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

Chen Yongqiang strung all the crucian carp together with straw rope and was about to clean the loach when he discovered that the small black-backed loach, weighing only a few ounces, was missing.

"Where did it go?" he muttered, searching through the bushes.

Parting a clump of foxtail grass, I saw the loach struggling among the roots, its body covered in grass clippings, but it hadn't gone far.

"Goodness, it's really resilient!" Chen Yongqiang picked up the loach and watched it struggle between his fingers, a thought suddenly struck him.

He thought of the spiritual spring water in the space; it would be perfect to keep him there.

"I'll raise you for now," he said softly, then put the loach into his spatial storage and placed it in the spiritual spring pool, which didn't have much water.

As for crucian carp and river shrimp, although they taste delicious, they are not worth raising.

When Chen Yongqiang returned to the courtyard, it was already completely dark.

Lin Xiulian was standing under the eaves looking out when she saw him return. She quickly went up to him and said, "Brother Yongqiang, why are you so late today?"

Chen Yongqiang put down the hoe he was using to repair the irrigation ditch and patted the dirt off his clothes: "On the way back, I saw a puddle with fish, which delayed me for a while."

As he spoke, he handed over the crucian carp and river shrimp he was holding.

Lin Xiulian took the straw rope and examined it in the light coming from inside the house: "Quite a haul! Yongqiang is really capable; he always manages to bring something back from home!"

"Make soup with those crucian carp, and stir-fry the shrimp with some chili; we'll have them with our drinks later," Chen Yongqiang instructed Lin Xiulian.

Lin Xiulian carried the fish to the kitchen: "Wash your face first, the food will be ready soon."

After a long day of work, Chen Yongqiang was covered in sweat, so he took off his coat and stood by the water tank to wash himself.

He wiped the water off his clothes and looked up to see Old Sun, with a pipe in his mouth, slowly walking to the gate of the courtyard.

"Yongqiang, what are you busy with?" Old Sun called out from across the fence.

Chen Yongqiang hurriedly greeted, "Uncle Sun, come in and sit down." As he spoke, he pulled a cloth draped over the rope and wiped his face.

Old Sun pushed open the fence gate and walked into the yard. Although the two houses were only a few dozen meters apart, they were the closest neighbors.

"Where are those puppies you used to feed with goat milk?" Old Sun squinted and peered under the eaves.

"The puppy is being kept in a bamboo basket!" Chen Yongqiang said, pointing to an old bamboo basket under the eaves.

Old Sun went over to check and found a gray-black puppy lying in the bamboo basket.

He reached out and teased the puppy, which let out a low whimper. "Why does this puppy's bark sound a little different?"

Chen Yongqiang responded vaguely, "I don't understand either. It was like this when I picked it up."

Actually, it was a wolf cub, but Old Sun's sheep had been killed by wolves before, so he didn't dare tell the truth.

"I'm going to change my clothes. We'll have a couple of drinks later, you and me," Chen Yongqiang said, changing the subject.

When he came out after changing into clean clothes, Lin Xiulian had already cooked the spicy river shrimp.

The two went into the kitchen, and Chen Yongqiang pointed to the plate of river shrimp and smiled, "These are river shrimp I just caught. You should try them."

Old Sun picked up a river shrimp, put it in his mouth, and tasted it: "You've always been a tough kid. You've done plenty of things like catching fish and shrimp in the river and raiding bird nests in the mountains."

Chen Yongqiang poured him a glass of wine, and these words also stirred up memories of those years of hunger and hardship:

"When I was a child, my family was poor, and we often had to find ways to eat. If we could catch a few fish in the river back then, we were happier than if it were Chinese New Year."

Old Sun smacked his lips, savoring the shrimp flavor: "Speaking of which, the wolf pack in the back hills has been causing quite a ruckus lately. If you run into them, you'd better beat them to a pulp for me."

Chen Yongqiang is now in the agricultural protection team. If he really encounters a pack of wolves, he should, in principle, rid the people of this menace.

But then I thought of the wolf cub in the yard. If it encountered its mother, it wouldn't be easy to kill it.

"Uncle Sun, don't worry, if I encounter them, I'll definitely chase them far away," Chen Yongqiang replied vaguely.

At this moment, Lin Xiulian came out of the kitchen carrying a freshly stewed crucian carp soup. "Don't just drink alcohol, have some hot soup to warm yourself up."

Old Sun scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth: "Xiuzhen, your cooking skills have really improved. This soup is so delicious!"

His eyesight wasn't very good, and he mistook Lin Xiulian for her older sister.

Lin Xiulian did not correct him, but only glanced at Chen Yongqiang.

Actually, it wasn't that my cooking skills had improved. In the past, we lived frugally and couldn't even be stingy with the amount of oil and salt we used, so the dishes we made naturally lacked flavor.

Now that life is a bit more comfortable, we're more willing to use seasonings, and this soup has gained a unique freshness and aroma that we couldn't achieve by cooking it in the old pot.

Chen Yongqiang looked at Lin Xiulian, who was still busy at the stove: "Stop working, sit down and eat with us."

Lin Xiulian wiped her hands, smiled and agreed, then sat down at the table.

She casually handed the empty wine glass to Chen Yongqiang: "The food smells delicious today, I'd like to have some too."

Chen Yongqiang didn't say anything, but picked up the wine bottle and poured her a small half glass.

The three chatted and laughed, a warm and harmonious scene that was rare in this secluded little mountain village.

Old Sun took a swig of his drink and brought up the issue of household responsibility system. He said that his family had a lot of people, and if the land were really divided, they could get a few more acres.

Chen Yongqiang smiled knowingly and didn't pour him any more wine: "Uncle Sun, I think this matter will be resolved soon."

As expected, a few days later, just after the village's irrigation canal was repaired, village chief Yang Dahai convened another village meeting. This time, the topic was the household responsibility system.

In the village committee compound, villagers sat or stood, whispering among themselves.

Yang Dahai stood on the steps, his voice a little softer than usual: "The policies from above have been implemented in other villages, but our Shimen Village is still waiting to receive its land allocation..."

Before he could finish speaking, a buzz of discussion arose from below.

Chen Yongqiang stood on the periphery of the crowd and noticed that Yang Dahai was rubbing his fingers together as he spoke today, unlike his usual confident demeanor.

These words conveyed a sense of helplessness; other villages had already been divided, and if Shimen Village dragged on any longer, the villagers might cause trouble.

"Land redistribution is a big deal. Let's all express our opinions: should we redistribute the land in Shimen Village or not?"

He knew in his heart that today was just a formality.

He had already spoken with several village officials in advance.

The reason for such a drastic change in attitude is that I have personally witnessed the changes brought about by the land redistribution in other villages.

Those villages that were once even poorer than Shimen Village are now seeing their crops grow well and every household is full of energy.

"I support splitting it!" someone in the crowd shouted first.

"They should have split up a long time ago!" another immediately chimed in.

Old Sun chimed in, "It's good that they've split it up."

Chen Yongqiang thought to himself that there shouldn't be any more problems with the land allocation this time.

"Is there anyone else who disagrees?" Yang Dahai asked as usual.

There was only a buzzing of whispers below; no one stood up to object.

"Alright. Since everyone has no objections, our Shimen Village will officially implement the household contract responsibility system starting today!" Yang Dahai announced in a businesslike manner.