Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"You know what he's like. Do you think I'd be interested in him? He has such a terrible lisp, it's exhausting and annoying to listen to! Besides, he's thirty-six, and he's ugly too, with that round face that looks like a pig's head! I'd be too embarrassed to even show him off!"

She became increasingly awkward as she spoke, her nose wrinkling. She grabbed the teacup on the table and gulped down two large mouthfuls of warm water to suppress her discomfort.

Lin Chen looked at her picky and pretentious manner, shook his head helplessly, leaned back on the stool and looked at her, speaking quite directly.

"Don't pretend to be high and mighty in front of me. I know Wang Musheng. He's a good person with a good character. Apart from his lisp, there's nothing wrong with him. You know his family's situation perfectly well. The Wang family is very wealthy. If we're talking about conditions, you don't even have a chance to be picky."

"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Stop pretending and just tell me, what are your conditions for a serious relationship with him?"

When her little scheme was exposed, Wang Xiangxiu remained calm and giggled, looking playful as if her secret thoughts had been seen through.

She turned her head and looked around; the clinic was deserted, not a soul in sight.

Only then did he tiptoe around to the other side of the table, get close to Lin Chen, sit on his lap, put his arms around his neck, and whisper to him that he had been secretly exchanging secrets.

"What other conditions could there be? When it comes to dating and marriage, nothing can be lacking. You have to arrange a house and a car for me clearly, and the bride price has to be the highest. I can't let anyone outdo me."

"Also, I won't marry far away. I don't want to suffer in another place. It would be best if you bought me an apartment in Kaiyuan County, with my name on it, close to Xiangyashan. That way, it'll be convenient for me to go back to the village to see my dad and visit other people. This request isn't unreasonable at all, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen immediately raised his hand to stop her, frowned, and retorted directly.

"You're dreaming! That's pure nonsense! Marriage is about following your husband. His family's businesses are all based out of town, how could they possibly revolve around you? And buy a house in the county town just to accommodate you? There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you're so infatuated, will the family's business fall apart and they be unable to make a living?"

Wang Xiangxiu was not angry at all when she was rejected in person, and she didn't take it seriously at all.

She straightened up, got off Lin Chen, crossed her arms, and looked nonchalant.

"If it doesn't work out, so be it. What's the big deal? If we don't want to be together, we don't want to. Do you think I have to cling to him? Brother Chen, don't think I care so much!"

Xiangxiu was clever. She knew that Lin Chen was an envoy sent by Wang Musheng and would not return empty-handed. He would definitely have to mediate for her, so she was not flustered at all and had to maintain the initiative.

Lin Chen rubbed his temples; it was truly giving him a headache.

Thinking of Wang Musheng's pathetic, tearful, and desperate behavior on the phone, coupled with Wang Dana's personal entrustment, he really couldn't just wash his hands of the matter.

He patiently relented:

"Fine, fine, I give up. I'll relay all your conditions to you exactly as they are, okay? And if you have any other requests, just say them all at once. Don't keep coming up little by little like toothpaste, making me go through all this trouble!"

Seeing Lin Chen relent, Wang Xiangxiu's eyes lit up instantly, and she started calculating her next move.

She leaned closer, almost touching Lin Chen's ear, and whispered in a very low voice, with a hint of selfishness in her voice.

"There's something else... Even if I really get together with Wang Musheng and marry him, you can't ignore me. It would be too miserable for me to spend my whole life facing that pig-headed idiot."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's face instantly darkened, and he quickly stood up and moved away, his tone immediately becoming serious.

"Xiangxiu, use your brain! Stop thinking such nonsense and being so irresponsible. If you really marry into the Wang family, you'll be Musheng's wife, my sister-in-law. You have to live a down-to-earth life, behave yourself, and stop doing these inappropriate things. Don't talk nonsense."

Despite being lectured, Wang Xiangxiu wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she threw a tantrum, pouting and talking back.

"What's wrong with my sister-in-law? Can't she have someone to talk to? Can't she talk to you to cheer herself up?"

He immediately followed up by feigning weakness and manipulating the situation, his tone carrying a threatening undertone:

"Fine, if you're going to be so serious, then I'm not dating this guy anymore, I'm not going to be your sister-in-law anymore. That way you won't feel guilty. You can just tell Wang Musheng to stop bothering me. Let whoever wants to marry him go ahead, I'm not putting up with this anymore!"

Lin Chen was now in a real bind. Xiangxiu was completely unyielding; no matter what he said, he couldn't reason with her.

He was truly at his wit's end, inwardly cursing Wang Musheng for never having tasted good pork, but outwardly he could only compromise and soften his stance:

"Alright, alright, I give in! I won't take this too seriously or pressure you. Just get in touch with Wang Musheng first, and take your time to see how things go. There's no rush to get married. Let's see how things go first, okay?"

A triumphant smile immediately flashed in Wang Xiangxiu's eyes, and the corners of her mouth secretly curled up high, while on the surface she still pretended to be calm and indifferent.

She softened her tone and took the opportunity to back down:

"Okay, whatever you say."

She immediately changed the subject as soon as she finished speaking:

"By the way, my dad and Wang Yun went to town and won't be back until dark. I'll be home alone. Could you come over in half an hour? I have some personal matters to discuss with you privately."

Lin Chen refused without even thinking:

"No, I'm not going. There's a ton of stuff to do with building a house at home. I have to oversee the construction team, the material delivery, and the blueprints. I don't have time to mess around with this."

Upon hearing the refusal, Wang Xiangxiu turned slowly toward the medicine cabinet with a drooping face, deliberately drawing out her words:

"You're not coming, huh? Fine, then forget it. I'm not going to worry about Wang Musheng anymore. When I reply to his messages, whether we date or not, it's all up to my mood."

Lin Chen stared at her retreating figure and sighed helplessly.

"Alright, alright, just behave yourself and stop causing trouble. Stay home and wait. Hurry up and get ready, wear black."

Wang Xiangxiu, with her back to him, immediately nodded, feeling as if she had won a battle, and was secretly delighted.

Lin Chen got up and walked out. The moment he lifted the curtain, only one word remained in his mind: exhausted.

Building a villa on a tight schedule isn't this difficult, but being caught between the tearful Wang Musheng, the worried Wang Dana, and the quick-thinking Xiangxiu is a real headache.

Half an hour later, he tiptoed into Xiangxiu's yard.

The courtyard was quiet, without a sound.

Lin Chen raised his hand and lifted the cotton curtain of the door. He had just poked half his body in when Xiangxiu immediately darted up from the side. Her movements were quick and hurried, clearly indicating that she had seen Lin Chen coming through the window.

Without saying a word, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Lin Chen's waist, pressing herself tightly against him. She then locked the door from the inside, afraid that someone might suddenly break in.

The curtains were drawn, the light was dim, the kang (heated brick bed) was quite warm, and the room was stuffy and not cold at all. Lin Chen felt enveloped in a warm atmosphere.

Lin Chen casually tossed his coat onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and glancing around, he noticed a skin-colored hula hoop standing in the corner. It looked quite new and probably hadn't been used much.

He raised his chin, pointed, pulled Xiangxiu up, and casually asked:

"You're still playing this stuff? Trying to lose weight this spring?"

Xiangxiu smiled, pursing her lips, and touched her tongue with her hand. With a touch of shyness, she said with a smile:

"You eat too well in winter, and just wander around a bit to get by. Whether you lose weight or not is another matter, but at least you get some exercise. You sit down first, I'll go make a simple meal."

"No need, I can stand."

Lin Chen picked up the hula hoop and weighed it in his hand. It was quite heavy, not the kind of flimsy, cheap plastic thing. It felt soft to the touch.

Since he had nothing better to do, he stood in the middle of the room, put the hoop around his waist, and started spinning.

At first, he was a little unsure and couldn't keep his balance. The circle slid down a bit. Lin Chen adjusted himself, found his rhythm, and with a little effort from his waist and abdomen, he immediately got into the swing of things.

He doesn't twist his body randomly; he relies on his waist and abdomen to generate power. His strength is deep and steady. As the circle drops downward, he gently lifts his hips and pushes his waist up, immediately going up.

He spun faster and faster, the plastic ring rustling against his sweater. He simply pulled the sweater up a little, spinning it with a whooshing sound, looking particularly nimble.

Once he got the hang of it, he even freed one hand to take out a cigarette case, lit one, and put it in his mouth. His other hand hung casually at his sides, and he took a few slow, leisurely steps, his waist moving with perfect rhythm, almost unbelievably steady.

Just then, the sound of Xiangxiu stir-frying vegetables came from the outer room, and the smell of cooking oil was too pungent.

Xiangxiu leaned half her body into the stove, holding onto it with one hand, and started cooking. Her brows were furrowed, and she couldn't stand the fumes anymore. She covered her mouth tightly with one hand, trying her best to hold back her cough.

The fumes from the cooking oil made her eyes red and the tip of her nose red. That's why they say being a woman isn't easy; cooking is no simple task.

Lin Chen's phone suddenly rang, and he immediately took it out.

Just then, the hula hoop started to slide down and was about to fall. Lin Chen gently tightened his waist and abdomen, and with a clean and decisive push, the hoop instantly returned to its original position, its speed not decreasing at all.

His tone was flat and indifferent, showing no sign that he was busy:

"Hey, bro."

On the other end of the phone, Wang Musheng was extremely anxious; his speech was slurred and disorganized.

"Xiao Chen! How's it going? I can't sit still at home! Has Xiang Xiu responded to me? What's she thinking?"