Chapter 57: You Take Care of Being Beautiful as a Flower! (Please Subscribe!)

Leaving the state-run restaurant, Li Yi drove the cart, with Tang Xue and Li Na, heading straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.

Today, he was going to buy some wedding items for Tang Xue. After all, for a woman in this era, getting married was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and he wanted to avoid any regrets as much as possible!

Sitting on the cart, Tang Xue felt entirely dazed. When she looked at the military-green canvas bag hanging around Li Yi's waist, she wore an expression of complete disbelief.

Just now, she had seen it with her own eyes: purely from selling mushrooms and a small portion of cold skin noodles, Li Yi had pocketed at least six to seven hundred yuan from the state-run restaurant. It was simply astonishing.

She had heard Li Na mention before that Li Yi was capable of making money.

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

Even though making dozens of yuan a day already seemed like a fortune to Tang Xue—enough to match someone else's monthly salary—it was clear now that she had severely underestimated Li Yi's earning capacity. This completely transcended her imagination.

Noticing his future wife's hesitant expression, Li Yi smiled immediately and said, "We're all family here, so just say whatever's on your mind. Stuttering and holding back like that looks painful!"

Tang Xue had felt a bit too shy to look at him, but she still asked out of curiosity, "How much money did you make in total today?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Tang Xue felt that the question sounded a bit inappropriate, and she quickly explained, "I... I don't mean anything else by it. I'm just purely curious..."

Li Yi smiled and said, "658!"

"658, in a single day?"

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

Not long ago, she had received her order to return to the city, and according to the official assignment, the workplace she was placed in was the city's woolen textile mill.

Tang Xue knew the salary and benefits at the woolen textile mill very well because her mother was a female worker there.

As far as she knew, a regular female worker at the woolen textile mill made at most 28 yuan a month, and only team leaders could reach 30 yuan.

This meant that what Li Yi made in a single day actually equaled two and a half years of her salary after returning to the city!

More importantly, the money he made came so effortlessly, almost as if it had been given to him for free.

"It's not quite that much. Once I go back, I still have to distribute a share to those kids in the village!" Li Yi said.

"Last night I saw you only handed out one or two hundred yuan to them in total. Does that mean the rest is all your net profit?"

"Yes, like today, I can make around four hundred yuan!" Li Yi said.

Before his voice even faded, Li Na chimed in from the side, "You didn't even count the money you made from running the street stall; it's definitely more than four hundred yuan!"

For Tang Xue, however, whether it was four hundred or a little over four hundred, it was a figure entirely beyond her reach.

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

Li Yi was no longer the local loafer he used to be. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also exceptionally skilled at making money now.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Li family became a ten-thousand-yuan household, and she truly feared she might not be worthy of him anymore.

In an instant, Tang Xue felt that the things she had previously taken pride in did not amount to much in Li Yi's eyes. With his current abilities, he could easily marry someone younger and more beautiful.

Moreover, Tang Xue believed that once the people in the village found out he could make a year's worth of someone else's salary in a single day, countless families would fight to marry their daughters off to him.

Thinking of this, Tang Xue suddenly felt a wave of pressure!

Sensing Tang Xue's abnormality, Li Yi smiled and asked, "Did I scare you?"

Tang Xue did not feel the need to hide her embarrassment. She nodded immediately and admitted, "A little!"

"Haha, it's fine. From now on, you'll manage the money in our household!"

"I... I'll manage the money?"

"Right, I'll be responsible for earning money to support the family, and you'll be responsible for looking pretty!" Li Yi said sincerely.

Having never heard such a slick and smooth line before, Tang Xue instantly blushed from ear to ear, lowering her head and not daring to look at Li Yi.

Meanwhile, Li Na felt as though she had been struck by ten thousand critical hits, and she sourly remarked, "Li Yi, you're done for. You are completely done for!"

"What do you mean? Why am I done for?" Li Yi asked, puzzled.

"You're spoiling her this much even before she's married into the family. I can already picture your future status at home—you're definitely going to be a henpecked husband!" Li Na said.

Unbothered, Li Yi replied, "What's wrong with pampering my own wife? I'm proud to be henpecked, got a problem with that?"

"You're proud of being henpecked? Was your head kicked by a donkey, kid?"

Fearing that Li Yi might rattle off another smooth line, Tang Xue quickly intervened, "Sister Na, don't tease him. From now on, big decisions in our house are up to him, and small decisions are up to me!"

Hearing this, before Li Na could even respond, Li Yi burst into loud laughter!

Furrowing her brow, Li Na asked, "What are you laughing at? I think what Xiao Xue said makes total sense, doesn't it?"

Tang Xue also asked with some confusion, "Right? Do you think what I said was wrong?"

"It makes sense, all right, but it just reminded me of a story about an old gentleman!" Li Yi said with a smile.

"What story?" Tang Xue asked immediately.

Li Yi then recounted, "I heard an old gentleman say once: 'When I first got married, my wife told me that from then on, major decisions in the family would be up to me, while minor decisions would be up to her. I was thrilled to death, feeling like I had the best luck in the world to have married such a wonderful wife. Later on, I realized I had fallen into a cesspit!'

"For instance, whenever I thought a matter was a major decision and was about to voice my opinion, my wife would say, 'Such a trivial thing, and a big man like you still wants to meddle in it?'

"As a result, in the thirty-plus years of my marriage, a major decision has never once occurred in our household!"

Hearing this, Li Na and Tang Xue could not help bursting into laughter as well, drawing curious sideways glances from pedestrians on both sides of the street.

After a long while, Tang Xue suddenly said with a serious expression, "As long as you treat me well, I'll allow our family to have major decisions in the future!"

With a faint smile, Li Yi replied, "It's fine, not having major decisions in the family is pretty good too. Plain and simple living is a blessing!"

"Mm!"

Watching the two of them heading down a path that felt like public displays of affection, Li Na said with helpless resignation, "Can you two please stop acting all lovey-dovey in front of me? Hurry up and buy your things, we still have to go run the street stall after you're done!"

Looking at his third sister—this lonely single dog—with a hint of pity, Li Yi did not say anything more.

His third sister had always been a person of strong will and high aspirations.

Over the past few years, there had been quite a few people coming to propose marriage. Even a brigade leader from the neighboring village had once come to propose on behalf of his son, but she had turned them all down.

In Li Na's own words, she wanted to find someone who caught her eye.

However, Li Yi knew deep down that she simply couldn't let go of their aging parents in her heart.

He hadn't amounted to much in the previous years, and their parents were growing older day by day. If she had married off too, there truly wouldn't have been anyone left to look after their parents.

Therefore, even if she had met someone who moved her heart, she could only suppress it and refuse with a heavy heart. To put it bluntly, she had been held back by him.

Still, Li Yi felt that there was nothing wrong with how his third sister was living her life. After all, she was only twenty-one years old and still had room to choose.

Once his business truly took off, he would find an even better match for her then.

With this thought in mind, Li Yi shouted twice at the big red mule, speeding up the cart as they hurried toward the supply and marketing cooperative!