Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Upon hearing this, Xie Guangkun not only remained calm but also scoffed, continuing to eat the corncob without stopping.

"I thought it was a big deal! What's wrong with being a few days late? Like I said, they're such a big company, why would they be short of your little bit of money? Their cash flow is normal, isn't it? You even need an appointment to withdraw money from the bank!"

Liu Neng was still a little apprehensive:

"No...no, I heard from others that many people over there are panicking and want to go to the company to ask."

"What's the panic? They're all just naive kids!"

Xie Guangkun threw the corn onto the pile:

"The more panicked you are, the more likely you are to make a mess of things. I'm telling you, this is a test. If you get through it, it'll be over. If you're scared, then you can withdraw. I won't stop you. I'm not withdrawing. I'm waiting to sell all the grain before investing another 10,000!"

Liu Neng stood there pondering for a long time, but after Xie Guangkun's words, he felt they made sense, and scratched his bald head:

"That's true... such a big company can't just shut down like that. Well... then I'll wait a bit longer, and add some more after we sell all the grain?"

"Go ahead and add more! The bold get rich, the timid starve. Once we get the principal and interest next year, we'll be able to hold our heads high in the village!"

The two of them made up their minds right then and there, completely disregarding the possibility of a delay.

Little did they know that Black Ant Biotechnology's cash flow had already dried up by the end of August, and it was already on the verge of collapse. The payments that were supposed to be returned in October were all covered by the principal from the last batch of new farmers.

Xie Guangkun, Liu Neng, and their group of investors ended up being the last ones holding the bag...

……

In Qi Santai's living room, Wang Tianlai sat properly on the sofa. He had a new hairstyle that was prickly to the touch and sticking up straight.

On the coffee table were two bottles of wine he had brought. He had specially gone to the original supermarket to pick them out, just in case the gift was too small.

Wang Xia, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit platter and smiled as she pushed it towards him:

"Tianlai, don't be shy, have some fruit. Your uncle went to a meeting, he should be back soon. I mentioned your job application to him, he knows what I mean."

Wang Tianlai had a fawning smile on his face:

"The main problem is that this matter is too crucial. It's a legitimate government job, and after thinking about it, only my uncle can help me."

Not long after, there was a noise at the courtyard gate, and Qi Santai walked in with his hands behind his back. When he entered the house and saw Wang Tianlai, he nodded to him, took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

"Is Tian here? You've been waiting for ages."

"Uncle."

Wang Tianlai quickly got up and waited for Qi Santai to sit down before starting to get down to business:

"Uncle, I've come to ask you for a favor today. We recently allocated a few positions for permanent staff, and the hospital director personally spoke with me about it. He reserved one for me, which is a very secure position, but there's a strict rule: I have to work at a village clinic first to get this position."

"Could you see if you can help me get back to the village clinic?"

Qi Santai picked up her teacup, took a sip, and glanced at him, but her eyelids were drooping.

"Is the information accurate? The editors don't just make things up."

"Absolutely accurate! The dean spoke to me privately, telling me to use my family connections to get that grassroots assignment sorted out."

Wang Tianlai quickly nodded and continued:

"That's why I immediately thought of you, Uncle. You have a lot of influence in town, so this is definitely no problem for you."

"Alright, since the dean has already told you everything, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Qi Santai put down his teacup and leaned back on the sofa:

"Let's eat first. Your aunt has already prepared the dishes. This afternoon, I'll call the director of the health center and also let the town's health office know what they mean."

"Oh, thank you, Uncle!"

Wang Tianlai breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised his glass to toast, finally putting his mind at ease after being anxious for almost half a month.

Xie Guangkun squatted in his yard husking corn. He noticed that Xie Yongqiang would leave before dawn and not return until dark, his face tanned dark by the sun, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Xie Guangkun hadn't let Yongqiang do any work when acquiring the land before; he hired others to do it. Yet Yongqiang was getting darker every day. Could it be from soaking in hot springs every day? Hot springs don't make you darker, do they? The more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.

That day, as soon as Xie Yongqiang left home, he secretly followed him on his bicycle, keeping a distance, determined to see what this kid did every day.

Following them all the way to the orchard, they saw Xie Yongqiang take off his coat, change into a dirty work uniform, pick up a hoe, bend down, and start digging tree pits. It was clear that he had been doing this for more than just a day or two.

Xie Guangkun's head buzzed, blood rushed to his face, and without a word, he rushed over, snatched the hoe, threw it on the ground with a thud, pointed at Xie Yongqiang's nose, and shouted:

"Xie Yongqiang! Explain yourself! What are you doing here digging the ground instead of being the deputy general manager at the resort? Did you quit your job?"

Xie Yongqiang knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and nodded frankly:

"You good-for-nothing!"

Xie Guangkun was so angry that his hands were trembling, and he pointed at his nose and berated him mercilessly:

"Such a great job! A vice president! You just quit like that? What kind of future can you have digging in here? Did I waste my time sending you to university? Are you trying to drive me crazy?!"

The two were arguing so hard that their faces turned red when Chen Guiying arrived on her motorcycle. It was getting chilly in the morning and evening, and she was so cold that her nose was running.

From afar, you could hear Xie Guangkun yelling at the top of his lungs, his words getting increasingly offensive, indicating that he must have found out about Yongqiang's resignation.

Chen Guiying rushed over, shielding Xie Yongqiang behind her, and began to berate Xie Guangkun, her words rapid and venomous:

"Xie Guangkun, what are you yelling about! You old bastard, how dare you yell at my man? Yongqiang is so old, what right do you have to tell him what to do? Who wants to work that lousy job at the resort? It's all backstabbing and being treated like a doormat. Can't we just quit?"

"Go back to your own orchard and dig up the ground, did you dig up your ancestral graves? Let me tell you, Xie Guangkun, don't push your luck! It's one thing for you, as a father, not to support your child, but to come here and sabotage him! How could your parents have given birth to such an inhuman old man like you? Get out of here and don't cause trouble, or I'll drag out your ancestors for eighteen generations and curse them!"

Chen Guiying was naturally feisty, and when she protected someone, she unleashed her full power, firing off a barrage of words that Xie Guangkun couldn't get a word in edgewise. His face turned pale and red with anger, and his chest heaved with rage.

Chen Guiying cursed for almost ten minutes without repeating herself. As she was arguing, Xie Guangkun suddenly pouted, his legs went weak, and he plopped down on the muddy ground with a thud. He burst into tears, sobbing and his shoulders heaving, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

This completely stunned Chen Guiying, who stood there with her hands on her hips, looking down at him:

"Old Xie, stop this nonsense! When did you become so easily offended? Why are you crying? Did I yell at you too hard? No way, I used to yell at you way harder than this, and I never saw you shed a tear. Get up and argue with me! What's with sitting on the ground? Look at you, still crying! Hold it in!"

Xie Guangkun ignored her, wiped away his tears, and slowly stood up, his pants covered in dirt, his belt askew, and his front zipper open, revealing his bright red underwear.

Xie Guangkun patted the dirt off his backside, looked at Xie Yongqiang, his voice still trembling with tears, his face filled with grief and indignation:

"Yongqiang, from today onwards, we are completely severing our father-son relationship. You two should get your marriage certificate right away, and after that, you should move to town. Don't call me 'Dad' anymore. And you, Chen Guiying, I give up. Don't curse me anymore either. I've given you my son. That's it."

After saying that, he didn't even look at the two of them. He turned around and walked down the mountain with his head down, his back looking a little hunched over, and he had no energy left.

Chen Guiying crossed her arms and watched his retreating figure, then turned and nudged Xie Yongqiang's arm:

"Is your dad possessed? Why is he crying? This doesn't seem like him at all."

Xie Yongqiang paused for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, the laughter growing louder and louder until he finally tilted his head back and shouted:

"Hahaha! Great! Finally, no one's bothering me anymore!"

"Look at your pathetic self."

Chen Guiying rolled her eyes at him, shook her head, and couldn't help but laugh as well.

"You two are really like father and son, each more wicked than the other. They've cut ties with you, and you're still laughing."