The Capable One

When Li Ye and Jin Peng returned to Qingshui County, it was already past ten at night.

After giving it some thought, he decided not to return to school today and to go home instead.

For people in the eighties, nighttime was dull and lonely. Even in the county town, there were few bright lights. Everyone climbed onto their heated brick beds early to keep warm, and anything that could be done in the dark was never worth turning on a light for.

To save electricity.

By the time Li Ye got home, everyone had already gone to bed. He knocked for ages before his father emerged in a padded jacket to open the door, his face full of displeasure.

"Why are you coming back at this hour? Do you have to disturb all the neighbors?"

Me.

Li Ye was momentarily speechless, but one look at Li Kaijian's clothes and he immediately understood.

Li Kaijian had been single for over a decade before marrying Han Chunmei last year. There was nearly a ten-year age gap between them, and Li Kaijian cherished his little wife like treasure.

Now that Li Ye had ruined Li Kaijian's good time, well, men understood. If they had not been father and son, they would have become enemies over this.

Li Ye lowered his head and put on an apologetic posture as he pushed his bicycle through the gate. Then he saw that the light in his grandfather's room had come on as well.

"You two, come in."

The old man called Li Ye and Li Kaijian into the main room, sternly motioning for them to sit down. Then he suddenly fixed his eyes on Li Ye, his sharp gaze flashing like a gleaming bayonet.

"."

A dignified transmigrator, a Child of Destiny, an owner of the protagonist's halo—Lord Li Ye actually felt nervous beneath an old man's fierce stare.

"Hiss~~"

Sure enough, he was the sort who could take on three enemies alone and kill three Japanese soldiers. Even at his age, his gaze was still this intimidating.

Li Ye drew a quiet breath and gained a deeper understanding of this nominal grandfather of his, a man who had crawled out of piles of corpses.

But Li Ye did not know that Li Zhongfa found Li Ye's reaction equally strange.

This precious grandson of mine has gotten much bolder! Before, one glare from his father would scare him half to death, but now he actually dares to look me in the eye.

Not bad. Takes after me!

Li Zhongfa's gaze immediately softened. Smiling, he asked Li Ye, "I heard you partnered with someone and started a sesame candy business?"

"Sesame candy business? What sesame candy business?"

Li Ye's father, Li Kaijian, looked at Li Ye in confusion, then at his own father. Only after a long while did he grasp what was going on.

You grandfather and grandson are treating me like I don't matter, huh? You actually kept something from me?

Tch. I can't beat the old one, but can't I beat the little one? Just you wait, you little brat.

Thus, due to the double BUFF, Li Kaijian's gaze at Li Ye became thoroughly unfriendly.

"Your grandfather is asking you a question! Hurry up and confess honestly, then come back to the room with me and sleep."

You sure you'll let me sleep after taking me back to the room?

The moment Li Ye heard Li Kaijian's tone, he knew exactly what his father intended.

But since he had decided to come home today, he had naturally come prepared.

Li Ye looked at the smiling Li Zhongfa and smiled as well. "Grandpa, if anyone else asked me about this, I definitely wouldn't admit it. I'm just a student. What business could I possibly be doing?"

"."

Li Ye's answer caught both Li Zhongfa and Li Kaijian by surprise, leaving the room silent for a second or two.

Then Li Kaijian's large palm came whipping toward Li Ye, swift and fierce. A retired soldier's reflexes truly were no joke.

"I'll teach you to be glib!"

The instant Li Kaijian moved, Li Ye's body reacted on instinct. He twisted at the waist and turned sideways, neatly dodging the slap.

"You dare dodge?"

Li Kaijian was truly furious now. This was a sign that his authority in the family was about to crumble!

His eldest daughter was already disobedient, arguing back with him all day long. Han Chunmei was the apple of his eye, too precious for him to lay a finger on. Now even this one person he could "beat and hammer" wanted to rebel?

He had to suppress this. Suppress it harshly.

Bang~

Li Zhongfa slammed a hand down on the table. Li Kaijian, who had been baring his fangs and brandishing his claws, instantly deflated like a punctured ball and sat down limply.

Fine! You brat have someone backing you, so I can't hit you. But you won't get any living expenses this month. Don't come begging me, hmph hmph hmph.

Li Kaijian paid the bulk of Li Ye's living expenses, so he believed that no matter how much Li Ye jumped around, he could not escape his control.

Li Zhongfa looked at Li Ye and smiled. "Not bad, clever enough. Looks like before you started this business, you had already decided who would take the blame, huh?"

Li Ye shook his head. "Grandpa, I don't think this is about taking the blame. I put up the capital and came up with the idea to make money. They took on the risk. The responsibility is shared equally; no one owes anyone anything."

"You really did it—"

Li Kaijian was about to lose his temper again, but Li Zhongfa's sharp glare forced the words back down his throat.

Li Zhongfa said to Li Ye, "Small-scale tinkering is certainly fine, but I heard from Jin Peng that your business isn't small at all. Wealth stirs people's hearts. Have you considered the consequences?"

Li Ye blinked. "It's only a business making a few thousand yuan a month. Does that count as big? If there really is any danger, Grandpa, how about getting us a Food Processing Cooperative Household quota?"

Li Zhongfa glanced at Li Ye. "For the Food Processing Cooperative Household matter, have that Hao Jian go to your elder sister tomorrow and apply for it.

"Also, your ambitions are getting a little too big. You need to stay grounded in the future. A business worth several thousand yuan still isn't small?"

Li Kaijian chimed in to scold Li Ye. "Do you know how much output value a neighborhood factory produces in a month? 'Only a few thousand yuan'—all that studying has gone straight into a dog's belly!"

Li Ye did not know how much those little neighborhood factories that pasted matchboxes together could make in a month.

But judging by their business attitude of "waiting for customers to come to the door and get PUA'd," they probably did not have much business to do anyway.

And within a few months at most, Li Ye might become a Ten Thousand Yuan Household. That really could draw some people's envy.

He had not known there were such things as Cooperative Households before. Now that he did, he ought to lean on his grandfather, this great Buddha, a little.

So, beneath Li Kaijian's contemptuous gaze, Li Ye set his shoulder bag on the table and pulled out bundle after bundle of cash.

"."

Only after laying all the money out on the table did Li Ye say, "This is this month's profit. I didn't steal, rob, swindle, or cheat for it. Every cent came from the hard work and sweat of the working people."

"."

Silence fell. Everything around Li Ye became completely silent. After a long while, he finally heard Li Kaijian swallow.

"This is... your profit for one month?"

"No, it's my profit for one month. The others already took their shares themselves. Wang Jianqiang's share isn't much, so I'm keeping it for him for now."

Li Kaijian said nothing. He merely looked at his father.

Even Li Zhongfa, who had weathered countless storms, had not expected his grandson's seemingly playful little business to earn this much money.

He only had to look at the denominations on the table to know this was the handiwork of small vendors. One bag of sesame candy for one ten-cent note—it truly could be linked to "the working people."

But as for "hard work and sweat"?

Could you speak properly for once?

Have I not shed blood for XX? Or have I not worked hard enough? Why is the difference so huge?

The old man thought for a moment, then asked Li Ye, "What do you plan to do with so much money?"

Li Ye said, "Leave it at home for now. But there's no need to worry. I heard the South has allowed Individual Businesses for a long time already. In a while, Ten Thousand Yuan Households and the like might not be unusual at all."

Li Zhongfa nodded. "All right, leave it at home for now. Let your father keep it for you. Don't worry, not a single cent of yours will go missing."

Li Ye shook his head. "I can't use that much money. If there's anything the family needs, just buy it. But when I go to university next year, I may have to take away a large portion of it."

Li Zhongfa said, "Of course. A poor household needs a rich road fund. When a child of our family goes out into the world, they absolutely cannot suffer any grievance over money."

Li Kaijian could no longer stand the way the grandfather and grandson chatted. Annoyed, he blurted out, "Damn it, if you can really get into university, I'll add double that amount for you."

Li Ye silently turned to look at Li Kaijian and enunciated clearly, "This thousand-plus yuan is actually half a month's profit. If next month goes smoothly, it should reach three thousand. The month after that..."

"."

Li Kaijian's expression became extraordinarily colorful.

Damn it, your father here only makes sixty or seventy yuan a month as a workshop director, and you're talking to me in thousands?

The more Li Zhongfa looked at Li Ye, the more pleased he became. But when he looked at his own son again, irritation rose in him.

"All right, Li Ye, go sleep. You still have to get up early for school tomorrow."

"Okay, Grandpa. I'll go sleep first."

Li Ye got up and started to leave, but just as he was about to step out, Li Kaijian suddenly eyed him like a thief and asked, "Did you hide any money yourself?"

Li Ye froze for a moment, then turned around and came back. He picked up a stack of money from the table and openly stuffed it into his schoolbag. It looked like at least one or two hundred yuan.

"Now I have."

"."

Only after Li Ye hurried out of the room did Li Kaijian come to his senses, on the verge of flying into a rage from embarrassment.

"Enough," Li Zhongfa said. "Don't treat Xiao Ye like a child from now on. Look at that little bit of promise you have."

"That's not it," Li Kaijian protested. "Look at how dangerous the things Xiao Ye is doing are!"

"Whether it's dangerous depends on the timing," Li Zhongfa said. "At a county meeting a few days ago, they discussed Individual Businesses. The South had them two years ago, and they even issued Business Licenses. It'll probably happen here soon too."

Li Kaijian paused. "Then why get that Hao Jian a Processing Household? Once the time comes, wouldn't it be simpler to get him registered as an Individual Business, so he isn't entangled with our family?"

Li Zhongfa looked at Li Kaijian with disdain. "If a capable person appeared in your workshop, would you be willing to send him to another workshop?"

Li Kaijian finally understood. So his father wanted to tie Hao Jian down.

Still somewhat unconvinced, he said, "What kind of capable person is he? Just an Educated Youth who settled down here..."

Li Zhongfa snorted and pointed at the pile of banknotes on the table. "Then go make a trip to the provincial capital tomorrow and see whether you can bring back this much money."

"."

"From now on, you need to study more. Otherwise, you won't even measure up to Xiao Ye."