Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

After saying that, he let out a long sigh, completely suppressing his personal resentment:

"Forget it, let's put Xie Yongqiang's mess aside for now. We need to focus on official business. We can't let our little family squabbles interfere with our work in the town and county. It's not worth it. I'll settle things with them properly after we're done with this!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen casually straightened the corner of his clothes:

"Okay, Uncle, you go ahead and get on with your business. Work is important. I drank quite a bit at noon and my head is spinning, so I won't stay here any longer. I'll go home and lie down for a while to sober up."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Sit a little longer, have some water, and then go."

"No, no, I'll come chat with Uncle Changgui another day when I have time." Lin Chen waved his hand with a smile, turned around and walked out.

But as soon as he reached the courtyard gate, Lin Chen caught a glimpse of a dark figure approaching from the base of the courtyard wall. Upon seeing Lin Chen emerge, the dark figure quickly hid.

The shadowy figure was Xie Guangkun, who had come to eavesdrop because he was worried about the situation. He had just arrived.

He was restless at home, increasingly anxious, fearing that Wang Changgui would come and cause a scene, ruining his son's marriage. Unable to bear it any longer, he secretly sneaked over and squatted by the wall, trying to eavesdrop on the commotion in the yard and find out the Wang family's attitude so he could have a better understanding of the situation.

But to his surprise, he saw Lin Chen come out as soon as he arrived, which startled him so much that he quickly hid to the side.

Lin Chen remained expressionless and made no sound. He continued walking, slowly turned around, tilted his head slightly at Wang Changgui who was seeing him off, and glanced subtly in the direction of the dark figure, giving a cryptic look.

Wang Changgui instantly understood his implication.

Once the people had gone far away, the politeness on Wang Changgui's face vanished instantly. He immediately guessed that it was someone from the Xie family who had come, and that it must be Xie Guangkun.

You, Xie Guangkun! At your age, instead of doing anything worthwhile, you're secretly eavesdropping by someone's wall. You're getting more and more shameless as you get older!

Without a word, he turned and quickly slipped into the house, picked up the large copper basin, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be heavy and easy to handle.

Chang Gui tiptoed around to the front door, holding his breath.

Xie Guangkun was pressed against the wall, his ears perked up, intently listening to the sounds coming from the courtyard, his mind racing:

Has Wang Changgui calmed down? Will he seek revenge later? Can this marriage be salvaged?

His mind was completely focused on eavesdropping, and he wasn't on guard at all.

Wang Changgui took a deep breath, lifted the heavy copper basin with both hands, and slammed it down hard from the side!

"Bang—!!"

A deafening metallic clang suddenly erupted, piercing and loud.

"Oh my god!!"

Xie Guangkun let out a shrill scream, his whole body stiffened from the shock, his head buzzed as if filled with a swarm of bees, the world spun around him, and his vision went black.

His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his hands and feet numb, his head spinning and throbbing. He couldn't recover for a long time and almost fainted.

Wang Changgui stood in front of him with his hands on his hips and scolded him harshly:

"Xie Guangkun! You're quite an old man, aren't you ashamed of yourself!"

"Why can't you just come in and say what you need to say openly? Why sneak around eavesdropping against someone's wall like that! Have you no shame at all?!"

Xie Guangkun lay on the ground, his ears still ringing, dizzy and his vision blurring. He struggled for a while before managing to lift his head, covering his ears and trying to argue:

"I...I wasn't eavesdropping! I was just passing by! Yes, I was just passing through and got tired, so I stopped by to rest!"

"Just passing by?"

"You think you can just sit there motionless for ages while you're passing by? You're kidding me!"

"Let me tell you, Xie Guangkun, you're lucky today! I have official business to attend to in the county; I don't have time to dwell on old grievances with you!"

"Get the hell out of here! If you ever dare to sneak around eavesdropping at my door again, I'll drag you straight to the village committee and let the whole village see what kind of person you are!"

Xie Guangkun didn't hear what he said at the end, but it certainly wasn't anything nice. He covered his ringing ears, scrambled to his feet, and turned to leave.

Watching Xie Guangkun's disheveled escape, Wang Changgui spat out a curse, his face full of disdain, and turned back to the courtyard with the deformed copper basin in his hand.

On the other side, Lin Chen, who had walked away, clearly heard the loud noise behind him, as well as Xie Guangkun's signature miserable scream, and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly.

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying a faint scent of alcohol. He swayed his head, put his hands behind his back, and strolled slowly home. Back home, he'd enjoy the air conditioning, have some tea—that was life…

It was 8:30 p.m. The moon was very big tonight, and although there were no streetlights, the path outside was still clearly visible.

Every household closed their gates early and went to bed, making the whole village road eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of dogs barking.

In Lin Chen's home, the air conditioner gently blew cool air, dispelling the stuffiness and humidity of the night.

A classic movie was playing on the TV screen. Lin Chen nestled in the brand-new fabric sofa, relaxed and enjoying himself. A cigarette was between his fingers, and a cup of lukewarm tea was beside him. He felt relaxed and comfortable in solitude, and every muscle in his body exuded a sense of ease.

In this peaceful and comfortable environment, the heavy tiger-head bronze door knockers outside the courtyard gate were gently knocked on.

thump.

It was just a soft sound, almost inaudible, carrying a cautious probing, and a hint of furtivity, as if it dared not make a sound.

Lin Chen raised his eyes, stubbed out his cigarette, slowly got up, slipped on his clean slippers, walked to the door, reached out to open the security bolt on the door, and pushed open the heavy cast iron door.

By the light of the solar-powered light bulb at the entrance, Lin Chen saw Pi Changshan hunched over against the wall, almost pressed against it, like a mouse with nowhere to hide.

His glasses were fogged up, he was clutching two packs of cigarettes, and his face was full of unease and panic.

Seeing his guilty look, Lin Chen teased him:

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing squatting at my door in the middle of the night instead of going home to sleep? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were caught trying to sneak over the wall to steal something."

Pi Changshan quickly took half a step forward, his face contorted with worry, sweat beading on his forehead, and whispered:

"My good brother, keep your voice down, don't shout!"

"I really had no other choice but to come to you. I'm in such a predicament that I can't withstand even the slightest gossip! Come inside, and I'll explain everything to you!"

Lin Chen stepped aside to let him in, then locked the heavy cast iron door and bolted it shut.

Upon entering the room, Pi Changshan seemed to have all his strength drained away. His taut shoulders slumped instantly. Holding the cigarette, he quickly walked to the coffee table, placed it on the corner, and then froze on the spot. He kept rubbing his palms together, a fine layer of sweat on his forehead sliding down his temples. His face was pale, his lips were dry and chapped, and he was completely disoriented, unable to even stand steadily.

Lin Chen raised his chin, sensing that something serious must have happened to the old man.

"Sit down, it's nothing, why are you so flustered?"

Pi Changshan's legs went weak, and he knelt straight down on the ground with a thud.

"Oh my god!"

Lin Chen's hand trembled as he picked up the teacup, and the teacup almost fell to the ground.

His tone carried a hint of helplessness:

"What are you doing? You're a grown man, kneeling down all the time. Aren't you ashamed? Stand up and say what you have to say."

"I'm not getting up!"

Pi Changshan's head hung low, filled with the humility of someone who had nowhere else to turn.

"Brother, if you don't help me today, I'm really finished. I have no other choice but to beg you."

He took a deep breath and poured out everything that had been weighing on his mind:

"Today during the day, I accompanied my school teacher Yan Dongdong to the obstetrics and gynecology department of the health center. As soon as we stepped out, Xie Lan bumped into us."

"She turned around and walked home. When she got home, she broke down completely. No one could persuade her. She threatened me, saying that she would go to the Education Commission to complain first thing tomorrow morning and get me removed from my position as principal. She also said she wanted a divorce. She was determined and wouldn't give me any room for reconciliation."

Pi Changshan glanced furtively at Lin Chen's face, his eyes filled with fear, and continued to plead desperately:

"Brother, I know I'm a scoundrel, I was bewitched, I've let Xie Lan down, I deserve it, but I really can't lose my job, and I can't let my family fall apart!"

"After thinking it over, I realized that you are the only one in the whole village who can help me. You are familiar with the town leaders and can suppress gossip. Xie Lan listens to you the most and trusts you the most. If you abandon me, my life will be completely ruined."

Lin Chen leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips slowly tapping the coffee table.

When Pi Changshan gets into trouble, his first thought isn't to admit his mistakes and repent, but to find someone to cover for him, to protect his job and family. He's very shrewd.

"You got yourself into this mess, so you have to clean it up yourself."

Lin Chen's tone was neither warm nor cold:

"I'm an outsider. Why would I meddle in your messy marital affairs? What will people in the village say about me? I'm not going to get myself into trouble for you."

"Please, brother, I'm begging you!"

Pi Changshan was so anxious that he knelt forward half a step, sweat dripping down his face.

"I know you're not short of money and don't care about anything, so I wouldn't dare try to fool you with a small amount of money. I've been thinking about this all the way here and come up with a benefit that you'll truly need, a benefit that others simply can't get!"

"You must know those three acres of school land east of the village school. It's right outside your house's east wall, separated from your yard by only one wall. That's school property owned by the town's education committee, directly managed by the school. Village officials have absolutely no say in it, and ordinary people can't even buy it with money!"

"I'll sign a 20-year cooperation agreement with you in the name of the school's work-study practice base. It will be automatically renewed upon expiration, and you won't have to pay a single penny of rent! You can do whatever you want on the land, do whatever you want."

Even if the school is closed and relocated in the future, everything on the land will be yours, and you will always have priority in the leasehold rights. To put it bluntly, this land will be your family's private garden from now on!

Lin Chen remained silent for half a minute.

He knew in his heart that the value of this land was far more real than Pi Changshan could describe.

Being right next to your own yard, with no rent, long-term stable use, and compliant procedures, is a truly tangible advantage.