Chapter Fourteen: Li Na's Misunderstanding (New Book, Please Take a Look!)
Returning to the village, the sun had already set!
When Li Yi and Dongzi, along with the others, carried several large baskets of mushrooms back to the Li family home, Li Shankui and his wife, as well as Li Na, were all staring blankly at the large stash of supplies Li Yi had purchased.
They had just returned from work and, upon entering, saw the floor covered with sacks of rice, flour, grains, and oil.
Though they didn’t know the exact value of these goods, they guessed it must have cost at least dozens of yuan to acquire.
They all knew that Li Yi had been busy selling some kind of cold noodles in the county over the past few days, but to Li Shankui and his wife, that was merely hard-earned money from labor. They truly had no idea where Li Yi had gotten the money to buy so many things.
Hearing the noise in the courtyard, Li Shankui hurried outside to check and saw his son returning with a group of youngsters.
Judging by the heavy baskets they carried, it was clear these boys had been gathering mushrooms in the mountains again.
After helping bring the baskets inside, once the boys had left, Li Shankui called Li Yi inside the house.
Squatting by the stove, Li Shankui pointed to the sacks of rice and grain on the floor and said solemnly, "Did you bring all these things back?"
Li Yi nodded, "Yes."
“That must have cost quite a bit. Where did you get so much money?” Li Shankui asked in a low voice.
Li Yi understood his father’s concern and replied immediately, “It did cost a lot, but it’s all money I earned myself.”
Before Li Shankui could respond, Li Na couldn’t help but say, “Li Yi, do you think we’re fools? You only set up a stall for two days, how could you have earned so much?”
Li Yi didn’t blame his third sister for her disbelief. After all, he had done so many reckless things in the past, and each time he made a mistake, his family had to clean up after him.
“Just selling at the stall alone wouldn’t earn that much. There’s also the money from selling mushrooms!”
At that, his mother, Zhang Yuehong, exclaimed in surprise, “People actually buy those mushrooms?”
Li Yi smiled, “Not only do they buy them, but they’re quite valuable!”
“Valuable... how much per basket?”
“Basket?” Li Yi enunciated carefully, “Seventy cents... per jin.” (Note: jin is a Chinese unit of weight, roughly half a kilogram.)
The three inside the house fell silent, as if they had heard something unbelievable. Li Shankui even dropped his pipe onto the floor.
Li Na was the first to react, astonished, “Really seventy cents per jin?”
“Of course it’s true!”
“Tell me, how much did you sell that basket for yesterday?” Li Na asked excitedly.
“That basket was a bit light, less than sixty jin, and I sold it for 40 yuan total.”
“40 yuan?”
Li Na instinctively covered her mouth, and the expressions on Li Shankui and his wife’s faces showed utter shock. Apart from their heavy breathing, the house was silent.
No wonder they were so stunned. Although their lives had improved somewhat in recent years, the money they earned each year was still pitifully little.
Three members of the Li family worked for wages, and after deducting their allotment of food, they barely made 100 yuan a year.
Yet Li Yi had made 40 yuan in a single day just selling mushrooms, completely overturning their understanding.
“How much did you make selling the cold noodles?” Li Na asked again.
“More than 30 yuan.”
Just then, Li Na’s excitement grew. “So that means you earned over 70 yuan today?”
Li Yi nodded, “To be exact, 71.2 yuan. But I bought all these supplies and gave Dongzi and Shitou two yuan each, so I still have 33.4 yuan left.”
As he spoke, Li Yi pulled out a pouch for loose change and poured all the money onto the kang (heated brick bed).
Seeing the colorful bills clipped together, along with receipts and scattered coins, Li Shankui and the others felt as if their minds were about to overflow.
After the initial shock, Li Na suddenly gazed at Li Yi and said, “Tomorrow, I’m coming with you!”
“Alright!”
Li Yi originally hadn’t wanted to bring her. After all, the government’s policies toward individual businesses were still unclear, and setting up a stall was risky. Although he kept a low profile outside the sugar factory, there was always a chance someone might report him. Bringing her along wouldn’t be wise.
But he knew that unless she saw for herself how he made money, the family wouldn’t rest easy.
“Should we prepare some things for tomorrow’s stall now?”
Li Yi shook his head, “It’s not too late to prepare tomorrow. Since everyone’s here, there’s something I want to say!”
“What is it?” Zhang Yuehong asked, looking at her youngest son.
“I want to formally propose to Xiaoxue tomorrow.”
Li Shankui, filling his pipe with tobacco, said, “That’s proper. No need to skip the formalities!”
Zhang Yuehong added, “For a proposal, you need to prepare a bride price and other things. We should make a list!”
Li Yi then said, “I don’t have enough bride price money right now, so I’ll use the family’s money first. I'll buy the things needed for the proposal when I return from the county tomorrow.”
“That works,” Li Shankui nodded.
Then he turned to his wife, “Honey, go visit Mrs. Zhang and ask her to be the matchmaker tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
With business settled, Li Yi asked his parents and Li Na to help process the mushrooms, while he prepared dinner.
In the countryside, evening meals were usually simple: some porridge with a few potatoes, or reheated steamed bread from lunch—whatever would do.
But Li Yi knew summer farming—hoeing and watering—was exhausting. Without proper nutrition, the body could easily break down.
His father had died before fifty, partly from years of malnutrition and also grief over Tang Xue’s death.
So whenever he had time, Li Yi took charge of the family meals.
For dinner, he made oil-splashed noodles—a classic, simple, and delicious dish full of nutrition, perfect for old farmers like Li Shankui and Zhang Yuehong.
Kneading the dough, rolling it out, boiling the noodles—the entire process flowed smoothly, as if he had done it hundreds or thousands of times.
After cooking the handmade noodles in boiling water and placing them in bowls, Li Yi spread chopped scallions, ground Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and a thick layer of chili powder over the noodles. Then he poured hot oil over the spices.
As the oil hit the seasonings, it bubbled and cooked the pepper and chili powder, turning the bowl a fiery red and releasing a fragrant aroma that instantly filled the room.
A bowl of these fragrant oil-splashed noodles brought an indescribable satisfaction to the Li family.
While tidying up, Li Na suddenly whispered, “These oil-splashed noodles aren’t from around here, are they?”
“No, they’re a specialty from Qin Province,” Li Yi answered truthfully.
“Qin Province again! You keep talking about Qin Province. Have you had your eye on Xiaoxue for a long time?”
“Uh... what do you mean?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.
“Don’t play coy. Xiaoxue’s hometown is in Qin Province!”
“I know, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“How could it not? The cold noodles, the roujiamo, and these oil-splashed noodles are all Qin Province specialties. What are the chances? Dare you say that the Qin Province dishes you’ve learned have nothing to do with Xiaoxue?”
Li Yi hadn’t expected his sister to think that way. He wanted to explain, but realized he couldn’t deny it—this did have a direct connection to Tang Xue.
After Tang Xue’s suicide in the previous life, she was buried in Qin Province. Li Yi visited her and their unborn child there every year.
Sometimes, he even stayed in Qin Province for a while.
Spending so much time there, he naturally learned many Qin Province dishes.
“You’ve had your eye on Xiaoxue all along, haven’t you? You learned these dishes just for her!”
Li Yi’s silence was taken by Li Na as acknowledgment. She seemed to have uncovered something significant, her gaze fixed firmly on him.
Feeling a little unnerved by his sister’s stare, Li Yi gave a wry smile. This was a perfect misunderstanding—he didn’t even know how to explain it.