Li Zhongnan was unaffected by Gao Yan's cool attitude, and mustered a ingratiating smile. "Sister-in-law, I'm here. You rest," he said, taking over her tasks and practically hauling her into the room to sit down.
Gao Yan struggled against him in vain, left with no choice but to let him be.
As she sat, watching him scurry about, her expression softened. "Aren't you ashamed doing a woman's work, being a university student and all?"
In the past, every time Li Zhongnan wanted to help out with the household chores, Gao Yan would refuse, using the same argument. However, in the past, that sentiment was a sincere one, even a form of pampering. Now, it bore a tint of mockery.
Li Zhongnan simply chuckled, saying, "Sister-in-law, your thinking is outdated. Times have changed, men and women are equal". He owed his family too much for him to be offended by a little mockery.
As he made his speech, he started to prepare the dinner.
After slaughtering a chicken, draining its blood, plucking its feathers, and cleaning it, he put it on the fire to cook. Then, he started boiling rice, cooking vegetables, and making soup. When it came to food, he prided himself on being proficient in all culinary matters.
Once the meal was ready and set on the table, he began washing the dishes.
Just as he finished everything, Li Datou returned home. The moment he entered the door, he asked excitedly, "Uncle, where's my iPhone?"
"It's not going anywhere!"
Li Zhongnan pulled out an iPhone and tossed it to Li Datou. Then he took out another one, and settled down next to Gao Yan, holding it out to her, "Sister-in-law, this is for you."
"I don't want it!"
Gao Yan replied coldly. But she couldn't help but sneak a few peeks at it. She was touched when she saw that it seemed more sophisticated and chic than the one the village head's wife used.
Overhearing her, Li Datou interjected, "Mom, if you don't want it, give it to me. I know a girl in my class who would like it."
"Who said I don't want it!" Gao Yan retorted, glaring at Li Datou. She snatched the phone from Li Zhongnan. With such a son, she couldn't do anything but shake her head.
As Gao Yan fiddled with the phone, inserting a SIM card and trying to figure out how to use it, Li Zhongnan had to take over, helping her download useful apps such as Kugou, WeChat, and QQ, and teaching her how to use them.
Listening to music and playing with her new phone, Gao Yan wore a rare smile on her face.
Li Zhongnan felt relieved watching her. He hadn't seen her smile since he had returned from Jingcheng City. Gao Yan had stopped leaving the house too. In urban areas, people competed over money and power, while in rural areas, they flaunted their descendants. She'd once talked up her brother-in-law so much, and now going out into the world only resulted in mockery from other relatives.
"Little Li, the phone cost a few hundred bucks, didn't it?" Gao Yan asked and sighed. Sighing again, she lamented the paradox of her son's intelligence and filial piety, but regretted that he was expelled from school after spending so much money on tuition. Without a diploma and a proper job, how could he afford such an expensive phone?
"A few hundred? As much as you can pay!"
Li Datou scorned, "Oh, mom! This is the latest iPhone. It's at least five or six thousand!"
Five or six thousand? Two of them would cost over ten thousand!
Taken aback, Gao Yan realized that the phones cost as much as the annual income from their farm. After her initial shock, she turned angry. She cursed at Zhongnan for being a waste of money and threatened to beat him.
Holding back a laugh, Li Zhongnan smiled.
Li Datou quickly jumped in, "Stop it, mom! Uncle is making big money now."
"Really?"
Doubtful and concerned, Gao Yan turned her attention to Zhongnan, "Were you up to no good, Li? Don't you dare follow Datou's steps! What would I do if something happened to you?"
Offended, Li Datou retorted, "What did I do? What did I do exactly?"
Li Zhongnan chuckled and tried to explain, "I took Datou and some other guys to recycle textbooks from several dozen trucks a while ago and made some money. Now, I've opened a mobile phone shop in the County Town."
Gao Yan wasn't entirely convinced.
Li Datou added, "I can vouch for him, and my buddies know it too."
Relieved, Gao Yan released a sigh of relief, but then quickly turned to scold Li Datou, "Buddies, you say! You are not allowed to hang out with those people anymore, in case you get corrupted!"
"So naggy!"
Li Datou rolled his eyes. The kids in their village were more likely to follow his lead than corrupt him. Li Zhongnan also shook his head and chuckled. In the eyes of parents, their children were always the best. If they turned out bad, they believed it was the influence of their friends.
They sat for a while, but couldn't start dinner as Li Dapeng was not back from the fields yet.
Li Zhongnan took Bighead with him to the Recycling Station and hauled back all the electrical appliances to start setting them up.
Watching the diligent uncle and nephew, Gao Yan's smile grew brighter and brighter. There were three brand-new air conditioners, as well as mounted large-screen LCD TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, induction cookers, etc.
In the whole of Li Family Village, they were the only ones owning such!
After sitting for a while, Gao Yan called out, "Zhongnan, Bighead, I'm going to visit Cui Hua."
With that, she hurriedly went out as if one of her legs had suddenly become agile. She couldn't wait to brag to others. Her younger brother-in-law might be just a scrap collector now, but he was resourceful and smart. He could have been a top scholar if he had studied hard. Despite his current job, he could still make a fortune in the waste industry.
By evening, Li Dapeng returned carrying a bag of peanuts.
"Big bro, I've got it." Li Zhongnan went up to take the bag and then carried it up to the roof. It was the peanut harvest season and these peanuts needed to be dried for sale.
After coming down, he smiled at Li Dapeng and called him, "Bro."
Li Dapeng grunted in response, picked up his bamboo pipe again and started taking puffs, which was followed by a fit of coughing.
Li Zhongnan wanted to tell him to smoke less but couldn't bring himself to say it. Despite growing up together, he and his older brother hardly ever had long conversations. It wasn't that they weren't close, but more of having nothing to say.
Zhongnan sighed, then turned to Gao Yan, "Sis-in-law, can you come here for a sec?"
With that, he pulled her inside the room and closed the door. Gao Yan asked curiously, "What's with all the secrecy? What are you up to?"
"Sis-in-law, here!"
Li Zhongnan took out a bundle of paper bills and handed it to Gao Yan.
On his way back to the village, he had stopped at the bank and withdrew one hundred thousand yuan.
He couldn't let his brother know about this money. If anyone in the village was in trouble, given his brother's honest and stubborn nature, he would certainly lend it out without any chance of seeing it again.
Gao Yan insisted on not taking it, saying that he just started his business and should save the money for it.
Left with no choice, Li Zhongnan opened his mobile banking app to show her the balance. Looking at the string of numbers, Gao Yan was astonished. She couldn't believe that in less than a month, her brother-in-law had already earned so much money. It was simply incredible.
Gao Yan took the money and hid it under the bed, "Alright, I'll keep it safe for you. Use it for your wedding. Cui Hua just mentioned, as long as you give fifty thousand yuan as the bride price, they are willing to marry their eldest daughter to you…"
There it was; they were pressuring him to get married. The "proposed bride" was just a junior high school graduate. Hearing this, Li Zhongnan looked confused and disgruntled, "Sis-in-law, I'm still young, there's no rush!" Besides, wasn't Cui Hua's mom okay with him giving just eighteen thousand as a bride price? How did it suddenly go up to fifty thousand now that they've found out about his earnings!
Upon hearing this, Gao Yan retorted unhappily, "What do you mean 'no rush'? Look around, everyone your age in the village already has a bunch of kids. If you continue to stay single, where would I put my face?"
Feeling vexed, Li Zhongnan argued, "But we can't just rush into this! Is their eldest daughter even fourteen yet? You're trying to make me break the law! My dear sister-in-law!"
"I don't care about the details, the decision is final!"
Patting her hand as if for emphasis, Gao Yan said, "That girl, their eldest daughter, I approve. She's diligent, obedient, and a beauty in the making. She's nearly your height even at her young age."
Seeing Li Zhongnan's unenthusiastic face, Gao Yan changed her tone and giggled, "Alright, don't pout! How could I hurt you? Zhongnan, let me tell you that a woman's most important feature… like her daughter's long legs..." As she said this, her face showed envy. Why is it that despite being women, some just have better luck than others?
Hearing this, Li Zhongnan blushed all over and ran off.
The women in the village were like this, never shy in their speech. Although Gao Yan had a bit more tact, there were others who were even more explicit.
Of course, they only spoke crudely and acted differently. Few incidents of premarital sex, or affairs post-marriage, happened.
And it was for obvious reasons. The village was small and everyone knew everyone else's business. On the contrary, some city girls, despite speaking elegantly and behaving modestly around men, would end up in bed together within a day or even after a single meal.
Between these two types of women, it's hard to say which kind is more conservative.
Nevertheless, he preferred the latter; cheap words could never match the straightforward approach.
Stepping out of the house, he felt as though a burden had been lifted and he felt lighter.
Regardless, with the new batch of appliances and the extra hundred thousand yuan, the living conditions at home had somewhat improved, and his guilt lessened.
Now, he could finally devote himself fully to his work.
He lit a cigarette, then turned to Bighead, saying boldly, "Come on, let's gather more people. Uncle will lead you guys to make a sweep in the Northrealm's waste industry!"