Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

On the edge of the field, Liu Neng wiped his sweat and turned to show off to Zhao Si, who was passing by:

"Hey...fourth brother, look how big my corn is! It's much bigger than yours!"

Zhao Si didn't even want to look at him. He twitched his lips and said slowly:

"What's the use of harvesting more? If grain prices don't go up, all the hard work in the year is for nothing."

The two continued their bickering, each refusing to give in, their mouths clashing noisily, but their hands never stopped working.

Xie Guangkun was engrossed in his work, but as he worked, he started thinking about digging a well in the back mountain, and a surge of anger rose within him.

He threw the corn on the ground, dusted himself off, and stopped working, hurrying towards the back of the mountain while muttering to himself:

"That spendthrift child, instead of living a peaceful life, he insists on causing trouble. Sooner or later he'll squander all the family's wealth!"

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the orchard and well-drilling site were deserted and quiet, unlike their usual bustling state.

The drilling rig remained stationary, and Xie Yongqiang squatted alone by the well platform. He looked extremely haggard in just a few days.

His beard was unkempt, and his hair was a mess that he hadn't cut. His former energy and spirit were completely gone. He stared at the machine in front of him, motionless, his whole body radiating exhaustion and desolation.

Technician Wang walked up to him and sighed helplessly:

"Yongqiang, there's really no other way. We've encountered another thick layer of rock. If we continue drilling, the cost will double. The key issue is that even if we change the equipment, we can't guarantee there will be water down there."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xie Guangkun, panting, climbed up the stairs. Seeing the stopped machines and his dejected son, he pointed at Xie Yongqiang's nose and shouted angrily:

"Xie Yongqiang! What did I tell you before? I told you not to mess around with this lousy orchard, not to dig wells recklessly, but you wouldn't listen! You gave up a perfectly good, stable job and spent all your time digging in the mountains, messing around like this. And now look what happened? You've thrown over ten thousand yuan into this and haven't even seen a drop of profit! You just won't learn your lesson until you see the coffin!"

He grew increasingly angry as he spoke, and his voice rose higher and higher:

"I'm telling you, shut down this well immediately! I'll go back and beg Mayor Qi to find you a proper job in town; that's a million times better than you messing around here!"

Xie Yongqiang lowered his head, pursed his lips, and remained silent, letting his father scold and berate him, keeping all his grievances and resentment bottled up inside.

At this moment, the well-drilling team foreman strode over and shook his head repeatedly at Technician Wang:

"Engineer Wang, we really can't continue. The rock layers in this mountain are too thick and hard. Going any further would just be a waste of money, and the equipment is also prone to breakage. The risks are too great."

Xie Yongqiang suddenly stood up, and the group gathered around the wellhead, looking at the drill rod that had been pulled up. It was covered with hard debris and there wasn't a trace of moisture.

Technician Wang frowned and said:

"In all my years in this line of work, I've never seen such a thick, continuous layer of rock. The terrain here is too complicated. Should I go back to the city, check the geological records, and choose a different well site to try again?"

Xie Yongqiang remained silent for a long time. The autumn wind swept through the orchard, and the leaves rustled, like a silent sigh.

After a long while, he sighed deeply, his tense shoulders slumped completely, and the light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by exhaustion.

"Forget it, let's stop for now and think of another way."

The irrigation canal reached the reservoir, but the reservoir ran out of water. Digging wells also met with repeated setbacks. One difficulty after another piled up, making it hard for him to breathe. All his ambitions and ideals were in vain.

Xie Guangkun stomped his foot hard:

"It's over! It's completely over! I knew it was dry eye! All that money is gone, what a tragedy!"

Unlike the mountain, Lin Chen's home was leisurely and comfortable. The setting sun shone into the living room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the sofa was piled with shopping bags of all sizes. It was messy but also very cozy.

Xie Xiaomei, Wang Xiaomeng, and Chen Yannan had just returned from shopping in Kaiyuan with Xie Dajiao. The group was chatting and laughing, and the house was quite lively.

Lin Chen walked over and said:

"Go to the county, and you'll be very happy."

"What? They're a city, and you keep calling it a county."

"Isn't a county-level city just a county?"

Xie Xiaomei was too lazy to argue with him, so she pulled out a thick black jacket and waved to Lin Chen:

"Come and try it on. Yan Nan and I have been looking for a long time, and this one is perfect for you. The material is thick, and it's just right for autumn."

Wang Xiaomeng then took out two pure cotton shirts, one light gray and one off-white, and said softly:

"I picked out two inner layers for you. They're pure cotton and comfortable to wear. You usually wear dark colors, so try some lighter colors; they'll make you look more energetic."

Chen Yannan, carrying a pair of casual pants, came over with a smile and said:

"Brother Chen, thank you for taking care of me all this time. I bought you a pair of pants too. They have a great fit, are versatile, and comfortable."

Chen Yannan even made up an excuse in front of the girls, and the others quickly turned their heads away, afraid of laughing out loud.

Xie Dajiao sat on the sofa folding clothes, grinning from ear to ear:

"You guys are the same, spoiling him so much, buying him so many clothes that he can't possibly wear them all."

While muttering these words, her hands kept moving, neatly arranging the socks and underwear she had bought for Lin Chen.

Several people surrounded Lin Chen as he tried on clothes, tugging at his collar and pulling at his hem, chatting and laughing, playfully teasing each other.

Just as things were getting lively, Xie Dajiao remembered what had happened at the village entrance earlier and said to Lin Chen:

"I just heard Xie Guangkun say at the village entrance that Yongqiang's orchard is probably doomed. He's hit a thick layer of rocks while digging a well, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't break through. All the money he's put in has been wasted, and not a single drop of water has come out. Even the professionals say there should be water, but this kid just can't get any..."

"Thick rock layer? Can't be penetrated?"

Lin Chen, who was unbuttoning his shirt, paused upon hearing this, instantly remembering the information he had researched. It was Liu Neng who had mentioned that there were hot springs in Ivory Mountain, and he had searched online for a lot of information about it.

Before anyone could speak, Lin Chen turned and ran upstairs.

Xie Xiaomei was completely confused and quickly called out to him:

"Hey, why are you running away? Why are you being so secretive!"

Lin Chen didn't even turn his head, only leaving behind the sentence:

"I looked something up, and it's useful!"

……

As darkness fell, two dishes were laid out on the table in Xie Guangkun's house. They had been reheated several times, but no one touched them. The house was deathly still.

After coming down from the back mountain, Xie Yongqiang didn't go straight home. He squatted on the ground alone, hesitated for a long time, and then gritted his teeth and dialed Wang Bing's number.

He has already asked almost everyone he can for help. Wang Bing is his last hope. He wants to borrow another sum of money, change the well site, and fight to the death one more time.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and Wang Bing's voice was full of difficulty:

"Yongqiang, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I'm currently stuck with cash and don't have a single spare penny. You need a lot of money, and I'm really short of funds. I really can't help you."

Xie Yongqiang wanted to plead a few more times, but the person on the other end of the phone quickly gave a perfunctory reply and hung up.

Listening to the cold, busy tone from the receiver, with the evening wind whistling against his face, Xie Yongqiang felt a chill in his heart.

He had invested time and time again, only to be disappointed time and time again. He had long since become a bottomless pit in everyone's eyes, and no one was willing to help him anymore.

He returned home dejectedly, and Yongqiang's mother quickly came forward, bringing him hot food that had been reheated several times, looking at him with eyes full of heartache.

Xie Yongqiang stared at the food, having no appetite whatsoever. He sat silently for a long time before finally speaking, his voice tinged with stubbornness:

"Dad, Mom, I want to raise some more money to drill a new well at a different location. Technician Wang said he's sure to get water there."

"Still want to hit me? You still want to hit me!"

Xie Guangkun slammed his hand on the table, his chopsticks hitting the surface with a thud, and his pent-up anger finally erupted.

"Are you out of your mind! So much money has been thrown in, and we haven't even seen a ripple. You still dare to keep pouring money into it? How many more times can you squander this little bit of our family's savings?"

He was furious, pointing at Xie Yongqiang and scolding him with exasperation:

"I'm telling you this now, don't even think about it! Stop work immediately. If you keep messing around like this, our whole family will starve!"

Yongqiang's mother sat to the side, awkwardly trying to persuade him:

"You two stop arguing and talk things out. Yongqiang, listen to your father and let's take it easy for now. We're just having a bad year. We'll figure something out next spring."

Xie Yongqiang lowered his head, his heart filled with grievances and helplessness, with nowhere to confide in.

"I'm going back to the orchard, you guys eat."

A few days later, Xie Yongqiang stood by the well platform, looking completely exhausted.

I haven't slept well for several days in a row. My beard is stubble, my lips are dry and chapped, and my eyes are as dark as a panda's.

He stared blankly at the ground, while Technician Wang and Chen Guiying stood beside him, neither of them saying a word.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the mountain path. Xie Guangkun rushed over with a shovel in his hand and started shouting from a distance.

As soon as he rushed up to Xie Yongqiang, he pointed at Xie's nose and started cursing:

"I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have given birth to a son like you! Digging wells on the mountain is always a dead end, and now you've gone and made a mess of things halfway up! You still want to dig? Where are you going to get the money? Rob me, please?"

"You asked Wang Bing for money, and he turned it all away without giving you any face, and you still won't give up! I think your orchard is a bottomless pit! You might as well just cut down all the trees!"

"I'll swallow my pride and beg Aunt Qi to find you a job in town, anything goes, even sweeping the streets or cleaning toilets, it's better than you making a fool of yourself in these mountains!"