Chapter 9: Chicken Leg

In her previous life, when Jiang Liyun was paralyzed after being hit by a car driven by Xie Zugen, she had some savings, but it wasn’t enough for her medical expenses. At that time, Feng Yi used all the money he earned from working outside to pay for her medical bills and even borrowed money from everywhere to help her.

By the time she was discharged from the hospital, Feng Yi was deeply in debt. Despite this, he continued to buy chickens to stew for her to nourish her body. During meals, he would gnaw on the bones, leaving the chicken legs, wings, and the meatier parts of the chicken for her and her son.

Thinking about the past, Jiang Liyun became even more eager to see Feng Yi. It was a coincidence that she spotted him waiting by the road, even before reaching the brick and tile factory.

“Liyun, sister!” Feng Yi greeted Jiang Liyun with a big smile when he saw her.

Jiang Liyun found him a bit adorable, feeling a desire to pinch his cheek and give him a kiss. She realized she might be acting a bit shameless, but she didn’t do anything.

Maybe in a few more years, when Feng Yi grows up a bit.

“Feng Yi, I brought you a chicken leg; enjoy it.” Jiang Liyun handed him an enamel cup.

Feng Yi was stunned; he could understand fried eggs, but Jiang Liyun was giving him a chicken leg.

“Liyun sister, you should eat it yourself,” Feng Yi quickly replied.

Jiang Liyun shoved the enamel cup into his hands, saying, “I’ve already eaten; this is for you.”

As she handed it over, Jiang Liyun noticed that Feng Yi was two years older than her. His fingers were slender and long, though they looked rough and covered in calluses.

Comparing him to her lazy son, who, at nineteen, had hardly done any household chores, Jiang Liyun couldn’t help but feel sorry for Feng Yi.

Then there was the matter of education.

Feng Yi hadn’t formally attended school, and his education level in the household register was listed as illiterate or semi-literate. Most people in the village born in the 1960s had received some education, even if it was just a few years of primary school. While Jiang Liyun had stopped attending school after a few years of primary education, she had taken an exam, and her household register stated she had completed primary school.

Among people of similar age in the village, only a few hadn’t received any education, and Feng Yi was one of them. However, by following Jiang Liyun to school, he had learned many characters and had no trouble reading or studying.

Later, when her lazy son struggled with academics, Feng Yi took the initiative to self-study and even taught the boy elementary and middle school mathematics, despite his own informal education status.

In the later stages, when Jiang Liyun took on international orders, Feng Yi even learned English to help her, though he wasn’t very good at speaking, only writing—mainly for communication via emails.

If Feng Yi had the opportunity to go to school, he might have already enrolled in university by now. However, in this era, it’s not just Feng Yi who misses out on opportunities. If Jiang Liyun had had the chance to attend school, she likely wouldn’t have fallen behind either.

Then there was her brother…

In those days, only one or two people from their village each year could go to the town for junior high school, and Jiang Lihai was one of them. After moving to the town, he consistently ranked first in exams. However, their family couldn’t afford the tuition, and Jiang Lihai not only owed school fees but also lacked money to buy paper and pens. Added to that were issues like fleas on his body.

The town’s students often teased him, and even his Chinese teacher didn’t like him. When a louse appeared in the classroom, the teacher directly blamed him, using the excuse that he was experienced in rural life, and ordered him to clean the toilets.

Jiang Lihai gave up after studying for just one year. His math teacher liked him a lot and visited their home multiple times, trying to persuade him to return to school, but he stubbornly refused.

In reality, Jiang Lihai’s decision to attend junior high school influenced Jiang Liping to insist on going to school as well. Jiang Liping faced similar bullying, but unlike the proud Jiang Lihai, she was willing to endure it for a better life. Not only did she not take offence at others’ provocations, but she also pretended to be pitiful and even got herself a formidable boyfriend.

She successfully completed junior high school and enjoyed a comfortable life during her school days. Unfortunately, her academic performance wasn’t good enough to get into a vocational school, and reading for high school was out of the question—they simply couldn’t afford it.

At that time, Jiang Liping was eager to marry her boyfriend and become a local resident of the town. However, her boyfriend’s mother strongly objected, and after several years of persistence, they eventually parted ways. Her boyfriend’s family even moved to another place.

Both Jiang Lihai and Jiang Liping had their difficulties, and it wasn’t surprising that they harboured resentment towards their family. Regardless, compared to her lazy son, they were still better.

Seeing all this, Jiang Liyun became even more determined to make money.

Feng Yi, holding the enamel cup, didn’t show any change in his expression, but he felt uneasy. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his heart was heavy and his breathing wasn’t flowing smoothly.

Jiang Liyun, giving him fried eggs and now a chicken leg, surely had something she wanted him to help with… Could it be related to investigating Xie Zugen?

Feng Yi asked, “Liyun sister, did you find me for something?” How should he bring up the matter of Xie Zugen with Jiang Liyun?

Should he say Xie Zugen is not good-looking and short? But Jiang Liyun has already seen Xie Zugen, and she would have known these things.

Should he mention that Xie Zugen is unwilling to work and lazy? But the Xie family has money!

Jiang Liyun had previously mentioned that she wanted to marry into a “good family.” In their local dialect, “good family” refers to a wealthy family.

The more Feng Yi thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Jiang Liyun actually didn’t have anything specific to discuss with Feng Yi; she just wanted to see him. However, since Feng Yi asked…

Thinking that she might come to him from time to time in the future, Jiang Liyun said, “I do have something to talk to you about.”

Upon hearing this, Feng Yi felt a sudden thump in his heart.

At that moment, Jiang Liyun continued, “Feng Yi, I’m planning to quit my job at the sofa factory and set up a stall to do a small business in town in the near future. Can you come and help me when the time comes?”

Originally, Feng Yi intended to bring up the matter of Xie Zugen, but he was momentarily stunned and quickly replied, “I’m willing!”

“Are you really willing? Helping me can be quite tough, and the salary I can offer you probably won’t match what you earn at the brick and tile factory,” Jiang Liyun said.

Although working at the brick and tile factory involved hard physical labour, the wages were decent. However, if Feng Yi were to help her, especially initially, she might not be able to pay him as much.

She might even refrain from giving Feng Yi money to prevent it from being spent by his family.

In her previous life, Feng Yi was going to work outside early next year, and he even sent money back to his family!

Jiang Liyun was willing to take care of her parents and younger sister because they genuinely cared for her. Even though her family couldn’t provide her with many material things due to their poverty, if they had new quilts, Jiang Liyun’s father and stepmother would give them to her and her younger sister, using the old ones for themselves.

When she had a high fever and spoke deliriously in the middle of the night as a child, her stepmother, Wu Xiaochun, would cry in distress, and her father, Jiang Qiangzi, would carry her on his back to the commune to find a doctor.

She always brought Feng Yi home, and her family never said anything about it.

As for the Feng family? They truly didn’t treat Feng Yi as a family member!

Feng Yi didn’t even have a thick winter coat in the middle of winter, and he couldn’t even eat enough sweet potatoes on a regular basis!

In the 1970s, as a child, Feng Yi would receive a ration from the production team, and if he weren’t with the Feng family, he might have gotten a bit more to eat.

Feng Yi had done a lot of work in the Feng family, even more than Jiang Liyun.

“No need for a salary; just meals will do,” Feng Yi immediately replied.

To work with Jiang Liyun in her business—it sounded great! He was willing to help, even without pay.

“You don’t want a salary? Aren’t you afraid your mom will be angry?” Jiang Liyun asked.

She remembered that in her previous life, before marrying her, Feng Yi had always given money to his mother. However, after their marriage, he stopped.

Feng Yi was indifferent. “Her anger doesn’t matter to me.”

He didn’t have much affection for his mother. If his mother didn’t treat him like a son, he wouldn’t consider her a real mother either.

Although his mother claimed to have spent a lot of money raising him, Feng Yi calculated that he owed her around three thousand yuan.

At the age of sixteen, he started working in the cement factory, and after three years, the total wages he handed over amounted to over two thousand eight hundred yuan. He had initially planned to quit after finishing this year and clearing his debts.

He intended to go work elsewhere, save all the money himself, and see if he could accumulate enough to marry Jiang Liyun.

It was his dream, but he felt it was impossible. Jiang Liyun had better options.

When the time came, he might only be able to come back during festivals, watching Jiang Liyun from afar.

Now that Jiang Liyun asked for his help, even if they couldn’t get married, being with her every day would be great!

As long as there was food, he could sleep under a bridge!

Jiang Liyun was surprised that Feng Yi didn’t care about his mother. She thought he valued his mother, especially considering the money he gave to his family in her previous life.

But she soon recalled that after discussing marriage with Feng Yi in her past life, he completely ignored his family. Even when they became affluent, his mother came to borrow money, and Feng Yi refused to give her a penny.

Feng Yi seemed to care about his family, but compared to her, they weren’t important to him.

Jiang Liyun was in a very good mood. She touched Feng Yi’s hair and said, “You should eat the chicken leg now. Let me share my thoughts with you.”

Sitting down on a grassy area by the roadside, Jiang Liyun shared her plan with Feng Yi: “I want to sell food in town, something that wasn’t available before. Do you know dumplings? People from the north eat them, but we don’t have them here. I want to sell pan-fried dumplings; it has low costs; it just needs a flat iron pan and a coal stove. I can also sell egg pancakes.”

Jiang Liyun considered selling pan-fried dumplings or egg pancakes in the town, as they didn’t have those options before. She believed that she could earn more than working in the sofa factory.

Feng Yi, unfamiliar with dumplings and egg pancakes, hadn’t even watched much television. However, he trusted that Jiang Liyun could achieve whatever she set her mind to.

Smiling, he attentively listened to Jiang Liyun’s plans. In the quiet surroundings, he even offered the chicken leg to her, wanting her to taste it.

“I can’t eat right now; you go ahead. If you don’t eat, I’ll get angry!” Jiang Liyun frowned.

Feng Yi suggested, “How about you take a small bite, Liyun sister?”

Jiang Liyun glanced at Feng Yi and took a small bite. Only then did Feng Yi happily start eating the chicken leg, thoroughly enjoying its delicious taste.

As for Xie Zugen… Who was that?