Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Lin Chen reached out and shoved him away, his face full of disgust:

Wang Tianlai wasn't angry at all. He huddled behind Lin Chen, peeking out the door with lingering fear.

It took Xiangxiu a long time to calm down before she looked up and asked:

"Brother Chen, what was that outside just now? I heard screams!"

Lin Chen casually made up an excuse:

"What else could it be but a thief? He tried to sneak in and steal something in the middle of the night, but I caught him and beat him up. He ran away so fast I didn't even see his face. Don't worry, there are no ghosts or gods, it's all just people causing trouble."

Wang Tianlai shook his head vigorously, waving his hands repeatedly:

"No, Brother Chen, I really can't take it anymore. I can't stay in this clinic tonight, it's too scary!"

"If you're scared, go find your aunt and stay at her house for the night," Lin Chen said.

Wang Tianlai's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded:

"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go find my aunt! I only feel safe around her; she's so fierce!"

After saying that, he took off running, faster than a rabbit, afraid of bumping into something again. He even forgot to close the door and disappeared in a flash.

The clinic fell completely silent, leaving only Lin Chen and Xiang Xiu.

Xiangxiu turned off all the lights in the room, leaned against Lin Chen's chest, still feeling a little flustered, and tentatively looked up to ask:

"Brother Chen, don't try to fool me. Is it really a thief? The more I listen to that noise, the more it sounds like Li Daguo!"

Lin Chen chuckled softly, no longer hiding anything from her:

"It was him. He was wearing a tattered raincoat and had white powder all over his face. He was trying to scare people in the middle of the night by acting like a ghost. He was so jealous that he tried to scare Wang Tianlai away. I just caught him and beat him up. He ran away."

Upon hearing this, Xiangxiu instantly flew into a rage:

"That Li Daguo is going too far! It's such a trivial matter, why make such a fuss?! This scared me, I'm going to settle the score with him!"

Lin Chen reached out and pulled her back, pressing her shoulder as he advised:

"Alright, stop messing around in the middle of the night. What he did was indeed despicable, but to be honest, it's because he cares about you. I didn't hold back just now; he'll be in pain for at least ten days to two weeks, which is enough to punish him. Let it go."

Xiangxiu puffed out her cheeks, still feeling angry, but his words calmed her down considerably.

In the stillness of the night, the atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

Xiangxiu snuggled closer to Lin Chen, her voice soft:

"Brother Chen, I miss you so much. Don't leave tonight, stay here and keep me company on duty. It'll be quiet and no one will bother us."

"I wouldn't dare. There are people waiting at home. If I go back late, they might misunderstand."

"Why don't you stay?"

Xiangxiu reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, her eyes sparkling:

"You'll definitely love this new gadget I bought; it'll make sure you don't stay up all night for nothing."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow:

"What is it? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Xiangxiu smiled and gave him a push:

"I'll go back and get it. I'll also tell Aunt Wang Yun that I'll be covering for Wang Tian tonight. That kid's completely scared tonight and won't dare to come."

After saying that, she jogged out the door with light steps.

Lin Chen smiled and shook his head, then took out his phone and called Xie Xiaomei, saying in a serious tone:

"Xiaomei, you go to sleep first. I'll go back later tonight. I didn't catch that charlatan earlier. I'll stay here for a while to prevent him from coming back to cause trouble."

Xie Xiaomei yawned:

"Stop staying up, it's pitch black, they've already disappeared, hurry back."

"That won't do. We have to finish what we start. We have to get to the bottom of this tonight."

Lin Chen chuckled softly:

"No matter what new gadgets she brings or what equipment she wears, it's all disposable to me. Tonight, you just need to watch my performance!"

"Okay, then be careful. I'm going to sleep in Yannan's room."

"Go."

……

The next day, around 5 p.m., smoke rose from every household in Xiangyashan Village, and the aroma of cooking wafted up the main road.

Pi Changshan invited Lin Chen over for dinner today.

Pi Changshan really put a lot of effort into preparing this meal. He made sure the table was packed full of food, and there was no room for even the small vegetables like scallions, cucumbers, and chili peppers that needed dipping sauce.

Pi Changshan took two cups of his homemade liquor, smiled, and turned to Lin Chen, saying:

"Brother, you should drink this liquor. It's incredibly nutritious and goes on fast. It's made with real, highly nutritious ingredients and is a strong, loose-brewed liquor. Let's drink a lot tonight."

Lin Chen took off his shoes, climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), casually sat cross-legged, and chuckled at the sight of the large table of delicious dishes.

"Brother-in-law, what are you up to? Why are you serving such elaborate dishes? It's not a holiday."

Pi Changshan smiled ingratiatingly, pushed the large wine glass towards Lin Chen, and said enthusiastically:

"Brother, nothing's wrong, just eat. It's been a while since we got together for a drink, let's have a good time today, we won't leave until we're drunk."

He spoke frankly, but anyone with eyes could tell there was something going on. Lin Chen didn't expose him, but turned to glance at Xie Lan, who was busy working beside him.

Xie Lan was dressed quite neatly today. She wore a floral tank top with a wide neckline that revealed her deep cleavage, which looked very cool. Her arms were fair and clean. She wore a pair of gray cropped pants and barefoot high heels. Her hair was loosely tied in a bun.

A few beads of sweat still clung to her temples. She had been busy cooking earlier, and while Pi Changshan went outside to get chopsticks, she secretly gave Lin Chen a look full of helplessness, clearly asking Lin Chen to be more tolerant and to lend a hand if he could.

Lin Chen knew in his heart that this wasn't just drinking and chatting; Pi Changshan needed something from him.

Xie Lan was dressed so lightly that Pi Changshan didn't notice anything. He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts, his mind filled with the position of principal of the town's central primary school. He was eager to ask Lin Chen for a favor, so he picked up his wine glass and took the initiative to clink glasses with her, chatting idly and laying the groundwork for their future.

The two drank two glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and these glasses were quite large, weighing either three and a half or four liang (approximately 150-200 ml).

Pi Changshan usually had a decent alcohol tolerance, but after two glasses of strong liquor, his eyes started to glaze over, and his head began to spin. He knew that drinking any more would be too much and would interfere with important matters, so he quickly put down his glass and sighed.

"Brother, I really have a favor to ask of you."

"Just tell me, brother-in-law, I'll tell you you need something from me."

"Sigh, it's about the principal of the town's central primary school. My father-in-law went to Mayor Qi, but Mayor Qi refused to do it no matter what. When asked why, my father-in-law wouldn't say. He just insisted that I shouldn't go. You tell me, I meet all the requirements, at least let me die knowing why!"

"I want you to help me find out what's going on. You should call Mayor Qi; he'll definitely tell you the truth."

Lin Chen paused for two seconds, holding the wine glass, and glanced at Xie Lan.

Xie Lan nodded gently, and Lin Chen understood what she meant.

"Okay, I'll call and ask."

Lin Chen got up, lifted the curtain, and went out into the outer room, where the stove was still warm.

He took out his phone and called Qi Santai, keeping his voice low. He asked a few simple questions and hung up in less than two minutes, then turned and went back inside.

Xie Lan immediately pressed him for details upon his return:

"Xiao Chen, how's it going? What did Mayor Qi say? Look at Old Pi, he's almost gone mad. He hasn't been able to sleep these past two days. Look at this on the wall..."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed to the white wall in the corner.

A perfectly good wall was turned into a mess by Pi Changshan with his pencil, a bunch of crooked question marks.

It's obvious that this was drawn by him while he was tossing and turning in bed at night, expressing all the frustration in his heart.

Lin Chen glanced at the wall, then looked at Pi Changshan, who was eagerly awaiting news, and casually uttered a sentence:

"Yan Dongdong is at the central school."

As soon as he said that, the room fell silent, so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Pi Changshan opened his mouth wide, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He understood instantly.

The reason why Mayor Qi was so adamant in disagreeing was not because he lacked the qualifications, but because he was afraid that if he went to the central school, he would rekindle his old relationship with Yan Dongdong and cause a scandal, which would make the town look bad. So he simply blocked him from going.

The reason Xie Guangkun didn't tell him was because he was afraid he would do something to betray Xie Lan.

Xie Lan's face immediately darkened. She slammed her chopsticks on the table, stared at Pi Changshan, and her voice turned cold.

"Yan Dongdong? You mean that female teacher you were arguing with before, right? Pi Changshan, tell me the truth, did you already know she was there?"

Pi Changshan panicked instantly and waved his hands frantically:

"No! I really don't know. That's all ancient history. I haven't contacted her at all; we've completely cut ties!"

Lin Chen sat to the side, seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, slowly took a sip of his drink, and casually said:

"Old Pi, let me add something. Qi Santai is a slippery guy. He might just not want to do anything for Xie Guangkun and is just making up some excuse. Think about it yourselves. He's a town mayor, after all. How can he keep an eye on the fate of a teacher at the central school every day? You should double-check this yourself. Don't believe everything other people say."

That one sentence was a wake-up call for Pi Changshan.

His gloomy eyes suddenly lit up, and the more he thought about it, the more he understood.

Qi San Taibao is simply disrespecting Xie Guangkun this time, using Yan Dongdong as an excuse to brush him off!

(Fourth update delivered, please urge me to update more, there haven't been enough lately)