Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

She turned her head and looked directly at Lin Chen, who was standing against the wall smoking. Her voice was crisp and clear:

"What's there to worry about? Everyone in the village knows Li Fu is terrified of Brother Chen. Even if he had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare cause trouble at Brother Chen's doorstep!"

"Auntie, why don't you move to Brother Chen's house for a while to avoid trouble? I'm not living in the farm dormitory anymore anyway, so I'll move there to keep you company. We can chat together at night, look after each other, it'll be safe and lively. Brother Chen, what do you think of my idea?"

After saying that, she tilted her head and stared at Lin Chen with a pleading look in her eyes, full of expectation.

The room fell silent instantly. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at Lin Chen, waiting for him to give his opinion.

Before Lin Chen could speak, Wang Changgui became anxious, immediately leaning forward and waving his hands in protest, his tone urgent:

"No, no, that won't do! That's not appropriate!"

"It's so inconvenient for a lone man and woman to live together! Besides, Lin Chen is a young man with different lifestyles and routines. If Da Jiao goes to stay with him, it will only cause him trouble."

He spoke eloquently, claiming that every word he uttered was for Lin Chen's benefit, but in reality, he was secretly plotting his own schemes.

After finally managing to get rid of Li Fu, he could now legitimately visit Xie Dajiao at the grocery store every day.

If Big Foot moves to Lin Chen's house, he won't even see her at night, which would be a huge loss!

Lin Chen casually flicked his cigarette ash and slowly began to speak:

"My house is spacious with several empty rooms, so it won't be a problem for my aunt to come and stay. It won't be any trouble at all."

He changed the subject and looked at Xie Xiaomei:

"It's just that you, Xiaomei, don't need to move here. Your farm is far from my house, and it's too much trouble to travel back and forth. It's also inconvenient for you to go to work. Let your aunt live in that room by herself. You can come over during the day to chat with her."

As he spoke, he secretly gave Liu Yishui a wink, signaling him to persuade Xiaomei.

As it turned out, Liu Yishui completely misunderstood, thinking that Lin Chen was worried that Xiaomei's commute would be inconvenient and delay her work. He immediately stepped forward, patted his chest, and loudly assured her, appearing exceptionally forthright:

"Hey! This is no big deal, it's not a problem at all!"

"Xiaomei can just drive my car to and from get off work. I'll stay at the farm at night and won't go anywhere else. It's a waste for the car to sit idle all day. If necessary, I'll drive her to and from work every morning and evening. It definitely won't cause any problems. Leave this to me; none of you need to worry about it!"

Xie Xiaomei's lips curled up secretly, and she was secretly delighted.

She was already happy to spend more time with Lin Chen, and Liu Yishui's words gave her a perfect excuse to move in with him.

Accountant Xu was the first to nod in agreement, her face full of approval:

"I think this method is really reliable, and it's definitely the best way right now. Lin Chen's house has a big yard, high walls, and a deep courtyard, and the gate is sturdy. Even if Li Fu had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to go there and cause trouble. Xiao Mei can keep Da Jiao company, and the two of them can take care of each other so they won't be lonely."

Wang Laoqi nodded repeatedly in agreement:

"That's for sure! Lin Chen is the only one in the whole village who can keep Li Fu in check. With him protecting us, we don't have to be afraid of anything. This is the safest and most reassuring way."

Xie Guangkun craned his neck and quickly chimed in:

"Yes, yes, yes! Safety first! Big Foot, just listen to everyone and stay at Lin Chen's house. It's the safest place in the whole village!"

Liu Neng stammered and added:

"Yes...that makes sense. Lin Chen's place...no...no problem."

Zhao Si sat next to him, his lips twitched, and he nodded slightly in agreement, without saying anything more.

Everyone reached a consensus, and no one objected anymore.

Xie Dajiao was actually already happy about it.

But she still wanted to put on an act for others, so she said softly:

"That would be too much trouble for Xiaochen. Moving there for no reason and causing you so much trouble, I feel bad about it."

Lin Chen waved his hand:

"It's no trouble at all. I'm so grateful to you for taking care of me since I came back. The house is just sitting there anyway, so Auntie, you can just pack a few things and come over. The bedding and everything are all there, so you can move in right away."

Seeing everyone's agreement, Wang Changgui, no matter how unwilling or aggrieved he felt, dared not refute in public, otherwise he would appear to have a dirty mind. He could only force himself to nod and agree.

The smile on his face was more painful than a grimace.

……

Early in the morning at Xiangyashan, the wind was gentle and the sun was warm, neither dry nor stuffy.

But Wang Laoqi's tofu shop had an awkward atmosphere from the very morning.

The brand-new electric grinder in the corner was gleaming; it was a new appliance that Wang Xiaomeng had just bought a few days ago, intending to produce more tofu and earn more money.

But who would have thought that the new machine would ruin the job?

I originally thought that switching to an electric mill would double the output, but the tofu I made was simply unappetizing.

Wang Xiaomeng squatted by the vat, her brows furrowed tightly, her face tense and full of worry.

She picked up a piece of tofu, which looked white and tender, but it felt loose and flimsy when she touched it with her fingertips. She pinched a little bit and tasted it, and immediately frowned and pouted.

It tastes bland and has lost the rich and mellow flavor of traditional stone-ground tofu.

Wang Laoqi squatted on the threshold, smoking a cigarette for a long time, and the ash fell a long way off, but he didn't even notice.

He puffed on a cigarette, sighed, and repeated this one action over and over again.

"This is really weird."

Wang Laoqi said in a muffled voice:

"No matter how I grind it, it just doesn't taste right."

Wang Xiaomeng stood up, lightly stomped her foot, and looked utterly helpless.

"Dad, I'm really confused. Logically speaking, an electric mill should produce a finer and more even paste, extract the soy milk faster, and save effort. So why does the tofu it makes not as good as the old-fashioned stone mill?"

The father and daughter spent the entire morning working on the new machine, but they had no clue whatsoever.

What's most infuriating is that Wang Bing just called and said the food he makes now doesn't taste the same as before. He'd rather sacrifice some production volume than compromise on quality.

Wang Xiaomeng pondered for a while and suddenly thought of Lin Chen. This man was quick-witted and knowledgeable; it seemed like there was nothing he couldn't do.

She wiped her hands and ran out quickly, personally inviting Lin Chen to the tofu shop.

Lin Chen was still half asleep and slowly circled the electric mill twice, but couldn't figure out what it was all about.

"Wait a minute, I'm going out to make a phone call. I have a friend who should know the reason."

A short while later, Lin Chen returned with the phone.

Wang Xiaomeng quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Brother Chen, did you get the answer? We've been messing around with it all morning, nothing we've tried is working, we're so worried."

Wang Laoqi also stubbed out his cigarette and stood up, looking at Lin Chen expectantly:

"Yes, Lin Chen, what exactly went wrong?"

Lin Chen smiled faintly and said:

"My friend said the problem wasn't with the grit size at all, but that the electric grinder was spinning too fast, and that something called 'burning the paste' happened while it was grinding. I don't remember the exact name, but he explained it quite professionally."

"The old stone mill grinds slowly and gently, without raising the temperature, so the original flavor and protein of the soybeans are locked in the soy milk, resulting in tofu that is naturally firm and has a rich soybean aroma."

"This electric grinder is spinning too fast, it's really slow. The high-speed grinding and friction generate a lot of heat, so the edges of the tofu are slightly burnt, which is called protein denaturation. That's why the tofu turns out like this, and all the original bean aroma is gone."

"Transgender? Became a transvestite?"

Lin Chen was speechless.

"What? Uncle Qi, you're quite fashionable!"

Lin Chen explained it again, and the two of them suddenly understood why changing the gap didn't work; they had completely misunderstood the root cause.

"Then, Brother Chen, how should I adjust it?" Wang Xiaomeng quickly asked.

"It's simple, just change two small details."

Lin Chen pointed to the grinding wheel adjustment port and imitated him, saying:

"Adjust the grinding wheel a little wider. Don't try to grind it super fine in one go. The longer and finer you grind, the higher the temperature will be, and the more waste the slurry will be. Try grinding it twice instead. Also, lower the temperature of the braising water by a few degrees. Take it slow and steady. Don't rush to increase production. Try it first. Once the taste is back, then you can start making it in large quantities."

Finally, he added:

"Don't panic about Wang Bing. I'll talk to him later. It's fine to delay the delivery for a couple of days. We absolutely cannot let your cooperation fall through."

Upon hearing this, the father and daughter, who had been anxious all morning, finally felt relieved.

Wang Xiaomeng said with a face full of gratitude:

"Oh, Brother Chen, thank you so much! I really didn't know what I would have done without you coming."

Wang Laoqi nodded repeatedly:

"You've really been a great help. We've been racking our brains all morning, and you've figured it out in just a few words. You're so smart and know what's going on."

"Uncle, it's not that I understand, it's that I have a friend who understands this. He understands as soon as I explain it."

The gloom in the tofu shop vanished, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Just then, a loud, crackling sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from outside.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, looked outside, and asked:

"What's going on here? Is someone having a wedding? It's so lively!"

Wang Laoqi shook his head helplessly:

"Who else could it be? Xie Guangkun's family, of course!"

"I heard that Mayor Qi sent a car to pick up Yongqiang today. It must mean his job at the county education commission is completely secured. Xie Guangkun, ever since he got out of bed, has been wandering around the village, bragging to everyone he meets about how successful his Yongqiang is. He's grinning from ear to ear, showing off to no end!"

Wang Xiaomeng appeared calm, only letting out a soft sigh:

"Uncle Guangkun is definitely going to be ecstatic now. If Yongqiang really gets a job in the county, he can brag about it in the village for a year."

"Let's go check out the excitement," Lin Chen said casually.

The two quickly finished their work and followed the flow of people toward Xie Yongqiang's house.

The area in front of Xie Guangkun's house was already packed with people, with villagers crowding around to watch the excitement and chattering incessantly. Cars were parked right in front of his house.

Today, Xie Guangkun is simply the most dazzling person in the whole village.

He was dressed impeccably, with his hands behind his back and chest puffed out, pacing back and forth in the crowd with an air of arrogance.

Clutching a pack of cigarettes, he offered them to everyone he met, his smile never fading, as if he wanted the whole village to know that a big shot had come from his family.

As Lin Chen and Wang Xiaomeng approached, they heard Xie Guangkun loudly boasting, spitting as he spoke.

"To be honest, this is really no big deal!"

Xie Guangkun feigned modesty, but his face was full of smugness:

"My Yongqiang was a bright student to begin with, and now he works in the county education commission, a proper government job—a secure, lifelong position!"