Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

The curtain outside was lifted, and Wang Laoqi's wife, wearing an apron and holding a large spatula for stir-frying, quickly came out to greet the guests. Her face was kind, and she seemed like a decent person.

"Xiao Chen is here! The food is fresh out of the pot and still hot. We've been waiting for you to eat."

Following closely behind, Wang Xiaomeng walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of scrambled eggs, her head bowed.

The moment she looked up and met Lin Chen's gaze, her face flushed crimson. She immediately lowered her head, staring at the ground beneath her feet, and whispered hesitantly:

"Brother Lin Chen."

The words Lin Chen uttered at the village entrance that afternoon still lingered in her mind, leaving her feeling both ashamed and wronged.

But after she calmed down, she realized that Lin Chen was telling the truth. She had blindly taken sides without distinguishing right from wrong, and her behavior of criticizing Lin Chen was indeed foolish. Later, she learned that Lin Chen was standing up for her father.

Torn between two conflicting emotions, she dared not look up and meet Lin Chen's eyes.

Lin Chen saw through her predicament but didn't say anything, pretending not to notice her embarrassment at all. He reached out and took out two bottles of liquor that he had prepared in advance, handing them to Wang Laoqi:

"Seventh Uncle, it's not appropriate to come empty-handed. I brought two bottles of wine, and I'll have a couple of drinks with you tonight."

Wang Laoqi quickly took it, his face stern as he complained:

"You silly child, bringing gifts when you come to our house for dinner, that's too much! Why are you being so polite with us?"

"That's right, Xiao Chen. Next time you come, you absolutely mustn't buy anything, or Auntie won't let you in."

Xiao Meng's mother echoed this sentiment, warmly inviting Lin Chen to come inside and sit down.

A table full of hearty farmhouse dishes was laid out early on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room: stewed chicken, stewed potatoes and green beans, scrambled eggs, smashed cucumber, fried peanuts, and a plate of homemade salted duck eggs, all cut in half. They were all the most down-to-earth home-style dishes.

"Xiao Meng, go to the field and pick some scallions."

Wang Xiaomeng got up and went to the garden.

Wang Laoqi pulled Lin Chen to sit down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and quickly set out two large glass wine glasses. Each glass was more than three liang (about 150ml), so Wang Laoqi filled them to the brim.

"Xiao Chen, we have to have a good drink today! If you hadn't held Xie Guangkun back this afternoon, I would have been so angry I wanted to beat him up!"

Lin Chen raised his wine glass and gently clinked it against his:

"Seventh Uncle, why are you being so polite? Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Can you out-talk Xie Guangkun? He's always babbling on and on, and he's such a snob. I just can't stand him using his son to throw his weight around. Here, have a toast."

The two of them tilted their heads back and took a sip. The baijiu was spicy and went down their throats. Lin Chen quickly picked up some peanuts and ate a few to calm down.

When Wang Xiaomeng returned, she placed the washed scallions on the table. In the countryside, people don't care about plating or not; it's all about being casual.

Feeling sorry for Lin Chen, who was all alone and had no relatives left, Xiao Meng's mother immediately put a chicken leg into his bowl.

"Kid, eat more meat to nourish yourself. Our free-range chicken is stewed until the meat falls off the bone, and it's so delicious."

"Thank you, Aunt Qi, I can do it myself."

The family ate and chatted at the dinner table. Wang Laoqi kept adding food to Lin Chen's plate, drinking continuously, and casually inquiring about his future plans:

"Xiao Chen, what kind of business are you doing in Shenzhen? Why give up a perfectly good life in the city and say you want to go back to the village to live for five years? What's your motive?"

Lin Chen once again used the pre-prepared explanation:

"Uncle, I feel so lost right now, all alone. My grandparents and parents are buried here. I came back to observe mourning, and also because the pace of life in the city is too fast, and I'm always on edge. I've earned enough money, so I'm coming back to rest for a while."

Old Wang nodded repeatedly in approval:

"That's rare! These days, all the young people flock to the city; very few are willing to go back to their hometowns to fulfill their filial duties. You're a truly admirable person. Here, have another drink!"

After hearing Lin Chen's words, Wang Xiaomeng kept looking at him. Her opinion of Lin Chen had changed a lot. She thought that a filial person couldn't be wrong, no matter how bad he could be.

As they chatted, the topic naturally turned to the incident at the village entrance that afternoon.

Wang Laoqi put down his chopsticks, his face instantly darkening, and said with aggrieved frustration:

"I get so angry just thinking about it! Xie Guangkun is such a snob! My daughter, Xiaomeng, is honest and hardworking. How is she not good enough for his son? Just because my daughter makes tofu, he said those things in public!"

Xiao Meng's mother sighed as well, looking at her daughter with heartache:

"Xiao Meng gets up to work every day before dawn. She is sensible and hardworking. Xie Guangkun is really too short-sighted."

Wang Xiaomeng kept her head down the whole time, not saying a word, poking at the white rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. Listening to her parents' words of concern for her, the grievances that had been building up all afternoon finally broke down, and tears fell directly into her rice bowl with a thud.

"Stop crying!"

When Wang Laoqi saw his daughter crying, he felt both heartache and anger, and scolded her in a stern voice:

"His Xie family looks down on people, and we don't even want to be related to them! We're not allowed to associate with Xie Yongqiang anymore; we should have some self-respect!"

Wang Xiaomeng looked up, her eyes red and teary, and retorted:

"Dad, Yongqiang and I truly love each other; it's not just a passing fancy!"

"Can sincerity feed you?"

Wang Laoqi frowned:

"Daughter, a couple's life isn't just about the two of you; it's about both families. His father looks down on you from the bottom of his heart, and Yongqiang can't make the decisions. If you marry into the family and suffer mistreatment every day, how can you expect to have a good life?"

Just as the father and daughter were about to argue, Lin Chen stepped in to smooth things over. He first filled Wang Laoqi's glass with wine, then turned to Wang Xiaomeng, his tone calm and without a trace of the harshness he had shown earlier that afternoon:

"Xiao Meng, I'm two years older than you and have more experience than you. Let me tell you the truth, but don't take it to heart. Xie Guangkun looks down on you, and it's never because you sell tofu."

Wang Xiaomeng was stunned, then looked at him with teary eyes, her gaze full of confusion.

"It's because you have no voice right now!"

Lin Chen looked serious and slowly began to comfort him:

"That's how society works; if you're weak and unassuming, others will easily belittle you."

"If you only make a few plates of tofu a day and earn little, you're just an ordinary commoner in his eyes. But if you expand your business, become your own boss, and have status and ability, no one will dare to look down on you anymore!"

Immediately afterwards, Lin Chen took another sip of wine. Perhaps because of the alcohol, he became a little more talkative, even going so far as to outline a business plan for the other person.

"Here's what you're doing: first, replace the old stone mill with an electric millstone to double the output. Then, open up supply channels to supermarkets and restaurants in the county. Later, when you have more money, develop deep-processed products such as tofu skin and dried tofu to extend the shelf life and expand sales channels. Finally, create a local brand of soy products."

"What is a brand? A brand is our face!" Lin Chen said, patting his face.

"When your annual revenue reaches hundreds of thousands or millions, and you own your own processing plant and sales channels, not only will Xie Guangkun not dare to look down on you, but officials in the town, county, and even city will also look up to you."

At that point, it won't be him choosing you, it will be whether you're interested in the Xie family!

His words, though profound, were easy to understand and broadened Wang Xiaomeng's horizons.

She never imagined that her humble tofu business could grow to such a large scale.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang were dumbfounded. Tofu could be made like this? They'd really come up with some amazing tricks…

Wang Xiaomeng suddenly had a goal, her confusion dissipated, and an unprecedented flame ignited in her eyes. She looked at Lin Chen with gratitude and admiration.