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

Because of the blessing of the mountain god, the raising of the roof beam went exceptionally smoothly. Even Lin Wenfeng was amazed, saying that he had never seen such a smooth roof beam raising in his entire life as a carpenter.

When they pulled the rope on the top of the wall, the rope was perfectly straight, and the beam was perfectly upright, as if someone were supporting it from the air.

Chen Yongqiang knew in his heart that those 100 points of blessing had not been wasted.

They worked until evening, and from a distance, the outline of the house was complete. People who had worked all day gradually finished and waited for dinner.

The raising of the beam is a crucial step, and Chen Yongqiang naturally wouldn't skimp on it.

Three tables were set up in the courtyard. Several main dishes were laid out on the tables, dishes that were usually only eaten during the Chinese New Year. The liquor was loose-leaf liquor bought from Liang Meie.

Chen Yongqiang picked up his wine bowl and raised it to everyone:

"Thank you all for your hard work on today's roof-raising ceremony. I'm not good with words, so I'll just say this: eat and drink well, and if you need more, please!"

Everyone burst into laughter, picked up their bowls, and drank it all in one gulp.

Lin Wenfeng sat at the main table, holding a cup of tea, watching the lively scene with a smile.

He's too old to drink, but seeing everyone enjoying the meal makes him happy too.

Zhao Fugen came over with a wine bowl and insisted on having a drink with him.

Lin Wenfeng smiled and picked up his teacup. The two clinked their cups together, one drinking wine and the other tea, making for a lively scene.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere in the courtyard was lively.

Chen Yongqiang stood up, walked into the room, and brought out a stack of red envelopes.

The red envelopes were made last night; he counted the heads and gave one to each person.

"This is everyone's wages from last month." Chen Yongqiang patted the red envelope in his hand.

He handed out red envelopes one by one, and whoever received one grinned from ear to ear.

Erniu took the red envelope, opened it, and glanced at it: "Brother Qiang, this... isn't this too much?"

"Today is the day of the roof-raising ceremony, so I'm giving you an extra day's pay as a bonus," Chen Yongqiang said generously.

Erniu stuffed the red envelope into his pocket, picked up his wine bowl, and said, "Brother Qiang, I'll toast you!"

Chen Yongqiang waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down: "Alright, don't be shy, the most important thing is to eat and drink well."

He knew that many people present relied on this meager wage to make a living.

Some families have elderly parents and young children to care for, some wives have just given birth, and some are waiting for money to buy seeds and fertilizer.

Therefore, he never dared to delay payment; he would pay on the agreed-upon date.

Chen Yongqiang walked up to Lin Wenfeng and handed him a red envelope: "Uncle, this is for you!"

Lin Wenfeng said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've only been here a few days, and I haven't finished the work yet. I'll pay you next month. You've just started building the house, and you'll need money for everything, so don't spend it recklessly."

"Uncle, please take this. It's not payment, it's just for good luck."

Lin Wenfeng hesitated for a moment, then accepted it: "Okay, I'll keep it and share in the joy."

Chen Yongqiang turned around and went to the kitchen, taking out three red envelopes from his pocket. "Lijuan, these are for you two sisters and your father."

Qin Lijuan accepted the red envelope with some surprise: "Brother Yongqiang, my dad hasn't even worked for more than a few days..."

"Your dad helps me manage the orchard, and the wages are calculated monthly, not daily." Chen Yongqiang essentially subcontracted the work to Qin Shan. He didn't care whether Qin Shan worked every day or not; he just wanted to see the results at the end of the year.

Qin Lijuan held the red envelope and said softly, "Thank you, Brother Yongqiang. My father..."

Before she finished speaking, Chen Yongqiang already understood what she was going to say.

Qin Shan has been in a terrible mood these past few days. His wife gave birth to another daughter, and after so many years of waiting, he still hasn't had a son. He feels extremely frustrated.

But he was a man of few words, never losing his temper, and certainly never scolding Liu Jifen, who had just given birth.

He kept all his unhappiness to himself, without saying a word, and bore it all alone.

Chen Yongqiang interrupted her, "I understand. Go back and tell your father not to overthink it; his daughter is precious too."

Qin Lijuan nodded, put the red envelope away, her eyes a little red, but she smiled and responded.

May has arrived in the blink of an eye.

As the weather gets warmer day by day, Chen Yongqiang's apple orchard is also growing well. Qin Shan spends every day in the field, taking care of it even more attentively than he would his own crops.

The tiles for the five large brick houses were finally laid.

From a distance, the five large tile-roofed houses stand in a row, looking quite impressive; this is the first of its kind in the entire Shimen Village.

Now all that's left are the doors and windows, and some finishing touches.

Lin Wenfeng has already made several window frames, and they are just waiting to be installed.

Zhao Fugen stood in the courtyard, hands behind his back, looking around at the new house.

"Yongqiang, at this rate, you'll definitely be able to move into your new house before the start of autumn."

Chen Yongqiang stood beside him, also looking at the house, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort.

"This is all thanks to Uncle Fugen's help in working overtime."

"If it weren't for your help in organizing and coordinating manpower, it wouldn't have been built so quickly."

Zhao Fugen laughed twice: "You little rascal, don't flatter me."

Chen Yongqiang knew in his heart that in order to build it so quickly, besides everyone's help, he also used a bit of "money power".

With generous wages, good meals, and occasional bonuses, everyone is naturally willing to work hard.

A generous reward will always attract brave men; this saying holds true at all times.

Zhao Fugen sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was blazing, and there wasn't a single cloud in sight.

"This year is really strange. It's already the beginning of summer, and the heavens haven't sent a single drop of rain."

"In previous years, by this time, there would have been several thorough rains. But this year, not a single drop has fallen."

During this period, we relied entirely on the Qingba Reservoir to release water for irrigation.

The reservoir is upstream. Once the sluice gate is opened, the water flows down the canal, and more than a dozen villages along the way can get a share.

The problem is that Qingba Reservoir is not unique to Shimen Village.

There are also more than a dozen villages, large and small, all relying on the water from this reservoir for irrigation.

There's only so much water. You release a little, he releases a little, and by the time it reaches Shimen Village, there's not much left.

Now that the water level is dropping, the time allotted for releasing water is getting shorter and shorter.

Because of water issues, the villagers of Shimen Village often have arguments with the people of Jinjiatun Village upstream.

Jinjiatun, taking advantage of its proximity to the reservoir, would desperately try to seize every drop of water released, wishing it could all be diverted to its own land.

When the people from Shimen Village went to reason with them, they would curse and shove each other.

A few days ago, two groups of people almost got into a fight by the irrigation ditch. If the village officials hadn't arrived in time, something terrible would have happened.

As they were talking, Zhu Zi suddenly came running up from the other end of the village road, panting.

"No...it's not okay..."

Chen Yongqiang and Zhao Fugen turned their heads at the same time to look at him.

Zhu Zi swallowed hard and finally made himself clear:

"Something terrible has happened! Our village is fighting with the people from Jinjiatun! It's over by the irrigation ditch..."

Zhao Fugen's expression changed: "What? A fight broke out?"

"Let's go take a look," Chen Yongqiang said quickly.

Without saying a word, a dozen villagers grabbed whatever they could find—carrying poles, hoes, etc.—and followed Chen Yongqiang outside.