Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"no."

Lin Chen put down his chopsticks, shook his head, and said seriously:

"My women, there's no hierarchy, they all hold the same place in my heart. Besides, if something really happened between us, how would I explain it to your mother? She entrusted her daughter to me, trusting me so much. If I did that, would I even be human?"

Lin Chen paused, then added:

"Besides, you don't belong here. Once the branch office is up and running, you'll have to go back to Shanghai. That's where you belong. Why are you just here causing trouble?"

Li Qiuge didn't say a word, kept her head down and ate her food, her cheeks puffed out, looking like a wronged little mouse.

She's been stubborn since she was a child; once she's made up her mind about something, she won't back down just because of a few words.

She poked at the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks, determined to prove herself; the more they told her not to do it, the more determined she was to do it.

You said I wanted to go back to Shanghai, but I'm determined to stay and settle down here!

……

In the afternoon, Chen Yannan sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding the job offer letter stamped with a red seal in her hand, rubbing it back and forth, frowning and unable to make up her mind.

He was racking his brains. This was the Kaiyuan Forestry Bureau. Whether it was a formal position or not didn't matter. The main thing was that it matched his major. He couldn't let four years of schooling go to waste.

But then she thought again that she couldn't bear to part with it. Now she could see Lin Chen every day when she opened her eyes, and she got along very well with Xie Xiaomei and the others, just like a family. She couldn't bear to leave her current life.

She leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, and sighed heavily. On the one hand, she envied Xiaomeng for having her own career, but on the other hand, she didn't want to leave. If she went to Kaiyuan, it would be difficult to come back.

When Lin Chen pushed open the door, he was carrying a paper bag filled with freshly roasted chestnuts, which were still steaming hot. You could smell their sweet aroma even before he opened the bag.

Seeing her dejected appearance, he tossed the chestnuts onto the coffee table and leaned over with a smile:

"What's wrong, Yannan? Why the long face? Who did you argue with? Did someone upset you?"

"Don't even mention it."

Chen Yannan sat up and shoved the notice into his hand:

"I just received it. It tells me to go to work at the Kaiyuan Forestry Bureau after the New Year. You know what this is all about. If I go, I'll miss you, and I'll miss Xiaomei and the others even more. If I don't go, all the four years I spent studying my major will have been for nothing."

Lin Chen took the notice, glanced at it, and chuckled. He sat down on the sofa and gently patted her thigh.

"I thought it was a big deal! This is a good thing, it's a perfect match for your major, so many people would kill to get in, and you're worried about it?"

"It's because I can't bear to part with you."

Chen Yannan leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder:

"Now that we're in Kaiyuan, I won't even have time to spend with you."

"Look at what you're saying, you don't even have time."

Lin Chen smiled and hugged her:

"It only takes about half an hour to drive there. I can go in the morning and come back in the evening, so I can get home every day without any problems."

"Then I'll buy a car for commuting. As long as I can see you every day, I don't mind the hassle."

"There's a car already, why buy another one? You can drive Xiaomei's car. It's just sitting idle anyway. She can't drive it while she's heavily pregnant, and she'll have even less time after she gives birth. You can drive it to work."

"That won't do!"

Chen Yannan quickly waved her hand:

"That's Sister Xiaomei's car."

"What's yours and mine? It's all ours."

Lin Chen reached out and pinched her cheek:

"I'll just tell Xiaomei, she'd love for you to use it. You're a young woman working, you can't be freezing and squeezing onto the bus every day, can you? Why suffer like that? It breaks my heart."

As soon as she finished speaking, the worry on Chen Yannan's face immediately disappeared. She lunged forward and tackled Lin Chen to the sofa, hooking her arm around his neck and saying with a smile:

"You still love me the most. I was just thinking that if I really had to go to work, I'd miss you so much I'd cry."

"What's with the tears? This is nothing."

Lin Chen smiled and put his arm around her waist, his hand slipping under the hem of her sweater to gently squeeze her soft waist.

"Besides, working at the forestry bureau is a stable job, you're protected from the wind and rain, and you're always running back and forth in the villages. Wouldn't that be a waste of your college degree? I don't care how much you earn, I just feel that a woman needs to have a job she likes."

"So I'll report for duty right after the New Year?"

Chen Yannan lay on his chest, her right hand starting to wander.

"Go for it! What are you waiting for?"

Lin Chen lowered his head, bit his lip, and whispered:

"Work hard there and don't embarrass me. Eat at the company cafeteria if there is one, otherwise buy something you like and don't just eat whatever you like. Head home early after get off work and drive carefully after dark."

"I know, I know, you're even more nagging than my dad."

Chen Yannan smiled and moved closer, saying indistinctly:

"Now that I'm working, leaving early and coming home late every day, won't you miss me?"

"What are you thinking? I can touch it every night."

As Lin Chen spoke, he rolled over, pulled her into his arms, and patted her bottom:

"Hurry up, don't think about work yet. We've only just warmed up a bit. Come upstairs and lie down with me for a while. Let's collect some interest first. Once you get busy at work, you might not even have this free time."

"You're always so unruly. Go upstairs first, I'll be right up."

"What's the point of being serious with your own wife?"

Lin Chen stood up, stretched his body, and walked towards the battlefield on the second floor.

……

Days passed, and after New Year's Day, it snowed for two days in a row in Xiangyashan. The whole village was covered in white snow, so deep that you could step on it up to your ankles.

Wang Xiaomeng had just put down her cell phone in the office when the landline started ringing again. She picked up the receiver, her throat hoarse.

"Okay, don't worry. As soon as the goods arrive at the warehouse, the first batch will be sent to you. It will definitely be sent to you first. Don't worry."

After hanging up the phone, she leaned back in her boss's chair and smiled at Li Qiuge across from her, saying:

"Qiuge, look at how many orders we're getting now, we can't keep up with the demand. Call the chairman and suggest we switch to trains."

Li Qiuge smiled and nodded:

"it is good."

Bai Qingming, who happened to be walking in with the outbound report, reached out and took the phone upon hearing this.

"I'll make the call. I'll give him a clear report of the shipment volume for the next few days so he won't keep asking me questions."

He dialed the chairman's number and briefly explained the surge in orders and the inability of trucks to keep up with delivery.

The chairman on the other end of the phone immediately agreed, saying he would contact them right away and that it would not delay the sales here.

Bai Qingming hung up the phone and nodded to Wang Xiaomeng:

"The chairman agreed, saying it would arrive within three days and wouldn't cause any delays."

"Very good!"

Wang Xiaomeng checked the time and said:

"I've set a lunch time for you two. You've both worked so hard lately. By the way, I won't be at the company for the next couple of days, so please keep a close eye on things for me. If you're unsure about anything, just call me."

"OK."

Li Qiuge's eyes darted around, and she leaned forward, hugging Wang Xiaomeng's arm as she said:

"Anyway, the goods haven't arrived yet, and we're just sitting around doing nothing. I'll go with you. You can keep an eye on things here during Qingming Festival."

Wang Xiaomeng pondered for a few seconds, then nodded and said:

"Sure, I can keep you company."

Bai Qingming smiled and placed the report on the table:

"So you're leaving me to guard the house, what are you two doing? Acting all mysterious."

"Let's go to Kaiyuan."

Wang Xiaomeng picked up the down jacket and put it on:

"Xiaomei's due date is approaching. Yesterday, Brother Chen took her to the hospital to prepare for delivery. I really couldn't get away, otherwise I would have gone yesterday. Qingming, I'm leaving the company to you. If there's anything urgent, just call my dad. It probably won't be anything serious. If you get a call, just answer it."

"You sisters have such a good relationship."

Bai Qingming smiled and waved his hand:

"Don't worry, I'll take care of things at the company. I'll contact you if anything comes up."

The two wrapped themselves tightly in their down jackets and went out. Wang Xiaomeng drove the car, and the wheels crunched and groaned as they drove over the thick snow.

The trees along the roadside had all turned white, their branches covered in frost. The distant ridges and hills were all covered in snow, a vast expanse of white that blended seamlessly with the sky, making the earth and sky almost the same color.

The wind whipped up snowflakes that hit the car windows, and the wipers swept back and forth, leaving two fan-shaped marks.