Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Chen Yannan caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye, smiled, and remained silent.

Xie Dajiao scooped up the meatballs to drain the oil, while also instructing the others.

At 2 p.m. sharp, all the New Year's dishes were prepared, and the table was set full.

In the center is a fish, its head facing inward, symbolizing abundance year after year and keeping wealth within the family. Around it are dishes such as four-happiness meatballs, braised pork, and stir-fried pork slices. In the center is a pot of sauerkraut, bubbling and steaming.

Everyone, take your seats. Xie Dajiao is holding Lin Jing'an, Lin Chen is sitting opposite Xie Xiaomei, Li Qiuge is sitting next to Lin Chen, and Wang Xiaomeng and Chen Yannan are sitting on the other side.

"Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, a day for families to gather around a table, that's a good day."

Xie Dajiao raised her wine glass first:

"May we all be safe and sound in the new year, may our children grow up healthy, and may our lives become more and more prosperous. Come on, everyone, raise your glasses and cheers!"

"Cheers!" The glasses clinked together, the steam mingling with the aroma of wine, instantly filling the air with the festive spirit.

Li Qiuge, holding her half-full glass of baijiu, gently touched Lin Chen's glass to hers, her voice low so only the two of them could hear:

"Happy New Year, Brother Chen!"

After saying that, she took a sip, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him with a smile.

Lin Chen nodded:

"Happy New Year, drink less, this wine has a strong aftereffect."

During meals, Xie Xiaomei was surrounded by specially prepared dishes, since she still needed to breastfeed.

Under the table, Li Qiuge gently touched Lin Chen's ankle with her foot, and when he didn't dodge, she slowly rubbed against his calf.

Lin Chen turned his head to look at her. She pretended to be focused on gnawing on the bone, but the corners of her mouth were secretly turned up.

"Qiuge, eat more, don't always put food on other people's plates."

Xie Dajiao joked with a smile:

"You're so thin, you need to gain some weight for the New Year."

"Okay, Aunt Big Foot."

Li Qiuge smiled and agreed, then placed a piece of fish into Lin Chen's bowl:

"Brother Chen, eat more fish, and you'll have abundance every year. This year will definitely be even more prosperous."

The baby was crying over there. Xie Xiaomei was breastfeeding the baby when she looked up at the two of them and smiled at Xie Dajiao, saying:

"Auntie, look at the two of them, they're like children."

Everyone laughed. Lin Chen looked a little helpless, but Li Qiuge generously ladled another bowl of soup for Xie Xiaomei.

"Sister Xiaomei, eat more to nourish your body and help with lactation."

"My two little rascals are so thin, they can't eat much and that's it."

"Hahaha……"

Lin Chen also smiled:

"It's okay, we can afford to provide formula every day."

The meal lasted until after four o'clock. A lot of alcohol was consumed, and half of the food was left uneaten. Everyone was feeling warm all over, and their faces were flushed.

Li Qiuge drank a glass of baijiu, her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes brightened, and she looked very beautiful.

After finishing their reunion dinner, the table was cleared away, and the group went to the living room where they set out sunflower seeds, peanuts, milk candy, chilled frozen pears and persimmons, and a large pot of piping hot black tea.

"Since we have nothing to do anyway, how about we play cards?" Wang Xiaomeng suggested.

"Fine, the loser gets to stick a note on their face."

"Sure!"

Li Qiuge was the first to respond, immediately moving over to sit next to Lin Chen:

"I'm with Brother Chen, you three can divide it up however you like."

"Why did you end up with him?"

Xie Dajiao joked with a smile:

"You think our card skills are bad?"

"No, Auntie."

Li Qiuge shook her arm playfully, and the arm gently bumped into Lin Chen:

"I'm not good at playing, but Brother Chen is good at cards, so please help me win."

Lin Chen smiled helplessly:

"I can't carry you, so don't cry if you lose."

As expected, Li Qiuge made a mistake right from the start. Lin Chen secretly gave her a wink, but she pretended not to understand and tilted her head to ask:

"What's wrong, Chen-ge? Are your eyes bothering you? Did you get dust in them?"

Lin Chen was so angry that she didn't want to play anymore. She covered her mouth and laughed, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

After playing for more than two hours, Li Qiuge and Lin Chen lost completely, and Lin Chen was speechless.

"Why would I play cards with you during the Chinese New Year? Can't I watch some TV instead? Or maybe I can take a nap!"

The group was tired from playing, so they sat on the sofa to rest and eat frozen pears. The frozen pears, after being thawed, were soaked in cold water and formed a thin layer of ice. When they broke the ice and took a bite, the sweet juice burst out.

Li Qiuge took the biggest one, took a bite, and said with a look of enjoyment:

"Mmm, it's so delicious! It's so juicy! I thought it wouldn't taste good because it's so dark-colored."

"Eat more if you like it, it won't be easy to buy it when you go back later."

"Then I just won't go back, right?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback for a moment. Wang Xiaomeng was the first to react and explained with a smile:

"Qiuge has someone she likes and is working hard on him. If it works out, she won't leave, right?"

Xie Dajiao became interested and quickly pulled Li Qiuge over to ask:

"Qiuge, who's this young man? Is he from our village? Anyone nearby is fine too, I know them all. Auntie can help you ask around! Go out and ask around, in the surrounding villages, I, Xie Dajiao, am well-known!"

"No need, Aunt Big Foot, I'll handle this myself."

The group chatted for a while about the village's New Year sports meet, saying that registration would begin after the New Year and the prize for the champion would be a little golden mouse. Everyone was eager to try.

It's almost nine o'clock, and the Spring Festival Gala has already started its skits. The sound of firecrackers outside is gradually getting louder, crackling and popping.

Xie Dajiao stood up and stretched:

"Let's start making dumplings! After we've finished making them, we'll cook them and watch the Spring Festival Gala while we eat."

"Okay, take the living room bag."

Everyone set up a table in the living room and gathered around it. Xie Dajiao rolled out the dough, the rolling pin spinning rapidly, producing round, thin, and uniformly sized wrappers.

The rest of the people made dumplings. Wang Xiaomeng made them the fastest and pinched them tightly. Chen Yannan made them delicately with even pleats, unlike last year. The most unexpected one was Li Qiuge, who made them very well. She said she learned from her mother.

"The package contains three auspicious items: three coins, which bring good fortune in the New Year; and two fruit candies, which bring sweetness and happiness."

Xie Dajiao placed the cleaned one-cent coin and orange candy into a small dish:

"It's all wrapped up; whoever gets to eat it is truly blessed."

Halfway through wrapping the dumplings, Li Qiuge secretly placed a dumpling with a coin inside on the lid on Lin Chen's side and winked at him.

Lin Chen shook his head, ignoring her, and let the dumplings be placed in the most conspicuous place.

In no time, several trays of dumplings were wrapped, round and plump like little ingots, neatly arranged and ready to be cooked.

At ten o'clock, the first batch of dumplings was almost ready. The pot of water was boiled, the dumplings were put into the pot, and they were gently pushed with a slotted spoon. Soon they all floated to the surface, white and plump. They were then scooped out and placed on a large plate.

There was a whole array of dipping sauces laid out, including garlic sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and all sorts of other things.

Everyone sat back in the living room, without much formality. A skit was playing on TV, making everyone laugh. They ate dumplings while watching the Spring Festival Gala, the air was warm and cozy, and Lin Chen poured himself another glass of wine.

"Huh? I found a coin!"

Lin Chen took a bite, bit his tooth, spat it out, and saw that it was a shiny coin.

Xie Dajiao said with a smile:

"Great! Xiao Chen's fortune is booming this year, everything will go smoothly!"

The girls offered their blessings and toasts, and Lin Chen accepted them all, drinking quite a bit.

As soon as the clock struck twelve, firecrackers went off in every household in the village, creating a chaotic scene. Red lanterns swayed in the courtyards, casting a bright red glow on the snow.

Lin Chen moved a lot of fireworks out of the warehouse and set them off in the yard:

"Everyone, step back a little!"

Xie Dajiao quickly stepped forward to meet them, reaching out to pull the person back, her loud voice drowning out the sound of firecrackers:

"Hey, everyone stand back! Everyone step back! Don't stand up straight, this is no joke! Xiaomei, you stand on the steps!"

Xie Xiaomei, wrapped in a thick woolen coat and a scarf draped to her chin, moved slightly up the steps upon hearing this and said with a smile:

"Okay, Auntie! You all be careful too!"

Wang Xiaomeng tugged at Chen Yannan's sleeve, and the two took two steps back. Chen Yannan instinctively covered her ears.

As soon as the sparks flew, Lin Chen quickly ran back.

Just as I stepped back onto the steps, I heard a whoosh, and a golden flame shot into the sky, then exploded with a bang, scattering sparks like gold dust all over the ground, making even the snowflakes seem to gleam.

"Wow! These flowers are so beautiful!"

Xie Dajiao slapped her thigh and shouted, her face beaming with joy:

"Look, look! Another green one!" Li Qiuge jumped up and down, clapping her hands, her scarf slipping down to the back of her neck, pointing to the sky and shouting.

Wang Xiaomeng tilted her head back, the light from the fireworks flashing in her eyes.

Several more flowers followed, red, yellow, and purple, bursting open one after another, some like scattered golden beans, others like blooming peonies, turning red and green in the darkness.

Lin Jing'an clung to Xie Dajiao's leg, staring at the sky with his big, dark eyes. He didn't cry, but his little hands twitched. Xie Xiaomei bent down to tease him.

"Isn't it beautiful? They're setting off fireworks, it's Chinese New Year!"