In just one week, Jiang Nan Fang had managed to arrange most of the town's work.
Unexpectedly, a minor issue arose at this point.
A thousand meters of raw materials were short, so she had to go to the county town to purchase them with Engineer Tian.
The two of them ambled around the county town for over an hour. By the time they returned, it was already four in the afternoon.
The sky was overcast, as if a heavy rain was about to fall.
The shop owner, seeing their appearances, knew they weren't locals and kindly reminded Jiang Nan Fang.
"You two are from the city, aren't you? You're not familiar with our mountains. The mountain roads are all dirt. After it rains, they become soft and prone to collapse. Every step creates a pit. Without direct sun for two or three days, it's basically impossible for vehicles to pass."
"Hurry up and leave before it starts raining. Otherwise, once it truly pours, it will take at least two or three days to get back to the village."
Jiang Nan Fang certainly couldn't stay in the county town with Engineer Tian for several days. She decisively urged him to leave.
As soon as they left the county town, raindrops the size of beans began to fall.
The heavier the rain, the more gloomy the sky became, with extremely low visibility. Engineer Tian dared not drive too fast, and they swayed precariously in the rain.
"Do you think we'll make it back today? What if the road slips later? We have no signal on the way, so if something really happens, we can't even call for help."
"But Engineer Jiang, don't be afraid. I'm here for you. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
Seeing him so relaxed, even considering such things, Jiang Nan Fang grew anxious and ordered him to stop the car.
"Get out, you're driving too slowly. Let me drive."
"Ah? You can drive?"
At a time like this, Jiang Nan Fang had no patience for his chatter.
She got out, they switched seats, she put the car in gear, stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped off like a rocket.
Engineer Tian watched her every move, seamless and fluid, with a mix of surprise and admiration. "Wow, Engineer Jiang, I had no idea you could drive, and so well."
"You're so capable, you can do everything, and you're beautiful too. What man will ever be worthy of you?"
Jiang Nan Fang had been bombarded with the uninspired "sweet talk" of male engineers daily for the past week. She was immune. "I just don't value my life as much as you do. If you were as reckless as me, you'd drive well too."
"..."
"Hold on tight. The road is bad. Don't get thrown out."
Facing the pelting rain, they quickly drove from the county town to the town, and then onto the muddy mountain road.
The car swayed left and right. She did her best to keep it steady, speeding up when appropriate and slowing down when necessary. Despite the rough ride, she managed it systematically.
About two-thirds of the way, the car got stuck in a very soft mud pit.
Engineer Tian got out to push, while Jiang Nan Fang gave it gas from inside. After struggling for a long time, the car still wouldn't budge.
With no other option, they both got out to find stones and branches by the roadside to fill the pit.
It was completely dark. Their phones had no signal since they were far from the signal tower. They fumbled in the darkness and soon became soaked to the bone.
Fortunately, the outcome was positive, and the car finally managed to get out of the mud pit.
By the time they returned home, it was already past six in the evening.
They were covered in mud, cold and tired. Although they changed their clothes promptly, Jiang Nan Fang developed a fever that night.
She didn't recover after such an ordeal. Coincidentally, the village chief came out to feed the pigs. Everyone stopped him and asked, "Do you have a village doctor? Engineer Jiang has a bad cold, and the medicine we brought can't treat it."
"If this rain never stops, what are we going to do?"
The village chief went in to see Jiang Nan Fang, asked about her symptoms, and his face darkened. "This is troublesome. Miss Jiang appears to have contracted malaria."
"This is much more serious than diarrhea. It could be fatal."
"You should all distance yourselves from her and not stay together. This thing is contagious."
Given the limitations of the conditions and the bad weather, they couldn't all perish together.
After giving Jiang Nan Fang her medicine, everyone had to go to Old Li's house ahead.
After taking the medicine, Jiang Nan Fang remained alone in the village chief's house, clutching her stomach and lying down in a daze for a while.
It was no use. She felt like she was dying.
At the Zhan family's residence, in the evening, three generations were having dinner together.
Worried that the changing weather might cause trouble for her mother, Zhan Jingge pretended to casually mention it.
"Daddy, do you know the name of China's largest desert?"
Why was she suddenly asking about deserts?
Zhan Bei Jue glanced at her and deliberately said, "I don't know. Do you?"
He already had an answer in his mind, but he deliberately asked himself this question to see if she was plotting something.
Zhan Jingge saw through his thoughts perfectly.
"I do! The teacher told us yesterday about China's largest basin, largest desert, and highest peak. My brother and I are going to draw later. Daddy, have you ever seen what a desert looks like? How do you draw a desert?"
So that was it.
He had seen people draw lakes and peaks, but drawing deserts was indeed very rare.
Zhan Bei Jue had never seriously considered the question. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I'll find some pictures for you to look at later. If you really want to draw it, you can copy from the pictures."
Zhan Jingge: "The pictures aren't clear. It would be great if Daddy could take me to see it in person sometime. I want to know if the desert really consists of very, very small grains of sand."
Hearing her say this, Zhan Bei Jue subconsciously thought of Jiang Nan Fang again.
"When you and your brother have your vacation, Daddy will take you to see it."
Seeing that her objective was achieved, Zhan Jingge nodded with satisfaction and said no more. "Thank you, Daddy. You must keep your promise. Then my brother and I will wait."
After the meal, the two children went back to their room first. Zhan Bei Jue stayed behind to talk with his mother.
Since the last failed blind date, Zhan Bei Jue had been using excuses to avoid his mother for several days. This was the first time they had met in a long while, so he was bound to be blamed.
"Tell me, what exactly are you thinking?" His mother got straight to the point.