Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Zhao Yutian nodded in deep agreement, picked up the shovel, and continued working:

"That makes sense. Coal is in the most demanding season in winter. It's common for coal yards to run out of stock when it gets cold. My head gets so cold in the middle of the night that I can't sleep."

At this point, Zhao Yutian pointed to the corner of the wall:

"By the way, Brother Chen, I brought over two sacks of corn cobs and piled them up against the wall over there. That stuff is great for starting fires, it saves a lot of trouble. Let me know when you're done, and I'll get you some more."

"I saw it."

Lin Chen rested for a while, leaning on his shovel, and said:

"Uncle Changgui just had a lot of corn stalks delivered; that should be enough for the winter."

Lin Chen gestured with his chin toward the west wall, where a stack of timber was neatly arranged, standing more than two meters high.

"I even ordered firewood in advance, and it's all stacked against the west wall."

"Emma, ​​you've prepared so many things! Your house will be so warm in winter."

The two chatted as they worked in perfect harmony, shoveling coal into the storage room.

Lin Chen slammed the heavy iron gate to the warehouse shut, locked it, and let out a heavy sigh.

The barn was full of coal, the west wall was lined with neat stacks of firewood, and the doorway to the stove was piled with corn kernels and stalks. All the winter supplies were neatly arranged in the yard.

Intermittent tinkling sounds came from the outer room, mixed with the sounds of women talking and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhao Yutian listened intently and asked curiously:

"Hey Chen-ge, what's all the commotion about in your outer room? It's so noisy!"

"Pickled cabbage, you mean?"

Lin Chen patted the coal dust off his hands:

"Your Aunt Big Foot is busy with Xiao Mei and Xiao Meng. You can lack any vegetables in winter, but you can't do without pickled cabbage. You can't live without it all winter. So you're thinking of quickly pickling two big vats, enough for the whole family to eat until next year."

"Of course, you can't do without sauerkraut, you can't do without anything else."

Zhao Yutian twitched his nose twice, smelled the fragrance wafting out, and grinned as he leaned closer:

"What delicious food are you planning for tonight? I can already smell the aroma."

"Why is your nose so sharp? Don't worry, the food is really good. Go and call Yingzi over too."

Zhao Yutian nodded happily, quickly packed up his shovel and tools, went straight to the washbasin outside, washed his hands, and went to find Liu Ying.

Inside the house, Xie Dajiao, wearing a loose-fitting home coat with her sleeves rolled up, was in charge of the task of pickling sauerkraut.

She was pregnant after all, so she was very careful with her movements. She taught the two women to neatly stack the dried cabbages in layers, sprinkle coarse salt on each layer, and press each layer down firmly.

Wang Xiaomeng rolled up her sleeves to her forearms, revealing her slender, fair arms. She bent over to straighten the cabbages, pressing them tightly layer by layer. She was quick and efficient, her eyes sharp and attentive. Xie Xiaomei was busy cooking, glancing back every now and then.

Lin Chen filled the entire vat with cabbages, then moved a heavy bluestone and placed it on top of the vat.

Xie Dajiao patted the stone and chatted idly with the others:

"The price of coal has gone up a bit this year. Good coal in town costs 300 yuan a ton. Most people can't afford to stock up on it, so it's only Xiao Chen who bought so much at once."

"It's fine if there's a lot, but the room has to be warm and cozy. What if you all catch a cold from the cold?"

Wang Xiaomeng asked with a smile:

"By the way, do you guys eat salted garlic? Mine is ready. If you want some, I can go back and get some. I just saw two canning jars on the windowsill."

Lin Chen immediately said:

"Eat up! Hurry back and get some, some salted garlic and some pickled garlic."

"Okay, I'll go back now." Wang Xiaomeng put on her coat, grabbed the canned food jar, and headed home.

……

While everyone else on Ivory Mountain was leisurely busy with winter storage, some people on the back mountain were working themselves to the bone, unable to eat or sleep properly.

Xie Yongqiang squatted in the makeshift shack, with blisters on his lips, bloodshot eyes, and a lot of weight loss.

During this period, he stayed in the mountains to clear land, extremely anxious. Planting fruit trees in the Liaobei region after the first frost and before the soil freezes is far better than transplanting them in the spring.

Autumn-planted seedlings can have their roots penetrate the soil before the ground freezes. They can slowly recover underground over the winter and adapt to the mountain soil. When the snow and ice melt in the spring of the following year, they will sprout and grow branches directly. Compared with fruit trees planted temporarily in the spring, the growth cycle is about half a month longer and the survival rate is directly doubled.

He lay on the old wooden table, staring at his hand-drawn plan of the barren mountain, and sighed silently.

The south-facing slope of the mountain has fertile soil and plenty of sunshine all day. He wants to plant Nanguo pear and Jinfeng pear, as the two varieties are well-suited to the climate, have a short fruiting period, and are easy to monetize.

The north-facing, shady slopes are cold and prone to frost, making them unsuitable for delicate fruit trees. Instead, only 123 small apples and Hanfu apples are planted there.

The plan was well done, and the blueprints were densely drawn, but it was stuck on the most practical hurdle—no money.

Purchasing large quantities of first-grade fruit trees, after all the calculations, would cost at least 20,000 yuan. He had already put all his money into it when he contracted the barren mountain.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go home to find Xie Guangkun. But before he could even finish speaking, Xie Guangkun pointed his finger at him and yelled at him as he left.

"You won't get a single penny! You gave up a stable job to mess around in the mountains digging dirt. Do whatever you want, just don't come looking for me, I don't care about your business!"

Xie Guangkun then called Pi Changshan and repeatedly gave him instructions:

"His project on that barren mountain is pure nonsense. Don't lend him a single penny! Let him run into a wall a few more times, and he'll eventually slink away and go to work obediently. He needs to be taught a lesson!"

His own father had blocked his access to funds, all his relatives and friends had blocked him, and no one in the village dared to lend him money, as 20,000 yuan was not a small amount.

With nowhere else to turn, he wandered aimlessly until his feet unconsciously wobbled to the front door of Lin Chen's house.

He leaned against the courtyard wall, pacing back and forth, his mind in turmoil, his brows furrowed in a knot.

It's so embarrassing to go to someone's door asking for money when you're down on your luck; you just can't bear to lose face.

He squatted in the shadows by the wall, pulling at the withered grass at his feet, his heart filled with anxiety and restlessness. If he didn't raise the money soon, the soil would freeze completely, and he wouldn't be able to plant the fruit trees this year. This would delay the planting for several months, and all his previous efforts would be wasted.

Just as Xie Yongqiang was squatting there, struggling with his problem, Wang Xiaomeng walked over carrying two jars of salted garlic. When she looked up, she bumped into Xie Yongqiang, who was squatting against the wall with a haggard face.

Wang Xiaomeng paused, her face full of surprise:

"Yongqiang? What's wrong with you? What are you doing loitering around the door? Why don't you come in?"

The three questions in a row made Xie Yongqiang freeze. He jumped up and stood up straight, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, and his eyes darted away, avoiding eye contact.

He stammered and stuttered as he spoke:

"No...nothing, I just finished eating and was taking a stroll. I just happened to be passing by. You should go inside now, I'm leaving."

After saying that, fearing that Wang Xiaomeng would ask more questions, he lowered his head, walked away hurriedly with flustered steps.

Wang Xiaomeng stared at his hastily fleeing figure, completely bewildered. She frowned, shook her head, picked up the salted garlic, and turned back into the courtyard.

Before dinner, Lin Chen sat on a bench in the outer room and washed his hands several times with water until they were clean. These things are not easy to wash. After he finished, he prepared to sit down to eat.

Wang Xiaomeng walked to his side and recounted her encounter with Xie Yongqiang at the door.

"I noticed he looked really bad; his face was dark. I asked him what he was doing there, but he wouldn't say. He just ran off in a panic."

Lin Chen picked up a towel, dried his hands, and smiled faintly.

"No need to guess, they're just short of money."

"With the ground about to freeze and the soil settling, his barren mountain has only just begun to develop. He hasn't received a single penny of seedlings or farm machinery. It's perfectly normal for him to be anxious and frustrated."

Xie Dajiao was soft-hearted and hesitated before speaking:

"Why don't we take the initiative and ask him? If we can lend a hand, then so be it?"

"Don't initiate conversation."

Lin Chen gently shook his head, having seen through Xie Yongqiang's character:

"Xie Yongqiang is proud and obsessed with saving face. Since he stood at the door for a long time without coming in, it means he wanted to ask but couldn't bring himself to do it. When we took the initiative to offer him help, he became resentful and felt that we looked down on him."

"Here's what I'll do: after I finish eating, I'll go up the mountain myself and check on his shack. Make sure the college student doesn't get too cold. I'll also see if his plan is reliable and if he can actually make it work. If it is, I'll lend a hand; if it isn't, no one can save him."

Wang Xiaomeng nodded obediently. She knew that Lin Chen was meticulous and knew how to act appropriately, so she stopped talking and turned to help Xie Xiaomei serve the dishes.

As darkness fell, a cold wind rose in the mountains, causing the temperature to drop sharply; it was several degrees colder up in the mountains than in the village.

The thatched hut was drafty, with cold air constantly blowing in from all sides.

Xie Yongqiang, wrapped in a thin jacket with pilling edges, squatted by the door with his knees drawn up to his chest, gnawing on a cold, hard steamed bun, without even a sip of hot soup.

The hand-drawn planning map lay flat on a scratched wooden table, with something on top of it, its edges constantly shifting in the draft.

His eyes were dull and dejected, and his heart sank.

He had just repeatedly calculated the costs. Relying solely on a pickaxe to manually clear the land, even if he didn't eat or drink and waited until the ground froze, he wouldn't even be able to clear a third of the wasteland. This year's fruit tree planting was completely ruined, and it was too late for anything else.

The thought of how my former ambitions have led me to this state of hunger and cold in the mountains is incredibly frustrating, and it's so hard to do anything worthwhile.

The dry, cold steamed bun was as hard to swallow as gnawing on sawdust.

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the shack. He looked up and saw Lin Chen carrying something and slowly walking towards him.

As they drew closer, the light flickered, illuminating Lin Chen's composed face.

Xie Yongqiang suddenly stood up, instantly at a loss, feeling both surprised and ashamed.