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

Qin Liping blinked and interjected, "Then why isn't there any wild game in tonight's meal?"

Qin Shan immediately glared at her and scolded in a low voice, "You're so insensible! We just moved here, we're already lucky to have a hot meal. The food at Comrade Chen's house is much better than what we used to eat."

Chen Yongqiang explained, "I didn't know if your family ate wild animals; some people are superstitious about it. Besides, there's a pregnant woman in the family, so we didn't prepare any."

"Of course I've eaten it! I haven't tried it yet!" Qin Liping's eyes lit up, but she realized she had said the wrong thing as soon as she said it. She quickly lowered her head and secretly glanced at her father.

Just as Qin Shan was about to reprimand him, Chen Yongqiang interrupted, "It's normal that you haven't tried it. How about this, I'll go up the mountain tomorrow and if I'm lucky enough to catch something, I'll treat you to a taste."

Qin Liping immediately raised her head, wanting to say something but not daring to, and just smiled secretly with her lips pursed.

Qin Shan quickly waved his hand, "I can't accept this, it's too much trouble for you."

"It's no trouble at all. I often go up the mountain myself," Chen Yongqiang said, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Qin Liping's expectant little face. "There are plenty of wild rabbits and pheasants in the mountains, and if you're lucky, you might even spot a roe deer."

Lin Xiulian, who had been eating quietly, also spoke up: "Yongqiang is a skilled hunter, so please don't be shy."

Qin Shan then stopped refusing and said gratefully, "Then thank you very much, Comrade Chen."

After dinner, Chen Yongqiang escorted Qin Shan's family to the thatched hut.

"Comrade Chen, thank you so much for today." Qin Shan stopped in front of the thatched hut and said sincerely, "Liping is just a child who doesn't know any better, please don't take it to heart."

"Kids are naturally curious," Chen Yongqiang said, not really bothered.

The next day, Chen Yongqiang went to the village office with the money in his pocket. He was thinking that he had to sign the contract as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen problems.

Yang Dahai, seeing him arrive so early, asked, "So rushed?"

"It'll be more reassuring to settle things sooner." Chen Yongqiang took out the money he had prepared from his pocket. "I brought the contract fee."

Yang Dahai urged Accountant Zhou to quickly draft a contract for the 15 mu of wasteland, with an annual rent of 7.5 yuan, totaling 225 yuan over 30 years. The terms were clearly stated.

The reason it's so cheap is mainly because it's barren land where nothing can be grown.

"As we discussed yesterday, five mu were allocated to Technician Qin's family, so you still have fifteen mu left," Yang Dahai said while filling in the acreage.

Chen Yongqiang pressed his fingerprint on the contract: "Fifteen mu is enough."

As Chen Yongqiang walked out of the village office, the sun had just risen. He stood on the steps, gazing at the wasteland that belonged to him in the distance.

Although it's five mu less, the fifteen mu are connected in one piece, which is just right for planning an orchard.

"Don't rush off yet. I'll call Qin Shan and have him familiarize himself with the land," Yang Dahai said to Chen Yongqiang, then sent a young boy to the thatched hut to fetch people.

Before long, Qin Shan arrived, jogging along. Yang Dahai led the two of them to the wasteland at the west end of the village.

This land is indeed barren, with a thin soil layer, lots of sand and gravel, and sparse withered grass trembling in the morning breeze.

"Look, this is it." Yang Dahai tapped the cracked ground with his foot.

"Technician Qin, according to the usual land allocation rules in our village, your family of five should get four mu. But this land is too dry, so I'll make the decision to allocate an extra mu for you, making it five mu."

He beckoned to the village officials who were traveling with him: "Mark the boundaries clearly, so there won't be any misunderstandings later."

The village officials quickly took out a measuring tape and wooden stakes, and called on two helpers to start measuring and driving the stakes.

"It's not that this land can't be cultivated," Yang Dahai bent down, grabbed a handful of soil, and rubbed it in his hands. "It just takes a lot of effort to carry water up to irrigate it."

Qin Shan looked at this land where even the weeds grew listlessly, and his brows furrowed.

He squatted down, picked up a handful of soil and examined it closely. He then tapped the hard ground with his knuckles, feeling worried: What good things can grow on this land? I'm afraid even corn won't grow well.

Chen Yongqiang walked to his 15-mu (approximately 1.65 acres) plot of land, used his feet to break up the top layer of dry soil, and thought about when he would bring the spring water over.

Qin Shan stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward Chen Yongqiang's fifteen mu of land.

Although they are both wastelands, that area has a flat terrain and the soil looks slightly better.

Yang Dahai continued, "Technician Qin, isn't your agricultural research institute the best at improving soil? It's a good opportunity to try your skills."

Qin Shan forced a smile. Improving the soil is no easy task; it would require a lot of fertilizer and manpower.

Right now, they're struggling to even get food, let alone have the energy to mess with this barren land.

At this moment, a village official came over to report: "Village chief, the boundaries have all been marked."

Yang Dahai nodded and said to Qin Shan, "The land has been allocated to you. How to cultivate it and what to plant are up to you. If you encounter any difficulties, just tell the village, and we will definitely help if we can."

After the village officials disappeared at the end of the dirt road, Qin Shan turned to Chen Yongqiang and asked sincerely, "Comrade Yongqiang, what are your specific plans for contracting this wasteland?"

Chen Yongqiang revealed part of his plan: "I plan to build a pond on that mountain peak first, to store water during the rainy season. Once we have water, we'll plant apple trees."

Qin Shan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Building a reservoir to store water, and then developing planting! This is a practical and feasible plan!"

He paused briefly, then his tone became even more earnest: "Our family is willing to contribute to the repair of the water tank. We just hope that we can divert some of the water at that time. What do you think?"

Chen Yongqiang pondered for a moment. The project was just starting out, and they were short-handed at the moment.

Qin Shan offered to help, which would not only speed up the project's progress but also save him a lot of effort.

Moreover, Qin Shan has a background in agricultural research institutes, so perhaps I can entrust the orchard to him to manage in the future, since hunting is still my main occupation.

"Since Technician Qin is willing to join, that's great." Chen Yongqiang nodded in agreement.

"Building a water tank is a huge project, and the more people there are, the more effort we'll put in. Once the tank is finished, it's only right that we share some of the water with you."

Qin Shan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile spreading across his face: "Thank you so much! We may not have much else, but we certainly have the strength. Just let us know when to start."

After the land was distributed to individual households, the scenes of collective labor and bustling activity that used to be seen are no longer seen.

Nowadays, if you want to undertake a large project like repairing a water tank, you have to pay people out of your own pocket.

Chen Yongqiang roughly calculated that the labor and materials alone would be a considerable expense, not even including the investment in later maintenance.

The investment is large, but in just a few years, this wasteland will be transformed into a gold mine.

He already had a clear understanding of the situation. The apple saplings improved by the space could yield at least 5,000 catties per mu.

Apples are in short supply in the city right now. Even at the lowest price of two cents per pound, one acre of land can bring in at least a thousand yuan. Fifteen acres would mean an annual income of fifteen thousand yuan.

A household with 10,000 yuan—a sum that most farmers wouldn't even dare to dream of—can be achieved on this barren land.

Qin Shan estimated that "just repairing the pool will cost at least two or three hundred yuan."

"I'll figure out the money." Chen Yongyuan gazed at the distant mountain peaks.