Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"Nothing."

Lin Chen looked down at her:

"I just wanted to hug you. I wanted to hug you when we were moving the boxes."

Xie Dajiao leaned against him, closing her eyes to feel it.

For so many years, she has been running this small shop and maintaining a marriage in name only. No man has ever given her such a sense of security.

After a while, she gently pushed Lin Chen away, straightened her clothes, and said reproachfully:

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Hurry up and drink your soda, it'll be cold soon."

……

On the other side, the courtyard of the Songshan Town government was quiet.

The sun blew the cement white, and there wasn't a single person seeking shade under the trees.

In Qi Santai's office, the old ceiling fan creaked and groaned, blowing out hot air.

Wang Changgui stood respectfully in front of the desk, a worn-out notebook clutched in his hand, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

Qi Santai sat in the chair opposite him, slowly sipping his tea. The tea leaves in the teacup were almost rotten from being steeped.

A banner reading "Serve the People" hung on the wall, its edges curled up, next to which was a map of the entire county covered with red circles.

"Chang Gui..."

Qi Santai put down his teacup and slowly began to speak:

"I called you here today mainly to ask about the situation at Liu Yishui's rabbit farm. The county attaches great importance to this rabbit breeding project. It's a key project for our town this year, and we can't afford any mishaps."

Wang Changgui nodded quickly:

"Mayor Qi, don't worry! There won't be any problems! Liu Yishui is really motivated now, and his breeding rabbits are... all the best breed. I heard they've already had babies. Yishui promised me he'll expand the breeding scale and try to get recognized as an advanced breeder in the county by the end of the year!"

"Hmm, not bad."

Qi Santai nodded in satisfaction:

"If this project succeeds, it will be a great achievement for our town. I will definitely recommend you for credit in the county."

Wang Changgui was grinning from ear to ear, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

"Thank you, Mayor Qi! Thank you, Mayor Qi! It's all thanks to your leadership! I just ran errands and did odd jobs, I didn't deserve any credit. Without your guidance, Liu Yishui's farm would be nothing."

Qi Santai waved his hand, sighed, and a trace of worry appeared on his face:

"You can't say that, but to be honest, Liu Yishui's farm is still too small. It's just a small-scale operation and can't support many people. If our town could have a real big boss invest in and build a larger factory, that would be really good. Then the people could work right at their doorstep, and wouldn't their lives be much better?"

He paused, then changed the subject, a glint of light flashing in his eyes:

"By the way, I heard that the young man from the Lin family in your village is back? You mean Lin Chen? I heard he made a fortune in Shenzhen and is a big boss?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's him!"

Wang Changgui quickly said:

"He's been back for almost a month now, and he's living in the old house his grandfather left behind at the east end of the village."

Qi Santai leaned forward and asked curiously:

"What has he been doing since he came back? Has he mentioned anything about starting a business? Has he considered making any investments?"

"We haven't done much, just renovating the old house."

Wang Changgui leaned closer and said:

"This time they really spent a lot of money! The deposit for the renovation alone was ten thousand yuan! My goodness, ten thousand yuan! The house looks so spacious and bright! There's no house like that in the whole village! They replaced the windows with PVC windows and laid floor tiles. Just tell me, how much did that cost!"

Qi Santai's eyes lit up immediately, and he slapped his thigh:

"See! I told you, he's really rich! For him, spending tens of thousands of yuan to renovate a house is just a drop in the ocean, nothing at all."

If he could come up with a few hundred thousand yuan to start a business in our Ivory Mountain, like building a processing plant or something, that would be a tremendous boon for us ordinary folks! It would be far better than Liu Yishui's small-scale operations!

Upon hearing this, Wang Changgui's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes darted around nervously.

His mind was racing with calculations:

That's right! If Lin Chen really invests in setting up a factory in the village, then this matter will definitely have to go through me, the village head! When the time comes, all the credit for running around and coordinating relationships will be mine, right?

With such great achievements, shouldn't I be able to get promoted? At the very least, I could be transferred to a town, and it's not impossible to get to the county!

When I'm a leader too, won't things be even more interesting with Big Feet then?

Thinking of this, Wang Changgui's face flushed with excitement, and he immediately patted his chest and loudly promised:

"Don't worry, Mayor! I'll take care of this! I'll go back and talk to Lin Chen, have a good talk with him, and persuade him to invest in our village."

He just got back, he doesn't know anyone or anything about the village, and he doesn't understand anything about village affairs. If he needs anything, he'll have to rely on me, the village head, for help. I'm sure I can persuade him!"

Qi Santai nodded in satisfaction, then lowered his voice, leaned closer to Wang Changgui, and said mysteriously:

"Changgui, you have to pay more attention to this matter. It's a hundred times more important than Liu Yishui's breeding farm."

Remember my words: whatever Lin Chen wants to do, as long as it doesn't break the law, we should try our best to satisfy him. We should make him feel like Ivory Mountain is his own home, where he can live comfortably, eat well, and be reluctant to leave.

"If he stays, won't the investment deal fall into place naturally?"

"I understand, I understand!"

Wang Changgui nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice:

"Don't worry, Mayor! I'll definitely handle this perfectly! When I get back, I'll go and flatter Lin Chen. I'll give him whatever he wants, and I'll support whatever he decides to do. I guarantee I'll make him happy!"

"Yes, I'm relieved to hear that."

Qi Santai smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea:

"If this goes through, didn't you want to get a promotion? The chances are pretty good!"

"Thank you, Mayor Qi! Thank you, Mayor Qi!" Wang Changgui was so excited he almost jumped up. "Just wait for my good news!"

After chatting about trivial matters in the village for a while, Wang Changgui got up to say goodbye.

Stepping out of the town government building, Wang Changgui felt lightheaded, his steps were lighter, and even the sun didn't seem so strong anymore.

He stroked the few hairs on his chin, secretly pleased with himself as he made his plans:

I need to hurry back to Lin Chen's house to see how the renovation is going and, while I'm at it, try to find out what he's thinking.

Oh right, I still have two bottles of good wine that someone gave me for the New Year. I'll go home and get them later, and then go to the convenience store to buy two packs of good cigarettes to deliver to Lin Chen first.

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. What's a little money? Once I become a leader, I'll have everything!

With that thought in mind, Wang Changgui quickened his pace, humming a little tune, and rode his bicycle toward Xiangyashan Village.

Just ten minutes after Wang Changgui happily walked out of the town government compound, before he had gone far, a series of furtive footsteps echoed through the town government corridor.

The corridor is old; the cement floor is pitted and uneven, and the paint on both walls has peeled off, making it look unsightly.

The slogan "Fewer births, better births, a happy life" was pasted on the wall, swaying gently in the wind, and Xie Guangkun, wearing a hat, stood next to it.

Xie Guangkun hunched over, crouching low, and moved forward little by little along the wall, looking rather sneaky.

He gripped the hemp rope tightly in both hands. The rope bound two chickens, their feet tightly tied, yet they still wouldn't stop, flapping their wings incessantly, their clucking sounds particularly clear in the quiet corridor.