Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

When Chen Yongqiang rode his bicycle back to the gate of his own yard, the sky was already turning gray.

He parked the car against the earthen wall, untied the things tied to the back seat, and carried the ironware, brown sugar, and odds and ends into the kitchen in two separate trips.

Lin Xiulian was boiling water in the stove when she saw him return and bring in so many things: "You're back. How did it go selling animal hides in town this year?"

"It went quite smoothly," Chen Yongqiang said, putting his things away in the corner.

"I've already sold the hides; the price was alright. It's just that it's cold, and there weren't many people at the market. I was hoping to see if I could find someone selling chickens so I could buy you two to help you recover, but I didn't come across any."

He only mentioned the animal hides, not the large-scale transaction involving over 300 jin of wild boar meat and pig stomach.

It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding anything; he just felt that going into too much detail would only make Lin Xiulian worry unnecessarily about where the money came from and how it was used. Anyway, he would naturally buy what he needed to buy.

Lin Xiulian's eyes showed some comfort upon hearing this, but she said, "Why buy a chicken? It's a waste of money. We have eggs at home, it's the same. As long as everything goes smoothly."

She counted the grains and oils Chen Yongqiang had bought: "These must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Chen Yongqiang knew Lin Xiulian was worried about the money. "Not much money?"

It was a bit cold inside, and the water hadn't boiled yet, so he turned and walked into the yard.

There was a pile of firewood in the yard that had been cut down but not yet split; it consisted of thick, hard tree roots and branches.

He took off his cotton-padded coat, leaving only his old sweater underneath, and picked up the axe leaning against the wall.

With a downward thrust of his waist, he swung the axe in a short arc, chopping into the grain of the firewood.

A large tree root split in two with a snap. Without stopping, he stacked the split firewood to one side and placed a new one on top.

The soft clinking of pots and pans came from the kitchen; Lin Xiulian was preparing dinner.

Smoke curls up from the chimney, and the sounds of the two blend together, both inside and outside the house, conveying a sense of peace and contentment in ordinary days.

As Chen Yongqiang swung his axe, he was making plans in his mind.

We need to hurry up with the TV issue; the ration coupons are a problem. We also need to take care of Wang Guixiang; we need to make sure she has enough to eat and use.

Although we have a lot of money, we still need to be careful with our money and find ways to increase our income in order to carry out these things.

The rhythm of chopping wood was interrupted by a series of noisy footsteps approaching from afar.

Chen Yongqiang stopped what he was doing, propped the axe on the ground, and looked up.

Qin Shan walked at the front, followed by more than a dozen men from the village, all familiar faces who had helped repair the reservoir before.

They were wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, their necks hunched, their breaths billowing in the cold air. Their expressions were somewhat restrained, but their eyes were all fixed on Chen Yongqiang.

Chen Yongqiang knew in his heart that they had come to settle their wages. They had agreed on one yuan a day, and after working for about ten days, each person should have received about ten yuan. This was no small sum in the village.

Qin Shan, acting as the supervisor, spoke first: "Yongqiang, busy?"

"Uncle Qinshan, all my uncles and brothers, you've arrived." Chen Yongqiang leaned his axe against the woodpile.

"I was just thinking I should go see everyone in the next few days. The work is done, and the accounts that need to be settled can't be delayed."

His words immediately eased the tension in the crowd.

The men smiled and exchanged glances. Chen Yongqiang stepped aside, saying, "It's cold outside, come inside and talk. Have some water."

"No need, no need, it's just a few words, we can just stand in the yard." Qin Shan quickly waved his hand, and the others echoed him.

They weren't there as guests; they took the money and left, not wanting to cause any further trouble.

Chen Yongqiang didn't insist: "Okay, then let's stay here."

He turned and strode into the main room. Lin Xiulian heard the noise, peeked out from the kitchen, and saw a group of people in the yard, and greeted them warmly.

Chen Yongqiang took out an old cloth bag from the inner room. Inside was the money he had brought back from town that day, which would come in handy.

"We agreed on one yuan a day," Chen Yongqiang said, looking at Qin Shan.

"Uncle Qin Shan, are you keeping track of everyone's work days? How many days in total?"

Qin Shan was prepared. He took out a crumpled cigarette box paper from his pocket, on which a name and the character "正" (zhèng) were written crookedly in pencil.

"They're all here. The longest they worked was ten days, and some worked eight or nine days." He read out their names and the number of days they worked.

Chen Yongqiang listened carefully, and after Qin Shan finished reading, he quickly calculated in his mind and immediately began counting the money.

"Uncle Li, ten days, ten yuan."

"Brother Youtian, Jiutian, nine yuan."

"Erniu, eight days, eight pieces."

He called out each name and handed over the money, down to the last penny.

The men who received the money counted it carefully, and after confirming the amount was correct, a relieved smile appeared on their faces.

Some people whispered, "Yongqiang is reliable when he gets things done," while others were thinking, "Now we can buy some cloth to make a new cotton-padded jacket for the child."

Finally, it was Qin Shan's turn. Chen Yongqiang counted out thirty yuan and handed it over: "Uncle Qin Shan, this is your and your two daughters' wages."

Qin Shan, the foreman, calculated fifteen yuan, and his two daughters each received seven and five yuan.

Qin Shan didn't refuse: "Yongqiang, my two girls were just helping to deliver water, how can that be considered proper wages? Now that the water tank is repaired, it's much more convenient for my family to water our plants, so I can't accept this money."

The villagers who hadn't completely dispersed also stopped and looked at the scene with some surprise.

Thirty yuan is enough for a family in the village to make ends meet for a month or two.

Chen Yongqiang didn't pull his hand back; instead, he pushed it forward even further: "Uncle Qin Shan, take it. Work is work, and feelings are feelings; one thing at a time. Everyone saw how Lijuan and Liping ran around those days; they did a lot of work. This pay is what they deserve."

"Your family just moved here, so you're not well-off and have a lot of expenses. With the New Year approaching, why not buy some fabric to buy for the children?"

These words struck a chord with Qin Shan. His family had only recently moved here and owned almost nothing, relying entirely on the help of the villagers and their manual labor to survive.

He was so worried at night about whether he could afford to feed his children dumplings before the New Year that he couldn't sleep.

At this moment, the thirty yuan felt warm, burning his eyes and his heart.

Qin Shan finally reached out his hand, trembling, and took the money.

"Yongqiang, this... what am I supposed to say?!"

"Don't say anything," Chen Yongqiang thought, valuing Qinshan Agricultural Science Station's background and honest, hardworking nature, knowing he would need Qinshan's help in the future.

Qin Shan nodded heavily. He knew that these thirty yuan could really help his family get through the most difficult hurdle.

The other villagers took the money, chatted and laughed as they went home, and the courtyard quieted down again.

Chen Yongqiang didn't let Qin Shan leave immediately: "Uncle Qin Shan, come in and sit down, have some water, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Qin Shan followed Chen Yongqiang into the kitchen. Lin Xiulian poured hot water for the two of them and then went back to her work.

Chen Yongqiang gestured for Qin Shan to sit down on the bench and asked bluntly, "Uncle Qin Shan, when we were repairing the pool, I asked you to keep an eye out for who were the honest workers, right? You know who you are, don't you?"

Qin Shan held the warm bowl of water: "I remember everything. I know exactly who can carry how many loads of soil a day, who laid the stones with straight and tight joints, who always makes excuses to hide in the shade... I know it all by heart."