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

Gao Yuanyuan never expected that Chen Yongqiang, a man who seemed rough and careless, could stew such flavorful ribs.

Her face was already flushed from drinking a little alcohol, but after realizing she had said something wrong, her cheeks turned even redder.

"It's all thanks to you for setting the fire so well," Chen Yongqiang said with a smile, attributing the credit to Qin Liping.

"Of course," Qin Liping replied shamelessly after receiving the praise.

"If you make something this delicious again next time, remember to call me to help with the fire!"

The group of people were having a lively conversation when suddenly everything went dark – the power went out, plunging the kitchen into darkness.

"What's going on? The power's out." Qin Liping felt a bit disappointed; she definitely couldn't watch TV now.

Lin Xiulian, who was close to the cabinet, first took out a flashlight.

Using the light of his flashlight, Chen Yongqiang pulled a candle from the drawer and found some matches.

The candlelight was lit, restoring a dim, yellowish glow to the kitchen.

"I don't know where the wiring is broken." Chen Yongqiang fixed the candle to the corner of the table.

I know very well that, given the current situation, there's a high chance there won't be any calls tonight.

Gao Yuanyuan rose by candlelight, bid farewell, and went home first.

The other women helped clear away the dishes.

Qin Shan raised his glass, which still had half a glass of wine left: "Let's call it a day for tonight."

Chen Yongqiang clinked glasses with him and then drank the rest of his wine in one gulp.

After the Qin family and Liang Meie's family left, Chen Yongqiang picked up his coat and prepared to go back to his room to rest.

He had just lain down on the kang (a heated brick bed) when Lin Xiulian followed him in, carrying a candle, and carefully placed the candlestick on the cabinet at the head of the kang.

She sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at Chen Yongqiang by the candlelight. "Are you... troubled by something today?"

Chen Yongqiang pulled back a corner of the blanket, gesturing for her to lie down first so she wouldn't catch a cold.

Lin Xiulian untied the hair tie, letting her hair fall loose, and then obediently lay down inside.

Chen Yongqiang gently hugged her from behind: "Today is my thirtieth birthday."

Lin Xiulian shifted in his arms, trying to get up: "Why didn't you say so sooner? I'd make you a bowl of longevity noodles."

"No need for that," Chen Yongqiang said, pulling her back.

"Didn't we play the role of emperors tonight, even eating tribute rice? This is better than any longevity noodles."

He lived a muddled life in his previous life and never cared much about birthdays.

"You've really worked hard these past few days," Lin Xiulian said softly.

She knew that Chen Yongqiang had done a lot for the family, and their lives were improving at a visible pace.

"I want you and our future children to have a good life." Chen Yongqiang hugged her tightly.

"I'm not feeling well, so I won't be able to spend much time with you tonight," Lin Xiulian said, feeling a little guilty. She wanted to get closer to him in the most direct way possible to strengthen their relationship.

"Don't think too much, go to sleep." Chen Yongqiang was very content this year, because the arrival of the neighbors made his home especially lively.

Thinking back to her past life, after Lin Xiuzhen left, her home was dilapidated and desolate, and it was rare for anyone to visit during holidays.

The next morning, the power still hadn't come back on.

After having breakfast, Chen Yongqiang couldn't sit still at home, so he went out to the village chief's house to see what was going on.

Unexpectedly, a lot of villagers had already gathered in the village chief's courtyard, all chatting away.

"When will the electricity be back on?"

"It's so inconvenient when it's dark at night."

Yang Dahai had just returned from outside when he saw so many people gathered in the yard. He immediately reassured them, "Don't panic. We've already notified the power company, and they'll send someone to fix it this afternoon."

"Village chief, where exactly is the line broken?" Chen Yongqiang stepped forward and asked.

"A utility pole at the village entrance was knocked down by the wind. It was windy last night, and it probably fell down because it was old and in disrepair, breaking the power line."

"You've come at the right time. Arrange for a few people to cut down a suitable tree to use as a utility pole. Once the power company's people arrive this afternoon, we'll be ready so we can get it fixed quickly." Yang Dahai first looked at Chen Yongqiang.

"Count me in, I'll go back and get the saw." Chen Yongqiang didn't refuse and readily agreed.

The others looked somewhat reluctant, but since the village chief had spoken, they couldn't say anything more.

Chen Yongqiang actually had a saw in his spatial storage, but he still wanted to make an appearance. He went home first and told Lin Xiulian.

"The utility pole at the village entrance fell down, so I went with some villagers to cut down a tree and temporarily replace it."

"Then be careful and pay attention to safety." Lin Xiulian was tidying up the dishes by the stove.

When Chen Yongqiang returned to the village entrance with the saw, a number of villagers who had been called over had already gathered by the path leading up the mountain.

He Jun, carrying an axe, said impatiently, "Village chief, it's just cutting down a tree, not hunting a tiger. Do we need to call so many people?"

Yang Dahai glared at him: "You talk too much! Do you think utility poles are so easy to erect?"

"Alright, alright, you're in charge. Let's hurry up and get it done so we can all disperse quickly."

Led by Yang Dahai, the group arrived at the communal woods on the mountain.

"Everyone, look around. The trees used as utility poles need to be straight, not too thick, not too thin, just right," Yang Dahai said, raising his voice as he stood at the edge of the woods.

After a while, someone shouted from the woods, "Village chief, come and take a look, is this one alright?"

Chen Yongqiang hadn't found a suitable one yet when he heard someone calling out, so he stopped searching and walked in that direction.

Yang Dahai walked up to the cypress tree that had been discovered, looked it over, and said, "It's quite straight, and its thickness looks alright."

"This one will do..." Yang Dahai was interrupted by He Jun, who had rushed over, before he could finish speaking.

"This tree cannot be cut down."

"Why can't this tree be cut down?" someone nearby asked, puzzled.

"My father planted this cypress tree himself. Wouldn't cutting it down ruin our family's feng shui?" He Jun gave a reason that was not very convincing.

"He Jun, if everyone acted like you, there wouldn't be a single tree left to cut down in this forest," Chen Yongqiang couldn't help but rebuke.

Because the trees in this grove were mostly planted by the older generation, belonging to one family or another.

"I don't care whose tree it was planted by! This tree was planted by my dad, so it can't be touched!" He Jun was determined to stop it.

Seeing this, Yang Dahai stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, everyone, say less. There are plenty of trees in the woods, we can just find another suitable one, there's no need to argue about it here."

Previously, no one had thought about feng shui, but after He Jun said that, some people began to have doubts and felt that there seemed to be some truth to it, so they avoided the trees planted by their elders.

It's better to believe something is true than to believe it isn't.