He wouldn’t make the girl strain herself to reach him, so he bent down every time.
Yin Li was already used to it, but Li Hanting knew that many people coveted a girl as wonderful as her.
Her stepbrother, for instance.
So he needed to use some tactics—a little more temptation, a little more pressure—to win her over.
Li Hanting was immensely grateful he had kept his composure. He had been about to lose control, but her stepbrother had clearly been even more impatient.
And that had scared her.
Otherwise, the one standing on the sidelines now wouldn’t be Zhao Xiujie—it would have been Li Hanting himself.
She really was a timid girl. Both overwhelming love and overwhelming intimacy frightened her.
So, as long as Yin Li behaved, he didn’t mind pretending for a lifetime.
After she finished giving him water, Yin Li felt a bit embarrassed. She had slipped into the role of “wife” too quickly—how could she have fed him water in front of so many people?
Fortunately, customers soon came to look at the goods.
Compared to others, Li Hanting arranged his merchandise with care. The most eye-catching scarves and umbrellas went in front, the shirts were neatly folded with collars exposed, and the digital watches were placed on small boxes.
Yin Li thought for a moment, picked out a digital watch, put it on her wrist, then sat down on a nearby chair, showing off her wrist as she fiddled with some fabric.
She planned to figure out how to make some clothes on her own—she did know how to use a sewing machine.
Not long after they had set up, people began gathering around, mostly young men and women.
“Comrade, how much is this watch?” A young woman spotted the one on Yin Li’s wrist.
Li Hanting glanced at it. “Fifteen yuan. It has a date display, glow-in-the-dark feature—a popular style from Hong Kong.”
He then raised his own hand, revealing a matching small black square watch on his wrist. “These are a pair.”
The young woman blushed but looked hesitant. She just kept staring at the two watches on their wrists—so harmonious, so well-matched. If she and her boyfriend wore a pair together…
“Pair it with a shirt too. It’ll make a coordinated outfit and look more elegant.”
Although Li Hanting had a fierce appearance, his goods were novel, and he didn’t act arrogant in business. He stood straight, held his ground when negotiating prices, yet never annoyed anyone. Beneath his rough exterior was a sharp intelligence that drew attention.
Sensing that the young woman might be short on cash, he took out a well-tailored shirt from nearby.
“Then I’ll take it, along with that watch.”
In less than two hours, he had sold many shirts, and only a few digital watches remained.
“This money is equivalent to a month’s salary for my father at the factory.” Yin Li roughly counted the pile of small bills and coins in her arms, astonished.
He was really bold, setting up such a large stall—wasn’t he afraid of being accused of speculation and profiteering?
“Policies are loosening. I hand over the goods, they hand over the money—clean and straightforward. Now that I know about this opportunity, I’m going to seize it.” Li Hanting explained as he packed up.
He finished speaking and didn’t hear Yin Li reply. Thinking she hadn’t caught up, he looked back.
There she stood, hands behind her back, her skirt gently billowing in the breeze, beaming at him.
In that moment, Li Hanting felt that his heart and eyes could see nothing but her. The sunset spread out like a tapestry behind her.
“You…”
Before he could finish, Yin Li giggled, turned, and climbed into the truck.
After Li Hanting, somewhat puzzled, finished packing up and got into the driver’s seat, he asked, “What are you laughing about?”
Yin Li smiled mysteriously, didn’t answer his question, and instead cooed, “I want stir-fried pork.”
“Okay.”
Li Hanting shook his head helplessly, having no way to deal with her, and started the truck.
Of course, Yin Li wasn’t going to tell him that today she had discovered not only that he held many secrets, but also that he possessed a charm completely different from before.
She would never have associated Li Hanting with doing business.
Feeling the bulging money in her bag, Yin Li was naturally all smiles.
By the time they got back, it was already quite late, mainly because they had left home late. To catch the peak crowd, they couldn’t arrive too early.
Li Hanting tidied up the truck and went to the kitchen to cook dinner.
He wouldn’t let Yin Li into the kitchen either, so she had to wander around the yard, eyeing the flower bed in the middle. No matter how she looked at it, she found it ugly.
She wanted to do something else with it.
That evening, Li Hanting did make her stir-fried pork, and eating it put her in an even better mood.
Her father had also said: live with someone who takes your needs to heart—even if it’s just a casual remark you made.
Li Hanting could tell she was in an especially good mood and figured she was just caught up in the novelty of it all.
After dinner, Li Hanting went to wash the dishes and clean up. He had good habits—he cleaned as he cooked, so he worked quickly.
“You’ve been acting mysterious all day. What is it? Not going to tell me?”
Yin Li pointed at the small yard. “Can we grow some vegetables here? I’ve noticed produce isn’t cheap. I saw there’s a vegetable plot out back—I think it’s allocated.”
The housing allocated by Aunt Li’s work unit didn’t come with a vegetable plot, apparently because there wasn’t enough land.
“You want to grow vegetables? We can. There’s an allocated plot—I’ll go claim it back.”
Every house in this row had residents. The vegetable plots weren’t far away, but since their yard had been empty for so long, the plot had long been taken over by someone else.
“Never mind, let’s not bother. The two of us don’t eat that much.”
Between her studying and him driving trucks and doing business, they would rarely eat at home anyway. Besides, with Li Hanting’s intimidating presence, no one would dare keep the plot if he went to claim it. He could get it back.
But there was no real need. Yin Li didn’t like stirring up trouble.
A close neighbor is better than a distant relative—it’s better to avoid bad blood.
“What I mean is, we could plant a little right here in the yard. Like this flower bed you built—we could neatly plant some vegetables here, or we could have someone build a trellis.” Yin Li gestured animatedly, her eyes sparkling.
Li Hanting thought for a moment. “Alright. When I have time, I’ll take care of it.”
As they chatted, the sky grew dark. Usually, Yin Li bathed first, then Li Hanting, who would also wash both their clothes and hang them up to dry.
When he came into the bedroom after his shower, Yin Li was sitting at the desk reciting an English passage. She had looked up every word she didn’t know, memorized them one by one, then memorized entire sentences, then whole passages, until she could recite them as fluently as natural speech.
Her method was a bit clumsy, but given her current limitations, she used whatever means she could—lots of input and output.
Li Hanting didn’t disturb her. He lay down on the bed and began recording accounts.
When Yin Li finished studying, she saw him writing swiftly. She leaned over to look. “Your handwriting is really good.”
She had also been practicing calligraphy, trying to move past her childish script.
But Li Hanting’s writing was bold and powerful. She envied it.
Li Hanting put down his pen and paper, reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and kissed the corner of her lips.
“Wait… wait a moment.” Why was he suddenly doing this? Yin Li braced her hands against his chest, repeatedly trying to dodge.
“Does it still hurt?” Li Hanting’s breathing was slightly heavier.