The tycoon's wicked wife from the era of literature has been reborn.

Chapter 123 Picking Snails

A clear river flows through two small villages at the foot of the mountain.

Upstream is Shanghe Village, and downstream is Xiahe Village.

The place Huang Yanqiu led the Gao Qinghe sisters to was located in the section of the river between two villages.

The river here is wide and shallow, and there are many snails in the riverbed.

Every spring and autumn, you can easily bring back two large buckets of food.

However, life is better these days than before, so only children like to come.

When Gao Qinghe and her two companions arrived, there was a group of naked children splashing around in the river.

Those naughty little boys immediately become well-behaved when they see Gao Qinghe.

Some of the teenagers, already feeling shy, quickly put on their underwear when they saw Gao Qinghe and the other two looking over.

Seeing the three women bring buckets, he blushed and shyly approached them, telling them where there were many snails and even helping them scoop them out.

With the help of her young friends, Gao Qinghe didn't even have to bend over; she just stood there, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand and making noises.

"Thank you so much! You guys are so kind; you must be very good at studying too."

She wore a gentle smile, her bright eyes looking at me with affirmation and appreciation.

The little boy couldn't take it anymore, and scratched his head sheepishly, saying, "No, no."

Gao Qinghe: "I can tell from your appearance that you are the kind of people who care about your parents and would take the initiative to help with chores at home."

An eight- or nine-year-old dark-skinned boy threw a rock at Gao Qinghe with a "thud," splashing water high and startling everyone.

Gao Qingya immediately raised her fist and charged at him fiercely, yelling, "What are you doing! Don't run away!"

The boy ran while explaining, "There was a fish! I smashed a fish, not a person!"

She looked at Gao Qinghe with pitiful eyes, as if she was about to cry.

Gao Qinghe wiped the water splashed on her face and looked down into the water.

There really was a grass carp, about three fingers wide, floating dazedly on the surface of the water.

Gao Qingya was also taken aback. "It really is true. You little brat, you're quite accurate."

The dark-skinned boy ran over, picked up the dizzy grass carp, and silently threw it into the wooden bucket behind Gao Qinghe.

"Sister, do you still want more? There's more over there, I'll smash it for you."

The little boy, with his dark skin and large, bright eyes, looked up expectantly, awaiting her reply.

Gao Qinghe patted his round head and said, "Go ahead, I'll give you fifty cents if you hit one."

The little boy's dark skin instantly darkened a shade, and it became burning hot.

"No, I don't want your money."

After saying that, she turned around and swam to the east bank of the river, making a smug face at her brother.

A teenager floated on the water, blushing, and said, "I can smash fish too."

Gao Qinghe smiled at him, "Smash less, I can't finish too much."

Huang Yanqiu looked at the boy's big white teeth as he grinned, and then at Gao Qinghe, who stood gracefully on the riverbank, exuding charm.

He was so angry he gritted his teeth.

But what else could she do?
Wiping the sweat from his face, he resigned himself to continuing to collect snails.

As the sun sets, pink clouds blanket the sky.

The two wooden buckets they brought were filled with snails, and there were also five fish.

With two strongmen by her side, Gao Qinghe didn't need to carry anything. She simply twirled the willow hat the boy had given her and returned home laden with her belongings.

Huang Yanqiu parted ways with the Gao sisters at the fork in the road, and Gao Qinghe gave her two fish.

"Remember to come to my house to feed the chickens tomorrow and the day after!" Gao Qinghe reminded him again.

Huang Yanqiu nodded, too hot to reply, and just wanted to go home and take a cold shower.

With a look of frustration, he said to Gao Qinghe, "Don't forget to help me find a place to live."

Gao Qinghe waved her hand, "Don't worry, I won't forget."

The two sisters walked home. Gao Qingya carried a large bucket of snails in one hand, while using her other hand to hold her sister's hand.

Two people walked towards us.

"Qinghe!" Zhou Zhenghua's lips curled up the moment he saw her, without even realizing it himself. Ouyang Yan saw it clearly and frowned slightly.

Looking at Gao Qinghe across from her, she was wearing a tank top and hot pants, revealing her long arms and legs, but she didn't exude any flirtatious vibe.

Her long, black hair was tied up high, she wore a willow hat, and held a straw hat in her hand to fan herself. Straw hairs danced playfully on her rosy cheeks, making her look like a sunny girl.

Her skin was so white it seemed to glow, dazzling and captivating, making it impossible to look away.

Ouyang Yan is a girl, and my heart skipped a beat whenever I looked at her.

Women have a particularly accurate intuition when it comes to relationships.

Ouyang Yan immediately observed the reactions of the people around her and caught a fleeting hint of bitterness in Zhou Zhenghua's eyes.

Although he quickly lowered his eyes, his gaze swept from Gao Qinghe to the wooden bucket that Gao Qingya was carrying.

But Ouyang Yan knew that Zhou Zhenghua treated Gao Qinghe differently from other women.

Gao Qingya greeted him politely, "Secretary Zhou."

She used to call him Brother Zhou or Brother Zhenghua.

When Zhou Zhenghua first heard the girl call him "Secretary," he was stunned for a moment, feeling very uncomfortable; it was just too awkward.

"You caught so many snails!"

Gao Qingya nodded and stepped aside to let the two pass.

Gao Qinghe fanned herself and saw Ouyang Yan looking at her. She gave her a polite but awkward smile.

She didn't ask where the two were going or how they got together; she was completely unconcerned.

Zhou Zhenghua felt a pang of pain in his heart. The regret and resentment of knowing that he had lost a treasure forever almost made him unable to stand calmly in front of her.

"We're getting married at the end of the month," Zhou Zhenghua said.

He looked intently into her eyes, trying to find a hint of sadness or some other emotion within them.

However, it does not.

Gao Qinghe said, "Congratulations! I'll definitely come to your wedding when I have time."

"Oh, right."

Gao Qinghe revealed a sweet and longing expression, "I'm getting married too, next month. I haven't decided where to hold it yet, I'll let you know when the time comes. But if you're not free, you don't have to come. I'm just sharing this good news."

After saying that, without looking at the two people's expressions and reactions, he took his little sister's hand, walked past them, and happily went home.

Ouyang Yan called Zhou Zhenghua three times before he heard her.

Zhou Zhenghua: "Let's go, Li Jianguo is waiting. If we delay any longer, it will be dark before we get back to the city."

Although her expression seemed normal, Ouyang Yan still sensed a sense of dejection.

She asked rudely, "Is there something going on between you and Gao Qinghe?!"

Zhou Zhenghua: "No, she wouldn't even glance at me."

Ouyang Yan grabbed his arm, her expression somewhat threatening, and said:
"You promised my parents you'd be a good husband, and you're not allowed to look at any woman other than your wife again."

Zhou Zhenghua was both amused and exasperated. "Okay."

He thought he was going to let go completely.

Otherwise, I would be letting down the girl in front of me who loves me with her life.

“Ms. Ouyang, I’ll have to ask you to take care of my mother from now on. My mother has worked hard for most of her life and it hasn’t been easy for her.”

Ouyang Yan smiled shyly, "Your mother is my mother, it's my duty to take care of her."

Li Jianguo's tricycle was parked by the bridge. Unable to bear it any longer, he honked the horn twice.

The two people standing close together were startled. Upon discovering that someone was in front of them, Zhou Zhenghua immediately removed Ouyang Yan's hand.

Ouyang Yan knew he didn't like showing intimacy in front of outsiders, so she gave him a reproachful look and said, "Then I'll go back."

Zhou Zhenghua nodded solemnly and watched her leave.

He turned around and looked back in the direction of the Gao family's house, his expression turning somber.

Why is she getting married so soon?

Gao Qinghe: Am I supposed to hold a grudge against you if I don't get married?
Gao Qingya: Exactly!

Zhou Zhenghua: ...

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(End of this chapter)