Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Xu Hui began to calculate the details:

"I've calculated it. The annual interest rate is higher than the credit union loan interest rate. How much money would we make after growing ten acres of corn for a year? As long as the company is reliable, it's definitely a good way."

"That solves it!"

Xie Guangkun clapped his hands and made the decision:

"It's settled then! We'll take a bus to the city first thing tomorrow morning and go directly to their company to sign the contract! Those of you going, let's go together, so we can look out for each other."

Liu Neng quickly raised his hand:

"Damn! I'll transfer the bankbook over tomorrow!"

Accountant Xu nodded in agreement.

"I'll try to scrape together 10,000 too."

Zhao Si squatted down beside him and said in a muffled voice:

"I...I won't go. I'm saving all my money to pay off my loans, so I can't afford to spend it. Besides, I just don't feel comfortable with it..."

"Fine, don't go then!"

Xie Guangkun curled his lip:

"Don't regret it when you make money."

Wang Laoqi, standing nearby, put down his teacup and calmly began to speak:

"I'm not investing anymore. I'm just too busy. If it's really promising, we can talk about it next year."

Liu Neng smacked his lips and said:

"Seventh Brother, Zhao Si is a coward, why are you like this? Come with us."

"Sigh, I really don't have time. Xiao Meng is starting a company now, and Lin Chen is helping to oversee the renovations. I really don't have the time to raise ants."

"Alright then, you can take a look after we've raised them."

The group chatted for a long time and agreed to meet at the village entrance the next morning. Each of them then went home with their own thoughts, preparing their money.

The next morning, Accountant Xu, Xie Guangkun, and Liu Neng met up at the village entrance, took a large bus, and leisurely made their way to the county. After changing buses, they followed the address left at the publicity meeting and, after asking around, found the Black Ant Biotechnology store on the city's central street.

The storefront was indeed impressive, with large, shiny glass doors and a sign that read "Black Ant Biotechnology Co., Ltd. - Aquaculture Service Center".

There was also a bronze plaque nailed next to it: "Key Cooperative Unit for Provincial Agricultural Industrialization," which looked very legitimate.

Pushing open the door, the room was bright and the walls were covered with photos, including a row of greenhouses at a breeding base, photos of people with celebrities, and frames of various certificates of honor.

Two young girls in uniforms stood behind the counter. When they saw them come in, they immediately greeted them with smiles.

"Are you gentlemen here to inquire about cooperative farming? Please have a seat!"

The young girl poured them water in disposable cups and took out a stack of contracts and flyers.

"The policy is exactly the same as what was said at the presentation: pay a 10,000 yuan deposit for ant colonies, adopt ten boxes of black ants, and the company will provide technology, feed, and buyback. The principal will be returned after one year, with quarterly interest payments of 750 yuan per quarter, settled in cash!"

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and an old man carrying a cloth bag came in, shouting as soon as he entered:

"Hey Uncle Zhang, wait a minute!"

The young girl turned around and went backstage to check something. After a couple of minutes, she came out with an envelope, counted out 750 yuan in front of everyone, and handed it over.

"Please count it, 750, is that correct?"

"That's right, that's right!"

The old man counted them, put them in his pocket, and laughed.

"This thing is great! I don't have to do anything at home, and I just get paid on time! If I introduce my nephew to it, will I get a referral fee too?"

"Sure! I'll give you a 200 yuan reward for each household you refer!" the young girl said with a smile.

This scene left Xie Guangkun and the others speechless, and their last bit of hesitation vanished.

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Xie Guangkun turned to Liu Neng and said, his voice barely audible:

"This is a legitimate business!"

Liu Neng nodded repeatedly, his hands in his pockets holding the passbook, eager to try, just short of handing it over.

Without further hesitation, the group decided to sign on the spot.

Xie Guangkun originally intended to invest 20,000 yuan, but changed his mind at the last minute:

"Let's invest 10,000 first to test the waters, and if it goes well, we'll add more!"

Liu Neng gritted his teeth and handed over a bankbook with 10,000 yuan in it:

"I'll take ten thousand too!"

Accountant Xu also paid 10,000 yuan.

The young girl signed contracts for them one by one. The bright red seal was clearly stamped on the contracts, which stated that they were entrusted to raise livestock, guaranteed to buy back the livestock, and that the deposit would be fully refunded upon expiration. Every clause looked legitimate.

After signing and pressing their fingerprints, each person received a rice cooker and two boxes of premium black ant powder. The boxes had large characters printed on them, making them look high-end, better than the batch that came to the resort last time.

"Uncles, just go back and wait. Technicians will come to deliver ant colonies and teach you the techniques within three days. We'll notify you in advance every quarter to collect your interest!" The young girl smiled sweetly and saw them all the way to the door.

The group of people were so happy carrying the rice cooker that their steps felt light, as if they were walking on cotton.

When they returned to the village, Zhao Si was waiting for them at the station. Seeing them carrying a rice cooker, he quickly said:

"Guangkun, how about... you guys reconsider? This is too good to be true..."

"What are you thinking about!"

Xie Guangkun carried the rice cooker and walked towards the village without turning his head, saying:

"Fourth brother, you're too timid; you'll never amount to anything! Just wait and see how much money we make at the end of the year!"

Liu Neng also turned around and laughed:

"Just... just so, don't be jealous when we get our interest!"

Zhao Si sighed, shook his head, and followed behind without saying a word, his brows furrowed the whole time.

Several people carried rice cookers, chatting excitedly and becoming increasingly proud as they went.

Xie Guangkun weighed the rice cooker in his hand, ran a hand through his hair, and said:

"You say Wang Dana and Lin Chen are always talking about doing big business, but I think they're just cowards. They don't even dare to get their hands on such a good project."

"Wang Dana is one thing, he's old and conservative, but Lin Chen is so young, and he's out there every day, yet he doesn't even have this much guts. He's wasting all that potential."

"That's for sure!"

Liu Neng continued, gesturing with his hands to indicate the name:

"Lin Chen is so rich, he could easily afford 100,000 or even 100,000, but what happened? He didn't even dare to touch it. I think he's just like that."

Accountant Xu smiled:

"These days, the bold get rich and the timid starve. The rich have their way of life, and we ordinary people have ours."

"Once I get the money back, I plan to invest another 20,000 yuan. With compound interest, it will be quite a lot in a few years. I'll also introduce some relatives to this company and earn referral fees."

"Yeah, that's why you're an accountant, you're really smart!"

Xie Guangkun's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh:

"Let's recruit more people later. We'll give 200 yuan for each referral, and 2,000 yuan for ten! That's much better than farming!"

The group got more and more excited as they chatted, each feeling they had gotten a great deal. They even planned to show off to Lin Chen when they made money, making them regret not investing.

Zhao Si was the last to walk, and he remained silent the whole time, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

……

"Clap clap clap clap..."

The crackling sound of firecrackers could be heard throughout half the village. Red firecracker casings were scattered all over the ground, like a layer of shredded red carpet, and the smell of gunpowder mixed with smoke drifted far away.

The brand-new two-story building had yellow walls, and the courtyard was full of villagers who had come to offer their congratulations. Old Wang had two packs of cigarettes stuffed in his pocket, and he handed them out to everyone he met, all smiles as he busied himself.

Lin Chen stood on the steps with Xie Xiaomei, Chen Yannan, and Li Qiuge. The girls were dressed beautifully and were undeniably pretty. They were laughing and joking together, attracting the attention of many young men who stole glances at them.

Just as things were getting chaotic, a handcart creaked and groaned as it was pushed over from not far away. It was loaded with flowers, all of which Zhao Si had just carried out of the flowerbed, and the wheels were still covered in mud.

Zhao Si gripped the handlebars, sweat beading on his forehead, and moved with great effort towards the building, afraid of tipping it over, as the wheelbarrow was inherently difficult to control.

Just as they were about to arrive, they bumped into Liu Neng coming over with his hands behind his back.

Liu Neng glanced at the car and said sourly:

"Old... Fourth Brother, you're something else! You brought a whole cart of flowers to congratulate Wang Xiaomeng on the completion of her office building. But when Liu Ying was pregnant, I didn't see a single flower from you! You and Wang Laoqi are really close, aren't you? Are you treating everyone differently based on their status?"

"Well...wasn't it because I was so busy that day that I was completely overwhelmed?"

Zhao Si quickly stopped the car, wiped his hands on his pants, and stammered an explanation:

"Besides, the courtyard is full of people for a celebration, and there's no place to put the flowers. Moving and opening a business are different. We can put them at the entrance to create a festive atmosphere. Don't bother with that useless stuff. There will be some main dishes at the banquet later."

"Do I need to tell you?"

Liu Neng snorted, glanced at him sideways, and walked into the yard with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself:

"Whether I give it to you or not, who cares? I'm not interested in your lousy flowers anyway."