Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Watching his retreating figure, Xie Dajiao couldn't help but chuckle and patted Lin Chen's arm.

"You're amazing! This is the first time I've ever seen Li Fu so completely under your thumb. You've totally subdued him now."

Lin Chen sat back down and took another sip of his drink:

"This kind of person is a bully who preys on the weak and doesn't appreciate kindness. It's no use reasoning with him. You have to teach him a lesson once and for all so he won't dare to bother you again. Stop worrying and let's keep drinking."

Xie Dajiao was finally relieved and joined Lin Chen for a drink.

"By the way, can I learn something from you?" Xie Dajiao suddenly whispered to Lin Chen.

"What's up?"

"Xiangxiu and Yongqiang are getting engaged!"

Lin Chen said with some surprise:

"When did this happen? I haven't heard about it."

Xie Dajiao said with a smile:

"Would I lie to you about this? Both families have contacted me; I'll be busy on engagement day."

Lin Chen thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

What are you laughing at?

"I'm laughing. Xiangxiu finally got her wish. Now that she's engaged, I can finally have some peace and quiet. Otherwise, I would have to drive her around every day, which was so annoying."

Xie Dajiao glanced at him sideways, and said with a half-smile:

"I'm just wondering, isn't Xiangxiu a good person? Why are you so afraid of her?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of her, it's that I'm afraid of being stuck with her. This is just something to have fun with, but I can't accept marrying her."

……

Li Fu went to Old Wang to get his head bandaged up, then went to Liu Neng's house with his head still covered. Liu Neng was sitting in the courtyard, relaxing and humming a little tune.

"Brother Liu, Brother Liu..."

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Neng sat up abruptly.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong with your head... what happened? Come on in."

After Li Fu came in, he found a place to sit down in the courtyard, and the two of them started chatting.

"I'm fine, just bumped into him. How's Chang-Gui doing lately? Has he calmed down?"

"Well...it was really peaceful then, I stayed by its side every second!"

"That's good, that's good... Um, Brother Liu, how about I stay at your place tonight? I'm not leaving."

Liu Neng smacked his eyes:

"Huh? What happened?"

"Originally, I was thinking of arresting my wife and Changgui, but now it seems like nothing will happen. I'll stay here for the night, and I'll go back to the city tomorrow."

Just as Liu Neng was in a dilemma, Liu Ying's mother came out:

"Brother, I understand. You want to stay here for the night, right? That's unfortunate, I'm home, it's inconvenient. Why don't you take advantage of the time before it gets late and go check out someone else's place?"

After she finished speaking, she left. Li Fu stared at her blankly for a moment, then looked at Liu Neng in front of him, tilted his head and asked in a low voice.

"Big brother, who's in charge in your family?"

"Pingpingping... I'm usually the one in charge, but isn't this just a visit from my maternal family?"

Li Fudu laughed in anger:

"Can't I even stay one night?"

Liu Neng looked completely bewildered.

"This...this is difficult to handle...How about this, I have a suggestion for you, go to that town and find a small inn."

Li Fu's eyes widened:

"Brother Neng, you came up with this idea. How am I supposed to go 20 miles at night? What time is it now? Let me tell you, I came back last night and stayed at my friend's house. My friend is the boss, and his wife doesn't dare to say a word."

"Then...why aren't you going tonight?"

Li Fu was stumped by the question, and waved his hand, saying:

"Alright, I'm leaving!"

Liu Neng also stood up:

"Brother, no... I won't see you out..."

"Okay, no need to see me off. Aren't you coming to your house? Just stay here!" After saying that, Li Fu left.

……

At 10:30 a.m., Xie Guangkun's house was already bustling with activity.

Today is Xie Yongqiang and Wang Xiangxiu's engagement day. Red silk is hung inside and outside the courtyard. Although the decorations are simple, they look festive and lively.

A makeshift stove was set up against the courtyard wall. The village chef was sweating profusely, swinging his large iron ladle with a loud clanging sound. The food in the pot sizzled and bubbled, and the aroma mixed with the smoke from the firewood wafted everywhere.

Li Daguo's half-decker truck stood out conspicuously at the entrance, adorned with a large red flower on the front, carrying Xie Yongqiang and Xiangxiu back from Changgui's place.

The suona horns and drums blared loudly, making a commotion that could be heard throughout half the village.

The courtyard was neatly set up with many large round tables, each laden with melon seeds, wedding candies, liquor, and soft drinks, and was packed with villagers of all ages.

The sounds of chatting, children playing, and clinking bowls and chopsticks mingled together, creating a chaotic yet lively atmosphere that is most beloved at rural banquets.

The busiest person there was Xie Dajiao, who was holding a red megaphone and pacing back and forth at the courtyard gate. Her loud, penetrating voice drowned out the sound of the speakers.

"Hurry up, hurry up, move in, move in! Don't block the entrance! Elders, sit in the front row! Keep an eye on the children, don't crowd near the stove, they'll get burned! Those giving gifts, go to the west room. We're just trying to have a festive atmosphere, the thought is what counts, don't push or shove! Hey, hey, whose child is that? Watch them, the food's being served!"

She was indeed very capable, managing everything inside and out with remarkable efficiency. She was busy welcoming guests, arranging seating, and was even more attentive than if it were her own family's wedding.

Li Daguo was also diligent today. Now that he had finished all his work, he didn't try to show off. Instead, he quietly found a corner against the wall, grabbed a handful of melon seeds and wedding candies, and slowly ate them while watching the excitement.

The host, Xie Guangkun, is absolutely conceited today.

He didn't have much hair to begin with, but he combed it until it was shiny and slicked back to his scalp, like a Nike swoosh. With his hands behind his back and his little belly sticking out, he paced back and forth in the courtyard, his eyes scanning the guests in the yard, his lips never closing.

He's always loved to show off, and today, with his son's engagement, he's been talking about it to everyone he meets, inevitably steering the conversation back to his son every few sentences.

"How's it going, bro? My Yongqiang's doing pretty well, isn't he?"

"I'm starting work for a government agency soon, a legitimate and secure job!"

"It's not easy for us country kids to have gotten this far; things will definitely get better and better in the future!"

If someone compliments him, he immediately beams with joy, his tail practically wagging in the air, radiating an air of triumph.

Wang Changgui sat in the center of the main table. There were rules that prevented him from attending, but since Qi Santai was there today, he disregarded the rules and insisted on being present. As Xiangxiu's father and the village head, he was beaming with pride today.

Qi Santai smiled and said that his son-in-law was successful and his daughter had good taste. Wang Changgui waved his hand and said modestly:

"Oh, Mayor, let the children do as they please. We old folks will just benefit from it and won't get too involved."

He kept a low profile, but he was secretly overjoyed.

My daughter married well, and her husband is a college graduate who will soon be working for the government. I'm also about to get a promotion. It's been a lot of good news.

On the other side, at the entrance of the west room, Liu Neng, wearing a shirt and tie, lingered in the crowd, clutching a red envelope in his hand, reluctant to hand it over.

His small eyes darted around, he felt bad about giving too much, but he was afraid of being laughed at for being stingy and losing face if he gave too little.

He was still muttering to himself, trying to comfort himself.

"Giving gifts is about the sentiment; it's about the gesture, not about showing off. There's no need to overspend or waste money..."

Zhao Si was completely different from him. He was very low-key. He and Zhao Yutian quietly gave their gifts, then turned around and found a side table to sit down. He didn't huddle together or join in the fun. He hadn't changed his old habit of twitching his lips from time to time.

At 11 a.m., the auspicious time was approaching, and almost everyone in the courtyard had arrived except for Lin Chen.

Just as the music was playing at its loudest, Lin Chen, carrying the prepared congratulatory gifts, slowly walked into the courtyard.

The atmosphere changed instantly the moment he walked in.

The young people at the tables near the entrance all stood up at once. No one took the lead; it was all spontaneous, and their eyes were full of genuine respect.

Zhao Yutian was the fastest runner, rushing over in a few steps, reaching out to take the gift, his face beaming with a simple, honest smile.

"Brother Chen, you're finally here! I was just telling my dad I'd go get you at home, but I was worried you wouldn't come!"

Liu Yishui quickly got up and deftly moved the stool away:

"Brother Chen, come sit here. This spot is shady and you won't get any sun."

Li Daguo, who was in the corner, quickly stood up and nodded in greeting. Xie Xiaomei and Liu Ying also came over together. Xiaomei smiled and handed over a piece of wedding candy, her tone warm and her eyes shining.

"Brother Lin Chen, I thought you'd be busy for a while. Eat some candy and share in the good fortune."

The elderly people in the courtyard were all stunned, and they huddled together in quiet whispers.

"Look at that popularity! Nobody else can compare!"

"In the past, when we held banquets, everyone would revolve around Chang Gui and Guang Kun. But today, all the young people are revolving around Xiao Lin."

"This kid is steady and capable; it's normal for young people to respect him!"

Lin Chen smiled and waved to everyone in turn. When his gaze fell on Liu Ying, he couldn't help but pause, then chuckled.

"Yingzi, what happened to your face? Did someone beat you up? This look is so unique."

The young people around immediately chuckled softly.

Liu Ying got up early this morning to do her makeup, hoping to look good at the engagement banquet, mainly to impress Zhao Yutian. However, her skills were terrible. Her blush was too bright red, like someone with high altitude rosacea, her eyebrows were too thick and dark, and her eyeshadow was even worse. She looked both tacky and ridiculous.

Lin Chen shook his head helplessly and raised his chin at Xie Xiaomei:

"Quickly tidy her up, she'll scare the child to tears if she stays like this during the banquet."

Xie Xiaomei laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, and immediately pulled Liu Ying into the house:

"Come on, Yingzi, let me fix it for you again."

Zhao Yutian stood arrogantly next to Lin Chen, glanced at Liu Ying, and thought to himself, "Doesn't she look pretty good now?" However, he wasn't going to give Liu Ying a friendly look.

All eyes in the room were immediately drawn to Lin Chen.

Just then, Qi Santai at the head table spotted him, immediately put down his teacup, and waved to him.

"Xiaolin, come here, come sit here!"

This shout immediately dampened the lively atmosphere in the courtyard. Qi Santai was the town mayor, and villagers would usually greet him and feel honored to speak to him.

But today, he actually took the initiative to invite a junior from the village to sit at the main table. Everyone could see through this gesture.

Xie Guangkun, who had just been smugly waiting to go on stage and show his face, suddenly froze on the surface. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a tightness in his chest.