Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Liu Neng shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum:

"No, no, absolutely not! What benefit could I possibly get? I was just passing by, it was pure coincidence, completely accidental!"

"Accident?"

Xie Dajiao retorted to him with a mocking expression:

"Liu Neng, Liu Neng, who are you trying to fool? Everyone in the village knows you! You wouldn't go through all that trouble and waste an entire afternoon on something that doesn't bring you any benefit! Nobody believes that!"

Just as the two were at an impasse, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from outside, which was particularly clear in the quiet night.

As soon as the car door opened, Lin Chen jumped out first, carrying a plastic bag in his hand. He casually closed the car door and walked into the store with a smile.

"Auntie, are you still open so late? Busy with accounts?"

As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Neng sitting on the bench, looking dejected and frustrated, and couldn't help but laugh:

"Hey, Uncle Neng's here too? Why aren't you home chatting with your auntie so late at night? What are you doing squatting here? Look at you, all all wronged. Who bullied you?"

Liu Neng looked up and saw Lin Chen as if he had seen a savior. He immediately looked aggrieved and pointed at Xie Dajiao:

"Xiao Chen, you've finally arrived! Xie Dajiao wouldn't let me leave and practically kept me here!"

Xie Dajiao immediately became unhappy and said irritably:

"Don't listen to his nonsense. That old bastard took a bribe from Li Fu and spent the whole afternoon stalking my door. He'd come over as soon as Chang Gui came, and disappear as soon as Chang Gui left. He's like a little shadow, impossible to shake off!"

"Hey! Don't talk nonsense!"

Liu Neng suddenly stood up to defend himself, his face flushed red:

"I didn't take any money from Li Fu. I just... I just happened to be passing by..."

Lin Chen leaned against the counter, watching his stubborn yet guilty expression, and deliberately teased him:

"Uncle Neng, stop being stubborn. Tell me the truth, how much is Li Fu paying you to keep such a close watch on him? How about this, I'll double it, and you can go to the city and keep an eye on Li Fu. How about that? I guarantee you'll earn more than you are now!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Neng was extremely embarrassed and could only manage an awkward chuckle.

Actually, Xie Dajiao's anger subsided considerably after seeing Lin Chen. Her gaze fell on the plastic bag in Lin Chen's hand, and she asked curiously:

"By the way, Xiao Chen, what are you carrying? It looks quite exquisite."

"This...?"

Lin Chen pushed the plastic bag over and explained with a smile:

"Xiaomei specially got this for you, and asked me to bring it over on my way so you can try it."

"This child is so thoughtful, always thinking of me. He's so considerate."

"That's right, with the relationship between you two, what more can be said?"

Xie Dajiao turned to look at Liu Neng, who was still standing there. The anger she had just suppressed flared up again. The more she looked at him, the more awkward she became. She pointed to the door and shooed him away impatiently.

"Look at you, stuttering and scrambling around, getting in my way and preventing me from closing the door. Get the hell out of here! If you don't leave, I'll call Liu Ying's mother to come and get you, and see how she deals with you when we get home!"

Liu Neng felt like he had been granted a pardon and couldn't wait to make his escape.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm leaving, I'm leaving! I'm going home right now!"

He lifted his foot and rushed towards the door, but Lin Chen stopped him just as he reached the threshold.

Lin Chen wore a teasing smile, deliberately provoking him:

"Uncle Neng, wait a minute, is your job only to keep an eye on Wang Changgui? I came all the way to Aunt Dajiao's shop late at night, shouldn't you write this down and report it to Li Fu later? Don't delay him from paying you."

Liu Neng hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head, saying in a flustered manner:

"No, no, you're just visiting properly. Please feel free to chat and sit wherever you like. I need to hurry home, or my spouse will start asking all sorts of questions, and I won't be able to explain myself!"

After saying this, he didn't dare linger and ran away in a flash.

Watching his comical retreating figure, Lin Chen and Xie Dajiao exchanged a glance and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Xie Dajiao turned around, leaned gently against the freezer, looked at Lin Chen in front of her, and smiled tenderly:

"I really have to thank you for today. One upsetting thing after another has happened today."

Lin Chen slowly walked over:

"Why are you being so polite with me? To be honest, I've been holding it in all day."

Xie Dajiao glanced outside, then leaned completely into his arms, gently grumbling with a hint of coquettishness:

"Serves you right for holding it in; you must have drunk quite a bit this afternoon, right?"

"Now that they're here, we have to make sure they're entertained."

Lin Chen lowered his head slightly and whispered in her ear:

"Just now, Xiaomei was flirting with me in her dorm, and I almost lost my composure."

Upon hearing this, Xie Dajiao not only wasn't jealous, but a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes, and she took the opportunity to tease him:

"My niece has always been ambitious and discerning. The fact that she takes the initiative to be interested in you means she's genuinely interested in you. The fact that she takes the initiative actually saves me a lot of trouble."

Lin Chen didn't want to elaborate on this topic, so he changed the subject, a hint of anticipation in his eyes:

"By the way, the hammock in my new house is installed. It's very sturdy, and it's so comfortable to lie on."

He leaned closer and whispered a invitation:

"Could you come over tonight? Just the two of us, quiet and peaceful, no one to bother us, let's try out the new hammock together."

Upon hearing this, Xie Dajiao picked up the palm-leaf fan beside her, gently patted Lin Chen's arm, and gave him a playful, reproachful look.

"You're so irresponsible. That girl genuinely likes you, and I'm even trying to set you two up, but all you do is think about these crooked ideas."

Lin Chen put his arm around her waist, gently swayed her body, and persistently asked:

"Never mind if it's crooked or not, just tell me if you're going or not?"

Xie Dajiao feigned disdain, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn upwards, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy and anticipation. She whispered a few words of advice:

"Okay, okay, stop wandering around. It'll be later. I'll tidy up the shop and close it before I go over. You go home and wait for me. Just don't let anyone see us. Let's keep a low profile."

"Don't worry, I've drawn all the curtains in the house tightly, so not a single light can get in. Absolutely no one can see through it, and the soundproofing is excellent."

Lin Chen turned his head and gently kissed her cheek, saying:

"I'll head out now and wait for you at home. Come over quickly."

"Okay, okay, stop nagging."

Xie Dajiao smiled and gave him a push:

"Let's go quickly."

Lin Chen nodded, turned around quietly, and disappeared into the deep night.

The room fell completely silent. Xie Dajiao raised her hand to touch her burning face, and couldn't help but smile to herself, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.

She took a deep breath and quickly started tidying up the shop, eager to finish so she could keep her appointment.

I couldn't stop thinking, what's it like in a hammock? You must be flying!

……

As the night passed, the sun rose high in the sky, and the morning light bathed Lin Chen's entire courtyard.

Before dawn, Xie Dajiao had already quietly packed up and returned to her grocery store.

At this moment, Lin Chen was the only one left in the huge courtyard. He walked out of the house, stretched comfortably, and his bones cracked all over.

After a quick wash, he gently patted the car door, his eyes filled with anticipation.

The system had been bound for over a month, past the activation period. During this time, he hadn't stepped out of Ivory Mountain Village, spending his days wandering around the village, and he was already feeling restless and uncomfortable.

Today he was determined to test the limits of the system's activity and see how far he could go.

As I opened the car door and gripped the steering wheel, the deep, steady roar of the engine suddenly filled the air—not loud, but surprisingly powerful.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and silently prayed, "I hope they don't restrict me as soon as I leave the village."

With a light touch of the accelerator, the car slowly drove out of the gate and along the village road towards the village entrance.

Along the way, Lin Chen encountered many villagers carrying hoes and farm tools heading to the fields. He smiled and nodded to each of them, but he didn't dare to relax for a moment, keeping a close eye on the system countdown panel, afraid that a restriction prompt would pop up.

After passing the iconic poplar tree at the village entrance and the boundary marker, the system panel remained completely clean, without a single red light or notification.

Lin Chen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly relaxed considerably. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips as he muttered to himself:

"Looks like there's nothing wrong with leaving the village. The 45-day countdown hasn't started, so at least we won't be stuck in the village anymore."

He lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car's speed steadily increased as he drove along the smooth Kaiqing Highway towards Songshan Town.

The country roads are clean and smooth, and large fields of corn are growing well on both sides. The lush green crops stretch as far as the eye can see. Today is a truly wonderful day with a clear breeze and refreshing air.

The village is only ten kilometers from the town. In 05, Songshan Town had only two main streets that intersected at a crossroads, with a permanent population of about eight thousand, which simply supported the core of the entire town.

East Street is the government street, with the town government, police station, and health center lined up one after another. West Street is a bustling commercial street, with small shops, home-style restaurants, and agricultural supply stores on both sides.

Lin Chen drove slowly around the town for a whole time, and the system panel remained completely still without any restrictions or warnings. Now he was completely at ease, so he immediately turned the car around and headed straight for Kaiyuan County.

The closer we got to the county town, the denser the traffic became. We drove until we reached the boundary marker of Kaiyuan County. Just 300 meters ahead was the urban area of ​​the county town. Suddenly, the system panel, which had been silent all the way, lit up with a glaring red light.

【45天外出时长倒计时：44天23小时59分59秒】

The sudden notification made Lin Chen's heart tighten. He immediately stepped on the brake and turned the steering wheel all the way to make an emergency U-turn.

The glaring countdown stopped abruptly, then vanished completely a few seconds later, leaving the panel clean once more.

Lin Chen leaned back in his seat, finally figuring out the rules:

"So that's the kind of restriction law. It prevents people from entering the county town, and the system's activity range is just right on the edge of the county town, which is nearly 30 kilometers away."

He frowned slightly, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

"I guess they're afraid I'll settle down in the county town and not come back to Xiangyashan. Fine, thirty kilometers it is. I'll figure out the road conditions in all the surrounding towns first."

Lin Chen didn't rush back to the village. Instead, he took the opportunity to explore all the surrounding towns and villages one by one, thoroughly understanding all the supporting facilities within the activity area.

Returning along the provincial highway, the first place we arrived at was Zhonggu Town.