Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

In an instant, the lively atmosphere came to an abrupt end.

The entire room fell silent. It was incredibly awkward. Xie Yongqiang hung his head, wishing he could disappear into the ground. Even his classmate Wang Bing felt embarrassed.

At the crucial moment, Liu Yishui stood up to smooth things over, smiling and gesturing to everyone:

"Alright, alright, everyone, stop making things difficult for Yongqiang. He's naturally introverted and doesn't like to show off. Let's stop fooling around and continue drinking. I'll toast everyone!"

Everyone then shifted their attention, and Xie Yongqiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, at Bigfoot Grocery Store—

Unlike the bustling scene behind the mountain, the grocery store was eerily quiet.

After finishing his meal, Wang Changgui returned, sitting upright on the stool to the left of the counter with a stern face and a serious expression.

Liu Neng sat on the small kang (heated brick bed) opposite the counter, his legs crossed, his toes swinging back and forth, looking defiant.

The two stared at each other in a stalemate, neither speaking nor willing to move first, truly testing their endurance to see who would give in first.

Wang Changgui was also a little angry. He had thought of avoiding Liu Neng, but he didn't expect that Liu Neng would follow him in right after he came in. Why was he looking at him like he was a criminal? Li Fu was Xie Dajiao's husband, so he was guilty. But what was Liu Neng?

Liu Neng's thinking was even simpler: "I'm not going to let you be alone with Xie Dajiao. Do you think the money is free? Not a single penny is wasted!"

The two of them stood there in a deathly silence for an hour, the air almost frozen.

In the end, Wang Changgui was the first to give in, his back ached from sitting so long, and his throat was parched.

He cleared his throat and said to Xie Dajiao behind the counter:

"Big Foot, get me a bag of cookies, the best kind, the creamy kind."

Xie Dajiao rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to pay attention to these two clowns, reached out and took a bag of cream biscuits from the shelf, and slammed it onto the counter:

"Two yuan."

Wang Changgui tore open the packaging bag, slowly picked up a cookie, put it in his mouth, and then said:

"Give me another bottle of chilled soda."

"One yuan, that's three yuan in total." Xie Dajiao took out another bottle of soda and placed it in front of him, her tone indifferent.

Seeing Wang Changgui leisurely eating and drinking, Liu Neng immediately stood up defiantly, stiffening his neck and stammering:

"Big...Big Foot! Get me some too, exactly the same as him: butter cookies and iced soda, not a single one off, not a single cookie less, not a single breath of cold water less!"

Xie Dajiao was furious. She put her hands on her hips and retorted irritably:

"Are you two comparing yourselves in my shop? You've got nothing better to do, and you have money to burn, huh?"

Liu Neng stubbornly held on:

"He can eat and drink, so why can't I? It's not like I'm not paying!"

Xie Dajiao, too lazy to waste words, grabbed a set of cookies and soda and slammed it in front of him:

"Three yuan each, pay up!"

"Keep...keep it in the accounts!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Changgui couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes full of mockery.

Liu Neng caught a glimpse of his expression and instantly became enraged. He glared at Wang Changgui, tore open the cookie packaging, grabbed a cookie, and took a big bite, as if he wasn't biting into a cookie at all, but rather using it to vent his anger.

And so, a new round of competition began.

Wang Changgui ate a cookie, and Liu Neng immediately followed suit. Changgui took a sip of soda, and Liu Neng quickly tilted his head back and gulped it down.

The two remained silent, locked in a silent battle of wills across the counter, each holding their breath, neither willing to make the first move, determined to fight to the bitter end.

Xie Dajiao was speechless at the sight of the two of them. She rolled her eyes and simply turned around and went into the inner room, out of sight, out of mind, letting the two of them waste each other's time in the shop.

As the sun sets and darkness gradually falls, the twilight at Ivory Mountain is breathtakingly beautiful. The clouds are dyed a translucent orange-red by the setting sun, and the light in the forest dims little by little.

The picnic area on the back hill was no longer as lively as before. The picnic had come to a complete end, and the outcome was particularly clear: all of Xie Xiaomei's male classmates from the city had been drunk under the table by Lin Chen.

The young men, who usually prided themselves on their drinking capacity in the city, were now completely out of sorts. They were all slumped on the grass, some clinging to trees and vomiting violently, others curled up on the ground groaning, their eyes unfocused, so drunk they couldn't even tell which way was which.

Lin Chen, however, remained composed. It was clear he had also drunk quite a bit, but his steps were steady, his eyes were clear, and he showed no signs of being drunk or disheveled. He only had a slight throbbing in his temples and felt a little dizzy.

Wang Bing, who was the most drunk, lay face down on the grass, clinging tightly to Lin Chen's leg, his words slurred and incoherent:

"Brother Chen... I'm impressed, I'm truly impressed. I've never seen anyone drink so much..."

Lin Chen felt both helpless and amused, and raised her hand to push his hand away:

"Alright, alright, stop acting crazy on the ground. It's damp. Get up and we'll find someone to take you back to rest."

Seeing this, Xie Xiaomei's girlfriends and female classmates went to get the car. Everyone stepped forward to help them up and struggled to lift them into the car, finally sending these city classmates away.

The noisy back mountain instantly became quiet, leaving only a few people from Ivory Mountain.

Liu Yishui turned to look at everyone, his arrangements crystal clear:

"It's getting dark, and it's cool on the mountain. Let's all go home. I'll give Xiaomeng and Liu Ying a ride home on my way. I'll trouble Yongqiang to take Xiangxiu home safely."

Xie Yongqiang nodded vigorously and quickly:

"Okay, I'll take Xiangxiu back."

Wang Xiangxiu, standing to the side, looked displeased and pouted, completely ignoring Xie Yongqiang's words.

Her eyes were glued to Lin Chen, glancing back and forth with lingering affection. Compared to the dull Xie Yongqiang, the more she looked at Lin Chen, the more outstanding she felt he was.

The group didn't linger and went down the mountain together. Soon they were all gone, leaving only Lin Chen and Xie Xiaomei in the empty picnic area.

Seeing Lin Chen's flushed face, Xie Xiaomei knew he had drunk quite a bit, so she quickly stepped forward to support his arm and said with concern:

"Brother Chen, you've had too much to drink. Don't go straight home in the wind, it'll give you a headache. Let's go to the farm for a while. My dorm is clean and cool, go sit down for a bit, have a cup of tea to sober up before you go."

Lin Chen raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples, his head still a little fuzzy from the alcohol, and nodded slightly in agreement:

"Okay, I was just about to talk to Yishui about buying appliances. The new house has nothing, and it's really stifling to be alone here."

Xie Xiaomei was secretly delighted. She held Lin Chen's arm firmly, and Lin Chen did not refuse. He slowed down and walked slowly down the mountain. The two were close together.

Before long, the two returned to Xie Xiaomei's dormitory at the breeding farm.

The dormitory was small, but it was spotless and clean, reflecting the girl's meticulousness in every detail.

Inside the room was a single bed covered with pink sheets, a desk against the wall with several books and an exquisite photo frame neatly arranged on it, a simple wardrobe in the corner, and an open window that let in a gentle evening breeze, carrying a faint fragrance that was refreshing and pleasant.

Xie Xiaomei carefully helped Lin Chen to sit down on the sofa, then turned around and brought him a glass of water.

Lin Chen joked casually:

"Wow, Xiaomei, your little house looks so nice and smells wonderful. It's much better than my empty house that no one cleans."

Xie Xiaomei responded with a smile, saying meaningfully:

"Girls naturally love cleanliness. You're just missing a lady of the house. Please sit still and I'll go to the next room to change into some comfortable clothes."

After saying that, she turned and went into the small inner room, leaving the curtain slightly open, showing both her thoughtfulness and boldness.

A short while later, Xie Xiaomei came out after changing her clothes.

She changed into a red nightgown. The smooth fabric had a soft, lustrous texture and clung to her body, perfectly outlining her shapely figure. Her waist was slender and toned, and the nightgown accentuated her graceful curves to the fullest.

The skirt was only a short section, barely reaching the upper middle of the thigh, a perfect length that was both elegant and alluring, revealing a pair of straight, slender, well-proportioned, and toned legs. The skin was fair, delicate, translucent, and radiant, glowing with a soft, delicate light under the lamp, with smooth, flowing lines and a well-proportioned figure.

Her slightly damp short hair completely revealed her long, snow-white neck, her cheeks still had a faint blush from drinking, and her eyes were moist, giving her a hazy, alluring look.

She is radiant and passionate yet gentle and shy, with a slender figure and refined temperament. She is even more eye-catching than the meticulously dressed female stars on the screen, exuding charm.

With a hint of hesitation and shyness in her heart, she deliberately twirled slightly in front of Lin Chen, her skirt fluttering gently, her figure graceful, and asked softly:

"Brother Chen, do I look good in this outfit?"

Lin Chen's throat bobbed slightly involuntarily.

He immediately composed himself, quickly averting his gaze, not daring to look any longer. Wasn't this blatantly setting him up to make a mistake? He stood up gracefully, his tone deliberately evasive:

"It's beautiful, especially beautiful. Um... well, it's getting late, Yishui should be finished and back by now. I'll go to the office to see if he's back yet."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Xie Xiaomei became anxious and immediately stepped forward, grabbed his arm tightly, and pressed Lin Chen back onto the sofa with a little force.

Emboldened by the alcohol, she became completely bolder, straddling Lin Chen's lap, her slender arms gently encircling his neck, her eyes hazy, gazing at him unblinkingly, her tone tinged with grievance and stubbornness:

Am I not pretty?

Lin Chen froze instantly, his body tense, not daring to move an inch, and could only respond in a low voice:

"nice."

"Does that mean I have a bad figure?"

Xie Xiaomei continued to press him, her nose almost touching his, their breaths mingling.

"It looks good." Lin Chen managed to restrain himself.

Xie Xiaomei felt extremely wronged, her voice soft and gentle:

"Then why do you never even look me in the eye? Brother Chen, I've liked you from the first moment I saw you. My feelings are so obvious, can't you see them at all?"

(Thank you for your suggestions. It has been revised to about 3000 words per chapter.)