Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

In the village office, Chang Gui looked at Lin Chen and said with a smile:

"You're really something. You got those three out of there with just a few words, without offending anyone, and you even got the business done efficiently."

Lin Chen took a sip of tea and spat out the tea leaves:

"It's nothing. The national policies are right here. We don't need to indulge them. We must help those who are truly in trouble, but we can't tolerate those who want to take advantage. We'll implement all the support policies in the spring, and everyone can resume production properly. This year, we'll be able to get through this difficult time."

"You're right. Come to my place for lunch, let's have a couple of drinks, and I have something else to tell you."

Lin Chen knew exactly what he was going to say:

"If you're talking about the village head, then I won't go."

"Okay then."

……

One month later—

In April, the wind in Xiangyashan was still a bit chilly, but the weather was already starting to warm up.

The thick snow that had accumulated has melted completely in the past few days, revealing the mountains and fields.

The black soil in the fields is soaked with snowmelt, making it the perfect time to prepare for spring planting.

The village office courtyard was packed with people in the morning, as almost all the village's residents had arrived.

With little work to do in early spring, everyone was idle and gathered together to chat. They smoked one cigarette after another, leaving cigarette butts scattered all over the ground. The cacophony of voices made it impossible to discern the exact number of people.

The meeting was mostly attended, except for two people. One was Lin Chen, who was busy with something and didn't come. The other was Liu Da Nao, who is now practically a member of the village. Ever since the mountain resort started construction, he has been completely immersed in the construction site, working from morning till night every day, and has no time to go down the mountain to join the fun in the village.

Chang Gui stood on the stool, holding a notebook in his hand. He cleared his throat, pressed his hand down slightly, and said:

"Stop talking! Quiet down! We're starting a meeting!"

The noise in the courtyard subsided a bit, but there were still occasional murmurs coming from below.

"They're always talking about farming and subsidies; it's the same thing every year at the spring meetings."

"That's right, the heavy snow damaged a lot of things, we have to give them some explanation."

"Hurry up and finish what you've said, I still have to go home and tidy up the garden."

After everyone had finished chatting, Chang Gui finally spoke:

"There are only two things to do today, both of which were arranged by the town government at a meeting yesterday, and they are related to every household."

One is about post-disaster spring planting, and the other is about disaster relief subsidies for greenhouse fruit trees. Listen carefully, so you don't go back and spout nonsense without understanding anything.

"Let's talk about farming first. This year's heavy snow may seem like a disaster, but it has actually been a great help to us. The soil has been thoroughly soaked, so whether we plant corn or soybeans this year, as long as we take good care of them, they will grow well."

"The town specifically instructed that these few days are the perfect time for thawing and ridging, so every household should hurry up and get to their fields clean. Buy what you need and get what you need delivered immediately. Don't wait, and don't rely on others!"

"Time waits for no one. If the harvest is bad, don't blame the village for not reminding you. On another note, good news: this year's subsidies for improved seeds and direct subsidies for grain planting will be paid as usual, with an extra five yuan per mu compared to last year!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the courtyard. This was what they were really concerned about, and they started arguing amongst themselves.

"Wow! Five more dollars? That's great!"

"Don't lie or conceal anything, tell the truth, and nobody tries to be clever!"

Chang Gui glared at him:

"I don't need your instructions, I'll make this clear upfront: report the actual cultivated land area. Anyone who falsifies or overreports will have their entire year's subsidies canceled, and they'll be publicly criticized at a major meeting! Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Xie Guangkun squeezed forward two large steps, stretched his neck, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Changgui! What about the fruit trees? My Yongqiang's orchard is definitely going to have a reduced yield this year! Is there any subsidy from the town? We haven't heard anything about what you said before. We can't just suffer like this for nothing!"

"What's the rush? I was just about to say that!"

Chang Gui glanced at him sideways and continued:

"The second thing is disaster relief for facility agriculture and fruit trees. The town's agricultural technology station will send people next week to provide us with free guidance on greenhouse reconstruction, post-freezing pruning of fruit trees, and to distribute agricultural supplies such as lime sulfur and rooting powder free of charge!"

"If any households have collapsed cold sheds or greenhouses, they will be registered after the meeting, and subsidies for seedlings and agricultural film will be provided based on the acreage. The specific standards will be determined after the technicians come down to verify."

At this point, Chang Gui emphasized, "I'm warning you!"

"Let me make this clear beforehand: the subsidies are for legitimate farming and the proper resumption of production! Don't try to cheat us out of money by bringing a shabby chicken coop or pigsty! The town is very strict with checks, so don't try to fool me. Anything that doesn't meet the standards will be rejected, and don't come crying to me about being poor later!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Neng immediately stepped forward, but was cut off by Chang Gui before he could say anything.

"Your chicken coop wasn't considered damaged in the disaster, so you don't need any subsidies. Don't try to fool me; how many times have you contacted me this past month!"

The whole courtyard burst into laughter. Liu Neng shrank back, looking embarrassed, and muttered under his breath that he was still not convinced.

"Liu Neng, you're really cunning! Even the chicken coop wants to get subsidies?"

"Trying to get every advantage, nobody does that!"

Chang Gui then instructed:

"There's something else I need to tell everyone. There's construction going on every day on the mountain lately, with big trucks coming and going. Please take a detour when going up or down the mountain. Don't go too close; it's not safe. This is a major investment project for the village, so please cooperate and don't go up there and cause trouble."

"Alright, that's enough about the important matters. After the meeting, pick up the brochures and get moving. The year's plans begin in spring, so don't just sit at home daydreaming! Meeting adjourned!"

In the afternoon, at Old Lady Tian's house in the village, the curtains were half drawn, making the room dark, like a thief's den.

The four old ladies, Granny Tian, ​​Granny Wang, Granny Liu, and Granny Yongqiang, sat around the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), staring intently at the television on the table.

The screen was showing Teletubbies, a children's show, with four round little creatures bouncing around. But the four old ladies had no interest in watching; their eyes were fixed on the screen, their faces serious.

Grandma Tian, ​​wearing reading glasses and holding half a short pencil in her hand, was hunched over the table, scribbling things in a crooked manner. Everyone else was too afraid to even breathe.

Granny Wang was closest, her head almost touching the screen, and whispered:

"They're out! They're out! The red one jumped first! Doesn't red correspond to the horse? Remember that!"

"Don't make a sound! Distractions can lead to misreading!"

Old Mrs. Tian glared at her, her pen moving swiftly:

"Experts say the first number to appear is the special number, and the second number is the regular number! Watch how it moves, how it bounces—those are all numbers, they are the secrets of heaven!"

Liu Yingniang sat at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), her heart pounding, hesitant and uncertain:

"Hey sis, is this thing really accurate? It's just a kids' cartoon, what winning code could it possibly contain? Liu Ying will definitely scold me when she finds out I've been wasting money."

"What do you know!"

Old Mrs. Tian looked disdainful:

"Look what kind of cartoon this is on TV! How could they lie? This is a secret benefit the higher-ups are giving to the people; they can't say it openly, so they hide it on TV! Do you know Old Zhang from Qiantun? Last time she guessed the bull correctly on this and won eighty yuan! This is practically handing money to your pocket!"

Yongqiang's mother quickly nodded in agreement:

"I've heard that too. People say that 'Everyday Cooking' is more accurate. The host counts how many cuts of vegetables he makes and how many spoonfuls of salt he adds! But Guangkun won't let me watch it, saying it's nonsense, so I've never dared to study it."

"He just doesn't know the ropes!"

Old Mrs. Tian scoffed:

"Once we win the lottery and make money, let's see if he dares to talk nonsense again!"

"Here's what we'll do: the four of us chip in 100 yuan, 25 yuan each. I'll ask Old Zhou, the guy in town who buys mountain produce, to place a bet. He's reliable and good at it. If we win, we'll split the winnings!"

The four elderly women immediately took out their money, pooling their resources diligently.

Just as I was busy working, Old Man Tian's loud voice came from outside the courtyard:

"What are you dawdling around inside? The garden's overgrown with weeds, hurry up and come out and weed it!"

Grandma Tian panicked and quickly hid the paper under the kang (heated brick bed), then shouted back:

"What's with the rush! What's wrong with watching some TV! All you do is boss people around all day!"

She quickly waved her hand, signaling the others to be quiet:

"Keep your voices down, don't let the old man hear your nagging! Keep watching, and when the green baby comes out, carefully count the number of jumps, making sure you don't miscount!"