Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

On the hottest days of summer, the sun on Xiangyashan Mountain is so scorching it can peel off a layer of skin.

The sun hung directly overhead, its blinding white light bathing the entire village. The dirt road seemed to have faded in color from the heat, and wisps of scorching heat rose up from the road surface, blurring the shadows of the distant trees.

The trees along the roadside were drooping with their leaves withered, and the village roads were deserted. Not a single villager could be seen. Everyone in the village was hiding indoors to escape the heat, and no one was willing to step outside.

Just then, the roar of an engine grew louder as a white pickup truck bumped into the village and finally came to a steady stop in front of the Big Foot Grocery Store.

The car door slammed open, and Li Daguo jumped out of the driver's seat.

With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he leaned slouching against the car door, looking nonchalant and carefree—the typical image of a reckless young man from a small town.

He raised his hand, exhaled a puff of smoke, and shouted into the shop at the top of his lungs:

"Auntie! The delivery is here, come out and receive it!"

"They're here!"

Hearing the commotion, Xie Dajiao immediately rushed out of the grocery store. The sweltering heat made her forehead bead with sweat. The two of them began unloading the goods.

"Slow down, slow down! Be careful when you move these! Don't pant like that! Oh dear, put them down slowly, these are all glass bottles!"

Boxes of snacks, alcohol, and drinks were unloaded from the truck, and the workers were sweating profusely.

Li Daguo casually wiped the sweat from his face, then glanced up at the village road and froze on the spot.

Wang Xiaomeng slowly rode her tricycle past the grocery store.

The back seat of the car was empty; the tofu had all been sold out, and it seemed that today's work was done.

Her face was completely unadorned, with a gentle and mild appearance, and her black hair was simply tied into a high ponytail.

Wearing a simple light-colored short-sleeved shirt and trousers, when the wind blew the hem of her clothes, she exuded the unique freshness and cleanliness of a rural girl. She was neither flashy nor vulgar, and looked exceptionally pleasant and beautiful.

The cardboard box Li Daguo was holding slipped down and almost hit his feet, but he didn't notice. His eyes were glued to Wang Xiaomeng, and his eyeballs were practically glued to her.

He was so engrossed in muttering to himself, his tone filled with amazement:

"My goodness... We have such a beautiful girl in Ivory Mountain? Her looks and temperament are like a fairy descended from heaven."

Xie Dajiao followed his dazed gaze and turned her head. She immediately spotted Wang Xiaomeng passing by, burst out laughing, and gave Li Daguo a hard slap on the back, teasingly saying:

"What are you looking at? Have you been bewitched? You're really something! This is Wang Laoqi's daughter, Wang Xiaomeng. She's one of the most capable and sensible girls in the whole village. She's reliable, hardworking, and kind-hearted."

"Wang Xiaomeng... that's a nice name too."

Li Daguo slowly came back to his senses, subconsciously smacked his lips, and his gaze lingered on Wang Xiaomeng's back until the girl had completely ridden away before he finally looked away.

He immediately stepped forward, his face full of fawning flattery, bowing and smiling obsequiously, and said in an urgent tone:

"Auntie, I've seen plenty of girls in my life, but I've never been this moved before. I genuinely adore Wang Xiaomeng; she's even prettier than the girls in the city. Please, be kind enough to go all the way and act as a matchmaker for us, okay?"

Xie Dajiao looked him up and down, then shook her head with a smile:

"You have a really sharp eye, you picked the best girl in our village right away. Well, I may not have any other skills, but matchmaking is my specialty, I can do it with ease."

"When I'm less busy at the shop these next couple of days, I'll go to Wang Laoqi's house specifically to ask around. I'll try to get a feel for his parents' opinions and also ask Xiaomeng herself what she's thinking. I wonder if she's completely broken up with her previous boyfriend."

"Thank you so much, Auntie! You're my benefactor!"

Li Daguo's face lit up instantly, and he was bursting with energy. He had been sluggish while unloading the goods, but now he was carrying boxes with lightning speed, not complaining about the heat or the fatigue at all.

Before long, all the goods on the truck were unloaded and inventoried. Li Daguo said goodbye to Xie Dajiao and started the truck, which sputtered away from the village.

"Why is this child so impatient!"

Xie Dajiao shook her head helplessly. She hadn't agreed immediately because she wanted to ask Lin Chen's opinion. After all, she wanted to arrange a relationship for Lin Chen first, and if he didn't want her, she would introduce her to her cousin Li Daguo.

On the other side, Lin Chen took a bath in the river and felt much cooler. Then, with his hands in his pockets, he slowly walked home, just a few steps away.

His old house was a large courtyard house left over from the village in the early years. The front and back courtyards covered a spacious area, but unfortunately, no one lived there for many years and it was abandoned for a long time.

Reaching out and pushing open the long-neglected door, Lin Chen heard a long, piercing creak. He shook his head. What was this thing? It was supposed to be exciting for someone to sneak over at night, but before it even started, this door gave them a fright.

Upon entering the courtyard, a pungent odor, a mixture of dirt, dampness, and mold, immediately hits you.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, some as tall as a person. Although Lin Chen had cleared a section of the yard, the weeds were still entangled in the rubble at the corners of the walls, which were covered with damp, dark green moss.

The adobe walls of the front house have weathered and peeled off in large areas, with large chunks of loess wall peeling off one by one, making the walls mottled and unsightly.

The old-fashioned blue tiles on the roof are mostly broken, and the midday sun shines straight down through the gaps in the tiles, casting small, scattered patches of light on the floor inside the house.

Stepping inside, the room was completely empty, without a single decent piece of furniture. The walls were bare, with messy, crisscrossing wires. Touching a switch caused tiny sparks to fly from the wiring connections, looking extremely dangerous; the light cord was almost broken.

The entire courtyard has only one old-fashioned hand pump well in the corner. People can only drink and wash water manually. There is no tap water, no sewage, and no modern home facilities.

Lin Chen leaned against the door frame, looked around at the dilapidated and desolate house, and sighed helplessly.

This house is old and dilapidated. When it rains heavily outside, it drizzles inside. It's manageable in the summer, but what about in the winter? It's freezing cold inside.

The system mandates that he must reside in Xiangyashan Village continuously for five years and cannot leave the village at will.

Such a dilapidated house, leaking wind and rain, infested with mosquitoes, damp and cold, is unbearable to live in for even two months, let alone five years.

Summers were hot and humid, and in winter the north wind blew straight into the house through the cracks in the walls. At night, apart from smoking and stargazing, there was no entertainment at all, making life unbearable.

He immediately made up his mind that he had to completely renovate and transform it into the most luxurious farmhouse in the whole village!

The village has complicated procedures, so it's not possible to demolish and rebuild a new house in the short term, but a complete renovation of the entire house is no problem at all.

He's not short of money, he has over five million, so he doesn't have to worry about spending it. He decorates everything to the highest standards of comfort and luxury.

Once the construction team arrives, hire as many people as possible, and say goodbye to this dilapidated house completely.

When renovating, you can temporarily move to the unused storage room on the side of the yard to make do...