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

Before even reaching Liang Meie's house, Chen Yongqiang could hear the sounds of people urging each other to drink coming from the courtyard.

"Sister-in-law Mei'e, if you don't drink this cup of wine, you'll be really disrespectful!" Zhu Zi's voice was so loud that half the village could hear it.

"Today is the opening day of your little shop, and all of us brothers who helped out are here. You have to show your appreciation!"

Then came a burst of laughter, mixed with the clinking of glasses.

Chen Yong had already arrived at the gate of the courtyard. A group of people, all workers from the brick kiln, were gathered around the table.

Zhu Zi, Er Niu... each holding a wine bowl, surrounded Liang Meie in the middle.

Liang Meie had a smile on her face and was holding a bowl in her hand. She was being teased by them and was finding it hard to keep up.

The fact that his little shop could be built so quickly was naturally thanks to the help of people from the brick kiln, like Zhu Zi.

Putting everything else aside, those red bricks alone were brought from the brick kiln by Zhu Zi, half-buy and half-giveaway.

They also helped with tasks like bricklaying when they had free time.

It's only right that they come to drink and support us on our grand opening day.

Chen Yongqiang walked into the courtyard, and Zhu Zi, with his sharp eyes, spotted him immediately.

"Brother Yongqiang is here! Come, come, we've been waiting for you! Sister-in-law Mei'e, Brother Yongqiang is here, you have to drink this glass of wine, right?"

Liang Meie was being harassed by Zhu Zi and the others and was finding it difficult to cope. She was holding a wine bowl in her hand, unsure whether to drink or not.

But the moment she saw Chen Yongqiang walk into the courtyard, she was a completely different person.

The helplessness on his face vanished, replaced by a genuine, perfunctory smile.

"Yongqiang is here?" She held a wine bowl, walked around the pillar and the others, and took a few steps to greet him.

Chen Yongqiang said something rather polite: "Congratulations on your opening! I just came to join in the fun."

Liang Meie turned around, faced Zhu Zi and his group, and readily raised her wine bowl:

"Zhu Zi, you guys better not mess with me today. This drink is for everyone! I'm so grateful for your help these past few days. My little shop is only able to open thanks to your support."

"If you need to buy anything in the future, just come and get it. I'll give you a discount!"

After saying that, she tilted her head back and drank the wine in the bowl clean.

Zhu Zi and the others were stunned for a moment, then they clapped and cheered even louder.

"Great! Sister-in-law Mei'e is so agreeable!"

Liang Meie put down her bowl, her face flushed, but she glanced at Chen Yongqiang.

Chen Yongqiang had just found a seat when Zhu Zi came over with a bowl of wine.

"Brother Qiang, come, let me offer you a toast."

Chen Yongqiang picked up his bowl, clinked it against his, and the two of them took a sip.

Zhu Zi put down his bowl and wiped his mouth: "Brother Qiang, to be honest, I've always remembered this."

Chen Yongqiang glanced at him: "What are you writing down?"

"If you hadn't put up the money first, we wouldn't have been able to get that brick kiln up and running." Zhu Zi hadn't forgotten his roots.

"That's what you deserve to earn," Chen Yongqiang said indifferently.

Zhu Zi continued, "Now things are much better. The brick kiln is up and running, and the red bricks are selling well. People from other villages are also coming to buy them. Now, even firing both kilns at the same time is not enough to keep up with demand."

"Just do your job well." As long as the villagers are hardworking and down-to-earth, Chen Yongqiang doesn't mind giving them a hand, which also indirectly makes it easier for him to buy bricks to build houses.

"Brother Qiang, we've also tested the tiles you asked us to make last time. Since you're here, let's check the quality." Zhu called out, turning his head.

"Erniu, go and bring over the tiles that were fired today for Brother Qiang to see!"

Erniu was playing a drinking game when he heard the shout. He responded and got up to run outside.

A moment later, he ran back carrying several grayish-blue tiles: "Brother Qiang, look, these are fresh out of the kiln."

Chen Yongqiang took the tile, examined it from all angles, tapped it with his finger, and listened to the clear echo.

The tiles were uniform in color and thickness, and made a crisp sound when tapped. There were no cracks or signs of deformation: "Not bad, this time the firing was good."

Zhu Zi then brought up business: "Brother Qiang, can you use our tiles for your house?"

"It will work. My five rooms will need about 1500 watts. You can burn them for me first. If you don't have enough money, I can pay in advance!" Chen Yongqiang calculated that about 1300 pieces would be enough.

However, the tiles are relatively easy to break, and Lin Xiulian also said she wanted to build a pigsty to raise a few pigs.

Chen Yongqiang didn't need her to do much, but this was a standard feature in the countryside—a pigsty was needed to raise pigs for the New Year.

"No need, no need. Just tell us how many pieces you need, and we'll cook them for you!" Zhu Zi raised his bowl again and toasted Chen Yongqiang.

The changes in the past few months have been huge. At the beginning of the year, there was only a small earthen kiln, and it could only fire a few bricks a day.

Now things are much better; with two brick kilns firing together, production has increased several times over.

With the addition of the tile kiln, the brick kiln factory has also been established, and in just a few months, it has become quite a large-scale operation.

As they were chatting, a system notification suddenly sounded in Chen Yongqiang's mind:

[Leading some villagers to get rich first has been achieved for 20 people, with 80 more to be helped.]

This is one of the tasks assigned by the mountain god: to lead the villagers to prosperity and complete the target of one hundred people.

There were at least a dozen people working at the brick kiln, as well as Liang Meie, who had just opened a small shop.

Then there's Wang Guixiang, who runs a medicinal herb wholesale business. This group of people, under Chen Yongqiang's leadership, became wealthy first.

Chen Yongqiang silently calculated in his mind that he was still eighty short:

"There were about twenty people who helped build the house, and more than a dozen villagers who farmed with Qin Shan."

"If all these people become rich, there will only be fifty or sixty of them. It seems we will need to develop some more people in the nearby villages to complete the task."

These things can't be rushed. Leading villagers to prosperity is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Chen Yongqiang thought to himself, "If I can complete this task before the end of the year, that would be the best."

"Yongqiang! Stay behind for a bit, I have some accounts that I haven't figured out, can you take a look for me?" Liang Meie's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The group around the pillar started making a fuss again: "Sister-in-law Mei'e, what are you whispering about with Brother Qiang? Why can't you say it in front of everyone?"

Liang Meie turned around and glared at Zhu Zi: "You talk too much! From now on, you'll have to pay for your drinks. My little shop doesn't offer credit!"

"Sister-in-law Mei'e, what are you saying? Do you think we're that kind of people?" Zhu Zi retorted.

Chen Yongqiang had given her this advice a few days ago. The worst thing for a small shop business is operating on credit.

Today one person says they're short on cash, tomorrow another says they'll pay later; once that door is opened, it's impossible to stop.

The ledgers grew thicker and thicker, but not a single penny was returned, and in the end, the small shops were all dragged down by the credit.

So today, taking advantage of the large crowd, she first established the rules.

Zhu Zi and his friends worked at the brick kiln and earned more than the average villager, making them one of the biggest spenders in the village.

Liang Meie's shop opened at just the right time; from now on, these people won't have to go all the way to town to buy things.