Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Lin Chen called for the landlord, his slender fingers deftly arranging the cards, his fingertips casually tapping the cards.

He played his cards extremely quickly and swiftly, flicking his fingertips and the playing cards landed lightly on the center of the table with a "thud." He had pairs and straights laid out so tightly that they were impossible to miss. His eyes only glanced lightly at the cards and the person opposite him, showing a completely effortless demeanor.

Xie Xiaomei leaned forward slightly. At first, she could calmly follow the cards, but gradually her brows furrowed, her teeth unconsciously biting her lower lip, and her delicate fingers pinched the edge of the cards to make several shallow creases. When playing a card, her fingertips would always hover in mid-air for two seconds before hesitantly drawing a card and pressing it down.

Gradually, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She raised her hand and wiped them with the back of her hand. Her eyes were slightly red. She stared at the remaining half of the hand of cards in her hand, and her shoulders slumped slightly.

"Auntie, you're still watching the show? Help me out! We're just farmers!"

Xie Dajiao leaned against the floral pillow behind her. She had been casually drawing cards to deal with the situation, but seeing that Xie Xiaomei was gradually losing her grip on Lin Chen's cards, it was time for her to make her move!

She sat up straight, rearranged the cards into a neat stack, raised the corners of her eyes, and focused her gaze on the cards below, her expression instantly becoming much more serious.

The game gradually became a stalemate.

Xie Dajiao skillfully countered Lin Chen's offensive with her high-ranking cards, while Xie Xiaomei followed up with her low-ranking cards. The two worked together seamlessly, one defending and the other attacking, demonstrating perfect teamwork!

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, sat up a little straighter, and slowed down the pace of playing cards, his fingertips tracing the edge of the cards, pausing occasionally before placing them.

The last card was played by Xie Dajiao. They won, the peasants triumphed. She let out a long sigh of relief, leaned back against the wall, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and couldn't help but smile. Her eyes still had a hint of red from holding back her emotions.

Xie Xiaomei lay on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). This game of cards had wasted a lot of her brain cells. She said weakly:

"Auntie, why didn't you let me go first...?"

"You'll have plenty of opportunities in the future..."

Lin Chen shook his head helplessly, with a slightly nonchalant smile.

"Let's play one more round, I didn't perform well just now."

"I'm done playing, it's too late, I have to get up early to open the shop tomorrow."

Lin Chen had no choice but to compromise:

"Alright then, let's play cards again tomorrow."

Afterwards, the three chatted idly for a while, talking about the current situation of the farm, the business of Big Foot Grocery Store, and gossiping about the trivial matters in the village.

As they chatted, the sleepiness of the night finally kicked in, and the three of them gradually became even and calm.

Xie Dajiao was sleeping the soundest. She unconsciously moved to the left and fell asleep peacefully against Lin Chen's shoulder.

Xiaomei has never been a restless sleeper, and instinctively snuggled towards a warm spot, hugging Lin Chen's arm.

Lin Chen closed his eyes. To his left was the gentle and steady Xie Dajiao, and to his right was the obedient and sweet Xie Xiaomei.

At that moment, he truly felt that this house had finally become a home.

The next morning, Xie Dajiao was the first to wake up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Xiaomei nestled in Lin Chen's arms, their arms tightly entwined, sleeping soundly and sweetly.

She smiled knowingly, not daring to make a sound to disturb them, and quietly climbed off the kang (a heated brick bed), put on her shoes, and went out of the house to start a fire and cook.

Not long after, Xie Xiaomei groggily opened her eyes, saw Lin Chen beside her, and kissed him on the cheek.

Once the two of them got up, the three of them sat down to eat, drinking porridge and enjoying some refreshing pickled vegetables.

Lin Chen said while shoveling rice into his mouth:

"Xiaomei, go and put away all the bedding in that room. No one will be living there often anymore, and it's easy for it to get damp and moldy. From now on, we'll all live in this room. It's spacious and has air conditioning, so it'll be easier to live here without having to move around."

Xie Dajiao, picking up some food, immediately nodded in agreement:

"Okay, I'll do as you say. I'm too lazy to move my bedding back and forth and clean the house. Living together will allow us to chat in the evenings, which is very convenient."

Xie Xiaomei lowered her head and silently drank her porridge, giving a soft "hmm" in agreement.

With just a few simple, understated words, without any elaborate ceremony or awkward excuses, the three of them decided to live together under one roof and spend their days together.

In fact, the best days are never complicated. They are simply a new house with a warm bed, someone by your side, a stable and secure life, and smooth sailing year after year.

……

Before dawn, when Ivory Mountain Village was not yet fully bustling, Wang Xiaomeng's tofu workshop was already working feverishly.

The room was filled with the aroma of soybeans, and the heat seeped out through the cracks in the window. The electric mill hummed and whirred, making quite a racket.

Ever since signing the contract with Wang Bing in the county, Wang Xiaomeng's tofu business has taken off, keeping her extremely busy.

In the past, they would buy from neighbors in the village, and the family of three would work slowly and leisurely.

Now, the county government calls every few minutes, and we have to get up before dawn to work. We're constantly on the go, with no time to catch our breath.

The Wang family of three has been so exhausted these past few days that they have to take turns eating, grabbing a bite of cold rice whenever they have a spare moment. All three of them have dark circles under their eyes and are practically worn out.

Xiao Meng wiped the sweat from his face, his sleeve making his face shine. He quickly stacked the last slab of tofu into the delivery truck before he could finally catch his breath.

She moved a small stool next to Wang Laoqi, sat down, drank a ladle of ice-cold well water, and said:

"Dad, I need to discuss something with you."

Wang Laoqi also took the water ladle and gulped down two large mouthfuls, then wiped his mouth and said:

"Go ahead, Dad's listening."

"There's just too much work right now, and the three of us can't handle it."

"Working from dawn till dusk every day is okay in the short term, but it will definitely wear us out in the long run. I'm thinking of hiring a couple of people to help out, what do you think?"

Wang Laoqi nodded repeatedly, clearly having thought of this for a long time:

"I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days. It didn't matter when we were doing small-scale things, but now that the funding is going to the county level, we really can't keep going without hiring people. It's too tiring to just tough it out on our own."

After saying that, he smacked his lips and muttered to himself:

"I'm just worried that hiring outsiders might be unreliable, dishonest, or lazy, which would be a loss."

"I've already planned all of this."

Xiao Meng said with a smile:

"We won't hire people from other villages, we'll only hire people from our own village. We'll choose honest and hardworking people who we know well and who are willing to put in the effort. We'll pay them a fixed monthly salary, and if they do a good job and are diligent, I'll give them a raise and bonuses. That's sure to keep them here."

She had long-term plans in mind, and she kept in mind what Lin Chen had told her last time. She continued:

"Once this busy peak season is over, I plan to learn some new skills and make more variety, like dried tofu and other similar products. Just selling regular tofu is too monotonous. With more products, the business can become more stable and grow bigger."

"Okay! You can arrange it however you want, Dad will support you 100%."

Looking at his diligent and capable daughter, Wang Laoqi felt both gratified and heartbroken:

"It's good that business is booming, but it's too exhausting. You've been working non-stop every day lately and you've lost weight from exhaustion."

Xiao Meng smiled faintly but didn't reply, though Lin Chen's image inexplicably flashed through her mind.

Lately, I've been completely focused on the workshop, so busy that I haven't had a moment to spare. I haven't even had time to cook for Lin Chen, let alone make a phone call.

She secretly thought that once she was done with this busy period, she would definitely spend more time with Brother Chen.

……

After the sun came out, the temperature gradually rose, and the villagers who had been working in the fields all left. Big Foot Grocery Store also had few customers, so it was finally quiet.

Ever since things were finalized with Changgui, Wang Yun has practically settled down in Ivory Mountain. He goes to the village all the time and spends most of his time at Dajiaodian. He can't stay idle at all.

She was hardworking and strong, and she was very approachable. She took on all the dirty and tiring work in the store, such as moving goods, stacking boxes, wiping counters, and arranging shelves. She was incredibly efficient and kept the store spotless.

Xie Dajiao also really liked Wang Yun's personality; he was open, straightforward, honest, and genuinely hardworking.

The two of them would get together and chat about everyday things, gossip about the village, and talk about family matters. They got along even better than sisters.

Just then, Wang Yun neatly stacked the two cases of beer in the corner, dusted off his hands, and chatted with a smile:

"Big Foot, your little shop is doing really well. You make a little bit of money every day, no matter when you come."

Xie Dajiao handed over a slice of chilled watermelon, waving it away with a smile:

"It's all thanks to the support of the villagers that I can make a living. Before, I ran the shop alone, and my head would ache whenever I moved heavy things. I was exhausted. But since you came to keep me company, I've been much more relaxed. Come over often when you're free. With the two of us keeping each other company, I don't have to feel so bored every day."

Wang Yun, biting into a watermelon, said in a loud voice:

"Absolutely! Once things are completely settled between Changgui and me, I'll be living in the village permanently. After I finish my housework, I'll come over here to chat whenever I have free time. We can look after each other from now on, since we live close by. If anyone dares to come to the shop and cause you trouble, just say the word, and I'll teach them a lesson!"

Xie Dajiao was amused by her appearance and couldn't help but laugh:

"With your words, I feel much more at ease knowing that my little shop has a reliable backer."

The two were chatting enthusiastically when the curtain at the door was lifted, and Zhao Si, hunched over and with his neck hunched, peeked in, his mouth twitching a couple of times, a cautious and awkward smile on his face.

Zhao Si came today purely to run errands for his son and get revenge.

A while ago, Liu Neng acted all high and mighty, waiting for Zhao Yutian to come and propose marriage, which infuriated Zhao Yutian.

Yu Tian had been holding in his anger at home for several days, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "You, Liu Neng, want to control me and look down on me? Then I don't care about your Liu Ying anymore!"

In a fit of anger, he urged Zhao Si to go find Xie Dajiao and ask her to arrange a marriage for him, clearly intending to provoke Liu Neng.