Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

There's nothing you can do if you're angry.

Liu Neng leaned back on the kang (a heated brick bed), then took out a cigarette and lit it.

"If we go back now, how are we going to explain this to them? Where will the Liu family put their face? Will I ever be able to stand up straight when I see Zhao Si again?"

He took a drag of his cigarette.

"Let's... let's put it off for now, one day at a time, let me think about it and come up with a way to cover it up."

The room fell silent, save for the smoking of Liu Neng's cigarette, mixed with the howling wind outside.

Liu Ying was filled with anxiety; she didn't know how long the play would last.

……

Xie Xiaomei slept for a while before slowly waking up, humming softly:

"Water...I want to drink water."

Lin Chen quickly grabbed the thermos, poured in some warm water, and, forgetting to buy a straw, fed her with a spoon, asking as he did so:

"Does it hurt? Are you still uncomfortable?"

"I feel a bit heavy, my whole body aches, like my body is falling apart."

Xie Xiaomei, her voice hoarse, turned her head and looked around:

"Where's the child? Let me see."

Lin Chen moved the crib closer to the side of the bed and gently rocked it:

"Here he is, sleeping soundly. He weighs seven pounds and two ounces, a big, chubby boy. Look at him, he looks like you and me."

Xie Xiaomei turned her head to look:

"Why...why is it so ugly?"

"They'll grow out of it; kids change every day."

As we were talking, the nurse came in carrying a treatment tray, pulled back half of the curtain, and said expressionlessly:

"Family members, please step aside so I can examine the woman in labor."

The nurse pressed down, and Xie Xiaomei gasped sharply, her brows furrowing as she gripped the bed sheet.

"It's normal to feel a little pain. Massage it more; if it gets stuck inside, it can cause problems."

The nurse didn't stop, pressing the buttons three or four times before letting go:

"Remember, try to get out of bed to urinate by yourself. If you can't, you'll have to have a catheter inserted, which is painful. Tomorrow, give the baby millet porridge first, and wait until you pass gas before giving them other foods. Don't rush to supplement their diet. Let the baby nurse more often, and the earlier you start breastfeeding, the better. Call us anytime if you need anything."

"Okay, thank you, nurse." Lin Chen quickly nodded in agreement.

The nurse packed her things to leave, but after stepping out the door, she turned back.

"By the way, family members of the expectant mother, tomorrow morning after 8:00, bring the original ID cards of both husband and wife and the birth permit to the birth medical certificate window at the very end of the corridor to get the certificate. Think of the child's name in advance, and just get the certificate there."

"Okay, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

Wang Xiaomeng, who was standing next to him, asked:

"What about the household registration?"

"Settling down is easy."

The nurse was also very kind-hearted:

"Once you get the birth certificate, take both parents' household registration books, marriage certificate, and birth permit to the police station where either parent's household registration is located to register the birth. It can be registered under either the father's or the mother's name. It can be done within three months."

"Okay, okay, I got it. Thank you, nurse."

After the nurse left, everyone in the room gathered around the crib again.

Su Guifen was no longer sleepy at this point; she was extremely excited.

"Xiao Chen, have you decided on a name yet?"

"I've already thought it through."

Lin Chen smiled and looked down at the child:

"His name is Lin Jingyang, the 'yang' of 'sun.' A little boy should be open and honest, and we hope he will live a straightforward and upright life, just like the sun."

"Lin Jingyang..."

Su Guifen repeated it twice:

"That's a good name! It's easy to pronounce too."

"It's quite good. It's not tacky or obscure, and it'll save you trouble writing your name at school." Xie Baochang nodded in agreement.

Xie Xiaomei lay on the bed, smiling and nodding gently.

"It sounds nice, let's call it that."

Lin Chen gently touched the child's cheek with his finger, then suddenly slapped his forehead:

"Look at my brain, I was so busy having fun that I didn't even tell my family!"

He took out his phone, walked into the corridor, and called Xie Dajiao.

Xie Dajiao had just fallen asleep at Dajiao Supermarket when Wang Yun was snoring loudly next to her.

The phone rang for ages before Xie Dajiao groggily got up, her eyes still closed:

"Feed?"

"It's me, Lin Chen!"

Lin Chen's voice was filled with laughter, which he couldn't suppress:

"Xiaomei gave birth to a boy, weighing 7.2 pounds. Mother and child are safe!"

"What?! She gave birth?!"

Xie Dajiao sat up abruptly, wrapped herself in the blanket, and woke up Wang Yun next to her, who thought she had crushed the child in the middle.

"Oh my god! This is great! I knew it was going to be a boy!"

Wang Yun rubbed his eyes groggily and yawned widely:

"What's wrong, sis? Did Xiaomei give birth?"

"It's born! It's born!"

Xie Dajiao shouted into the phone, then turned to Wang Yun and said:

"Big fat boy, he weighs seven pounds and two ounces!"

"Really! That's great!" Wang Yun immediately perked up, sat up abruptly, and leaned close to the phone to listen.

Xie Dajiao said into the phone:

"Xiao Chen, when are you coming back? I'm so worried about you."

"We can't go back yet, so please don't go back and forth. Don't let the child catch a cold."

"The doctor said I'll have to stay in the hospital for a few days before I can be discharged. I'll call you in advance when I get back. Please keep an eye on the villa; it can't get cold while I'm away."

"Hey, don't worry! Just take good care of Xiaomei, I'll take care of things at home."

After giving her instructions for a long time, Xie Dajiao was still grinning from ear to ear after hanging up the phone, patting Wang Yun and saying:

"See? I told you it would be the boy! Tomorrow we'll buy some free-range eggs and give Xiaomei a little something to eat when she gets back!"

Wang Yun smiled and nodded, saying it was no problem.

……

After hanging up Lin Chen's call, Wang Dana put on a coat, went to the living room, took out a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), found some snacks to go with it, sat on the sofa, poured himself a drink, sipped the liquor, chewed a few peanuts, and became happier the more he thought about it.

The door to the inner room was gently pushed open, and Wang Musheng came out wearing thick pajamas to get a drink of water.

With a face mask on, only her eyes and mouth were visible, she quietly walked to the coffee table.

Wang Dana looked up and saw it, his hand trembled violently, and he almost spilled the wine on his pants. Startled, he blurted out:

"What the hell are you doing, acting like a ghost! Why was there no sound in the hallway? You scared me half to death in the middle of the night!"

Wang Musheng spoke in a muffled voice, raised his hand to touch the face mask, and said in a thick, slurred voice:

"You call this skincare a face mask? You don't know anything about skincare. I'd like to ask you the same thing: why are you drinking in the middle of the night? Why aren't you sleeping and just messing around like this?"

Wang Dana took a sip of his drink and, with a smile, told Lin Chen about the good news.

Upon hearing this, Wang Musheng ripped off his face mask, tossing the sticky mask onto the side of the coffee table with a "thud," his eyes immediately lighting up, and his energy instantly returning.

"Really? I need a drink! Pour me some too!"

He then ran to the wine cabinet to get a glass, poured a full glass, sat down, and clinked glasses with Wang Dana.

After clinking glasses, they asked if the child had been named yet, and Wang Dana said it would be Lin Jingyang.

Wang Musheng slapped his thigh, looking regretful.

"Oh dear, what a pity, I wasn't given a chance to show off my literary talent."

"Come on, don't make things difficult for them."

"What are you talking about? You know how good I am at writing. My brother's next child needs me to name him. When are we going to Ivory Mountain? I want to discuss it with him."

Wang Dana glanced at him sideways, picked up a peanut, and popped it into his mouth.

"Everyone's busy before the New Year, so we'll wait until we collect all the debts. Anyway, it's almost Chinese New Year, so we'll treat them properly then."

The two bickered back and forth, their glasses clinking loudly, drinking and having a lively time late into the night.

……

In Zhao Si's house on the other side, the lights in both the inner and outer rooms were on.

Zhao Yutian returned from picking up people from Liu Neng's house after being rebuffed. He sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) dejectedly, his face full of displeasure.

Zhao Si asked if they had brought her back. Zhao Yutian pursed his lips and said that Liu Ying refused to come back no matter what, using her father's distress as an excuse to stay a while longer. Liu Neng even tried to stop her from leaving.

Zhao Si hissed twice and waved his hand:

"Stop talking, there's definitely something going on here. Liu Neng is definitely up to no good. We need to find a way to bring Liu Ying back as soon as possible."

Zhao Yutian was somewhat troubled:

Yutian's mother, who had been sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), suddenly stood up, slapped her thigh, and said:

"I've figured it out. Liu Neng has no sons, only a daughter named Liu Ying. He definitely wants Liu Ying to give birth to their child so the child will have the Liu surname! Do you think that's possible?"