Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"How dare you say that? This whole mess is your fault! Before, you were always running to Lin Chen's house like a puppy, sweeping his front door before dawn, groveling and trying to please him. What was the point of all that hard work? Did he even appreciate it?"

"Your participation in this 'Civilized Household' program is a disgrace to this activity. With your character, do you even deserve to be a 'Civilized Household'? You don't even deserve to register! Besides freeloading, taking advantage of others, and showing off for no reason, what else can you do?"

"I... I'm still better than you, even if I'm not the best!"

"At least I have a stable family and I don't bully my own family! I don't throw tantrums and overturn tables in public. What about you? You only know how to bully your own family, act tough at home, but you're useless outside!"

"I...I...I'm telling you, if you hadn't gone on stage and started causing trouble for me today, Lin Chen's vote might have been mine! It's all your fault for ruining everything! You have to make it up to me!"

"Pah! You're dreaming! Even if I gave you three votes, what could you do? Could you surpass Wang Laoqi or something?" Xie Guangkun scoffed with a look of disgust.

"Lin Chen's eyes are bright enough! Why would he even look at you? Why would he vote for you? Would he vote for you to freeload, or to argue and bicker? I think you're just a toad trying to eat swan meat, wishful thinking!"

"Let me tell you, don't even bother coming next time! You'll just be wasting the village's quota!"

"You shouldn't come!"

Liu Neng stomped his feet in anger, glaring at Xie Guangkun:

"I'm definitely going to beat you next time! You just wait and see, I'll make you admit defeat!"

"Who's afraid of who! Pointing at someone's ass doesn't count!"

Xie Guangkun immediately stood up, put his hands behind his back, turned around and left, his tone extremely arrogant:

"Next time we compete, I'll make you lose even more miserably, you won't even have your underwear left!"

After their argument, one went east and the other went west, neither willing to back down.

……

On the evening of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, light snow was falling on Xiangyashan Mountain. The snowflakes fell slowly and leisurely.

A thin layer of white covered the ground, rooftops, and tree branches, instantly bringing the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

The weather wasn't too cold, around minus ten degrees Celsius, but it was dry and crisp, typical of the weather during the Chinese New Year in Northeast China.

Inside Lin Chen's villa, a wave of heat hits you as soon as you enter.

The windows were fogged up, and a cold wind was blowing outside, but it was warm enough inside to wear only a single layer of clothing.

Xie Dajiao nestled on the sofa with her child in her arms. The little guy looked like he was eating well, clearly not being deprived of food. He was round and chubby, and didn't move around much.

She stroked the child's little hand and chatted with Lin Chen about the New Year:

"Xiangxiu went back to the big country for the New Year, leaving only Changgui and Wang Yun at home. It looks so deserted. I was thinking of having them come over for New Year's Eve dinner. It's lively with more people. The New Year is all about gathering together. What kind of New Year is it if it's deserted?"

Lin Chen nodded, thought for a moment, and said:

"Okay, no problem, but my uncle and his wife came specifically for me, so I need to ask them beforehand. I don't want to add people suddenly and make them feel uncomfortable."

After finishing his sentence, Lin Chen immediately dialed Wang Dana's number and explained his idea of ​​inviting Chang Gui over.

On the other end of the phone, Wang Dana laughed heartily, his voice full of energy and exuding a generous and forthright spirit.

"Oh, I thought it was no big deal. Come on over, it's Chinese New Year, why worry about crowds? The more people gather, the more lively it gets. Musheng and I will go over first thing tomorrow morning. Tell your family not to overwork themselves and prepare too much food, just keep it simple!"

That's how it was settled.

Xie Xiaomei took out a small notebook and started writing down the menu, planning out tomorrow's main dishes, cold dishes, and stir-fries. She had to arrange everything clearly to avoid chaos tomorrow.

"Xiao Meng isn't coming over for the New Year this year. She said she saw that Uncle Qi and his wife were all alone at home, and she had to go back to keep them company. Besides, it's the New Year, and if she keeps coming to my place, there are too many idle people in the village who might gossip. It's not worth it."

Xie Dajiao nodded in agreement:

"You've thought this through. During the New Year, we just want peace of mind and don't want people gossiping behind our backs. Let her come over on the second or third day of the New Year, after the busy holiday season is over."

The light snow fell quietly overnight, and before we knew it, it was New Year's Eve.

At seven o'clock in the morning, the sun slowly rose, and the thin snow in the yard was spread out evenly. Lin Chen got up and started shoveling the snow.

After returning to the house and warming up for a while, the family quickly finished eating millet porridge and sticky rice cakes, and then tidied up and started preparing for the New Year.

Pasting couplets, hanging lanterns, and pasting paper-cut window decorations are all old customs.

The red couplets on the front and back doors are neatly pasted, and the character "福" (fortune) is pasted upside down, all to symbolize good fortune arriving at the doorstep.

The paper-cut window decorations are of all shapes and sizes, and big red lanterns hang in the courtyard, swaying in the wind. The bright red color instantly gives the courtyard a festive atmosphere.

Just as I finished tidying up, I heard the sound of a car outside the yard.

Wang Dana arrived with Wang Musheng, the trunk of the car crammed full of various cigarettes, alcohol, and New Year's goods, as well as mink coats bought for the girls. They carried out bags and packages, as if they wanted to bring their whole house with them.

Back then, mink coats weren't as cheap as they are now, and they weren't as ubiquitous.

As soon as Wang Dana entered the gate, he saw a room full of people come out to greet him, and his face lit up with a smile:

"Happy Chinese New Year everyone! My son and I are here again to freeload on the New Year's Eve dinner!"

"Sir, I wish you could come every day!"

"Hahaha……"

Lin Chen and the others quickly stepped forward to take the things and ushered the person into the house.

A short while later, Chang Gui and Wang Yun also arrived.

Wang Yun was also carrying a lot of things. She went straight into the kitchen as soon as she entered the door, working quickly and never stopping for a moment.

"I'll lend a hand! You men can sit and chat, eat sunflower seeds and drink water. Just wait to be served. You don't need to do any work. We have enough people today."

Xie Dajiao and Chen Yannan put on aprons and busied themselves in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, stewing meat, blanching, and seasoning. The kitchen was filled with the sounds of clanging and steaming heat.

Around noon, all the stews were put in the pot and simmered slowly over a low flame, requiring no one to watch over them.

Four old men made up a table. In Northeast China, there isn't much entertainment during the Spring Festival; they usually just play cards or mahjong.

They started playing cards, teaming up in pairs, emphasizing teamwork, with winning or losing being secondary; the real fun was the noise and chatter.

Wang Dana immediately pulled Wang Musheng into a team, thumping his chest loudly:

"We're in cahoots, father and son. I'll give you a good beating today. My card skills have been unmatched in Benxi for years. I'll make them lose so badly they won't know what's what!"

Chang Gui laughed, turned his head and exchanged a glance with Lin Chen. The two smiled and teamed up, not wanting to be outdone, and took out two decks of cards and started shuffling.

As a result, after only two rounds of the game, Wang Dana and his son Wang Musheng started arguing, and the argument became even more heated than the card game itself.

In the second round, Wang Musheng had a moment of madness and randomly played a single card, completely blocking Wang Dana's path, leaving him with no way out.

Wang Dana immediately became furious, slamming his cards on the coffee table, his eyes wide with anger, and said:

"What are you doing? Did a frozen persimmon hit you in the head? I only have one card left, I can just take it and carry the flag, why are you randomly trying to take it? Do you even know how to play? You can't even understand this basic card game, I'm so unlucky to have you with me, you're a complete burden!"

Wang Musheng sat on a small stool, defiant, craning his neck to fiddle with the cards below, refusing to give an inch.

"Dad, don't be unreasonable! How can you blame me for losing? Look down there, are there enough points? What are you doing just sitting there? And now you're blaming me? The older you get, the more unreasonable you become!"

"That's called tactics, you know?"

Wang Dana puffed out his beard and glared:

"You know nothing about playing cards! Even the old folks on the street know better than you! Playing with you is so frustrating, it gets more and more infuriating!"

"Tactics, my foot! You didn't even look at the score!"

The two of them went back and forth, arguing and bickering, neither willing to give in.

They started arguing about the card game in front of them and then moved on to old business disputes, each one raising their voice higher than the last.

Chang Gui stood to the side, trembling with suppressed laughter, while Lin Chen, holding a cup of tea and a deck of cards, tried to mediate.

"Grandpa, calm down. Brother, don't take it so seriously. Playing cards during the New Year is just for fun. There's no need to get worked up. Just cooperate well next time."

Just then, Xie Dajiao came over with melon seeds and candy, and burst out laughing at the sight.

"Oh my god, you two are really something! They're so young, and they get all worked up over a game of cards. Old Wang, you need to calm down. Musheng, you should give your dad a break. The point of the New Year is to have some fun!"