Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

A group of people at the gate echoed this sentiment:

"That's right, Liu Neng. In the end, Yutian was injured on behalf of your family. It would be really heartless for you to break off the engagement at this time."

"Liu Neng has always been overly shrewd, always prioritizing his own interests. This time, he's really been too selfish. Someone's child got injured because of his family, and he turned around and kicked them. It's heartless."

Some young men, not wanting to miss out on the fun, started whispering amongst themselves:

"Just you wait, they'll start fighting sooner or later!"

With accusations coming from all sides, even Liu Neng, with his thick skin, couldn't hold back anymore. His face turned pale and then red, and although he knew he was in the wrong, he still refused to admit it. He turned his head to the side and shouted at the main gate:

"What do you know! I'm the father, so I have to think about my daughter! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one experiencing it! It's not like it's your daughter getting married!"

Having said that, he didn't want to stay any longer, lest he continue to be pointed at and gossiped about by the villagers, so he gritted his teeth and uttered a harsh remark:

"I'm determined to call off the engagement, and no one can change my mind!"

Then, with hurried, shuffling steps, she fled without looking back, her steps faltering considerably compared to when she arrived.

As soon as Liu Neng left, Zhao Si immediately deflated and was helped back into the house by Wang Laoqi.

In less than an hour, the news of Liu Neng breaking off the engagement spread like wildfire throughout Ivory Mountain.

Everyone in the village, young and old, knew about it. Everyone was talking behind Liu Neng's back, cursing him for being ungrateful. Liu Neng's already poor reputation in the village plummeted, but he didn't care much.

……

As the night passed and dawn broke, everyone in Ivory Mountain got up to work. A gentle breeze stirred in the early morning, rustling the leaves at the gate of the courtyard and feeling quite pleasant on one's skin.

Pi Changshan was fixing his hair in front of the mirror at home, while Xie Lan was folding quilts by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Xie Lan is only thirty years old this year, which is the most attractive time for a woman.

She was wearing a loose-fitting light gray casual jacket. The soft material clung to her body without being tight at all, which instead accentuated her plump and rounded figure. Her flesh was just the right amount, without the dry and thin feeling of a young girl. She exuded the full charm of a mature young woman.

Her eyes and brows were languid in the morning. She was actually very pretty, otherwise Pi Changshan wouldn't have married her. He himself admitted that he only stayed here because Xie Lan was pretty. If he had married someone from the city, he wouldn't have spent his whole life as a primary school principal.

Now thirty years old, Xie Lan is a little chubby, but her figure is even more impressive. She has shed her youthful naiveté and exudes a charming domestic aura even without makeup. Every move she makes is exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

She spent half a day folding the quilt in silence, her pent-up resentment growing stronger and stronger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Suddenly, she slammed the neatly folded quilt onto the kang (a heated brick bed), the dull thud breaking the quiet morning in the room.

Pi Changshan, who was bending over tying his shoelaces to get to work at the elementary school, frowned immediately upon hearing the noise, his face full of impatience. Without even looking up, he muttered:

"Why did you throw the blanket around? What's with the anger so early in the morning?"

Xie Lan immediately stood by the kang (a heated brick bed) with her hands on her hips, her chest rising and falling slightly, and her voice rose. She had nowhere to vent her anger, so she began to rant at Pi Changshan:

"I'm getting angry? Pi Changshan, ask yourself honestly, can't we even continue living like this? We've been married for so long and I still can't get pregnant. You always complain to the relatives behind my back, saying it's my fault, that it's all my fault. Why should I?"

"Every time we're done at night, quickly... I won't say anything, we're an old married couple, we don't need that anymore, but we've talked, if you're going to help someone, you should help them to the end, even if you're just going to see them through. You just leave it at the door and ignore it, what, are you Yu the Great who passed by his own home three times without going in?"

"You always push all the blame onto me, don't you have any problems at all? I stay home every day taking care of everything, running around inside and outside, and in the end I only get complaints. What am I getting out of this?!"

Pi Changshan straightened up, pushed up his glasses, and felt a headache coming on. He grabbed his bag and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible to find some peace and quiet.

"Okay, okay, stop nagging, okay? All you ever talk about is having a baby. You keep repeating it over and over, I'm sick of it. I'm so busy and stressed right now, I need to take care of my health. I don't have time to go home and argue with you about these trivial family matters."

"You've been trying to get your health checked for years, and you're still not better? School, school, all you care about is your school!"

Xie Lan took two steps forward, her voice growing increasingly aggrieved as she spoke:

"What have you ever done for this family? You never touch the farm work, you never do any housework, you can't even be bothered to pick up a fallen oil bottle. I do the laundry, cook, clean, and take care of everything in the house every day, and you don't care about a thing. I don't think you care about me at all!"

"I go to work every day to earn money and bring it home, isn't that taking care of my family?"

Pi Changshan was too lazy to argue with her. He was already fed up with the couple bickering every day. He simply reached out and opened the door, intending to leave.

Who knew that as soon as the door opened, it bumped right into Xie Guangkun, who was standing at the door with his hands behind his back. Pi Changshan almost tripped over the door when he opened it.

Xie Guangkun wasn't angry. With a stern face, he walked straight into the house, glanced back and forth at the couple, and began to berate them:

"What are you two arguing about so early in the morning? Your voices are so loud, I could hear you as soon as I entered the yard. Nobody argues every day. It's just a trivial matter, you can just put up with it."

Upon seeing her father arrive, Xie Lan immediately suppressed her anger, pouted with a wronged expression, and turned her head to mutter:

"Dad, what else is there to argue about? It's just that life is too stifling."

Pi Changshan was instantly embarrassed, scratched the back of his head, and said with a forced smile:

"Dad, why did you come so early? Is something wrong at home, or has something happened with Yongqiang?"

Xie Guangkun pulled over a wooden stool and sat down, sitting upright. He raised his hand to smooth his sparse hair, cleared his throat, and got straight to the point:

"I'm not here today to get involved in your argument. I have important business to discuss, which concerns Yongqiang's marriage."

"Yongqiang and Wang Xiaomeng were dating for a long time, but it broke up completely recently, and the two lost all contact."

I figured Yongqiang wasn't getting any younger, and he couldn't stay single forever, so I started thinking about finding him a reliable girl.

I think Xiangxiu, the daughter of Village Chief Changgui, is quite nice; she has a cheerful personality. You two can give me some advice.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lan immediately perked up, forgetting all her previous grievances, and quickly sat down next to Xie Guangkun, nodding repeatedly.

"Father, I wholeheartedly agree! Xiangxiu is a hundred times better than Wang Xiaomeng!"

"Wang Xiaomeng is always silent, only answering questions briefly, like a taciturn person. Xiangxiu is so much better; she's sweet-talking and knows how to get things done, and everyone likes her wherever she goes."

Most importantly, his father is the village head, a very influential figure in the village. If Yongqiang wants to move into the system in the future, having his father-in-law, Changgui, to help him will make his work easier, and the two families can support each other—it's a great thing.

Pi Changshan stood aside, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly and deliberately, his words being much more thorough than Xie Lan's:

"Father, I also think Xiangxiu is suitable. Her looks, character, and family background are all impeccable. But let's be clear from the start, we can't rush into marriage. There's an important matter that must be taken care of first."

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