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

After more than a month of hard work, the timber mill finally opened smoothly in early April.

On the opening day, the roadsides were packed with people, and villagers from all around came to join in the fun.

The factory's black iron gate was wide open, with a red banner hanging above it that read, "Warmly celebrate the official opening and production of Qingsong Timber Factory."

The entrance was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and a lively lion dance troupe took turns performing, the deafening noise carrying far and wide.

Fang Zhijie invited this lion dance troupe; since his good friend was starting a business, he naturally had to put on a good show.

The villagers crowded outside the gate, craning their necks to look into the factory area.

The factory ground is compacted loess and gravel. A large and imposing Dongfeng truck is parked on the west side, and a whole production workshop is on the east side.

At first glance, rows of neatly stacked logs, square timbers, and planks, including various types of wood such as pine, poplar, and elm, can be seen inside.

Brand-new machinery such as cutting machines, planers, and band saws were neatly arranged on one side.

The whole scene and spectacle were truly magnificent!

Qiao Liping, who was passing by on her way to the market, also witnessed this grand occasion.

Curious, she approached a villager and asked, "Who owns this timber yard?"

The other person was busy watching the lion dance and casually replied, "The Xiao family."

"Which Xiao family? There are plenty of people with the surname Xiao around here."

The other person replied, "That poor kid who used to go hunting?"

Someone else chimed in, "We can't keep calling him a poor kid. He's the manager of this huge lumber mill now, a proper big boss!"

Qiao Liping was startled and almost cried out, "It's Xiao Jingye?"

"Do you know him?"

"That's my niece's husband!"

Someone nearby scoffed, "Bullshit! Their relatives and friends are all in the yard, why didn't they invite you?"

Qiao Liping was speechless, standing in the crowd, looking towards the lumber mill compound.

Many relatives and friends who came to offer their congratulations were standing in the courtyard, including Qiao Nianshan and her eldest brother's family. They were all people who were close to Qiao Qingyan on a regular basis.

In the center of the venue, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was in full swing.

Xiao Jingye was dressed in a well-fitting black suit, looking radiant and incredibly handsome. Qingyan stood beside him, wearing a beige woolen suit, with bright eyes and white teeth, her demeanor as clean and pure as fresh snow on a mountaintop.

Village Party Secretary Zhang cleared his throat: "Today is the grand opening of Jingye's Qingsong Timber Factory. On behalf of the entire village, I would like to welcome all the leaders present: Mayor Li, Director Wu of the Town Economic Commission, Officer Zhang of the Forestry Station, Section Chief Wang of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, Captain Zhou of the Public Security Joint Defense Team..."

The invited officials stood in a row, each holding a piece of bright red ribbon.

Xiao Jingye, standing in the center, reached out and pulled Qingyan to his side, placing his left hand on the back of her hand and holding a pair of gleaming silver scissors with her in his right.

Qingyan looked at the huge crowd at the entrance, blushed, and whispered, "Isn't it inappropriate for you to be this close to me?"

"It's not bad." He lowered his head slightly, his breath falling on her ear.

Even though the two had been intimate many times, Qingyan still felt her heart pounding whenever he got close.

With a loud "Start!", his warm palm touched her hand, and together they "snipped" the ribbon off.

The other cadres simultaneously cut the ribbons, and the red silk ribbons broke off one by one, fluttering gently to the ground in the wind.

Instantly, the firecrackers that had been prepared in advance outside the factory area exploded with a loud bang, the crackling sound reverberating all around, and red firecracker debris flew everywhere, like a blanket of red for celebration.

Qiao Qingyan raised her eyebrows and turned her head to look at the man beside her.

Their faces were clearly reflected in each other's eyes, and their smiles blended together, brighter than the spring sunshine in April.

-

After the timber factory opened, business boomed. It was the only timber processing plant in the surrounding area. In order to boost agricultural and forestry income, the town government took the initiative to provide support and introduced various orders.

In the first month after opening, the pre-sale deposits alone recovered most of the cost of building the factory.

The van was left to Fang Zhijie for his business selling mountain products, so Xiao Jingye simply bought a car.

Qiao Qingyan regularly helps students in need, and her many outstanding deeds have been noticed, earning her the title of outstanding teacher in the township.

That day, after she went to the city for an awards ceremony, Xiao Jingye came to pick her up in this new car.

As the teachers walked out of the Education Bureau building, they held their certificates of merit and said goodbye to each other.

Qiao Qingyan was holding a gold-embossed award certificate in her arms, chatting with a newly acquainted colleague.

Suddenly, I heard someone exclaim in a low voice, "That man is so handsome!"

She subconsciously looked up and saw Xiao Jingye leaning against a brand-new black sedan, one hand in his pocket, tall, handsome, flamboyant and eye-catching.

He had a faint smile on his lips as he looked at her.

Qingyan smiled gently and said to the person next to her, "My lover is here, I'll be going now, goodbye."

She then rushed to the man, panting, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Xiao Jingye leaned down and quickly kissed her cheek: "I promised to pick you up."

Qingyan's gaze fell on the brand-new car, and she asked, "What's this car?"

"Just picked up the car." He reached out and opened the passenger door, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Get in! Taking the outstanding teacher out to a restaurant today."

The car drove smoothly along the spring streets, passing rows of residential buildings and passing through bustling alleys.

Xiao Jingye turned his head to look at the girl beside him.

She wore a white headband, her profile was delicate and beautiful, her skin was as white as snow, and the gentle spring breeze stirred her long hair, the ends of which swayed gently.

He took her hand and kissed it: "I did it."

Her clear, bright eyes looked at him: "What did you do?"

Xiao Jingye gripped her hand tightly, the image of that harsh winter flashing through his mind.

At that time, he was riding an old bicycle, and she was squeezed on the front crossbar. The biting cold wind made her little ears turn red, and she was shivering from the cold.

At that moment, a gray Toyota sedan drove past the two of them, kicking up a gust of cold wind.

At that time, Xiao Jingye secretly made up his mind that one day, he would make sure his wife could also ride in such a magnificent car and not have to suffer from the cold in winter.

I want to make a lot of money so that my wife will no longer suffer the cold looks from snobbish relatives and friends, but can stand proudly by my side.

The car slowly came to a stop by the roadside. Xiao Jingye was filled with emotion. He held the back of her head with one hand, pulled her close, and leaned in to kiss her deeply.

He kissed her until she was slightly breathless before releasing her, gazing into her clear eyes, and said:

"Wife, I promise, from now on you'll only eat 78 (presumably referring to a specific type of food), and you won't have to suffer."

-

Chen Xiaomeng is not a generous person; she holds onto her money tightly.

Jia Er tried asking once, but immediately saw that she wasn't as easily fooled as others, so he could only adopt a long-term, roundabout tactic.

At this time, he did not know that Chen Xiaomeng was the daughter of Chen Xiuying and her first wife.

Learning from Chen Xiaomeng that she came from a wealthy family and was an only child in the city, Jia Er suppressed his impetuous nature and patiently entertained her.

Inside a hotel.

Jia Er reached out and scooped Chen Xiaomeng up: "You like it that much?"

Chen Xiaomeng lay in his arms: "Mmm, I like it." Jiang Runsheng never had such a magnificent thing before.

Jia Er curled his lip in a smug, cold laugh and recited the lines he had prepared in his mind:

My parents want me to bring you home to meet them.

"When?" Chen Xiaomeng asked in surprise.

"Let's wait until they come back from out of town; the elderly couple went on vacation. I've been quite busy lately, as I'm planning to invest in a tea factory."

"A tea factory?"

"Yeah, a friend of mine invested 200 yuan last year, and it increased fivefold in three months, earning him over 1,000 yuan."

Chen Xiaomeng's interest was piqued, and she straightened up to look at him: "Really? Investing in a tea factory is that profitable?"

"Yes, tea has high profit margins and a high rate of return; most people export it overseas."

"Um... can I come along?"

Jia Er pretended to be troubled: "I'll ask that friend later. The main problem is that there are too many people who want to invest now, and they don't even look at small investments. They all start at five hundred yuan, and you need connections to get involved."

Chen Xiaomeng only had a little over four hundred yuan left, which was obviously not enough. She thought she should find a way to earn some money so she wouldn't just sit around and do nothing.

With such a great opportunity to make money, how could she possibly let it pass by?

She quickly shook Jia Er's arm and pleaded, "I want to invest too, please help me, I only have four hundred yuan left..."

After a moment's thought, Jia Er generously said, "I'll make up the remaining hundred yuan for you, and all the profits from now on will be yours."

"Ah! You're so great, Jia Er, you're so kind!" Chen Xiaomeng excitedly hugged his face and kissed him a few times.

If she invested 500 yuan, wouldn't she have 2500 yuan after three months?

Chen Xiaomeng became happier and happier as she calculated, feeling that her life had become much more hopeful after meeting Jia Er.