Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Pi Changshan hurriedly waved his hand, looking utterly aggrieved, a typical example of someone who's both stubbornly proud and cowardly:

"Xie Lan, don't be ridiculous, there's really nothing between us! I'm the principal. A teacher called me in the middle of the night to report that she wasn't feeling well. How could I not answer? If I hung up, how would the school operate?"

"Don't use work as an excuse to shirk responsibility!"

Xie Lan became even angrier upon hearing this, kicked away the broken pieces of porcelain at her feet, grabbed a pillow from the kang (a heated brick bed), and threw it at the enemy.

"You usually complain about being tired even to say a single word to me when you get home, and you don't want to move once your butt hits the bed. But you have so much to say to other women! I bet you're having an affair! If you don't explain yourself clearly to me today, this isn't over!"

As she spoke, Xie Lan pounced on him, scratching and clawing at him while muttering insults:

"I stay in this empty house every day, keeping watch over your cold bed. What am I doing this for? And you're out there chatting with other women!"

Pi Changshan was scratched so hard he howled and grimaced in pain. He didn't dare fight back at all. Terrified, he turned and ran towards the door, running all the way to the village entrance before he finally escaped.

At the foot of the wall at the village entrance, Xie Yongqiang was squatting there in a daze, dejectedly thinking about breaking up with Wang Xiaomeng, when suddenly someone grabbed his arm. When he looked up, he saw a mournful face; it was Pi Changshan, who was dressed in disheveled clothes.

"Yongqiang, help! Please save my brother-in-law! Your sister has gone mad and is beating me to death at home!" Pi Changshan pleaded for help with a miserable expression.

Xie Yongqiang was startled and quickly stood up:

"Brother-in-law, what happened? Why did my sister suddenly attack you?"

Pi Changshan embellished his account of the phone call last night, deliberately downplaying his own involvement:

"I was just answering a work call when my sister started throwing things and hitting me without even asking what happened. She's completely unreasonable and won't listen to any advice. I'm too scared to go home now."

"You're her own brother, can you go back and say a few words to her for me? If this keeps up, the whole village will laugh at our family."

Xie Yongqiang shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, and quickly backed away:

"I wouldn't dare. My sister is ruthless when she gets angry. When we were kids, she would even beat me up when we argued. If I went to mediate, it would only make things worse. I wouldn't dare to mess with her."

Pi Changshan panicked instantly and paced back and forth:

"What should we do? I can't just keep hiding outside, can I? We can't let Dad find out about this, or it will be even more embarrassing."

As the two men were frowning and looking troubled, Lin Chen, hands in his pockets, strolled leisurely down the road, looking refreshed, and casually greeted them:

"Hello, Yongqiang, this must be my brother-in-law. I met him once before; he was squatting by the wall early in the morning, sighing and complaining. Did something tough happen to you?"

Xie Yongqiang's eyes lit up instantly, and he slapped his thigh, saying to Pi Changshan:

"I've got it! Go find Lin Chen! My sister has always been fiercely protective of Lin Chen, she doesn't give face to anyone else, but she listens to Lin Chen the only one. If you ask him to persuade her, it'll definitely work!"

Pi Changshan immediately grabbed Lin Chen's arm, practically kneeling down on the spot, pleading:

"Lin Chen, my good brother, please help me! Please go and talk to Xie Lan for me. She's smashed up my house, I'm at my wit's end!"

Lin Chen frowned and waved his hand:

"I don't get involved in couples' quarrels. Even an upright official can't settle family disputes. If you try to mediate successfully, you get no credit; if you try to mediate unsuccessfully, you get scolded by both sides. I'm not getting involved in this mess."

"Good brother, I'm begging you! Listen to what's going on..."

Pi Changshan held on tightly, refusing to let go, and quickly recounted the incident of the female teacher making a phone call earlier, using both soft and hard tactics:

"Brother, let's be good friends from now on. I'll listen to whatever you say. Just help your brother-in-law this once, okay?"

Unable to withstand his persistent pestering, Lin Chen had no choice but to nod helplessly.

"Alright, I'll give it a try. But I'm telling you, don't blame me if I can't persuade them."

Fearing being implicated, Xie Yongqiang disappeared in a flash, not wanting to get involved in their family affairs at all.

Lin Chen followed Pi Changshan to the front door of the house, where there was no sound from inside.

Lin Chen instructed:

"You stay at the door and don't go in. If you show your face, she'll get angry again. I'll go in first to calm her down."

Pi Changshan nodded quickly:

"Okay, okay, I'll wait outside. Just be careful not to let her scratch you."

"What the hell is she doing scratching me? Just wait and see..."

Lin Chen pushed open the door and entered the room, which was in a mess, with broken porcelain shards, cotton and other debris scattered all over the floor.

Xie Lan sat alone on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), head down, wiping away tears. Her shoulders were shaking, and she looked extremely aggrieved.

Pi Changshan curiously peeked into the house, and Xie Lan saw him immediately.

Xie Lan instantly bristled, grabbed a broom from the corner of the wall, and rushed over, shouting angrily:

"Pi Changshan, you dare come back! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

She rushed forward too fast and couldn't stop herself. Just as she was about to crash into him, Lin Chen instinctively stepped forward and reached out to stop her. In the chaos, he pulled her into his arms.

A strong embrace instantly enveloped Xie Lan. Her whole body stiffened, her struggling movements stopped abruptly, and all her strength dissipated. She leaned softly against Lin Chen's chest.

He smelled faintly of tobacco and masculinity, and his chest was broad and solid, completely different from Pi Changshan's sickly appearance.

Xie Lan's face was burning hot, and she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

Pi Changshan was still shouting nonsense outside the door:

"Look at her, how unreasonable she is! She throws tantrums at home every day, I can't live like this anymore!"

Lin Chen glared coldly at them and shouted towards the door:

"Shut up, say less, you're just making things more confusing."

After saying that, he slowly released Xie Lan, helped her back to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed), and turned to Pi Changshan at the door, saying:

"You go to work at school first. I'll look after things at home. I'll have a good talk with Sister Lan, and I'll call you when she calms down. Then you can come back."

"Great idea! I'm not coming back unless you call me, bro!"

Pi Changshan felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and turned to run away, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

The door closed, and the room became completely quiet, with only Xie Lan's soft sobs remaining.

Lin Chen picked up the broom and silently swept up the debris on the floor, tidying up the messy room without saying a word.

Xie Lan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), secretly glancing at him. The feeling of being hugged earlier kept swirling in her heart, and the more she thought about it, the hotter she felt.

After Lin Chen finished tidying up, he pulled up a stool and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tore off a piece of toilet paper and handed it to him. The toilet paper was freshly opened, a thick roll, and he said in a calm tone:

"Don't cry, it's nothing, why are you so angry? Pi Changshan just answered a phone call, you're probably overthinking it."

Xie Lan took the tissue to wipe her tears, looked up at Lin Chen, and finally couldn't hold back her pent-up grievances any longer. She wanted to confide in Lin Chen, and choked out:

"Lin Chen, you have no idea. I'm not just angry because of that phone call. That call was just the fuse. I've been holding this anger in for years!"

"Look at the kind of life I'm living! Pi Changshan only has the school in his eyes all day long, he's practically living in the elementary school."

They leave before dawn and don't return until dark. Once home, they just lie down on the kang (heated brick bed), not cooking, not doing chores, not caring about anything. I have no one to talk to during the day, and we sleep separately at night. Except for meals at the same table, we don't act like a couple at all.

"I'm thirty years old this year, and I want a child and someone to love me, but what about him? He never touches me at night, he always avoids me, either saying he's tired or that he has to go to work tomorrow."

What's the difference between me staying with this man and living like a widow? Lying on the kang (heated brick bed) at night, I felt so miserable, both emotionally and physically. And let me tell you, I haven't had a normal marital relationship in ages!

(The next chapter is even more exciting, remember to leave a comment and urge me to update!)