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

The agonizing squeals of pigs pierced the sky, marking the start of a lively day in Shanghe Village.

Gao Qinghe was awakened from her sleep by the noise. When she opened her eyes, the sky outside the window was still black, and the deep blue mountains stretched out in a continuous range. Everything seemed like a dream.

Another series of screams followed, gradually fading until only the cheers of relief remained.

Today is the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, the day my family slaughters the pig. Gao Qinghe finally remembered.

I've been in the village for two days now, but when I wake up and see the unfamiliar ceiling, I still feel a little disoriented.

Jiang Qiyue made some whimpering noises beside her, and then a small bulge appeared in the blanket. The little one sat up in a flash, rubbing her eyes, yawning, and turning her head to look for her mother.

Seeing his beautiful mother still lying in bed, the little guy chuckled happily and reached out to pat his mother's chest with a "smack".

The little girl made eager "hmm" sounds, which made Gao Qinghe unable to resist teasing her.

He deliberately closed his eyes and continued to pretend to be asleep.

The little one crawled on its limbs like a fat lizard, climbing onto its mother's belly, its head bobbing up and down, but it couldn't get out of the cumbersome pajamas no matter what it did.

Just as she was about to burst into tears, Gao Qinghe calmly yawned, pulled the heavy little baby off her, and lifted her clothes to let her eat breakfast.

In an instant, it was like a piglet burrowing into the trough, eating with great gusto.

Overjoyed, his raised left hand spread its five claws in the air and blossomed.

A moment later, the sound of footsteps running upstairs could be heard outside the door.

Gao Qinghe knew immediately that it was her younger sister.

Sure enough, there was a gentle knock on the door.

Gao Qingya excitedly whispered, "Sister, are you awake? Is Qiyue awake? Can I take Qiyue to see the pig slaughter?"

The little one in my arms had just finished eating and, upon hearing her aunt's voice, excitedly cried out twice, "Woo woo!"

Gao Qinghe got out of bed and opened the door, and Gao Qingya rushed in with a blast of cold air.

"Sister, I'll take Qiyue downstairs first!"

If you go too late, all the pigs will be slaughtered!

Before Gao Qinghe could even nod, the two, one big and one small, had already flown downstairs like the wind.

Gao Qinghe twitched her lips speechlessly. With someone taking care of the child, there was no rush. She slowly changed her clothes, stood by the window, and glanced downstairs.

A square threshing tub was placed upside down in the center of the courtyard, with a 300-pound fat pig lying on top of it. The villagers were all gathered around the tub, excitedly watching the butcher bleed the pig.

The pig's blood gushed out, filling two large basins.

When Gao Qinghe finished washing up and came downstairs, the village men had already set up the protective tub and placed the pig on it. Her second uncle, Zheng Bei, took the knife and gutted the pig.

A hot, bloody smell wafted from the ripped-open pig's cavity and spread throughout the yard.

The timid child covered his eyes and hid behind the adult, both scared and wanting to see.

Gao Qinghe frowned and clicked her tongue. She had seen this kind of scene since she was a child, but she still couldn't bear to look at it directly.

Looking up to find his younger sister, he was right there, holding a child and standing at the front, excitedly explaining to Jiang Qiyue what pig liver, pig heart, pig intestines, and so on were.

The child had no idea what fear was and watched with great interest, unable to take his eyes off the scene.

Gao Qinghe sighed, called her younger sister out, put her daughter's bunny ear hat on her head, gave her a few instructions, and then walked towards the kitchen while yawning.

In order to slaughter the pig, Old Lady Tian woke up Huang Ying and Gao Chongyi before dawn to boil a large pot of water.

Inside, two aunts were directing the other women who were helping to prepare the freshly slaughtered pork. According to village custom, the family that slaughters the pig must treat the entire village to a pig soup feast.

This year, seven or eight households in the village raise pigs. Everyone takes turns slaughtering pigs, and the hot springs can be enjoyed from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month until the New Year.

Some people also came to buy pork, and Grandma Tian weighed and settled accounts for them using a scale.

The perfect accompaniment to pork soup is chili paste with dipping sauce. My second aunt was roasting chilies in front of the charcoal brazier, and a pungent smell filled the kitchen. Gao Qinghe had just entered when she was choked by the aroma.

My aunt laughed and said, "We're skipping breakfast this morning. We'll have pork soup together later. Go outside and wait!"

Gao Qinghe covered her nose and fled from the kitchen as if she were running away.

I bumped into someone and looked up. The other person also looked up and looked over. When they saw each other, they both paused for a moment.

Ouyang Yan was stunned by Gao Qinghe's delicate and beautiful face, like a lotus emerging from clear water.

Because she had just woken up, she still looked a little sleepy, with a layer of misty water in her eyes, her delicate nose and plump cheeks red from the cold, and her shiny black hair tied in a side ponytail.

Such a face suddenly appearing before her eyes was like a deer suddenly bursting out of the forest mist, causing Ouyang Yan to unconsciously take a step back, afraid of disturbing this spirit.

Gao Qinghe was filled with shock.

After a moment's pause, it dawned on me that the woman in front of me, carrying a child on her back, of average build and slightly plump, with a rough, red face covered in scabs and short hair covering her ears, was Ouyang Yan.

She still vividly remembered the image of the beautiful and fashionable woman she first met at the entrance of the county hospital after her rebirth.

Seeing Ouyang Yan's unassuming appearance was a shock no less than witnessing an atomic bomb explode before one's eyes.

Ouyang Yan was the first to react, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "You're back."

"Yes, I came back a couple of days ago." Gao Qinghe stepped aside to let Ouyang Yan walk, and found behind her the green twin-tub washing machine that her family had just bought this year.

Looking at Ouyang Yan again, I noticed that she was carrying a bucket of wet, freshly washed clothes.

"Do you need to use the washing machine?" Gao Qinghe asked politely.

Ouyang Yan smiled, but even her smile carried a hint of bitterness, and nodded.

"Clothes are hard to dry in winter, and the kids' clothes need to be changed frequently. I'd like to borrow your washing machine to spin them up so they can dry faster."

"Oh, I already told Auntie and Grandma," she hurriedly added.

These words only made the atmosphere more awkward.

She raised her hand in a gesture of "please go ahead," and quickly left.

Upon entering the main room on the first floor, Gao Qinghe stood by the window and secretly peeked into the kitchen doorway.

Ouyang Yan skillfully opened the washing machine lid, poured in a large tub of heavy, wet clothes, pressed the button, closed the lid, and stood aside to wait.

She has spent almost all of this year in the city and is not familiar with the people in the village, so naturally no one has taken the initiative to greet her.

The child on her back was covered with a blanket, and only a few cries like kittens could be heard.

Ouyang Yan sighed and patted the child on her back to comfort him.

Perhaps because the yard was too noisy, the child was frightened, and Ouyang Yan tried to soothe him for a while without success.

She wanted to go back, but her clothes weren't dry yet, and she was worried about the concerned looks from the villagers. Standing alone by the washing machine, she was filled with embarrassment.

When Mrs. Zhong came to buy meat, Ouyang Yan quickly put the child down and let her mother-in-law take him home first. (End of Chapter)