Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Xie Dajiao also sidled up to Lin Chen, her eyes full of curiosity, and asked gossipily:

"Yeah, Xiao Chen, something doesn't sound right. This woman speaks so gently, and her accent doesn't sound like she's from Northeast China. You've never mentioned her to us before?"

Lin Chen wiped his mouth and smiled faintly:

"She's a woman I knew before, a reliable business partner, and an old friend I met in Shenzhen."

"Did you meet him in Shenzhen?"

Xie Xiaomei blinked, her curiosity growing stronger:

"Why have I never heard you mention this before?"

"It's not a big deal, there's no need to keep bringing it up."

Lin Chen picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, and slowly began to recount the past:

"I forget if it was 02 or 03, but after I withdrew money from the bank, I passed by the train station square and saw her wearing a business suit, standing under the hot sun, sweating profusely, looking extremely anxious."

"I was just being nosy, so I went up to ask her and found out that she had come from Shanghai to Shenzhen to discuss a project. She had just gotten off the train when her wallet, ID card, and everything else were stolen. She was penniless and didn't even have any change. Several people she asked thought she was a scammer, because things are different there than in Northeast China."

"I figured everyone has difficulties when they're traveling, so I took her to report the case, paid her hotel bill, treated her to a meal, and even helped her contact her company. She insisted on writing me an IOU, but I refused."

Lin Chen continued speaking while peeling the eggs:

"In the following days, she was unfamiliar with the place and encountered setbacks everywhere she went. Since I had nothing to do, I drove her to several OEM factories, helped her negotiate prices, and discussed payment terms. We gradually became very familiar with each other. She is a good person. After her divorce, she raised her daughter on her own and worked very hard. The train journey from Shanghai to Shenzhen takes 27 hours, and she just traveled back and forth by herself."

"What about the later investments?" Xie Xiaomei pressed for an answer.

"She later took charge of a new high-end soy product project at the company, which can be considered an internal startup."

Lin Chen put down his chopsticks and said casually:

"The company's support is insufficient, and there is a large funding gap. If it succeeds, it will be attributed to the company's performance; if it fails, she will have to bear most of the risk herself."

"She asked a lot of people for help. The distributors thought the project was too new and were afraid it wouldn't make money, so they refused to invest. The banks wouldn't lend her money because she didn't have collateral. She was also very proud and embarrassed to ask her relatives and friends for help. She only came to me when she was really desperate. We already had a good relationship back then."

"At the time, I thought she was reliable, down-to-earth, and trustworthy. I also thought the soy product industry was stable, so I invested 200,000 yuan to get a small share. I don't have to worry about anything and can just wait for the dividends at the end of the year."

"I originally thought we would likely lose money in the first few years, but I didn't expect to stabilize the market in the first year and start making a profit in the second year."

Two hundred thousand!

Xie Dajiao and Xie Xiaomei exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

To casually take out 200,000 yuan for investment without even blinking an eye—this kind of boldness is something that ordinary wealthy people can't match.

Xie Dajiao reached out and picked up the steamed bun on the table, muttering to herself:

"My goodness, two hundred thousand... You're incredibly audacious!"

Meanwhile in Shanghai, a woman hung up the phone and looked out the window in her silk nightgown, seemingly reminiscing about something or missing something.

The black robe was loosely tied at the waist, unable to conceal her mature and voluptuous figure.

She was tall and well-proportioned, just over 1.7 meters tall. Her milky white dress stretched the fabric into an exaggerated curve, and there wasn't an ounce of fat on her waist. Instead, it accentuated her sharp waistline and showed off her exaggerated waist-to-hip ratio.

Her calves, exposed outside the hem of her skirt, were shapely and fair, full of plumpness nurtured by time, without a trace of the thinness of a young girl.

She leaned against the windowsill, her collar slipping open slightly to reveal her porcelain-white shoulders. The morning sun streamed in through the window, landing on her heaving chest.

She gazed at the traffic below, lost in thought. There was no deliberate gesture, yet her voluptuous figure, standing in the light and shadow, exuded a captivating mature charm.

"Mom, what are you thinking about? You're staring out the window in a daze."

The woman snapped out of her daze, turned to look at her daughter, and smiled, saying:

"Nothing, just remembered a friend..."

The girl hugged her from behind and joked:

"Thinking so intently, could it be your boyfriend?"

The woman shook her head bitterly, not explaining anything to her daughter, secretly thinking to herself, "He's so good, am I good enough for him?"

……

In the evening, the wind blowing from the fields carries a cool, earthy scent, washing away the daytime heat. The mild weather is perfect for sitting outside, eating, and chatting.

In Lin Chen's courtyard, there was a small square table.

The table was set with simple, home-style rural dishes: vegetables with dipping sauce, stewed potatoes and eggplant, fried river shrimp, and a plate of fried peanuts. It was all very simple, yet incredibly delicious with rice.

Lin Chen had a wine glass in front of him, and he slowly poured himself a drink.

Xie Dajiao, Xie Xiaomei, and Wang Xiaomeng sat around the table, each holding a bowl of rice and water, eating comfortably.

There were no lights on outside, and the soft daylight was much more comfortable than eating indoors.

Wang Xiaomeng came over in the afternoon to learn computers from Lin Chen, and before she knew it, it was lunchtime.

Xie Dajiao enthusiastically invited her to stay for dinner. She politely declined a couple of times, but then readily agreed to stay, without any hesitation.

The four of them ate dinner in the evening breeze. When no one was talking, the only sound was the rustling of the leaves in the wind.

Xie Dajiao took a couple of bites of food, sighed, and started talking:

"Sigh, looking at Li Daguo today, I felt really sorry for him."

Lin Chen held his wine glass, took a small sip of baijiu, and casually asked:

"What's wrong? Did he and Xiangxiu have another fight? They were fine just a while ago, and he even met the parents!"

Xie Dajiao waved her hand and said:

"What's so good about it? Da Guo came to my store to deliver goods today, and he had a long face and was sighing all the time. I think their marriage is probably not going to happen."

Lin Chen picked up a peanut, popped it into his mouth, and asked with a smile:

"Why can't it work out?"

"What else could it be? The house!"

Xie Dajiao smacked her lips:

"Xiangxiu is very ambitious. She immediately asked for an apartment in the county town and declared that she would not get engaged or married until the apartment was secured."

"Do the math. A random apartment in the county town costs at least tens of thousands of yuan. Li Daguo is just a driver, working hard in all kinds of weather to earn a meager living. He can't even scrape together half of his savings."

"Yesterday he took Xiangxiu to see his family's bungalow and discussed making do for now and moving to a new apartment later when he made more money. But Xiangxiu was so arrogant that she didn't even get out of the car and turned around to go home, leaving Daguo standing there. With that attitude, it's a miracle that the two of them can succeed."

Lin Chen smiled after hearing this:

"Don't take on a job you can't handle. Since you promised to buy her the apartment, you have to find a way to do it. Wasn't the apartment the prerequisite for Xiangxiu to agree to be with you? If you didn't have the ability from the beginning, you should have broken up sooner rather than later and wasted your time."

Xie Dajiao leaned forward, lowered her voice, and looked mysterious.

"It's not just about the house. Let me tell you something in private, the grievances that Da Guo confided in me."

"Xiangxiu, you two seem open-minded, but you're actually quite conservative. You've been dating for so long, and you haven't even made a small intimate gesture. Daguo is thinking that you've been together for so long, and you can't even kiss me. Xiangxiu has made it clear that you can only get close to me after we get our marriage certificate. Before marriage, you can't touch me at all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Lin Chen had just swallowed half a mouthful of water and rice when he heard this and choked on it. He suddenly lowered his head and coughed violently, his shoulders shaking and his face turning red from coughing.

He quickly picked up the water and gulped down two big mouthfuls to suppress the choking sensation.

"Hey, Chen-ge, eat slowly, this guy's choking..."

Lin Chen waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. Everyone else thought he had accidentally choked on his food, but only Lin Chen himself knew that he was just trying to suppress his laughter.

Xiangxiu wasn't conservative at all. She was extremely guarded and acted very proper in front of Li Daguo, but when she was with me, she was incredibly proactive and had no restraint whatsoever.

This couldn't be said to anyone, so I could only pretend to cough to cover it up and force myself to swallow the words back.

On the other side, Wang Xiaomeng's face flushed red after hearing this. She bit her chopsticks and whispered her defense, looking very serious.

"Auntie, I don't think Xiangxiu did anything wrong. Before marriage, it's natural to keep your distance. A young lady should be self-respecting and behave properly. She shouldn't do anything reckless."

In Wang Xiaomeng's mind, girls should abide by the rules and have a sense of propriety before marriage, and should not cross the line. This is the most basic duty.

Xie Xiaomei listened quietly to the sound of the chopsticks, slowly picked up a piece of fried river shrimp, chewed it, and then spoke in a calm tone:

"That's not necessarily true. Rules and bottom lines are just for people you don't like."

"If you really meet someone you truly love from the bottom of your heart, why would you care about these rules and regulations? Your heart and eyes are filled with that person, and you'll throw all your reserve and etiquette to the back of your mind."

"I think Xiangxiu isn't conservative at all. She just doesn't like Li Daguo and is unhappy with him. She's only dating him for the sake of meeting his conditions. If she really met someone she likes, she wouldn't even wait to get married."

Xiaomei spoke frankly and directly, without hiding anything.

She herself was like that. When she first fell for Lin Chen, she was completely focused on him and didn't care about rules or face. If she liked someone, she liked them.

Wang Xiaomeng froze on the spot, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a jumble of emotions.

She subconsciously glanced at Lin Chen, and right in front of him was a half-smile on his face.

The moment their eyes met, Wang Xiaomeng looked as if she had been caught red-handed, and quickly lowered her head, frantically shoveling rice and water into her bowl. Her long eyelashes trembled incessantly, and even the base of her neck turned pink.