country bumpkin

In a farmhouse in Kongjia Village, there is a black and white television set on a tall, old-fashioned eight-immortal table, which is playing the TV series "Journey to the West" directed by Yang Jie.

Yunya, Caixia, Jianjun, Jianguo, and several other children from the neighborhood were all sitting upright watching TV.

Each of their infatuated little expressions seems to have entered the world of TV dramas, where they play the "Monkey King".

Just then, the screen suddenly flickered and then turned into a screen full of static.

"Oh dear, what's going on?" Yun Ya exclaimed anxiously.

Kong Jianjun jumped up and ran to the TV, slapping the screen a few times, but to no avail.

Yun Ya stopped him and said, "Stop filming! This is a new TV. What if you break it?"

Caixia scratched her head and said, "Is there something wrong with the antenna?"

So a group of children ran out to check the antenna on the roof.

When the wind blew, the simple homemade antenna swayed precariously.

It turned out that the child who was playing earlier had accidentally bumped into the pole supporting the antenna.

Yunya ran out to call her grandmother and Granny Zhang, who were chatting.

Mu Shuyun and Granny Zhang went inside to look at the television and understood what was going on. The two of them went out to readjust the antenna.

Mu Shuyun shouted, "Yunya, keep an eye on things. If the picture becomes clear, say stop."

Yunya and Jianjun both responded "Okay".

Mu Shuyun and Granny Zhang hugged the tall bamboo pole tightly and swayed it around in circles.

Mu Shuyun asked, "How is it going? Is there a channel? Is it clear now?"

Yunya shouted, "No, turn it a little more."

The two people outside turned around a little more and asked again, "Is it ready?"

Kong Jianjun shouted, "Okay, that's it. Don't move it. Secure it firmly."

The two people outside worked together to re-secure the antenna. The children then swarmed back into the house.

When the screen showed a clear picture again and the familiar music played, the children's faces lit up with bright smiles.

Yunya excitedly shouted, "The Great Sage is back!" They quickly sat up and continued to immerse themselves in the magical story of "Journey to the West".

Every little eye was glued to the screen, afraid of missing even the slightest bit of exciting content, filling the small room with a joyful and focused atmosphere.

Ever since Kong Xiufang got engaged, this television set has become a toy for the children.

The local television station broadcasts "Journey to the West" and "Investiture of the Gods" daily. They also have a local television station that airs entertainment programs such as singing and comedy sketches.

These days, only one or two families in a village own a television. This is especially true for families with daughters who are getting married or engaged.

If there's a TV in the neighborhood, all the kids will rush over to watch it.

Power outages are frequent in rural areas; sometimes there's no electricity for an entire day. Even when the power comes back on at night, it occasionally breaks down again.

So there's no need to worry about children's eyesight. Especially during the autumn harvest season, adults and children are busy working and don't have time to watch TV.

It was getting dark outside, and adults from each household began to come out to look for their children.

They would call out their children's names at the street corner, and the children would run home when they heard them.

Kong Jianjun and Kong Jianguo finished their meal at the old house, and Mu Shuyun led Yunya to take them home.

After dropping Kong Xiangguang off at the gate, Mu Shuyun didn't go inside. She told her eldest daughter-in-law to look after the child and then went back.

Wang Cuihua was too lazy to argue. Since her mother-in-law didn't come to her house, she was saved from having to serve tea and water.

Yunya was full of energy when she arrived, but now she looks listless and keeps yawning from exhaustion.

Mu Shuyun picked her up and said, "Sweetie, don't sleep. Grandma will carry you and walk faster. Lie down properly so you don't fall off. We'll be home soon."

Yunya mumbled sleepily, "Okay, Grandma, I...I...will...not...sleep. *snoring*"

He fell asleep while talking.

Mu Shuyun quickly grabbed her little legs, dragged her little bottom, and hurried home.

When they got home, Kong Tongming was watching TV and hadn't gone to sleep yet. He helped carry Yunya to bed, covered her with a blanket, and then left.

Mu Shuyun went back to the bedside and took off Yunya's coat. The little monkey was sleeping like a dead pig, completely still.

After tidying up the little girl, Mu Shuyun began to clean up the pots, pans, and food scraps.

After busying myself for a while, the kitchen was spotless. I mixed the pig feed and fed the pigs. Then I went to the backyard to feed the sheep.

The sheep drank the warm water mixed with cornmeal, smacked its lips, and bleated contentedly.

Mu Shuyun led the sheep to the side room next to the kitchen, threw some dried peanut vines inside, closed the door, and locked it.

She had to be careful; with the year-end approaching, outsiders were coming to the village again to steal sheep and pigs. A few days ago, a sheep was stolen from a family in the east of the village.

According to Granny Zhang's gossip, the sheep thief used a sleeping potion to knock the sheep unconscious before stealing it.

They say that family slept in the sheepfold, but their sheep were still stolen. It was truly frightening, so now anyone who raises sheep does so secretly, afraid to make a fuss.

Mu Shuyun's family had sheep, but apart from a few nearby households, no one else knew that her family raised sheep.

Furthermore, with Kong Tongming at home, there was no fear that anyone would dare to steal livestock.

However, it was still not very safe. After thinking about it, Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming discussed building a high wall around the courtyard and installing a tall, large new gate.

The next day, Kong Tongming took leave from work and borrowed a donkey cart to go to Zhujia Village in the northeastern suburbs.

There were brick kilns in the village, so he went to ask about the prices and calculate how much it would cost to build a courtyard wall and a gatehouse.

After calculating the price, they found a small construction team in Kongjia Village, agreed on the price and date, and asked them to build the gate tower.

On the way back, I went to my eldest son's craftsman's place and ordered a tall gate made of solid wood, which must be very sturdy.

Everything was ready, and we were just waiting for them to come and do the work.

Another day passed, and all the bricks were delivered. After settling the bill, the village's construction team arrived, and everyone got busy.

By evening, everyone had gone home, leaving only the dilapidated mud walls and the pile of rubble around the gate.

It was a dark and windy night. A shadowy figure stealthily approached Kong Tongming's house.

The shadowy figure had its eye on his family's big, fat pig.

Mu Shuyun was sleeping soundly when she suddenly heard a pig grunting. Afraid she had misheard, she sat up and listened carefully for a while, and it was indeed the sound of a pig.

In the yard, the dark figure had already opened the gate to the pigsty.

He was holding a tree branch and was hitting the pig's rump with it.

No matter how much this fat pig was beaten, it just wouldn't leave the pigpen.

This big, fat pig is an old sow that Mu Shuyun has carefully fed for several years. She can give birth to 11 to 15 piglets in a litter. A very hardworking sow.

The shadowy figure grew anxious; if he couldn't chase it away soon, he might be discovered. He exerted even more force, whipping the sow relentlessly until she finally moved.

It grunted twice and walked out of the pigpen. But instead of going out the gate, it circled around the main room.

Mu Shuyun heard everything clearly from inside the house and knew she had guessed correctly; it seemed the thief had been eyeing their house for a long time.

Seeing that they were building a new gate today, I was afraid I wouldn't have a chance to steal it later, so I came to her house tonight to steal a pig.