Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

No sooner had these words been spoken than Chen Guiying, who was sitting to the side, couldn't sit still any longer. She immediately put down her chopsticks and raised her voice slightly:

"Hey Yongqiang! Why are you being so reckless? Don't give me any bad advice!"

"You're a grown man, letting a young girl stay at your house? If those gossipy guys in the village find out, they'll tell you eight hundred different stories!"

"If that happens, Yan Nan's reputation will be ruined, and you'll be the subject of gossip. What's the point? Don't even think about it, absolutely not!"

Xie Yongqiang, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned.

"Sister Guiying, I really don't care about those things. How many times have I been laughed at back then? College students are now working in these fruit trees. I'm used to it. If you're upright, you have nothing to fear. I haven't done anything wrong, so what's there to be afraid of gossip about? Besides, I live on the mountain and I'm not going back to live there."

"You may not be afraid, but the girl is!"

Chen Guiying earnestly advised:

"When others talked about you before, it was just a difference in values. But if this girl stayed at your place, it would be a matter of conduct. How can the nature of the issue be the same? You can't just ignore what's going on with her!"

She frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly her eyes lit up, she raised her hand and slapped her thigh, and instantly had an idea.

"Oh! I've got it! How could I forget about that! I heard Lin Chen just built a huge villa, right? His house is really big, he should have plenty of empty rooms!"

"The most important thing is that there are many women living in his house. Yannan, if you move there, you won't be bored. No one will gossip about you, and no one will be able to find fault with you. This is a good idea."

Chen Yannan, who was standing to the side, was struggling with her decision and was about to politely decline the suggestion to stay in the village, but when she heard the name "Lin Chen," she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

His heartbeat quickened instantly, and although he pretended to be calm, his heart was in turmoil. He didn't even hear Chen Guiying say that there were many women in his family.

She quickly lowered her head to eat, concealing the joy and unease in her eyes, and quietly waited for Xie Yongqiang's reply.

Upon hearing this, Xie Yongqiang slapped his forehead and realized that it made sense.

"Oh dear, Sister Guiying is so thoughtful! How come I didn't think of that!"

He turned to look at Chen Yannan, his tone suggesting a discussion.

"Yannan, what do you think of this? If you're interested, I'll call Brother Chen right now and ask. He's a really easy person to talk to!"

Chen Yannan slowly raised her head, her face expressionless, showing no sign of anything amiss. She nodded gently, her voice soft yet crisp.

"Okay, that's good. It'll be great to be able to stay nearby, so I don't have to travel back and forth every day and miss work. But won't that bother the other people?"

"Then I'll call and ask. If it's inconvenient for Brother Chen, we'll think of another way."

Chen Yannan was polite on the surface, but she was overjoyed inside. She took a bite of her steamed bun, but couldn't taste anything. All she could think about was, "Can I really move into Lin Chen's house?"

Chen Guiying was still rambling on, praising Lin Chen's house for being so nice, so worry-free, and so safe. She had seen it from afar and thought it was incredibly grand, a rare sight even in the county. She was going to exaggerate the merits of Lin Chen's house, as if afraid that Chen Yannan wouldn't be happy.

……

At midday, the temperature was very high. The air conditioner in Lin Chen's living room was blowing very coolly, while the door to Xie Dajiao's room was only slightly ajar.

Lin Chen lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, watching TV with an iced cola in his hand. He looked incredibly relaxed and comfortable.

The phone on the table suddenly rang, breaking the silence in the room.

Lin Chen picked it up casually:

"Feed?"

"Brother Chen, it's me."

Upon hearing Xie Yongqiang's voice, Lin Chen sat up straight with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"Yongqiang, what happened? Did those two women on the mountain get into a fight? Did they pull your hair?"

Xie Yongqiang, on the other end of the phone, glanced at Chen Guiying and quickly went outside to make the call, afraid of being overheard.

"What do you want, Brother Chen? Nothing. I called you because I need your help. I'm always bothering you, and I'm embarrassed to even ask."

"Oh, I thought a fight had broken out..."

Lin Chen lost interest, leaned back, and took another sip of cola.

"Just say what you want to say. Why beat around the bush? Do we need to go through all that pretense?"

Xie Yongqiang swallowed hard, speaking cautiously, afraid of making things difficult for Lin Chen or making him unhappy.

"It's Chen Yannan. She rides her bike back and forth from town every day. She's so tired. You know the caretaker's house on the mountain. Even men suffer if they have to make do, let alone a young girl like her."

"I was thinking... could she stay at your place for a while? Don't worry, I'll think of another way as a temporary solution, okay, Brother Chen?"

Lin Chen paused for a second after hearing this, then immediately remembered what Chen Yannan looked like.

"I thought it was such a big deal? Fine, I agree. It's just one more person and one more pair of chopsticks, it won't cause any delays. Just have her come over directly. There are rooms on the second floor that have been empty, she can move in right away."

"Thank goodness you sent me a woman; if it were a man, I definitely wouldn't have agreed."

"Yes, yes, if he were a man, I would let him live with me."

Lin Chen: "..."

Xie Yongqiang on the other end of the phone breathed a huge sigh of relief:

"Oh, Brother Chen, you're so generous! I knew you were the most considerate. Once the irrigation canal is finished, I'll definitely treat you to a feast!"

"Alright, alright, you've owed me several meals already, stop with the formalities."

Lin Chen said with a smile:

"Just have her pack her bags this afternoon and come over."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen thought for a moment. Although he was the one in charge at home, he still needed to show the respect that was due.

He called Wang Xiaomeng and Xie Xiaomei one after the other, briefly explaining that Chen Yannan, the female college student who manages the orchard at Yongqiang's place, was temporarily staying at his house for a while, and neither of the women had any objections. Wang Xiaomeng had been quite busy lately, so she only came over occasionally to spend some time with him.

After making the arrangements, he pushed open the door to the first-floor bedroom.

Xie Dajiao was leaning against the headboard breastfeeding. Her fair skin was so swollen that you could see the veins. The melanin was still settling and would take time to recover. Seeing him on the phone, she casually asked with a smile:

"Why are there so many phone calls today? What's going on up in the mountains again?"

Lin Chen sat down by the bed and told Chen Yannan everything about her staying there.

Xie Dajiao immediately raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, a knowing smirk on her face, deliberately teasing him:

"Wow, so you agreed so readily? You would have refused any other woman, so this college student must be a real beauty?"

Lin Chen didn't hide anything, nodding openly and reaching out to pinch her cheek:

"Of course! Would I just bring someone home if they weren't good-looking? If I see someone I don't like every day, I won't enjoy my meals at home. Having someone pleasing to the eye makes the house more lively, and it makes me feel better."

As he spoke, he gently closed the door behind him, then deliberately put on a stern face and leaned closer:

"You dare to tease me? Looks like you're asking for a beating. I'll punish you a little so you'll remember not to talk nonsense."

The atmosphere inside the room instantly became warmer.

After a while, the door opened again.

Xie Dajiao, her clothes disheveled and her breathing unsteady, glared at Lin Chen reproachfully after walking into the living room.

"Let's make the formula!"

Lin Chen followed behind, looking quite satisfied as he went to take a bath. He had to take a bath; it was hot, and he felt sticky all over.

……

Liu Neng's home—

The old electric fan creaked and shook its head erratically, blowing out hot air.

Liu Ying was angry with Zhao Yutian, so she ran back to her parents' house. As soon as she entered the house, she threw herself onto the kang (a heated brick bed) without saying a word, buried her face in her pillow, and cried secretly. Her shoulders were trembling like caterpillars. She felt extremely wronged and the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.

Liu Neng was lying on a bamboo recliner, fanning himself with a large palm leaf fan, and dozing off with his eyes half-closed.

Suddenly he heard his daughter crying, and he jumped up and rushed in.

"Oh my god, why are you crying? Did that brat Zhao... Zhao Yutian bully you? Did he hit you? I think he's gotten too big for his britches! He's got a lot of nerve! I'm coming over right now and I'll teach him a lesson he won't tolerate!"

As Liu Neng shouted, he rolled up his sleeves, making a move to rush out.

Liu Ying quickly spoke up, sobbing as she tried to comfort her:

"Dad, don't go. He didn't hit me. It's just... it's just that I wanted to buy a multi-speed bicycle, but he absolutely refused to let me. He even said I was wasting money. I feel so wronged."

Upon hearing that he wasn't going to be beaten or bullied, Liu Neng immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense body immediately relaxed.

But then, his temper flared up instantly, and he slammed the palm-leaf fan hard on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), making a loud bang.

"That's it? No... it's just a beat-up bicycle! Zhao Yutian's made a lot of money from his flower farm lately, and he can't even afford something this small for his wife? He's so stingy! He doesn't take you seriously at all!"

Just then, Liu Ying's mother came in. She had just gone to give Liu Ying a towel. She put the towel on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looked at her daughter with red, tear-filled eyes, felt both heartache and helplessness, and gently comforted her.

"Yingzi, listen to your mother, don't cry. What Yutian said isn't without merit. It's good for young people to save some money. You're busy with the flower garden at home every day, you don't go to work, you don't go out, and you can walk home in just a few steps. Buying a new bicycle really isn't very useful."

"When a young couple lives together, they should be frugal and save money wherever possible. Don't get angry over trivial matters; it's not worth it."