The tycoon's wicked wife from the era of literature has been reborn.

Weng Yehua wasn't the only one secretly surprised.

When Gao Qinghe saw the new Party Secretary, whose skin was as fair as a young girl's, she suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Seeing his wife's stunned expression, Jiang Baohai coughed twice, led her to Weng Yehua, and introduced her as his wife.

He held his wife's small hand tightly in his large hand, as if afraid others wouldn't know how loving they were.

Weng Yehua smiled and nodded, behaving politely.

Since they weren't familiar with each other, Gao Qinghe greeted everyone and then went out to find her mother.

After sneaking a bite of something delicious in the kitchen, the village elders shouted, "Time to raise the roof beam!"

Immediately, everyone gathered in front of the building to watch the beam-raising ceremony.

A carefully selected cedar log, after its outer bark is polished smooth, becomes a round log 20 meters long and 30 centimeters in diameter.

A red rope is tied in the middle, and hemp ropes are tied at both ends. A rooster, which has been held in place by the master craftsman, stands in the middle.

Amidst the shouts of several men, it was slowly pulled up to the roof and laid horizontally under the roof tiles of the attic.

Then, the master craftsman killed the rooster and used its blood to complete the remaining rituals.

Immediately afterwards, someone stood on the roof and threw down the pre-made protective beam cakes.

The onlookers excitedly scrambled to grab the items, some even snatching three or four, completely satisfied.

Some people managed to snag one, which was considered a stroke of good luck.

Those who didn't manage to grab any could only sigh and chuckle sheepishly, treating it as just joining in to generate buzz, emphasizing participation above all else.

The atmosphere was lively, and everyone was very happy.

Before Gao Qinghe could even start grabbing anything, Gao Qingya pulled her to the very edge of the crowd.

However, the younger sister had an outstanding record, grabbing three poops in each hand and presenting them all to her older sister like treasures.

In an era of scarcity, a small glutinous rice cake the size of a palm was considered a staple food.

Six of these cakes weigh at least two pounds; that's a huge profit.

Gao Qinghe joined in the fun and, without having to fight or grab, brought back six rice cakes. She immediately found a charcoal brazier and invited Huahua and the other children to grill them and eat them.

The glutinous rice cakes, grilled over charcoal, are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Dipping them in a little white sugar makes them even more delicious.

If you don't like sweets, you can dip it in homemade pickled chili peppers, which are sour and spicy and very appetizing.

While talking to Weng Yehua, Jiang Baohai kept an eye on what his wife was doing.

Seeing that she had finished one and was about to take a second one, I called out to her.

Zhou Zhenghua glanced sideways.

Jiang Baohai gently reminded her, "The feast is about to begin, my wife."

Upon hearing this, Gao Qinghe immediately handed the rice cakes she was preparing to eat to her little cousin Mao Mao, saving some room for the feast.

In the countryside, as long as the host isn't stingy with oil and salt, there's almost no bad food.

To accommodate guests who are in a hurry to return home, the banquet at Shanghe Village usually starts around 2 PM.

As the fragrant dishes were served, Gao Qinghe quickly got up and sat down to wait.

Jiang Baohai wanted to invite her to sit at the round table with him, but seeing that Gao Qinghe had taken a group of children and sat alone at a table, he could only smile regretfully.

He instructed the eldest son's sister-in-law, "Take care of your sister."

Gao Qingya glared at her brother-in-law, "Do you even need to tell me that?"
She was a servant born into the household; she could run errands for her older sister as soon as she could walk.

Jiang Baohai chuckled helplessly, then turned his gaze back, and by sheer coincidence, caught a glimpse of disappointment in Zhou Zhenghua's eyes.

What's he so disappointed about?

Jiang Baohai grew increasingly displeased, and stood up to say to Weng Yehua:

"Secretary Weng, my wife is newly pregnant, and there are many people here. I'm worried about leaving her alone. I'm sorry to excuse myself."

Weng Yehua was a little surprised. He had seen many men in the village who beat their wives, but he had never seen someone as clingy to his wife as Jiang Baohai.

In his mind, Jiang Baohai, an uncultured coal mine owner, married a beautiful wife purely for appearances. True love?

It's laughable to use this word in front of a couple who value appearances.

Weng Yehua couldn't help but glance at the couple a few more times.

Suddenly, it was discovered that Gao Qinghe, who seemed like a mere ornament in front of Jiang Baohai, was actually the one in control.

Successful men often cultivate a persona of being a devoted husband.

In front of outsiders, the man will especially show his caring and loving side towards his wife, thus labeling himself as a good man.

But the woman's reactions always reveal flaws.

After all, there is a difference between true love and acting.

Look at Gao Qinghe's matter-of-fact way of enjoying herself, and Jiang Baohai's precise timing in picking up food, which is comparable to that of a five-star professional waiter.

It's not hard to tell that this is truly love.

Zhong couldn't stand this kind of thing and secretly pursed her lips several times.

But when he saw the complicated expression on his son Zhou Zhenghua's face, his heart skipped a beat.

She said in a very low voice, "Son, I'm telling you, this kind of woman is no good. A down-to-earth woman like Huaping is much better."

Zhou Zhenghua looked at his mother in surprise and reminded her with some disapproval:
"Mom, Yanzi and I are already married, so please stop saying things like that."

Zhong scoffed, "So what if we're married? We can still get a divorce."

Seeing her son's face turn cold, she quickly added, "Hey, I didn't say you should divorce Yanzi. I was just saying that young people these days get married and divorced like it's nothing. Unlike us back then, when we married a man, it meant we'd be committed to him for life."

Once the topic came up, Mrs. Zhong went on and on. When Zhou Zhenghua saw that others were looking over, he quickly interrupted his mother's reminiscences.

Without Jiang Baohai at the round table, the atmosphere became much colder.

The host family also had to take care of other guests, so naturally they didn't have time to entertain Weng Yehua separately.

However, he didn't seem to mind these things. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating, and occasionally he would joke with the villagers at other tables.

It seems that she has adapted well to Shanghe Village.

After the meal, the guests gradually left, leaving only relatives who lived far away and couldn't make it back that day.

Grandma Tian busied herself with making arrangements, ensuring that everyone who stayed had a place to stay.

The whole family moved from the old house to the new one, leaving the old house empty for relatives to live in.

Since there were two extra people, they asked their aunt to take them back.

At that time, people weren't so particular; they would just sleep on the floor and squeeze in together.

After Gao Qinghe finished eating, she went upstairs to rest. Jiang Baohai took an afternoon nap under the pretense of accompanying his wife before Gao Qingmiao called him downstairs to help.

Everyone has left, and the borrowed tables, chairs, and benches need to be returned.

The people who helped had left, so family members had to return the money themselves.

Hao Huaping took Zhong home, but then surprisingly came back.

Weng Yehua didn't leave either.

Gao Chongyi didn't stand on ceremony and arranged for his son, son-in-law, the Party Secretary, and Hao Huaping to return the desks, chairs, and benches borrowed from the school.

The men carried tables, and the women carried benches.

Without the villagers around, Weng Yehua was visibly more relaxed and even started telling jokes with a few of them.

Moreover, when he spoke, his eyes were on Hao Huaping.

Upon hearing this, Hao Huaping couldn't stop laughing, and the bench in her hands was about to fall when Weng Yehua quickly helped her catch it.

He held on tightly without letting go, gesturing for Hao Huaping to continue walking, while he helped support her from behind to prevent her from slipping again.

Jiang Baohai could tell at a glance that this Secretary Weng definitely had feelings for Hao Huaping.

However, he wasn't from Shanghe Village, and he didn't know the name of the new village secretary who succeeded Zhou Zhenghua in his previous life, or whether he and Hao Huaping had ever been involved. (End of Chapter)