Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

After a whole afternoon of running around, Lin Chen returned from Xie Guangkun's house at dusk.

As soon as he entered his own courtyard, he took off his coat and draped it over his arm. He couldn't suppress the smile on his face and walked along happily. He had really enjoyed watching the excitement today.

Inside, Xie Xiaomei and Chen Yannan were chatting on the sofa. Hearing the noise, Xie Xiaomei immediately came out to greet them, took his coat and hung it up. Looking at him, she asked curiously:

"Look at you, all smiles. What's wrong? Didn't you go to Xie Guangkun's house for dinner?"

Lin Chen sat down on the living room sofa, leaned back, pulled Chen Yannan into his arms, and his hands started to wander. Chen Yannan twisted her body in embarrassment.

Lin Chen stopped teasing her, picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and recounted the whole story of the farce that happened at the Xie family at noon.

From the moment Chen Guiying arrived, Xie Guangkun immediately began to curse, then in a fit of rage overturned the kang table, to Chen Guiying, driven to desperation by his insults, grabbing his hair and dragging him off the kang to the ground, and finally Xie Guangkun nearly strangling himself to death, every detail was vividly portrayed.

The two women listened with great interest, and when they finished, they burst into laughter.

"Serves him right! He's always so idle, but this time he's finally met his match. Chen Guiying has such a fiery temper, it's no wonder she'll tolerate his bad habits."

Chen Yannan smiled and gently shook her head:

"Uncle Guangkun is such a troublemaker. He always has to cause trouble on a perfectly good day. I don't think Yongqiang's marriage will go through with this."

Xie Dajiao and Wang Xiaomeng returned in the evening. The group was discussing what to eat when Changgui and Wang Yun, a couple wrapped in a chilly coat, walked in carrying two sauerkraut heads.

As soon as the two entered the room, the chill was instantly dispelled by the warmth inside. Xie Xiaomei quickly stepped forward and poured each of them a cup of piping hot tea.

Wang Yun warmed her hands with a cup of hot water and said with a smile:

"Why is it suddenly so cold today? The wind is like a knife. By the way, my family's pickled cabbage is doing really well this year. I'll bring you a couple to try."

Xie Dajiao replied with a smile:

"Oh, you guys keep them for yourselves. I've made three jars, that's enough for us."

After exchanging a few casual words, Chang Gui finished a sip of hot water, put down his cup, and got down to business:

"Xiao Chen, I have something important to tell you. The town just issued an urgent notice that the poverty alleviation and warmth delivery home visit process must be completed before the end of the year. No one can slack off."

"The rural minimum living allowance standard has been raised a lot this year, and the policy is more relaxed than in previous years. Every registered household in the village receiving minimum living allowance or five-guarantee households will receive 400 yuan in relief funds. In addition, a bag of rice and a barrel of oil will be distributed to each household. The day after tomorrow, the leaders of the civil affairs department will come down to distribute the supplies to each household. I heard that there will be video recordings, so we can't be careless at all."

He looked at Lin Chen and continued in a sincere tone:

"I was thinking, why don't you come with us? You're now the leader in getting rich in our village and a major contributor to attracting investment. You're well-known in the town. If you come along, the town leaders will feel valued."

Lin Chen knew this was a serious matter for the village, so he didn't hesitate to agree without hesitation.

"Sure, that's great! I'll definitely cooperate. When does it start? I'll be there on time."

"I reckon these people will have to ask people again if they have enough coal for the winter, if they're short of rice and flour, and if they have any other difficulties. If they really need anything, they'll report it to higher authorities. It's the same every year."

The two then briefly outlined the list of people to be visited, which consisted of elderly, weak, widowed, and orphaned people in the village who had long faced hardship, a fact that was evident to everyone, and there was nothing controversial about it.

After sitting for less than half an hour, Changgui, afraid of delaying Lin Chen's family from having dinner, got up to say goodbye, wrapped his clothes tightly, and went home.

The day after tomorrow morning, Lin Chen, Chang Gui, two town civil affairs officials, and two accompanying village officials set off from the village office to visit and offer condolences to every household.

Our first stop was the home of Mrs. Zhang, who lives alone. She has no children, is in poor health, and is a key person in the village who needs assistance.

The group entered the house and inquired about the old man's well-being. Chang Gui handed the old man a kraft paper envelope containing four hundred yuan in cash, and the entourage carried rice and cooking oil into the small house and arranged them neatly.

Then we went to Old Zhou's house, who was disabled and unable to do heavy work. We went through the same process and received the same thoughtful advice.

At each household, the civil affairs officials would give the elderly a few words of advice, assuring them that they could spend the winter in peace and that they could go to the village office to find the village officials if they encountered any difficulties.

Lin Chen stayed by his side, offering a few words of comfort, and followed their standard procedures throughout, without trying to steal the spotlight or being overly flamboyant.

Just as the group came out of the home of the elderly living alone, a figure suddenly darted out from the sheltered spot by the wall. The figure moved stealthily, clearly having been lying in ambush there for a long time.

It was none other than Liu Neng, who had gained experience from keeping an eye on Chang Gui.

He kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, his eyes fixed on the arrival of the delegation.

Seeing the group emerge, he quickly stepped forward, blocking their path, and with a fawning smile, stammered:

"Chang...Chang Gui, and leaders from the town who have come all the way from afar, is this a trip to the countryside to offer assistance?"

Chang Gui nodded in agreement, as was his habit.

"Oh, you're distributing New Year's supplies and relief funds to the village's poorest households. What are you doing here?"

Liu Neng quickly pulled his hands out of his sleeves and kept moving closer to the front of the line:

"Sir, you've come all this way, a few more steps won't hurt. Why don't you come in and have a seat at my place? My family is really struggling financially. Take a good look at my health; I'm getting worse every day as I get older. I can't do any heavy or strenuous work anymore. Could you please give me a spot on welfare? I don't need much, just a little bit would be enough for me."

Chang Gui looked at him like this and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He just smiled and pushed him back.

"Come on, Liu Neng. Everyone in the village knows what your family is like. Your daughter and son-in-law run a flower nursery and have a steady income all year round. They live better than most families in the village. Don't meddle in this mess."

"Yes, the minimum living allowance is for those who are truly struggling to make ends meet and have nothing to eat. You don't meet the criteria at all."

Upon hearing this, Liu Neng was displeased and immediately began to stammeringly defend himself, trying to make amends for himself. He was a typical person who couldn't stand taking advantage of others and was upset about being taken advantage of.

"That...that's all money the kids earned, it belongs to Old Zhao's family, it has nothing to do with me! I don't even have enough money myself, I have to be careful with my smoking and drinking!"

"Besides, I've been available whenever needed in the village all these years, running errands and doing chores. I've put in a lot of effort, even if I haven't done anything particularly meritorious. You should at least... take care of me a little..."

Lin Chen, listening to his earnest nonsense, couldn't help but laugh and said:

"Uncle Neng, come on, I saw you buying New Year's goods at the market the other day. How can you be struggling? People who are truly struggling on welfare can't afford to eat pork belly stew with vermicelli every day to improve their diet."

"Besides, you have more energy than any of the young men in the village. You don't look like you're in any difficulty at all."

"If everyone were like you, our village wouldn't have to do anything all day, we could just get by with welfare payments every day."

The village and town officials accompanying him couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

Liu Neng was speechless, awkwardly scratching his bald head. He knew in his heart that it was hopeless and he wouldn't be able to get the welfare benefits, but he still stubbornly insisted:

"I... I was just indulging myself occasionally, treating myself a little better! Who doesn't have a good meal during the New Year? Fine, if you don't want it, then don't. I don't even care for this little bit!"

After saying that, he put on a nonchalant air, put his hands behind his back, and waddled home. But after only a few steps, he couldn't help but sneak a peek back at the visiting team, his face full of regret and resentment...