his father would likely be six feet under by now.

He had specifically consulted his father’s attending physician to learn the details: his father had suffered from hypoglycemia combined with heatstroke and had gone into shock.

Under those circumstances, if no one had intervened, there was an 80% chance he wouldn’t have survived.

Fortunately, that young man wasn’t afraid to get involved and stepped in to save him.

Moreover, the young man had accurately diagnosed his father’s condition and administered targeted treatment, which was why his elderly father had managed to hold on until they reached the hospital.

So, this debt of gratitude is truly immense!

Soon, the car arrived at the entrance of Hongqi Commune. From a distance, Wang Anmin spotted his old classmate and former subordinate, Huang Yuejin, waiting at the gate with a group of people to greet him.

After getting out of the car and exchanging brief pleasantries, Wang Anmin immediately asked, “I wonder which of you is Comrade Li Yi!”

Standing at the back of the crowd, Li Yi stepped forward and said, “Hello, I’m Li Yi!”

Wang Anmin took Li Yi in from head to toe and was instantly captivated by the handsome young man before him. He then burst out laughing, “What a strikingly handsome young man!”

“Thank you for your kind words, Comrade Leader!”

“Hello, I’m Wang Anmin, and I’m also Wang Guoguang’s son. I’m deeply grateful to Comrade Li Yi for stepping in to save my father’s life!” Wang Anmin said loudly.

Hearing Wang Anmin’s words, everyone—including Director Huang—was stunned.

It turned out that the young man was actually Secretary Wang’s father’s savior—he had come to thank Li Yi, not to arrest him!

In an instant, the commune officials were all drenched in cold sweat.

If that young man were to say a few unflattering things about them to Secretary Wang, they’d be in big trouble.

Li Yi was also taken aback. He hadn’t expected that the elderly man he’d casually saved that day was actually the county Party secretary’s father—his luck was truly off the charts.

“It was just a small gesture. I think any person of conscience would have done the same in that situation!” Li Yi said.

“That may be so, but to act decisively to save a life under such circumstances—and to have successfully saved my elderly father’s life—my family and I are deeply grateful to you!”

Wang Anmin continued, “Comrade Li Yi, as a token of our gratitude, on behalf of the County Party Committee and the County Government, I hereby confer upon you the honorary title of ‘Model of Bravery and Righteousness’ and award you a cash prize of 200 yuan.”

“In addition, I’ve brought you some daily necessities to express my personal gratitude!”

Li Yi asked calmly, “Secretary Wang, are the certificate of honor and the cash reward provided by the county?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, then I’ll accept these, but I won’t accept the gifts you’ve given me personally. I saved that person out of my own conscience, not for your gratitude!”

As he spoke, Li Yi was thinking to himself: Opportunities to make the county Party secretary owe you a favor don’t come often—I’m not going to let him repay it so easily.

Wang Anmin, however, didn’t see it that way. Hearing Li Yi speak with such righteous conviction, he assumed the young man was truly a modern-day Lei Feng who did good deeds without expecting anything in return—and he found himself liking the young man even more!

“Since Comrade Li Yi insists, I won’t press the matter. If you ever face any difficulties in the future, feel free to come straight to my home!”

“Thank you, Secretary Wang!”

“Haha, I’m the one who should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, my second son and I would truly have been left orphaned!” Wang Anmin said with a laugh.

Watching Wang Anmin and Li Yi chatting and laughing together, the people around them were surprised, but they also secretly envied Li Yi’s good fortune.

“This guy saves just anyone, and it turns out to be the county party secretary’s father. Why doesn’t this kind of good fortune ever come our way?”

But how could they possibly know that Old Man Wang’s situation was critical at the time, and that anyone else wouldn’t have had the guts to step in and help.

After all, one misstep could have landed him in serious trouble!

Moreover, in order to save him, Li Yi had nearly jeopardized his own future.

Wang Anmin had originally come just to repay a favor for his elderly father, but after chatting with Li Yi for a while, he found that this young man was very much to his liking.

The more they talked, the more they hit it off, feeling as though they’d met too late.

Just as Wang Anmin was about to suggest they have lunch together at the Hongqi Commune, Secretary Xiao Yang suddenly hurried over and whispered a few words in Wang Anmin’s ear.

Wang Anmin’s expression immediately turned grim. After hastily exchanging a few words with Li Yi, he got into the car and left the Hongqi Commune!

The night passed without incident. The next day, Li Yi woke up early as usual and began preparing for his market stall!

Although he still had to make a trip to the commune later, he couldn’t let that delay his trip to the county seat.

Making money was a minor concern; the state-run restaurant was still waiting for his mountain produce, and he couldn’t go back on his word!

Fortunately, Third Sister had delivered goods with him before and had experience running a stall; with a quick briefing, she should be able to cover for him for a day!

When Li Na learned that her younger brother actually wanted her to deliver the goods and run the stall for him, she wasn’t worried or anxious at all—on the contrary, she was quite excited.

Compared to her rule-abiding eldest and second sisters, Li Na had always been quite independent-minded since childhood.

Ever since she’d seen her younger brother earn in a single day what others made in three or four months, she’d been itching to give it a try.

But as a young woman, Li Shan Kui and his wife wouldn’t dare let her venture out on her own, so she had to keep all those thoughts to herself.

So when Li Yi asked her to deliver goods and man the stall for him, Li Na was more than happy to oblige—how could she possibly refuse!

Still, Li Shankui worried that Li Na might not be able to handle it on her own. After much hesitation, he finally decided to take a day off from the team leader and accompany Li Na to the county seat.

At nine o’clock in the morning, after watching her father and third older sister ride off on their bright red mule, Li Yi also hopped on his bike and headed to the village committee office.

He was going there to meet up with Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu, and then they would head to the commune together!

At Hongqi Commune, several directors and deputy directors had arrived early!

By the time Li Yi and the others arrived, these officials had already set up a grand inquisition!

They had already gathered a fair amount of information about Li Yi yesterday. They knew this kid had been a troublemaker since childhood—lazy, prone to fighting, a petty thief, and completely uneducated.

Therefore, the commune cadres unanimously believed that this kid must have gotten into trouble in the county seat and had been spotted by Secretary Wang, which was why they’d been ordered to investigate him.

Consequently, they planned to intimidate Li Yi the moment he walked in!

Meanwhile, Li Yi, accompanied by Secretary Feng and Captain Zhang, walked into the commune’s meeting room. Unlike the two elders, who were trembling with fear, Li Yi couldn’t care less.

He’d been to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and had even been received by national-level leaders—he wasn’t about to be intimidated by a few section-level officials.

So upon entering, Li Yi showed not a trace of fear. His gaze swept back and forth across the officials, which made them extremely uncomfortable!

“Bang!”

A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit slammed his fist on the table and said, “You’re Li Yi?”

“I am Li Yi. What do you want with me?” Li Yi replied calmly, his tone neither arrogant nor submissive.

“Be more respectful. Do you know what you’ve done?” the man demanded in a deep, stern voice.

Li Yi simply shook his head and said, “I don’t know!”

Before the man could speak, Li Yi took a step forward and said, “Uncle Feng and Uncle Zhang have already explained the situation to me. I really haven’t done anything wrong. If you think I’ve done something wrong, just present the evidence. Otherwise, stop making a fuss over nothing!”

These commune officials, acting like local tyrants in their own little fiefdoms, had never been spoken to like this before. They were all fuming, looking just like frogs in a pond.

“What kind of attitude is that?” the middle-aged man in the seat of authority finally spoke up.

Seeing Director Huang’s displeasure written all over his face, Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu, standing nearby, felt their hearts tremble.

“My attitude is fine—it’s you guys who have a problem!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Oh? What’s wrong with us?” Director Huang asked with interest.

Li Yi didn’t mince words. “The problem is huge. First of all, as grassroots officials who serve as a bridge between higher authorities and the people, your attitude toward both your superiors and the public is the problem!”

“When the county authorities asked you about me, you should have simply answered truthfully. There was no need to overreact when you didn’t fully understand the situation—that makes it seem like you’re making a mountain out of a molehill and blowing things out of proportion.”

“As for me, an ordinary citizen, you should have first clarified the basic facts instead of starting off with verbal threats and psychological intimidation. This double standard in treating superiors and ordinary people is unacceptable!”

Li Yi continued, “Secondly, your competence is in question. The county authorities sent you to investigate my situation, so you should be asking to get to the bottom of what actually happened, not making wild guesses on your own!”

“Besides, if I’d really committed some unforgivable crime, the county wouldn’t have sent you here for such a half-hearted inquiry—the criminal investigation team would’ve been here to arrest me long ago!”

After being thoroughly taken to task by Li Yi, everyone in the office—including Director Huang—looked rather grim.

But despite their displeasure, they had to admit Li Yi was right.

“What a sharp-tongued young man! If you hadn’t done anything wrong, why would the county party secretary’s office go out of their way to call and investigate your situation? Do they have nothing better to do?” a deputy director bellowed in a shrill voice.

Li Yi frowned and said, “Don’t yell at me. This isn’t like it was a few years ago. You want to know what’s going on, and so do I!”

Then, Li Yi suddenly thought of something and asked, “You have a phone here, right?”

“Hey, what are you up to?”

“If you have a phone, what are we waiting for? Just call the County Party Committee and ask them directly!” Li Yi said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think you can just call the County Party Committee Office whenever you want?” another deputy director interjected, frowning.

“You’re so slow. Didn’t the County Party Committee ask you to investigate my background? Just tell them you’ve finished the investigation and need to report the findings to the top leadership!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, the commune officials whispered among themselves for a moment, then all agreed that it made sense.

Immediately, the official sitting to Director Huang’s right walked out, clearly to make the call.

At that moment, Director Huang looked at Li Yi, who stood before him with neither arrogance nor subservience, and was secretly astonished.

According to the investigation, this young man was supposed to be the type who lacked ambition, but now it seemed that was far from the truth.

In the less than five minutes since he walked in, he had turned a passive situation into an active one and firmly taken control of the situation.

Not only had he taken the commune cadres to task, but he had also directed them to act according to his wishes. Such boldness and wisdom alone were not traits possessed by the average person.

Moreover, Director Huang could see clearly that the young man was genuinely unafraid of them—he wasn’t just putting on a brave front!

I really don’t know if this kid has something to back him up, or if he’s just plain bold!

“You don’t seem the least bit worried about your situation!” Director Huang asked with a smile.

“What’s there to worry about? A man with a clear conscience has nothing to fear!”

“Heh, but according to our investigation, you’re not exactly ‘upright’!” Director Huang said.

“Oh, so you’re implying I’m in trouble? Go ahead, I’d like to know exactly where I’ve gone wrong,” Li Yi said calmly, completely unfazed by Director Huang’s words.

“To put it simply, how do you explain the situation between you and that educated youth, Tang?”

“My wife and I fell in love freely. We’re already engaged and getting married at the end of the month. Is there a problem with that?” Li Yi said.

“But according to our understanding, you slept with her first, and only then did the rest of the relationship develop!”

“Haha, young people can’t help but give in to their feelings; it’s only natural to taste the forbidden fruit! All I can say is that we made a mistake any young person might make—that’s all!”

Li Yi’s nonchalant response left Director Huang completely at a loss. Logically speaking, anyone in this situation would be terrified—this wasn’t just a matter of personal conduct, but something that could lead to a formal investigation.

If the girl truly didn’t consent, it would amount to rape—a crime punishable by imprisonment.

But this young man didn’t seem to care in the slightest. This was completely unexpected, and it left Director Huang at a loss for how to proceed!

County Hospital. Inpatient Ward!

Wang Guoguang looked at his eldest son, who was packing his things, and the several hospital directors and department heads standing behind him with a look of distaste, muttering, “What are you doing here? Trying to intimidate these ordinary folks?”

Wang Anmin replied with a wry smile, “Don’t say that—am I really the kind of person who would do that?”

“Does that matter? Look at the fuss you’ve caused just by showing up!”

Wang Anmin knew exactly what his father meant. He didn’t get angry, but turned to the hospital director and said, “Director Zhu, I’m not here to inspect the hospital today. I’m just an ordinary person here to take my elderly father home. You should all go back to work!”

Director Zhu immediately breathed a sigh of relief and was about to dismiss everyone else so they could return to work, intending to stay behind to assist.

But just then, Old Man Wang spoke up: “Wait a minute!”

Director Zhu replied immediately, “Old Man, please tell me what you need!”

“Does anyone here know the name of the young man who brought me in that day? I vaguely heard him mention his name to Dr. Liu!”

At that moment, Old Man Wang’s attending physician stepped forward and said, “Old Man, that young man’s name is Li Yi. He’s from the Red Flag Commune!”

“Li Yi from the Red Flag Commune!”

Then I, Wang Guoguang, turned to my eldest son and said, “Eldest son, remember this—he’s the man who saved your old man’s life. You’d better make sure to thank him properly!”

Wang Anmin replied immediately, “I’ll remember. In a few days, I’ll pay that young man a personal visit at his home!”

“That’s the spirit! Hurry up and get ready—let’s head home!”

“Alright!”

After that, the Wang family packed up their belongings and left the hospital.

After taking his father home, Wang Anmin returned to work!

He knew his father was the kind of man who always repaid kindness. Without that young man’s help, his father would almost certainly have perished on the road—it was truly a life-saving favor.

As his son, he had to do something to show his gratitude; otherwise, he would truly be unworthy of being called a son.

With that in mind, he immediately assigned a task to his secretary, instructing him to look into the background of Li Yi from Hongqi Commune.

Due to his position, he didn’t intend to make a big show of it, so he didn’t reveal the full truth to his secretary.

Little did he expect that this concealment would lead to a major mix-up.

Since the secretary didn’t understand why he was investigating an ordinary commune member—assuming instead that the man had somehow offended him, the county Party secretary—the secretary adopted a stern tone when calling the commune.

This sternness was no small matter; it immediately sent a wave of panic through the entire Red Flag Commune.

The commune’s top officials didn’t dare take this lightly. They immediately summoned all the village party secretaries and production team leaders to a meeting to determine exactly who this Li Yi was who had offended Secretary Wang, and what he had done!

At that very moment, as he set up his stall outside the sugar factory, he had no idea that, through a series of misunderstandings, he had gone from being a ne’er-do-well everyone wanted to beat up to a criminal!

Truly, while he was setting up his street stall, trouble came out of nowhere!

……..

At the entrance to the sugar factory!

Business was surprisingly good today. When the workers learned that Li Yi had actually prepared white-crust flatbreads—and that each cost only five cents—their enthusiasm was reignited.

A serving of liangpi paired with a white-crust pancake cost just 25 cents—and it tasted absolutely delicious.

In less than half an hour, all 110 white-crust buns were sold out.

When the workers at the back of the line found out there were no more pancakes left, they couldn’t help but grumble.

Li Yi could only promise to make more pancakes tomorrow, ensuring everyone would get to enjoy cold noodles with pancakes again.

He worked until 1:30 p.m., finally selling the last serving of liangpi, and then headed to the supply and marketing cooperative to restock.

However, when he arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, he noticed that the atmosphere there was a bit off today.

Taking a closer look, he noticed that there were quite a few unfamiliar faces both inside and outside the supply and marketing cooperative.

At first, he thought they might be ticket scalpers, but upon closer inspection, they didn’t look like it. Every one of them was burly and muscular, with rosy, healthy complexions—a far cry from the sallow faces of ordinary scalpers.

More importantly, Li Yi didn’t see Liu San—the man who had previously sold him bicycle and sewing machine ration tickets—standing by the utility pole!

Clearly, those strangers weren’t ticket scalpers!

Judging by the wary, scrutinizing glances they cast at passersby, it wasn’t hard to guess who they were.

However, Li Yi didn’t give it a second thought; after all, he was just an ordinary citizen and couldn’t possibly be their target.

So, after securing his mule cart, Li Yi strode straight into the Supply and Marketing Cooperative!

After his usual big shopping spree, Li Yi drove the cart back to the village!

However, the moment he got home, he sensed something was off. He saw his parents in the courtyard, along with the former Party Secretary Feng Kai and Brigade Leader Zhang Tongfu.

With so many people gathered at his home—and it seemed they had been waiting specifically for him—Li Yi immediately sensed that something was amiss.

Hearing the creaking and groaning of the mule cart, the people in the courtyard all instinctively stood up.

Seeing that it was indeed Li Yi returning, his father, Li Shankui, immediately came over to take the reins and said to Li Yi, “Let me take this. Uncle Feng and Uncle Zhang have something to discuss with you!”

Li Yi immediately strode over and said, “Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, you wanted to see me?”

Feng Kai said with a grave expression, “Yi, tell me straight—what exactly have you done?”

Li Yi was instantly baffled. He’d gotten into trouble? How come he didn’t even know about it?

“Uncle, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with me?”

“Yiwa, if you really did something wrong, I’ll take you to turn yourself in and try to get you a lenient sentence. You can’t keep it hidden—if they find out, the consequences will be unimaginable!” Feng Kai said earnestly.

Captain Zhang, standing nearby, chimed in, “That’s right, Yi. You can’t go against the government!”

Li Yi hurriedly said, “Uncles, I really haven’t done anything wrong…”

Before Li Yi could finish, Feng Kai frowned and said, “You little rascal, if you hadn’t done anything wrong, the commune officials wouldn’t have ordered a special investigation into your case—and they wouldn’t have asked us to take you to the commune!”

Li Yi was baffled and asked immediately, “Uncle Feng, are you saying the commune officials want to investigate me and need you guys to take me there?”

“Yeah. They held a special meeting just for you this afternoon. If you hadn’t done anything wrong, would those leaders have gone to such lengths?” Feng Kai said, puffing on his cigarette.

Li Yi thought it over carefully. Could it be that someone had reported him for setting up a stall at the sugar factory gate?

Probably not. If it had been a tip-off, the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the police would have gone straight to the sugar factory gate to arrest me. Why would they have the commune do it for them?

Apart from that, he didn’t seem to have done anything else out of line.

“Don’t worry, uncles. You must have misunderstood. It’s highly unlikely the commune called me in because I did something wrong!” Li Yi said immediately.

“What do you mean?”

“Uncle Feng, think about it. If I’d really committed some serious offense, the police would’ve come to arrest me long ago. They wouldn’t be leaving it to you guys to lecture me!”

Upon hearing this, Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu realized he had a point.

These days, people can get arrested for the slightest rumor or trivial matter. If the higher-ups really had evidence that Li Yi had done something wrong, they wouldn’t be going easy on him.

“Then why is the commune investigating you?” Zhang Tongfu asked, puzzled.

“I’m not entirely sure myself. Since they want to see me, I’ll just go to the commune tomorrow!” Li Yi said.

“Right, then everything will be clear!” Zhang Tongfu said.

Feng Kai nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow!”

“Alright!”

……..

Early the next morning, Li Yi got up at the crack of dawn!

First, he led the big red mule out to drink some water, then fed it some hay.

It had been working hard every day, pulling the cart back and forth to the county seat, so he had to make sure it had enough fodder.

Only then did Li Yi begin preparing for today’s market stall!

The temperature had risen even higher these past few days, reaching a scorching forty degrees at noon.

As a result, the number of people craving liangpi had increased significantly; two or three hundred servings a day simply weren’t enough to satisfy the workers.

After giving it some thought, Li Yi decided to make some white flatbreads to sell alongside the liangpi—it was sure to be a hit.

He was a man of strong initiative—once he had an idea, he acted on it immediately.

So, after finishing the liangpi, Li Yi made over a hundred white pancakes to test the waters.

At 10:00 a.m., the mule cart arrived once again at the State-Owned Restaurant.

When Liu Jingshan saw the more than ten varieties of prepared mountain produce on the cart, he was so delighted he couldn’t stop smiling!

After the two settled on the prices for the other mushrooms, they began weighing and settling the bill!

When Li Yi stepped out of the state-run restaurant, he had 151 yuan in his pocket!

After deducting the labor fees for his younger brothers, Li Yi had made nearly 100 yuan just from selling the wild produce today.

Add to that the thirty or forty yuan he’d make selling liangpi, and at this rate, he could earn a thousand yuan in a week at most.

It seemed like building a house could be put on the agenda. After all, if he could have a new house built before the wedding, that would be a cause for celebration.

In high spirits, Li Yi drove off toward the sugar factory!

…….

In contrast to Li Yi’s good mood, Wang Anguo at the county bureau was not in such a good mood at that moment.

The conference room was filled with smoke, and everyone’s expression was grim!

“What’s the latest? Any leads on Zhou Baoshan?” Wang Guo’an asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

Deputy Captain Li Yongping, standing nearby, replied immediately, “No leads on Zhou Baoshan, but we’ve apprehended a few petty thieves and black-market speculators!”

As he spoke, a hint of resignation flashed across Deputy Captain Li’s weary face.

After yesterday’s meeting, their criminal investigation team had begun screening vehicles and individuals heading toward the border crossing, while simultaneously deploying a large number of officers to conduct searches throughout the county town and surrounding townships and communes.

Over the course of a day and a night, they had indeed apprehended quite a few petty thieves and black-market dealers, but there was still no sign of that notorious bandit.

“Hand them all over to the Public Security Brigade. Our mission is to hunt down Zhou Baoshan!” Wang Anguo said in a heavy tone.

“We’ve already handed them over!”

Just then, a middle-aged police officer rushed in and said, “Captain Wang, we just received an urgent call from the Municipal Bureau confirming that Zhou Baoshan has entered our county. The Municipal Bureau has ordered us to find him and bring him to justice!”

Wang Anguo immediately stood up and said in a deep voice, “Can you confirm the time?”

“It’s within the next day or two. The day before yesterday, the Municipal Bureau received a tip from the public that a suspect matching his description was spotted near Huanghualing!”

Wang Anguo knew the local terrain very well. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Huanghualing is located in the southeastern part of our Qingshan County, about 50 kilometers from the county seat. Since Zhou Baoshan is a fugitive, he certainly wouldn’t dare take a vehicle—he must be on foot. Judging by his stamina, he should still be within our county’s borders!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Deputy Captain Li said in a grave tone, “Qingshan County has 18 townships and communes, plus several major mountains like Daqingshan, Sumushan, and Agui Mountain. Finding a single person in all that terrain is no less difficult than looking for a needle in a haystack!”

However, Wang Anguo replied with firm conviction, “The suspect is definitely in the county seat!”

“How do you know he’s definitely in the county seat? What’s your evidence?” Deputy Captain Li asked, frowning.

“I have two reasons. First, the suspect’s goal is to flee the country. To leave Yunshan County, he’d have to cross the northern Gobi Desert—a barren, desolate wasteland of sand and wind. He’d need to be well-prepared; if he ventured into the Gobi empty-handed, he’d likely be devoured by wild wolves before even reaching the border!”

Wang Anguo continued, “Second, among the supplies a suspect needs to cross the border, food and self-defense tools are essential. Right now, there aren’t many places that can provide these things, especially food!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone raised an objection: “Team Leader Wang, shouldn’t food be relatively easy to come by? After all, the fields are full of crops, fruits, and vegetables right now!”

Wang Anguo replied immediately, “This is the lean season right now. The villagers have no surplus grain, so it’s highly unlikely that Zhou Baoshan could get enough food from them.”

“And while fruits and vegetables are easy to come by, they can’t be stored for long and won’t keep him going for long! So, I’m certain he’ll come to the county seat to stock up on supplies before heading out.”

After hearing Wang Anguo’s analysis, Deputy Captain Li and the other officers all nodded instinctively.

As seasoned veterans of the police force, they naturally knew that for long-distance travel, it was best to bring along some high-calorie, non-perishable food—and fruits and vegetables clearly didn’t fall into that category.

“Captain Wang, what should we do now?”

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “Starting now, step up checkpoints on the roads leading to the northern townships, and at the same time, focus your efforts on monitoring the Supply and Marketing Cooperative! Oh, and send people to keep an eye on the black market as well. Report any suspicious individuals immediately!”

“Why keep an eye on the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the black market?”

“The suspect is wanted for robbery and murder. Word is he robbed the local credit union of over 20,000 yuan, which means he’s not short on cash.”

Wang Anguo continued, “If he has money but needs supplies, the safest bet is to buy them at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative! But I suspect he doesn’t have enough ration coupons, so he’ll need to exchange some on the black market.”

“As long as we keep a close eye on these two places, we’re sure to find that guy!”

Deputy Captain Li nodded and said, “Captain Wang’s analysis makes perfect sense. Let’s do it that way. I’ll take a team to stake out the black market, and Old Yang will go to the supply and marketing cooperative!”

Wang Anguo paused to think, then said, “Make sure everyone has their guns ready. This suspect is a ruthless bandit who kills without batting an eye—we have to be extra careful!”

“Yes, sir!”

Just then, a young man suddenly knocked on the door and said, “Captain Wang, you have a call!”

“Who’s calling?”

“It’s from the county government. Secretary Wang called to say your father is being discharged from the hospital today. He asked if you have time to pick him up.”

Only then did Wang Anguo remember that his father had suddenly fallen seriously ill the day before yesterday while traveling to the countryside and had been taken to the hospital by a kind stranger; today was his scheduled discharge date.

But given the current situation, there was no way he could go to the hospital to pick him up.

“Tell my brother I’m tied up with an important case and can’t get away. Have him go pick up Grandpa himself!”

“Yes, sir!”

…….

Just then, Third Sister Li Na walked over and asked, “What’s the deal with that car?”

“I bought it, of course!” Li Yi replied matter-of-factly.

“You really bought it? Did you manage to get a bike voucher?” Li Na asked in surprise.

“I did. It cost me 10 yuan!”

“Whoa! That’s so expensive?”

Li Na couldn’t help but gasp. Ten yuan—that was worth over three hundred work points!

“It’s not that bad. These things are hard to come by—it’s worth the ten yuan!” Li Yi said.

“Then why did you buy a 26-inch one? Why not a 28-inch?” Li Na frowned.

“This bike is for my wife to ride, so of course I had to get a smaller one!”

Hearing this, Tang Xue, who was standing nearby, was stunned!

“You bought it for me?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Of course I bought it for you. Didn’t I tell you? Whatever others have, you’ll have too!”

“It’s not just a bike—I’ll get you a sewing machine, a watch, a radio… whatever you want, I’ll get it for you. Even if it’s a star in the sky, I’ll pluck it down for you!”

These sudden words of affection instantly warmed Tang Xue’s heart; she could sense his affection for her in Li Yi’s words.

Although his reputation was indeed poor—some called him a good-for-nothing, others a wastrel—few people had anything good to say about him.

And their union wasn’t born of love, but rather out of necessity—they had no other choice.

But just now, Tang Xue had heard sincerity and affection in Li Yi’s words—it felt very real.

This made her feel a little delighted, but mostly terrified!

“You…”

Tang Xue knew her own heart; in it resided her childhood sweetheart, Brother Tan Cheng.

She had also heard from Li Na that Li Yi seemed to have always had a crush on the village beauty from the neighboring village, so Tang Xue had never harbored any expectations for this marriage.

She understood her situation: if they were just to get by as familiar strangers, she felt she could handle it.

But if Li Yi really did fall for her, she truly didn’t know how to respond to him.

For a moment, Tang Xue fell completely silent!

Li Yi noticed Tang Xue’s unease. He patted her head affectionately and said gently, “Don’t put pressure on yourself. Just let things take their natural course!”

“He… he figured it out!”

Tang Xue’s heart raced, and her pulse quickened uncontrollably!

Just as she was wondering how to face Li Yi, the whistle signaling the end of work sounded.

Tang Xue frantically hoisted her shovel, ready to head back to the brigade headquarters to turn in her work.

But just as she was about to leave, Li Yi grabbed her hand.

“Let Third Sister handle the task report and tools for you. You ride the bike back to the educated youth camp!”

Tang Xue paused for a moment, then shook her head immediately. “Let’s just forget it!”

“What do you mean, ‘forget it’? This bike was bought for you—if you don’t ride it back, who will?” Li Yi said, frowning.

Seeing Li Yi’s furrowed brow, Tang Xue felt a sudden sense of unease for some reason. She hurriedly said, “I know you care about me, but you know how it is at the knowledge youth camp. Once work starts, there’s not a soul in sight. A bicycle is such a valuable item—it wouldn’t be safe to leave it anywhere!”

Li Yi thought about it and realized Tang Xue had a point!

“Here’s what we’ll do: we’ll keep the bike at my place for now. Once we’re married, you can ride it to work every day!”

“Okay!”

“Come on, let me take you for a spin!” Li Yi said again.

“Ah, maybe not…”

Li Yi knew she had a gentle, introverted personality. If he didn’t take the initiative to ask her out, he’d probably never be able to bring them closer together.

He snatched the shovel from Tang Xue’s hands and tossed it to Li Na standing nearby, saying, “Third Sister, please hand in the work for my wife. I’m taking her home first!”

Li Na: “*&……%￥”

…….

On a dirt road in the countryside, riding a brand-new bicycle, Li Yi pedaled ahead while Tang Xue sat on the back seat, her arms wrapped around his waist.

The guy was handsome, and the girl was beautiful!

In the setting sun, the shadows of the two riders stretched out long behind them!

The bicycle passed one farmworker after another on their way home from work, and everyone who saw them wore a look of surprise.

With the villagers staring at them like that, Tang Xue—who was already extremely shy—was blushing bright red and didn’t dare to look up.

The road was short, and before long they were back at the educated youth settlement!

After seeing Tang Xue inside, Li Yi didn’t linger. He simply reminded her to take care of herself, then hopped on his bike and headed for the back mountain.

When Li Yi arrived at the reservoir, he saw that the young men had already gathered there.

The embankment where they’d been playing earlier was now lined with bamboo baskets and wooden buckets, all brimming with various mountain produce.

However, Li Yi also noticed something: there were more children here today than before—as many as a dozen or so.

Looking at the group of ten- or eleven-year-olds in front of him, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow and ask, “Dongzi, what’s the story with these kids?”

Dongzi hurriedly explained, “Brother Yi, Dali and Yingzi are on vacation and have nothing to do. They saw us going up the mountain to pick mushrooms every day, so they wanted to come along and earn some pocket money.”

“I figured they must go up the mountain to play often and know which mushrooms are edible and which aren’t, so I brought them along!”

After hearing Dongzi’s explanation, Li Yi’s stern expression finally softened slightly.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi spoke up: “It’s fine for them to come mushroom picking with us, and I’ll pay them just the same. But this is only for the holidays—once school starts, they must be in class. Understand?”

The kids’ faces immediately lit up with happy smiles, and they all agreed that was fine.

Actually, for Li Yi, having a few extra hands was a good thing. After all, mountain produce was in high demand in the city right now—no matter how much they had, they weren’t worried about not being able to sell it.

And if they really couldn’t sell them right away, they could always dry them and sell them in the winter, when they’d fetch a higher price.

But Li Yi knew all too well how short-sighted the villagers were; many of them were the kind of people who would do anything for a quick buck.

Li Yi was worried that once the children’s parents saw they could make money, they might deprive the children of their right to pursue education and better themselves for the sake of a little immediate profit.

If that happened, it would be a huge disaster for these children.

Since today’s harvest was quite varied—including various edible mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and white fungus—Li Yi personally taught the children how to process these items.

In fact, the reason these wild mountain products caught the eye of the state-run restaurant wasn’t because the quality of the produce from this area was particularly high, but because Li Yi had processed them further.

Don’t underestimate the simple process of cleaning off dirt and debris and sorting out the ones that are too small—it makes a world of difference.

Once these wild products—pre-sorted and thoroughly cleaned—were neatly arranged in the baskets, their visual appeal increased severalfold.

No matter who looked at them, they would conclude that Li Yi’s produce was of much higher quality than what others had gathered.

After organizing the wild produce, Li Yi had Dongzi lead a group to carry everything back home.

He then paid them their wages for yesterday’s mushroom-picking—five yuan each. Watching the children head home, beaming with joy as they held their money, a faint smile couldn’t help but appear on Li Yi’s lips.

County Public Security Bureau. Conference Room!

Just as Li Yi was pulling his brand-new bicycle, excitedly hurrying home, an important emergency meeting was underway at the County Public Security Bureau.

The atmosphere in the conference room was tense, and everyone wore serious expressions.

From the head of the table, the Bureau Chief spoke in a stern tone: “Comrades, we have just received an urgent order from higher-ups. It has been confirmed that Zhou Baoshan, the notorious criminal who has been on the run across multiple provinces, has entered our province. He is highly likely to flee abroad via our province, and Qing Shan County is a must-pass route for him!”

“Therefore, our superiors have ordered us to immediately mobilize our best officers, form a special task force, and set up covert surveillance to apprehend the suspect as soon as possible. Do you all have confidence in this mission?”

“Yes, yes, yes!!!”

The crowd shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

“Excellent! You truly live up to being my men—we must never lose our spirit!”

The Chief then continued, “Based on the bureau’s decision, a special task force will be formed immediately, led by Criminal Investigation Division Captain Wang Anguo. Conduct a covert search throughout the county—we absolutely cannot let the suspect slip away from Qing Shan County!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Comrade Anguo, you bear a heavy responsibility. Please do not fail the trust placed in you by the Party and the people!” the Bureau Chief said earnestly.

“Rest assured, sir. As long as the criminal dares to show his face in Qing Shan County, I will bring him to justice!”

“Hmm. Now let’s discuss the specifics of our surveillance operations…”

…….

Li Yi was unaware of what had transpired at the bureau; at that moment, he was walking toward the village with a look of joy on his face!

Back in the village, he unloaded the supplies from his bike into the house, then placed all the dirty bamboo cups and chopsticks in a basin of water to soak, planning to wash them clean later so they could be used again tomorrow.

Next, he gave the mule water and fresh hay. After finishing these tasks, Zhou Yang locked the door and rode his bike to the village committee office.

When he arrived at the village committee office, he saw the village party secretary, Feng Kai, sitting under the eaves smoking a cigarette!

“Uncle Feng, can I ask you something?”

Feng Kai glanced at him and said, “We’ll talk about that in a minute. First, tell me the truth—where did you get that bike?”

Li Yi knew exactly what the old man was worried about and replied immediately, “Of course I bought it. Do you think I stole it?”

“Bought it? You better tell me the whole story, kid. That bike isn’t cheap!” Feng Kai asked in a stern voice.

“It’s not cheap—it cost 165 yuan!”

Then, Li Yi pointed to the paintwork and said, “Uncle Feng, I just bought this bike this afternoon in the county seat. You can see the paint is brand new, and I’ve got the receipt—take a look!”

Saying this, Li Yi handed over the receipt for the bicycle.

Feng Kai had been to school for a few years and could read, so he immediately took it and began examining it.

When he saw that it was indeed a valid receipt, he said in surprise, “So you really did buy it yourself, kid? Does your family have that much money?”

“Heh, my family doesn’t have that much money, but I can earn it!”

“You earned it? Don’t you dare do anything illegal for money, kid. In the village, this old man can still keep an eye on you guys, but once you’re out of the village, I really can’t control you anymore!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I get that. There’s no harm in telling you the truth—I earned this money selling mushrooms!”

“Mushrooms? Do people in the city even buy those?”

“Yeah, I found a buyer for them. I’ve been sending Dongzi, Shitou, and the others up the mountain to pick mushrooms every day, and they’ve made a decent bit of money too!”

“I know about that. Qiangzi’s mom told me yesterday that Qiangzi brought home a total of 7 yuan over the past couple of days—he said it was from you. She asked if he could keep it, and I was just about to ask you about it!”

Qiangzi is Secretary Feng’s grandson. He’s 15 years old and just graduated from middle school.

“Uncle, the money’s clean—there’s nothing wrong with taking it!” Li Yi replied immediately.

“Alright then. By the way, what did you want to ask me about?” Feng Kai took a few deep puffs on his pipe before asking.

“Nothing much—just wanted to ask where the educated youth are working.”

“They’re irrigating the fields at Lan Jing Wa!”

“Alright, you go ahead and get back to work. I’m going to check on my wife first!”

With that, Li Yi hopped on his bike and sped off!

Watching Li Yi’s receding figure, Feng Kai smiled and shook his head.

Youth is truly wonderful—whenever they get something good, they just want to show it off to their mother-in-law first!

Besides, he’d noticed that this rascal from the Shan Kui family had really changed for the better ever since the engagement was set.

As for Li Yi, after riding his bike to the “Rotten Well Hollow” that Secretary Feng had mentioned, he sure enough saw quite a few men and women bustling about there.

In the crowd, he spotted that familiar, graceful figure at a glance!

In the fields, Tang Xue was holding a shovel and watering the crops.

There had been hardly any rain since the start of summer, and the crops in the fields were parched, so the brigade leader had called on all the villagers and educated youths to start diverting river water for irrigation.

Due to a lack of water diversion facilities, the men were responsible for channeling the river water into the irrigation ditches, while the women handled the actual watering in the fields.

In the midst of their busy work, someone suddenly pointed toward the distance and said, “Hey, look who that is—she’s actually riding a bike!”

The group of women all looked up and gazed into the distance.

“That looks just like that good-for-nothing from the Li family to me. What do you think?”

“Naya, take a look—is that your brother, Xiao Yi?”

“No way—I don’t think the Li family even has a bicycle…”

Li Na and Tang Xue heard the women’s chatter and looked up as well. Sure enough, they saw Li Yi racing toward them on a small 26-inch bicycle.

Tang Xue looked at Li Na with some surprise and asked, “Sis Na, did your family buy a bicycle?”

“We didn’t have one yesterday, but who knows about today!” Li Na replied honestly.

“What do you mean?” Tang Xue asked, puzzled.

“You don’t know? Little Yi’s really made a name for himself now. He makes about a hundred yuan a day…”

Li Na had originally intended to tell Tang Xue that Li Yi could earn nearly a hundred yuan a day, but seeing that the area was crowded with people, she worried it might cause trouble and stopped herself immediately.

“Sis Na, what’s he up to? Why did you stop mid-sentence?”

Li Na felt like teasing her best friend—who was also her sister-in-law—so she smiled sweetly and said, “You want to know?”

“Mm-hmm!” Tang Xue replied instinctively.

“Yi’s right here. Go ask him yourself!”

“Sis Na, you’re so mean!” Tang Xue said, her face flushing.

Although her opinion of Li Yi had changed quite a bit, it had only reached the point where she didn’t resist or dislike him. When it came to actually talking to him face-to-face, Tang Xue still felt a bit embarrassed.

However, what happened the very next second took her completely by surprise.

Li Yi parked his car at the edge of the field and walked straight toward Tang Xue. Then, as she stared in astonishment, he snatched the shovel from her hands.

“Honey, let me handle this. You take a break!”

The word “wifey” instantly made Tang Xue’s fair, pretty face flush crimson. She wanted to retort, “Who’s your wifey?”, but then she suddenly remembered that he had proposed to her last night—so calling her “wifey” didn’t seem so out of place after all.

After staring blankly for a while, Tang Xue finally managed to blurt out, “We’re not even married yet!”

However, Li Yi replied with a smirk, “Honey, are you mad at me for scheduling the ceremony so late? Do you want to marry me sooner?”

Tang Xue: “*……%￥”

Did I?

That’s not what I meant, okay? I was just embarrassed, okay?

Seeing Tang Xue looking so adorably dazed, Li Yi really wanted to pull her into his arms and give her a good sniff!

But he knew he couldn’t do that. Setting aside whether this era would accept such a bold move, this little bunny right in front of him simply wouldn’t be able to handle it.

If he actually did that, he’d really scare her to death.