Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

In the early morning, the thin mist in the mountains was slowly dispelled by the blazing sun, and Ivory Mountain was fully awakened. The sound of villagers chatting in the fields could be heard from the village entrance, along with the calls of chickens and ducks from various households.

At the entrance of Big Foot Grocery Store, Xie Dajiao was sweeping the small plot of land in front of the store with a large broom, yawning incessantly.

The passing carriages and herders kept greeting Xie Dajiao, but she remained the same as before, as if the secret midnight meeting of the previous night had never happened, leaving no trace.

After Xie Dajiao left, Lin Chen fell into a deep sleep and slept straight until noon.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Lin Chen's face as he slept soundly, his breathing even and deep.

The huge house was quiet, with only the rustling of the wind blowing through the weeds in the yard.

"Creak..."

Wang Xiaomeng carefully pushed her family's tricycle into the yard, with three old-fashioned aluminum lunch boxes hanging on either side of the handlebars.

She parked the car in the yard and gently knocked on the door:

"Brother Lin Chen? Are you awake?"

Upon hearing the clear female voice, Lin Chen immediately opened his eyes and sat up abruptly from the kang (a heated brick bed), his messy hair resembling a bird's nest.

His first reaction wasn't sleepiness at all, but rather an instinctive glance down at himself to check if he was naked. Only after confirming that he was still wearing underwear and that he hadn't left any clues last night did he finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

He cleared his slightly hoarse throat and called out towards the door:

"Come in, the door's unlocked."

The door was gently pulled open, and Wang Xiaomeng walked into the room. She immediately saw Lin Chen's languid and disheveled appearance, having just woken up, and couldn't help but chuckle, saying with a smile:

"Brother Lin Chen, why did you only wake up now? It's almost noon."

Lin Chen scratched his messy hair and smiled sheepishly:

"I drank quite a bit yesterday and slept too soundly, I overslept. How did you get here?"

Wang Xiaomeng walked to the table and placed the still-warm aluminum lunchboxes one by one on the table, a simple and kind smile on her face:

"My dad saw that you live alone and have no one to take care of you, so he probably wouldn't bother cooking. He asked me to bring you some lunch on my way after I sell tofu. It's just some home-cooked food, nothing fancy, so please don't mind it."

Lin Chen reached out and opened the lunchbox lid. There were three large flatbreads, which looked fresh out of the oven, a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes, and some leftover chicken from yesterday, which he had also heated up.

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Chen's heart, and he thanked him:

"Please thank Uncle Qi for me, and thank you for making this special trip."

"It's not hard work at all. I just pass by here when I sell tofu."

Wang Xiaomeng waved her hand, showing great understanding:

"Eat it while it's hot, the food won't taste good when it gets cold. I'll go get you some water to wash your face."

Before Lin Chen could reply, Wang Xiaomeng turned and walked out of the house to the old hand pump in the yard. She pumped the water one pump at a time, working very efficiently.

Lin Chen sat at the table, watching her diligent and down-to-earth figure, and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Wang Xiaomeng is gentle, diligent, and hardworking, with a rare and pure heart. Unfortunately, she is unlucky and falls for Xie Yongqiang, a weak man, and has a sharp-tongued and snobbish father-in-law who wants to control his son in everything. If she really marries him, she will suffer a miserable life.

After a quick wash, Lin Chen sat down to eat, while Wang Xiaomeng quietly sat on a small stool beside him, occasionally asking him about life in the big city.

Wang Xiaomeng glanced up and saw the black Passat parked in the yard. Her gaze was fixed on it, filled with undisguised envy and curiosity. She murmured to herself:

"Brother Lin Chen, your car is so beautiful, even better than Liu Yishui's."

After finishing the last bite of his flatbread, Lin Chen put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and looking at the little girl's expectant eyes, casually smiled and said:

"That's easy. After I finish eating and clean up, I'll drive you around the village so you can experience it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaomeng's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly stood up:

"Really? That's great! Thank you, Brother Lin Chen, for letting me ride in a nice car."

"This is hardly a fancy car. It's nothing, don't mention it."

Lin Chen smiled and got up, casually asking as he cleared the dishes:

"By the way, has anything interesting or exciting happened in the village lately?"

When village matters were mentioned, Wang Xiaomeng's smile faded slightly, and she curled her lip slightly, her tone carrying a hint of disdain:

"What other exciting thing could there be? The director specially invited Xie Yongqiang to lunch at his home, and several village cadres were also present. He said it was to celebrate Yongqiang's graduation from university."

My dad told me privately that Director Wang just wanted to curry favor with Yongqiang. He thought Yongqiang was a college graduate and could become an official in the future, so he wanted to build a good relationship with him in advance so that he could take care of him later. He also wanted to use Xie Guangkun's connections to get in touch with the town mayor.

Lin Chen scoffed at this, his eyes full of disdain:

"He really thinks Xie Yongqiang is a capable person. He might as well have invited me for this meal; it was a waste of his time."

After saying that, he put the bowl and chopsticks away and set them aside.

"Come on, get in the car, I'll take you for a drive."

The black Passat drove smoothly on the country dirt road, the wheels rolling over the soft soil without the bumps and jolting sensation of a bicycle.

Wang Xiaomeng sat nervously in the passenger seat, curiously looking at the interior of the car, and occasionally glancing out the window at the fields and walls passing by.

"Isn't sitting here much more comfortable than riding a bicycle?" Lin Chen looked ahead and drove slowly.

Wang Xiaomeng nodded vigorously, her eyes resolute, and said:

"It's so comfortable, not bumpy at all. When my tofu shop grows bigger and stronger, I'll save up to buy a car. No, I need to get my driver's license first."

"Haha, I believe you can do it." Lin Chen genuinely believed in this hardworking girl.

While the two were chatting, Lin Chen suddenly caught sight of a figure on the road ahead. Without hesitation, he slammed on the brakes.

A screeching sound of brakes rang out suddenly, and the car jerked to a halt.

Caught off guard, Wang Xiaomeng lunged forward, her forehead nearly hitting the windshield. Startled, she turned pale and hurriedly asked:

"Brother Lin Chen, what's wrong? What happened?"

Lin Chen didn't speak, but simply raised his chin and pointed to the road ahead.

Following the direction he pointed, Wang Xiaomeng looked up and the color drained from her face instantly, leaving her frozen in her seat.

In the middle of the dirt road ahead, Xie Yongqiang was completely drunk, reeking of alcohol. He was limp like a lump of mud, leaning against Wang Xiangxiu, his arm tightly wrapped around her shoulder. It was more like he was embracing her than draped over her shoulder. His head was slurred and resting on her neck, and he was mumbling incoherently.

Xie Yongqiang is quite cunning. There was a grown man supporting him over there, but he relied on Xiangxiu's side. He really knows what's good for him and what's bad for him.

Wang Xiangxiu looked exhausted as she half-supported and half-carried the drunk Xie Yongqiang, making her way towards his house with difficulty. Their posture was particularly intimate and irritating, but she was secretly pleased with herself. "Little brat, if I can't get Lin Chen, I can at least get you."

Upon witnessing this scene, Wang Xiaomeng pursed her lips tightly, trembled slightly with anger, and all the light in her eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only disappointment and heartache.

Lin Chen glanced at the girl beside him who was lost in thought and crying, said nothing, pushed open the car door and got out of the car. He leaned against the car door with his arms crossed and quietly watched the farce unfold.