Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"Money is not an issue; I want quality."

Lin Chen smiled faintly and took out his phone, waving it around:

"I'll contact a reputable renovation team tomorrow. They're a professional team with certified electricians, experienced bricklayers, carpenters, and waterproofing specialists. They offer a one-stop service from demolition to completion, so no one in our village has to get involved."

Xie Dajiao's eyes widened, and she secretly admired Lin Chen for being a city native. He was meticulous and generous in his work, not caring about spending more money on labor, and only seeking to be safe and refined in everything he did.

She once again took the initiative to reach out and wrap her arms around his neck, tilting her head back to meet his embrace. The temperature in the room soared once more, and the lingering tenderness spread with the night, lingering until the sky began to lighten and the sky outside the window began to brighten slightly.

Knowing she couldn't linger any longer, Xie Dajiao reluctantly got out of his arms, dressed and tidied herself up, and before dawn, when everyone in the village was still asleep, she returned to the grocery store by the same route, leaving no trace of her coming and going.

……

"Fourth Uncle, are you busy?"

Lin Chen arrived at Zhao Si's house. As soon as Zhao Si saw that it was Lin Chen, he immediately came over.

"Xiao Chen, what brings you here? Come in and sit down for a while."

"Fourth Uncle, I'm looking for Yutian. Is Yutian home?"

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Zhao Si's lips twitched twice, and he shouted into the house:

"Yutian, come out here, Saleng. Lin Chen is here to see you."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Yutian quickly put on a vest and came out of the house.

"Brother Chen, what's up?"

Lin Chen said with a smile:

"My old house needs repairs, so I hired a construction team from the city..."

Zhao Si, who was standing nearby, heard this, slapped his thigh, and twitched his neck twice.

"Oh dear, Xiao Chen, why are you hiring outsiders? And they're so expensive! I'm not bragging, but our Zhao family has a long history of talented people. Our great-grandfather was a bricklayer, and then his grandfather in Yutian became a carpenter..."

Lin Chen looked at him with a puzzled expression:

"Fourth Uncle, you can do everything!"

Zhao Si looked completely innocent, with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Well, I don't know anything about it, it's all lost..."

Lin Chen looked helpless:

"No, what's the point of this thing if you can't say anything?"

"I don't know how, but Yutian's uncle does!"

Lin Chen ignored him and couldn't keep up with his pace, making him feel like he wanted to slap his own mouth.

Continue talking to Yutian:

"Yutian, when the construction team from the city comes to the village, they won't be familiar with the rules of Xiangyashan or know the villagers. If I'm not around, there will be no one to guard the construction site or check the building materials. Things will easily get stolen, and it will also be easy to have conflicts with the villagers."

Lin Chen looked at him and calmly began to make arrangements:

"If you're free, I'd like to hire you as a site supervisor. You won't have to do any manual labor; you'll just stay at the construction site every day, making sure the construction team works according to standards, checking the incoming building materials, and helping coordinate various village matters. It'll be forty yuan a day, and you'll be paid for the number of days you work. Are you interested?"

Forty yuan a day is the salary only for skilled workers. In today's village, it is a very high salary, and you don't have to do heavy work. You just need to watch the construction site.

Now, you get 15 yuan a day to do farm work, and only 20 yuan to cook at weddings and funerals in the village.

Zhao Yutian's eyes lit up on the spot, and he rubbed his hands together excitedly. He immediately nodded in agreement:

"I'm willing! I'm more than willing, Brother Chen! Don't worry, I'll definitely be on the construction site every day, not leaving for a single step. If anyone dares to slack off, cheat, or steal building materials, I'll deal with them immediately. I guarantee I'll keep a close watch on your house!"

This job was easy and paid, and Zhao Yutian was overjoyed. Where else could he find such a good job?

Zhao Si stood to the side, hands in his pockets, bent over, and glared at Zhao Yutian.

"No, Yutian, haven't you forgotten something?"

Zhao Yutian was dumbfounded as he watched Zhao Si blinking his eyes wide open.

"Didn't I finish all the chores around the house?"

Lin Chen said directly:

"Yutian, you have a lot of work to do? Then don't bother, I'll go ask someone else."

Before Zhao Yutian could speak, Zhao Si grabbed Lin Chen's arm:

"Xiao Chen, no rush, no rush, there's nothing to do. Do you have any other work to do? I can do that too..."

Lin Chen: "..."

Two days later, on the morning of the same day, two trucks carrying construction equipment and the first batch of building materials drove into Xiangyashan Village on time and stopped steadily in front of Lin Chen's house.

A dozen or so professional decorators dressed in uniform got off the bus one by one, with clear division of labor. The foreman, holding the construction drawings, found Lin Chen and the supervisor Zhao Yutian waiting in the yard.

The foreman was very polite and efficient, unlike the undisciplined and careless workers in the village.

"Brother Lin, we are a construction team from the county. Just tell us your renovation requirements and construction standards, and we will implement them according to your standards throughout the entire process. You can inspect all the materials at any time, and the construction period is fixed and there will be no delays."

Zhao Yutian, who was standing to the side, had never seen such a formal rural house construction team before. Looking at the workers with clear division of labor and complete equipment, he couldn't help but marvel at them and felt that Lin Chen was reliable and impressive.

Lin Chen handed out cigarettes to the group, then led the foreman and all the craftsmen from the front yard to the back yard, and then into each room inside the house, clearly explaining to everyone how to make the changes as they walked.

For example, a solid wood gatehouse was rebuilt at the main entrance, which is impressive and pleasing to the eye. A wooden leisure pergola was built on the west side of the courtyard, which can be used to cool off in the summer and to store grain and sundries in the autumn and winter.

The foreman marked each detail on the blueprints, nodding and taking notes repeatedly.

Then Lin Chen led a group of people into the house to talk about the feeling he wanted, such as the roof, the old wires, and especially the security door and windows, which had to be the best, especially in terms of soundproofing, so that no one could hear the noise outside when someone shouted from inside.

Zhao Yutian was dumbfounded. How much would it cost to decorate like this by Lin Chen? Was he trying to turn this bungalow into a multi-story building?

The renovation workers were also dumbfounded. Lin Chen told them that he wanted to dig a deep well and install a pressure tank to achieve 24-hour tap water. He also wanted to put the toilet inside the house, with a toilet and shower inside. Then he would dig a 3-meter-deep dirty well in the backyard, build the walls with pebbles, and discharge all sewage, including toilet water, into it.

The foreman quickly stopped him, because Lin Chen was going to have him install the underfloor heating soon.

"Brother Lin, wait a minute. It's not that we can't do it, it's just that it takes too long. If we do it exactly as you say, it definitely won't be ready before winter. Besides, we're not like the South. Dirty wells won't work if left for too long. In the summer, they'll stink and the whole yard will smell. Even if you clean them regularly, it won't work. In winter, it'll be even worse. They'll all freeze and clog, and you won't be able to use the toilet at all."

Let's talk about installing tap water. These days, power outages are frequent in our rural areas, and without electricity, the pressure tank won't dispense water. You might as well use well water.

Lin Chen thought it made sense. He decided to fix it up simply first, and if things got really bad later, he could just tear down the house and rebuild two stories.

Let's just make do with this place for now. Besides, rural areas are developing quite fast these days. I estimate that the drainage and water pipes will be laid out in a few years. We'll talk about it then.

"Okay, let's do it this way for now. Please put in the effort. As we agreed on the phone, meals won't be provided. The cost of meals will be included in your wages. If you need anything, just let us know..."