Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

It was 2:00 PM at the end of July 2005.

It's the height of summer, and the temperature has soared to 30 degrees Celsius.

The entire village of Xiangyashan was eerily quiet, without a breath of wind. The scorching sun baked the dirt road until it was burning hot, and the leaves of the crops along the roadside drooped wither. The chirping of insects rose and fell, so noisy that it seemed to drill into one's ears, making one inexplicably irritable.

The simple shed at the Big Foot Grocery Store at the village entrance became a place for all the villagers, young and old, to rest and cool off.

Xie Dajiao leaned back on the bamboo chair, her posture languid and relaxed, slowly fanning herself with an old palm-leaf fan.

She wore a faded floral short-sleeved shirt that accentuated her shapely and full figure, paired with simple black trousers. Her long, black hair was casually pulled back, with a few stray strands hanging down her temples, and beads of sweat trickled down her fair and slender neck.

At thirty-seven years old, she shows no signs of the weariness and aging typical of rural women. Years of living alone and widowhood have not made her haggard; instead, they have cultivated a unique and charming allure.

Because she doesn't have to work in the fields, her skin is delicate and fair, her eyebrows and eyes are naturally charming, and every move she makes exudes the allure of a mature woman. She looks to be around thirty years old.

The shop is usually bustling with people. She is gentle and considerate, with the straightforwardness of a Northeastern woman, yet also with a touch of the detached languor of someone living alone. Every move she makes is eye-catching, and she is recognized by the whole village as the most attractive woman.

There are a lot of men who come to her shop to buy goods; they like to stay there whether they have something to do or not.

Under the shade of the pavilion, on the muddy ground, Liu Neng and Old Zhou were squatting down playing chess.

The chessboard was drawn on cardboard, and the chess pieces were polished to a shine.

Just as Old Zhou was about to make his move and deliver the decisive blow, Liu Neng reacted swiftly, moving his horse back to its original position. Despite his stuttering, his hands were surprisingly fast.

"Hey! What are you doing! Once a move is made, it can't be taken back! Can't you afford to play this game?" Old Zhou instantly bristled and glared, raising his hand to slam the chessboard in anger.

Liu Neng held his chess piece firmly, resorting to underhanded tactics:

"No... does it count? I misread it just now, I... I'll do it again! You old man, you have no sense of decency at all!"

"You've already regretted it three times! Playing chess with you is just asking for trouble!" Old Zhou said, his face full of resentment.

The two bickered back and forth, creating a lively scene that added a lot of energy to the sweltering afternoon.

Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell came from afar.

Village chief Wang Changgui rode over on a 28-inch bicycle, with an old black briefcase hanging on the handlebars, and the bicycle was scorching hot from the sun.

He stopped steadily in front of the grocery store, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, and then wiped his hands on his pants.

"Big Foot, get me a box of Hongtashan cigarettes."

Xie Dajiao put down her palm-leaf fan, got up and went into the shop, and quickly took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him.

As Wang Changgui took out his money, he casually started chatting:

"By the way, that kid from the Lin family is back, right? I passed by the east end of the village yesterday and saw that his old house was full of smoke. I thought I was seeing things."

Xie Dajiao nodded, her tone flat and indifferent:

"He's back. He arrived the day before yesterday afternoon, around this time, in a black sedan. He looked really impressive. He told me he came back to clean up the old things his grandfather left behind."

Liu Neng, who was squatting on the ground arguing, immediately perked up upon hearing this, stopped playing chess, and came over to chime in.

"Is it... Lin Chen, the grandson of the old Party Secretary Lin Laogen?"

Liu Neng looked at him with obvious familiarity, his tone full of envy:

"That kid has really made something of himself. I heard he's doing big business in Shenzhen, a real big boss, super rich. I still remember when he was little, I... I even held him in my arms. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and he's grown into a big-money adult."

The group chatted back and forth, gradually revealing Lin Chen's background in detail.

Lin Chen is 25 years old this year. He is the only grandson of the old Party Secretary Lin Laogen. He is a native of Xiangyashan and everyone in the village knows him.

This child has a truly tragic life. When he was ten years old, he moved to Shenzhen with his parents, hoping that things would get better and better. However, when he was eighteen, his parents were involved in a car accident while on a business trip and both of them died.

Overnight, Lin Chen became an orphan, leaving behind only a 120-square-meter fully paid-off apartment in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, and 120,000 yuan in savings.

With no one to help him and no one to rely on, he persevered and worked hard in Shenzhen for five years, carving out his own niche and opening a small electronics processing factory, while also renting two stalls to do business.

He is a truly capable and calm child.

When the elderly in the village talk about him, everyone feels sorry for him and admires him.

As they were chatting, a figure walked slowly over from a distance, hands behind his back.

Xie Guangkun stood ramrod straight, walked briskly, and wore an undisguised smug smile on his face. He waved towards the gazebo from afar, full of energy and spirit.

As he reached the entrance of the grocery store, he shouted in a loud voice:

"Big Foot, get me a bottle of soda! An ice-cold one! My Yongqiang will be home this afternoon! He's graduated from university! At the very least, he'll get a job in the town government, a real government job!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned to look at him.

Wang Changgui immediately smiled and congratulated him:

"That's great news! Guangkun, you've finally made it! Yongqiang is a promising kid, he'll be the pride of our entire Ivory Mountain from now on."

"No, what are you talking about? What do you mean by 'later'? Now! Now is the pride of Ivory Mountain!"

Hearing this, Liu Neng felt a pang of jealousy and couldn't help but pour cold water on the situation:

"Well... that's not necessarily true. There are more and more college students every year now, they're everywhere. Whether they can successfully become cadres is another matter. Don't be too happy too soon."

Xie Guangkun's face instantly darkened, and he immediately became displeased:

"Liu Neng, what do you mean? My Yongqiang graduated from a legitimate university, and he got in based on his own merit. How can you say it's not certain? You just can't stand to see my family doing well!"

"I'm just telling the truth, you're too... too arrogant!"

"I'm arrogant? My Yongqiang is definitely promising!"

The two started arguing instantly, each refusing to back down, their faces red and necks thick with anger. The already hot weather made them even more irritable and frustrated.

Xie Dajiao stood to the side, fan in hand, smiling as she tried to smooth things over.

"Alright, alright, it's no big deal. Don't get worked up in this heat. Guangkun, don't get agitated. Liu Neng, don't argue. Everyone in the village knows that Yongqiang is capable."

Wang Changgui also tried to mediate, and after a few words, he managed to calm the two down.

During a casual conversation, Xie Guangkun suddenly remembered something and asked offhand:

"By the way, you guys were saying that the Lin family's kid is back? His grandfather has been gone for three years, and the old house has been abandoned for so long, what's he doing back?"

Xie Dajiao replied while fanning herself:

"From what he said, he came back to retrieve the old items left by his grandfather. After the child came back, he was very quiet. He stayed alone in the old house at the east end of the village. He neither visited other people's homes nor went out for a stroll. He stayed at home and seemed quite aloof."

Upon hearing this, Xie Guangkun's face showed a hint of disdain, and he snorted lightly:

"So what if he's rich? He didn't go to a proper university, he doesn't have a government job, he's just a self-employed businessman. He may look glamorous, but he's not as respectable as my Yongqiang. He'll definitely become an official in the future."