Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

These days, Xie Yongqiang has completely devoted himself to the orchard on the back mountain, focusing all his attention on the construction of the irrigation canal. He's so busy that he can't even find time to go home for meals, and he eats with the workers on the mountain.

The phone rang, and Yongqiang quickly answered it.

"Feed?"

"Yongqiang, what are you doing? Quickly drop what you're doing and go home."

Yongqiang's mother's voice came through the receiver:

"They've arrived from home. The college student sent by the town has arrived; he's the one who came to help you manage the orchard. He's sitting at home right now!"

When Xie Yongqiang heard that a professional had arrived, he subconsciously pictured a dark-skinned, strong-willed man in his mind. After all, the work in the orchard on the mountain was something that most women couldn't handle.

Without much thought, he casually agreed and hurriedly gave Wang Kaishan a few instructions, telling him to keep a close eye on the workers and not let them slack off on the construction.

After saying that, he turned around and went home. When he pushed open the door, still covered in sweat, he was completely dumbfounded.

Chen Yannan sat quietly on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a cup of water in her hand, completely at ease.

Hearing the noise at the door, she immediately put down her water glass, stood up, and gave Xie Yongqiang a slight smile. Her smile was clean and gentle, and her eyes were bright, making her look particularly endearing.

"Hello, my name is Chen Yannan, and I graduated from Lin University."

She was dressed neatly and simply, and her clothes suited her perfectly. She was tall and slender, and seemed to be taller than Xie Yongqiang. Her shoulders and back were relaxed, and her figure was upright and graceful. She was not thin at all.

Standing in the drab farmhouse, she looked like a vibrant little flower blooming in the wasteland, strikingly youthful and radiant.

Xie Yongqiang chuckled twice, sounding quite embarrassed.

"Oh, hello, hello! Please have a seat, please have a seat. I really didn't expect you to be a young lady. Mayor Qi didn't explain clearly beforehand; I thought it was some gentlemen coming!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yannan raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile in her eyes, and immediately started to tease him:

"What? Are you implying that you're sexist? You think girls can't do the work in the orchard?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Xie Yongqiang quickly waved his hand:

"I prepared the house on the mountain in advance. I figured if the men were living there with me, they would stay on the mountain. But it's definitely not suitable for a young girl like you."

Chen Yannan didn't take it to heart at all, waving her hand generously without being spoiled at all.

"This is no big deal, it's not a problem at all. I can ride my bike here from town every day, I can handle this distance perfectly well."

"That won't do."

Xie Yongqiang immediately frowned and shook his head repeatedly:

"You're running back and forth every day, it's too tiring and exhausting. Let me think of a solution for you."

"I'm not afraid of being tired."

Chen Yannan exudes a down-to-earth and hardworking tenacity, and her smile is particularly sincere.

"My hometown is in the mountains, there are mountains everywhere, I'm used to it. I love this kind of beautiful place with clear water and fresh air. It's quiet and comfortable to live here. If you don't have any objections, I'll come over first thing tomorrow morning to start working."

"Alright then, come over tomorrow. They're building an irrigation canal on the mountain, so you can give them some advice."

After saying that, Chen Yannan bent down, picked up the canvas bag at her feet, and prepared to leave.

But as soon as she reached the gate, she suddenly stopped, as if she remembered something. She turned her head slightly, her eyes hesitant.

"Yongqiang, I want to ask you about someone..."

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back, waved her hand gently, and smiled.

"Never mind, it's nothing urgent. I'll be going now. See you tomorrow!"

Xie Yongqiang was completely confused. He scratched his head and pondered for a long time, but still couldn't guess who she wanted to ask.

Without much thought, I quickly went up to her and escorted her to the front door. I watched her ride her bicycle and slowly disappear from sight before turning around and going back inside.

Yongqiang's mother chatted casually with a smile:

"This girl is really pretty, and she's really tall, not shorter than you at all. She's also very outgoing and doesn't have any of the spoiled traits typical of city girls. She's great. Your uncle found you a good college student."

Xie Yongqiang nodded. He was now focused on the orchard and only cared about the other party's ability. He didn't care what the other party looked like. He silently pulled over a stool, sat down, and took a big gulp of well water from the table.

Before we knew it, it was past seven o'clock in the evening.

In the dining room of Lin Chen's villa, the women had just finished dinner and were playing with the children in the living room.

Lin Chen sat at the table, slowly sipping his wine, when his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and answered it casually.

On the other end of the phone, Xie Yongqiang's tone was exceptionally polite, and even a little embarrassed.

"Brother Chen, thank you so much today! It was such a great help that you went out of your way to pick up my things!"

"What's the big deal? It's just a ride on my way. I'm just a free person anyway, no need to be so polite."

Lin Chen put down his wine glass:

"What's wrong? Calling so late, is there some kind of problem?"

"There is something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"That college student is coming tomorrow. I can't leave the irrigation canal construction site without someone, and I also need to talk to them about the situation at the orchard."

"Brother Chen, if you're free tomorrow, could you come up the mountain and keep an eye on things for me for a while? You don't need to do any work, just keep an eye on those workers and make sure they're not cheated. We'll discuss what to do next."

Lin Chen smiled after hearing this and readily agreed.

"I didn't think it was a big deal. No problem, I'll go there early tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Xie Dajiao leaned over and casually asked:

"Who is it? Is it Yongqiang?"

"Yes, it's him."

Lin Chen said calmly:

"The college students from town have arrived and will officially start working tomorrow. Yongqiang is busy with both the orchard and the irrigation canal, and he can't manage it all by himself, so he asked me to go up the mountain tomorrow to help him keep an eye on things for a day."

Xie Dajiao nodded:

"Yongqiang is a boy who takes care of this big orchard all by himself. He does everything on his own. His father is unreliable. If you have time, lend a hand. We're all from the same village. You don't need to worry about me. Wang Yun comes over every day."

Xie Xiaomei, who was standing next to him, chimed in, telling Lin Chen to go up the mountain and help out without worry, and that they would come back when they were done.

Nothing was said that night, and the next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

The morning dew in the orchard on the back hill hadn't dried yet, but the workers had already started working by the irrigation ditch, moving stones and building walls, working enthusiastically.

Chen Yannan arrived very early, riding her bicycle to the orchard.

Today she changed her outfit, her long, black hair was tied into a high ponytail, the ends of which were long and smooth, making her look clean and energetic.

The morning breeze blowing through the mountains adds a touch of liveliness.

She wore a red, tight-fitting short-sleeved top that clung to her skin, accentuating her slim waist, full bust and abdomen, and a beautifully proportioned figure—not at all exaggerated.

He wore a thin white shirt draped over his shoulders, looking casual and relaxed.

She wore tight-fitting jeans with the cuffs casually rolled up to her ankles, revealing her slender ankles, and a pair of clean white sneakers on her feet, showing off her straight and long legs.

She stood there, radiating youthful energy, with just the right amount of fiery and lively charm.

The simple, monotonous green of the mountains and fields only made her appear more radiant and beautiful, her slender and upright figure particularly eye-catching.

When Xie Yongqiang saw her arrive, he immediately led her deeper into the orchard, patiently introducing her to the fruit tree varieties, their future yields, and the most pressing irrigation problem.

When the topic turned to the newly constructed irrigation canal, Chen Yannan squatted down, touched the newly laid stones of the canal wall, and then looked up to carefully examine the terrain of the entire hillside before speaking:

"You've built this irrigation ditch a bit too conservatively. With the current slope, the upper half of the orchard can be thoroughly irrigated, but the water pressure in the lower parts of the orchard definitely won't be enough. The irrigation won't be even, and the fruit trees will definitely grow unevenly."

"If you trust me, once the main canal is completely completed, I will design a branch drip irrigation system for you, which will be laid along the rows of fruit trees. This will not only save water but also ensure even watering, saving a lot of water compared to the current flood irrigation. Each tree will absorb the same amount of water, which will improve the growth and sweetness of the fruit later on."

"Also, the soil in this orchard is acidic, so the fertilizer needs to be specially formulated and proportioned. You can't just apply fertilizer randomly, otherwise the fruit won't be sweet enough and the appearance will be poor, and you won't be able to sell it for a good price."

The whole thing was well-reasoned and supported by solid evidence, showcasing her professional skills. Xie Yongqiang listened with shining eyes, feeling incredibly fortunate. He had truly struck gold; this wasn't just an ordinary volunteer, she was a technical genius.

The two were carefully studying the irrigation ditch and discussing ways to improve it when the sound of slow footsteps came from the dirt road in the distance.

Lin Chen, carrying several bottles of chilled mineral water, shouted loudly at Xie Yongqiang from afar:

"Yongqiang, good morning!"

Upon hearing the voice, Xie Yongqiang immediately greeted them with a smile and quickly introduced them to each other.

"Brother Chen, you're here. Let me introduce you. This is Chen Yannan, a college student volunteer who came to the village yesterday. She graduated from Forestry University."

After saying that, he turned to Chen Yannan and said:

"This is Lin Chen, my brother Chen. He specially took time out of his busy schedule to come up the mountain today to help me keep an eye on the construction. I have to trouble brother Chen with everything."

Lin Chen, with a gentle smile on his face, extended his hand, his tone casual and polite:

"We met yesterday. Hello, Yongqiang's orchard is short of professional staff. I'll have to trouble you to take care of it in the future."

Chen Yannan looked up and met his gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and her heart pounded wildly. She quickly suppressed her panic and gently shook his hand.

"Hello, hello, it's no trouble at all, this is all part of my job."