country bumpkin

The tenth day of the eleventh lunar month is the solar term Major Snow.

Kong Xiujuan got up early to prepare breakfast and began preparing for the day's meals.

Sun Limei went to school with her classmate across the street. Sun Guoqiang was still lying in bed sleeping. Sun Zitao finished breakfast and went out to wait for work.

In the backyard of the storefront, Gao Qinglian was chatting and laughing. Her eldest daughter, Sun Zihong, was sitting opposite her.

My son-in-law, Bai Yang, went to work and didn't come along. There were two children squatting on the ground playing with stones nearby.

One of them is her 6-year-old second daughter, Bai Yan, who took leave from school because she knew she was coming to her maternal grandmother's house.

This daughter was raised at her maternal grandmother's house and is very close to her.

She and Sun Limei are the same age. Back then, because her eldest daughter, Sun Zihong, sent Bai Yan here to be raised, Gao Qinglian didn't have time to help her eldest daughter-in-law take care of the child.

Bai Yan was only brought home when she was 4 years old, with the plan to raise her at home for two years before she went to school.

Playing next to her is her younger brother, Bai Ye, who is 5 years old this year, and shares the same birthday as Yun Ya.

Sun Zihong also has an older daughter, Bai Rui, who is 8 years old this year and is in the third grade of primary school in the village.

Below Bai Rui and in front of Bai Yan was another daughter, who was taken away and given away by her grandson Hong's mother-in-law.

What's most puzzling is that Bai Ye had a son who was sold by his grandson Hong's grandmother.

This wasn't something my mother-in-law decided to sell on her own; it was the result of a family discussion.

Because the family was poor, had many children, and had several more children than allowed, they had no other way to make ends meet, so they could only exchange the money to support the whole family.

They wouldn't have sold their child if they could afford the fines to buy a new household registration later. These were the couple's exact words to their mother-in-law.

Sun Zihong couldn't possibly hide all her children at her parents' home! The only child she could hide at her parents' home was her second daughter.

Gao Qinglian has many family matters to attend to, including two young daughters to look after. She also has to run a breakfast business, so she simply can't keep an eye on all these children.

She didn't help her eldest daughter-in-law take care of her children, but she helped her second daughter-in-law quite a bit. Later, her second daughter-in-law gave birth to twin sons, and Gao Qinglian helped take care of them both.

At this moment, Gao Qinglian had prepared the meat sauce noodles, which also contained three poached eggs.

Sun Zihong and the two children were eating with great relish, their heads resting on the table. Once they were full, they began to gather their thoughts, considering how to start the conversation.

She came to her parents' house today to borrow money. She opened her mouth several times, but didn't know how to start.

While playing with the child, Gao Qinglian would occasionally glance at her grandson Hong, seemingly guessing what was going on.

Finally, Sun Zihong mustered up his courage and said, "Mom, I... my family is starving right now. We have too many children and we don't have enough for everything. Could you lend me some money to tide me over?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qinglian looked troubled. She sighed and said, "My dear daughter, you know that our breakfast business is barely enough to make ends meet. We also have to take care of your second brother's family. I really don't have much money left."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zihong's eyes welled up with tears. She thought, "Isn't my mother the one who loves me the most? How could she not help me?"

At this moment, Bai Yan, the second daughter who had been silent, stood up, ran into the house, took out the jar where her grandmother kept her allowance, and handed it to her grandson Hong, saying, "Mom, this is the allowance my grandma kept. It's all for you."

Sun Zihong held Bai Yan and wept uncontrollably, while Gao Qinglian blushed and felt a little embarrassed.

She gritted her teeth, turned around and went into the house to find some food. "Take this food back with me for now. I'll figure out the money later."

Sun Zihong gratefully accepted the food, and with Bai Yan and the canned food jar, she prepared to leave her parents' home and go home with mixed feelings.

Just then, Gao Qinglian's second sister-in-law, Liu Xiuju, came to ask her for grain.

As soon as Liu Xiuju entered the door, she saw her sister-in-law, Sun Zihong, carrying half a bag of grain and some loose change in her hand, and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh my, this lady has really come back with a full load. No wonder Mother always says that we have no money or food at home. We've given away all the food, so where would we find any food?"

Gao Qinglian frowned and scolded, "Xiuju, what are you saying? Your eldest sister is indeed in trouble."

Liu Xiuju pouted, "Mom, we're not doing well ourselves. You've worked so hard all day to earn this little bit of food, and now you're giving away so much."

Gao Qinglian sighed, "They're all my children. Your eldest sister has many children and they're struggling to make ends meet. I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Liu Xiuju snorted coldly, "Hmph, she had most of her children willingly, so why doesn't anyone care about us?"

Gao Qinglian stomped her feet in anger, "Haven't I helped your family enough on a regular basis? Haven't I taken care of those twins?"

Liu Xiuju was speechless for a moment, but still muttered softly.

Gao Qinglian softened her tone, "Xiuju, we're all family, let's be understanding of each other. We don't have any extra grain today, I'll do more business tomorrow to make up for it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiuju's expression softened slightly, and although she was still dissatisfied, she remained silent.

She was afraid that if she angered the old woman, she wouldn't give her any food at all, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Especially the family's money; her whole family's food and clothing are provided by her mother-in-law. If she gets angry and is treated like her sister-in-law's family, there will be no chance to make amends.

She's quick-witted and clever, and she's not stupid. These small gains in front of her are nothing compared to her mother-in-law's storefront.

She feigned remorse and smiled ingratiatingly at her mother-in-law: "Mother, I was just joking, please don't take it to heart."

Then, smiling at her sister-in-law, she said, "Sister, if you're not in a hurry, come sit in my room and have dinner before you go back."

Sun Zihong shook his head. "I can't go. Thank you, Second Sister-in-law. I have things to do at home, so I have to hurry back. Otherwise, there won't be any more donkey carts left."

Sun Zihong understood perfectly well what she was thinking. It was just that her mother managed the household finances, and the lion's share of the money was in her hands.

The property deeds for the storefronts are also in Gao Qinglian's hands. Otherwise, this shrewd woman wouldn't have spoken so politely to her mother.

Over the years, it's obvious to any normal person how her mother has treated her eldest and second brother's families differently.

She knew that, but she didn't need to meddle in other people's business. She was already struggling to make ends meet, so why would she care about others?

Besides, she didn't like her older brother's family.

The eldest sister-in-law is assertive and close to her own family. The eldest brother is not a smart man; he just does manual labor and has no education or skills, so he won't be able to help his family in the future. Moreover, he listens to his sister-in-law.

There's absolutely no need for them to step forward and speak well of them. Everyone should just mind their own business and live their own lives.

She couldn't afford to completely offend her second brother and sister-in-law. Her second brother was educated and had the potential to succeed; she would need his help in the future!

With that thought in mind, she quickly said goodbye to her mother, led her two children, and got on the donkey cart to go home.

She married into a small village on the outskirts of the city. Donkey carts carried passengers back and forth every day.

Because it wasn't very far, there were no cars passing by. After a bumpy ride, I finally saw my husband's village.

As soon as I stepped through the gate, I heard a cacophony of squeaking and shouting coming from the yard. My heart skipped a beat; something must have happened at home.