Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

The next second, two strings of firecrackers exploded high in the sky, and the thick smell of gunpowder mixed with heat rushed over. The children in front of them all covered their ears, jumping and shouting, laughing and yelling non-stop.

Xie Dajiao was pregnant. As soon as the firecrackers went off, she immediately took a few steps back, gently supporting her heavy belly with one hand, afraid that the noise would startle the baby inside her.

Lin Chen happened to see this scene. He didn't say anything, but quietly moved in front of Xie Dajiao and used his body to block the drifting smoke and flying paper scraps.

The firecrackers gradually stopped, and the smoke slowly dissipated. Wang Xiaomeng strode up the steps and shouted at the top of her lungs to the dark mass of people.

"Dear uncles, aunts, young and old! Thank you all for coming and supporting me today. Please don't leave yet. My dad has specially hired a troupe of Errenzhuan performers, and we'll be going to the village square to perform right now. Please come over!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of cheers erupted from below, and someone shouted in a gruff voice:

"Xiao Meng has really made something of himself! On this joyous day, we must share in the happiness!"

The crowd slowly dispersed, with most people heading towards the village square to watch the Errenzhuan performance.

Xie Xiaomei, supporting Xie Dajiao's arm, slowly moved to the side with the flow of people:

"Auntie, there are too many people under the stage, and it will be too noisy. You're about to give birth, and you can't handle the commotion. Don't go and join the fun. I'll take you back to the supermarket first. No one will bother you there, and you can still be seen from inside the supermarket."

Xie Dajiao was indeed feeling uncomfortable from the shock; her stomach felt heavy and she was weak all over. Upon hearing this, she nodded slightly.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I really can't take it anymore. Let's go back to the supermarket."

The three drove back to the supermarket. Xie Dajiao felt much better after sitting down. Lin Chen confirmed that she was alright before leaving with Xie Xiaomei.

After leaving the supermarket, Lin Chen casually took Xie Xiaomei's hand, and the two strolled leisurely toward the square.

The distant sound of gongs and drums drifted over. By the time the two arrived at the square, the Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) performance had already begun, with the opening melody of the little hat being lively and cheerful.

The back row of the stage was packed with people, while the front row was filled with small stools and benches, making it extremely crowded.

Outside the crowd, Xie Guangkun was pushing his way in, shouting as he did so:

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Make way, move forward!"

He went home and dressed up, putting on Xie Yongqiang's suit. The suit didn't fit at all; the sleeves were way too long, making him look mismatched. He hadn't found any pants yet, so he wore his own work pants and cloth shoes. The worst part was the heat; sweat was pouring down his head, and his hair was all matted.

The funniest thing was that he even had a hair ornament from Xie Lan pinned to his collar, feeling very dignified and walking with a swagger.

After finally squeezing into the front row, he lifted his foot and firmly stepped on Liu Neng's instep.

Liu Neng jumped up in pain on the spot, hopping on one leg, clutching his instep and grimacing, shouting angrily:

"Thank...thank...thank you..."

"You're welcome, just move aside a bit." Xie Guangkun stopped in his position.

"Xie... Guangkun, what are you doing! Are you blind? There's such a big open space, why do you have to stomp on my feet!"

Xie Guangkun not only refused to apologize, but also crossed his arms and said:

"How could I do it on purpose? With so many people crammed together, what's wrong with a little bumping? You're the one who put your feet down randomly, and you're blaming me? How can you be so dramatic!"

"You think you're right to step on someone's foot?"

Liu Neng was so angry that his nostrils flared up, and he rolled his eyes as he said:

"Wearing a suit and trying to look presentable, how come the work is so sloppy! So...so unreasonable!"

The two started arguing on the spot, exchanging words and spittle flying everywhere, making it impossible for the people nearby to watch the drama in peace.

Wang Changgui, sitting in the front row, was annoyed by what he heard and turned around to shout:

"Are you two ever going to stop?! Today is Xiao Meng's grand opening day, the whole village is celebrating, and you two are just bickering like that! Don't interrupt our enjoyment of the Errenzhuan performance!"

After being reprimanded in public, the two of them reluctantly shut up.

A short while later, after the opening song was sung and the drumming stopped, Liu Yishui walked onto the stage with a microphone, smiling and waving to the audience.

"Dear uncles, aunts, young and old, on this auspicious occasion of Xiaomeng's opening, I, as the host, would like to introduce Xiaomeng's bean product factory to you!"

"The newly opened soy product factory in our village not only makes... firm tofu and dried tofu, but also tofu puffs, dried tofu, vegetarian chicken, and more! No additives, clean and hygienic, and tastes good!"

"To be honest, I'm genuinely happy for Xiaomeng, as her older brother and old classmate, that she's doing so well now. I hope everyone can support her..."

As soon as he said this, applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Everyone in the room was laughing, but Xie Guangkun was secretly furious and increasingly annoyed.

He stood below, squinting, watching Liu Yishui bask in the limelight on stage, and how close he was to Wang Xiaomeng, helping her at every turn. He muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed.

"What are you showing off for? Yongqiang is Xiaomeng's classmate!"

The thought of his son still hiding in the orchard behind the hill filled him with rage, and he slapped his thigh hard, cursing under his breath:

"That blockhead! Completely hopeless! Everyone else knows to gravitate towards him, but he just sits there watching over that run-down orchard!"

The more Xie Guangkun thought about it, the more aggrieved and resentful he became. He made up his mind that he had to go on stage, steal the limelight, and suppress Liu Yishui's arrogance! He would publicly link Xiaomeng with the Xie family, letting the whole village know that Xiaomeng would be his daughter-in-law sooner or later!

He straightened his awkwardly tailored suit and strode onto the stage.

Liu Yishui was speaking when he suddenly saw him come up. He was taken aback. On this joyous day, with fellow villagers around, he couldn't just turn him away, so he could only reluctantly hand over the microphone.

"Uncle Guangkun, would you like to say a few words?"

"Of course! Such a joyous occasion, I must go up on stage and say a few words!"

Xie Guangkun took the microphone, cleared his throat, and tried to put on airs and act dignified, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he made a lot of mistakes and his words were completely nonsensical.

"Dear fellow villagers! Today is the auspicious day of the opening of Xiaomeng Bean Products Factory! This marks a significant milestone for the livestock industry... oh no, the bean product business of our Ivory Mountain Village!"

"As the old saying goes, 'A prosperous business reaches all corners of the world, and wealth flows to the confluence of three rivers!' From now on, our village's tofu will not only be sold in the county and city, but sooner or later it will break out of Liaoning and be sold all over the country!"

The audience laughed uproariously, whispering amongst themselves.

"This old Xie Guangkun really dares to talk about anything!"

"Back to Sanjiangkou, we'll be in Jilin soon."

"He can't even distinguish between farmed livestock and soy products, yet he went on stage to give a speech. It's utterly embarrassing!"

Xie Guangkun completely ignored the discussions below the stage, getting more and more carried away and completely letting loose.

"Today is a beautiful, sunny day, and we are delighted to celebrate the grand opening of the bean product factories of the Wang and Xie families. It's a double celebration!"

"To put it bluntly, this factory is practically a joint venture between our two families! Given our relationship, Xiao Meng's factory will be half of my factory, Xie Guangkun's factory, and my Yongqiang will be the pillar and the person in charge! Everyone, please support us!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire audience fell silent, thinking they had misheard. A few seconds later, the entire square erupted in chaos.

"What's going on? Yongqiang and Xiaomeng are engaged? How come we didn't hear a thing?"

"That's bullshit! They were estranged just a while ago, nothing like that happened!"

"That Xie Guangkun is so shameless! This girl built her factory herself, and he just wants half of it!"

Wang Laoqi, standing by the stage, was trembling with rage. His face was deathly dark, and his lips were quivering. He stared intently at Xie Guangkun on the stage, suppressing his anger. If it weren't for the joyous occasion, he would have rushed onto the stage and given Xie Guangkun a good beating.

Wang Xiaomeng's expression changed instantly, feeling ashamed, angry, and wronged. Her eyes turned red and tears welled up.

On such a joyous occasion as the grand opening, someone has fabricated a story and tied it to someone else's name. Anyone would be upset in that situation, especially since Lin Chen might misunderstand.

Liu Yishui stood to the side, feeling extremely awkward and uncomfortable. He wanted to refute but had no grounds to do so, and could only anxiously watch Xie Guangkun act recklessly.

Just as Wang Laoqi was about to lose his temper and go on stage to argue, a sharp rebuke suddenly rang out from below the stage.

"Xie Guangkun! Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting on stage!"

Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw Lin Chen with a gloomy and ugly expression. He stepped out from the crowd, walked a few steps to the front of the stage, and stared at Xie Guangkun on the stage.

Lin Chen was truly angry and showed no mercy, harshly rebuking him in front of the entire village.

"I've never seen anything like you, such a shameless old scoundrel!"

"Today is Xiao Meng's grand opening day, the whole village has come to congratulate him, and you're the only one jumping around like that, do you need a good scolding?!"

"And you're talking about the bean product factories of the Wang and Xie families? Let me ask you, what does their opening have to do with your Xie family!"

"Is Wang Xiaomeng your daughter-in-law? You're saying that so confidently! Xiaomeng and Yongqiang are just ordinary friends, there's nothing more to it! You just spout nonsense, ruining this girl's reputation, taking advantage of your age, acting like a scoundrel, aren't you ashamed of yourself!"

"What nonsense are you spouting about, calling it double happiness? Who the hell is having double happiness with you?!"

"Uncle Qi worked so hard to support his daughter's business, it has absolutely nothing to do with you, Xie Guangkun! And you dare to say you own half the factory, how can you be so shameless?"

"Get down here right now! Don't embarrass yourself and ruin someone's happy day! If you're so capable, go home and do whatever you want, don't act like a drunkard here!"