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

Lin Xiulian's father accepted the dowry from that old bachelor and wanted to sell Xiulian to him as his wife.

If Xiulian hadn't risked her life to seek refuge at Chen Yongqiang's house, she would probably have already entered the Zheng family's door by now.

No wonder the Zheng family hasn't caused any trouble these days; it turns out they're already dead.

This unexpected news put his mind at ease and saved him a lot of trouble.

Chen Yongqiang walked to the shade of a tree, thinking to himself, "With Zheng Wencai dead, Xiulian's crisis of being forced into marriage is over. But she still has to get past her father-in-law."

He shook his head with a wry smile, realizing that while he had changed his wife, his father-in-law hadn't.

Thinking of that money-grubbing old man, Chen Yongqiang couldn't help but frown.

"After some time, I still need to take Xiulian back to her parents' home. Some things can't be avoided; we have to face them eventually."

The most important thing right now is to make more money.

The father-in-law valued this the most. Back then, he sold Xiulian to Zheng Wencai precisely for that dowry.

Now that Zheng Wencai is dead, that money was probably already embezzled by his father-in-law, and there's no way to prove it now that he's dead.

Chen Yongqiang got up, dusted off his trousers, and made up his mind.

He should make good use of this treasure, Peach Blossom Paradise, to plant more rare crops and hunt more wild game.

Once we've saved enough money, we'll take Xiulian back to her parents' home in a grand and splendid ceremony.

Liang Meie approached at some point and whispered reproachfully, "Why didn't you say a word for me this morning?"

Chen Yongqiang took half a step to the side: "How can I help?"

He knew all too well that widows often attract gossip and trouble, and if he rashly spoke up for Liang Meie, who knew what the villagers would think?

Liang Meie then asked, "When are you going to hunt wild boar?"

"Isn't this for repairing an irrigation canal? Can't I leave?" Chen Yongqiang wiped his sweat and glanced around.

Upon seeing this, Liang Meie said mysteriously, "The day before yesterday, I saw wild boar footprints in the woods at the east end of the village. They were very fresh."

Chen Yongqiang remained expressionless: "I understand. We'll talk about it after this busy period is over."

Liang Meie wanted to say something more, but seeing someone looking in her direction, she had no choice but to turn around and leave. Before leaving, she didn't forget to give him a meaningful look.

As soon as the sun set, Chen Yongqiang packed up his tools and hurried home.

He couldn't wait to tell Lin Xiulian about Zheng Wencai's death.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Lin Xiulian in the kitchen: "There's something I need to tell you."

Seeing his solemn expression, Lin Xiulian couldn't help but feel nervous.

Chen Yongqiang stated the news directly: "Zheng Wencai is dead."

Lin Xiulian was stunned when she heard the news: "Really?"

Chen Yongqiang watched her reaction. "The neighbors said she drowned a few days ago while fishing in the river."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiulian's shoulders trembled slightly, and tears silently streamed down her face.

She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve: "That's great, now I can stay here with peace of mind."

She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears but also a relieved smile: "These days, I'm always afraid he'll come knocking on my door one day!"

Chen Yongqiang wiped away her tears with his hand: "You don't have to live in fear anymore."

He was actually prepared; if Zheng Wencai dared to come to his door, Chen Yongqiang would shoot him with a bird gun.

"I'll go cook." She turned around and her steps were noticeably lighter.

After dinner, Chen Yongqiang took out the bird gun from the corner of the wall and began to examine it.

He first cleaned the gun barrel with a copper bar to make sure there was no rust or blockage.

Next, I checked the firing mechanism and tested the spring force by opening the trigger head.

Finally, he took out the ox horn medicine pot, poured gunpowder into the gun barrel, added the arrowheads he had sharpened himself, and tamped it down with a club.

After Lin Xiulian finished clearing away the dishes, seeing his preparations, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you going out so late?"

"Let's go for a walk in the bamboo grove at the east end of the village." Chen Yongqiang leaned the loaded musket against the door and began to change into his water shoes.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiulian became worried again: "Then you must be careful."

Chen Yongqiang stood up and slung his musket over his shoulder: "Don't worry, we'll just patrol the outer edge of the bamboo forest."

This dense bamboo forest is the collective property of the village. Whenever someone needs to weave a basket or build a frame, they will come and cut a few bamboo stalks.

This is the season when winter bamboo shoots are developing. The tips of the shoots are still hidden underground, but experienced villagers can determine their location from the slight cracks in the ground and the direction of the bamboo roots.

Winter bamboo shoots are also a favorite food of wild boars. They will use their strong, long snouts to dig through the soil and devour the winter bamboo shoots that have not yet broken through the ground.

This is also the responsibility of Chen Yongqiang's agricultural protection team.

He turned on his headlamp and searched the bamboo forest for wild boar tracks, pondering the mission issued by the system: hunt three adult wild boars, with a standard-issue rifle as the reward.

That's far superior to this old, worn-out musket. If we could really get our hands on a rifle, that would be a real upgrade from a musket to a cannon.

When the light swept across a patch of mud, several fresh hoof prints were discovered, indicating that wild boars had been there not long ago.

He crouched down, measured the depth of the hoof prints with his fingers, and then picked up a clump of turned-up soil and sniffed it.

"It just happened not long ago."

Looking in the direction of the hoofprints, a patch of land was dug up and messed up.

Chen Yongqiang found a relatively high spot, turned off his headlamp, and from there he could clearly see the traces of wild boar activity.

A night breeze rustled through the bamboo tips. In the distance, the chirping of unknown insects came intermittently.

Chen Yongqiang gripped the musket, waiting for his prey to appear.

After a long time, Chen Yongqiang didn't see the wild boar, but Liang Meie appeared instead.

The beam of the miner's lamp suddenly shone on the newcomer, blinding him so much that he raised his hand to shield his eyes.

"Stop taking pictures, it's me," Liang Meie called out.

Chen Yongqiang pressed the light down a little: "Sister-in-law Mei'e, why do you also like to go out at night, just like me?"

Liang Meie, carrying a bamboo basket, squatted down behind a rock next to him: "I was just thinking of digging up some winter bamboo shoots to take back and try."

Chen Yongqiang said casually, "This bamboo grove belongs to the public."

"If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who will know? Even if someone sees it less tomorrow, they'll just assume it was taken by a wild boar." Liang Meie was quite shrewd.

"How about it? I didn't lie to you, did I?" she then asked.

Chen Yongqiang's attention returned to the tangled bamboo shoot patch ahead: "There are signs of wild boar activity. I wonder if they'll come tonight."

"If only you could catch one, wild boar stewed with winter bamboo shoots, just thinking about it makes my mouth water," Liang Meie said, unconsciously swallowing.

"It also depends on luck! Nine times out of ten, you come back empty-handed when hunting." Chen Yongqiang adjusted his position.

Liang Meie moved even closer to him, her arm almost touching his: "I'll keep watch with you. If you catch a wild boar, you have to give me a bigger share."

Chen Yongqiang felt the warmth emanating from her body: "If we have a good catch tonight, I'll give you a wild boar leg."

He answered readily, after all, it was Liang Meie who provided the information.

Liang Meie was silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "It's so boring just waiting like this, shouldn't we do something...?"

Chen Yongqiang naturally understood the meaning behind Liang Meie's words; it was indeed a bit boring to keep guarding her all this time.

Without any hesitation, he pulled Liang Meie into his arms: "Didn't Liu the pig come into your room last night?"

"Chen Yongqiang, what kind of person do you take me for? I'm not that kind of person." Liang Meie angrily broke free from Chen Yongqiang's embrace.