In the cubicle, Liu Wenjing was doing her homework, her pencil scratching on the paper.

She wrote diligently, pausing from time to time to pick up the eraser, wipe away the eraser shavings, puff out her cheeks, and then continue writing.

Dim yellow light leaked out from the gaps in the curtains of the cubicles.

On the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Wang Guixiang withdrew her gaze from the cubicle, turned her head, and gently pushed Chen Yongqiang in the chest: "You rascal, you haven't come to see me at all these days."

Chen Yonggang casually flopped onto the kang (a heated brick bed), smiling as he looked at her: "Here I am, aren't I?"

Wang Guixiang turned her back and stood by the kang (a heated brick bed) to begin undressing.

Her movements were slower and lighter than usual, and her waist was a bit rounder than when we last met.

When she loosens her belt, she subconsciously protects her lower abdomen with her hand, her movements as gentle as if afraid of startling something.

Chen Yongqiang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), watching her slowly take off her outer clothes. He was a little impatient and sat up, leaning over to kiss Wang Guixiang's smooth shoulder.

Wang Guixiang shrugged slightly, then relaxed, closed her eyes, leaned back, and snuggled into his arms.

Chen Yongqiang's lips were warm, and the roughness of his stubble gave her a sense of masculine presence.

Just as Wang Guixiang was about to turn around, Liu Wenjing's voice suddenly came from the cubicle.

"Mother, I think I hear a mouse squeaking."

Wang Guixiang opened her eyes, turned her head towards the cubicle, and replied, "It's okay, I'll have your godfather help catch the mice..."

After saying that, she turned around and glared at Chen Yongqiang: "Keep your voice down..."

Chen Yongqiang remained silent and made his movements even quieter.

Outside the cubicle, Liu Wenjing said "Oh," and the scratching sound of pencils began again.

The game of catching mice continued until the sound of pencils being smacked in the cubicle stopped.

"Mom, I've finished my homework," Liu Wenjing's voice came from behind the curtain.

Then came the sound of a chair being moved. "Did Godfather catch the mouse?"

Wang Guixiang was getting up to fix her hair when she called out to the cubicle, "No... we didn't catch it, the rat got away!"

After saying that, she glared at Chen Yongqiang, her eyes conveying the message: "It's all your fault."

Chen Yongqiang was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) getting dressed. As he buttoned his clothes, he raised his voice towards the next room: "Wenjing, your godfather will come over to catch them another day. Those rats are very clever; next time I'll bring a trap."

A corner of the curtain was lifted, and Liu Wenjing peeked out, her little head bobbing: "Godfather, is that rat big?"

"Great! But not as good as your mother. She chased the rats away all by herself," Chen Yongqiang replied seriously.

Upon hearing this, Wang Guixiang grabbed a pillow from the kang (a heated brick bed) and threw it at him: "Hurry up and go back!"

Chen Yongqiang reached out and caught the pillow, smiled and put it back on the kang (a heated brick bed), glanced at her again, and then turned and walked out.

Liu Wenjing ran over and tugged at his sleeve: "Godfather, when are you coming next time?"

Chen Yongqiang patted her head: "I'll come in a couple of days and bring you candy."

"Great!" Liu Wenjing was very happy.

Wang Guixiang stood by the kang (a heated brick bed), her blush still fresh. She felt that Chen Yongqiang was a little different.

"I'm going back now!" Chen Yongqiang turned around and looked at Wang Guixiang.

"Take care on the road!" Wang Guixiang didn't try to stop them. She was already content that Chen Yongqiang could come to see her and her son occasionally.

She felt that Chen Yongqiang was acting differently today, as if he had something happy about him.

Chen Yongqiang didn't say anything, so she didn't ask.

Today, those two bastards, Kim Jong-un and Kim Jong-il, were personally sent to jail by Chen Yongqiang.

Remembering how Jin Lao Er was still cursing and swearing at the police station, Chen Yongqiang finally felt relieved and his mood was naturally different.

When Chen Yongqiang returned to Shimen Village, he parked the tractor in front of Yang Dahai's house.

Yang Dahai was leaning back in his chair smoking, his head still wrapped in gauze, but his complexion looked better than during the day.

The sound of spatulas stirring came from the kitchen; Li Caifeng was still busy preparing dinner.

"Yongqiang, how's it going?" Yang Dahai asked as soon as he came in.

"Even if Jin Laoda and Jin Lao Er don't die this time, they'll be in deep trouble. They'll be in big trouble inside." Chen Yongqiang briefly described the situation of taking statements that afternoon.

Yang Dahai exhaled a puff of smoke: "Serves them right. Those people from Jinjiatun should have been dealt with a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Li Caifeng put her hands on her hips and cursed, "Serves them right! Those two bastards, Jin Laoda and Jin Laoer, should have been in jail long ago! They've finally met their match!"

Yang Dahai looked at Chen Yongqiang: "Have you eaten yet? If not, just grab a bite here."

"No need, Xiulian should have finished cooking! I just came to let you know."

As Chen Yongqiang turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Director Li said that the illegally logged timber is now evidence and can't be touched until the case is closed. He told us to keep a close watch on it and make sure it's not lost."

Yang Dahai sighed, "Well, I was just wondering if those pieces of wood could be put to use, and now they're all stuck in the warehouse."

Li Caifeng chimed in from the side, "That warehouse is already small; won't it be completely full if they pile up all that wood?"

"That's right. The village warehouse was already used to store miscellaneous items, and now it's completely blocked by wood. There won't even be a place to sit when the village holds a meeting." Yang Dahai was also very worried.

"Director Li said that the timber will most likely end up in our village, but we just need to go through the proper procedures."

Chen Yongqiang was figuring out how to use the timber to rebuild the mountain god temple, but he didn't have a suitable reason yet.

The conflict with Jinjiatun has come to an end.

After the two Jin brothers went to jail, things calmed down a lot in Jinjiatun.

Although Jin Mancang is still causing trouble, without those two brothers as his henchmen, he can't stir up any waves.

The people of Shimen Village went back to farming and climbing mountains as usual, and life returned to its original track.

Chen Yongqiang's house construction is also proceeding at a rapid pace.

The main brick wall has been completed; next, it's time to put up the beams and roof tiles, and the doors and windows also need to be made.

On this day, Chen Yongqiang was thinking about going to pan for gold again when Zhao Fugen walked over with his hands behind his back.

"Yongqiang, you need to go and bring back the timber for building the house."

Chen Yongqiang had previously ordered a batch of timber from the town's timber factory.

Then the matter in Jinjiatun delayed things for a few more days.

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: thankfully he hadn't been greedy for cheap deals and had honestly ordered the goods from the lumber mill.

At the beginning of the year, some people advised him: "There are so many trees on the back mountain. If you need timber to build a house, why don't you just cut down a few trees? You could save that money and buy meat instead."

It wasn't that he was particularly noble; he simply knew in his heart that although the mountain looked like it belonged to the village, it was actually under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Bureau.

Cutting down one or two trees might go unnoticed, but cutting down too many will inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.

If you get caught, a fine is the least of your worries; you might even have to go to jail for a few days.

Looking back now, I realize that decision was absolutely right.

If only I had gone to the back mountain to cut down trees back then...

If Jin Lao Er was caught illegally logging, it would be fine; but if he hadn't been caught, Chen Yongqiang would have had a hard time explaining himself.

We're all from the same village; we know which family used which type of timber to build their house.

Anyone with a keen eye could easily find it; luckily, I was cautious at the time.

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