Chapter 102: Li Yi's Haven of Tenderness
After seeing that Elder Gao and the other members of the farmers' association could shoulder the responsibilities across the various local branches, Li Yi thought about returning to Ganquanli for a visit. He said it was to inspect the results of the labor-for-relief projects and the water conservancy efforts, but in truth, the allure of home was never far from his mind.
Thinking of his gentle and lovely wife stirred a warmth within him. Like moth to flame, desire consumed him, making it difficult to resist.
With matters just settled, accompanied by Liu Zongmin and Buyan, he rode back to Lijiazhuang under the setting sun.
Once home, he sent Liu Zongmin and Buyan to rest and entered the courtyard himself.
Upon seeing Li Yi return, Yun Niang put down her papers and greeted him joyfully. Her eyes sparkled with affection, and she smiled gently, asking, "Have you eaten?"
Li Yi wrapped his arms around her slender waist, gazing at the soft, enchanting Yun Niang in his embrace, grinning, "More than eating, I want to savor you."
His blunt words colored Yun Niang’s cheeks a delicate pink. Her clear eyes flashed a reproachful glance as she pushed him away.
Li Yi laughed heartily and stepped forward to pick up the papers. They contained formulas for practicing calculations, written in Arabic numerals rather than traditional ones.
Yun Niang shyly admitted, "I studied hard as you instructed, and I barely grasp the basic geometric formulas."
Coming from a scholarly family, Yun Niang had no trouble with reading and writing, but mathematics, the language of science, was indispensable. Li Yi had taught her the definitions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, geometry, fractions, and decimals so she could eventually teach others like Li Guo.
After two months of study, Yun Niang had reached the level of a third or fourth-grade elementary student.
Li Yi set down the papers and smiled, "You’ve learned very quickly."
"Really?" Yun Niang widened her eyes in surprise.
Seeing him nod, her face lit up with joy.
Li Yi took her hand gently, smiling, "Yun Niang, I plan to take you to live in Suijin Town. What do you think?"
"Living in Suijin Town with you day and night is naturally what I want, but I worry it might hinder your great work. Also, Great-Grandfather is estimating the grain, maybe I should help."
She hesitated slightly but was drawn toward the bed by Li Yi’s hand.
“You are my wise and capable wife. How could you be a burden in Suijin Town? As for Great-Grandfather, my second and third brothers are here in Lijiazhuang; they’ll watch over things well enough,” Li Yi reassured her.
Helping her sit on the edge of the bed, he smiled at her somewhat dazed expression, "Besides, don’t you want to wake up every day seeing me?"
Such sweet words made Yun Niang blush and smile shyly, lowering her gaze.
Li Yi embraced her shoulders and whispered, "Pack your things tomorrow. We’ll move to Suijin Town early the day after."
Yun Niang nodded softly, feeling some anxiety about the coming life but nestled in her husband’s arms with a deep sense of peace.
Only, she wondered why Li Yi’s breathing was heavier and his body warmer.
She looked up at him, their eyes locking, and he kissed her soft, rosy lips.
In that intimate union, Yun Niang’s gaze grew more entranced.
“Yi Ge’er…” she murmured shyly.
That tender, hesitant voice was irresistible to Li Yi.
He lifted her into his arms, and they tumbled onto the bed. Their snow-white skin, like fresh snow, glowed with the first light of spring, melting together amid Yun Niang’s flushed cheeks.
The next morning, Yun Niang lay in bed with her hair tousled, a rare moment without rising early.
Li Yi gazed at her with affection before dressing.
She was awakened by the sound, cheeks flushed and covering her modesty, a mixture of bliss and bashfulness lingering from their night together.
"You were quite lively last night. Sleep a little more," he said.
Yun Niang lowered her head shyly, hesitating to speak.
As Li Yi prepared to leave, she softly called, “Yi Ge’er, we leave Ganquanli tomorrow. Do you have any free time today?”
Li Yi thought for a moment, "I have much to do, probably no free time."
He was about to step out.
"Yi Ge’er," Yun Niang bit her lip and reached out to stop him, eyes shyly flickering, "Even just half an hour would be enough."
Li Yi turned, smiling as he gently stroked her face, "Once we’re in Suijin Town, I’ll have plenty of time for you. You rest a bit more; I’ll go check on the waterwheels in the fields."
Yun Niang nodded with a hint of sadness, forcing a smile, "The morning breeze is cold. Wrap yourself in your cloak when riding. Don’t catch a chill."
"Got it," he replied casually and left.
She watched him go, her clear eyes tinged with sorrow, whispering softly, a blend of remembrance and regret.
Li Yi led his horse down the hillside from the stable.
He had earlier proposed the labor-for-relief program, allocated funds for Li Zijing to recruit carpenters to repair waterworks, and sent Li Zicheng with refugees to clear canals. Today, he wished to inspect the progress.
The spring chill was biting. Li Yi dismounted at the field’s edge and walked.
He saw several main canals already dredged, while the smaller tributaries still had a dozen or so ragged, unkempt refugees digging out sediment.
Li Zicheng, dressed in a simple cotton jacket and barefoot, stood in the canal directing the work.
Spotting Li Yi, he called out with a smile from afar, “Yi Ge’er, are you the official here to inspect?”
Li Yi approached, returning the smile, “Second Brother, if I’m the official, you must be the foreman.”
Their words struck a humorous chord, and they laughed heartily.
Li Zicheng climbed out of the canal, and with Li Yi’s help, they stood by the waterway, overlooking the hillside dry fields embraced by the vast expanse of earth and sky.
“Yi Ge’er, the canal clearing is nearly done. The rest is too collapsed to fix without huge manpower and resources,” Li Zicheng reported.
Li Yi nodded, “Second Brother, how many displaced people have we recruited so far?”
“About two hundred around Mizhi County, plus a dozen or so skilled refugees from Gansu.”
“We’ll need people for salt production next. Choose fifty honest, hardworking ones to settle in Lijiazhuang. The rest can finish the work; those willing to stay can reclaim wasteland, and those unwilling, we’ll send them on to Huguang.”
Li Zicheng frowned, “Why send them to Huguang?”
“Because Huguang is sparsely populated with abundant land. Though locals are somewhat exclusive, many can settle there. Staying in Shaanxi offers no livelihood.”
Li Zicheng was somewhat displeased, "Last year’s drought and frost were harsh, but this year should be favorable. Otherwise, how could everyone survive? At the Spring Equinox, Great-Grandfather even consulted a Taoist priest about the Dragon King—this year is sure to be bountiful."
Li Yi understood. Li Zicheng and the villagers had invested nearly all their resources into reclaiming fields, betting on a good harvest this year.
Disasters were what he dreaded most.
Without further argument, Li Yi joined Li Zicheng to inspect the waterwheels.
In the northwest, most waterwheels were dragon-bone types powered by human tread, yielding little water and impractical.
Li Yi had commissioned Li Zijing to build large water-powered wheels, which moved more water and required no human effort.
Though more complex and costly, Li Yi had plenty of silver and ordered three to be built.
The first was already half completed, having cost twenty taels of silver, not to mention the many helping hands.
Recently, Li Zijing had darkened from the sun, working daily with craftsmen by the river, growing somewhat thin.
But compared to the fear and anxiety in the militia, he was much happier now.
"Yi Ge’er, your waterwheel is indeed excellent, but it’s expensive. Even with many helpers, it will cost fifty taels of silver. For others, maybe a hundred."
A hundred taels of silver was roughly equivalent to ten thousand dollars in modern terms—a sum most peasants wouldn’t dare invest lightly.