Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Chen Yannan hurriedly replied and quickly turned around and went into the kitchen, her steps light and unsteady.

Upon entering the kitchen, she pressed her back against the refrigerator, raised her hand to Hongwei's chest, and gasped for breath.

My heart was beating incredibly fast, and I was still completely dazed.

The image of us colliding up and down unexpectedly keeps replaying in my mind.

The warmth of his palms, the firm touch, the clean scent of his body—how could I still remember it so clearly?

She knew in her heart that she shouldn't be thinking such things, and that the two of them were just interacting normally, but her mind was completely out of control, and she felt inexplicably hot all over.

In the living room, Lin Chen tightened the last screw, shook the trolley to confirm it was fixed, then sat back on the sofa, picked up a bottle of ice water and gulped down half of it. He felt much better and breathed a sigh of relief.

……

The next morning, at the Ivory Mountain Village Office—

Chang Gui was hunched over the table, his hands constantly busy with work, while Accountant Xu was helping out beside him, neither of them idle for a moment.

The phone on the table suddenly rang. He picked it up casually; it was Qi Santai calling.

Qi Santai's tone was quite urgent:

"Changgui, how's your investment promotion going? Liu Danao is coming over to inspect the place soon. Once the Wang Group invests in our village, there will be a ton of miscellaneous tasks to handle. Can you manage it all by yourself?"

Chang Gui quickly sat up straight and gave a very serious report:

"Don't worry, Mayor, I'll grit my teeth and hold on, and I absolutely won't hold the town back."

"Don't force yourself."

Qi Santai interrupted him directly, without any intention of discussing it with him:

"The town has discussed it, and your village will immediately elect a deputy director of the village committee to be in charge of investment promotion and coordination. We'll also be giving you a deputy. The candidate needs to be young, quick-witted, good at handling things, and not afraid of offending people. It must be decided as soon as possible, and the process of the village representative meeting must be completed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, I heard you! I'll take care of it right away!" Chang Gui replied quickly.

After hanging up the phone, Changgui was extremely worried. What young person would be willing to do this job?

The position of deputy director sounds like a village official, but in reality, it's a very demanding job.

To outsiders, you have to say nice things; to insiders, you have to handle all sorts of big and small matters; when something goes wrong, everyone will come to you.

The higher-ups want results, and the lower-ups want benefits, so you have to put yourself in that middle-fighting situation. Most people wouldn't want to do it.

He went through the entire village in his mind, and Lin Chen was the most suitable person.

Young, worldly-wise, and quick-witted, most importantly, he has a good relationship with Wang Dana, and his character and abilities are beyond reproach.

But Changgui shook his head immediately. Lin Chen was a mild-mannered person who didn't like to get involved in the village's messy affairs. He definitely wouldn't want to take on such thankless village work.

He sat in the chair, feeling extremely worried, unable to think of any other suitable candidate for the time being.

……

News travels fast in the village; it spread throughout the entire village in less than an hour.

In the square in front of the Big Foot Supermarket at the village entrance, Liu Neng was squatting there chatting with Wang Laoqi when he heard someone say that the village was going to elect a deputy director. He immediately stood up.

"Really? A deputy...deputy director election? Was it decided by the town?"

Wang Laoqi nodded, a pipe dangling from his mouth:

"How could it be fake? He's in charge of investment promotion. From now on, the village will be in charge of connecting with big bosses and running projects."

Liu Neng immediately started making plans in his mind.

This is a proper village cadre. If I can be elected, I'll have a lot more confidence in front of Zhao Si, and even Zhao Yutian will have to show me some respect.

If the investment attraction is successful, and the village has projects and subsidies, wouldn't I be able to get some benefits too?

He became more and more excited as he thought about it, so he turned around, went home, found a small notebook, tucked it under his arm, and went from house to house visiting each other.

Our first stop was Zhao Si's house.

As soon as he entered, he saw Zhao Si squatting in the yard sharpening a kitchen knife. Liu Neng sat down on a stool and said:

"Old... Fourth brother, I have something important to tell you. Our village is going to elect a deputy director."

Zhao Si looked up at him, and his lips twitched:

"I just heard about it. What, are you running for office?"

Liu Neng's eyes disappeared from laughing:

"I'm just thinking of doing something for the benefit of everyone in the village, young and old. If I become the boss, your flower garden will definitely benefit from it."

"If you have nothing to do, you should sign up too. Let's run together. Outsiders can't beat us. No matter who wins in the end, all the benefits will be ours."

Liu Neng knew perfectly well that if Zhao Si couldn't be elected, he still had a major enemy, Xie Guangkun, who would definitely try his best to get in. Zhao Si was just there to divert Xie Guangkun's votes.

Zhao Si listened without saying a word, completely ignoring his comment.

At this moment, Zhao Yutian and Liu Ying returned from the flower garden. After hearing this, they couldn't help but sneer:

"Dad, don't meddle. If my father-in-law wants to be the father-in-law, let him be. Let's just live our lives peacefully."

Liu Ying nudged Yu Tian gently from the side, lowered her head and dared not make a sound, secretly laughing. Even she had lost hope in her father.

Seeing that Zhao Si wasn't taking it seriously and that the two kids didn't trust him, Liu Neng left after sitting for two minutes.

On the other side, Xie Guangkun was picking cucumbers in the yard when Yongqiang's mother came back from outside and told him about the election of deputy director, adding that Liu Neng had already started campaigning.

Xie Guangkun immediately broke the cucumber in half, looking defiant.

"What? Liu Neng wants to be the deputy director? He should know his own worth! Does he even deserve it?"

Yongqiang's mother advised him:

"Just shut up. You have a lot of things to do at home, don't get involved."

"No way! I have to fight for this job!"

Xie Guangkun smoothed his hair, looking full of energy:

"This is a powerful position, in charge of investment promotion! If I get the job, I'll have the final say on all the village's projects and subsidies, right? Yongqiang's orchard will definitely benefit, and most importantly, I absolutely cannot let Liu Neng outshine me!"

He turned and went inside to call Pi Changshan, his tone urgent:

"Changshan, the village is electing a deputy director in charge of attracting investment. Use your connections in the education sector to try and get me the position!"

Pi Changshan suspected he had misheard:

"Dad, what are you saying? What education sector? I'm just a village school principal. It's difficult for me to even get transferred to the central school. Where am I supposed to get in touch with you? You might as well talk to Mayor Qi yourself."

Xie Guangkun thought about it and realized it made some sense, so he said:

"I can't rely on you for anything."

After hanging up the phone, Xie Guangkun felt confident. He took the money and went to Dajiao Supermarket, where he bought a bunch of ice cream and popsicles. Xie Dajiao wasn't there; Wang Yun was there every day to keep an eye on things. Wang Yun and Xie Dajiao were like sisters, and Wang Yun kept a clear record of every expense. Xie Dajiao trusted her completely.

It was hot, and the village elders were all resting under the trees. Xie Guangkun handed out ice cream to each of them.

"Please help yourself, everyone. It's hot outside, so please don't be shy!"

Once the crowd gathered around, he began to praise himself while subtly belittling Liu Neng:

"Let me tell you all, I'm running for deputy director this time! I've worked in the village for so many years, especially in the mountain products trade. I have plenty of experience, a wide network, and I'm reliable. Unlike some people who are all talk and no action. Entrusting such a big task as attracting investment to them would be a disaster sooner or later!"

Liu Neng was walking home after campaigning with his notebook when he bumped into Xie Guangkun. The two locked eyes and immediately started arguing.

Xie Guangkun began by speaking in a sarcastic tone:

"Hey, Liu Neng, wandering around the village with that tattered notebook, thinking you're some kind of official? The deputy director's job is to get things done, not to suck up to people. What can you possibly do?"

Liu Neng is not intimidated at all:

"You...you're bragging! At least I'm fair and impartial, unlike you, who always thinks of yourself first and pockets all the benefits!"

"If I become the deputy director, the whole village, young and old, will benefit, and everyone will be treated equally! Unlike you, you always think about your own orchard first!"

Xie Guangkun walked up to him with his hands behind his back, laughing as he said loudly:

"Come on, everyone in the village knows you're greedy and short-sighted. Attracting investment is a big deal—negotiating with big bosses. If we put you in charge, you'll definitely mess it up. If you really become the deputy director, you'll ruin the development of the whole village."

The two argued back and forth, their argument escalating until neither would back down.

The surrounding villagers all gathered around to watch the spectacle, and some even started a commotion. After arguing for a long time without any resolution, the two men angrily turned and left, exchanging harsh words as they went, each saying that the other was definitely not going to be elected.

In the evening, Chang Gui carried a bag of fruit and leisurely went to Lin Chen's house.

Lin Chen sat smoking under the pavilion in the courtyard. The gate was not closed; recently, many people had been visiting Big Foot, and it was inconvenient to open and close it repeatedly.

"Xiao Chen, are you busy?" Chang Gui walked over and sat down.

"Uncle Changgui is here." Lin Chen stubbed out his cigarette and replied with a smile.

After a brief chat about everyday things, Changgui got straight to the point.

"Xiao Chen, I have something important to tell you today. The town just issued a notice that our village needs to elect a deputy director to be in charge of investment promotion, infrastructure construction, and coordination. I need a deputy to help me with that."

"I've thought through everyone in the village, and you're the most suitable. You're like family with Wang Dana, and your character and abilities are impeccable. I sincerely hope you'll take on this deputy director position."