Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

At this moment, the courtyard of the new office building was even more lively than during the Chinese New Year.

An inflatable rainbow archway, several meters wide, stood prominently at the entrance, its bright red surface adorned with gold lettering.

Opening ceremony of Kaiyuan branch of Shanghai Qingmei Green Food Co., Ltd.

When the wind blows, it bulges out, and you can see it from a long distance.

The band playing nearby was having a great time, and the festive tunes carried for miles.

Flower baskets on both sides of the entrance stretched from the bottom of the steps all the way to the roadside, their ribbons fluttering festively and rustling in the wind.

The courtyard was bustling with people, including town leaders, distributors from surrounding cities and counties, and mostly villagers who came to join in the fun. It was crowded and noisy, with children squeezing in and out of the crowd, making it even more lively than a market day.

Wang Xiaomeng, dressed in a black blazer, stood at the door greeting guests. She glanced around, then leaned close to Xie Xiaomei and whispered:

"Xiaomei, why hasn't Brother Chen arrived yet? It's almost time."

"He called this morning to say something came up and he was delayed, but told us to get started and he would definitely come before the ribbon-cutting ceremony."

"Alright."

Wang Xiaomeng nodded, then turned to greet the few town officials who had just arrived, a smile spreading across her face.

Li Qiuge stood next to Bai Qingming, helping to hand out brochures, her eyes glancing at the intersection every now and then, hoping that Lin Chen would come.

Just as they were making arrangements, Wang Laoqi ran over from the front gate, waving his hands and shouting loudly, his voice so loud it drowned out the sound of the suona:

"Xiao Meng! Xiao Meng, come out and take a look! Isn't that Mr. Yang's car?!"

Wang Xiaomeng, Bai Qingming, Li Qiuge and their group quickly came out to greet them. Following the direction Wang Laoqi pointed, a black minivan slowly drove up.

Everyone stood at the bottom of the steps by the door, straightening their clothes and preparing to greet them.

The van was parked in the open space in front of the entrance. The driver got out first, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and even reached out to block the top of the door frame. I don't know who arranged this, but he was quite professional.

After the car door opened, one foot emerged first, a black high heel with a thin heel. Yang Xiaoyan bent over as she stepped out of the car, casually adjusting her scarf.

Yang Xiaoyan is very well-maintained, wearing light makeup and even her eyebrows are neatly trimmed.

She wore a dark gray, fitted cashmere coat with a matching belt, which made her waist look especially slim.

Her coat was slightly open, revealing a low-cut knit sweater underneath, which made her neck and chest skin look particularly white. A scarf was loosely draped around her neck, making her look elegant and poised. As soon as she stood there, the noisy sounds around her seemed to quiet down, and even the band slowed down a beat.

She straightened up, casually smoothing the hem of her coat; her fingers were slender and white, her movements composed.

Xie Guangkun and Liu Neng were both stunned. His appearance and demeanor were incredibly striking to people their age.

"President Yang! You must be tired from your journey!" Bai Qingming quickly stepped forward, smiling and extending his hand.

Yang Xiaoyan also took the initiative to greet Wang Xiaomeng and the others in a very gentle manner.

……

Lin Chen tossed the folder onto his desk, tugged at the buttons of his black coat, and hurried out.

Secretary Li chased after him, her high heels clicking loudly in the corridor.

Lin Chen stopped and glanced back at her:

What are you doing?

Secretary Li's face held a hint of anticipation:

"Brother Chen, are you going to a ribbon-cutting ceremony? How about I go with you and drive you around? I want to see what's going on."

"Alright, you go ahead then. I won't go. The resort can't be left unattended."

Secretary Li pouted and said:

"Then you go, I'm not going."

Lin Chen snorted:

"Remember your place. Tell me you're wrong."

"I was wrong."

"Remember, when I'm not around, take the time to learn about the resort's daily management, such as front desk reception procedures, room shift scheduling, consumable inventory, and handling customer complaints. Go through all of these things."

"I'll have to take on more responsibility for you in the future, managing the entire resort's operations. I can't be the one to oversee everything."

"Ah... okay!"

Secretary Li was initially a little disappointed, but her eyes immediately lit up when she heard that she was going to be given an important position.

"I understand, Mr. Lin. I will definitely learn well and keep a close eye on the resort. You can go with peace of mind."

"Um."

Lin Chen responded, turned around, opened the car door, got in, and stepped on the gas, heading down the mountain.

The auspicious time was fast approaching, and the red carpet on the stage had already been laid out. A silver tray held scissors for cutting the red silk, with the red silk in the center stretched straight.

The drum band had just finished playing a tune when Bai Qingming cleared his throat, took the microphone, stepped forward, and said loudly:

"Next, please welcome Ms. Yang Xiaoyan, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Qingmei Green Food Co., Ltd., and Ms. Wang Xiaomeng, Manager of the Kaiyuan Branch, to cut the ribbon for the Kaiyuan Branch!"

A burst of applause erupted from the audience. Wang Xiaomeng stood behind the red ribbon, her fingers almost touching the scissors, but she paused, her eyes constantly glancing towards the intersection.

Yang Xiaoyan held the scissors in her hand, turned her head to look at her, and smiled gently:

"What's wrong, Xiaomeng? Why aren't you getting a haircut?"

"Mr. Yang, could you wait a moment?"

Wang Xiaomeng smiled apologetically, then glanced down at her phone screen:

"There's still one important person who hasn't arrived yet. I want to wait a little longer; the ribbon-cutting ceremony wouldn't be the same without him."

Yang Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow, didn't urge her, and nodded:

"Okay, then we'll wait."

Li Qiuge stood by the stage and also looked towards the intersection, hoping to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure.

Just then, a car stopped at the door, and Lin Chen strode out.

He wore a long, double-breasted black wool coat with crisp shoulders and a dark gray woolen collar peeking out from under the coat. The wind whipped the hem of the coat backward, making his hair a little messy, but it only made him look more dashing and spirited.

He jogged this way, raising his hand as he ran:

"Sorry I'm late! Has the ribbon-cutting ceremony started yet?"

"Xiao Chen! We've been waiting for you!"

Wang Laoqi shouted with a laugh, his voice so loud it drowned out the hushed whispers around him:

"Hurry up and get on stage!"

"Why would I go on stage!"

Lin Chen smiled and waved his hand, standing next to Wang Laoqi:

"Xiao Meng is the main character today, why should I join in?"

"No way!"

People from several nearby villages joined in the commotion, swarming around him and pushing and shoving him onto the stage.

Yang Xiaoyan was smiling as she watched the commotion below the stage, but as Lin Chen approached, her smile gradually froze, and she didn't even notice the scissors in her hand snapping shut.

Her heart skipped a beat; the figure looked all too familiar.

She just stared straight at Lin Chen, forgetting to blink, and her breathing slowed down.

Lin Chen stood in the center of the stage, about to speak to Wang Xiaomeng, when his peripheral vision caught sight of Yang Xiaoyan beside him. He paused for a couple of seconds, then stared at her intently, his eyes widening slightly.

"sister?"

Yang Xiaoyan's eyes instantly welled up with tears, her lips trembled slightly, and her voice quivered a little:

"Brother...is it really you?"

Li Qiuge stared wide-eyed at Yang Xiaoyan on the stage, then at Lin Chen, completely dumbfounded:

"Mom? This..."

Xie Xiaomei turned her head to look at Xie Dajiao:

"Auntie, no way..."

Lin Chen slapped his forehead and laughed heartily, saying:

"Oh my god, sis, you're the General Manager Yang they've been talking about? You're Li Qiuge's mother? This whole thing is amazing, tell me!"

"How was I supposed to know you were in this village?"

Yang Xiaoyan wiped her eyes, smiled, and her eyes were still glistening with tears.

"Qiuge, come over here and call your uncle." Yang Xiaoyan waved to Li Qiuge.

Li Qiuge stood there, mouth agape, face full of question marks, unable to react for a long time:

"uncle???"

"No need to call anymore, don't waste the time."

Lin Chen quickly waved his hand and picked up the scissors from the tray next to him:

"Let's cut the ribbon first. The important business is ahead of us. Niece, you can go down now. We'll talk later when we're done."

Li Qiuge was still in a daze, wondering how she had been demoted to a lower generation for no reason. She was gently pulled off the stage by Xie Xiaomei and Chen Yannan, her feet were a little unsteady, and her eyes were still staring straight at the two people on the stage.

She had a bad feeling. She had never seen her mother so excited before. Her eyes were frighteningly bright. Could those tears be frozen?

She used to often see her mother sitting on the sofa in the middle of the night, lost in thought, sighing and saying that she missed someone and that it made her heart ache. A woman's intuition is very accurate.

Could this be... the person Mom has been secretly thinking about day and night?

Before anyone could figure it out, Lin Chen smiled and brandished the scissors:

"Come on, don't let the auspicious time pass."

Yang Xiaoyan also composed herself, nodded, and the three of them, each with a pair of scissors, cut the large red ribbon in the middle in unison with a snip.