Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Xie Dajiao grinned from ear to ear, leaning forward to look at Xie Xiaomei:

"Oh dear, now that I think about it, it's true. I thought it was just laziness in early spring, but it turns out it's pregnancy symptoms. I should have realized it sooner. My bad, my bad."

Several people gathered around the table, discussing the matter animatedly.

"The first three months are the most crucial; you can't do any heavy or strenuous work during that time."

"Wear more clothes when you go to the hospital tomorrow. It's windy in spring, so be careful not to catch a cold."

"I heard the test requires fasting, is that right? Let's leave early tomorrow so we don't miss the test."

Xie Xiaomei was a little embarrassed by what everyone said. It was the first time the young girl had experienced this. She lowered her head and sipped her porridge, but a smile remained on her lips.

Lin Chen took a sip of his drink and said with a smile:

"Everyone, stop talking for now. Let her eat in peace. I'll take her for a check-up tomorrow. Big Foot, you come along too. You have experience and can help look after her."

"No problem, I'll definitely go."

Xie Dajiao immediately agreed:

"I'll be there to help out the whole time tomorrow, I'll be fine running around, you don't need to worry about me."

Chen Yannan took the initiative to take on household chores:

"Leave the children at home to me, you can go to the hospital without worry, don't worry about things at home."

Wang Xiaomeng echoed:

"I'll stay home tomorrow too, so you can focus on your check-up without any worries."

The dinner was exceptionally lively, with everyone's conversation revolving around the topic of pregnancy.

Xie Dajiao carefully explained the taboos and precautions during pregnancy. Xie Xiaomei listened attentively, and the other two women also perked up their ears.

The next morning, Lin Chen drove Xie Xiaomei and Xie Dajiao to the city and soon arrived at the People's Hospital.

Xie Xiaomei sat in the passenger seat, feeling uneasy and very nervous, afraid that her hopes would be dashed.

Xie Dajiao sat in the back seat, constantly comforting her and telling her to relax.

The hospital is an old-style building, with people coming and going at the entrance, and breakfast and fruit stalls lining the roadside.

Upon entering the outpatient hall, a strong smell of disinfectant hits you.

"I'll go register first. You two sit here and wait for a while."

A few minutes later, Lin Chen registered, and the three of them went to the third floor. The benches at the entrance were full of pregnant women and their families waiting for examinations, and Xie Xiaomei became increasingly nervous.

Lin Chen gently held her hand and whispered words of comfort:

"Don't be nervous, it's just a routine check-up, it'll be over quickly."

It wasn't long before it was their turn. The female doctor on duty was in her forties and spoke crisply and clearly:

"Where does it hurt? What symptoms do you have?"

"Doctor, I've been feeling nauseous, sleepy, and weak for the past few days. I'd like to get checked to see if I'm pregnant."

The doctor glanced at her and quickly wrote out the examination form:

"First, we'll do a blood test, then an ultrasound. We'll pay for the blood test first, and you'll need to have a full bladder and drink plenty of water before the ultrasound."

As they left the consultation room, Xie Dajiao muttered to herself:

"Xiaomei, drink more. Prepare everything at once so we don't have to go through all that trouble."

After paying the fee, Lin Chen brought over three bottles of water:

"Go get your blood drawn first, then drink water and wait."

The blood draw was quick. When the needle pierced her skin, Xie Xiaomei frowned slightly, and Lin Chen reached out to block her view.

After the blood was drawn and the pressure was applied for a while, the doctor informed them that the blood test results would take an hour to come out, and asked them to wait for the ultrasound.

The three of them sat on a bench in the corridor and waited. Xie Xiaomei drank bottle after bottle of water, burping constantly as her stomach gradually felt full.

After waiting for nearly an hour, Lin Chen first went to the laboratory to get the blood test report, which confirmed that she was pregnant. The subsequent ultrasound also showed no problems.

Lin Chen felt completely at ease, looked gently at Xie Xiaomei, and said with a smile:

"You've worked hard, honey."

He reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, patting her back tenderly.

"Oh dear, there are too many people here..." Xie Xiaomei said shyly.

Xie Dajiao stood aside and said with satisfaction:

"That's wonderful, such great news! You must take good care of yourself when you get back. The first three months are the most crucial, so you can't be careless."

"I know, I'm going to be a mom too."

Lin Chen carefully protected Xie Xiaomei, and the three of them slowly walked out. Their pace was different when they entered and when they left the hospital.

After leaving the hospital, Lin Chen did not go straight back to the village. Instead, he called Xie Xiaomei's parents to share the good news and told them to hurry home to discuss important matters.

Xie Xiaomei was somewhat puzzled:

Lin Chen parked the car, took out the cigarettes and alcohol he had prepared in advance from the trunk, and said seriously:

"Your pregnancy is such a big deal, our marriage should be officially arranged. We can't let you suffer, we must marry you properly."

Xie Xiaomei's cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded vigorously, feeling particularly at ease.

When Xie Baochang knocked on the door and entered the house, Su Guifen was picking vegetables in the kitchen, while Xie Baochang paced back and forth in the living room.

Upon seeing the three arrive, the two quickly came out to greet them.

Lin Chen placed the items on the coffee table, and without any further pleasantries, handed over the two medical reports:

"Today I took Xiaomei to the hospital for a check-up. She is five weeks pregnant and everything is stable. We came here today to discuss our marriage. I want to get married to Xiaomei as soon as possible, and we'll leave the date to you."

The elderly couple looked down at the report, their faces beaming with joy.

Su Guifen held Xie Xiaomei's hand, her smile bringing out even more wrinkles:

"No wonder you haven't been calling often lately, it turns out you had a big surprise for us."

Xie Baochang nodded and said solemnly:

"Pregnancy is a joyous occasion. We know you two well after being together for so long, and we trust your character and personality. We are very confident in your child. The wedding should indeed be planned properly and not taken lightly."

Lin Chen said sincerely:

"I still plan to buy a bigger house in the city center, and I'll be looking at houses in the next couple of days."

Mr. Xie immediately waved his hand in refusal:

"There's no need to spend that money. Your villa cost several hundred thousand, which is much better than the one in the city. The environment is also better. There's no need to buy another house. Save the money. There will be expenses everywhere in the future, like raising children and living together."

Su Guifen also joined in the persuasion:

"Old Xie is right. We don't care about those superficial things. Life in the village is so peaceful and comfortable. You should just live your lives in peace and quiet."

Xie Baochang stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said:

"We'll hold the wedding in Ivory Mountain, with all our relatives and neighbors. We'll make it a lively and respectable affair. We don't need any dowry; we don't compete with that. If you young people want to buy something, we won't interfere."

Su Guifen thought for a moment and added:

"It's fine to hold the wedding in the village, but we'll also hold a thank-you banquet in the city. We've given away a lot of money over the years, so we'll take this opportunity of Xiaomei's wedding to get some of it back."

"No problem, leave this to me."

Lin Chen readily agreed:

"I'll book the hotel, so you two can have a great time. You can choose a suitable auspicious date and we'll hold the wedding as soon as possible, before your pregnancy becomes too obvious and affects your ability to wear your wedding dress."

Xie Baochang nodded in satisfaction:

"Let's do it this way. The village will host the main banquet, and the city will hold a thank-you banquet three days in advance. We'll find someone to pick a good day and then call you back."

"Okay, it's settled then."

Seeing that the important matters had been discussed enough, Xie Dajiao finally got a chance to speak and started chatting non-stop with her sister-in-law.

At noon, Su Guifen prepared a table full of dishes, including many of Xie Xiaomei's favorites.

At the dinner table, Xie Baochang drank two small glasses of wine and earnestly gave his advice:

"Xiao Chen, Xiao Mei has been spoiled by us since she was little, and she can be a little temperamental sometimes. In the future, please be more tolerant and understanding of her, and treat her well."

"Old Xie, don't worry. Don't you know what kind of person I am? Besides, Xiaomei isn't like what you said. It's my blessing to have married such a wife."

Xie Baochang nodded with satisfaction, raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. He took a big gulp, and his face turned red.

Lin Chen suppressed a laugh and quickly served his father-in-law some food to calm him down.

Thus, the marriage was settled in a simple manner.

After finishing their meal, Xie Xiaomei drove back to the village. Leaning against the passenger seat, she watched the tree shadows receding outside the window, feeling incredibly at ease and eagerly anticipating meeting the little one.

Lin Chen held the steering wheel with one hand, and reached out with the other to take Xie Xiaomei's hand...