The back mountain. The reservoir!
As Li Yi approached, he could see five or six boys about his age tinkering with something by the reservoir.
When they saw Li Yi coming, two boys, dressed in nothing but shorts, immediately ran up to him.
"Brother Yi, what brings you here?"
Li Yi chuckled and said, "Get everyone together—I have something to discuss with you."
"Got it!"
In no time, everyone on the shore and in the water had gathered around Li Yi.
Looking at these childhood friends—Dongzi, Shitou, Qiangzi, Gangzi, Datou, and Little Gouwa—Li Yi's heart was filled with a mixture of emotions.
In his previous life, most of these buddies had lived uneventful lives. Even the one who had done best for himself had only managed to open a small grain and oil shop in the county, and none of them ever became millionaires.
Yet, even so, they were loyal to a fault.
During the years when Li Yi had to leave the village to make a living, these friends frequently helped his family out. Especially after his father had passed away, leaving his mother to fend for herself, it was his friends who supported her through those toughest years.
Even though Li Yi had tried to repay them in various ways after he found success, he knew that nothing could compare to the brotherly bond they shared.
In this life, not only did he want to change Tang Xue's fate, but he also wanted to bring these brothers along on the road to success!
"Brother Yi, weren't we supposed to meet here this afternoon to catch fish? How come you didn't show up?"
"Brother Yi, I heard you… uh… did something with Sister Xue. Is that true?"
"Brother Yi, are you really going to marry Sister Xue? Weren't you pining for Wang Erniu's sister…"
Li Yi chuckled, "Alright, hold up! How am I supposed to answer when you're all asking at once?"
After a moment of hesitation, Dongzi asked, "Uh… Brother Yi, did you really… with Sister Xue…?"
Li Yi didn't hide it. He nodded, "Yes."
"Brother Yi, that's not right!" Dongzi protested.
Li Yi didn't get angry, as he knew Tang Xue had done a great kindness to Dongzi's family.
Last year, Dongzi's ten-year-old sister had been playing in the river when an unexpected dam release upstream sent a torrent of water rushing down. The girl hadn't made it to shore in time and was swept away. Tang Xue, who happened to be passing by, jumped into the river without hesitation and saved her, risking her own life.
Since then, Dongzi's family had practically treated Tang Xue like a living Bodhisattva.
His words now were purely out of concern for Tang Xue.
And, honestly, Li Yi felt he did bear some responsibility. It wasn't unreasonable for Dongzi to think he was in the wrong.
"I'll take responsibility," Li Yi said, "but I need your help."
Dongzi immediately responded, "Brother Yi, what do you need us to do?"
Li Yi continued, "I'm planning to marry Tang Xue, and I want to give her a proper wedding. But it'll take a lot of money."
Dongzi thought for a moment. "How much is 'a lot'?"
"Between the dowry and other expenses, at least a thousand yuan."
Li Yi calculated this amount, taking into account the costs of building a house and holding the wedding. If he was just bringing Tang Xue into the family, it wouldn't require nearly as much.
"A… a thousand yuan?"
Everyone was stunned by Li Yi's words. A thousand yuan was no small amount—many families barely saved a hundred yuan after a year of hard work, so a thousand was equivalent to a decade's worth of earnings for some.
"Brother Yi, I only have two cents!"
"Brother Yi, I have four cents!"
"Brother Yi, I'll go talk to my dad, see if he can spare some money for you and Sister Xue's wedding..."
Li Yi shook his head. "No need. I've figured out a way to make money, but I need your help. And I won't let you help me for nothing; you'll be paid for your work!"
"Do we need to be paid to help Brother Yi? Just tell us what to do!" said Qiangzi, who was the village secretary Feng's grandson. At 17, he was the oldest among the boys, except for Li Yi.
"You guys know where mushrooms grow in the back mountains, right?"
"Of course, there are loads of them back there!"
Li Yi's eyes lit up. "That's what I need you to do—pick mushrooms!"
"Mushrooms?"
"Yes, both pine mushrooms and chanterelles," Li Yi replied.
"Brother Yi, what do you need those for? It's not like it's a famine year," Qiangzi said, frowning.
"Don't ask too much for now; I'll explain later."
"So, when do you need them?"
"The sooner, the better!"
Qiangzi immediately said, "Then let's skip fishing and head into the forest to pick mushrooms now. We should be able to gather a lot before dark!"
"Sounds good. There are still a couple of hours till sunset—we can probably collect a few dozen kilos!"
"Brother Yi, why don't you head back and grab some burlap sacks or large baskets? We'll start picking mushrooms now."
Li Yi nodded, "Alright, you all go ahead; I'll be back with the baskets."
"Got it!"
…
The back mountain was about three li from Nianzi Mountain Village. By the time Li Yi returned, it was already past 7 p.m., and the sun was dipping westward.
Entering the forest, he found Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others had gathered quite a few mushrooms, piling them in several mounds.
One by one, Li Yi filled the baskets he'd brought. Soon, both large baskets were packed to the brim.
Seeing it was getting late, Li Yi gathered everyone to head back to the village, as staying out after dark in the mountains could be dangerous.
While there were no wolves or tigers in the area, wild boars were around—and they could be just as fierce as any wolf.
And so, the group carried the two large baskets of mushrooms and their fishing gear, heading back to the village in a lively procession.
By the time they returned, night had fully fallen, and many households had already lit their kerosene lamps.
Though Nianzi Mountain Village had electricity, few could afford to use it. Most villagers still preferred kerosene lamps—for the simple reason that it was cheaper.
When they got home, Li Yi's parents were already back. His father was watering the mule, and his mother was busy around the stove, likely preparing dinner.
Seeing Li Yi and a gang of boys carrying two big baskets inside, Li Shanqui looked surprised and asked, "What's in those baskets?"
"Mushrooms!"
"What do you need those for? It's not like we're short on food," Li Shanqui said, puzzled.
"They're useful, but don't worry about it."
Then, Li Yi asked Qiangzi and the others to carry the mushrooms inside, reminding them to continue picking tomorrow, and that he'd come by in the afternoon to check in.
After seeing them off, his mother, Zhang Yuehong, stoking the fire, asked, "Little Yi, I noticed your tray was spotless. How did the liangpi sell?"
Li Yi grinned, "Not bad—it sold out!"
"Did you make any money?"
"I did! Today I made over ten yuan."
"Ten… ten yuan?"
Just then, Li Shanqui came in and asked, "What's this about ten yuan?"
Zhang Yuehong stammered, "Old man, Little Yi says he made ten yuan selling liangpi today!"
Li Shanqui was taken aback. He frowned, "Don't make things up, kid. Money doesn't come that easily!"
Knowing words alone wouldn't convince him, Li Yi lifted the mat on the kang bed, pulled out his money pouch, and emptied it on the kang.
A pile of crumpled one- and two-cent bills spilled out, and his parents' eyes widened in shock as they stared at the scattered cash.