Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"Give me a larger one too!"

Lin Chen then brought out a thick firework tube, lit it, and quickly ran back.

With a muffled thud, a huge silver flower exploded overhead, illuminating everyone's expressions clearly.

Half a box was placed inside, and the air smelled of gunpowder, mixed with the cold wind that made people's noses turn red.

Xie Dajiao rubbed his hands and shouted:

"Alright, alright, let's save it for the fifteenth. Hurry up and go inside!"

"Alright, alright, come on, come on inside, don't get cold."

The smoke from the firecrackers in the courtyard hadn't yet dissipated when Wang Xiaomeng picked up her coat from the hanger and addressed the crowd:

"You guys should get some rest. I have to go back. My parents are still waiting at home. They won't sleep well if I don't go back."

"It's pitch black, and the roads are all ice. Why don't you call and stop walking?"

Xie Xiaomei went over and took Wang Xiaomeng's hand:

"Stay here, go back tomorrow. Otherwise, we'll worry about you going back by yourself."

"No way, don't worry. I'm driving, what are you afraid of? I drive this road all the time, and there are firecrackers going off outside, so don't worry."

Wang Xiaomeng smiled and waved her hand, bending down to tie her shoelaces. A little snow had just gotten on the upper of her shoe, and it was slightly damp.

Chen Yannan thought for a moment, then grabbed her down jacket, stood up, and took her ponytail out of her clothes:

"Xiao Meng, I'll go with you then. I'll stay with you for the night so you won't be bored."

"That's great, let's go! My little kang (heated brick bed) is all warm now."

"Okay, just make sure they walk carefully."

Xie Dajiao sat on the sofa and said:

"Then you two drive slowly, the roadside ditches are all covered with snow. Call me when you get home, so I won't worry about you."

"Okay!"

Lin Chen nestled on the sofa, the effects of the alcohol kicking in. His head felt so heavy he couldn't lift it, and even a yawn brought tears to his eyes. It was already past midnight; normally he would have been asleep long ago.

Xie Xiaomei coaxed the baby to sleep—or rather, she didn't need to—she fell asleep right after feeding. She gently placed the baby in the crib, tucked her in, and whispered:

"Brother Chen, go upstairs to sleep. You drank quite a bit tonight. My wife and I are staying with Auntie downstairs. It'll be easier for us to breastfeed in the middle of the night, so you won't have to worry. Get a good night's sleep, okay?"

Lin Chen was dizzy, his ears were ringing, and he only heard the word "sleep." He nodded vaguely.

"Ah... okay, then I'll... go up."

He struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the sofa armrest, and slowly climbed the stairs, wishing he could just lie down and sleep right now.

Xie Xiaomei looked at him and smiled, then turned to Xie Dajiao and said:

"Look at him, he's already like this after drinking so little, yet he still tries to show off."

"I'm happy, it's normal to drink more during the New Year, especially since I haven't slept all day. Don't you even look at the time?"

Xie Dajiao reached out and swiped the sunflower seed shells on the table:

"You should go and rest too, you'll be up to something in the middle of the night."

The couple quietly tidied up the table and then took their child to sleep in the downstairs bedroom.

The living room light was on, and the hallway light was also on, to be kept on all night. The light reflected off the "福" (good fortune) character on the wall, making it look bright red.

The villa was very quiet in the middle of the night, with only the ticking of the clock in the living room, which was barely audible unless you listened carefully.

The wind outside the window rustled against the glass, very gently.

Li Qiuge slipped out of the guest room and walked barefoot on the carpet, hugging the wall as she went, afraid of making a sound.

She wore a slip dress that revealed her white legs; the material was thin and soft. Over it, she wore a short white cardigan with the sleeves slipping down to her elbows.

Her hair was loose, the ends still damp, from when she washed it before bed. Under the corridor light, she looked pretty and energetic.

She gripped the doorknob of the master bedroom and gently pressed it down; the hinges made no sound.

The room was dark, but the outline of Lin Chen lying on his back could be seen through the outside light.

He was fast asleep, his breath reeking of alcohol. The blanket was kicked up to his waist, two buttons of his pajamas were undone, revealing his chest muscles, and the collar was wrinkled.

Li Qiuge paused by the bed for two seconds, her heart pounding, her palms sweating, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

She gently lifted the covers and carefully lay down. The mattress sank a little, which startled her so much that she held her breath. Seeing that Lin Chen only moved his head and mumbled something inaudible in his sleep, without waking up, she slowly moved further inside.

The warmth of my body, mixed with a delicate fragrance and a faint smell of alcohol, made me feel very at ease.

She quietly moved closer to him, her shoulder almost touching his, and could hear his heavy breathing, each breath sweeping over her.

Her eyes crinkled as she listened to his breathing, then turned her head to look at Lin Chen's profile.

She didn't know how long she stared at him, but she took a deep breath, hesitated for a long time, and then touched his face with the tip of her nose, before gently touching the corner of his mouth.

Lin Chen seemed to sense that someone was coming from the side, and without thinking twice, he pressed down on them.

"hiss……"

The nightgown was torn and thrown aside.

Snowy landscape, New Year's Eve—

It was still lively outside, with people staying up late to welcome the New Year setting off fireworks.

A beam of light suddenly shot up from the snow, piercing the night sky and exploding into a blinding white, almost transparent burst of light that splattered in all directions like boiling water.

Before it could dissipate, another shot caught up, and after they met, they veered and left a crimson trail. Suddenly, a giant golden umbrella burst open, its ribs growing wildly outwards, the tips condensing into countless sparks, which slowly fell and extinguished upon touching the thin smoke on the snow.

Lower down, a string of bright red flashes bounced along the snow, each one tearing apart a small cloud of smoke before being dispersed by the subsequent flames and absorbed by the snow.

The fireworks transformed into a silver snake that leaped up to the treetops, coiled around a few times, and shook off the muddy white snow, which melted before it even reached the ground.

High in the sky, several rockets took off simultaneously, overlapping and turning the night sky into a sizzling, colorful glaze.

The fireworks burst into great bloom, exceptionally large, before collapsing at their limit, trailing trails of light as they slid diagonally down and disappeared into the distant snowfield, extinguishing silently, unable to make a sound.

A new cluster of fireworks bursts forth from the snow, rushing eagerly to fill the void in the darkness, ensuring the night doesn't feel empty.

……

Lunar New Year's Day

Early in the morning, Xie Xiaomei brought Lin Chen clean clothes. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she sniffed.

No, it's 11 out of 10 wrong.

She had a new sweater and trousers draped over her arm. The room was still dark, but a ray of morning light peeked through the curtains.

Lin Chen lay sprawled out, his arms casually wrapped around the person in his arms; both of them were fast asleep.

The blanket slipped down to her waist, and Li Qiuge's black hair was spread out on the pillow as she lay on top of Lin Chen.

Xie Xiaomei stood there for a while, neither going in nor making a sound.

She gently placed the new clothes on the dressing stool by the door, then reached out and pulled the half-closed curtains closer to block the glaring light before tiptoeing out. When she closed the door, the hinges clicked softly, without startling anyone inside.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Xie Dajiao was wearing an apron. The water in the pot was bubbling and about to boil, and there were wrapped dumplings on the lid.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around and asked curiously:

"Why did you come down by yourself? Where's Xiaochen? Still sleeping? It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, why don't you get up earlier? Xiaomeng and the other girl should be back soon."

Xie Xiaomei leaned to one side, shook her head with a wry smile, and whispered:

"Don't make the dumplings yet, there's a new little sister now, let's eat them together later."

"What?"

Xie Dajiao dropped everything she was holding, quickly picked it up again, and glared at her:

"What sister? Where did this sister come from? That girl Qiu Ge?"

After being asked three questions in a row, Xie Xiaomei neither nodded nor shook her head, but smiled and turned to set the table.

"You'll find out when you get up."

Just then, the sound of crunching snow underfoot and the door opening came from outside the courtyard gate. Wang Xiaomeng and Chen Yannan pushed the door open and came in carrying things, rubbing their hands together and breathing on them to warm them.

"It's so cold today. You guys got up really early. We were thinking of coming back early to help cook dumplings."