A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

In the city.

"Boss Li, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

Xiao Jingye stood up and took the initiative to shake hands with the other person.

Across from me was a middle-aged man with a large belly, who returned the handshake with a broad smile, casually tucking his black briefcase under his arm.

"Boss Xiao, it's a pleasure doing business with you! From now on, all of my dozen or so grocery stores will get their supplies from you."

The deal went exceptionally smoothly.

Xiao Jingye offered substantial discounts, focusing on low profit margins and high sales volume, which genuinely benefited the other party, resulting in a win-win situation for both sides.

In the warehouse, Qingyan helped Chunya sort the goods.

Chestnuts were piled up like a small mountain on the large worktable, and two girls wearing aprons and cotton gloves stood in front of the table.

Chun Ya picked up two chestnuts and patiently explained to Qing Yan:

"These chestnuts need to be separated into large and small sizes. We sell the large ones to food companies and restaurants, and the smaller ones to canneries and sauce processing plants."

Qingyan smiled and nodded: "Okay, I understand."

In the factory yard, Zhijie and two workers were methodically loading goods onto a bread truck.

In just a month or so, Xiao Jingye's mountain products business developed rapidly and flourished.

He simply bought a used minivan, replaced the engine, and it became much more convenient whether he was going into the mountains to pick up or deliver goods.

Qingyan originally intended to give him the 15,000 yuan that Qiao Ni and He Yannian gave her to use for business.

Xiao Jingye refused and went directly to the bank with Qingyan to open a savings account, depositing all the money into her name.

He said, "I don't need your money to do business."

Qingyan said with dissatisfaction, "Why are you making such a clear distinction? What do you mean by 'yours' and 'mine'?"

He smiled slightly and pinched her cheek: "I'm going to make something of myself and show your aunt and brother that you made the right choice."

During this period, Xiao Jingye was so busy that he was practically never home, and Qingyan didn't get to see him for several days in a row.

It happened to be the weekend, and he went home last night. This morning before he left, she insisted on coming to help and do her part.

Xiao Jingye didn't want his wife to do these chores, but he couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had no choice but to bring her along.

While helping with the sorting, Qingyan chatted with Chunya: "You have quite a variety of goods now."

"Yes, Brother Jingye felt that the products were too limited, so he expanded the range to include more varieties," Chun Ya said. "Previously, we mainly sold a few popular items such as wild game, medicinal herbs, animal hides, and honey. Now the factory has a wide variety of mountain products, including black fungus, shiitake mushrooms, walnuts, chestnuts, wild bamboo shoots, dried wild vegetables, pine nuts, hawthorn, and more."

Qingyan sorted the large fruits in her hand into a large bamboo basket beside her, and asked casually:

"He hasn't been home for the past few days. Did he go into the mountains to collect goods?"

Chun Ya chuckled and joked, "What, checking up on your husband's work?"

"No." Qingyan lowered her eyes, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.

Chun Ya said, "A few days ago, he and Zhi Jie went to the mountains to collect goods. After they came back, they negotiated several big deals. He's really busy. That's how it is in this line of work."

"Oh," Qingyan replied.

"Now we not only collect the goods ourselves, but also from other dealers, although the profit margins are quite different. So, when Jinye and Zhijie have free time, they still go to the mountains themselves." Chun Ya deftly sorted the chestnuts and continued, "Jinye has also discussed cooperation with several food companies, canneries, pastry factories, and local product companies, so the factory's business is now more extensive. If the business continues to expand in the future, he will be even busier."

"You've all worked really hard," Qingyan said.

After a while, once a truckload of goods had been loaded in the yard, Fang Zhijie shouted through the window into the warehouse:

"Chun Ya, I'm going to deliver the goods."

"Okay!" Chun Ya replied, then muttered, "Fine, I'll go. Why do I need to report to you?"

Qingyan chuckled: "You two are getting married soon, who else would he tell if he doesn't inform you?"

Chun Ya glanced at the figure outside the window, her face flushed: "I don't want to marry him at all~"

"I heard from my mom that your wedding date is set for the 18th of the twelfth lunar month?"

"Yes, it was all decided by the elders."

Qingyan said sincerely, "Chunya, Zhijie actually likes you a lot. Although he has a carefree personality, anyone can see that he is very considerate of you and cherishes you deeply."

Chun Ya didn't speak, her head was down, and her face turned red inch by inch.

-

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, and heavy snow fell in abundance, soon covering the ground in white.

The Xiao family home was exceptionally lively that day, with lights shining brightly in the courtyard and houses, and it was packed with neighbors.

All eyes were on the washing machine in the yard and the color TV in the main room, and people gathered around praising and discussing them.

"Aunt Zeng, with this big machine, you won't have to go to the river to wash clothes with your hands frozen in the dead of winter anymore."

"That's right! Just throw the dirty clothes in, it saves so much effort! Yumei, you're so lucky to have such a filial and considerate son and daughter-in-law."

Zeng Yumei beamed, "He'd been saying he wanted to buy it for ages, but I kept stopping him. That big machine, how would I know how to use it? But this time I couldn't stop him, he just brought it home..."

Inside the room, Xiao Duoduo sat proudly in the middle of the television, several children were watching the screen with fascination, and a group of adults stood around watching the spectacle.

"Duoduo, look how capable your brother is, he can buy you a big TV to watch."

"This TV looks impressive, it must cost at least a thousand yuan, right? Add to that the washing machine outside, and Jingye's going to spend two or three thousand yuan in total, won't he?"

"The Xiao family's life is getting better and better. I never thought trading mountain products could be so profitable..."

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with envy.

The disturbance continued until late at night before the neighbors gradually dispersed.

Duoduo was so sleepy that her eyes were practically slits, but she didn't want to go to sleep. In the end, Xiao Jingye kicked her butt, and she ran off to find her mother with a pout.

Xiao Jingye closed the courtyard gate and the room door, then entered the bedroom, bringing with him a chill.

Qingyan was sitting on the kang reading a book. When she saw him come in, she gave him a light reproachful look and then crawled into bed.

The crackling sound of burning firewood reached my ears; Xiao Jingye was adding firewood to the stove.

The room was warm and cozy, and the temperature of the kang (heated brick bed) beneath me was just right; it was very comfortable to lie on.

Xiao Jingye took off his coat, lifted the blanket, turned off the light, and lay down.

In the dim light, he reached out to hug her, but she turned away.

He leaned down and kissed her ear, his breathing heavy and urgent, as he kissed her while untying the knot at her waist.

"Wife." Xiao Jingye's voice was low and hoarse.

"Get out of here!" Qingyan scolded in a delicate voice.

"What's wrong?" His hot breath fell on her cheek. "Aren't you happy I'm back?"

Qingyan's pajamas were crumpled and rumpled. She bit her lip, her breath slightly ragged, and asked him softly, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." A mountain of weight pressed down on me.

Tomorrow morning, it's tomorrow morning again!

Qingyan shrank back, her brows furrowed, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

She nudged his shoulder and lightly punched him with her little pink fist: "So you only come back every time to sleep with me, and then leave the next morning!"

"Wife, I miss you so much." Xiao Jingye leaned down and kissed her snow-white neck, pressing her small hand onto the pillow with his large hand, their fingers intertwined.

Qingyan sullenly hummed, "You don't miss me at all. If you did, would you only come back once every two weeks?"

Xiao Jingye hugged her tightly: "I want to save more money and get the timber factory up and running as soon as possible. Once the factory is stable, I won't have to run around to the countryside every day like I do with mountain products."

"I've already found a location for the timber mill. It'll be near our village, so I can come home to see you every day, okay?"

The kang (heated brick bed) was very hot, and Qingyan broke out in a thin layer of sweat.

Strands of her hair were damp and clinging to her forehead, her porcelain-white and delicate skin shimmered in the night, and her lips were slightly red from being bitten. She looked pitiful yet stunningly beautiful.

"The business of selling mountain products is so good now. You've worked so hard to secure so many collaborations. Are you just going to give them all up?" she asked.

Her arms unconsciously climbed up his neck and tightened around him.

Xiao Jingye groaned, sweat dripping onto her face:

"Zhijie and Chunya are getting married soon. The mountain products business is very stable now, so it will mainly be handled by the couple. Zhijie will also have a stable career. I don't need to worry about it and can just wait for the dividends every year."

"Hiss..." He raised his hand and patted her, "Someone else."

Qingyan's eyes were slightly red, and she murmured softly, "I didn't."

Her waist was deeply sunken, and her slender waist swayed gently in the spring breeze like a willow branch.

Its enchanting fragrance wafts through the air.

The white pillowcase was embroidered with pink peonies, the petals of which she clutched tightly with her fingers.

Look back at him.

His tall, broad body cast a large shadow against the backlight, yet his face remained fierce and handsome.

His muscular chest glistened with sweat, his abdominal muscles were firm and rugged, exuding a wild, untamed energy. His gaze carried an undeniable, authoritative pressure.

The hand gripping her neck was warm and thick, rougher than before from carrying loads of goods, covered with a layer of calluses.

Qingyan couldn't bring herself to be angry with him; he was working hard for their future and for their family.

That little complaint dissipated into the night as the two breathed together.

"Xiao Jingye, Xiao Jingye..." she cried out, pinching his arm hard with her fingertips.

"Call me husband."

"...Husband...mmm..." Qingyan's lips were fiercely kissed by him.

His eyes were deeper than the night, and his voice was extremely hoarse: "Here you go, my husband."

Outside, the night wind howled past, carrying snowflakes, while the temperature inside lingered for a long time.

On a freezing winter night, she melted softly in his arms.