Chapter 157: Brother, Doesn

"Dinner's ready, dinner's ready!"

Jiang Xiaoyan's call finally rescued Li Ye from his awkward predicament, for Li Dayong had dug himself into a corner and insisted on knowing exactly what connection there was between height, foot size, and happiness.

"Eat, eat—forget everything I just told you. If you let out even one word, I'll beat you to death!"

"."

Got it, bro, don't worry—I'd rather die than say a word.

Li Dayong stared at Li Ye's fierce expression and nodded dumbly in agreement.

If this were 2022, Li Ye could've chuckled with his old buddy and explained it plainly—even goaded him into dating a girl who was only 1. meters tall to feel the difference—but in 1982, speaking bluntly like that would've shattered Li Ye's image as a towering, upright, flawless man.

The two entered the courtyard, where Wen Leyu and the others were already eating with bowls in hand.

"Mmm, Xiao Yan's cooking is still the best—after that picnic, I couldn't swallow a single bite of cafeteria food for three straight days. Today I'm going to stuff myself full, then savor it for days after I get back."

"If only we could eat Xiao Yan's dishes every day like we did back at the Second Grain Store! I've been in Beijing two months and haven't gained an ounce—I used to gain three pounds a month!"

One pot of mixed stew, two stir-fries, plus two clay pots had the eight-person group gorging themselves and shouting with delight—they'd spent half a year eating "ten-cent meals" at the Second Grain Store, and their palates had grown terribly refined.

Jiang Xiaoyan ate her own meal while humbly saying, "It's not that my cooking's good—I just follow Li Ye's recipes. She's the real chef; I'm just a lowly kitchen helper."

"Hahaha, Jiang Xiaoyan's a kitchen helper!" Han Xia laughed and asked Li Ye, "Li Ye, look—Xiao Yan calls you the master chef!"

Li Ye smiled faintly, offering no further explanation—Jiang Xiaoyan was telling the truth. He'd gone all out to design a series of nutritious meal plans for Wen Leyu's frail frame; everyone else had merely benefited by accident, enjoying half a year of gourmet feeding.

After the meal, everyone rushed to wash pots and bowls. Hu Man felt increasingly uneasy, glancing cautiously at Li Dayong several times.

But Li Dayong was just as cheerful and carefree as before, showing no sign of anything amiss.

After tidying up, Han Xia suddenly suggested, "Why don't we go to the Second People's Mall this afternoon?"

"I heard from a classmate there's some kind of discount promotion today—the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. If we all chip in and each buy one thing, we'll save a lot!"

Fu Yingjie added, "I heard the same thing—there used to be discounts like this over at Xiushuijie, but it was too far for us to check out. I never expected we'd have it here so soon."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go!"

Girls had little resistance to discount sales—even Jiang Xiaoyan felt a spark of interest. She'd received three months of living allowance and had saved up a little cash!

The classmates chattered excitedly as they left, took the bus to the Second People's Mall in the north of the city, and arrived in just a few stops.

Then, the girls began to hesitate.

"Goodness, so many people—it's like the New Year fair all over again."

"Should we even go in? I'm afraid my shoes'll get crushed off!"

Girls were naturally wary of crowded places—gender differences made shoving and jostling awkward and exhausting.

But just as Hu Man and the others were debating whether to leave, Ma Qianshan pushed through the crowd nearby, wearing a red vest.

Little Wild bro, what are you doing here?

"I came with my classmates to take a look. Why are you outside the mall?"

Ma Qianshan wiped sweat from his brow. "Ge Peng's inside keeping watch. Too many people—I wanted to follow your advice and hire a few short-term workers, but I ran into a bunch of riffraff. I wouldn't dare hire people like that, and it almost turned into a mess."

Li Ye frowned as the crowd grew even more chaotic.

"Didn't the Second People's Mall send anyone over to help? They shouldn't be short-staffed."

Ma Qianshan shook his head. "Don't even mention it—they're all sly devils, just waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves so they can sit back and wait for us to beg them for help!"

Jin Peng had previously established contact with Tian Hongshan and others, testing whether he could rent space from several retail outlets to expand sales, train staff, and build a team.

Tian Hongshan had been the most enthusiastic, but the Second People's Mall in the north had struck first, quickly sealing a deal with Jin Peng.

However, the two sides had disagreed on terms—the Second People's Mall wanted to absorb Jin Peng and his group, but Jin Peng insisted on independent operation, so the mall had reluctantly agreed.

But now it was clear: these folks were seasoned foxes with plenty of tricks up their sleeves.

Li Ye clapped his hands, summoning his classmates over. "Our fellow townspeople are in trouble—let's help them. Go into the crowd and find university students wearing school badges. Ask if they'd be willing to volunteer for a day. Be clear—it's paid social practice!"

Ma Qianshan wanted to hire temporary workers but feared hiring the wrong people—being unable to tell good from bad, he'd risk trouble.

But he hadn't noticed that in this era, university students proudly wore their badges on their chests for all to see.

When you walked down the street and kept hearing "Look, a university student!" in admiring tones, that sense of pride as a "future pillar of society" was a spiritual honor no material thing could provide.

So in the eight-person group, only Wen Leyu and Li Ye never wore their badges—the other six proudly displayed theirs on their chests.

"University students won't do our work!"

Ma Qianshan blurted out without thinking, then saw Li Ye's darkening expression and immediately slapped his thigh, beaming: "Oh, how did I never think of that?"

"How can you know unless you try?" Li Ye glanced at him and urged, "Don't waste time—get the vests."

That's right, that's right—the vests are right here! Little Wild bro, your idea is brilliant—once you put on this vest, people actually take you seriously.

Ma Qianshan quickly fetched the red vests and dressed Hu Man, Fu Yingjie, and the others. Li Ye taught them a few lines to say, then sent them out.

"Hello, are you students from Min University? We're from Jinghang. Would you be willing to help out as volunteers and keep order?"

"Hello, we're from Beijing Institute of Industry. The crowd here is too chaotic—could you..."

Hu Man was initially nervous, still showing the timid awkwardness of someone new to society—but as students from other schools eagerly joined and donned red vests, their hearts filled with excitement instead.

Studying and working were two entirely different experiences; beginners all felt they were "extremely useful."

"Everyone, don't push—enter the mall in order. Hold onto your belongings and leave the crowded areas quickly to protect your property."

When twenty volunteers in red vests joined the throng, the chaos quickly stabilized—those university badges on their chests worked wonders, for in 1982, the title "university student" carried immense weight.

Only then did Li Dayong sidle up to Li Ye and nervously ask, "Bro, is this discount promotion... our business?"

When Li Dayong had first joined with his broken bicycle, or later dumped all his money into the "Down to Yangcheng" venture, it had all been blind trust in Li Ye.

Now he only knew he "had some money," but had no real understanding of business operations, decision-making, or finances.

Seeing such a big operation suddenly unfold, he was both excited and uneasy.

Li Ye sneered, "All you think about is chasing girls. You didn't even know we had a business? You missed two team meetings—don't you want your year-end dividend?"

Li Dayong grinned sheepishly. "Bro, I already told you—you're my full representative. I fully back your authority and decisions, hehe."

Li Dayong sheepishly grinned: "Bro, didn't I already say? You're my full representative—I fully support your decisions and your position, hehe."

Li Ye let out a soft grunt. "The new accountant from Yangcheng has arrived. In a few days, you can ask Ge Peng to take you to check the books and see how much you've got."

"But before you graduate, I don't approve of you spending too much—keep ten thousand or so for pocket money."

"Ten thousand... pocket money?"

Li Dayong drew a sharp breath, his eyes gleaming.

Before coming to Beijing, he'd only checked his finances once—he'd had roughly several ten thousand, maybe up to a hundred thousand.

But now it seemed his wealth had surged—not just risen, but flooded.

The big bear bent low and grinned at Li Ye. "Bro, forget the accountant—I can't read ledgers. Just tell me: how much do I have now?"

"I don't know the exact number," Li Ye mused. "I'd guess you've got several hundred thousand now. By year-end, you might hit a million."

"A million????" Li Dayong gasped, leaping up like a bear startled by fire.

"Shut your damn mouth!"

"Ah, ah, ah."

Li Dayong felt his head swelling, blood pounding "thump-thump-thump" straight to his temples.

Li Dayong felt his head swelling, his blood pounding "thump-thump-thump" straight into his temples.

Over a million!

Just a year ago, he, Li Dayong, couldn't even afford a Daqianmen cigarette!

Now he was a "little millionaire" with hundreds of thousands—or even over a million.

Li Dayong was still just a big kid; the emotional shock was unimaginable.

Li Ye patted his little brother's shoulder and whispered, "Now do you understand why I said you could own an entire forest?"

But Li Dayong's reaction surprised Li Ye.

He said urgently, "Bro, how can you equate money with love? Sacred love shouldn't be tainted by base greed—am I going to turn into some villainous young master from a drama?"

Li Ye stared, astonished—before him stood a bear of a man who looked like a pure-hearted knight of love.

In this era, young people's views on love hadn't yet been corrupted by money—if a girl openly declared she'd marry for cash, it was still considered shameful.

If a boy stopped striving, well—that was unthinkable.

But Li Ye soon sensed something off: Li Dayong swore solemnly about love's sanctity, yet his eyes darted around, scanning the crowd.

Li Ye saw him first spot Hu Man—he was about to advise him, for he knew Hu Man was stubborn; having rejected Li Dayong once, chasing her again would be nearly impossible.

But before Li Ye could speak, Li Dayong's gaze had already shifted elsewhere.

Among the twenty-odd students, there were always a few girls like honey in the forest, drawing the eyes of bears like Da and Er.

Li Ye sneered, "Which one suits you, Dayong? The girl in green? Or the one with the white hair clip? Should I set you up with Hu Man again?"

Li Ye sneered: "Dayong, which one do you think fits? The one in green? Or the one with the white hair clip? Or should I hook you up with Hu Man again?"

Li Dayong quickly pulled his gaze back and said firmly, "I'm just thinking—this business is doing so well, why should I even go to school? Why not just work with Ge Peng? Studying's too tiring."

Li Ye's face hardened. He slapped Li Dayong on the head.

Then he barked sharply: "I went through hell to get you into university—not so you'd complain about hardship and fatigue."

"I had Ge Peng help you earn money—not so you could use it to corrupt good girls. I just want you to have the confidence to confess to the most beautiful, most outstanding girls."

Li Dayong saw Li Ye was furious and tried to back away, but Li Ye grabbed him back.

"I'll keep every penny of your money safe—but if you let money cloud your judgment, stop studying, or spend your days chasing girls like you did last week, just see what I'll do to you."

Li Dayong felt the sting on his head, stared at Li Ye's finger jabbing his forehead, and after a long silence, finally didn't endure it as he used to.

He extended his thick, carrot-like finger toward Wen Leyu, who was busy helping Jiang Xiaoyan, and muttered softly, "Bro, do you really believe what you just said?"

He extended a finger as thick as a carrot, pointing at Wen Leyu, who was busy alongside Jiang Xiaoyan, and growled through clenched teeth.

"Brother, are you not ashamed to say that?"

(End of chapter)