Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

This question completely stumped Liu Da Nao, who stammered for a long time before finally saying:

"Well... I just sat in the village committee office, chatting with the village officials to learn about the village's situation. The villagers are all very nice, warm and honest, with a simple and honest character, and the overall atmosphere is fine!"

Wang Dana laughed in anger on the spot:

"I sent you to observe local customs? I sent you to understand the prevailing social atmosphere? I sent you to look into investment opportunities! Have you looked at any resources that can make money? Have you seen Ivory Mountain?"

Liu Da shrank his neck, his head drooped, and he muttered softly:

"It's so far away, in the middle of nowhere. I only glanced at it a couple of times, but it looked like the mountains were stretching out in one continuous stretch, and the area seemed quite large..."

"Why don't you just look at the photos at home? What's the point of going to the event and pretending?"

Wang Dana slammed his hand on the table, making quite a noise.

"Is this how you conduct an inspection? A quick glance and that's it? Is this what determines whether an investment is worth? I trust you so much, I've given you authority and opportunities, and this is how you just coast along? You're just doing shoddy work every day; in the end, you'll only hurt yourself!"

After being lectured so harshly, Liu Da-nao couldn't lift his head and hurriedly nodded and bowed, admitting his mistake.

"I've got that in mind, Chairman. Next time I'll definitely do a thorough investigation and won't be lazy or try to cut corners!"

Looking at his cowardly appearance, Wang Dana took a deep breath. After all, he had only done this because of him. He lit a cigarette, took a puff, and softened his tone considerably.

"Let me tell you the truth, this job is your chance to turn your life around. Musheng has always disliked you. If you can achieve something, I can promote you and give you more responsibilities in the future. Otherwise, I have no reason to protect you."

Liu Da Nao felt a surge of warmth in his heart and immediately pledged his loyalty:

"Don't worry, Chairman! I'll give it my all this time, and I'm determined to make it a success!"

Wang Dana flicked his cigarette ash and casually made the arrangement:

"I've taken on a project in Inner Mongolia and have to go on a business trip, so I don't have time to keep an eye on things in the village. You should go back to Xiangyashan as soon as possible. This time, don't travel back and forth. Just stay in the village and get a clear understanding of the situation. Also, don't drive my car; I need it for my business trip."

Upon hearing that there were no cars available, Liu Da Nao Nao immediately panicked and quickly said:

"Chairman, that won't do. When we go out on business, our car is our image. If we park it in front of the village office, the villagers will think our group is professional and values ​​projects. If we don't have a car, the villagers will definitely look down on us and think we're shabby, making it difficult to get things done!"

Wang Dana thought about it and realized that it made sense; rural people value appearances.

"Alright, you can drive the Zhonghua then. I brought a lot of things for Xiaochen on my trip to Dalian, including wine and sea cucumbers. You can deliver them to him on your way. You must hand them over to him personally, so there won't be any mishaps."

He dared not refuse and nodded quickly:

"Absolutely, Chairman. I guarantee it will be delivered perfectly, without a single mistake! I'll set off first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Also, buy two more boxes of seafood, fresh ones. And don't bring up that incident from last time."

"Okay, okay, I was careless last time. I thought it was cheap, but now I know that you get what you pay for."

Liu Da Nao readily agreed, but his heart was pounding. This time when he saw Lin Chen again, he dared not be arrogant and had to keep a low profile.

……

In the afternoon, the village clinic's doors were wide open, and a draft blew in, making the room quite cool. It was time to go.

An old man was sitting inside, coughing every now and then, coming over to get medicine and see a doctor.

Wang Tianlai, wearing a white coat, listened carefully with a stethoscope in a soft voice, then slowly straightened up.

"It's nothing serious, just a mild lung infection. Xiangxiu, get him some lung-clearing tablets; he'll be fine in a few days."

Xiangxiu skillfully took the medicine box and handed it over, casually instructing:

"Sir, go home and eat according to the instructions. Avoid certain foods for the next few days and take good care of yourself. The seasons are changing soon, so you need to be extra careful."

The old man thanked him repeatedly, then, carrying the medicine and leaning on two sticks, he slowly walked away with small, quick steps.

Just as the two finished tidying up the table, they heard heavy footsteps at the door.

Li Daguo carried in a large piece of leftover construction board, sweating profusely, with a smile on his face.

Wang Tianlai looked up, immediately greeted him, his voice high-pitched and thin:

"Oh, Daguo, you're here? What's that big board for? Aren't you tired?"

Li Daguo slammed the board to the ground:

"You're from the city, and we need to take care of you since you're new here. I'll put up a partition for the two of you; that's what big companies in the city do."

After saying that, he immediately placed the board horizontally between the two desks, at a height that perfectly blocked anyone's face, so that neither of them could see the other.

Wang Tianlai sat down and tried it out, looking around for a long time, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"Oh, this is wonderful! It instantly elevates the class. Daguo, you really know how to do things!"

Li Daguo took out a hammer and nails, squatted down, and hammered them into place, afraid that the board would wobble.

Wang Tianlai stood by, unable to help, and kept muttering to himself:

"Make sure the nails are firmly attached and secure, so they don't fall over in the wind."

Within minutes, the board was firmly fixed in place.

Li Daguo clapped his hands, secretly pleased with himself. This was perfect; the two of them wouldn't even have a chance to get close and chat, making things much easier.

"I have to go back to the farm to deliver goods. You go ahead with your work." Li Daguo picked up the hammer and was about to leave.

Wang Tianlai quickly stood up to see him off, being extremely polite:

"Why don't you sit a little longer? You've really gone to all that trouble, coming all this way to help with the work!"

"It's no big deal, just a small favor."

Li Daguo waved his hand, and before leaving, he deliberately glanced back at the partition, a smirk playing on his lips.

Xiangxiu watched the whole time with a dark expression, knowing he was just jealous. She was both annoyed and amused, shook her head, and continued tidying up the medicine.

Around 6 p.m., the sky gradually darkened.

The orchard on the back hill was quiet; none of the workers were working today.

In Xie Yongqiang's nursing room, the light was dim. On a broken wooden table, there were two side dishes and cooked peanuts. Three empty wine bottles were lying crookedly next to them, and the whole room smelled of alcohol.

When Xie Yongqiang heard the news that the reservoir had dried up, his heart sank.

He had devoted himself to the irrigation canal for a long time, spending a lot of money and effort. It was almost half completed, but if the reservoir dries up, all his work would be for nothing.

Feeling suffocated and extremely frustrated, he invited Technician Wang up the mountain and also called on his relative Chen Guiying to join him. The three of them sat around the table drinking alone, none of them in a good mood.

Xie Yongqiang clutched his hair, his voice hoarse and filled with resentment:

"Brother Wang, what kind of mess is this?! They just dumped the entire reservoir like that! My half-finished irrigation canal is ruined, all my money has gone down the drain!"

Technician Wang picked up his glass, took a sip, and sighed heavily.

Chen Guiying sat beside them, constantly refilling their wine cups and gently urging them to drink:

"Yongqiang, don't get upset. What's done is done, there's no use in worrying. There's always a way out. Let's think of a solution slowly, we'll definitely get through this."

Xie Yongqiang tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of wine, then shook his head bitterly.

"What other options are there? The water source is gone, so even if the irrigation canal is repaired, it's all for nothing. I've invested so much money, and it's all gone!"

Technician Wang put down his wine glass, pondered for a long time, and then spoke frankly:

"Yongqiang, to tell you the truth, the irrigation canal must be stopped. Continuing to work on it is just a waste of money."

"But I can't just give up like this!"

Xie Yongqiang's voice trembled:

"Brother Wang, can you help me think of another idea?"

"There is a solution."

Technician Wang said slowly:

"Let's drill a well. That way, the repaired irrigation canal will still work. But drilling a well is expensive and requires a lot of extra money. You should weigh the pros and cons yourself. If you want to do it, I can help you get in touch with the relevant people."

Xie Yongqiang kept his head down and remained silent for a long time, only drinking in silence.

The pressure was overwhelming, leaving him in a dilemma, with no choice but to make a difficult decision.

It was completely dark when Technician Wang had to leave because of some family matters.

Only Xie Yongqiang and Chen Guiying remained in the ward. The empty wine bottles on the floor and the smell of alcohol made people dizzy.

Xie Yongqiang was drunk, his eyes were blurry, his face was flushed, and he was slumped on the table sighing incessantly. He was filled with frustration and resentment, wondering why it was so difficult for him to get anything done.

Chen Guiying stepped forward to help him up, slowly moved him to the small earthen bed, took off his shoes, and covered him with a thin quilt, being gentle and attentive throughout.

She sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the dejected Xie Yongqiang, sighed softly, raised her hand to touch his hair, and whispered:

"Yongqiang, your life has been full of hardships, it's been so tough. I'm not exactly well-off either, there's a lot of inventory piling up at the store, I can't really help you much... But I'll always believe in you and support you. No matter what, if you're ever in trouble, I'll be there for you. Don't give up on me easily."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Yongqiang suddenly reached out, grabbed her arm, and forcefully pulled her into his arms.

Caught off guard, Chen Guiying let out a soft cry and leaned softly against his chest without struggling at all! She even leaned closer, revealing her long-suppressed feelings.

Xie Yongqiang held her tightly, the pent-up grievances, anxiety, and pressure of the past few days finally breaking down under the influence of alcohol. He buried his face in her shoulder, his voice muffled and trembling with tears:

"Sis, why am I so unlucky? The reservoir hasn't dried up in decades, and of all times, it happened to me. Nothing I do goes right..."