Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Lin Chen smiled, casually put his arm around his shoulder, and gently pulled him a couple of steps toward the side of the road, lowering his voice:

"Yishui, let's get down to business. I wasn't joking with you earlier."

"Wang Xiaomeng and Xie Yongqiang's relationship is completely over. Think about it carefully, is there any girl in our village better than Wang Xiaomeng? She's beautiful, hardworking, down-to-earth, capable, not vain, and doesn't compare herself to others. She's hard to find even with a lantern."

"If you have feelings for someone, don't hide it; seize the opportunity and take the initiative!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yishui sighed heavily, the smile fading from his face and replaced by a worried expression. He said helplessly:

"I want to take the initiative, but I'm too tongue-tied and don't know how to say it. She's always treated me like an older brother."

Seeing his pathetic state, Lin Chen slapped him on the back in exasperation:

"How can you be so dense? You don't need sweet talk to woo a girl. You have a farm, that's your advantage!"

"When you have free time, invite her to stroll around the farm, show her around your operations, and chat about your work. Women like capable men, and you'll get to know her better over time. You'll gradually have common topics to talk about, which is a hundred times better than you worrying about this here!"

As the two were chatting quietly, Wang Xiaomeng arrived at the grocery store on her tricycle. She looked up and saw Lin Chen and Liu Yishui standing by the roadside. She immediately smiled and greeted them softly.

"Brother Chen, Brother Yishui, you're both here?"

Seeing this, Lin Chen immediately nudged Liu Yishui hard with his elbow, frantically giving him signals with his eyes and mouthing them repeatedly:

Hurry up and speak!

Liu Yishui instantly became extremely nervous. His mind raced, but he couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time. After stammering for a while, he finally managed to stammer out:

"Little...Little Meng, if you're free, why don't you come play at the rabbit farm with me? They just had baby rabbits, they're so fluffy and cute!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's smile froze, and he rolled his eyes dramatically.

Wang Xiaomeng smiled upon hearing this:

"I'm not going, Brother Yishui. If I go, I'll delay your work."

She politely averted her gaze, turned and walked up to Lin Chen, a hint of shyness on her face, and said softly:

"Brother Chen, I haven't been to your house for several days. I heard your house is almost finished with renovations? I was thinking of going over for a stroll and seeing how it looks."

Lin Chen casually replied:

"Go ahead if you want. My house is locked, so you can just go in and wander around. While you're there, keep an eye on the workers so they don't slack off."

Wang Xiaomeng gently shook her head, a faint blush creeping onto her face, her eyes filled with embarrassment.

"It wouldn't be very appropriate for me to go alone, it would be a bit awkward. Brother Chen, would you come with me?"

Lin Chen paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded:

"Okay, no problem. Wait for me for two minutes, I'll go in and buy a pack of cigarettes, then we'll leave right away."

After saying that, he turned around and strode into the grocery store, bought a pack of cigarettes and put it in his pocket. Xie Dajiao pushed the money back, and Lin Chen threw it directly on the counter and quickly came out.

As Lin Chen passed by Liu Yishui, who was still standing there dumbfounded, he stopped, leaned down slightly, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"You're really something! I was just giving you a look, and all you said was 'look at the little rabbit'? Can't you be a little more assertive? Wang Xiaomeng is a grown woman, not a child!"

Liu Yishui scratched his head, looking helpless.

"I...I really don't know what to say, I have rabbits in my enclosure."

Lin Chen sighed helplessly, patted his shoulder, and earnestly gave him some advice:

"To be honest, I only see Wang Xiaomeng as a younger sister, I have absolutely no other thoughts about her. You don't need to be wary of me, but just because I have no feelings for her doesn't mean others don't!"

"I know quite a few people already. That scumbag Li Daguo still has his eye on Xiaomeng. If you keep dragging your feet and acting so timid, Xiaomeng will really be snatched up by someone else in a few days, and you won't even have time to cry!"

These words instantly jolted Liu Yishui awake. He immediately became anxious, his eyes hardening considerably as he looked at Lin Chen sincerely and said:

"Brother Chen, I understand! Thank you for reminding me!"

"That's right. Don't call me Brother Chen, you look older than me."

Liu Yishui: "..."

After saying that, Lin Chen didn't linger any longer. He turned around and walked towards Wang Xiaomeng. The two walked side by side along the village road, slowly heading towards the Lin family's old house.

……

Two days later, at Zhao Si's home, Zhao Yutian's crutch, which he used to recuperate, was leaning against the ground. On the kang table was a half-eaten plate of sunflower seeds, and next to it was a bowl of unfinished Chinese medicine.

A rustling sound came from the yard. Zhao Si's wife was feeding the chickens with a basin, and a group of old hens gathered around, clucking and chirping.

Lin Chen, carrying fruit and a box of milk, pushed open the door of Old Zhao's house, his footsteps startling the chickens and ducks in the yard.

"Oh, Xiao Chen's here! Come in, come in!"

Inside the room, Zhao Yutian was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a daze, his legs bandaged and unable to move.

When she looked up and saw Lin Chen come in, her eyes lit up instantly, and she instinctively straightened up, trying to stand up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

"hiss--"

The sudden exertion aggravated his injured leg, and a piercing pain instantly shot through him. Zhao Yutian winced and grimaced in pain, swaying as he slumped back onto the kang (a heated brick bed), his lips twitching uncontrollably.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't move! Sit still!"

Seeing this, Lin Chen quickly stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder:

"Your leg isn't fully healed yet, why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove? If you keep straining the wound, you'll suffer!"

Once Lin Chen held him down, Zhao Yutian immediately put on a smile and hurriedly patted the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to greet him:

"It's nothing, it doesn't hurt! I was so excited to see you, Brother Chen! What brings you here? Please, have a seat!"

He turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs toward the inner room:

"Dad! Come out quickly! Brother Chen is here! Quickly pour him a glass of water, and get some melon seeds and candy to entertain him!"

The curtain in the inner room was lifted, and Zhao Si slowly walked out, his gait unsteady and comical.

"Hey, hey, coming, coming."

Lin Chen placed the fruit and milk he had bought on the table and then sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Brother Chen, honestly, thank you so much this time!"

Zhao Yutian's tone was solemn, filled with gratitude:

"When I got into trouble, you gave me two thousand yuan without hesitation. I, Zhao Yutian, will remember this kindness for the rest of my life and will never forget it!"

"It's such a small matter, is it really worth making such a fuss about..."

Lin Chen waved his hand casually, his tone nonchalant:

"What more could we say? Don't even mention two thousand, I'd give you twenty thousand. Luckily, your leg is alright and will recover slowly. Everyone has their difficulties. Don't keep bringing it up, it's too formal."

As he spoke, he glanced down at Zhao Yutian's legs and casually asked:

"How's the recovery going? Does it still hurt? Are you able to put some weight on it now?"

"Much better! A hundred times better than before!"

Zhao Yutian immediately perked up, raised his hand and patted the ground lightly, looking relaxed:

"The doctor said I can slowly try to get out of bed. The recovery is a bit slow, but I'm sure I'll recover well!"

"Once my leg is fully healed and I'm all set, I'll definitely find you and treat you to a good meal!"

"Alright, then I'll be waiting for your drinks!"

The two were chatting casually when the gate to the courtyard creaked open, and then Grandpa Wang from the clinic walked in carrying his medicine kit. The old man had a kind smile on his face.

"Yutian, it's time for your injection. How are you feeling today?"

"It doesn't hurt much anymore, Grandpa Wang. He can barely feel anything, just a little itchy occasionally. It's probably because new flesh is growing."