Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Xie Xiaomei remained seated, her heart pounding, her fingers nervously gripping the edge of the table.

This was her first time being alone with the man she had her eye on, and she didn't know what to do. Her neck, beneath her short hair, was flushed a faint pink, and her understated sexiness was especially evident in the quiet atmosphere.

Lin Chen sensed the subtle tension and broke the silence first, his tone relaxed and natural:

"You'll be staying at the farm long-term. If you encounter any difficulties in your life, feel free to contact me anytime. Don't hesitate to ask."

Xie Xiaomei slowly raised her head, looking directly at Lin Chen. Her gaze no longer darted away, but instead met his eyes with a direct and gentle look, her tone carrying a subtle hint of probing:

"Brother Lin Chen, actually I don't just want to talk to you about work-related things."

Lin Chen was taken aback. Not talking about work? Then what should they talk about?

"I've rarely felt this way about anyone in my life. The moment I saw you today, my heart was in turmoil."

She mustered her courage and spoke frankly about her feelings, her voice trembling slightly but utterly earnest:

"I know this is abrupt, but I don't want to hide it. You are unlike any other man I've ever met. Your vision and character are both so attractive, and you're handsome too."

She turned slightly to the side, moving a little closer to Lin Chen. The two were so close that they could clearly feel each other's skin and body temperature. Their eyes met, and she didn't look away at all.

"Besides work, I also wanted to meet different people when I went back to the village this time. I wonder if I can get a little closer to you in the future?"

A straightforward yet restrained confession, without any aggressive initiative, only an undeniable surrender and attraction.

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback, not expecting the girl to be so direct in revealing her feelings. He then smiled gently, neither explicitly rejecting nor immediately agreeing, his tone calm:

"Let's take it slow and get to know each other. There's plenty of time. Let's just be friends for now and not talk about dating. Let's get to know each other better."

"Okay, whatever you say."

……

The atmosphere in the grocery store was ambiguous, but Zhao Si's family in Ivory Mountain Village was in complete uproar.

Zhao Si rushed home from the hospital, his heart heavy the whole way. As soon as he entered the house, he threw his coat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and was about to pour himself a bowl of cool well water to quench his thirst when he heard a series of hurried and light footsteps outside the courtyard gate.

Without even looking up, just by hearing those signature little shuffling steps, Zhao Si knew that the person coming was Liu Neng.

Sure enough, the next second Liu Neng pushed open the door and came in, his shoulders bobbing, his head slightly tilted back, and there was no smile on his face. He was carrying the engagement gift that the Zhao family had given him earlier.

He kept a straight face the whole way, not even bothering to exchange a polite greeting.

Zhao Si glanced at the scene, his heart skipped a beat, his face instantly turned gloomy, his lips twitched uncontrollably, his left hand unconsciously traced circles along his trouser seam, and he began to stutter again:

"Liu Neng, what brings you here? Yu Tian is resting in the hospital every day, and his wound is healing well. You don't need to make a special trip."

Liu Neng first deliberately let out a long sigh, putting on a look of being caught in a dilemma and utterly helpless.

"Fourth brother, actually I didn't want to come either. I'm more upset than anyone else. He's a perfectly healthy young man, helping my family transport grain, and he's suffered so much for no reason. I can't sleep at night."

"And then there's my Yingzi. She hides in her room crying every day, refusing to eat or drink. Her eyes are swollen like walnuts from crying, and she's lost a lot of weight. As her father, it's heartbreaking to see my daughter suffering like this."

Zhao Si remained silent, just crossed his arms and stared at Liu Neng.

He knew Liu Neng too well. This man never came to the temple without a reason. No matter how nice he spoke, he was definitely up to no good. He was just waiting quietly for Liu Neng to tell the truth.

Seeing that he had laid enough groundwork, Liu Neng didn't beat around the bush. He took half a step forward, his expression completely changing, the regretful look from before vanished, and he became direct:

"Alright, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. I've asked around, and Yutian's leg injury is completely a liability."

"From now on, he will be a real cripple, unable to do heavy work, and will walk with a limp. He will never get better and may be bedridden for the rest of his life."

After a pause, Liu Neng stated his ultimate goal with righteous indignation:

"Fourth brother, you understand, life in the countryside depends entirely on physical strength. Yutian will no longer be able to do farm work, plant crops, or transport grain. The whole family will depend on my Yingzi to support us."

"I only have one daughter. I can't just watch her suffer for the rest of her life at such a young age, marrying a cripple. So let's break off this marriage amicably."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Si trembled with rage. He slammed his hand on the table, his lips twitching uncontrollably. His left hand moved with even greater speed, drawing circles as he stepped forward, pointed at Liu Neng's nose, and stammered angrily:

"Liu...Liu Neng! You...are you even speaking human language?! Have you lost your conscience?!"

"Why did my Yutian get into a car accident? Wasn't it because he was helping your family with chores! You urged him to come back and pick up the grain, not even a day late, that's why he was driving so fast and had the accident! He injured his leg because of your Liu family, and now he's suffering terribly in the hospital, and you turn around and refuse to cooperate, you're so petty and materialistic, are you even human?!"

Liu Neng showed no remorse whatsoever; instead, he stood on tiptoe, arguing and spouting one fallacious argument after another, tilting his head as he said:

"How am I being unreasonable? I'm just worried about my daughter! Now he's destined to be lame and won't be able to do any heavy work in the future. How am I supposed to help my daughter live?"

"Do you expect my Yingzi to work in the fields every day, only to come home and serve a lame man, tending to him for the rest of her life? If it were your daughter, would you agree to this marriage?"

"I disagree! But I would never do something so despicable as kicking someone when they're down!"

Zhao Si was so angry that his face turned a deep purplish-red, his chest heaving violently, and he almost broke into a street dance. His voice trembled as he spoke.

"Yutian was injured because of your family. We have to have a conscience! Even if his leg is really injured, as long as my Zhao family has food to eat, my son won't go hungry. We don't need your Liu family's help!"

"Who was it that came to my house every day, praising Yutian for being honest and capable, and eager to become in-laws? Now that my family is in trouble, you immediately turn your back on us! There's no such thing as a free lunch! I will never agree to cancel this marriage, even if it means my death!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Neng also became enraged, taking a step forward and refusing to yield an inch:

"I'm telling you this now, I'm breaking off this engagement! Your disagreement won't change anything! If you insist on making trouble, I'm going to the village committee right now to find Changgui and have the village officials come and settle this!"

"Go! Go now! It's not like I'm afraid of you!"

Zhao Si was so provoked that he jumped up and down on the spot, his hands and feet starting to gesture uncontrollably:

"I'm telling you this now, as long as I'm alive, you can forget about breaking off this engagement! If you dare ruin my son's marriage, I'll never forgive you!"

The two fought from inside the house to the courtyard, face to face, spitting everywhere. One stood on tiptoe with his hands on his hips, acting like a scoundrel, while the other twitched and jumped around anxiously. The noise from their argument grew louder and louder, and could be heard clearly even through the courtyard wall.

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors all put down what they were doing and crowded around Old Zhao's front door to watch the excitement. A large circle of them gathered, chatting and gossiping.

Upon hearing the news, Wang Laoqi was the first to rush over and try to mediate, frowning as he shouted:

"Alright, alright, you two, shut up! We're all from the same village, don't be so absolute, let's talk things out!"