Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

As the car drew closer, a small figure could be seen working busily beside the flower nursery greenhouse.

Holding a large broom, he tilted his head back and swept the snow off the roof. With each sweep, a cascade of snow fell down, covering him completely, even his shoulders were covered in a white layer.

"Isn't that Yingzi!"

Zhao Yutian recognized her at a glance. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, he pushed open the door and jumped out, nearly slipping and stumbling. He rushed over, snatched the broom from her hand, threw it into the snow, and yelled irritably:

"What are you doing, Yingzi! Do you know how frantic your family has been looking for you? You didn't even bring your phone! Who are you trying to scare to death?!"

Liu Ying was startled, her face and head covered in sweat, her bangs plastered to her forehead.

She wiped the sweat from her face and said, panting:

"I see you working hard in the flower nursery from dawn till dusk every day. It's too hard. I have nothing to do at home, so I came over to help you. The snow on the greenhouse is too thick. I thought I'd sweep it up so it won't collapse."

Zhao Si followed her over and stood opposite her. His lips twitched several times before he finally spoke after a long pause:

"Yingzi, I don't think you should do this. You even came here to work. Look at your body now! Does our Zhao family need you to work? I hope you can think about the child in your belly. If not, I'll kneel down and beg you, okay?"

As he spoke, he pretended to bend his knees.

"Father! Look at what you're saying!"

Liu Ying quickly reached out to stop him:

"I'm fine, I was careful, I didn't strain myself."

"Nothing's wrong!"

Yutian's mother also came over, took her hand and put it in her own arms, her own hands were also freezing cold.

"Yingzi, is there something I did wrong that made you angry with me? Just tell me directly, and I'll change. With your health condition, working in this freezing weather, how can the three of us feel at ease? What if you get cold or tired?"

Zhao Yutian's tone softened, his voice a little hoarse from shouting earlier:

"Yingzi, if you get seriously injured from exhaustion, I'll go crazy, you know? If anything's wrong, just tell me. You sneaked out like this, are you trying to scare us to death?"

Liu Ying lowered her head, fiddling with the buttons on her coat, and remained silent for a long time.

She felt a tightness in her chest and a deep sense of guilt, which is why she thought of coming over to do some work to make herself feel a little better.

But she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Alright, Yutian, stop talking."

Zhao Si sighed:

"Let's go home first. It's windy here. Don't let Yingzi stay here. She'll be in big trouble if she gets cold any longer."

Lin Chen also tried to persuade him from the side:

"Yes, Yingzi, let's go home first. We can talk about any work when the weather gets better. Your health is the most important thing right now."

Zhao Yutian quickly took off his coat and wrapped it around Liu Ying, even turning up the collar, and helped her walk towards the car.

The group helped Liu Ying into the car, which then turned around and slowly drove towards Zhao Si's house. The large broom was stuck crookedly in the snow, and no one paid any attention to it.

They helped Liu Ying into the house. The stove inside was burning brightly, making their faces hot and itchy.

Yutian's mother quickly said:

"Hurry up and get on the kang (heated brick bed), hurry up and get on the kang. Look how cold your hands are, like ice blocks."

Lin Chen glanced into the inner room, took out his cigarette case, and gestured with his chin towards Zhao Yutian:

"I'm going out for a smoke; it's too stuffy inside."

Zhao Yutian quickly nodded:

"Okay, I'll go out with you for some fresh air."

The two walked to the door, Lin Chen took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, took a drag, exhaled a puff of smoke to the side, and said in a low voice:

"Yutian, to be honest with you, I think Liu Ying's condition isn't quite right."

"What's wrong? She's pregnant, that's normal."

Zhao Yutian looked completely bewildered:

"Wasn't your sister-in-law like this before?"

"No, not like that."

Lin Chen shook his head, flicked off his cigarette ash, and glanced into the room:

"I always felt that Yingzi had something on her mind. How should I put it... like she felt guilty, like she owed you guys something. Didn't you notice? She was so careful in everything she did, like she owed your family something. How can a normal pregnancy and childbirth be like this?"

Zhao Yutian blinked and pondered for a long time, then scratched the back of his head:

"I didn't notice, but she's been much more sensible since coming back from her parents' home. She's not throwing tantrums anymore, and she's not picky about food or drink. Maybe it's because she's further along in her pregnancy and her emotions have stabilized. Women's tempers often come in waves when they're pregnant."

Seeing that he didn't take it to heart, Lin Chen didn't say anything more. After all, it was a family matter, and saying too much would seem like stirring up trouble.

He stubbed out his cigarette, tossed it into the snow with a soft sizzle, and patted Zhao Yutian on the shoulder:

"Okay, maybe I was overthinking it. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't run around again. It's no joke if she gets seriously injured. Call me if anything happens."

"Okay, Brother Chen, thanks to you today. If it weren't for you, we would still be wandering around aimlessly looking for something."

"Don't mention it."

Lin Chen waved his hand, turned around, got into the car, started the engine, and slowly drove away.

Zhao Yutian stood at the gate of the courtyard, watched the car turn and disappear from sight, scratched his head, and turned to go inside.

……

It's already the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, and tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve.

Xie Xiaomei leaned against the sofa folding diapers, while Lin Chen squatted by the crib, teasing Lin Jingyang with a rattle. The little guy waved his little hands, blowing bubbles, and kicked the blanket upwards.

Kobayashi Keian also came over to see his younger brother, walking unsteadily, which was very cute.

The phone on the table rang. Lin Chen straightened up, picked it up, and saw it was Wang Dana. He answered with a smile:

"Grandpa, Happy New Year!"

"What's so good about it? It's just a nuisance!"

Wang Dana sighed on the other end of the line:

"Chen, I have something to tell you. Musheng and I were planning to drive over today to give my grandson a red envelope and a longevity lock, and also celebrate the New Year with you all. But with all this snow, half of the national highway is closed, and the provincial highway is covered in icicles. Musheng just called and said they've all turned back. Driving is too risky, it's easy to have an accident."

Lin Chen quickly said:

"Grandpa, please don't come. Safety first. You can come anytime after the New Year. Even after the snow melts, it's the same if you come after the fifteenth."

"Isn't this because it's the child's first New Year?"

Wang Dana kept muttering:

"I've already prepared the red envelopes, big ones for my grandson. Mu Sheng even went to a jewelry store to get a longevity lock made with Jingyang's name engraved on it. Now, I can't deliver them."

Wang Musheng's voice came from the side:

"Hey bro! Wait for me, I'm coming over to play with my nephew!"

"Get over there!"

Wang Dana retorted, then said to Lin Chen:

"I've thought about it. We'll go over after the fifteenth of the month, when the roads are completely clear. You take good care of Xiaomei and the child. If they need anything, just let me know."

"Don't worry, sir, you have everything you need."

Lin Chen smiled and glanced back at his son in the crib, where the little guy was gnawing on his fist.

"You and my older brother should stay home and enjoy the New Year. Come and stay for a few more days when it gets warmer in the spring."

The two chatted for a while about the snow conditions on the mountain and the business at the resort before hanging up.

Meanwhile, in the small conference room of Songshan Town Government, a red banner was hung on the wall that read "Songshan Town Mobilization Meeting for Mass Cultural Activities".

"The reason we've gathered everyone here today is for one thing: our superiors want us to carry out community cultural activities. This is a great thing for improving the overall quality of life in our entire town!"

"As required by the town's Party committee and government, all 56 administrative villages in our town must have projects and activities, which must be carried out in a down-to-earth manner and also be carried out in a vibrant way."

He paused, glanced at the village officials below, and spoke in a slightly harsher tone:

"Therefore, I demand that every village take this seriously, assign a dedicated person to be in charge, and report regularly. Those who do well will be publicly commended throughout the town and receive rewards; those who do poorly will not only be publicly criticized but also held accountable. Don't take this lightly. I will check each village one by one after the New Year!"

Everyone below was taking notes with their heads down. Chang Gui sat in the last row, looking worried. He scribbled on his notebook but didn't write a single word. He felt suffocated.

The meeting ended, and people hurried out. Changgui quickly squeezed through the crowd and called out to Qi Santai:

"Mayor, wait a minute, I need to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong, Changgui?"

Qi Santai, holding a stainless steel thermos, stopped and looked at him.