His lifelong struggle and hard work were all for the purpose of giving her a strong haven, so that she wouldn't have to care about other people's opinions and could live without restraint.
With this goal in mind, Li Xian quickly figured out the buying and selling network of the Shanghai black market, as well as those privately owned products that were secretly emerging from the shadows.
To be on the safe side, he didn't make a move but instead observed the situation.
Even without Liu Zhao's reminder, he had already shown great foresight: "Within a year, private enterprises will spring up like mushrooms after rain."
Liu Zhao nodded in satisfaction: "You're really something, kid. You're right. The national situation is changing. Complete nationalization is no longer suitable for the current national conditions. Just wait, things will change drastically soon."
The situation was changing quietly, and the Ke family's patience was finally running out.
On the weekend, Ke Chongshan invited Li Xian to come back to the Ke residence for dinner.
Ke Han and Ke Chongshan are close friends, and Ke Han often brings Lian Aijun to eat. Today, as soon as they entered the door, they saw a man sitting on the sofa.
He was still dressed in a composed black outfit, looking capable and sitting upright like a pine tree, his eyebrows slightly lowered, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes.
Ke Mei's initially enthusiastic face turned displeased, but after being glared at by Ke Chongshan, she forced a smile and said, "Xiao Xian is here too."
Li Xian stood up: "Auntie."
Ke Chongshan smiled and waved his hand: "Sit down."
Li Xian sat back down and answered whatever Ke Chongshan asked, usually nodding or shaking his head, or giving a concise sentence that left people speechless.
Ke Han thought to himself, if he didn't know he could speak, he would have thought he was mute.
During the meal, Ke Chongshan asked with a smile, "Li Xian, how are things going with Comrade Liu Zhao?"
Although Li Xian was aloof, he still showed Ke Chongshan the respect due to him: "Not bad."
Recently, a young new face appeared in Liu Zhao's life, and he liked him very much. Ke Chongshan guessed who it was right away, which made him very happy.
He picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of meat in Li Xian's bowl.
Although it was a gesture of goodwill, there was a condescending smile in his eyes, as if he were a stray dog on the roadside, and he made his requests as if it were perfectly natural.
"In a couple of days, invite Comrade Liu Zhao to dinner and tell him that I'm inviting him."
Li Xian frowned slightly, then nodded: "Yes, I will pass it on."
Ke Han ladled soup into Lian Aijun's bowl, inwardly displeased: "Don't tell him. You absolutely must find a way to get him to agree, otherwise..."
Otherwise, what's the point of bringing you back?
However, before Ke Han could finish speaking, Li Xian put down his chopsticks and looked at her. His silent demeanor was so unsettling that Ke Han was speechless.
She kicked her own son, Aijun, under the table. The usually defiant Aijun was as docile as a quail in front of his cousin.
His bullying nature and fear of the strong told him that he was facing an insurmountable obstacle and couldn't afford to be trifled with.
Unless he wants to die.
Li Xian put down his chopsticks, stood up and said to Ke Chongshan, "Please enjoy your meal. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
Ke Chongshan nodded.
After he left, Ke Han said sarcastically, "I invite him to dinner, but he's never available. Even when he does come, he doesn't stay long before leaving."
Remembering how Lian Aijun had been silent and like a dumb goose just now, Ke Han slapped him on the shoulder: "Is he a monster? You're usually so eloquent, why didn't you utter a sound when he was around?"
Lian Aijun had tried to intimidate Li Xian last time, but he was scared off by Li Xian's casual glance.
He always trusted his intuition and advised Ke Han to be more polite to others, but she always responded with sarcastic remarks.
Lien Ai-Chun said, "Maybe they're busy."
"Pfft, how come he's too busy, he's an unemployed country bumpkin?"
Of course, I don't have time.
Li Xian wanted to go home to see if his pampered little one had eaten properly.
He took out his key and opened the door.
The other person looked at him with surprise: "Why are you back so soon?"
Li Xian's gaze fell on the thing she was holding in her arms.
Xu Nuo was caught red-handed for not eating properly at all; she ate a couple of bites of rice and then ran off to eat watermelon.
Although Li Xian listened to her every word, he didn't back down at all when it came to her not taking care of her health. Xu Nuo hugged half a watermelon in her arms and said coquettishly with a little guilt, "I just ate two bites."
Li Xian glanced at the fruit ladle.
There were more than a dozen holes dug in the pit, indicating that a lot of food had been eaten.
Li Xian was somewhat displeased that she didn't take care of herself, but he still said gently, "No."
Without saying a word, he snatched the watermelon from her arms.
"Have you forgotten that your stomach hurt yesterday?"
On such a hot day, even eating iced watermelon is impossible. Xu Nuo made a desperate, mournful plea: "Drinking some herbal water would be just fine."
Li Xian didn't want her to rely on that thing too much, so he took the watermelon to the kitchen, washed his hands, and then came over to hug her. As soon as he leaned in, he was kicked in the chest.
The instigator glared at him angrily: "Hmph."
He held her ankle, gently stroking it with his fingertips, and said softly, "You cried from the pain yesterday, eat it in a few days."
Xu Nuo has always suffered from menstrual cramps. Last night, her period came in the middle of the night, and she woke up crying from the pain. Li Xian gave her some herbal tea and she felt better.
Last night, he solemnly vowed, "I will take care of my health and will not eat anything cold these few days."
As a result, he acted like nothing had happened today, and even had iced watermelon served.
Li Xian pulled her into his arms, fanned her with a fan, and coaxed her softly, "I'll make you some sweet tea, okay?"
Xu Nuo slumped in his arms, utterly dejected: "Ugh, fine."
When Li Xian brewed sweet tea, Xu Nuo followed behind him, holding onto his clothes with both hands.
How was your day?
Li Xian turned around: "Hmm?"
"Are you going to your maternal grandfather's house for dinner?"
Li Xian paused his stirring of the tea and sighed softly.
Xu Nuo tilted her head, staring at his expression: "What's wrong?"
Did something unpleasant happen at Ke Chongshan's house?
In the book, Ke Chongshan made many excessive demands on Li Xian.
Seeing how worried she was about him, Li Xian's pent-up anger dissipated. He turned around, hugged her, and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Grandpa said he wanted to have a meal with Uncle Liu."
Xu Nuo sighed inwardly. Although Li Xian looked fierce and difficult to get along with, he actually respected Ke Chongshan very much.
After all, Ke Chongshan is Ke Wei's father.
But Ke Chongshan…
Ke Chongshan didn't treat Li Xian as any kind of grandson.
Ke Han frowned as he looked at the pile of unidentified herbal teas and said with disdain, "Is this the only thing he ever sends?"
Ke Chongshan grunted in agreement: "Let your driver take it back and drink it."
These herbal teas have simple packaging, so they must not be anything valuable, and he wouldn't be interested in them.
At this time, Ke Chongshan and Ke Han were unaware that this simple herbal tea was quite expensive in Shanghai.
Most importantly, even if you have money, you might not be able to buy it.
…
Xu Nuo has been away from home for almost a month. Every day, she receives letters from Xu Jinan and Xue Ping. They write long and detailed letters, asking how she is doing here, telling her to study hard, and most importantly, to take care of her health.
And without fail, he would always slip some money into the envelope and send it to her.
Xu Nuo picked out some interesting things from the rehearsal and wrote them down, and sent some novelties from Shanghai back home.
Every week, I not only send letters to my parents, but also to Lin Xiaofeng from the supply and marketing cooperative. She often writes to me, and I always mention that I want her to send more herbal tea and moisturizing oil back home.
However, due to the high altitude and long distance, coupled with the fact that Xu Nuo's market in Shanghai had gradually developed, the village of Luxian could not provide adequate support.
Fortunately, Xu Nuo knew that the country would soon allow privatization, at which point she could expand production, providing only technology and acting as a behind-the-scenes supplier.
A slight noise came from outside the door; it must be Li Xian returning. Xu Nuo's eyes lit up, and she ran to open the door without even putting on her shoes.
Her voice was so sweet it could melt hearts: "Li Xian, you're back."
Li Xian's key was still in the lock when the door was opened, and a fair-skinned little face popped out, smiling like a little sun.
A warm feeling welled up inside him, and he gently patted her head: "Yes, I'm back."
He bent down and picked her up, his gaze falling on her bare little feet, and gave her a slight bounce.
"You need to wear shoes."
Because she was being held horizontally, she playfully swung her little feet a couple of times, rested her head on his neck, and hummed, "You'll be gone when I wake up, boohoo."
She pouted and complained, looking very unhappy.
Li Xian had something to do today, so he left early. He sat down with her in his arms, holding her close, a doting smile on his lips, and apologized to her: "You went to bed too late last night, so I didn't wake you."
Actually, Li Xian had told her before leaving, but the pampered girl was still half asleep and rolled over without paying any attention.
"Waaah." Xu Nuo didn't care, looking very unhappy, and wrapped her arms around his neck, acting coquettishly.
Since their long-awaited reunion, Li Xian has been spending every day with her. He always waits until after he takes her to rehearsal to handle other matters. As soon as her rehearsal ends, Li Xian is already waiting for her at the alley entrance.
Every morning when I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the other person.
When Xu Nuo woke up today and found the room empty, she realized she wasn't used to it.
She nuzzled his shoulder gently, like a kitten being stroked: "But the mung bean porridge is so delicious, hehe."
Li Xian turned around and looked at the table behind him. Finding it empty, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead: "Washing the dishes?"
"yes."
Xu Nuo looked up at him and smiled, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I'm awesome, right? Praise me!"
Li Xian couldn't help but lower his head and nuzzle her nose: "Nuonuo, so good."
He handed her the large envelope he had brought back.
Xu Nuo wrapped her arms around his neck, remaining lazily still, and asked him, "What is it?"
Li Xian's ears turned slightly red: "Here you go."
"Um?"
Her big eyes darted around playfully, the corners of her eyes snaking outwards, clinging to his neck, and she whispered in his ear, "You, help, me, open, ah."
"good."
Li Xian wrapped one arm around her and used the other hand to untangle the white thread and pull out the contents.
It is the recovery of the property that was confiscated from Yan during the process.
Three houses, one shop, and a considerable amount of savings.
The deposits were collected in US dollars back then, and now they have been converted into RMB and deposited into a passbook.
Xu Nuo was somewhat surprised: "Didn't you just apply?"
She knew Li Xian had gone to handle the property recovery, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
"Uncle Liu was a great help."
This Uncle Liu was a friend of Li Xian's father and held a significant position in the army. He had helped Li Xian a lot during this period, but there didn't seem to be any important figures with the surname Liu in the original book, so Xu Nuo didn't pay much attention to it.
"Then we really have to thank Uncle Liu properly this time. Please bring him some herbal tea next time."
Li Xian frowned and shook his head: "I gave you a lot last time, so don't use that ability again these next few days."
Xu Nuo obediently nestled on his shoulder: "Okay, waaaah, you're so mean."
Li Xian helplessly cupped her face and pinched her fair cheek: "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry."
Xu Nuo continued to whine and sob, "The old saying is true: men with money turn bad. Now that you have money, you come back and scold me, sob sob sob."
Li Xian placed the things in her arms: "They're yours."
The crying stopped abruptly, and she blinked blankly: "Huh? For me?"
"Mm." Li Xian nodded and pushed the things into her arms again.
Xu Nuo picked up the passbook casually and realized that it seemed to be her passbook.
Because she brought so much cash, she immediately opened a savings account upon arriving in Shanghai.
Now there's an extra sum of money in her savings account.
"You deposited it into my savings account?"
"Yes," Li Xian said, "and the house, it's all yours."
Xu Nuo felt overjoyed, as if she had been placed in a honey pot. Money and houses were one thing, but the most important thing was this man's feelings.
She puffed out her cheeks playfully and sighed with feigned sorrow, "Alas, they say women become bad when they have money. My poor Li Xian, what am I going to do?"
"Um?"
Li Xian looked puzzled, clearly not quite understanding.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Men with money turn bad"?
Li Xian shook his head.
Xu Nuo explained to him with great interest: "It means that once a man has money, he will become fickle and dislike his wife who has shared his hardships, and fall in love with a young and beautiful woman."
Li Xian had no idea what was going on in that little head of hers, and finally snapped, "Nonsense!"
Xu Nuo covered her mouth and chuckled. Li Xian earnestly cupped her head in front of him and said, "Nuonuo, I won't turn bad, I won't like anyone else, I only like you."
Faced with the sudden confession, Xu Nuo's face flushed red, and her eyes shone brightly: "You only like me?"
Li Xian's face also turned red, but he still looked at her firmly: "Yes, I only like you."
"What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine."
Li Xian didn't find anything wrong with what he said and nodded: "Yes, mine are all glutinous."
He doesn't have enough right now, and he can give her very little, but he's working hard. One day, he'll bring her the best of everything.
Xu Nuo leaned obediently against his chest, resting her chin on it, her upturned face bearing a captivating smile: "Li Xian, I won't turn bad, and I won't like anyone else, I'll only like you."
Li Xian's throat tightened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Nuonuo, may I kiss you?"
Last time, Xu Nu cried and said her lips were swollen, and that he would have to ask for her permission before kissing her in the future.
Xu Nuo's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Okay!"
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