Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

After they had spoken their minds, the atmosphere at the table became more lively and relaxed. The drinks went down quickly, and the three bottles were empty in no time. Both of them had a high alcohol tolerance and were clear-headed. Today was a day to relax, and they were in high spirits.

Lin Chen got up and carried over a whole case of room-temperature beer. It was room-temperature beer from Northeast China; it was frosty when he put it on the ground. He smiled and said:

"Uncle, the baijiu is here, how about some beer to fill the gaps?"

Xie Baochang was getting a little drunk and completely let loose. He took off his sweater and threw it on the sofa, raising his voice a notch.

"We must do it! We absolutely have to! When I was a young soldier, I could down a case of beer at a company dinner like it was water!"

Once Xie Baochang starts talking about his time in the army, he can't stop talking. He talks animatedly about his old days of field training, guard duty, and the hardships he endured in the company, becoming more and more excited as he speaks.

Upon hearing that he had served in the military, Lin Chen thought, "That's perfect." He turned around, turned on his computer, connected the speakers, and started playing music.

As soon as the old military songs started playing, Xie Baochang's eyes lit up instantly, and he felt even more energetic.

It was too hot inside, and the alcohol was making them feel stuffy, so the two men took off their shirts, put their arms around each other's shoulders, huddled together, and started singing at the top of their lungs.

"What's so special about us soldiers?"

They were completely off-key, their lyrics were jumbled up, and their voices were all incredibly loud.

Beer was poured out one bottle after another, and when the song reached its climax, the two of them slapped the round table to keep time, causing the soup in the copper pot to shake back and forth and oil to splatter out.

By the end, Xie Baochang's face was flushed, his tongue was slurred, and he leaned unsteadily against Lin Chen, slapping Lin Chen's shoulder heavily with his large hand, and mumbling incoherently:

"Brother! I've decided you're my brother! Drinking with you is truly enjoyable."

"From now on, if you run into trouble in the county town, just mention my name! I have influence in most departments across the county! If I can't handle it, go find your sister-in-law; she works at the Industry and Commerce Bureau! Nobody will dare give you a hard time!"

Lin Chen, his face flushed and neck red from drinking, put his arm around Xie Baochang and laughed heartily.

"No problem, bro! Let's get together often from now on, how about a drink? Or maybe two more bottles?"

"What are you saying? Aren't you slapping me in the face? If you keep this up, here comes the bottle opener, open them all."

The three women beside her were laughing so hard they were doubled over. Xie Xiaomei covered her mouth, laughing so hard she was bent over, and said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"Look at these two! They're so drunk, they're behaving completely unprofessional! Their family hierarchy is totally messed up!"

Su Guifen leaned back on the sofa and laughed heartily, waving her hand dismissively.

"Don't you know your own dad? He's like this. When he's drunk, he starts talking nonsense. Just ignore them. We're happy today, so let them do whatever they want."

Then, Xie Xiaomei's smile faded. Xie Baochang's eyelids grew heavy, and he half-opened them, holding Lin Chen as he said:

"Brother, I feel bad that you're sharing this with my daughter!"

"Oh my god, big brother, what are you saying? If I'm not wronged, what am I wronged about?!"

Xie Baochang waved his hand in front of Lin Chen, feeling a surge of alcohol rising in his head. He took a deep breath to suppress it and burped.

"Brother, don't worry... I'm capable... I'll take good care of you. You can rest assured about the dowry; I'll definitely give you plenty."

"Forget about dowries, your brother has money, I'm not short of cash!"

"You...it's your business if you have money, but this is...it's my way of showing my appreciation as the older brother, so I have to give you more, otherwise I'll really feel bad..."

Xie Xiaomei's face darkened; this was truly her own father!

He downed several more bottles of beer in a row. Young people can handle drinking without a problem, but Xie Baochang couldn't; his head drooped little by little.

Just as Lin Chen put down his wine glass, Xie Baochang tilted his head to the side, leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, and started snoring. No matter how much he was shaken, he wouldn't wake up.

Xie Xiaomei moved nimbly, took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and laid a mattress at the end of the kang.

Lin Chen was barely clinging to life, his mind was buzzing, and he was even unsteady on his feet.

He bent down and lifted the completely drunk Xie Baochang up. Xie Baochang clung to Lin Chen, mumbling incoherent nonsense that was impossible to understand.

Lin Chen used all his strength to gently place the person on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Xie Xiaomei pulled over a thick quilt to cover him.

After finishing all that work, Lin Chen was completely exhausted. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he leaned to the side and fell into a deep sleep, breathing evenly and quietly.

Alright, Xie Xiaomei busied herself making a bed for Lin Chen on the kang (heated brick bed) and moved it over there for him.

Looking at Xie Baochang next to me, he hadn't even been lying down for two minutes when he started snoring loudly.

The snoring was so loud and penetrating that it could be heard clearly even from the other room.

He turned a perfectly good room into a chaotic mess, like a tractor. Only Lin Chen slept soundly; anyone else would never be able to close their eyes.

The three women quickly cleared the table, and Xie Xiaomei wiped the floor clean. They were finally done.

Su Guifen and Xie Dajiao slept together, with Xie Xiaomei next to them; the three women shared a room.

The three of them weren't sleepy at all, so they huddled together around the blankets and chatted:

"Xiao Hong, these first few months are the most precious for you, so please don't overexert yourself."

Su Guifen muttered in a low voice, afraid that Xie Dajiao wouldn't take it seriously:

"Avoid all heavy or strenuous work, avoid cold water, and refrain from eating raw, cold, or hard foods. Take good care of yourself and avoid any mishaps."

Xie Dajiao gently touched her lower abdomen and nodded repeatedly in agreement. The two chatted back and forth, from eating and drinking during pregnancy and daily rest to the mundane details of raising a child and living together, talking on and on for most of the night until they finally fell asleep very late.

The snow stopped sometime around 7 a.m. the next morning.

When Xie Baochang opened his eyes, his head throbbed with pain, feeling as if it were filled with paste, and he felt dizzy and swollen.

He was stunned for a full half minute before he could barely come to his senses.

My memory of last night is fragmented. I remember the beginning very clearly, but the end is completely blank. I have no recollection of it at all.

While he was still in a daze, Su Guifen came in with a basin of warm water. When she saw him sitting at the end of the kang in a daze, she immediately launched into a tirade, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"You're finally awake! I thought you were going to sleep until noon! Xie Baochang, you're really something, so capable!"

"First time meeting your son-in-law, and you, the father-in-law, are shirtless and calling his kid 'brother,' all smiles and familiarity. Have you completely lost all sense of shame?"

"Your snoring last night was deafening; half the village probably heard it! Look at Lin Chen, he drank just as much as you, but slept peacefully all night without complaining about your noise. I wonder where you'll put your face when you see Lin Chen in the future!"

After being scolded, Xie Baochang slapped his thigh hard, looking annoyed, and sighed repeatedly.

"Really? I really did something so stupid? I have absolutely no recollection of it! Oh my god, this is so embarrassing, I have nowhere to hide my face!"

The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he became. He had originally planned to talk to the two children about getting along well in the future, but now he had completely lost face.

Xie Baochang hurriedly grabbed his clothes and frantically put them on, saying in a flustered manner as he did so:

"No, no, let's go! We need to get going before Lin Chen wakes up, otherwise it'll be so embarrassing if we run into him, I won't be able to face anyone!"

At this moment, Xie Dajiao and Xie Xiaomei also heard the commotion and came over from the outer room to quickly persuade them.

"Dad, what's the rush? The porridge will be ready soon. Have some breakfast before you go," Xie Xiaomei said, both amused and exasperated.

"Yeah, bro, it's no big deal. Everyone's had too much to drink before. Nobody's going to laugh at you. You can finish your food before you leave, it won't be a problem." Xie Dajiao chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

Xie Baochang shook his head vigorously, eager to return home and run away:

"I can't eat anymore! I'm really running late! I have a meeting at work today, I can't be late, I have to get back right away!"

"Xiaomei, Dajiao, you two tell Lin Chen for me that I'm leaving now and we'll come back another day."

After saying this, the two hurriedly packed their things, not lingering for even a second longer.

Before leaving, Su Guifen held Xie Dajiao's hand and repeatedly gave her heartfelt instructions:

"You're pregnant now, your body is precious, so don't push yourself. Buy whatever you want to eat or drink, don't worry about the money, and don't deprive yourself."

As he spoke, he pulled out two thousand yuan in cash from his pocket and forced it into Xie Dajiao's hand:

"Take this money, don't be reluctant to spend it."

"Oh, sister-in-law, I have plenty of money!"

"Hurry up, stop tearing it, take it!"

Xie Dajiao tried to push it away for a long time but couldn't get it. Her heart was warmed. No matter what, family is the best friend.

When getting into the car, Xie Baochang was afraid of bumping into Lin Chen who had just woken up, so he plopped down in the car and immediately urged his wife to get in quickly.

"Why don't you start the car and wait a bit? The heater hasn't turned on yet."

"Come on up, it'll warm up in a bit."

Once everyone left, the courtyard instantly became quiet. Lin Chen slept until after 10 a.m., and the hangover was still quite strong. He felt much better after drinking some cold water.

He put on his coat, rubbed his head, and walked out of the house. Xie Xiaomei was tending the stove, cooking millet porridge, with a faint steam rising from it.

Lin Chen went to that room, glanced at it, frowned, and said with a hint of annoyance:

"Why didn't anyone wake me up? Did my aunt and uncle leave so early?"

Seeing him like this, Xie Xiaomei couldn't hold back any longer. She covered her mouth and giggled, telling him all about the embarrassing things that happened that morning.

"My dad was so ashamed that he ran away very fast, and no one could persuade him otherwise."

"Huh? Is that so? I don't remember either. I drank a lot of alcohol, and I lost count of the beer I drank."

After listening, Lin Chen raised his hand and helplessly slapped his forehead:

"What kind of situation is this? A perfectly good drinking session turned my father-in-law into a brother. Hey, niece, get your uncle a bowl of porridge and let it cool."

Xie Xiaomei, hands on her hips, said angrily:

"You're getting cocky just because I said you're fat, huh?"

Lin Chen immediately tried to pull her into the house, which startled Xie Xiaomei so much that she backed away repeatedly.

"Stop it, stop it, the porridge will be ready soon, I'll let it cool for you, okay..."