By the time Li Yi and Dongzi returned to the village, the sun had already set.
As they carried several large baskets of mushrooms back to the Li family home, they found Li Shankui, his wife, and Li Na staring in disbelief at the large haul of supplies Li Yi had brought back.
Having just returned from work themselves, they were shocked to see the floor covered in rice, flour, and oil.
Though they didn't know exactly how much these things cost, they could guess it wasn't cheap—certainly not something one could acquire without spending dozens of yuan.
They all knew Li Yi had been busy selling "凉皮" (cold noodles) in the county, but to Li Shankui and his wife, that was just hard-earned money. They had no idea how he managed to buy so much.
Hearing commotion from the yard, Li Shankui hurried outside and saw his son returning with a group of boys.
From the large baskets they were carrying, it was clear these boys had been foraging mushrooms again.
Once they helped bring the baskets inside, Li Shankui called Li Yi into the house.
Sitting by the stove, Li Shankui pointed at the supplies on the floor, his expression serious. "Did you bring all this back?"
Li Yi nodded. "Yes!"
"This must have cost quite a bit. Where did you get so much money?" Li Shankui asked sternly.
Li Yi understood his father's concern and replied, "It did cost a lot, but I earned all of it!"
Before Li Shankui could respond, Li Na couldn't help but interject, "Li Yi, do you think we're fools? You've only been selling for two days—how could you earn so much?"
Li Yi didn't blame her for not believing him; after all, his past was filled with mistakes that had led his family to clean up after him time and again.
"Of course, I couldn't earn that much just from selling. I also sold mushrooms!"
At this, their mother, Zhang Yuehong, was surprised. "People really buy those mushrooms?"
Li Yi smiled. "Not only do they buy them, but they're worth quite a bit!"
"Worth how much... per basket?" she asked.
Li Yi emphasized, "70 cents... per pound!"
The three in the room were stunned, as if they had heard something unbelievable. Even Li Shankui dropped his pipe to the floor in shock.
Li Na was the first to react, her eyes wide. "Really 70 cents a pound?"
"Of course!" Li Yi confirmed.
"Tell me, how much did you sell that basket for yesterday?" Li Na asked, excitement creeping into her voice.
"That basket was a bit small—less than sixty pounds. I sold it for 40 yuan!"
"40 yuan?"
Li Na instinctively covered her mouth in disbelief. Li Shankui and his wife wore similar expressions of shock. The room fell silent except for the sound of their heavy breathing!
No wonder they were all so shocked. Though life had improved a bit over the years, the money they received each year was still pitifully small.
In the Li family, three people worked to earn credits, and at most, they would collectively bring home around 100 yuan after deducting their rations for the year.
In contrast, Li Yi made 40 yuan in a single day just from selling mushrooms, which completely overturned their understanding of what was possible.
"Then how much did you make from selling cold noodles?" Li Na asked again.
"More than thirty yuan!"
Before he could finish, Li Na excitedly interjected, "So, you earned over 70 yuan today?"
Li Yi nodded. "To be precise, it was 71 yuan and 2 jiao, but I bought a lot of supplies and gave Dongzi and Shitou each 2 yuan, so I still have 33 yuan and 4 jiao left!"
As he spoke, Li Yi took out a pouch of coins and dumped all the money onto the kang (a traditional heated bed).
Seeing the colorful notes and scattered coins, Li Shankui and the others felt their minds racing to comprehend what they were seeing.
After the initial shock, Li Na suddenly looked at Li Yi and said, "I'm going with you tomorrow!"
"Okay!"
Li Yi had originally not wanted to take her, given the current uncertainty around individual economic policies and the risks involved in street vending. Although he had been keeping a low profile selling near the sugar factory, there was always the chance of being reported. Bringing her along could complicate things.
But he knew that if he didn't let her see how he was making money, his family wouldn't feel at ease.
"Should we prepare anything for tomorrow's market?" he asked.
Li Yi shook his head. "We can prepare tomorrow. Actually, there's something I want to discuss!"
"What is it?" Zhang Yuehong looked at her younger son.
"I want to propose to Xiaoxue tomorrow!"
While stuffing his pipe with tobacco, Li Shankui responded, "That's right; you should follow proper etiquette!"
Zhang Yuehong added, "If you're proposing, you'll need to prepare a bride price and other gifts. We should make a list!"
Li Yi immediately said, "I don't have enough money for the bride price right now, so I'll just use the money from home. I can buy the proposal items when I come back from the county tomorrow!"
"Sounds good!"
Then Li Shankui turned to his wife. "You should go to Granny Zhang's house and ask her to act as the matchmaker tomorrow!"
"Sure!"
After discussing the important matters, Li Yi assigned his parents and sister to help process the mushrooms while he prepared dinner.
In rural areas, dinner was usually simple—just a bit of porridge and a few potatoes or reheated steamed buns from earlier in the day. But Li Yi understood that summer fieldwork was particularly exhausting, and without proper nutrition, one could easily be worn down.
In his past life, his father had passed away before turning fifty, and that was largely due to a mix of guilt over Tang Xue's death and chronic malnutrition. So whenever he had the time, he took charge of the family meals.
Tonight, Li Yi made oil-splashed noodles, a classic dish that was both easy to prepare and delicious, perfectly suiting the tastes of seasoned farmers like Li Shankui and Zhang Yuehong.
Kneading the dough, rolling it out, and cooking the noodles, he moved with the grace of someone who had done this a hundred times.
After cooking the handmade noodles, he scooped them into bowls, adding chopped scallions, Sichuan pepper, salt, and a thick layer of chili powder on top. Then, he drizzled hot oil over the seasonings.
As the sizzling oil hit the spices, it sent a wave of fragrant heat rising, filling the room with an irresistible aroma.
Once everyone had enjoyed their steaming bowls of noodles, they felt an indescribable satisfaction.
While clearing the dishes, Li Na suddenly asked in a low voice, "These oil-splashed noodles aren't a local dish, are they?"
"Yeah, they're a specialty from Shaanxi Province!" Li Yi replied honestly.
"Another Shaanxi thing! You keep bringing this up—have you had your eye on Xiaoxue for a while?"
"Uh... what do you mean?" Li Yi asked, puzzled.
"What do you mean, what? Xiaoxue's hometown is in Shaanxi!"
"I know, but what's that got to do with it?"
"Of course it matters! Cold noodles, roujiamo (meat-stuffed bun), and this oil-splashed noodle dish are all specialties from Shaanxi. What are the odds that you just happen to be learning these dishes? You can't tell me your interest in these Shaanxi recipes has nothing to do with Xiaoxue!"
Li Yi didn't expect his sister to think this way. He wanted to explain but realized he couldn't deny it entirely, as it did have a direct connection to Tang Xue.
After her death, she was buried in Shaanxi, and Li Yi made a point of visiting her grave each year, often spending some time in the province.
With the time he spent there, he naturally picked up quite a few culinary skills from Shaanxi.
"Have you really been focused on Xiaoxue for a while? You learned these recipes just for her!"
Li Yi's silence was interpreted by Li Na as tacit approval. She seemed to have uncovered something significant and looked at him with wide eyes.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under her intense gaze, Li Yi forced a wry smile. This was a perfect misunderstanding, and he had no idea how to clarify it.