Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Chen Guiying nodded with a smile:

"Look how well those little fists are clenched! They're really strong. They'll definitely amount to something when they grow up."

Xie Xiaomei smiled and waved her hand:

"They're so young, what can you possibly tell? By the way, Guiying, you and Yongqiang will be getting married soon, right?"

"No, we're not in a hurry. Yongqiang also said that we should focus on his orchard first."

When Chen Guiying said this, her expression was a little unnatural, but everyone's attention was on the child, so no one noticed.

Xiangxiu turned to look at Liu Ying, and seeing her standing to the side touching her belly without saying a word, she moved closer:

"Yingzi, how many months pregnant are you these days? You don't look very pregnant at all."

Liu Ying's heart skipped a beat. She quickly withdrew her hand and forced a smile, saying:

"Ah... it's early in the pregnancy, I'm late in the pregnancy, so it's not showing."

"It's good to be in the back; you won't suffer there."

Xiangxiu acted like someone who had been through it all, as if she had given birth herself:

"I heard from others that if you eat something too early in the morning, you'll feel bloated. By the way, do you have a sensitive stomach? I have a lot of hawthorns left over; I was planning to make canned fruit."

"I...I'm fine, I can eat anything."

Liu Ying stammered, her eyes darting around, then quickly looked down at the child and steered the conversation towards the child.

"This child is so fair-skinned, just like Sister Xiaomei."

"Neither of them should be criticized."

Wang Xiaomeng came in carrying cups, smiling as she distributed hot water to everyone:

"Drink some hot water to warm up. It's snowing heavily outside, and the roads are all blocked. I can't even deliver this stuff, and I don't know when it will stop."

"It won't stop; it looks like it'll last for two days."

Xiangxiu took a sip of hot water:

"When I came here just now, I saw that Wang Lao Er was trying to go to town to buy New Year's goods, but he slipped into a ditch as soon as he got on the country road. They were asking people to carry him out. Well, now he doesn't have to worry about anything. He can just stay at home."

Downstairs in the living room, Lin Chen offered cigarettes to everyone, but no one smoked them. After a while, he was the only one smoking.

Lin Chen lit a cigarette and asked Zhao Yutian in a low voice:

"Yutian, what's wrong with Liu Ying? She looks so listless and her complexion isn't good."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Zhao Yutian quickly smiled and waved his hand:

"That's how pregnant women are, they're moody, happy one minute and sad the next. It'll be fine after they give birth. These past few days I've been so noisy and bored at home that I have to go out for a walk."

"You'd better be careful, the path is so slippery."

Lin Chen nodded, then turned to Liu Yishui and asked:

"Yishui, how's your farm going? I heard you say you were going to install some equipment, have you gotten it done yet?"

Liu Yishui hugged his knees and shook his head:

"It's not decided yet, I'll do some more research, but I'm really interested in this device."

"Take your time, there's no rush. But I heard from Xiaomei that it's better for your factory to develop steadily first."

"Yeah, I'm thinking about it too. I can't make up my mind. Let's talk about it after the New Year. Anyway, a few more days won't make a difference."

Lin Chen flicked his cigarette ash:

"If you're short on funds, just let me know."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen, how could I be so polite with you?"

"Yongqiang, what about your orchard?" Lin Chen turned to Xie Yongqiang and asked, "Is there anything else for him to worry about?"

"I'm thinking of expanding the scale a bit, but it's still too small now, which is different from what I expected."

"Take it slow. Nobody becomes an expert overnight. Just let me know if you need anything."

Li Daguo chimed in from the side, swirling his teacup:

"Speaking of the snow, all transportation work at the farm has come to a standstill. I heard that salt has been spread on the road, but it's not working because the ice is too thick."

"That's right. Alright, Da Guo, you should just stay home for the next couple of days. I'll call you again if anything happens at the farm."

Liu Yishui sighed and continued:

"I saw on TV that there was a snowstorm in the south, and the trains were all stopped. Many migrant workers couldn't go home and were stuck at the train station. The few people from our village who went out to work will probably be a few days late in returning."

We chatted for a while, but the snow outside didn't let up at all; in fact, it fell even more heavily.

Lin Chen stood up and said with a smile:

"Alright, nobody's leaving today! We can't do anything outside anyway because of the snow, so let's just eat stew from this big pot! I'll call Bai Qingming and ask him to come over too. He's from the south, let him try our authentic Northeastern stew."

"Sure!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Eating a big pot of stew on a snowy day, that's what I call awesome!"

Lin Chen picked up his phone and dialed. As soon as the call connected, he shouted:

"Hey Qingming, don't just stay there, come over to my house! There's nothing to do since it's snowing, come over for a big pot of stew and have some fun with everyone."

Bai Qingming laughed and agreed on the other end of the phone, saying he would come over after finishing what he was doing.

Without further ado, Lin Chen called over Master Liu, yes, Master Liu Yishui, and set up two large black iron pots under the eaves of the courtyard. He added chopped firewood, and the flames roared as they burned the bottom of the pots. White smoke billowed from the chimneys, and snowflakes drifted in and disappeared with a sizzle.

Northeastern stew is all about cooking it all in one pot, without any fancy embellishments.

One pot contained spare ribs, topped with chopped green beans, chunks of potatoes, corn kernels, and pumpkin chunks. The other pot contained a large fish brought by Liu Yishui. Even after chopping it into several pieces, there wasn't enough room, so they simply stewed the fish head and tail, added vermicelli, covered it with a large wooden lid, brought it to a boil over high heat, and then simmered it over low heat.

Another ring of large flatbreads is placed around the edge of the pot, half of them soaked in the soup and the other half exposed. They are slowly baked until golden brown, forming a crispy bottom. The flatbreads are cooked when the vegetables are cooked, so you have both vegetables and staple food, which is very satisfying.

When the women heard that a big pot of stew was going to be eaten, they all came down to help, busy chopping vegetables and making flatbreads. Xie Dajiao also came to help, chatting as she worked, and she was very efficient.

"This pot is big enough; two pots of this are enough to feed more than ten people!"

"Auntie Big Foot, why do your flatbreads smell so good? No one else can make them taste like this."

Steam escaped from the cracks in the pot lid, filling the yard with the aroma of meat, vegetables, and sauce, mixed with the sweet scent of flatbread—a scent that the snow couldn't possibly conceal.

Bai Qingming arrived at this moment, sniffing as he entered, his eyes crinkling with laughter:

"It smells so good! I could smell it even before I entered the courtyard."

"There aren't any in the South, are there?"

Liu Yishui patted him on the shoulder with a smile:

"This is called Northeastern stew. On a snowy day, what could compare?"

"I've never seen it before."

Bai Qingming leaned over to take a look and found it quite novel.

"It even comes with rice and vegetables, so convenient."

After simmering for a long time, Liu Yishui lifted the lid of the pot, and with a whoosh, a cloud of hot steam shot up, making people's faces feel hot, and the aroma of meat mixed with the aroma of soy sauce spread in an instant.

The pork ribs were stewed until tender and glistening with oil; the green beans were stewed until the skin was wrinkled; the potatoes were stewed until they were like porridge, melting in your mouth; and the fish was even better, flavorful and beautifully colored. The wide rice noodles were soaked in the broth, translucent and chewy; and the flatbreads on the side of the pot were half-soaked in the soup, looking temptingly golden.

Several people used spatulas to scoop along the edge of the pot, and in a couple of scoops, they filled four large basins. They placed them on the large table in the house, along with several small plates of pickled vegetables, pickled garlic, and fried peanuts.

Everyone gathered around and sat down, squeezing and rubbing together, with cups, plates, and bowls piled high.

Lin Chen stood up, holding his wine glass, swirled it in front of everyone, and said with a smile:

"Come on, everyone, raise your glasses! It's such a cold day, and everyone's come to congratulate me. I, Lin Chen, will remember this kindness. Without further ado, I'll drink the first glass!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed half a glass of baijiu. The glass was turned upside down and there wasn't a drop left.

"Dry!"

Everyone raised their glasses, clinking them together. Some stood, some hunched over, and they all grimaced as they downed their drinks in one gulp.

Li Daguo had his eyes on the ribs for a while. He picked up a large piece and started gnawing on it, oil dripping down his chin. He didn't bother to wipe it away, just wiped it with the back of his hand and mumbled:

"Mmm! It smells delicious! It's definitely more flavorful when cooked over a wood fire; you can't get this kind of flavor from a gas stove."

"Try this flatbread, it's absolutely delicious soaked in soup."

Xie Dajiao scooped up a large piece of flatbread and handed it to Bai Qingming's bowl:

"Little Nanfang, try our Northeastern cornbread, dip it in some soup, it's so delicious."

Bai Qingming was both amused and exasperated by the nickname. He took a big bite; the outside was crisp, the inside soft and fluffy, and it was infused with the savory aroma of meat broth. His eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded repeatedly.

"It's so delicious! It smells amazing!"