country bumpkin

The next day, Liu Dayong borrowed a donkey cart and prepared to go to his mother-in-law's house to pick up his wife and children and bring them home.

The journey was smooth, though a bit bumpy. We soon arrived at my mother-in-law's house in Tuwa Village.

As soon as Liu Dayong entered the door, his mother-in-law and wife were both surprised to see him!

He thought to himself, "He's back!"

The mother-in-law, with a long face, said, "What are you doing here? You still remember you have a wife and children?"

Liu Dayong scratched his head and smiled apologetically: "Mom, I was wrong before. I did something foolish in a moment of impulse. Now I've reformed and am starting over. That's why I came to pick them up as soon as I got out."

The mother-in-law snorted and turned to go inside.

At this moment, his wife, Zheng Shuang, led their two children out of the house, her eyes red as if she had been crying.

Liu Dayong felt a pang of guilt and leaned over to hug the child.

The child burst into tears and kept pulling his little hand back.

His wife rolled her eyes at him, "The kids are almost forgetting you're their father." Liu Dayong stood there awkwardly.

Liu Dayong's youngest son, Liu Jiankang, is only three years old. He hasn't seen him for several months and doesn't even recognize him anymore, which makes Liu Dayong very embarrassed.

The eldest daughter, Liu Yanzi, is already 5 years old. When she saw her father, she ran to him happily, calling out repeatedly, "Daddy, Daddy, you're finally back! Yanzi missed you so much."

Liu Dayong excitedly picked up his daughter, spun her around, and thought to himself that his daughter was the most considerate of all, truly a sweet little angel.

Just then, several rooster crows came from the yard. It turned out that the rooster that my mother-in-law kept had run out, flapping its wings and flying around wildly.

Liu Dayong seized the opportunity and rushed forward to grab the chicken.

Seeing this, the mother-in-law's expression softened slightly, and she said, "Alright, since you still have some sense, you can have a meal here before you leave."

Liu Dayong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in agreement.

He knew very well that his mother-in-law was a woman with a sharp tongue but a kind heart, so he didn't take her cold looks, sarcastic remarks, or various criticisms to heart.

After dinner, he prepared to go home. He glanced at his mother-in-law's face; it wasn't as gloomy as it had been when he first arrived.

He knew that his mother-in-law doted on her daughter and listened to her in everything.

So, when it comes to going home, it depends on his wife. His wife listens to the children, so in the end, he should appease the children first.

His eyes lit up, and he hoisted his daughter onto his shoulder and ran out of the yard, shouting, "Let's fly! Let's lift her high!"

Liu Yanzi watched her father's frenzy, feeling both helpless and amused, and excited. She also shouted, "Fly! Lift me high!"

Three-year-old Liu Jiankang, watching the father and son laughing and joking, also wanted to play. He stretched out his arms and shouted anxiously, "Daddy, Daddy, I want to fly too, I want to be lifted up high."

Liu Dayong had achieved his goal and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Now that the children liked him, he wasn't worried that his wife wouldn't come home with him.

Seeing that his wife didn't say she wanted to go back with him, he deliberately said, "Mother, I'm going home first. Since A-Shuang doesn't want to go back, I'll come and pick her up in a few days."

After saying that, he hitched up the donkey cart in the yard and went outside.

The two children saw their father about to leave, chased after him, and climbed onto the donkey cart while shouting.

As soon as Liu Dayong turned the cart around, he saw the two children already sitting on the donkey cart.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips as he deliberately said, "You two hurry down and find your mother; your father is going home."

The two children sat motionless in the car, looking at Liu Dayong pitifully. Liu Dayong felt a surge of tenderness in his heart and looked at his wife gently.

Zheng Shuang didn't know what to do either, so she looked at her mother, her eyes asking for her opinion.

Her mother knew her daughter was indecisive, so she pursed her lips and said, "Fine! Fine! You can all go back now! I'll finally have some peace and quiet."

When Zheng Shuang saw that her mother had spoken, she quickly went back into the house to pack her things, tidying up her own clothes and the children's clothes, and then got on the donkey cart.

The mother-in-law was happy to see that they had made up.

He didn't show it on his face, and said, "You two go back and live a good life, and don't cause any more trouble."

Liu Dayong promised, "Mom, I promise I'll live a good life from now on and never do anything foolish again."

Hearing this, the mother-in-law finally smiled. She reminded them to be careful on the road.

The family happily rode home in a donkey cart, swaying and rocking.

It took him an hour to reach the village. Along the way, villagers greeted him, and he responded to each one.

Although he did something wrong, he was punished. The villagers were still kind and did not ostracize him because he had been to prison.

After all, they were from the same village. And his mother, Granny Xu, was quite well-liked in the village.

People are only letting him off the hook because of his mother's sake.

The donkey cart arrived at the door and came to a smooth stop. Her son had already fallen asleep from the swaying, and Zheng Shuang carried him into the bedroom.

Upon entering the room, one sees neatly arranged bedding, clean sheets, and walls covered with newspapers.

It was clearly freshly cleaned. I knew in my heart that my mother-in-law had helped clean it while waiting for them to come back.

I felt very warm inside. I felt a little guilty for abandoning my mother-in-law and leaving.

Then I realized that not leaving in the first place was also a mistake. Otherwise, the children would be traumatized; the gossip from outsiders would have a huge impact, and the children simply couldn't handle it.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she gently placed her son on the bed, covered him with the blanket, and left the room.

The daughter was in the yard telling her grandmother about all the interesting things happening at her maternal grandparents' house. Zheng Shuang was very happy to see the grandmother and granddaughter so close.

Even though they've been separated for several months, her daughter is still so close to her mother-in-law, giving her the illusion that they've never left.

Liu Dayong returned the donkey cart after leaving the house, thanked the driver profusely, and then walked home.

When I came back, I saw my daughter and mother chatting and laughing in the yard, and my heart was filled with warmth.

Looking around but not finding his wife, he went to the bedroom and saw his son sleeping soundly. He gently closed the door and continued looking for his wife.

Grandma Xu watched her son running around aimlessly, knowing he must be looking for his daughter-in-law. She remained silent, pretending not to see him, and continued talking to her granddaughter.

Liu Dayong ran to the kitchen again and finally saw his wife.

Overjoyed, he quietly walked over and hugged his wife from behind. Zheng Shuang was startled and said irritably, "Dayong, what are you doing? You scared me!"

Liu Dayong hugged his wife's waist, rested his head on her shoulder, and said gently, "Wife, I missed you."

Zheng Shuang's heart skipped a beat, and she blushed as she scolded, "We're an old married couple, why are you still being so mushy?"

Liu Dayong chuckled and refused to let go.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door. Granny Xu was arguing with Granny Wang. Liu Yanzi hid behind her grandmother, too afraid to come out.

The two exchanged a puzzled look and walked towards the door together. There stood Granny Wang from the village with several people, their faces full of hostility.

It turned out that while Liu Dayong was in prison, Wang Pozi had her eye on the few plots of land his family owned. Now that Liu Dayong had returned, she wanted to cause trouble and try to seize the land.

The two families' fields were adjacent to each other. Granny Wang had always wanted to exchange her small plot of land for another piece of land belonging to her family.

This way, the current plot of land can be combined with the remaining plots of land belonging to the family to form a large field, which will save time and effort when planting.

Liu Dayong frowned and shielded Zheng Shuang behind him.

"Old Lady Wang, what do you want to do?" Liu Dayong asked loudly.

“This land used to belong to you, but now that you’re in jail, it naturally belongs to me. Besides, I’m not taking it for free; I’ll exchange it for the land at the foot of the mountain,” Granny Wang said arrogantly.

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors gathered around. Liu Dayong took a deep breath and calmly said, "This land was left to my family by our ancestors. There's a land deed to prove it. Don't try to make trouble."

Granny Wang was surprised by Liu Dayong's tough stance and felt a little guilty.

The villagers nearby also began to criticize Wang Pozi, saying that she shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation. Seeing that things were not going well, Wang Pozi slunk away with her people.

Liu Dayong turned to look at Zheng Shuang and said firmly, "Wife, our lives will definitely get better and better."

Zheng Shuang looked at her husband with eyes full of trust and nodded heavily.