Chapter 21: Li Yi's Sweet Nothings

As they were speaking, the third sister, Li Na, walked over and asked, "What’s the story with that bicycle?"

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

"You really bought it? Did you manage to get a bicycle coupon?" Li Na asked, astonished.

"I did. It cost me ten yuan!"

"Hiss! That expensive?"

Li Na couldn't help but gasp. Ten yuan—that was equivalent to over three hundred work points!

"It’s not too bad. These things are hard to come by, so it’s worth ten yuan," Li Yi said.

"Then why did you buy a 26-inch one? Why not get a 28-inch?" Li Na asked, frowning.

"This bike is for my wife to ride, so naturally, I had to get a smaller one!"

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

"For me?"

Li Yi smiled and said, "Of course it’s for you. Didn’t I tell you? Whatever others have, you will have too!"

"It’s not just the bicycle. I’ll buy you a sewing machine, a watch, a radio—whatever you want. Even if you wanted the stars in the sky, I’d pluck them down for you!"

The sudden romantic gesture instantly warmed Tang Xue’s heart. She could hear the genuine care in Li Yi's words. Although his reputation was indeed poor—some called him a loafer, others a prodigal son, and very few spoke well of him—and their union was not born of love but forced by circumstances and necessity, she had just heard sincerity and affection in his voice. It felt real.

This brought her a sense of joy, but more so, it filled her with apprehension.

"You..."

Tang Xue knew her own heart; she still held feelings for her childhood sweetheart, Brother Tan Cheng. She had also heard from Li Na that Li Yi had long been infatuated with the village belle from the neighboring village, so she had never held any expectations for this marriage. She had reconciled herself to the idea of living together as familiar strangers, but if Li Yi truly had feelings for her, she wouldn't know how to respond.

For a moment, Tang Xue fell silent.

Noticing her unease, Li Yi patted her head affectionately and said softly, "Don't feel pressured. Just let things take their natural course."

"He... he saw right through me!"

Tang Xue’s heart pounded violently, and her pulse quickened. Just as she was wondering how to face him, the whistle for the end of the workday blew. She hurriedly hoisted her shovel, intending to return to the brigade office to turn in her tasks.

But before she could leave, Li Yi caught her hand.

"Let the Third Sister turn in your tasks and tools. You ride the bike back to the educated youth dormitory!"

Tang Xue was stunned and immediately shook her head. "I’d better not."

"What do you mean 'better not'? I bought this bike for you. If you don't ride it back, who will?" Li Yi said, furrowing his brows.

Seeing his frown, Tang Xue felt a strange flicker of fear. She quickly explained, "I know you’re being good to me, but you know how things are at the dormitory. There’s no one around once work ends. A bicycle is such a precious thing; it wouldn't be safe there."

Li Yi thought about it and realized she had a point.

"Alright then, let's leave the bike at my house 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 we shouldn't..."

Li Yi knew her gentle and introverted nature; if he waited for her to initiate, he would never bridge the distance between them. He snatched the shovel from her hand and tossed it to Li Na, saying, "Third Sister, please turn in my wife's tasks for me. I’m taking her home now!"

Li Na: "..."

...

On the dirt path in the countryside, Li Yi pedaled the brand-new bicycle while Tang Xue sat on the back, her arms wrapped around his waist. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful. Under the setting sun, their shadows stretched long on the road.

The bicycle overtook one worker after another on their way home, and everyone who saw them wore an expression of surprise. Exposed to the gazes of the villagers, the thin-skinned Tang Xue turned bright red and dared not lift her head.

The journey was short, and they arrived at the educated youth dormitory in no time. After dropping her off, Li Yi didn't linger; he simply reminded her to take care of her health before pedaling off toward the hills behind the village.

...

When Li Yi reached the reservoir, he found his younger companions already assembled. The embankment where they usually played was covered in bamboo baskets and wooden buckets filled to the brim with wild goods.

Li Yi noticed, however, that there were more children than usual—over a dozen of them. Looking at the ten-year-olds gathered there, he frowned and asked, "Dongzi, what’s going on with them?"

Dongzi hurriedly explained, "Brother Yi, Dahu and Yingzi are on break and have nothing to do. When they saw us picking mushrooms every day, they wanted to join in to earn some pocket money."

"I figured they play in the mountains all the time and know which mushrooms are edible and which aren't, so I brought them along."

Hearing this, Li Yi’s stern expression softened. After a moment of thought, he said, "Joining in is fine, and I’ll pay you all accordingly, but you can only do this during the holidays. Once school starts, you must go to class. Understand?"

The youngsters beamed with joy and quickly agreed.

For Li Yi, having extra hands was a good thing, as wild goods were in short supply in the city—he could sell as much as he could gather. If they couldn't sell them fresh, they could dry them for the winter, which made them even more valuable. However, Li Yi knew how short-sighted many people in the village were, often blinded by immediate profit. He worried that if their parents saw them earning money, they might sacrifice the children's education for meager short-term gains, which would be a disaster for the kids.

Because today’s haul was diverse—ranging from edible fungi to black wood ear and white tremella—Li Yi personally taught the children how to process them. The reason his goods were favored by the state-run restaurants wasn't just the quality of the produce, but the secondary processing he performed. Simple as it was—cleaning off soil and debris and sorting out the undersized pieces—it made a world of difference.

Once these carefully selected, clean goods were arranged in the baskets, their appearance was vastly improved. Anyone who looked at them could see that Li Yi’s goods were of a much higher quality than those gathered by others.

After organizing the haul, Li Yi had Dongzi lead the group to transport everything to his home. He then paid them for the previous day’s work—five yuan each. Watching the children head home, excited and clutching their earnings, a faint smile played on Li Yi’s lips.