Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Liu Ying was overjoyed; all the grievances she had felt that day had vanished, and she was filled with anticipation for buying a bicycle the next day.

After having his fill of fun, Liu Yingcai remembered Liu Neng at home and took Zhao Yutian's phone to call his father.

The phone was answered as soon as it rang, and Liu Neng's anxious voice came through:

"Yingzi? Have you finished eating? When are you going home? Don't forget to bring me some kebabs, lots of meat!"

Liu Ying said with a smile:

"Dad, I'm not going home tonight. I've made up with Yutian, and I'll go home with him in a bit."

"What?"

Liu Neng was stunned on the spot, and his voice instantly rose several octaves:

"You...you've made up? You've made up just like that? He...he...he threw you away and made you walk back! How can you be so spineless! Don't hang up, I want to have a serious talk with you!"

Liu Ying, too lazy to listen to his rambling, interrupted him directly:

"Dad, we're just having a little lovers' quarrel, it's nothing serious, don't always interfere. I'm hanging up now, we're going to buy bicycles tomorrow."

He hung up the phone immediately after speaking, decisively and cleanly.

Inside Liu Neng's house, Liu Neng stood there, holding the phone, stunned and unable to react for a long time.

Liu Yingniang came in and asked:

"How's it going? Is Yingzi coming back?"

Liu Neng slammed the phone down, breathing heavily with anger:

"She...she's not coming back! She made up with Zhao Yutian and went back to her husband's family! Can you believe how stupid that girl is? I fought with Zhao Si today for her, sweating buckets, and she just turned around and made up with me. I wasted all my time and didn't even get the skewers!"

He felt increasingly frustrated, pacing back and forth in the room, muttering to himself:

"What a waste of all my effort... This kid, he's so biased! How can he be so clueless, completely manipulated by Zhao Yutian!"

Liu Yingniang said with dissatisfaction:

"I told you not to get involved! Now look what's happened, let's see how you face Fourth Brother now! You're just asking for trouble, treating my words like they're nothing!"

At nine o'clock in the evening, the lights were on in Zhao Si's house. Yu Tian's mother was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) sewing clothes, while Zhao Si was still lying on the kang, rubbing his lower back from time to time. The fall he had in the afternoon was still aching.

A sound came from outside the courtyard; Zhao Yutian had returned with Liu Ying.

Pushing open the door and entering the room, Yutian's mother saw the young couple getting along well and immediately got off the kang (heated brick bed) with a smile:

"Yingzi's back? Come sit down, have you eaten? If you're hungry, Mom will heat up some food for you."

Zhao Si tried to get up, but when he strained his waist, he hissed in pain and fell back down.

Liu Ying quickly went over and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her face full of guilt:

"Dad, does your back still hurt? My dad was too impulsive today, he hit you too hard, and you got hurt for no reason. Don't be angry, I'll give him a good talking to when I get back tomorrow!"

Zhao Si waved his hand, smiled kindly, and said with a slight twitch of his lips:

"It's okay, it's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. As long as you two live a good life together and don't argue, then this ordeal wasn't for nothing, it was worth it!"

Then, out of curiosity, he asked:

"You two were arguing so fiercely this afternoon, how come you've made up so quickly?"

Zhao Yutian, sitting on the stool, replied:

"It was Brother Chen who mediated. We didn't have any major conflicts to begin with. Brother Chen gave us both a scolding, and once we talked it out, everything was fine."

Zhao Si nodded repeatedly, and said with emotion:

"Xiao Chen is really capable. He's young but steady and knows his limits. Only he can keep the two of you in check."

As he spoke, he touched his lower back and sighed:

"I've figured it out too. A gentleman uses words, not fists. From now on, we should focus on talking and not gesturing. Fighting is something only fools do."

Yutian's mother immediately exposed his plan:

"Come on, you're gesturing like that? You got kicked down and can't get up, and you still have the nerve to say that?"

Zhao Si felt embarrassed in front of his daughter-in-law:

"That was a sneak attack; he didn't play by the rules. In a real one-on-one fight, he'd be no match for me!"

Everyone in the room laughed, and the chaotic farce that had unfolded during the day was now a thing of the past.

……

A few days later, as the sun rose over the mountains and the fog had mostly dissipated, a mountain breeze blew by, carrying the scents of grass and earth, slightly cool and refreshing.

Today, Liu Da Nao said he wanted to go up the mountain to investigate, so Chang Gui specifically asked Liu Neng to come and lead the way.

Liu Neng is usually a chatterbox, loves to brag, and has a lot of flaws, but he is indeed familiar with the gullies, forests, and slopes of Ivory Mountain. With him around, there's no need to painstakingly introduce each place.

The group walked up the mountain path behind the mountain.

Liu Da Nao was dressed quite well today, walking in front with his big belly, while Chang Gui followed beside him, chatting with him about the territory and the growth of the trees.

Liu Neng followed along beside him, never still for a moment, always trying to chime in and make his presence known to the big head, afraid that people would forget about him.

Lin Chen and Chen Yannan didn't push forward; they deliberately lagged behind, creating a two- or three-meter gap between them, and slowly made their way up.

Chen Yannan wore a light beige jacket, jeans, and white sneakers. Her hair was simply tied up, making her look neat and tidy. She carried a small notebook and took notes as she walked. The two deliberately slowed their pace and walked side by side.

The two of them talked about the things they were going to investigate, but they seemed like a couple on a picnic, their shoulders brushing against each other from time to time.

The three people in front were making a lot of noise, chatting and bragging, while the two behind them walked quietly, looking around at the scenery.

After walking uphill for a while, we reached the old pear trees halfway up the mountain. These pear trees were very old, with crooked trunks and widely spread branches, and they looked particularly vigorous.

Liu Neng immediately stepped forward, pointed at the tree, and showed off to Liu Da Nao, looking smug:

"Big-Headed Brother, look at this pear tree. It's an old tree that's been there for decades, and it still bears fruit every year."

Liu Da Naotou, clinging to the tree trunk and looking up, exclaimed loudly:

"My goodness, this tree is so old, and it still bears fruit every year? It's incredibly resilient!"

"That's definitely not true!"

Chang Gui's head ached from listening to this. He quietly tugged at his clothes and whispered a reminder:

"Shut up! I'm bringing you up the mountain to show you the way, not for you to brag! If you don't understand, don't spout nonsense!"

Liu Neng chuckled and whispered in Chang Gui's ear:

"What if the company's leaders see that I'm good at talking and getting things done, and they give me an easy job? I'm doing this to create opportunities for the village and for myself!"

Chang Gui shook his head helplessly, too lazy to bother with him.

To be honest, with Liu Neng, such a chatterbox, chiming in, I didn't have to force myself to find topics. He vividly described the situation in the mountains, which saved me a lot of trouble.

The group continued up the mountain; the air was damp and smelled particularly fresh.

Once Liu Neng started talking non-stop, he pointed to the distant mountains and said to Liu Da Nao:

"Brother, you're new here and don't know, there's a hot spring in the mountains behind us, it's amazing!"

"spa?"

Liu Da Nao Nao immediately perked up:

"Really? Is the water hot?"

"I can even boil eggs without any problem!" Liu Neng gestured with great confidence.

Lin Chen, who was in the middle of a sweet talk with Chen Yannan, stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard the words "hot spring".

He had been in Ivory Mountain for so long and had never heard of any hot springs. Lin Chen's mind raced, and he made a mental note of it.

Chen Yannan noticed that he had suddenly lost in thought and asked in a low voice:

"Brother Chen, what are you thinking about?"

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and gave her a slight smile:

"I wasn't thinking about anything important. Let's go and keep looking."

Liu Da Nao looked around, becoming more and more satisfied. Liu Neng chimed in from the side, offering useless suggestions here and there...

……

Without rain, the leaves in Xie Yongqiang's orchard are withering day by day.

These past few days, Xie Yongqiang has been so worried that he can't sleep, staying awake all night until dawn.

If building irrigation canals is not feasible and the reservoir has dried up, then drilling deep wells is the only way to save the orchard.

But he had spent all his money on repairing the irrigation canal and had no savings left. With no other options, Xie Yongqiang had to bite the bullet and go to Wang Bing to borrow money.

The two sat facing each other, Xie Yongqiang rubbing his hands together nervously, his face full of embarrassment.

"Wang Bing, I want to dig a deep well in the back mountain. Do you think... could you lend me 50,000 yuan first? I'll pay you back with interest once the orchard recovers."

Wang Bing remained silent for a long time after listening, weighing the matter repeatedly in his mind.

Drilling a well is quite risky, and there's no guarantee of finding water, but seeing that Xie Yongqiang was really cornered, and considering their past friendship, he finally relented.

"Alright, I'll lend you the money, but Yongqiang, let me tell you, it's still uncertain whether this well will even produce water. You'd better think it through."

Xie Yongqiang kept thanking him, completely ignoring Wang Bing's words.

After the money arrived, Xie Yongqiang didn't delay at all. That same day, he asked Technician Wang to contact the drilling team, go up the mountain to find a good location, and finalize the start date for the next day.

The next morning, Xie Yongqiang got up early, bought two strings of firecrackers, and, following the old customs of the village, lit incense and set off firecrackers by the well.

The crackling sound of firecrackers rang out, red paper scraps littered the ground, and the smell of firecrackers filled the air.

The drilling rig was erected little by little, and Xie Yongqiang stood at the edge of the field, his fists clenched tightly.

This well was his last hope; he could survive if he left the orchard, but without water… he dared not think about it.

Technician Wang patted him on the shoulder:

"Don't worry, I've checked the terrain. There's water underneath, it's just a bit deep."

Xie Yongqiang nodded without saying a word, his eyes fixed on the machine, determined not to admit defeat.