Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

After sleeping for a while, Xie Dajiao regained a lot of strength and sat up with a little effort, letting Xie Xiaomei bring the child to her pillow.

The little one had just finished drinking warm water and was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, occasionally nibbling on his lips – very well-behaved.

Xie Dajiao gently stroked the child's delicate face with her fingertips, her fingers trembling slightly. She looked up at Lin Chen, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.

She had always thought she would be childless and alone in her old age.

I never dared to imagine that I would meet Lin Chen in middle age, have such an obedient son, and have such a lively and happy family.

All the previous suffering and grievances vanished the moment I saw my child.

"That's great."

She wiped away her tears, smiled at Lin Chen, and her heart and eyes were full of contentment.

"You're really handsome, just like you."

Lin Chen leaned down, his voice very gentle:

"Thanks for your hard work."

These three short words contain all the heartache and joy.

Xie Xiaomei sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as she offered her congratulations:

"Auntie, life will be sweet from now on. With your son by your side, our family will be lively and joyful. You will never be lonely again."

Wang Xiaomeng brought over some warm brown sugar water and gently instructed:

"Auntie, you're still weak after giving birth. Drink some brown sugar water to replenish your energy and blood. I've already made arrangements with the restaurant. Once you pass gas, they can call anytime to heat up some millet porridge and send it over. Everything is arranged perfectly for you."

The two spoke sincerely and naturally, without any awkwardness, genuinely happy for Xie Dajiao and the newborn in their family.

Lin Chen stood by the bed, looking at Xie Dajiao, whose complexion was gradually improving, at Xiao Mei and Xiao Meng, who were taking good care of her, and at the child sleeping peacefully in the crib. His heart was filled with joy.

The day after giving birth, just as dawn broke, the maternity nurses went from room to room making rounds, casually reminding the family members.

"We can get the birth certificate today. Decide on the child's name as soon as possible, go to the window on the first floor to fill out the form. Once it's entered into the computer, it can't be changed. You should discuss it in advance."

The sunlight in the ward was lovely. Xie Dajiao leaned against the headboard with a pillow behind her, and her complexion looked much better than it had been yesterday after giving birth.

She reached out her finger and gently touched the child's soft little face. The little guy was sleeping soundly, and when he was touched, his little mouth pouted slightly, making him look especially adorable.

Xie Dajiao glanced at Lin Chen beside her, her tone slow and deliberate:

"You decide on the child's name; a father's name selection is never wrong."

Lin Chen had thought of a name for the child last night, and leaned down to look at him, saying:

"I've been thinking about it all night. I'll name him Lin Jing'an. From now on, all the children in the family will have the character 'Jing' in their names. 'Jing' means a bright future and something to look forward to, and 'An' means peace and safety. We don't expect him to be rich and powerful in the future. We just hope that he can live a peaceful and uneventful life without any disasters or difficulties."

Xie Dajiao recited it twice, getting more and more comfortable with each recitation, and nodded with a smile:

"This name is really good, I'll take it, Lin Jing'an..."

Xie Xiaomei and Wang Xiaomeng also whispered the name to each other. They looked at each other and both thought the name sounded really good and had a nice meaning.

After deciding on the name, Lin Chen took Xie Dajiao's ID card and birth certificate and went downstairs to the certificate processing window on the first floor to complete the formalities.

The nurse at the window worked efficiently, checking the information one by one, recording the data, and then stamping the birth certificate with a red seal, officially making it valid.

The nurse handed over the certificate while giving instructions:

"The information has been recorded. Name: Lin Jing'an; Mother: Xie Hong. Keep this document safe. You'll need it for household registration and school enrollment in the future. Don't lose it."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Lin Chen took the certificate, carefully folded it, and put it in his pocket.

Back in the ward, he spread out the certificate on the bedside table and smiled as he spoke to the others:

"There's no rush to register her household registration. We'll talk about it after she's discharged from the hospital and goes home."

Xie Dajiao didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly, feeling warm inside. She trusted Lin Chen to handle things; he considered everything thoroughly and wouldn't let her and her daughter suffer any grievances.

After getting the documents done, I went back to the attending physician to ask about postpartum care and baby care precautions. I finished all of this before noon.

Standing at the hospital entrance, Lin Chen felt a sense of relief as he watched the bustling streets of the county town.

I've been staying in Xiangyashan all the time, dealing with the same old things in the village every day. It's rare for me to go to town, so I'll take advantage of the free time today to stroll around the county town and buy some things for my family.

He drove around slowly, strolling through the pedestrian street and then the old street, finally stopping in front of the largest gold shop in the county.

In 2006, gold was not expensive, only about 160 yuan per gram, which is different from now. Lin Chen doesn't look at fancy styles when choosing things; he only picks things that are durable and practical.

First, I chose a solid, wide gold bracelet for Xie Dajiao. It was substantial and had a generous design.

She suffered so much during her ten months of pregnancy, this bracelet is a small token of my appreciation, a proper reward for her.

I also picked out a necklace for Xie Xiaomei and Wang Xiaomeng, and paired the children with a small safety lock, which was exquisite and understated.

Considering that Xie Xiaomei's parents would definitely come, he picked out a pair of plain gold hoop earrings. The style was simple and understated, and they would look dignified for someone their age. In addition, there were two bottles of Moutai in the trunk of the car, which he specially reserved for Xie Baochang, who loves to drink. Each bottle cost nearly 400 yuan.

A pile of jewelry was packed in a heavy red gift box. A group of pretty female shop assistants saw how generous Lin Chen was and all wanted to get his business card. Would Lin Chen give it to them? Impossible!

He added several good-looking people on QQ...

As soon as I sat down in the hospital ward, I saw two people standing at the door. They were Xie Baochang and Su Guifen. What a coincidence!

Xie Baochang entered the room, walked to the bedside first, looked at Xie Dajiao, then looked down at the sleeping child, and then looked at Lin Chen with a somewhat unnatural expression.

The two had been drinking together in the village before, and when they got into a good time, they became like brothers. So when they met again, it was a little awkward.

Lin Chen wasn't as pretentious as him. He stepped forward, took the things from the elderly couple, put them away, and greeted them:

"Uncle and Aunt, please sit down. Let me pour you some water."

Xie Baochang nodded in response, and the slight embarrassment on his face disappeared.

Su Guifen smiled very kindly, nodded to Lin Chen, and then sat down next to Xie Dajiao.

Lin Chen took out the jewelry and wine he had bought and handed them over:

"Uncle, Auntie, I just picked out a few little things for you. Auntie, you can wear these earrings for fun, and Uncle, you can have a couple of drinks at home when you have time."

Su Guifen quickly waved her hand:

"You silly child, we just came to see Big Feet and the baby, why did you have to spend so much money!"

"Auntie, please accept this. I don't come to the county town often, but this is just a small token of my appreciation. Take a look and see if you like it. I didn't choose one with an extravagant style; I think this simple one suits your temperament better."

"Oh dear, you silly child..."

Su Guifen declined verbally, but still took the box with her hands, her eyes full of smiles. The gift was exactly what she wanted, and she was increasingly satisfied with this son-in-law.

Xie Xiaomei stood to the side, watching the family having a lively time, feeling very happy.

Xie Baochang touched the wine box and murmured with a smile:

"You're too kind, you even brought me such good wine."

"Uncle, you can use this wine even when you're entertaining clients."

The family was chatting around the bed when a commotion suddenly broke out in the corridor. Then the ward door was pushed open, and a large group of people squeezed in.

Chang Gui led Wang Yun, followed by the Ivory Mountain F4: Xie Guangkun, Liu Neng, Zhao Si, and Wang Laoqi.

Everyone was carrying something, and the room instantly became lively.

Liu Neng spoke first in a loud voice, his eyes crinkling with laughter, beaming with joy:

"Big...Big Foot! Congratulations! This is incredibly joyous news, this...this big, chubby boy!"

Xie Guangkun squeezed forward, staring intently at the child, nodding repeatedly:

"Absolutely! Look at this child, so chubby and fair-skinned, he looks like he's destined for good fortune!"

Upon seeing Lin Chen there, Xie Guangkun moved back a bit. Zhao Si, standing behind him, twitched his lips and slowly remarked, "Yes...it is quite good-looking. Um, is Big Foot okay?"

Wang Laoqi, being the most composed, gently placed the item beside the bedside table and said sincerely:

"Big Foot, just focus on getting better. If you need anything, just let us know, and we'll be happy to help."

These villagers were naturally outspoken and loud, and since they were genuinely happy for Big Foot, their voices grew even louder as they talked.

Little Jing'an, who was sleeping in bed, frowned as the noise disturbed him. His little face scrunched up, and he looked so aggrieved that he looked like he was about to cry.

A moment later, the nurse on duty walked to the door with a stern face and lowered her voice to remind her:

"Please keep your voices down, everyone! This is a maternity ward. Mothers and newborns need quiet to rest! If you need to chat, please go outside and don't disturb others!"

Everyone immediately fell silent, exchanging glances. Chang Gui quickly tried to smooth things over in a low voice:

"Yes, yes, let's keep our voices down so as not to disturb their rest."

Everyone immediately quieted down, tiptoed to the bedside to look at the child, and whispered their congratulations before the room finally quieted down.

Wang Yun felt sorry for Xie Dajiao, who was so old and still had to suffer from childbirth. The two sisters held hands and chatted for a long time.

Amidst the crowd and chaos, Xie Baochang inadvertently caught a glimpse of a corner of the birth certificate peeking out from the bedside table, picked it up, and glanced at it.

When he saw that the child's name was "Lin Jing'an," which was Lin Chen's surname, he was stunned for a moment and immediately began to make a decision.

He calmly put the certificate back in its place, and while everyone was chatting and laughing around the child and no one was paying attention, he quietly pulled Lin Chen to the corner of the corridor.

Xie Baochang lowered his voice, his tone tinged with concern:

"Xiao Chen, let me have a chat with you for a bit, don't overthink it."

"This child should logically be surnamed Xie, so why is she surnamed Lin like you? I know you have a kind heart and have always protected Xiao Hong, but surnames are not a trivial matter. There are many gossips in the village, and I'm afraid that people will spread rumors behind your back, which will not have a good impact on you."