Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

A bowl of hot soup is scalding hot in your hands. Blow on it gently, take a sip, and let it slide down your throat into your stomach. It's fresh, fragrant, and mellow.

The chill from the mountain breeze just now seemed to dissipate from my skin in an instant, and all the pores on my body opened up, making me feel extremely comfortable.

Xiangxiu drank a large bowl of water, feeling warm all over, and quickly ladled out another bowl, ignoring Li Daguo:

"This soup is so refreshing in autumn; you won't feel the chill at all after drinking it!"

The drinks were unpacked and served. The men poured baijiu (Chinese liquor) into teacups, while the women who could drink beer drank beer and those who couldn't clinked glasses with soda.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively. The young people in the village let go of their inhibitions, clinking glasses, laughing and joking with each other.

Xie Yongqiang's face was flushed from drinking. He stood up, holding a half-full vat of baijiu. Not good with words, he couldn't come up with any polite words for a long time:

"Brother Chen, I won't say any more polite words. From clearing the land to planting trees, without you, this whole thing would have been a complete mess. I know in my heart how much you've done for me, and it's all in this drink."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank half a vat of liquor in one gulp. Lin Chen didn't even have time to stop him.

"Oh my god, what's wrong with your temper?!"

Lin Chen picked up the wine jar, took a small sip, and smiled reassuringly:

"Drink slowly, don't push yourself. Forget about gratitude, managing the orchard well is more important than anything else."

Then Zhao Yutian and the others took turns offering tea and wine to Lin Chen, and after going around in circles, they all surrounded him.

Li Daguo was reckless and spoke his mind without any restraint, asking in front of everyone:

"Brother Chen, there's something I want to ask you. You're incredibly bold. These days, it's hard to even lend money to relatives, yet you dared to give Xie Yongqiang 30,000 yuan? What were you thinking?"

Xiangxiu, standing next to Li Daguo, nudged him and whispered her dissatisfaction:

"Li Daguo, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"We're just chatting casually, what's the big deal?"

Xiangxiu wanted to say something more, but Lin Chen waved his hand to stop her, then looked at Li Daguo and said with a smile:

"I have a knack for it. I can pretty much figure out the personality of someone I've met a few times. I can tell that Yongqiang really wants to make something of himself this time, so as his older brother, I'll definitely support him. Besides, I'll get a share of the profits if he does a good job."

Liu Ying pouted and said:

"Brother Chen, what you're saying is too scary. I don't quite believe it. How can you understand someone after just a few meetings?"

Lin Chen said with a smile:

"Why don't you believe it? You'll develop that skill by interacting with more people outside. Let me tell you about a few people. You're all young people here, and you're all concerned about your image. I won't talk about you. I'll talk about a few elderly people from the village. I've certainly not interacted with as many people as you have, so I'll just tell you and you can see if it's accurate."

Everyone became interested and pricked up their ears to listen.

Lin Chen gets talkative after a few drinks, and strangely enough, these people seem to enjoy listening to his ramblings. He looked around at the group and smiled as he gave them a few words of advice:

"I'm not telling anyone what I said today, so please don't spread it around."

"Hey, just say it, Brother Chen, there's no one who talks so much."

Lin Chen nodded, cleared his throat, and said:

"Let me start with a few people I know well. Let's start with Yongqiang's father, Xie Guangkun. He's a calculating and stingy person. He may seem decent on the surface, but he's actually very stingy. Even Qi Santai has told me that he's eaten a lot of Xie's chickens. He always brings two chickens with him when he goes to visit. You're so generous with gifts, why don't you give something else? You're turning Qi Santai into a weasel."

"Hahaha……"

Everyone burst into laughter. Yongqiang scratched his head, not angry at all, and said:

"Brother Chen is pretty accurate. I'll take a sip." He then gulped down a mouthful.

Lin Chen didn't say much about Xie Guangkun, as a way of giving Yongqiang face. He just picked the most inconspicuous flaw to mention. If he really talked about it, he could go on for a whole night. For example, he was a troublemaker, loved to compare himself to others, and wanted to have the final say in everything...

Lin Chen nodded at Liu Ying:

"Let's talk about Yingzi's father, Liu Neng. I'll take a sip of beer first; I'm getting a bit thirsty."

Lin Chen took a sip of beer and continued:

"Liu Neng is reckless. No matter what anyone says about me, I'm stingy and won't part with a penny. I'll take advantage of any opportunity. If I don't pick up something when I go out, I consider it lost. Xie Guangkun at least cares about his reputation, but Liu Neng doesn't. But to be fair, he's really good to his daughter. Despite how stingy he is, the dowry he received was the highest in Ivory Mountain Village."

Zhao Yutian ate a bite of meat beside him, and while eating, he chimed in:

"My father-in-law was desperate."

Liu Ying said to Zhao Yutian with dissatisfaction:

"Why do you say that? Brother Chen said that my dad is good to me, how come it sounds different in your mouth?"

"That's how it is, why can't we say it?" Zhao Yutian said nonchalantly, half-lying down.

Liu Ying wiped her nose with her sleeve, forced a smile, and said to the crowd:

"You guys eat, I can't eat anymore. Zhao Yutian is heartless, he's infuriating."

After saying that, he got up and left. Wang Xiaomeng and the other women quickly got up to stop him, but Lin Chen kicked Zhao Yutian.

"What are you pretending for? Hurry up and get your wife back. Something might happen in the dark."

"It's alright, she's too scared to walk by herself, she'll be back in a bit."

Are you going or not?

Seeing that Lin Chen was about to lose his temper, Zhao Yutian quickly got up and chased after Liu Ying. No one knows what they said, but Liu Ying was easy to coax and eventually came back to continue eating.

"Brother Chen, say a few more, I haven't heard enough. What you said is really true."

"Alright, then let me tell you more about Xiao Meng's father, Wang Laoqi. My seventh uncle is a really good person. He's a rare normal person in this village. He's serious about everything he does, and he's open and honest in dealing with outsiders. He's simple and steady."

"Xiangxiu's father, Uncle Changgui, is a typical careerist. He's willing to go to any lengths to become an official, but he's also a very good person. He always thinks about anyone in need and is easy to get along with."

Xiangxiu quickly explained:

"Brother Chen, my dad isn't obsessed with officialdom."

"Really? Then have your father send Wang Yun back tomorrow."

Xiangxiu opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. She picked up her beer and said:

"Fine, I'll take a sip then."

"Hahaha..." Everyone knew that Lin Chen was right again.

Lin Chen stopped there and said no more. The younger generation of Ivory Mountain respected their leader from the bottom of their hearts.

The campfire crackled and popped, sparks drifting into the night sky. The sounds of people smacking their lips as they ate meat, clinking teacups, and laughing and joking among young people echoed together in the quiet mountain night.

They ate, drank, and played around until after 10 p.m., finally enjoying themselves to the fullest.

The whole fat sheep was gnawed down to its clean skeleton, the big pot of mutton soup was drunk to the last drop, and all the offal was gone. Most of the boys were quite drunk, their eyes were unfocused, and they were walking unsteadily.

Lin Chen stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and, not having drunk too much, spoke up:

"Alright, that's enough. It's getting chilly in the mountains. Everyone pack up and get ready to go down."

"The women will walk in the middle, and the men will protect them from the sides. It's dark and the mountain path is slippery, so watch out for the rocks and puddles. Make sure to put out the fire completely with water, bury the charcoal ashes in the ground, and put all the trash in bags to take down the mountain so that Yongqiang won't have to clean it up tomorrow."

Everyone listened and worked together to finish cleaning.

Even after closing up shop, the scene was still filled with laughter and merriment. Li Daguo, drunk and acting crazy, insisted on carrying Xiangxiu down the mountain, only to be slapped on the back by Xiangxiu and publicly humiliated.

Zhao Yutian somehow offended Liu Ying again, and was pinched by Liu Ying when he went down the mountain.

The group strolled leisurely along the mountain path toward the village.

Lin Chen brought up the rear of the group, holding a flashlight in his hand for illumination.

The group of young people thoroughly enjoyed their meal and strolled down the mountain in twos and threes.

It was completely dark, and the mountain road was full of potholes. A group of people were making a lot of noise, chatting about how perfectly the roasted lamb was cooked and how delicious the lamb leg was, as they strolled back to the village.

The slope was steep and the road was narrow and unsafe, so Lin Chen took the initiative to occupy the outer lane, with Xie Xiaomei on his left and Wang Xiaomeng on his right.

Lin Chen held a flashlight in his hand, not shining it on the road ahead, but keeping the beam low and fixed right under the two women's feet. He could clearly see the small potholes and loose pebbles on the road, just in case the two women were walking with their heads down and lost their focus, and accidentally twisted their ankles.

They lingered and chatted until they reached a fork in the road in the village. One road led to the alleys of each farmer's house, while the other led directly to Lin Chen's home.

Lin Chen subtly turned his head slightly, glanced at Xie Xiaomei, and quietly tilted his chin towards the direction of home, completing the task with a small gesture.

Xie Xiaomei is so clever; she immediately knew what he was thinking with just a glance.

After the others said goodbye to Lin Chen, she didn't say a word, immediately hooking her arm around Wang Xiaomeng's, pressing her body close to hers, and said very enthusiastically:

"Xiao Meng, look how dark it is, it's so late. Don't bother going back tonight, go back to Brother Chen's house. I've packed up all the bedding in the house and left it out to dry in the yard for days. It's still warm and dry, without a trace of dampness."

Wang Xiaomeng paused, her face flushed instantly, and her ears burned. Of course, she knew what would happen if she went.

To be honest, she didn't want to leave; she just wanted to spend more time with Lin Chen.

But rural girls are shy and wouldn't dare to openly express these thoughts.

He lowered his head and hesitated, making excuses.

"Isn't this inappropriate? My dad's waiting at home, he should be worried. Besides, it's not good to leave without telling him and then suddenly say you're staying out."

"Oh dear, what's the big deal!"

Xie Xiaomei clung to her arm, half-pulling and half-persuading her as she led her towards Lin Chen, casually saying:

"Just give Uncle Qi a call to let him know, it's no big deal."