Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Seeing that he was really anxious, Wang Bing honestly recounted the whole morning's events from beginning to end.

From Xie Guangkun forcibly going on stage to boast, making unfounded claims of being related to his family and saying that the factory belonged to half of his family, to Lin Chen mercilessly scolding him in public, and Xie Guangkun slinking off the stage in disgrace, nothing was missed.

Finally, he added a symbolic word of advice:

"Actually, your father is also anxious about your marriage and hopes that you and Xiao Meng will get married. It's just that he is too rash and unreliable."

These words, instead of offering comfort, only added fuel to the fire for Xie Yongqiang.

He was so angry that his chest felt tight, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

He had argued with Xie Guangkun countless times before, saying that he and Wang Xiaomeng were just ordinary friends and had no other relationship whatsoever, and told him not to meddle.

But to his dismay, the old man not only ignored the warnings but escalated his behavior, going directly to the opening ceremony to spout nonsense and ultimately being publicly humiliated.

Now that's it, the whole village will laugh at his family and at Xie Yongqiang. He's completely lost face!

"Brother Wang, you keep an eye on the rest of the work. I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'm heading down the mountain now!"

Xie Yongqiang had no mind to work anymore. He hurriedly left a message, without collecting the blueprints, picking up the tools, or even putting on his sun hat, and turned to run down the mountain.

He hurried home, growing angrier with each step, feeling both frustrated and resentful, as if he were about to explode.

……

Meanwhile, at Xie Guangkun's home.

Having lost face on stage that morning, Xie Guangkun went straight home looking dejected.

He was lying sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed) with a wet towel on his forehead, groaning with his eyes closed, looking like he had a headache and felt unwell all over.

Yongqiang's mother brought a ladle of water into the house, slammed it heavily onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and, seeing his behavior, launched into a tirade.

"Hmph, now you know to stay home? Where were you before?"

"I told you repeatedly this morning not to meddle and not to talk nonsense, but you wouldn't listen! You insisted on going! Fine, you went, but what did you do on stage? Are you satisfied now? The whole village is talking behind your back and laughing at you. You're so embarrassed, aren't you?"

"Wang Xiaomeng opened the factory on his own merits, and it has absolutely nothing to do with our Xie family! But you, you just open your mouth and say you want to become relatives and partners in opening a factory. How can you be so shameless? If Yongqiang finds out about this, he'll definitely have a big argument with you. Can't you two just let me have some peace and quiet?"

Xie Guangkun let out a weak groan, put his hand on his forehead, and looked aggrieved.

"Ugh, can you just shut up! I'm already like this, and you still keep nagging me, are you trying to make me angry?"

"What am I after? It's all for Yongqiang! Xiaomeng is such a good girl, capable and sensible. If I don't help him move forward and fight for her, someone else will snatch her away sooner or later, and then you'll regret it!"

Stop trying to cover up the child! I think you're just doing it for your own pride!

Yongqiang's mother glared at him fiercely:

"Lin Chen is absolutely right, this has nothing to do with our family, you're just jumping around like a madman!"

"Who does Lin Chen think he is? Does he have the right to lecture me?"

Upon hearing Lin Chen's name, Xie Guangkun instantly perked up, sitting up abruptly from the kang (a heated brick bed), the towel on his forehead flying off onto the kang.

"This whole mess is his fault! He's the one who barged in and sabotaged me, showing me absolutely no respect! I think he's deliberately targeting me! Remember my words, Xiao Meng will be the Xie family's daughter-in-law sooner or later!"

The couple was arguing heatedly when the gate to the yard was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang.

Xie Yongqiang strode into the house with a dark expression, his face grim. The moment he entered, the arguing inside abruptly stopped.

Xie Yongqiang stood in the middle of the floor, suppressing his anger:

"Dad! Did you cause a scene at Xiaomeng's opening ceremony today?!"

Xie Guangkun was initially a little guilty, but being questioned by his son in public made him lose face, and his temper flared up, causing him to start arguing back.

"What do you mean by 'making a scene'? I was just there to show my support! It's their grand opening day, and I'm an elder in the village, and also your father. What's wrong with me going on stage and saying a few polite words? Is that a mistake?"

"To show your support?"

Xie Yongqiang was so angry he laughed:

"You just spout nonsense on stage. What factory has half of ours? Is that what you call supporting us?"

"I've told you eight hundred times! Wang Xiaomeng and I are just ordinary friends, nothing more! Why do you have to go around spreading rumors? Now the whole village is laughing at our family, are you feeling proud of yourself?"

"I'm not lying? I'm doing this all for you, you good-for-nothing!"

Xie Guangkun slapped the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) excitedly and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"If it weren't for you, would I willingly go up there and lose face? Would I willingly let the whole village gossip about me behind my back?"

"Tell me what kind of person you are! Liu Yishui knew to step up and help Xiaomeng, but you! You just spend your days holed up in the back hills, struggling with a few broken fruit trees, not caring about anything, not asking about anything!"

"If I don't take the initiative to help you, such a good daughter-in-law will fly away sooner or later! I've gone to great lengths to pave the way for you, and in the end, I only get complaints? Where's your conscience?"

"I don't need your help!"

Xie Yongqiang could no longer contain his anger. His voice suddenly rose, filled with exhaustion and rage. This was the first time he had ever confronted Xie Guangkun so righteously.

"You're not helping me at all, you're embarrassing me!"

"Now the whole village is gossiping behind my back, saying that I, Xie Yongqiang, am incompetent, spineless, and don't even dare to take the initiative in dating, so you have to shamelessly try to get close to me!"

"Xiao Meng's factory was built through her own hard work and perseverance; it has absolutely nothing to do with our family! What are you going to say today? How embarrassing is it for Seventh Uncle? How can I face her in the future?"

"What can they think? I think Xiao Meng has feelings for you!"

Xie Guangkun stubbornly refused to admit his mistake and continued to argue his way out of it:

"If she wasn't happy with what I said on stage, she could have refuted me on the spot! Why didn't she say a word? That means she agreed! I think you're hopeless; you can't even seize an opportunity that's offered to you!"

"They're just being polite! They're saving face for you! They don't want to ruin things on your big day, why can't you see that!"

Xie Yongqiang was so angry at his unreasonable behavior that his heart ached, and he felt powerless and frustrated.

"Dad, I'm begging you! Can you please stop interfering in my affairs? I know what I'm doing, and you don't need to go out and cause trouble, making me look bad!"

"Would I embarrass you?"

Xie Guangkun was enraged by these words, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"I raised you with love and care, sent you to university, and endured a lifetime of hardship for you! And in the end, I'm left looking like a disgrace?"

"I'm telling you this today! You absolutely must win over Wang Xiaomeng! If you dare disobey, don't call me your father anymore!"

Seeing Xie Guangkun's unreasonable behavior, Xie Yongqiang felt completely disheartened and lost all desire to argue.

He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with weariness and disappointment, and uttered a single sentence indifferently.

"Do whatever you want. I'll make my own decisions. I'm going back to the orchard. I'll be living there from now on."

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

"Xie Yongqiang! You come back here right now!"

Xie Guangkun shouted at the top of his lungs from the kang (a heated brick bed), but Xie Yongqiang didn't even turn his head; he just pushed open the door and left.

His son left so decisively that Xie Guangkun trembled with anger. He raised his hand and swept it away, smashing the water ladle on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to the ground with a loud crash, leaving a wet and messy scene.

Yongqiang's mother quickly got down to clean up, picking up the water ladle while continuing to scold him, full of helplessness.

"Look! Look! What did I tell you!"

"You only feel comfortable when you've pushed the kid to the limit! You had to ruin everything, and now look what happened—your son has run away from you. Are you satisfied now?"

Xie Guangkun didn't say a word, he lay down hard on the kang, pulled the quilt over his head, and roared angrily in a muffled voice.

"Get out! Don't pay any attention to me! Leave me alone!"

……

After the banquet, some villagers went home to rest, while others went to work in the fields.

After eating and drinking his fill, Liu Neng, with his belly protruding, strolled slowly out of the bean product factory with his hands behind his back.

He had been feeling uneasy about what happened at Xiao Meng's business opening that morning. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, so he decided to take a detour and head straight for Zhao Yutian's flower nursery.

The flower nursery greenhouse was stuffy, hot, and humid at midday; a wave of heat hit you as soon as you entered.

Zhao Yutian was squatting on the ground, busy with his work. He was holding a small shovel and carefully moving soil to plant seedlings.

Liu Ying was standing next to them, watering the plants with a spray bottle. Both of them had mud splattered all over their trousers and were covered in sweat. They were feeling very stuffy, but they kept working without stopping.

Hearing a noise behind them, the young couple didn't even look up, focusing only on their work.

Liu Neng bent down, lifted the plastic curtain, and crawled in. He glanced at the situation inside the greenhouse, casually dragged an empty wooden box over, sat down, took off the straw hat from his waist, and slowly fanned himself. He then started chatting about the lively events of the morning.

"Yutian, you two really missed out today. Didn't you see the scene at Xiaomeng's factory opening? It was so lively!"

"There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a folk opera performance. The whole village, young and old, came to join in the fun and give gifts. Today, Wang Laoqi really had a great time and gained a lot of face in the village."

Zhao Yutian continued planting flowers with his head down, his hands moving steadily and calmly, his tone indifferent, showing no trace of envy.

"Dad, that's a proper big factory, it's only right for them to have an opening ceremony. We're just a small flower garden, a small business, there's no need for all that fancy stuff."

"What do you mean it's unnecessary? I think you're just too narrow-minded!"