Chapter 45: A Heart-to-Heart Between Husband and Wife

Chapter 45: A Heart-to-Heart Between Husband and Wife

It was late at night, and the house was quiet.

In their small bedroom, the young couple leaned against the bed, chatting about family matters.

Xu Qingnan's face was still flushed from their earlier intimacy, making her look even more alluring.

"Xiao Yi, you had no capital and no one to guarantee you—how did you manage to make so much money in such a short time?" she asked, voicing the question that had been on her mind.

Li Yi didn't hide anything. He explained the entire process of his recent fruit business venture.

When Xu Qingnan learned that Li Yi had ordered 600,000 kilograms of fruit without any upfront investment and resold them at nearly 20 to 30 times the original price, she was completely stunned. With her simple and straightforward personality, it was difficult for her to grasp such business tactics.

"Xiao Yi, this is too risky. If things had gone wrong, even if we had put everything we owned on the line, it wouldn't have been enough to cover the losses. Please don't do something this risky again in the future!" she pleaded.

Li Yi smiled and reassured her, "I understand your concern. But you only see the risk—I had complete confidence in this deal. Before going through with it, I conducted a thorough market survey in Jiangcheng and studied the production conditions in Yandong. I knew exactly what I was doing."

Xu Qingnan nodded but still looked uneasy. "I know you're capable, but this kind of business is still too risky. We're just a small family. We can afford to earn, but we can't afford to lose everything."

"Alright," Li Yi said, conceding slightly. "I'll try to avoid such high-risk deals in the future."

"You've made a lot of money this time. Does that mean you can finally rest for a few days?" Xu Qingnan asked hopefully.

Li Yi shook his head. "I'm planning to go to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in a few days."

Her expression shifted. "Why? What for?"

"I want to explore some investment opportunities."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure yet. It depends on what I find there."

"You don't have to work so hard…" she murmured, looking at him with concern.

Seeing the reluctance in her eyes, Li Yi felt a pang of guilt.

To be honest, he also wanted to stay home for a while—to spend more time with Xu Qingnan and their daughter. But he couldn't afford to stop now.

The truth was simple: although 200,000 yuan was a significant amount, it was nowhere near enough for true financial freedom.

Using a phrase from his past life, Li Yi knew that his current wealth only granted him "freedom at the vegetable market." He was still far from his ultimate goal—the ability to buy anything without hesitation.

Moreover, after experiencing everything in his previous life, Li Yi didn't want his life to be solely about making and spending money. He wanted to do something meaningful—like charity work.

Li Yi was an atheist, yet he believed in karma and fate. In his previous life, he had spent over 20 years engaged in charity work, and he attributed his eventual reunion with his lost daughter to that.

Now, in this second chance at life, he had returned to a time before tragedy struck. He saw this as a gift, an opportunity to correct past regrets.

And he hoped to pass on that kindness and love, to live up to what he believed was fate's arrangement.

But he also understood one crucial truth: charity required more than just goodwill—it needed money. A lot of it.

Before he could focus on giving back, he first had to make a fortune.

Gently stroking Xu Qingnan's cheek, Li Yi spoke softly, "Sister, I have a plan. If I told you now, it would sound like a fantasy. But I'm confident that within a year, I can achieve something that will shock the entire country!"

Xu Qingnan gazed at him, sensing the unwavering determination in his eyes. Finally, she nodded. "If you've made up your mind, then go for it. I'll take care of things at home."

"Yeah," Li Yi replied, his heart filled with gratitude.

That night, no more words were exchanged. They simply held each other, cherishing the moment.

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The Next Morning

Li Yi woke up early, exercised, and then went out to buy breakfast before his wife and daughter got up.

Since it was Saturday, he decided to take them on a trip to the city.

Just as they were about to leave, there was a knock at the door.

When Li Yi opened it, he found Wei Sanpao standing outside.

"Sanpao, what brings you here so early?" Li Yi asked, stepping aside to let him in.

Wei Sanpao scratched his head awkwardly before grinning. "Brother Yi, I have something urgent to discuss with you!"

Li Yi raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, are you in some kind of trouble?"

Wei Sanpao shook his head. Then, after a brief pause, he suddenly asked, "Brother Yi, a few days ago, you mentioned wanting to go to Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Can I go with you?"

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately frowned.

It wasn't that he didn't want to bring Wei Sanpao along—it was just that this trip wasn't as simple as selling a few kilograms of apples.

He planned to visit an antique jade market in Guangzhou, but he only had a rough idea about it. There was no guarantee that he would find anything worthwhile.

In other words, this trip was purely speculative. If he failed to find valuable jade, he would have to rely on reselling small goods to make a profit.

Bringing Wei Sanpao along under these uncertain conditions… wouldn't that just be a waste of time for both of them?

"Sanpao," Li Yi said after a moment, "I do plan to go, but you know as well as I do that the situation is unclear right now. I don't have any concrete plans, and there's no guarantee we'll make money. If you come along, you might just be wasting your time."

To Li Yi's surprise, Wei Sanpao remained calm and patient—more attentive than he had ever been in school.

After listening carefully, he smiled and said, "Brother Yi, I thought about all of that on my way here."

"I know I'm not the smartest guy around, and I don't have any special skills. But I want to learn from you! It doesn't matter if I don't make money—I just want to gain experience."

Looking into Wei Sanpao's determined eyes, Li Yi hesitated for a moment.

Then, with a small smirk, he said, "Alright. If you're serious, I'll take you with me. But remember—you have to follow my lead at all times."

"Got it!" Wei Sanpao grinned. "If you tell me to go east, I won't even think about going west!"

Li Yi nodded. "Go home and pack. We leave tomorrow."

Hearing this, Wei Sanpao lit up with excitement. "Alright! I'll go pack now! See you tomorrow, Brother Yi!"

As he left, he hummed a cheerful tune.

Watching his friend's retreating figure, Li Yi shook his head and chuckled.

No matter what, brothers would always be brothers.

Whether it was about getting rich or facing setbacks, they would go through it together.

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