Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

As Lin Chen was about to leave, Wang Tianlai panicked instantly, rushed forward and grabbed his arm tightly, his eyes pleading, and he almost knelt down.

"Don't go! Brother, please stay with me a little longer, I'm really scared to be alone! I'm afraid it will come back to haunt me!"

Lin Chen couldn't persuade him otherwise, so after thinking for a moment, he said:

"I'll walk around the yard once and come right back."

Wang Tianlai nodded his head like a pestle being pounded, standing on tiptoe and gripping the door frame, his eyes fixed on the outside, not daring to relax for a moment, his lips pressed into a thin line with tension.

Lin Chen went outside and walked around. When he got to the back wall, he kicked something soft. He bent down and picked it up. It was a tattered black raincoat with a lot of powder stuck to the collar.

Without a doubt, it's definitely a prank.

He put the raincoat back where it belonged, turned around and went back into the house, where he saw Wang Tianlai standing on tiptoe, peeking out with a look of lingering fear on his face.

"Brother Chen! How did it go? You...you didn't follow, did you?" Wang Tianlai stammered nervously.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just tree branches and plastic bags shaking. You're scaring yourself. What are you, a grown man, afraid of?"

He then took out his business card and handed it over:

"Here, call me anytime if anything happens in the middle of the night." Lin Chen left Liu Da Nao's phone number.

Wang Tianlai clutched the business card as if it were a life-saving talisman, nodding repeatedly with utmost sincerity:

"Thank you, Brother Chen! You're truly my savior! You're even closer than my own brother!"

"Alright, I'm leaving!"

When Lin Chen returned home, Xie Xiaomei saw that he had come back empty-handed and asked curiously:

"Why did you come back empty-handed? Is there no one at the clinic?"

Lin Chen sneered:

"Don't even mention it! I wonder who was playing tricks on Wang Tianlai, scaring that kid so much he was practically screaming for his parents. I'm going to stake out the place tomorrow night; I want to see who it was!"

Xie Xiaomei pouted:

"Don't cause trouble for no reason. Just go to sleep tonight."

"Never mind that, I know what I'm doing. It's raining, so I might as well beat the child since I'm bored anyway. And you know what? I'm really curious who has so much free time."

Xie Xiaomei smiled and shook her head, then went upstairs to chat with Chen Yannan. Wang Xiaomeng was still busy with orders at the factory. She and Chen Yannan had a lot in common, especially when it came to women.

……

Morning arrived in the blink of an eye. Wang Yun prepared breakfast for Wang Tianlai. Xiangxiu brought the breakfast to work and casually put it on the table after entering the door. While changing into her white coat, she turned her head to look at Wang Tianlai.

Wang Tianlai was curled up on the bed. He had stayed up all night, and his face was as white as paper. He had dark circles under his eyes and his eyelids were swollen. He looked more haggard than if he had stayed up for three days and three nights. He was wrapped tightly in the quilt, with only his head sticking out.

What's wrong with you?

Xiangxiu buttoned her clothes, leaned closer to take a look, and looked puzzled:

"Did you catch a cold last night? Your complexion looks terrible, it's scary."

Upon hearing the noise, Wang Tianlai shuddered violently, his tongue trembling as he spoke:

"Xiangxiu, I...I'm telling you, I saw a ghost last night!"

As soon as he said that, his mouth immediately twitched, tears streamed down his face, and he began to sob, his shoulders shaking.

"It was terrifying! A huge, dark mass with disheveled hair was floating around right under the window! It was whimpering and scratching at the glass with its fingernails, making a sizzling sound. It scared me to death!"

"Don't talk nonsense. You must have been half asleep last night. There are no ghosts in this world. You're just scaring yourself. You're such a coward."

"It's not a dream! It really isn't a dream! I saw it for real!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tianlai became agitated, gesturing wildly with his hands and saying emotionally:

"It floats back and forth! Sometimes it floats to the left, sometimes to the right! Its shadow never touches the ground!"

"I pinched myself really hard last night, it hurt so much, it's true! If Brother Chen hadn't come to save me last night, I'm telling you, you definitely wouldn't be seeing me today, I would have been taken away by that thing!"

He described the scene in great detail, including the shape of the shadowy figure, the noise it made, when it scared people, and when Lin Chen arrived. He was genuinely frightened, and you could tell at a glance that he was truly terrified.

Xiangxiu, who had been joking with a smile, suddenly stopped what she was doing when she heard him speak so earnestly.

She subconsciously turned her head and glanced out the window. Whether it was psychological or not, she suddenly felt a chill in the room, and goosebumps inexplicably rose on her arms.

She quickly looked away, forcing herself to remain calm, and stubbornly said:

"Alright, alright, stop nagging. Talking about this so early in the morning is bad luck. It must be the wind making the plastic bag sway back and forth. You're just making things up. You're timid and love to overthink."

While she was trying to comfort people, she packed her things much faster, her eyes constantly glancing towards the window, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Meanwhile, the well-drilling area in the orchard behind the mountain was in chaos. Xie Yongqiang squatted by the well platform all night, not daring to move an inch. After staying up all night, he was completely exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot, a layer of stubble appeared on his chin, and his face was tired and worried, with his eyebrows furrowed.

Seeing Technician Wang approaching, Xie Yongqiang immediately stood up to greet him:

"Brother Wang, how's it going? Did you reach the water column?"

Technician Wang wiped the sweat from his face, shook his head slightly, and looked unwell.

"No, there's no other way. We can only try connecting the pipe again and digging down another ten meters."

Xie Yongqiang said with a troubled expression:

"Add another ten meters... Brother Wang, tell me the truth, will this well actually yield water? What are the chances?"

Technician Wang squatted down, used a twig to trace the soil surface, and said:

"Yongqiang, I'm not lying to you, the situation is really not optimistic right now."

"Then... what if there's no water?" Xie Yongqiang's voice was filled with a helpless panic.

Technician Wang sighed:

"If you really have no other options, just stop and start fighting somewhere else. It's better than fighting to the death here."

Xie Yongqiang stared at the drilling rig, remained silent for a long time, sighed, and gritted his teeth to persevere.

"Keep drilling. We've come this far. If we go down another ten meters, we really won't find any water. We'll see then."

Technician Wang knew he was having a hard time, so he didn't try to persuade him any further. He nodded and turned to give instructions to the workers.

The machines continued to roar, dust filled the air, and Xie Yongqiang stared blankly at everything before him, his mind seemingly lost in thought...

……

In the office of the Benxi Wang Group, Wang Musheng couldn't sit still or stay put.

He was stuck at the company every day, but Wang Dana wouldn't let him get involved in any projects. Life was meaningless and he felt incredibly stifled.

He was thinking of taking a trip to Ivory Mountain, partly because he missed his younger brother Lin Chen, and partly because he wanted to see the situation in the village for himself, so that Liu Da Nao wouldn't give false reports and fool his father.

He dialed Wang Dana's number, and as soon as the call connected, he started yelling loudly:

"Dad, I'm planning to go to Ivory Mountain."

Wang Dana was stunned for a moment:

"Missing my little brother, huh!"

Wang Musheng swayed back and forth in his chair, looking nonchalant.

"Besides, if our family wants to invest there, what reliable information can Liu Da Nao provide? He's no good, I don't trust him. I have to go and see for myself."

Wang Dana said with some unease:

"You can go, but you need to change your temper. You always insult Liu Da Nao whenever you meet him. If you go there and keep arguing with him every day, it will make you a laughingstock in the village. It'll be so embarrassing."

"Dad, don't worry, I'll be absolutely sure of myself this time!"

Wang Musheng patted his chest and said:

"I'm there to take care of business. I won't stoop to his level. He'll focus on his investigation, and I'll just supervise. We'll each do our own thing and not bother each other."

Wang Dana thought about it and realized it made sense. Letting his son investigate personally was more reliable than listening to Liu Danao's side of the story, and it would also allow him to see the village's attitude towards investment.

"Alright, go if you want. It's a good opportunity to do some on-site research, see how the village does business, and whether the villagers are truly willing to cooperate. Don't just listen to other people's nonsense."

"Of course! Seeing is believing!"

Wang Musheng immediately laughed:

"I need to see for myself whether this place is worth our investment."

"When are you leaving?" Wang Dana asked.

"The sooner the better. I'll go there in the next couple of days and come back the same day."

"OK."

Wang Dana instructed:

"I'm calling Changgui. You better behave yourself in the village and don't cause any trouble, you hear me?"

"Okay, Dad. Why are you so worried about me? I'm not staying here for long."

After hanging up with his son, Wang Dana immediately dialed Chang Gui's mobile number.

At that moment, Changgui was at his unit in town. When he answered the phone and heard it was Wang Dana, his tone became exceptionally enthusiastic.

"Hey Chairman Wang! What brings you here today? Just tell me what you need me to do!"

Upon hearing Wang Dana say that Wang Musheng was coming to visit the village, Changgui instantly perked up, grinning from ear to ear, and patted his chest to assure him.

"No problem! Absolutely no problem! You're so welcome! A warm welcome to Musheng for his rural inspection! I'll personally oversee the reception!"

After hanging up the phone, Changgui couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately got up and walked out, muttering to himself, "I have to tell Qi Santai."

"This is fantastic news! Finally, the village's investment attraction efforts can take a step forward!"