Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Lin Chen hadn't returned from the county town yet. Around nine o'clock in the morning, Xie Yongqiang was in his house on the mountain, scratching his head in frustration.

Repairing the irrigation canal would require a large sum of money, and this 100,000 yuan completely blocked Xie Yongqiang's path, leaving him with no way to deal with it.

He went to the credit union twice, but the loan application was still rejected.

Then he turned to his classmates and friends to borrow money. Everyone had just started working and was short of money. No one could come up with such a large sum of money.

Technician Wang squatted outside, sighing repeatedly.

"Yongqiang, this can't go on like this. If we delay for a few more days, the window of opportunity will be closed, and all the money and effort you put in will be wasted."

Xie Yongqiang remained silent, his brows furrowed in a frown.

He had considered asking Lin Chen for help, but Lin Chen had already offered 20,000 yuan for investment last time. The two weren't related, and Lin Chen's help this time was already generous enough. He felt too embarrassed to bother him again.

Just as he was at his wit's end, footsteps came from the mountain path, followed by Xie Guangkun's shouting from afar.

"I told you long ago, running this orchard and building these irrigation ditches was a waste of time! But you wouldn't listen! And look what happened? You've done half of it and abandoned the other half, now you can't do anything about it anymore!"

Xie Guangkun climbed up the slope, panting heavily, and even then, he still pointed at Xie Yongqiang and gave him a lecture.

"Let me tell you straight, the family isn't coming up with a single penny. I have some money to buy more goods. You got yourself into this mess, so figure it out yourself. Don't expect the family to give you any money!"

Xie Yongqiang felt irritated and suppressed his anger, saying in a low voice:

"I can handle this myself, just don't come along and make things worse."

"Am I making things worse?"

Xie Guangkun was so angry that he stomped his feet on the spot:

"I told you to date Wang Xiaomeng back then, but you wouldn't listen! Now her factory is thriving, and she's doing great, while you're stuck here suffering in this barren mountain! If you had gotten together with Xiaomeng back then, 100,000 yuan wouldn't be a problem for you! You wouldn't have to worry about it at all!"

Xie Yongqiang was too lazy to talk to him about these old stories; it would be a waste of breath to say another word.

He stood up, walked to the other end of the orchard, and simply ignored him.

Xie Guangkun muttered and cursed at his son's back for a long time, but seeing that his son remained silent, he had nowhere to vent his anger and could only angrily flick his sleeves to prepare to go down the mountain.

But after walking a few steps, he felt increasingly frustrated and stopped in his tracks. He thought that he would have to come back tomorrow to persuade Xie Yongqiang. Even if he had to swallow his pride, he had to go to Wang Xiaomeng to borrow money, otherwise he would not be able to get through this difficult situation.

That evening, Technician Wang came again. Seeing Xie Yongqiang so worried that he couldn't sleep, he couldn't bear it any longer and took the initiative to speak:

"Yongqiang, I do have someone who can help you, but I don't know if you can accept it."

Xie Yongqiang looked up at him, his face full of exhaustion, and said:

"Brother Wang, things have come to this point, what else can I complain about? As long as it solves the money problem, I'll accept any method."

"She's my cousin, Chen Guiying."

Technician Wang rubbed his hands together and slowly said:

"Her husband died in an accident two years ago while driving a long-distance freight truck. He left her with a compensation payment. She runs a grain and oil store in town and has some extra money."

"She had asked me before if there were any reliable and solid small projects she wanted to invest in, as long as the interest was better than putting money in the bank."

Fearing Xie Yongqiang might have reservations, he quickly added:

"She lives alone with a four-year-old boy. She has a rather fiery personality and a sharp tongue, so she might seem difficult to get along with. But she's a decent person and more reliable than many men. If you don't mind her situation, I can help you make a connection so you can meet and talk."

Xie Yongqiang hesitated for a moment after listening. There's a lot of gossip in the countryside. He's an unmarried young man, and if he were to get involved with a single woman with a child and ask her for money, people would definitely gossip.

But then, considering his desperate situation, he nodded and said:

"Okay, let's meet. As long as the money comes from a legitimate source, I'm doing things openly and honestly, so there's nothing to worry about."

The next morning, the sound of a motorcycle sputtering came from the orchard.

Chen Guiying was riding a red motorcycle with a little boy sitting on the fuel tank in front of her. A cloth bag containing her personal belongings was hanging from the handlebars.

The mother and son went up the mountain in a flurry of activity.

Chen Guiying wore a blue cloth short-sleeved shirt, with the cuffs of her trousers rolled up to her ankles. There was some mud on the sides, but she didn't look delicate at all. Her hair was simply tied back, and she was clean and tidy. She didn't wear any skincare products on her face and went bare-faced.

Her skin was tanned from years of working outdoors, and she wasn't exactly pretty; she had a large face, but when she stood there, she had a strong physique and bright eyes.

After parking the motorcycle, she reached out and picked up the child, then looked up at Wang Kaishan and nodded her chin in a cheerful tone.

"Hey bro, is this the hardworking young man you were talking about, Xie Yongqiang?"

Before Technician Wang could introduce her, she strode up to Xie Yongqiang, extended her hand and shook it without any hesitation.

"My name is Chen Guiying, you can just call me Sister Guiying. My brother has explained to me everything about you needing funds to repair the irrigation canal. It's just a shortfall of 100,000 yuan, right? Come on, let me see your orchard."

Chen Guiying was meticulous in her work. She carefully walked around the entire orchard, then squatted down to listen to their plans, observing everything with great care.

The questions asked were quite professional, such as how long the irrigation canal was, how many acres of fruit trees it could irrigate, how much the yield per acre could be increased with proper management, and how many years it would take to recoup the overall investment...

Xie Yongqiang answered honestly one by one, speaking very frankly about both the plans and the difficulties, as he did not want to deceive the widow and her child.

After listening, Chen Guiying felt more at ease and gained a greater appreciation for Xie Yongqiang's down-to-earth and hardworking nature.

After looking around the orchard, the group rested under the shade of the trees.

Just then, Xie Guangkun staggered up the mountain.

He was still holding back his anger and planned to come up and persuade Xie Yongqiang to lower his head and borrow money from Wang Xiaomeng. But from a distance, he heard people saying that their son was talking to a strange woman about borrowing money, and that she had a child with her. She looked like a widow.

Xie Guangkun instantly flew into a rage and rushed over, shouting at the top of his lungs so that everyone could hear.

"Where are you from? What are you doing on our mountain! Take your child and leave! Yongqiang doesn't associate with people like you. Don't loiter around here and ruin the reputation of the Xie family!"

Upon seeing this, Technician Wang immediately stood up, about to explain, when Chen Guiying raised her hand to stop him.

She slowly stood up, brushed the dirt off her trousers, glanced sideways at the furious Xie Guangkun, and gave a slight smirk, showing no fear of him whatsoever.

"Who was shouting here? It's Yongqiang's father. He comes up here and yells without even asking what happened. Doesn't he care about being laughed at?"

"You dare say that about me?"

Xie Guangkun was furious:

"You're a single woman, why aren't you staying home? You're out in the mountains looking for my son in broad daylight. What are you up to? Let me tell you, don't get any ideas you shouldn't be having!"

Chen Guiying took a step forward, crossing her arms. She didn't shout, but Xie Guangkun heard every word clearly:

"First of all, I'm here today to discuss serious business: lending your son money to repair the irrigation canal. We'll have a written IOU, and we'll conduct this business honestly and legally. What's wrong with being a single woman? My money is all clean!"

"Secondly, your son is short 100,000 yuan for repairing the irrigation canal, and you, as his father, can't help him with a single penny. Instead, you go up the mountain every day to berate him and hold him back. I'm giving money to help your son out of this predicament, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you also start cursing at me. Is that how a father should act?"

"Third, you keep talking about being afraid of ruining your reputation, but I think you're the one who'll embarrass the Xie family! Your son is working hard and steadily in his business, and everyone outside the village has heard that. Who in the whole village doesn't know you love to stir up trouble? I'm afraid of getting involved with you and tarnishing my shop's reputation!"

These words made Xie Guangkun tremble with anger. It took him a long time to calm down before he started jumping up and down and shouting.

"Stop your sophistry! You're just trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into our Yongqiang family! Let me tell you, no way! Get down the mountain and leave!"

"Trying to climb up to your family's standards? You really think you're someone important!"

Chen Guiying sneered and moved closer, her stubborn temper finally flaring up.

"If you're really capable and truly love your son, then take out 100,000 yuan right now. If you can come up with it, I'll come down the mountain immediately without saying a word."

"You can't produce it, can you? If you can't, then stop causing trouble! You're delaying the construction, causing all the fruit trees on the mountain to wither and die, and all the money we invested will be wasted!"

"Hey Xie Guangkun, don't try to use my status as an excuse. I won't listen to that! If you dare to make up stories about me again, spewing all sorts of foul language, I'll come to your house and argue with you, and I'll go to the village entrance every day and talk to everyone about it!"

"I'll let the whole village know that your son needs money for his work, and you, as his father, won't contribute a single penny. When others try to help, you turn around and accuse them! I'm raising my child alone, I have nothing to hide. Let's settle this and see who ends up looking worse!"

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, determined to argue to the bitter end, showing no sign of backing down.