Chapter 18: You’re in for a Bloody Disaster

Early the next morning, Li Yi got up and got to work.

Unlike the previous days when Li Yi had to do everything on his own, after realizing that selling liangpi at a street stall was indeed profitable, Li Shankui had Li Na stay home specifically to help Li Yi.

Li Yi was, of course, more than happy about this!

To be honest, at three fen per work point in the production brigade, Li Yi really didn’t think much of it.

After all, a girl like Third Sister, even after working hard all day, would only end up with seven or eight work points—which, when calculated, amounted to just over two mao.

You read that right—just two mao!

And that was during a good harvest year; in a famine year with no crops at all, she wouldn’t even make two mao after a full day’s work.

This was precisely why the educated youth were desperate to return to the city, while country girls would rather marry a man of modest means than stay in the countryside.

With Li Na’s help, Li Yi had everything ready before nine o’clock.

Then, he hitched up the mule cart and headed back to the county seat.

This time, however, he didn’t take Li Na with him—not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t!

Although it was already 1980, the authorities’ stance on the private sector and commerce had not yet been fully clarified.

Take the famous “Shamgu Sunflower Seeds,” for example—just for selling sunflower seeds, they’d been arrested and released several times.

Therefore, setting up a street stall still carried risks; one misstep could lead to a charge of profiteering!

Li Yi wasn’t afraid himself and had a plan to handle it, but he didn’t want Li Na to take that risk with him.

Seeing her younger brother absolutely refuse to take her to set up a stall, Li Na was genuinely a bit annoyed, but there was nothing she could do.

She knew her brother’s temperament all too well—he was a spoiled rich kid through and through, and once he made up his mind, no one could change it.

With no other choice, Li Na had to head to the educated youth commune to help that good-for-nothing keep an eye on his wife.

Li Na knew full well that whether it was at the educated youth commune or among the unmarried young people in the village, there were countless men with their eyes on Tang Xue.

And some people, with that classic “sour grapes” mentality, were using the previous incident as an excuse to gossip behind her back. She had to keep a close eye on her—she couldn’t let anyone steal her man, nor could she let anyone bully Tang Xue.

County Town. State-Owned Restaurant!

When Li Yi arrived, he spotted Liu Jingshan standing at the restaurant entrance from a distance, looking around as if he were waiting for someone!

Spotting Li Yi’s familiar red donkey cart, Liu Jingshan hurried over to greet him!

“Hahaha, Brother Li Yi, you’re finally here!”

Li Yi said with some surprise, “Brother Liu, you weren’t waiting for me here, were you?”

“You bet. I’ve been waiting for you for over an hour!” Liu Jingshan said with a smile.

“Just tell me what you need, Brother Liu. There’s no need for the general manager of a state-run restaurant like you to be waiting here for me!” Li Yi asked, feeling a bit flattered.

“I won’t keep this from you, Brother Li Yi. A high-ranking official from the city has been inspecting Qing Shan County these past few days, and he’s been dining at our state-run restaurant every day. After trying the mushrooms you sent, he was very pleased and hopes our restaurant can regularly supply a batch of mushrooms to the state-run restaurants in the city!” Liu Jingshan explained.

Li Yi knew that Liu Jingshan had come to ask him for a supply.

After all, he’d only supplied him with a little under 200 pounds of mushrooms over the past few days. He wasn’t even sure there would be enough to meet the county-run restaurant’s needs—let alone have any surplus to send to the city.

“Are you asking me to send over more mushrooms?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“That’s exactly what I mean. I wonder if Brother Li Yi could…”

Before Liu Jingshan could finish, Li Yi cut in: “Brother Liu, you know that mushrooms are wild fungi—their yield is unpredictable. I really can’t guarantee a fixed supply at set times!”

Hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed across Liu Jingshan’s eyes, but he still nodded in understanding.

However, Li Yi then changed the subject and said, “Brother Liu, although we can’t guarantee the quantity of wild mushrooms, we can prioritize supplying the city and use some substitute products for our own use. Would that work?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Liu Jingshan asked urgently.

“Brother Liu, besides wild pine mushrooms and trumpet mushrooms, the mountains also yield inch mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms, white button mushrooms, lion’s mane mushrooms, and more. There are also wild wood ear mushrooms, white silver ear mushrooms, and other mountain delicacies—all of which are rare and delicious!”

Li Yi continued, “I can have the villagers gather more of these mountain products. In the future, you can send the pine mushrooms and trumpet mushrooms to the city first, and we’ll use the other varieties here in the county. It shouldn’t have much of an impact!”

Liu Jingshan thought for a moment and said, “That’s certainly a solution, but I’m still a little worried.”

“Brother Liu, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll come up with a few new dishes for you later—I guarantee your state-run restaurant’s performance will be top-notch!” Li Yi said confidently.

“Alright, let’s go with your plan. And make sure to send some of the other wild mountain produce our way from now on!”

“No problem!”

After that, the two immediately weighed the three large baskets of mushrooms Li Yi had brought and settled the bill.

　　187 jin, totaling 131 yuan!

As he walked out of the state-run restaurant with the money in hand, Li Yi felt as if he were floating on air.

Although in his previous life he was worth tens of billions, to Li Yi, even a fortune of that magnitude didn’t bring him the same sense of accomplishment as this mere hundred or so yuan.

It wasn’t about the amount of money, but the fact that now, when he earned money, he had someone to share the joy with!

In his previous life, he had been alone, watching the numbers in his bank account grow endlessly—a numb and hollow existence!

Just as Li Yi stepped out of the restaurant, preparing to head to the sugar factory to set up his stall, he didn’t expect someone to come rushing toward him from outside.

The person was moving so fast that Li Yi didn’t see him coming and was knocked right to the ground.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, I really have an urgent matter!”

The person was quite polite, helping Li Yi to his feet while apologizing.

Li Yi noticed the man was wearing olive-green fatigues and a wide-brimmed cap—clearly a police officer.

Thinking the man might genuinely have an urgent matter, Li Yi immediately said, “I’m fine. Comrade, if you’re in a hurry, go ahead and take care of it!”

“Thank you so much…”

Just as the officer was about to leave, Li Yi suddenly thought of something and hurriedly called out, “Wait a minute!”

“Comrade, is there something else?”

Li Yi stared intently at his face, confirming it was indeed the person he recognized, then immediately pulled a one-yuan coin from his pocket.

He then walked up to the police officer, slipped the coin directly into his jacket pocket, and said, “Comrade, take this!”

“Comrade… fellow villager… we don’t take a single thread from the people…”

Li Yi smiled and said, “This money isn’t for you—it’s to save your life!”

“Save my life?” The police officer clearly didn’t understand what Li Yi meant and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“I see a dark spot between your eyebrows—you’re in for a bloody disaster soon. Keep this coin in your pocket and don’t take it out; it’ll save your life when the time comes!”

Seeing him being looked at as if he were a lunatic, Li Yi said again, “Whether you believe it or not, just take this coin for now. If you’re lucky enough to survive, you can give it back to me later!”

With that, Li Yi walked away without looking back, leaving the officer standing there speechless.

“Bang!”

The door to the women’s dormitory was pushed open forcefully, and immediately afterward, to everyone’s surprise, Li Na ran in, panting heavily.

Seeing Tang Xue quietly shedding tears, Li Na immediately walked over!

“Xiao Xue, don’t cry. I’m sorry I kept you waiting. Xiao Yi is right behind me; he’ll be here any minute!”

Hearing Li Na’s words, a glimmer of hope flickered in Tang Xue’s despairing eyes. Her voice trembling slightly, she asked, “Is… is he really coming?”

“Of course he’s coming! You have no idea how much that kid cares about you. To save face for you, he dragged me to the supply and marketing cooperative and spent a fortune—he even scared the sales clerks there!” Li Na said with a laugh.

“Did you come back so late because you went into town to buy things?” Tang Xue asked urgently.

“Yes, but it’s not just because of shopping that we’re this late!”

“Then what was it?”

“On our way back, we rescued an elderly man who had fainted. After taking him to the hospital, we didn’t get back until late!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Tang Xue’s best friend, Zhang Xinyao, chimed in, “So it was because you saved someone—that certainly explains it!”

“I knew it! Something must have held you up!”

“That’s a good deed that builds merit—you’re truly blessed, Xue…”

Hearing that Li Yi was a few hours late because he’d saved someone, Tang Xue’s mood instantly improved.

Seeing this, Li Na hurriedly added, “Yi was worried you’d be anxious, so he asked me to come over first and fill you in. He and my parents will be here soon. You should get ready, Xue!”

Tang Xue realized she must have looked terrible, having just been crying and laughing.

She hurriedly got up and, with the help of a few female educated youth, quickly washed her face and tidied her clothes.

Just as she finished getting ready, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by the sound of voices chatting.

As the undisputed star of the day, Tang Xue immediately opened the door!

Outside the door stood Li Yi’s family, along with the village elders, the matchmaker, and others, each holding one or more items.

Tang Xue had clearly made an effort to dress up today. A simple floral blouse, black trousers, and a pair of nearly new cloth shoes—yet she managed to wear them with a unique charm.

Tang Xue’s face seemed to be smeared with snow cream, making her look fair and radiant, with a faint fragrance lingering about her.

But what captivated Li Yi most were her eyes—lively yet tinged with a hint of melancholy, as if a single glance could instantly capture one’s heart and soul.

To be honest, Li Yi was truly taken aback by the sight of Tang Xue.

Though the girl before him wore no expensive, fancy clothes and had no heavy makeup on, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Seeing Li Yi staring intently at her, Tang Xue’s face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.

The matchmaker, being experienced, immediately stepped forward and said, “Comrade Tang, we’ve come today on behalf of the Li family to propose marriage to you! Although you two are in a relationship of your own free will, the Li family will not skip a single step of the proper procedures!”

“Now, let the Li family elder read the marriage contract!”

Old Master Li was one of the few educated men in the village, and as the eldest in the village hierarchy, he was naturally the one chosen to read the marriage contract.

There stood the white-haired Seventh Master Li, holding the marriage contract written on large red paper. By the faint light of a flashlight, he read aloud: “Two families unite in marriage, a covenant sealed in this hall; a blessed union forever bound, a match made in heaven.Behold the peach blossoms in full bloom on this day—a sign of a harmonious home. May the years to come bring an endless line of descendants, flourishing and thriving. We solemnly record this vow of lifelong devotion on this grand scroll; we inscribe this pledge of red leaves in the annals of love. This serves as our witness!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Old Lady Zhang interjected again: “To welcome the educated youth Tang into the family, the Li family is willing to offer a dowry of 88 yuan, along with two catties each of rice, flour, and cooking oil coupons!”

“In addition, there are two feet of plain cotton cloth, two feet of patterned cotton cloth, two enamel basins with floral designs, two thermos flasks, two towels, two bars of soap, two tubes of toothpaste, two bottles of moisturizing cream, two pounds of brown sugar, and two packs of White Rabbit milk candies…”

Hearing the matchmaker’s words, all the male and female educated youths inside and outside the house were stunned.

The dowry was simply too extravagant. Setting aside the 88 yuan dowry, the items the Li family was offering alone were worth a small fortune.

Although there were no major items like bicycles, sewing machines, or radios, it was still evident how much the Li family valued Tang Xue.

But what they hadn’t expected was that after the matchmaker finished speaking, Li Yi spoke up again: “These are just the gifts for the proposal. I promise you, before the wedding, I’ll have a ‘three-wheeled vehicle and a radio’ ready for you. And if there’s enough time, I’ll even build you a big house!”

“Whoa!”

Li Yi’s words stunned everyone once again. Although they didn’t quite believe the Li family had the financial means, the fact that Li Yi dared to make such a promise in front of so many people still commanded their respect.

Tang Xue was also taken aback by Li Yi’s words and immediately said, “There’s no need for all that. If you want to buy those things for me, it’s not too late to do so after we’re married!”

To be honest, she was genuinely worried that Li Yi might put the elderly Li Shan Kui and his wife through a lot just to buy those things!

Li Yi knew what Tang Xue was thinking, but he didn’t say much. Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

Seeing that Tang Xue had no objections, Old Lady Zhang announced loudly, “Then this match is officially sealed! Once we’ve picked an auspicious date, you two can get married. May you be deeply in love, remain devoted to one another, have children soon, and grow old together!”

The crowd immediately offered their congratulations to Li Yi and Tang Xue, until Tang Xue’s face was flushed with embarrassment!

Li Yi, meanwhile, immediately took out the candies and cigarettes he had prepared and handed them out to those around him, so everyone could share in the joy.

Although the matchmaking process had been full of twists and turns, the outcome was still a happy one.

By ten o’clock that night, everyone had finally gone home.

Li Yi didn’t linger at the educated youth commune either; after all, a mountain of work was waiting for him at home.

……

The Li household!

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, Dongzi, Shitou, Qiangzi, and the others were either sitting on small stools, perched on folding chairs, or simply sitting on the floor. The group of teenagers had filled the Li household to capacity.

Li Yi had called all these kids over—partly to distribute the money from today’s mushroom sales, and partly to assign tasks for the next day.

Li Yi pulled a wad of change from his pocket and said, “You guys picked quite a few mushrooms yesterday, so everyone gets five yuan. Dongzi, you hand the money out to the brothers!”

“Got it!”

With yesterday’s experience under his belt, Dongzi didn’t hesitate; he took the money and handed it out one by one.

After distributing the money, Li Yi spoke again: “We’ve picked nearly 200 pounds of mushrooms over the past two days, plus the 100-plus pounds from today. I’m afraid there aren’t many mushrooms left in the woods, so I’m assigning tasks to ensure our supply!”

“Brother Yi, just tell us what to do—we’re all with you!” Dongzi said immediately.

The others chimed in in agreement!

“Tomorrow, all of you head to the forest on West Hill to forage. But don’t just pick mushrooms—if you come across wild wood ear mushrooms, white silver ear mushrooms, button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, or white button mushrooms, pick those too!” Li Yi said.

“Bro Yi, can we make money selling black wood ear mushrooms too?” Shitou asked.

“Yes, they’re even more valuable than mushrooms!” Li Yi replied.

“Really? I saw a big dead tree on the back mountain today—it was covered in black wood ear mushrooms. If I picked them all, there’d be at least ten pounds. If that’s the case, I’ll go clean the whole lot out tomorrow!” Shitou said excitedly.

“If you really bring some back, I’ll give you a bigger cut the day after tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Brother Yi!”

Li Yi added, “Also, if there are any other kids in the village who want to come mushroom picking with you guys, feel free to bring them along. But remember, don’t take any who are too young—we have to make sure they’re safe!”

“Got it, Brother Yi!”

“Hmm, clean the mushrooms in the baskets of any debris before heading back. I’m leaving early tomorrow and won’t have time to do it then!” Li Yi instructed.

“Got it!”

………

The county health center was located on the main street, and by the time they arrived, it was already past five in the afternoon.

By then, Old Man Wang had regained consciousness, but he was still very weak and couldn’t even speak.

Li Yi carried him inside and then handled the admission procedures.

To avoid delaying treatment, Li Yi shared his diagnosis with the doctor on duty, suggesting that the old man was suffering from hypoglycemia combined with heatstroke.

Of course, he was merely offering his opinion.

Whether the doctor accepted it or not, and how he chose to treat the patient, was the doctor’s decision—it wasn’t Li Yi’s place to interfere.

Fortunately, the old man had money on him, as well as his work ID, so Li Yi didn’t have to cover the medical expenses out of pocket.

After leaving the old man’s bicycle in the hospital’s care, Li Yi hurriedly left the hospital with his third sister.

Although they were both happy to have saved a life, the siblings were also very anxious.

It was nearly six o’clock by the time they left the hospital. At the pace of the mule cart, it would be at least nine o’clock by the time they returned to the village—clearly too late.

Thinking about how he’d promised Tang Xue they’d go to propose marriage, only to be this late, Li Yi worried she might get the wrong idea.

But with things having come to this, all he could do was urge the mule to go a little faster!

On the way, Li Na kept glancing at Li Yi from time to time without saying a word, which made Li Yi feel a little uneasy!

“Sis, what’s wrong? Just say it!”

“Since when did you learn how to treat patients?” Li Na voiced her question.

“I don’t know how to treat patients—why are you asking that?”

“If you don’t know how to treat patients, how did you manage to revive that old man with just a bowl of brown sugar water?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “I saw that the old man was pale, weak, and sweating, with cold, clammy skin and a rapid heartbeat—it looked a lot like hypoglycemia. Plus, I found some sugar cubes in his pocket, which confirmed my suspicion. That’s why I had you make him some brown sugar water to replenish his fluids and sugar!”

“So that’s how it was. How do you know so much?”

“Read more books—you can find everything in them!”

“Hmph, as if you’re the type to read books!”

Li Yi smiled but said nothing. In his third sister’s memory, he was indeed a poor student who didn’t like reading.

But Li Yi knew his own capabilities. In his previous life, after he’d come to his senses, his greatest passion had been reading.

Over the decades, Li Yi had read widely, delving into everything from astronomy and geography to classical Chinese literature.

Although he had never formally tested his knowledge nor obtained any diplomas from educational institutions, his erudition and eloquence were recognized by all the elite in the business world.

But he couldn’t share this with his third sister; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain it.

Plus, they were in a hurry, so he didn’t want to say much.

And so, amid sporadic small talk, the two of them rode the mule cart swiftly toward the village!

Meanwhile, the Li household presented a completely different scene!

The Li family’s already small house was packed with people. Besides Li Shankui and his wife, there were several village elders from the Li clan, as well as the young lads who had brought Li Yi the mushrooms.

Right now, everyone was just as restless as Li Shankui and his wife, pacing back and forth like ants on a hot pan.

According to the plan, Li Yi was supposed to arrive home by four o’clock, and then go to propose to Tang Xue after she finished work at half past six.

To this end, Li Shankui had not only invited the village elders but had even brought in the village’s most eloquent matchmaker, Granny Zhang, to help broker the deal.

But they waited and waited, and by nearly nine o’clock at night, Li Yi and Li Na still hadn’t returned!

“Shan Kui, could something have happened to Na and Yi? Why don’t you go to the county seat to look for them?” said the clan elder, Li Jingfeng, with a look of concern.

Zhang Yuehong also said anxiously, “Husband, why don’t you head into town?”

“Alright, go tell Xue at the educated youth commune, and I’ll set off right away…”

Before he could finish, the sound of a bell rang out from outside.

Everyone looked out and saw the courtyard gate being pushed open as a bright red mule cart rolled steadily inside.

Li Shankui rushed out and, seeing that both his son and daughter were safe and sound, breathed a sigh of relief.

But thinking of the worry he’d endured all night, he snapped angrily, “Why are you back so late? Don’t you know we have important business today?”

Just as Li Na was about to explain, Li Yi quickly interjected, “Sis, I’ll handle this with Mom and Dad. You hurry over to the educated youth camp and explain the situation to Tang Xue. We’ll get ready and head over right away!”

“Alright!”

After Li Na left, Li Yi immediately addressed Li Shan Kui and the others: “Dad, on our way back we came across an elderly man who had collapsed by the roadside. His condition was quite critical, so Third Sister and I took him to the clinic in town. The round trip took several hours, which is why we kept you waiting!”

Hearing his son say they’d been delayed to save a life, the anger in Li Shankui’s heart finally subsided.

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he had already woken up when we left. I don’t think he’ll have any problems!” Li Yi replied.

“That’s good…”

At that moment, the village’s eldest elder, Old Man Li, leaning on his cane, spoke up: “Shan Kui, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. For Yi to save a life before his marriage proposal is a tremendous blessing—don’t scold the boy!”

Li Shankui nodded immediately and said, “Yes, Seventh Grandfather is right. Little Yi, you’d better get ready quickly—don’t keep Snow waiting!”

“Alright, just give me a few minutes!”

………

While chaos reigned at the Li household, the atmosphere at the educated youth camp was rather eerie!

In the women’s dormitory, several female educated youth were gathered around Tang Xue, offering words of comfort.

“Xiao Xue, something must have come up at the Li household—they’ll definitely be here!”

“Exactly. I heard someone say while I was working today that Li Yi’s mother went to Old Lady Zhang’s house—she must have gone to ask Old Lady Zhang to act as a matchmaker!”

“Li Yi sounded so certain the other day—he definitely wouldn’t stand you up…”

But Tang Xue, surrounded by the group, remained silent. Her face was pale, and her mind was in turmoil!

She had heard from Li Na that Li Yi was in love with Wang Xuemei from the neighboring village, and had sworn he would marry no one but her.

She also remembered that after he’d cornered her on the kang that day, she’d asked him if he’d be willing to marry her. He’d hesitated for a long time before finally saying yes.

Clearly, deep down, he didn’t want to marry her.

So, today he had essentially run away from the wedding… No, they hadn’t even gotten married; it was more accurate to say he simply hadn’t come to propose.

To think that not only had she, a virgin, been slept with for no apparent reason, but she’d also been cornered on the kang by the entire village—and in the end, that man didn’t even want to marry her.

Overwhelmed by a sense of injustice, Tang Xue couldn’t help but burst into tears!

Meanwhile, under a large poplar tree outside the men’s dormitory, Xu Hong and a few others were sitting on small stools, chatting idly. Naturally, their conversation revolved around the Li family’s marriage proposal, though their remarks were mostly tinged with schadenfreude.

“What’s the Li family playing at? It’s so late and they still haven’t shown up. They must have stood her up!”

“It’s this late and they still haven’t shown up. Clearly, they’re not coming. Tang Xue is going to be utterly humiliated now!”

“This is what happens when a woman isn’t a proper wife—no one will respect her!”

“Exactly. Losing her virginity before marriage—she’ll never be happy even if she does get married…”

However, just as these male and female educated youths were waiting with their own agendas to watch the drama unfold, a figure came running from the distance!

The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, Li Yi was roused by his third older sister, Li Na.

Knowing how anxious his third sister was, Li Yi didn’t say a word. After a quick bite to eat, he got to work.

Since the 150-plus portions he’d made yesterday hadn’t been enough to sell out, Li Yi decided to make even more today.

Fortunately, making liangpi wasn’t particularly difficult—it just took some time.

After more than three hours, he finally finished processing over 40 jin of flour, producing a total of over 210 sheets of noodles.

After chopping the side dishes and loading everything onto the mule cart, the siblings headed straight for the county seat.

Just like yesterday, their first stop in the county seat was the state-run restaurant to sell mushrooms!

Once again, Liu Jingshan personally received Li Yi. After peeling them, the three large baskets of mushrooms weighed a total of 137 jin, selling for 95.9 yuan.

Just like yesterday, Liu Jingshan generously gave Li Yi 96 yuan.

The whole process of selling the mushrooms took less than 15 minutes. Li Na didn’t even get a chance to help before she saw Li Yi slip the 96 yuan into his pocket.

To be honest, Li Na was truly shocked!

Although she had heard Li Yi mention before that mushrooms sold for 70 cents per jin,

But hearing about it and seeing it with her own eyes were two different things—the visual impact of that thick stack of 10-yuan notes was simply indescribable.

So much so that even after the donkey cart had gone a long way, Li Na still hadn’t snapped out of it!

“Hey, snap out of it!”

Hearing Li Yi’s voice, Li Na shot him a withering look and said, “What’s with the ‘hey’? Call me ‘sister’—you have no manners at all!”

“What’s wrong? Did that get to you?”

“Not really, I was just a little shocked. You made nearly a hundred yuan in just a moment—that’s pretty scary!” Li Na said, her face still showing signs of lingering fear.

“Haha, a hundred bucks is nothing. In a few years, even making ten thousand a day won’t be anything special!” Li Yi said nonchalantly.

“Ten thousand yuan? My goodness! A ten-thousand-yuan-a-day earner? That’s impossible!”

“Sis, times are changing. The government has already allowed private enterprise to exist, and the vitality of the market is about to explode. It’s bound to make a group of people rich…”

Seeing that his older sister was completely lost, Li Yi didn’t continue with the theoretical stuff. Instead, he said, “Sis, you just need to know that our family will be doing much better soon—that’s all you need to know!”

“Hmm, but I’ve got to warn you about something. Don’t get all cocky just because you made a little money. You’ve really messed up for Xue now—you’d better treat her right!”

Li Na still felt terribly guilty about what had happened between Tang Xue and her younger brother, and her words inevitably leaned toward Tang Xue’s side.

“Sis, I’ll treat her well even without you telling me to. I promise!” Li Yi said.

“Hmph, your promises don’t mean a thing to me. Save them for Xiao Xue!”

“Are you even my sister?” Li Yi complained helplessly.

“Heh, what do you think?”

As they chatted and laughed, the siblings arrived at the entrance of the sugar factory.

Just like yesterday, the area was already packed with workers waiting to buy liangpi.

Upon seeing Li Yi’s distinctive bright red donkey cart, the crowd immediately gathered around.

Li Yi quickly unloaded the cart and set up his stall, then began slicing the noodles and preparing the broth, while Li Na stood by to collect money and grain coupons.

Since they’d brought extra sheets of noodles today, they didn’t finish selling the last batch until past one o’clock!

After sweeping up the trash on the ground, the siblings left the sugar factory!

Since they were going to the educated youth commune today to propose marriage, they had to prepare some supplies. Plus, with the flour at home running low, they also needed to go shopping.

So the siblings drove their mule cart straight to the supply and marketing cooperative in town.

This wasn’t Li Yi’s first time at the supply and marketing cooperative. Since he always came in acting like a big spender, the sales clerks there all recognized him.

As soon as Li Yi walked in, a young female clerk came over to greet him, smiling as she said, “Comrade, you’re back again!”

“Yep, I’m bothering you again!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“What would you like today?”

“First, I’ll take some white flour—fifty pounds today!”

“Sure. Anything else?”

“Yes, I’d also like two feet of plain cotton fabric, two feet of patterned cotton, two flower-patterned enamel basins, two thermoses, two towels, two bars of soap, two tubes of toothpaste, two bottles of face cream, two pounds of brown sugar, and two packs of Big White Rabbit milk candies!”

Hearing Li Yi’s order, the sales clerk asked in surprise, “Comrade, you’re getting two of everything—are you getting married?”

“Pretty much. I’m going to propose today!”

“Well, congratulations! Your fiancée is truly lucky—you’re bringing so many gifts just for the proposal!” the saleswoman said with a look of envy.

“Haha, my wife is an educated youth from the city—she’s beautiful and well-educated. She deserves the best!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“No wonder you’re spending so much. I wish you a long and happy life together, and may you have children soon!”

“Thanks so much! When I get married, I’ll treat you all to some wedding candy!” Li Yi said happily.

“Well, you’d better not wait too long, hahaha!”

…….

After easily buying all the raw materials for tomorrow’s market stall and the items needed for today’s marriage proposal, Li Yi and Li Na set off on their journey back to the village.

But just as they were less than five kilometers from Nianzishan Village, they suddenly spotted a person lying on the dirt road ahead, with a bicycle overturned beside them.

Without hesitation, Li Yi stopped the mule cart and went over to investigate.

Lying on the ground was a gray-haired old man who appeared to be in his fifties. His eyes were tightly shut, and his face was completely pale.

“He… he isn’t dead, is he?” Li Na said, her voice trembling.

Li Yi placed his hand on the old man’s carotid artery to check for a pulse, then leaned over to listen to his chest before saying, “He’s still alive, but his breathing is weak. His condition is critical!”

“Th-then what should we do?”

Li Yi first examined the old man’s body. Aside from a scrape on his arm, he found no other obvious external injuries, which suggested the old man hadn’t lost consciousness due to an injury but had likely suffered a medical episode.

But Li Yi wasn’t a professional doctor; he clearly couldn’t determine what was wrong with the old man.

“Sis, go get that tablecloth from the car and cover his head with it—we don’t want him to get dehydrated from the sun!”

“Okay!”

When Li Na walked over with the tablecloth, she saw Li Yi rummaging through the old man’s pockets!

“Xiao Yi, what are you doing? Even though he’s unconscious, we can’t do anything unethical!”

Li Yi shot her a look and said, “What are you thinking? Am I that kind of person?”

Li Na looked at Li Yi, then said with a serious expression, “You are!”

Hearing this, Li Yi was instantly speechless.

But when he thought about his past behavior, it made sense that his third sister wouldn’t trust him.

“He’s clearly having a medical episode,” Li Yi explained. “If it were a common elderly ailment, he’d have his own medicine. Let me see if he has any on him!”

Just as he spoke, Li Yi noticed several hard, lumpy objects in the old man’s outer pocket and hurriedly pulled them out.

Disappointingly, however, they weren’t medicine at all—just a few pieces of candy.

Apart from these candies, the old man had only a few yuan, some grain coupons, and a work ID.

The ID card revealed that the old man’s name was Wang Guoguang, and he was the deputy director of the county glass bottle factory.

Seeing that Li Yi hadn’t found any medicine, Li Na said anxiously, “Xiao Yi, what are we going to do without medicine? If he dies here, won’t we be held responsible?”

Li Yi frowned but said nothing. He stared at the pieces of candy over and over, then carefully examined the old man’s complexion.

“Sis, go to the car and find a clean bamboo tube, then bring over a tube of brown sugar water!”

Although Li Na didn’t know what Li Yi was up to, she did as he said.

Once the brown sugar water was ready, Li Yi immediately had the old man lie across his lap, then used a small wooden spoon—the kind used for seasoning—to slowly feed the brown sugar water into his mouth.

Since the old man had already lost consciousness, Li Yi was worried he might choke, so he could only feed him bit by bit.

It took over ten minutes to get the entire half-bamboo tube of brown sugar water down his throat.

Li Yi then listened carefully to the old man’s heartbeat and noticed that his pulse had slowed significantly compared to before, and the cold sweat on his forehead had subsided considerably.

Realizing the brown sugar water had taken effect, he immediately said, “Sis, the old man’s condition has stabilized for now, but just to be safe, we should take him to the hospital!”

“Hmm, let’s hurry then. Don’t let this delay your marriage proposal!”

“Okay!”

……..

By the time they returned to the village, the sun had already set!

When Li Yi, Dongzi, and the others returned to the Li household carrying several baskets of mushrooms, Li Shankui and his wife, along with Li Na, were standing dumbfounded around the large pile of supplies Li Yi had brought back.

They had just returned from work, and as soon as they walked in, they saw the floor covered with rice, flour, and cooking oil!

Though they didn’t know how much these items were worth, they figured it must have cost at least a few dozen yuan to buy them all.

They all knew Li Yi had been busy these past few days selling that “liangpi” in the county town, but in Li Shankui and his wife’s eyes, that was just hard-earned money—they truly had no idea where Li Yi had gotten the funds to buy all this.

Hearing a commotion in the courtyard, Li Shankui hurried out to investigate and saw his son returning with a group of young lads.

Judging by the large baskets they were carrying, these young lads must have been out in the mountains picking mushrooms again.

After helping carry the baskets of mushrooms into the house and seeing the boys off, Li Shankui called Li Yi into the room.

Squatting beside the stove, Li Shankui pointed to the rice, flour, and cooking oil on the floor and asked sternly, “Did you bring all this back?”

Li Yi nodded. “Yep!”

“That must have cost quite a bit. Where did you get all that money?” Li Shankui asked in a low voice.

Li Yi knew what his father was worried about and immediately replied, “It did cost quite a bit, but I earned every penny of it myself!”

Before Li Shan Kui could speak, Li Na, standing nearby, couldn’t help but interject, “Li Yi, do you think we’re all idiots? You’ve only been out selling things for two days—how could you have earned that much?”

Li Yi didn’t blame his third older sister for not believing him. It was mainly because he’d gotten into so much trouble in the past, and every time he messed up, his family had to clean up after him.

“Of course I couldn’t have made that much just from the stall—what about the money from selling mushrooms?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than his mother, Zhang Yuehong, exclaimed in surprise, “Did anyone actually want those mushrooms?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Not only did people want them, but they’re actually quite valuable!”

“Valuable… How much per basket?”

“Basket?”

Li Yi said slowly, enunciating each word, “70 cents… per pound!”

The three people in the room were stunned, as if they’d heard something unbelievable; Li Shankui even dropped the tobacco pipe he was holding onto the floor.

Li Na was the first to recover, exclaiming in surprise, “Really, 70 cents a jin?”

“Of course it’s true!”

“Tell me, how much did you sell that basket for yesterday?” Li Na asked, somewhat excitedly.

“That basket yesterday was a bit small—less than sixty jin—and I sold it for a total of 40 yuan!”

“40 yuan?”

Li Na instinctively covered her mouth. Li Shankui and his wife were equally stunned. Apart from the heavy breathing of the few people in the room, there was no other sound!

No wonder they were so shocked. Although life had improved somewhat in recent years, the money they received each year was still pitifully small.

With three members of the Li family working to earn labor points, they could only hope to receive 100 yuan at most after deducting their food rations for the year.

Yet Li Yi earned 40 yuan in a single day just from selling mushrooms—a figure that completely shattered their expectations.

“So how much did you make selling liangpi?” Li Na asked again.

“Over thirty yuan!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Na asked, somewhat excitedly, “So that means you made over 70 yuan today?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “To be exact, I made 71.2 yuan. But after buying all this stock and giving Dongzi and Shitou two yuan each, I’ve got 33.4 yuan left!”

As he spoke, Li Yi took out the pouch he used to hold his change and dumped all the money onto the kang.

Seeing the colorful bills, receipts, and coins scattered before them, Li Shan Kui and the others felt their minds were spinning.

After the initial shock wore off, Li Na suddenly fixed her gaze on Li Yi and said, “I’m going with you tomorrow!”

“Sure!”

Originally, Li Yi hadn’t wanted to take her along. After all, the government’s policies regarding the private sector were still unclear, and setting up a street stall was still quite risky.

Although he kept a relatively low profile when setting up his stall outside the sugar factory, there was no telling when someone might report him, so bringing her along really wasn’t a good idea.

But he also knew that unless he let her see firsthand how he made a living, his family wouldn’t rest easy.

“So, should we start preparing some things for the stall tomorrow?”

Li Yi shook his head. “We can prepare tomorrow. Since everyone’s here, I have something to say!”

“What is it?” Zhang Yuehong asked, looking at her youngest son.

“I want to ask for Xiaoxue’s hand in marriage tomorrow!”

Li Shankui, while filling his tobacco pipe with leaves, said, “That’s only right—you can’t skip the formalities!”

Zhang Yuehong added, “If you’re going to propose, you’ll need to prepare a dowry and other items. We’ll have to make a list!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “I don’t have enough for the betrothal gift right now, so let’s just use the money from home for now. I’ll buy the items for the marriage proposal when I come back from the county seat tomorrow!”

“That’ll work!”

Then Li Shankui turned to his wife and said, “Wife, go over to Old Lady Zhang’s place later and ask her to act as the matchmaker tomorrow!”

“Alright!”

After settling the main matter, Li Yi asked his parents and third sister to help prepare the mushrooms, while he cooked dinner.

In truth, evening meals in the countryside are usually quite simple—typically just some porridge with a few potatoes, or reheating the mixed-flour buns steamed at lunchtime. Whatever makes do, makes do.

But Li Yi knew that hoeing and watering the fields in the summer was the hardest work, and if one didn’t get enough nutrition, it was easy to wear the body down.

In his previous life, his father had passed away before he even turned fifty; aside from the guilt he felt over Tang Xue’s death, it was largely due to years of malnutrition.

So, whenever he had the time, he took charge of the family meals.

For dinner, Li Yi made oil-drizzled noodles. This classic dish was easy to prepare, delicious, and nutritious—perfect for the tastes of seasoned farmers like Li Shankui and Zhang Yuehong.

Knead the dough, roll out the noodles, boil the noodles!

Li Yi moved through the entire process with the fluidity of flowing clouds and water, as if he’d done it hundreds or even thousands of times.

After boiling the handmade noodles in boiling water and draining them into a bowl, Li Yi spread chopped scallions, Sichuan pepper powder, salt, and a thick layer of chili powder evenly over the noodles, then poured scalding hot vegetable oil over the seasonings.

The moment the hot oil hit the seasonings, it sizzled, searing the Sichuan pepper and chili powder until the bowl glowed red, and the aroma burst forth instantly.

After devouring a bowl of fragrant oil-splashed noodles, the Li family felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

While clearing the table, Li Na suddenly asked in a low voice, “This oil-splashed noodle dish isn’t from around here, is it?”

“Yeah, it’s a specialty of Qin Province!” Li Yi answered honestly.

“Qin Province again! Tell me the truth—have you had your eye on Xiaoxue for a while now?”

“Uh… what do you mean?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.

“Don’t play dumb—Xiaoxue’s hometown is in Qin Province!”

“I know, but does that have anything to do with it?”

“Of course it matters! That liangpi, roujiamo, and these youpo noodles are all specialties of Qin Province. It’s too much of a coincidence. You can’t possibly claim that learning these Qin Province dishes has nothing to do with Xiao Xue, can you?”

Li Yi hadn’t expected his third sister to think this way. He wanted to explain, but upon reflection, he couldn’t deny it—because it was indeed directly related to Tang Xue.

In his previous life, Tang Xue had been buried in Qin Province after her suicide, and every year Li Yi would go there to visit her and that poor child who hadn’t even had a chance to see the world.

Sometimes, Li Yi would even stay in Qin Province for a while.

Spending so much time there, he naturally picked up quite a few of Qin Province’s culinary specialties.

“Did you have your eye on Xiao Xue all along? You only learned all these dishes for her sake!”

Li Yi’s silence was naturally taken by Li Na as an admission; she seemed to have discovered something momentous, her gaze fixed intently on him.

Feeling a bit uneasy under his third sister’s gaze, Li Yi let out a wry smile. This was truly a perfect misunderstanding—he didn’t even know how to explain himself.

Looking at Tang Xue, who was covered in mud, Li Yi couldn’t help but scold her, “You’re not fully recovered yet—why did you go back to work so soon?”

“I… I don’t really feel any discomfort. Everyone else is out working—if I stay in the dorm all by myself, people will start gossiping!” Tang Xue said.

“Let them talk. We’re getting married next month anyway, and you won’t be living here anymore. Let them say whatever they want!”

“You… you’re really going to marry me?”

Li Yi knew this was all too sudden for Tang Xue—it had practically thrown her life off course.

If it weren’t for this, she might have been heading to the city in a few days—at the very least, she would have secured a job as a laborer.

But now she faced the choice of giving up her return to the city and staying in the countryside for the rest of her life.

On top of that, having lost her virginity before marriage, she would inevitably lose the upper hand in the marriage, which made her feel anxious and uncertain.

“Tang Xue, listen carefully. I, Li Yi, not only intend to marry you, but I will marry you with the utmost honor. I will give you a grand and magnificent wedding!” Li Yi said with unwavering determination.

Hearing Li Yi’s resolute words, Tang Xue seemed to make up her mind as well. She looked him in the eyes and said earnestly, “I’ll wait for you!”

Li Yi was in high spirits. He waved the various paper bags in his hands and said, “Let’s go back together. I brought you some snacks; I’ll help you take them to your dorm!”

“Don’t go wasting money—it’s not easy for Uncle and Auntie to save up!” Tang Xue said.

“Am I really that irresponsible? I earned this money all by myself!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Tang Xue suddenly thought of something and asked, “Did you earn it selling liangpi?”

“Yep!”

“How’s business?”

“It’s going okay. I’ll have no problem supporting you and the kids in the future!”

Tang Xue’s face flushed instantly. After all, she was a young, innocent girl who had just come of age; she hadn’t even been in a proper relationship yet, so how could she possibly be thinking about having children?

“Don’t say things like that…”

Seeing the girl blush, Li Yi smiled and didn’t press the issue any further. Instead, he asked, “Where’s my third older sister? Where did she go?”

“The wheat fields at the east end of the village need watering. Nana and Uncle Li and his wife went there to earn work points!”

“Oh, that explains why she isn’t with you today!”

Tang Xue looked at Li Yi, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Nana told me about your family’s situation. If you’re having trouble, just let Uncle Li handle the dowry. Anyway, even without a dowry, I’d still marry you—that way we won’t have to pay off debts together if a famine hits!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry about that. Just relax and look forward to becoming my bride!”

“You…”

The one-kilometer walk was far too short; before long, the two of them were back at the educated youth camp.

Li Yi didn’t go into Tang Xue’s dormitory; instead, he handed the items to her and prepared to leave.

Tang Xue looked at the large and small bags in her hands. After a few seconds of hesitation, she couldn’t help but say, “You… be careful!”

Knowing she was worried he’d get caught setting up a stall and made an example of, Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing!”

“Okay!”

Just as Tang Xue turned to head back to the dorm, Li Yi suddenly asked, “Are you free tomorrow afternoon?”

“What for?”

“I plan to ask for your hand in marriage tomorrow. You should get ready!”

Tang Xue’s whole body jolted, and for a moment she was completely taken aback.

Although she had already resolved to accept reality and come to terms with the fact that she would marry Li Yi, a good-for-nothing, she still felt a bit flustered when the prospect of marriage actually came up.

Tang Xue thought of the spot to return to the city, and she also thought of the figure in her heart.

If she really married Li Yi, she would be tied to this small mountain village for the rest of her life, and she would grow further and further apart from Brother Cheng…

Li Yi could see Tang Xue’s inner conflict and knew she had reservations, but he didn’t give her time to hesitate. He said bluntly, “Remember to put on clean clothes tomorrow and dress up nicely. Wait for me to come propose!”

With that, Li Yi turned and walked away!

……..

Leaving the educated youth commune, Li Yi didn’t go home but headed straight for the back mountain.

When he arrived at their “secret” hideout, he didn’t see Dongzi, Yongzi, or the others, but he did spot several large baskets filled with mushrooms on the reservoir’s dam.

Knowing the boys must still be out in the mountains picking mushrooms, Li Yi sat on the dam to wait for them!

As the sun began to set, five or six lads emerged one after another from the woods, each carrying a small willow basket slung over their shoulders.

Spotting Li Yi on the dam from a distance, Dongzi and the others couldn’t help but quicken their pace.

“Brother Yi, look how many mushrooms we picked today!”

As soon as they met, Dongzi said to Li Yi, as if trying to show off their achievements.

Looking at the three large baskets brimming with fresh mushrooms in front of him, plus the ones in Dongzi and the others’ hands, Li Yi estimated there were at least a hundred pounds.

At today’s agreed-upon price, these mushrooms alone would bring in sixty or seventy yuan.

In high spirits, Li Yi immediately said, “Everyone, come over here. I have something to say!”

Once the young men had gathered around, Li Yi pulled a stack of colorful bills from his pocket and said, “We sold the mushrooms we picked yesterday. This is all thanks to everyone’s hard work, so everyone gets a share of the profits!”

With that, Li Yi pulled out two one-yuan bills—the ones with the red tractor printed on them—and handed them to Dongzi.

“Brother Yi… is this for me?”

“That’s right, two yuan each!”

“Brother Yi… this… this is too much!” Dongzi stammered.

This was two yuan, after all. Just think—a regular worker in the city only made thirty-five or thirty-six yuan a month, which worked out to about one yuan a day.

They’d only worked for a short while yesterday, yet today they’d earned two yuan—it made them feel a bit hesitant to accept it.

“Take it. You’ve earned it!” Li Yi said.

Dongzi’s throat moved, and he instinctively swallowed.

For these young lads, who rarely got any pocket money, two yuan was a huge sum—the temptation was simply too great.

Seeing that Li Yi didn’t seem to be joking, Dongzi gritted his teeth and said, “Brother Yi, I’ll really take it then!”

“Go ahead, take it. It’s the fruit of your labor—don’t be shy!”

Taking the two bills from Li Yi’s hand, Dongzi couldn’t hide the excitement on his face.

This was the first time he’d ever earned money on his own, and the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction was simply incredible.

With Dongzi leading the way, the rest of the boys also received their wages for yesterday’s work from Li Yi, their hearts filled with excitement.

Seeing the look of joy mixed with excitement on the boys’ faces, Li Yi felt very happy inside.

Two yuan wasn’t much—after all, he’d sold those mushrooms for a full 40 yuan yesterday—but for these young lads, it was a substantial sum.

More importantly, Li Yi had shown them their own worth—that even “bad boys” in others’ eyes could earn money with their own hands.

“It’s getting dark. Let’s head back. I’ll split the money with you guys after we sell the mushrooms tomorrow!”

“Alright!”

……..

By the time he returned to the village, it was already past four in the afternoon.

After unloading the supplies he’d bought into the house, Li Yi picked up his bags and headed to the educated youth commune!

Although they weren’t married yet, Li Yi had already decided that Tang Xue was his wife. Plus, knowing how harsh life was at the educated youth camp, he couldn’t resist bringing his future wife some nutritional supplements.

Besides, Li Yi knew that, barring any surprises, Tang Xue was already carrying his little one.

Right now, Tang Xue was eating for two, so she absolutely had to ensure she was getting proper nutrition.

When Li Yi arrived at the sent-down youth camp, he found Tang Xue’s dormitory locked tight—she wasn’t inside.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the girl had gone off to work!

Although the nationwide mass return of educated youth to the cities had already begun, and the college entrance exams had been reinstated for three years, some of the academically outstanding educated youth had already left the countryside through the college entrance exams.

However, the first batch to return to the city were not ordinary people—they either had connections or had excelled academically.

Yet this group remained a minority; the vast majority of educated youth were still biding their time in the countryside, waiting for an opportunity.

Take the educated youth settlement at Nianzishan Brigade, for example. Originally, there were 16 male and female educated youths, but in recent years only five have returned to the city, leaving 11 still at the settlement.

Life for these remaining educated youth remained much the same as before: every day they had to go to work with the production brigade to earn work points, otherwise they would face the hardship of food shortages and hunger come autumn.

However, with the new path to university admission now available, many of them stayed up late studying after work.

In short, the unmarried educated youth are all desperate to return to the city!

Li Yi asked around and found out that today’s work assignment was weeding, and the location was over at Xiahewan.

Xiahewan wasn’t far from the village—no more than a kilometer or so—so Li Yi simply grabbed his things and headed over.

In the cornfield, Tang Xue was hoeing the ground alongside the rest of the production team.

The corn was already over a foot tall, so it was time to loosen the soil and weed the field, while also pulling out the excess corn seedlings to ensure the remaining ones had enough nutrients.

As they weeded and thinned the plants, their fellow villager Zhang Xinyao asked, “Xiao Xue, are you really going to marry Li Yi?”

Tang Xue nodded and said, “With things as they are, do I really have any other choice?”

“Well… you’re right, there really aren’t any other options. But once you marry Li Yi, your household registration will be transferred to Qing Shan County, and it’ll be impossible for you to return to the city afterward. Don’t you think that’s a shame?” Zhang Xinyao said.

Thinking that she might have to spend the rest of her life toiling in the fields, working these hard-to-tend farmlands, Tang Xue’s spirits sank.

“I guess this is just fate,” Tang Xue sighed.

“Li Yi really isn’t a good match. If you truly don’t want to marry him, just pretend this whole thing never happened!”

“How could that be possible?”

“Why not? You’ve already received the notice to return to the city. As long as you get a certificate from the village committee, you can leave here.”

Zhang Xinyao continued, “Once you’re gone, you’ll likely never cross paths with the people or events here again. You can just treat everything that happened here as a dream!”

Hearing Zhang Xinyao’s words, Tang Xue froze!

The whole thing had happened so suddenly—and she’d been cornered right there on the kang—that she’d completely lost her bearings, leaving her in a daze for the past two days.

Whether it was the marriage or anything else, she had simply gone along with the Li family’s wishes without thinking too deeply about it.

Now, hearing Zhang Xinyao say this, Tang Xue suddenly felt as though she might have other options.

But when she thought about her family’s situation, Tang Xue hesitated again.

Life in the countryside was hard, but it was only physical hardship.

Returning to the city and facing her family, life might not be much better than it is now—it might even be worse.

“Never mind, Xinyao. Some things have happened and can’t be undone. Even if I could escape them for a while, could I really run from them for the rest of my life?”

“That may be true, but if you marry Li Yi, what about your brother Cheng? Can you really let him go?”

Zhang Xinyao and Tang Xue were from the same place and were very close, so she was well aware of Tang Xue’s situation.

She knew that Tang Xue had always had a crush on someone named Tan Cheng, a childhood friend she’d grown up with in the same neighborhood.

If it weren’t for this whole situation, Tang Xue would likely have married Tan Cheng after returning to the city.

At the mention of Tan Cheng’s name, Tang Xue’s hand gripping the hoe trembled uncontrollably.

But soon, Tang Xue’s expression returned to calm; she knew she was no longer worthy of Brother Tan Cheng.

He was so outstanding, like a prince from a fairy tale, so utterly out of reach.

And she? Abandoned by her parents to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, having lost her virtue—she wasn’t even worthy of being called Cinderella. How could she possibly dare to hope to stand by his side?

“Xinyao, don’t say anymore. It’s over. Everything is over!”

Looking at Tang Xue’s eyes, which were struggling to hold back tears, Zhang Xinyao sighed deeply and said, “Xiao Xue, don’t be too upset. We have to look forward in everything!”

“All these years in the countryside, what hardships haven’t we endured? What trials haven’t we faced? I believe there’s no obstacle in this world we can’t overcome—as long as we don’t give up!”

“Mm-hmm!”

“As things stand, Li Yi may not be the ideal match, but the Li family’s values are second to none. If you’re truly planning to marry Li Yi, with in-laws like that supporting you—plus your good relationship with Li Na—life certainly won’t be too bad!”

Zhang Xinyao continued, “If Li Yi can settle down after marriage, it might just work out!”

Tang Xue gave a wry smile. “You know what Li Yi is like. Do you really think he’ll settle down?”

“Well… maybe… perhaps… possibly…”

Everyone knows what kind of person Li Yi is—lazy, good-for-nothing, and a complete ne’er-do-well.

It would be a miracle if a guy like that didn’t get even worse—expecting him to settle down? Forget it!

So, even though Zhang Xinyao wanted to comfort Tang Xue, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything that felt too insincere.

Just as Zhang Xinyao was struggling to find the right words, she spotted a tall figure approaching them.

Once she got a clear look at the man, Zhang Xinyao said nervously, “Xue, isn’t that Li Yi?”

Tang Xue looked up and saw that it was indeed Li Yi; her heart immediately began to race.

For some reason, she couldn’t help but recall the words he’d spoken in front of so many people yesterday—every sentence had carried such weight.

“I… I’ll go check it out first…”

Zhang Xinyao smiled and said, “Go ahead, I’ve got your shift covered!”

Tang Xue blushed and mumbled a quick thank you, then hurried over to Li Yi.

The night passed without incident, and Li Yi was up bright and early the next morning!

Since he had to not only set up his stall to sell liangpi but also go into town to sell mushrooms today, he had to get up early.

Given how booming business had been yesterday, Li Yi had made sure to prepare extra flour today.

With practiced ease, he kneaded over 30 pounds of flour, made more than 150 sheets of liangpi, packed the washed and chopped toppings, and once again set off for the county seat on his bright red mule.

Since mushrooms lose a lot of moisture once they’re exposed to the sun, Li Yi decided to sell them in the town center first before setting up his stall outside the sugar factory.

Instead of selling the mushrooms at the street market, Li Yi headed straight for the state-run restaurant in the center of the county town.

As far as Li Yi knew, in this era of scarcity, the vast majority of ordinary people still preferred slices of meat packed with fat; very few people liked to eat mushrooms.

If he sold these mushrooms at a street stall, he wouldn’t make much money at all.

But the state-run restaurant was a different story. It usually catered to officials or the wealthy, and these people considered wild mushrooms a rare delicacy.

In recent years, the state-run hotel had been making occasional trips to the countryside to buy mushrooms, and they paid quite well—at the highest, as much as 50 or 60 cents per pound. The only catch was that they didn’t buy mushrooms from just anyone.

So, Li Yi decided to try his luck at the guesthouse first—who knows, he might just become one of their mushroom suppliers!

The state-run restaurant was located on Xinglong Street, not far from the county government building—the busiest street in Qing Shan County.

Although it was only a little past ten in the morning, the street was already packed with people. It was hard to believe such a tiny county town could attract so many people.

Arriving at the State-Owned Restaurant, Li Yi tied his mule to the large poplar tree by the entrance and walked toward the restaurant.

As soon as he reached the entrance, he was stopped by a girl with two braids: “Comrade, who are you looking for?”

Li Yi hurriedly replied, “Hello, I’m from a nearby village. I heard your guesthouse is buying mushrooms, so I came to ask about it!”

“Buying mushrooms? I haven’t heard anything about that,” the girl said, furrowing her brow.

“It’s no big deal if you don’t know. You can ask your boss. If you really aren’t buying them, I’ll just take them somewhere else—it’s just a matter of a word, don’t you think?”

The young woman was kind-hearted. She looked at Li Yi, who was covered in dust from his long journey, hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

She first asked Li Yi to wait at the front desk and poured him a cup of hot water before hurrying upstairs.

Soon, the girl returned with a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit.

Standing before Li Yi, the middle-aged man spoke directly: “Comrade, my name is Liu Jingshan. I’m the director of the state-run restaurant. I hear you’re here to sell mushrooms?”

“Yes, authentic wild pine mushrooms, and some trumpet mushrooms!” Li Yi replied.

“May I take a look at your goods?”

“Of course!”

With that, Li Yi led Director Liu over to his mule-drawn cart and lifted the straw mats covering two large wicker baskets.

Upon seeing the mushrooms in Li Yi’s baskets, Liu Jingshan was slightly surprised.

It wasn’t that Li Yi had a large quantity of mushrooms, but rather that the ones in his baskets had clearly been processed—every trace of dirt and debris had been removed from each mushroom, making them look incredibly appetizing.

Over the years, people had occasionally brought wild mushrooms to the restaurant to sell, but the mushrooms they brought were covered in dirt and weeds, looking filthy, and were a hassle for the kitchen staff to clean up.

“How much are you asking per pound?”

“How much are you willing to pay?” Li Yi asked in return.

Liu Jingshan thought for a moment and said, “Currently, the market price for fresh mushrooms is mostly between 40 and 50 cents per pound, with fluctuations not exceeding 5 cents. Your mushrooms look great—clearly handpicked. I’ll give you 70 cents per pound. What do you think?”

“That high!”

“I’d say these mushrooms have been processed. They’re all uniform in size, and all the dirt and impurities have been removed. You probably wouldn’t get even a pound of premium mushrooms from two pounds of raw ones, would you?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You really have a keen eye for quality!”

“Let’s weigh them!”

With the help of several restaurant staff members, the two large baskets of mushrooms were weighed directly.

Behind the Mountain… The Reservoir!

As Li Yi approached, he spotted five or six preteens from a distance, fiddling with something by the reservoir!

Upon seeing Li Yi, two boys wearing only shorts immediately ran over!

“Brother Yi, what brings you here?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Call everyone over—I need to talk to you guys!”

“Got it!”

Before long, everyone from the shore and the water had been called over to Li Yi!

Looking at these childhood friends who had grown up together, Li Yi felt a mix of emotions.

Dongzi, Shitou, Qiangzi, Gangzi, Datou, Xiaogouwa—in his previous life, most of these friends had led unremarkable lives. Even the most successful among them had only managed to open a grain and oil shop in the county seat; not a single one had amassed a fortune exceeding a million.

But even so, they were all deeply loyal to one another.

During the years when Li Yi couldn’t make it in the village and had to go out into the world to seek his fortune, they often came to his home to help out.

Especially after his father passed away from grief, leaving his elderly mother alone at home, it was these childhood friends who supported her through those most difficult times.

Although Li Yi had tried to repay them in various ways—both openly and discreetly—after he made his fortune, he felt that compared to the bond of brotherhood they shared, his material assistance was nothing.

In this life, he not only intends to rewrite Tang Xue’s destiny, but also to lead these younger brothers to great success!

“Bro Yi, didn’t we agree to come here this afternoon to cook some fish? Why haven’t you shown up yet?”

“Brother Yi, I heard you did that with Sister Xue. Is it true?”

“Bro Yi, are you going to marry Sister Xue? I thought you had your eye on Wang Erniu’s sister…”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Hold on, you guys are asking so many questions at once—how am I supposed to answer you?”

Dongzi hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Um… Yi, did you really… with Sister Xue…”

Li Yi didn’t hide anything; he nodded immediately and said, “Yeah!”

“Bro Yi, that’s not cool of you!” Dongzi said.

Li Yi wasn’t upset; he knew Tang Xue had done the Dong family a favor.

Last year, Dongzi’s ten-year-old sister had gone to play by the river when a floodgate at the upstream reservoir suddenly opened. The little girl didn’t have time to get to shore before she was swept away by the rushing water. Tang Xue happened to be passing by; driven by a strong sense of justice, she risked her own life by jumping into the river and pulling the girl to safety.

Ever since then, Dongzi’s family had treated Tang Xue like a living saint!

He was speaking this way because of Tang Xue!

Besides, he was indeed partly to blame for this situation—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d acted out of line!

“I’ll take responsibility, but I need your help!” Li Yi said.

Dongzi immediately replied, “Brother Yi, what do you want to do? What can we do to help you?”

Li Yi replied, “I plan to marry Tang Xue, and I want to throw a grand wedding—that’s going to cost a lot of money!”

Dongzi thought for a moment and asked, “How much is ‘a lot’?”

“Between the dowry and other expenses, at least a thousand yuan!”

When Li Yi said this, he had included the costs of building a house and marrying a wife; if it were just a matter of bringing Tang Xue into the family, it naturally wouldn’t cost that much.

“One… one thousand yuan?”

Everyone was stunned by Li Yi’s words. A thousand yuan was no small sum; many families could only save a little over a hundred yuan after a year of hard work, and a thousand yuan was equivalent to the total annual income of quite a few households over ten years!

“Brother Yi, I only have two mao here!”

“Brother Yi, I’ve got forty cents!”

“Brother Yi, I’ll go talk to my dad and see if I can get him to chip in some money for your wedding with Sister Xue…”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “No need. I’ve already figured out a way to make money, but I need your help. And I won’t let you help for free—I’ll pay you!”

“We don’t need payment to work for Brother Yi. Just tell us what we can do, Brother Yi!”

The speaker was Qiangzi, Secretary Feng’s grandson. He was 17 years old and, aside from Li Yi, the oldest among this group of young men.

“You guys know where the mushrooms grow on the back mountain, right?”

“We know—there are tons of those things on the back mountain!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up immediately, and he said straight away, “What I want you to do is pick mushrooms!”

“Pick mushrooms?”

“Right, we need both pine mushrooms and trumpet mushrooms!” Li Yi said.

“Bro Yi, what do you need those for? It’s not like we’re in a famine,” Qiangzi frowned.

“Don’t ask too many questions about that. I’ll tell you later!”

“Bro Yi, when do you need them?”

“The sooner, the better!”

Qiangzi immediately replied, “Then let’s skip the fish. We’ll head into the woods to pick mushrooms right now. We should be able to gather quite a few by nightfall!”

“Sounds good to me. We’ve got about two hours until dark—we should have no problem gathering a few dozen pounds!”

“Brother Yi, why don’t you go back and grab a burlap sack or a big basket? The rest of us will start picking mushrooms first.”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Alright, you guys go ahead and start picking. I’ll go back and get a basket!”

“Alright!”

……..

The back mountain was three li away from Nianzishan Village. By the time Li Yi returned to the back mountain, it was already past seven in the evening, and the sun had begun to set.

Li Yi entered the woods and saw that Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others had already picked quite a few mushrooms, piling them into several heaps.

He placed the mushrooms one by one into the baskets, and before long, the two large baskets he’d brought were completely full.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Yi immediately called out to the boys to head back to the village; after all, it was quite dangerous to be in the mountains after dark.

Although there were no predators like wolves, tigers, or leopards on the back mountain, there were wild boars—and those beasts were just as fierce as wolves.

So, carrying the two large baskets of mushrooms and their fishing gear, the group set off in a long procession toward the village.

By the time Li Yi and the others returned to the village, it was completely dark, and many households had already lit their kerosene lamps!

Although Nianzishan Village now had electricity, only a few households could afford to use electric lights; the vast majority of villagers were still accustomed to using kerosene lamps!

No other reason—just to save money!

When he got home, his parents were already back. His father was giving the mule a drink, while his mother was bustling around the stove, presumably cooking.

Seeing Li Yi and a bunch of young lads carrying two large baskets inside, Li Shankui was a bit surprised and immediately asked, “What’s in those baskets?”

“Mushrooms!”

“Why bother with that stuff? We’re not short on food at home,” Li Shankui asked, puzzled.

“They’ll come in handy. Just don’t ask about it, old man!”

Li Yi then had Qiangzi and the others help carry the mushrooms into the house, instructing them to go back up the mountain to gather more tomorrow. He told them he’d come find them again tomorrow afternoon.

After that, he sent them on their way!

After Qiangzi and the others left, Zhang Yuehong asked while tending the fire, “Xiao Yi, I see your tea tray is pretty empty. How did the liangpi sell?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Not bad—I sold out completely!”

“Did you make any money?”

“Yeah, I made about ten yuan today!”

“Ten… ten yuan?”

Just then, Li Shankui walked in from outside and said, “What do you mean, ten yuan?”

Zhang Yuehong stammered a bit and said, “Old man, Little Yi says he made ten yuan selling liangpi today!”

Li Shankui was taken aback for a moment, then frowned and said, “Don’t talk nonsense, kid. Money isn’t that easy to make!”

Li Yi knew that explaining it with just words wouldn’t do any good, so he lifted the felt blanket covering the kang, pulled out the money pouch from underneath, and dumped all the money onto the kang!

When a pile of one- and two-mao bills scattered across the bed, Li Shankui and his wife’s eyes widened in utter shock!

Early the next morning, when Li Yi woke up, he found his parents had already gone out to work in the fields!

After washing up and having a light snack, Li Yi got to work!

Since Nianzishan Village was a full 15 kilometers from the county seat—a journey that would take at least two hours by mule cart—he had to prepare the liangpi and chop the toppings within two hours to arrive before noon.

Fortunately, he was well-versed in all of this, and it didn’t take long for everything to be ready!

After loading everything onto the mule cart, Li Yi drove straight toward the county seat.

Traveling along the dirt roads of the countryside, gazing at the lush green crops lining both sides of the path, and breathing in the freshest air of nature, Li Yi felt incredibly happy.

Although he was currently poor—he didn’t even have a single penny in his pocket—his inner world was rich.

Thinking back to his previous life, although he had built his own business empire—with assets reaching tens of billions at its peak—whenever the night was deep and quiet, the guilt he felt toward Tang Xue and the child who had never been born would constantly gnaw at his heart. Even though he possessed the entire world and was adored by thousands, he could not overcome the loneliness within his heart, and he spent his entire life struggling with guilt and solitude.

But now, Tang Xue was still alive, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she was carrying his child. There was still a chance to make amends for everything.

At 11:00 a.m., the mule cart arrived in the county seat, but instead of heading to the town center, Li Yi drove it to the entrance of the sugar factory on the outskirts of the county.

Although the county seat was bustling with people, the reforms had only just begun. Moreover, Qing Shan County was a small, remote inland county where people held conservative views and were not yet fully receptive to the private sector.

If he were to openly sell liangpi in the city center, he might very well end up getting arrested.

The situation at the sugar factory, however, was different. Although it was located on the outskirts of the county, the factory employed seven or eight hundred workers—all of whom were permanent staff earning thirty to forty yuan a month—giving them strong purchasing power.

More importantly, Li Yi knew that the sugar factory didn’t have a staff canteen; the workers had to go home for dinner after work or bring their own meals to work every day.

With a safe environment and a ready consumer market, this was definitely a prime spot for a street stall!

After finding a suitable spot, Li Yi arranged the prepared liangpi and all the various toppings and condiments neatly on his cart, then waited patiently for customers to arrive!

At 11:50 a.m., as a crisp electric bell rang out, the workers were off duty!

Li Yi immediately perked up—his business empire was about to set sail from this mule cart right outside the factory gates!

A few minutes later, workers began streaming out of the sugar factory gates!

Seizing the opportunity, Li Yi called out loudly, “Authentic Shaanxi-style liangpi, 20 cents a serving—first come, first served!”

“Don’t miss out—authentic Qin Province Liangpi, delicious and perfect for beating the heat!”

“For just two cents, you can’t go wrong—you’ll get a refreshing, delicious serving of Liangpi…”

The novel cries quickly drew a crowd of onlookers. When everyone saw the liangpi and various toppings and condiments laid out on the cart, they couldn’t help but swallow hard!

Finally, someone couldn’t resist any longer. A middle-aged man turned to Li Yi and asked, “Young man, what kind of food is this? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Bro, this delicacy is called liangpi. It’s the most famous and classic summer treat in Qin Province—guaranteed to have you coming back for seconds after your first bite!” Li Yi replied with a smile.

“How much is it?”

“With broth and toppings, it’s 20 cents plus two liang of grain coupons per serving!”

“Two mao plus two liang of grain coupons? That’s so expensive!”

“Bro, it takes a pound of white flour to make one serving of liangpi. Right now, the supply and marketing cooperative sells white flour for 16 cents a pound. Add in all the seasonings—is 20 cents really too much?” Li Yi explained.

“I guess that makes sense. Give me one to try!”

“Sure thing! Just a moment!”

Li Yi deftly peeled a large sheet of liangpi off the tea tray, then sliced it into strips on the cutting board, tossed it with various seasonings, and drizzled a small spoonful of chili oil on top.

He placed it in a bamboo tube and handed it to the middle-aged man, tossing him a pair of bamboo chopsticks as well.

The middle-aged man, in turn, deftly pulled out two 10-cent notes and a 2-liang local grain coupon, then squatted down beside the mule cart and dug in!

After just a couple of bites, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re something else, kid—this tastes absolutely amazing!”

“Thanks for the compliment, big guy. In the summer, I wouldn’t trade this liangpi for a pig’s trotter!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Is it really that good? Give me a serving too…”

“I’ll have one too…”

With the middle-aged man leading the way, Li Yi sold out all 62 portions of liangpi in less than ten minutes—the turnout was absolutely staggering.

After agreeing to come back tomorrow at noon to sell more liangpi, Li Yi finally managed to break free from the workers’ enthusiastic “surrounding”!

On the mule cart, Li Yi counted the loose change in his hand while sorting out the grain coupons.

After tallying his earnings, a satisfied smile spread across Li Yi’s face.

When everyone heard that Xu Hong had actually demanded Tang Xue give up her spot to return to the city, and that after she refused, he had attacked a defenseless woman with such vicious language, their gaze toward Xu Hong instantly changed.

Several female educated youths who were close friends with Tang Xue spoke up one after another, speaking out in her defense!

Xu Hong was now both ashamed and furious. He felt his dignity had been trampled on, and he momentarily lost his composure.

“What right do you have to criticize me? Wasn’t I right?”

Then Xu Hong pointed at Tang Xue and shouted, “She’s a young woman—and yet she was caught in bed with this good-for-nothing, both of them completely naked. Isn’t that promiscuous and immoral? Isn’t that having an affair?”

“He’s about to marry this good-for-nothing—why is he still hogging the spot to return to the city? Why…?”

Before he could finish, Li Yi stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face several times, knocking him flat on the ground!

At the same time, Li Yi fixed his gaze on him and said, “Although what Xiao Xue and I did may have crossed the line a bit, it was mostly my fault—it has little to do with her. If anyone is despicable and shameless, it’s me, Li Yi. She’s innocent!”

Li Yi then turned to Feng Kai and the other educated youths behind him and continued, “Tang Xue has been working in our Nianzi Mountain Brigade for three years now. You all know what kind of person she is—warm-hearted, cheerful, helpful, studious, hardworking, virtuous, and kind to others. She’s like an angel sent down to earth.”

“Before this, has anyone ever heard of her doing anything out of line? How could she possibly be associated with such vicious terms as ‘promiscuous,’ ‘immoral,’ or ‘slut’?”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, everyone couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Everyone had witnessed Tang Xue’s conduct over the years; they’d watched her grow from a girl of fifteen or sixteen into the woman she is today. They all knew exactly what kind of person she was.

Especially now that she was about to return to the city, she had absolutely no reason to get involved with someone like Li Yi.

So even if there was any fault in this matter, it lay with Li Yi—it had absolutely nothing to do with Tang Xue.

And for Xu Hong to attack a vulnerable woman who was already a victim—his behavior was despicable enough.

However, Xu Hong had nothing left to lose. Clutching his jaw, he snapped, “It’s a fact that she slept with you, isn’t it? Sleeping together before marriage—isn’t that promiscuous?”

“Fuck that ‘promiscuous’ bullshit! If you don’t know how to talk, I’ll rip that filthy mouth of yours right off!”

Li Yi then glared at Xu Hong and continued, “I heard you used to pursue Xiao Xue, but she turned you down! I think the reason you’re using such vicious words to hurt Xiao Xue is because she’d rather choose a good-for-nothing like me than be with you—you’re just jealous!”

“I… I didn’t!”

“Don’t deny it, and don’t try to wriggle out of it. Any explanation is just an excuse—the public’s eyes are wide open!”

“Besides, Xiao Xue has only decided to postpone her return to the city—she hasn’t decided for sure that she won’t go back. Why should she give up her spot?”

Li Yi continued, “This isn’t some steamed bun or sweet potato—you can’t just give it away on a whim! Besides, there are over thirty male and female educated youths in the whole Nianzi Mountain Brigade, and six or seven of them are from Qin Province. Even if Xiao Xue really decides to stay here, why should that spot be given to you? Who do you think you are?”

Li Yi’s words left Xu Hong speechless. His face flushed alternately pale and red, and his chest heaved with the frustration boiling inside him!

The people both inside and outside the room looked at him with eyes full of contempt and disgust. It was one thing to curse at someone, but to actually try to take away their spot to return to the city!

No one knew better than they did just how precious a spot to return to the city was. Ever since the government announced two years ago that educated youth would be returning home in batches, countless people had fought tooth and nail for a single spot.

Spending money and giving gifts were nothing out of the ordinary; many women, desperate to return to the city, even resorted to using their bodies as capital to comply with unspoken rules.

There were also those who had already married locally, yet in their eagerness to return to the city, many abandoned their wives and children—so many, in fact, that the county civil affairs bureau had to set up queues just to process divorce paperwork!

You, Xu Hong, have no blood ties to Tang Xue—you’re barely even a fellow villager. Why on earth would she give up such a precious spot for you?

You curse at them when they refuse, and even trash their dorm room—your character is truly appalling. No wonder Tang Xue would rather marry a good-for-nothing than be with you.

Hearing the whispers outside, Li Yi knew he had already gained the upper hand in the public opinion battle.

Then, Li Yi spoke again: “No matter how dark your heart may be, if I ever hear you’re bullying my wife again, I’ll make you regret ever being born!”

After delivering his threat, Li Yi turned to face everyone present and said with a stern expression, “Barring any surprises, I’ll be officially marrying Tang Xue in a month. We got engaged yesterday. Our relationship is perfectly reasonable. Anyone who dares to gossip behind our backs should take Xu as a cautionary tale!”

As Li Yi’s piercing gaze swept over the crowd, everyone felt a chill run through their bodies, their hair standing on end.

Li Yi paid no heed to them. He turned and walked straight toward the door. As he passed by Tang Xue, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him as they left!

Both Tang Xue and Li Na were stunned by Li Yi’s display. Setting aside his formidable fighting prowess, the words he’d just spoken in her defense were shocking enough on their own.

The Li Yi of the past had been domineering and overbearing, but he wasn’t particularly quick-witted. When faced with a problem, he would rely solely on his fists to resolve it, often turning a just cause into an unjust one.

But today was different. Not only did he defend Tang Xue’s honor, but he also completely dismantled Xu Hong’s arguments.

Throughout the entire exchange, he not only demonstrated formidable martial prowess but also spoke with reason and evidence, his logic clear and coherent—it was as if he were a completely different person.

So much so that even after Li Yi had led Tang Xue and Li Na back to the female educated youth dormitory, they were still in a daze!

Li Yi knew that his performance today had left them momentarily taken aback, but he didn’t say much about it.

Back at the dormitory, Li Yi personally cleaned up the broken pots and jars in the room, then instructed Third Sister to stay at the educated youth camp for the next few days before setting off for home in his mule cart.

He arrived home just after five o’clock. It was still early, and his parents hadn’t returned yet.

Li Yi first carried the flour from the cart into the house and hid the money.

Then he gathered some fresh grass to feed the mule before hurrying out of the house.