Chapter 326: Pluck the Goose as It Flies By

Li Zhongfa led Pei Wencong and the others out of the terminal, while Li Ye and Li Dayong lagged behind, each struggling to drag two suitcases.

Pei Wencong's group consisted of only four people, yet they brought six suitcases.

Two small ones were dragged ahead by Li Yue and Pei Wenhui, leaving the brothers with four oversized, heavy ones.

Although the suitcases had wheels underneath, they lacked pull straps and were far inferior to the one Liu Muhang had used over a year ago.

【Should I be the first to bring out the rolling suitcase?】

Li Ye remembered that the prototype of the modern rolling suitcase appeared in 1987.

By 1991, an airline pilot named Adele Fendi improved a new type of case, registered the patent, and named it "roboard."

But unfortunately, in 1995, he forgot to renew the patent fee, causing it to lapse.

Although it's impossible to prevent counterfeits of such a low-tech item, anyone aiming to build a brand—especially a premium one—cannot bypass the patent.

As Li Ye pondered the rolling suitcase, Li Dayong beside him seemed to deliberately slow his pace; once he saw Li Yue and Pei Wenhui a little farther ahead, he suddenly whispered excitedly to Li Ye.

"Bro, how was that move I just pulled?"

"Huh?"

Li Ye paused, then replied casually, "Fine. Acceptable."

"."

Li Ye spoke the truth: Li Dayong had merely passively enjoyed Pei Wenhui's gentleness, said nothing to Lin Zisheng or Chen Juming,

and Pei Wenhui herself remained reserved, her kindness restrained, even too shy to hug him—hardly "passionate."

If this were decades later, a girl would've sprinted over, leapt onto her boyfriend, clung like a monkey up a tree, smacked him with a couple of kisses, and only then, if Li Dayong responded with sarcastic, veiled remarks, would it count as a perfect show-off.

But this was the early 1980s—too much would backfire and become indecent.

Yet Li Ye's casual tone left Li Dayong speechless.

"Bro, is this 'acceptable'? I was practically trembling!"

"Trembling?"

Only now did Li Ye notice the gleam in Li Dayong's eyes and laughed. "You're already trembling? This is barely the beginning."

"Isn't this enough? Didn't you see their looks just now?"

Li Dayong had no secrets from Li Ye: "Before, they never treated me well. Lin. Lin Qiuyan always thought I wasn't good enough—it had everything to do with them. But seeing them just now… I finally feel like I've caught my breath."

"Good. That's what matters," Li Ye smiled. "Let the past be past. Better days lie ahead. Next time you meet your ex, you should feel 'thank you for not marrying me.'"

"Yeah, no need to wait till later—I feel it now."

"."

Li Ye hadn't deliberately pushed Li Dayong to show off, but he understood the frustration buried inside him.

Li Dayong was only twenty-one. Expecting him to be as broad-minded as old men, to shrug off everything, was too much. Better to dissolve the resentment early than let it harm his mental health.

"A gentleman seeks revenge after ten years" is the motto of the powerful; "A gentleman seeks revenge from dawn till dusk" is the normal reaction of the young.

………………

Li Ye and Li Yue drove Pei Wencong and the others back to Qingshui County.

When they reached Li Ye's home, Pei Wencong said to Li Zhongfa with deep emotion: "After knowing Mr. Li for so long, I've only now had the honor to visit your home. I'm truly ashamed."

Li Zhongfa laughed. "What's there to be ashamed of? I only worry our home is too humble to embarrass you."

"No, no," Pei Wencong hurried to say. "When I was a child, I shared a leaky, drafty rented room with my mother and sister—that's what humble means!"

"We've long heard Li Ye say you built your fortune from nothing. Truly admirable. Please, come in."

"Don't be so formal, sir. By age and etiquette, I'm your junior."

"Hahaha, don't say that. Let's keep things as they are, or we won't be able to drink properly later."

"Then I'll definitely toast you first, sir. Please don't be too modest."

As Pei Wencong chatted with Li Zhongfa, he stepped out of the car and entered the Li household.

Inside, Wu Juying led Li Kaian's family to welcome Pei Wencong.

Pei Wencong sensed that, aside from Wu Juying's natural demeanor, everyone else was stiff—especially the two girls, clearly nervous.

"Ah~"

Pei Wencong sighed inwardly, sensing a cold distance.

At that moment, Li Ye walked up behind the two sisters and gave them a gentle push, smiling: "What are you two standing there for? Go greet this big boss Pei and wish him a happy new year. One red envelope isn't enough—make it two."

Then he pointed at Pei Wenhui: "And this little sister Wenhui—greet her too, get your lucky money."

"."

All the Li family stared at Li Ye in shock. Wu Juying and Li Kaian's glances turned sharp.

This was an overseas friend! And you're asking for money right to his face? Aren't you ashamed? Are you that broke?

Li Juan and Li Ying opened their mouths, staring at Li Ye—clearly thinking: "Bro, don't drag us into this. No one in the house can beat you, but we can't. Mom really hits!"

But the two girls had boundless obedience toward their brother. Under Li Ye's encouragement, they timidly accepted the red envelopes and, following his lessons, murmured: "Congratulations on your wealth, bring us good fortune."

Pei Wencong beamed: "Yes, yes! New year, new fortune—great luck, double luck, triple luck, quadruple luck!"

He was genuinely delighted.

In past dealings with Li Ye, Pei Wencong had always felt an irresistible sense of being dominated.

Though later, thanks to Li Ye, he'd essentially "lain down and gotten rich," and now he'd grown fond of being led, he still felt their relationship had slipped into an awkward state—"not quite friends."

After experiencing the thrill of being carried along, Pei Wencong naturally wanted to preserve this bond long-term and hoped to deepen it further.

With Pei Wenhui's growing closeness to Li Dayong, this awkwardness had eased somewhat; now, Li Ye's attitude signaled a move toward "intimate family ties."

That was exactly what Pei Wencong desired.

The two sisters, Li Juan and Li Ying, bewildered, ended up receiving six red envelopes from Pei Wencong, plus two from Pei Wenhui, their hands suddenly heavy with cash that felt unreal.

When had they ever held so much money?

Younger sister Li Ying reacted fastest. Seeing the Pei sisters and Li Ye enter the main room, she clutched the envelopes and tiptoed toward the gate.

But as soon as she stepped outside the courtyard, her collar tightened—her mother's voice rang coldly behind her.

"Where are you sneaking off to?"

"No, Mom, sister said there are gifts in the car—I'm just helping carry them…"

"Keep talking, and I'll take back every penny you've ever hidden."

"I don't have any money left! You already took it all last time…"

Li Ying grimaced, turned around obediently, and raised the envelopes over her head, tears welling.

Han Chunmei snatched them without pity.

To hide money? You're lucky I didn't beat you.

But after Han Chunmei left, Li Ying slowly smiled.

Her small hand flipped, and two yellow Hong Kong bills landed in her pale palm.

"Huh? What kind of money is this? 1000?"

"I wish I'd gotten one more envelope!"

The number of envelopes was fixed, but the money inside wasn't. Li Ying would gladly take a few slaps if it meant taking a little extra.

Let Mom argue the numbers with the Pei siblings.

………………

While Li Ying felt both regret and delight, Li Kaian and his wife were troubled.

After opening the sixteen red envelopes, the total amount was staggering.

Han Chunmei frowned: "How do we even return a gift? We can't just give the money back."

In inland China, when elders give children lucky money, the elders are expected to return an equal amount.

But Li Kaian and Han Chunmei counted the envelopes—red and yellow bills totaling tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. What could they do?

If the Peis had given RMB, they could've added two more and returned them. But they gave Hong Kong dollars—returning them would be too obvious.

"I'll call Xiao Ye over to discuss this."

Li Kaian had no solution. If he had any idea, he'd never ask his son for help.

Besides the lucky money, Pei Wencong had brought a whole suitcase of gifts—something for everyone in the Li family.

The Lis had no habit of taking advantage.

When Li Ye arrived, he said: "I already prepared a gift for Dayong and Wenhui. You can give it to them later."

Han Chunmei immediately handed Li Ye the stack of Hong Kong bills. "We owe you, Xiao Ye. Take this money, save it. It's useless sitting at home."

Li Ye waved it off. "This money belongs to your daughters. Just save it for them."

Han Chunmei wanted to argue further, but Li Ye had already left.

When he returned, he held two small boxes made of rosewood.

"Old Song helped me find this pair of jade pendants in Beijing. Perfect for Dayong and Wenhui."

Li Kaian picked them up, rubbing the smooth surface. Even without knowledge of jade or antiques, he knew they were valuable.

"Xiao Ye, how much did you pay for these pendants?"

"A thousand or so."

"What? Did Old Song rip you off? These things are worth a thousand or so?"

Li Kaian was stunned. A thousand yuan in 1984 was no small sum—he found it hard to believe.

Li Ye smiled. "Here, a thousand seems expensive. But in Hong Kong, it's nothing."

Jade doesn't work like porcelain or old furniture—there's little chance of a bargain.

Because China's jade culture runs deep, everyone knows its value. You think you can buy a treasure for ten or twenty yuan?

Just wash up and go to sleep! Unless you're utterly desperate, they won't even sell it.

Sure enough, when Li Kaijian presented the jade pendants to Pei Wenhui and Li Dayong, Pei Wencong thanked him repeatedly, his face glowing with joy so intense it seemed to cling to his skin.

Whether they're worth much or not is beside the point—they value my brother and sister deeply, and that's worth more than any amount of money, no matter how much.

Meanwhile, Li Dayong quietly pulled Li Ye aside and said apologetically, "Brother, these matching pairs—you should've given them to Wen Leyu, not me. This isn't right!"

【Brother, if I had something better, I'd tell you!】

Li Ye frowned. "These were given to Wenhui by my father. You're just an extra. Don't like it? Give them back. But then you'll break up the pair."

"No no no, I was just joking, just joking!"

Li Dayong clutched the jade pendants tightly, afraid something unlucky might happen during the New Year.