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

"It's alright, let's go inside and eat." Lin Xiulian said, and went to catch the goose and put it in the same cage as the chickens at home.

Chen Yongqiang went into the kitchen, where several neighbors were still watching TV inside.

"Brother Yongqiang, you're back!" Qin Liping greeted him first.

"Mm." Chen Yongqiang nodded.

Qin Shan asked casually, "Yongqiang, have you sold that big fish yet?"

"It's already sold. A coal mine owner bought it." Chen Yongqiang washed his hands and prepared to eat.

"How much did you sell it for?" Qin Shan then asked.

This was not only his curiosity, but also something that many people in the village wanted to know.

We've discussed this before, and everyone thinks it'll only sell for two or three hundred yuan at most.

"Quite a few were sold." Chen Yongqiang didn't specify how much, but he knew in his heart that this secret wouldn't last long, as too many people had seen it during the auction in town.

Seeing that Chen Yongqiang was unwilling to elaborate, Qin Shan did not press him further.

During the meal, Chen Yongqiang, as usual, had a couple of drinks with Qin Shan and chatted about the village's plans for the new year and things to do in the fields in the spring. The atmosphere was as usual.

The neighbors all went home after the TV program ended.

Chen Yongqiang turned off the TV and went back to his room to rest.

Lin Xiulian came in after tidying up the house. As she took off her cotton-padded coat, she asked, "How much did that fish sell for?" She hadn't felt comfortable asking earlier because there were so many people around.

"Want to know? Come here and give me a kiss." Chen Yongqiang joked.

"We've been married for so long, just tell me already," Lin Xiulian said with a smile as she walked over and sat down in Chen Yongqiang's lap.

Chen Yongqiang pecked Lin Xiulian on the cheek and laughed heartily.

"Just tell me already, you're driving me crazy!" Lin Xiulian squirmed in his arms.

"We've swapped that fish for these," Chen Yongqiang said, taking the two small yellow croakers out of his pocket and spreading them out in his palm.

Under the dim yellow light, the gold bars gleamed so brightly they made one's eyes dizzy.

Lin Xiulian seemed not to have seen clearly and blinked subconsciously.

"This...this is...a gold bar?"

Chen Yongqiang nodded.

Lin Xiulian picked up a piece to examine it. It was the first time she had ever seen gold in person, and although she couldn't estimate its exact value, she knew it was extremely precious.

This real impact is a hundred times stronger than hearing that it sold for a few hundred dollars.

After the initial excitement, Lin Xiulian's joy was quickly replaced by worry: "I must hide these gold bars well, and make sure no one steals them."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe." Chen Yongqiang already had a plan in mind: he could store the gold bars in a space where no one could find them.

Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), Lin Xiulian was still quite excited. She hugged Chen Yongqiang's arm and said, "You're amazing! You managed to make so much money from just one fish. If we catch a few more, our family might become a ten-thousand-yuan household."

Chen Yongqiang simply replied, "It's not that easy. Let alone whether we can catch such a big fish again, even if we did, it would be difficult to sell it for such a high price."

He knew very well that the reason he was able to sell it for such a high price was twofold: firstly, it was close to the Spring Festival, and secondly, he had encountered a coal mine owner who was willing to spend money.

This kind of good luck doesn't come every day.

In any case, this harvest brought him one step closer to his goal of buying a tractor.

Chen Yongqiang held Lin Xiulian in his arms and fell asleep contentedly.

The next day, although the weather was bitterly cold, the sun finally came out. Chen Yongqiang ate a simple breakfast and then picked up his wood-chopping knife.

"I'm going to chop some firewood, otherwise we might not have enough to burn during the New Year," he told Lin Xiulian, before pulling the sled out the door.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw that the area in the direction of Old Sun's house was quite lively.

Chen Yongqiang put down his sled and went over to take a look. It turned out that Old Sun's family had slaughtered a sheep, and a lot of neighbors who wanted to buy mutton had gathered around.

Old Sun was squatting on the ground skinning a sheep, calling out, "Everyone, don't rush, it'll be done soon."

After watching for a while, Chen Yongqiang noticed that the way he was cutting was a bit off, so he stepped forward and said, "Uncle Sun, let me lend a hand."

He took the knife, and with a slight twist of his wrist, the blade traced the muscle fibers between the skin and flesh, peeling off the sheepskin perfectly intact.

Old Sun nodded repeatedly as he watched from the side: "It has to be Yongqiang; his ancestral craftsmanship is truly exceptional."

"If you skin the sheep intact, you can sell it for more money," Chen Yongqiang said, shaking out the skinned sheepskin and spreading it out to the side.

After Old Sun had roughly finished processing the sheep, Chen Yongqiang stepped forward and gestured with his hand at the hind leg area: "Uncle Sun, could you please cut three catties of hind leg meat for me from here?"

It's not that he didn't want to buy more. A sheep weighing about 100 pounds can only yield 40 to 50 pounds of meat after slaughtering.

There are quite a few people waiting to buy meat; if everyone bought as much as they wanted, there simply wouldn't be enough to go around.

Old Sun did as instructed, cut off a piece, and weighed it: "Only two and a half pounds!"

He picked up the knife, intending to add another half jin (250 grams).

Immediately, a villager nearby shouted, "Old Sun, don't cut that half of the hind leg meat, give it to me!"

Seeing this, Chen Yongqiang didn't want to make things difficult for Old Sun: "Two and a half jin it is, that's enough."

The current market price for mutton is 1.5 yuan per jin (0.5 kg), but Old Sun only charged Chen Yongqiang 3.7 yuan, which is 5 fen less.

Chen Yongqiang carried the mutton home, and as he opened the courtyard gate, he called out, "Xiulian, clean up this mutton."

Hearing the sound, Lin Xiulian came out of the house, took the mutton, and weighed it in her hand: "Oh, this must be Old Sun's mutton!"

She carried the meat into the kitchen, pondering how to cook it.

Chen Yongqiang continued pulling the sled into the mountains. He passed by Ding Wanru's mud-brick courtyard wall.

He stopped, his mind stirred, and he took out a large white goose from his spatial storage, carrying it into the courtyard.

Ding Wanru was sweeping snow in the yard when she saw him come in, carrying a large white goose that was flapping its wings.

"Wanru, it's almost Chinese New Year, here's a goose for you." Chen Yongqiang handed over the goose.

"This goose is so big, I can't possibly eat it all by myself. You should take it back." Ding Wanru looked at the goose but didn't reach out.

"I have some at home, this is just for you. It won't spoil in the cold weather, you can eat it slowly." Chen Yongqiang thought to himself, he had already sent some to Wang Guixiang and Liang Meie, he couldn't leave her out.

Ding Wanru then reached out and took it, saying, "Then come and eat with me after I've cooked it."

"We'll see when the time comes." Chen Yongqiang didn't give a clear answer and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

Ding Wanru carried the goose, feeling a warm glow in her heart. She stood at the door for a while before turning around and closing the gate.

For Chen Yongqiang, this small courtyard seemed to have become a second place where he could rest for a while.