Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Chang Gui gave a few brief instructions and then hurriedly returned home. Lin Chen saw him off.

As soon as the person left, Chen Yannan immediately closed the door behind her.

The moment the door closed, she threw herself into Lin Chen's arms:

"Brother Chen, thank you. I know you helped me with this."

Lin Chen picked her up and spun her around, smiling as he said:

"Why thank me? Don't overthink it. The group was looking for someone with your expertise to fill the project. It's just that you're capable and happened to get the opportunity. As I said, just stay put and do your job."

Chen Yannan buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled, filled with the relief of having regained what she had lost:

"I thought I really had to pack my things and leave, and that it would be difficult to see you again in the future."

Lin Chen gently patted her back with one hand, his voice soft:

"With me here, you can't leave. Stay here and don't worry."

Chen Yannan completely relaxed and let Lin Chen carry her to the sofa.

Lin Chen had washed the jujubes beforehand and stood in front of her with a plate. She nestled on the sofa, picked up a jujube, and took a bite. The rest, pit and all, slid down her throat, and she immediately choked.

Her hand instinctively grabbed Lin Chen's arm, her face instantly turning purple, and she kicked wildly, making the coffee table shake and spilling some water.

Lin Chen glanced down and saw it. Without saying a word, he took two steps back, then stepped forward, braced his left knee into the sofa cushions to steady himself, lowered his waist by half an inch, and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

He clenched his right fist, with the base of his thumb facing the flesh above her navel, gripped his right wrist tightly with his left hand, stretched his lower back like a fully drawn bow, and thrust his entire waist and hips forward! This move is called the Heimlich maneuver, and I never expected to actually use it.

When there was no response at first, he frowned, increased the force in his waist by half a unit, and pulled her arm sharply into his arms, repeating the movement twice. Each thrust was fierce, as if he wanted to force out the air stuck in her chest.

Chen Yannan was pulled forward by the tightness of his grip, her back hitting his chest with a dull thud. She could feel his waist and abdomen taut, the impact sending shivers down her spine.

Suddenly, she stumbled forward, spitting out the date, which landed on the glass surface of the coffee table, rolled twice, and had a little blood still stuck to the tip of the pit.

She went limp in his arms, coughing and sneezing, her face covered in tears and snot.

Lin Chen didn't let go immediately. He placed his palm on the middle of her shoulder blades and patted her firmly. Only when her coughing subsided did he completely release his arm.

He glanced at the dates on the floor, poured a glass of water on the coffee table, placed it next to her, and muttered something under his breath:

"Eating a date can take half your life, this Heimlich maneuver is really useful."

Chen Yannan rolled her eyes at him.

The news of the specially appointed agricultural technicians quickly spread throughout Xiangyashan Village.

In those days, it was already rare for a college graduate to return to the village to work in a technical field. In addition, it was a formal position specially hired by a large company and registered with the town. No one in the village had any wild ideas. They all thought that Chen Yannan was capable.

The villagers were buzzing with discussion, all expressing envy and praise, without a single idle whisper.

……

By 4:30 pm the next day, it wasn't so sunny anymore.

The courtyard of Lin Chen's house was bustling with activity. The fruitwood charcoal was burning red-hot, crackling and sparking every now and then, and the heat made the surrounding area very hot.

After giving birth, Xie Dajiao couldn't stay idle at all. She felt restless staying at home and took her baby to the supermarket every day, always saying that she felt stifled at home and that the supermarket was bustling with people.

Since Wang Yun was with her every day, Da Jiao gave her 500 yuan a month as pocket money so she could come over and help out at the shop and take care of the children. The two of them could work and chat together, which was much more comfortable than staying at home.

With no children to keep her occupied at home, Xie Xiaomei, craving something sweet, suggested having barbecue skewers in the yard that evening.

Just then, Wang Xiaomeng came over from the bean product factory. The three women got together to do odd jobs, and the task of grilling skewers, which involved a lot of smoke and fire, was left to Lin Chen.

The grill under the gazebo was spotless, not a speck of dirt on it, and it was piled high with food that looked incredibly appetizing.

The beef skewers were marinated all afternoon in advance, and the pork belly was wrapped with enoki mushrooms and grilled until the edges were slightly charred. The dried tofu rolls were wrapped with scallions and cilantro, brushed with garlic sauce, and grilled on the charcoal fire until they sizzled and dripped with oil.

Everything you'd expect from a barbecue is there, nothing is missing. Small dishes of cumin, chili powder, and sesame seeds are placed on the side, and the aroma fills the entire courtyard when the evening breeze blows.

Lin Chen sat on a small stool, holding an iron skewer and flipping the meat over and over. Oil droplets dripped down the skewers and rose into white smoke as they hit the charcoal fire.

Xie Xiaomei squatted down next to him, holding a spice bottle in her hand, watching the heat and casually saying:

"Add extra chili to those pork belly skewers on the left, Yan Nan loves spicy food."

Wang Xiaomeng squatted opposite, setting out plates and taking down the grilled skewers, smiling as she spoke:

"It smells so good, it's making my mouth water."

Chen Yannan sat on a small stool to the side, her eyes constantly glancing at Lin Chen.

The setting sun shone on his face, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his neck. She instinctively wanted to hand him a tissue, but with two people around, she felt embarrassed to be too conspicuous, so she raised her hand and then withdrew it.

"Brother Chen, take a break, I'll grill it for you."

"No need, just go and get me two bottles of chilled beer from the fridge."

"it is good."

Before long, the first plate of skewers was ready. The four of them sat down around the small table, started eating with their hands, and their mouths were glistening with oil.

The beef and lamb are tender and burst with juice with every bite; the pork belly is crispy and not greasy; the dried tofu rolls are savory and refreshing; even the ham sausages are grilled to a perfect crispy exterior and tender interior.

Wang Xiaomeng's mouth was stuffed full as she mumbled her praise:

"Brother Chen, your cooking is amazing! I love your grilled food!"

Xie Xiaomei joked:

"He's usually very lazy; he wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. He only moves because of you guys."

"Hey, hey, I'm not lazy at all. Don't talk nonsense. I'm the most diligent person around."

"Yes, you wash the sheets the most frequently."

The atmosphere in the courtyard was relaxed, filled with laughter and conversation. As they ate, Chen Yannan sighed and said:

"Honestly, Yongqiang is really unlucky. He put all his effort into the orchard, worked himself to the bone building irrigation canals, and suffered all kinds of hardships. But in the end, the reservoir dried up completely when the canals were only half finished. All the money he invested went down the drain."

Xie Xiaomei sighed as well:

"I went to the supermarket this morning, and even the farm was talking about this. Is Yongqiang up to something? He's focused on doing his job properly, but he just had to run into this mess. He's really unlucky."

Wang Xiaomeng took a sip of soda and said:

"Why don't we have him find someone to help him? We have some really good fortune tellers in our village."

Lin Chen, flipping the roasted eggplant in his hand, said without even looking up:

"Don't get into those feudal superstitions. No business is ever smooth sailing. Ups and downs are normal. He chose this path himself, so he has to bear the difficulties himself. Others can help him once or twice, but they can't help him unconditionally forever."

Lin Chen wasn't cold-blooded; he just knew he couldn't indulge Xie Yongqiang like that. He could help by providing manpower and effort, but he couldn't just directly pay money to fill the hole. Doing so would only harm Xie Yongqiang and cause trouble for himself.

The three women listened and nodded silently. Every family in the village has its share of troubles. It's unrealistic to expect Lin Chen to always be there when something goes wrong.

As the group was chatting, the phone on the table suddenly rang. Lin Chen picked it up casually, and after saying "hello," Xie Dajiao's loud voice immediately came through the receiver, sounding extremely anxious:

"Xiao Chen, drop what you're doing and hurry to Zhao Si's house! Something's happened! Liu Neng's gone to fight Yu Tian, ​​and they're about to start a fight. You need to come and break it up!"

Lin Chen frowned:

"What happened? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"

"I only heard the gist of it..."

Bigfoot was shouting anxiously on the other end:

"They say Yutian took Liu Ying to buy a bicycle early this morning, but they had a fight, and Yutian left Liu Ying in the county town. Liu Ying walked back by herself. Liu Neng is furious and went to Zhao Si's house, saying he's going to teach Zhao Yutian a lesson. The director went to town and hasn't come back yet, and nobody in the village can stop them. You need to come quickly!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

Lin Chen hung up the phone, tossed the metal skewer onto the plate, grabbed half a skewer of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, took a sip of beer, and got up to walk out while chewing.

Xie Xiaomei was startled and quickly shouted:

"Where are you going? You haven't finished your skewers yet!"

"Liu Neng and Yu Tian have fallen out and are about to fight. I'll go stop them!"

Lin Chen didn't even turn his head; before he finished speaking, he was already at the gate of the courtyard.

The three women in the courtyard exchanged glances. Wang Xiaomeng casually wiped the oil off her hands.

"Let's go take a look."

Xie Xiaomei grabbed her coat and left.

"We have to go, we have to see this spectacle!"

Chen Yannan quickly followed:

"Me too, me too..."

The group carried the barbecue grill to a sheltered, open spot, and without bothering to tidy up the yard, the three of them hurried along the village road toward Zhao Si's house.

Before even getting close to the flowerbed, I saw a group of people gathered around, making a lot of noise that could be heard clearly from a great distance.