country bumpkin

In late winter and early December, the weather is so cold that it makes you question your existence; your breath can freeze into ice crystals right in the air.

Walking down the street, I looked around and saw very few people; they were probably all stuck at home because of this awful weather.

But on such a freezing day, a strange "farce" was unfolding in the hospital ward.

Lying on the hospital bed was Bai Bing, his face as sallow as a newly unearthed artifact.

He had just undergone surgery for a stomach hemorrhage and was as weak as a kitten drenched in rain.

Beside the bed, his daughter, Bai Linlin, a beautiful 19-year-old girl, was crying her heart out.

The reason was simple: she saw the incision on her father's stomach.

Bai Bing weakly raised his hand, wanting to comfort his daughter, but he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Bai Binbin, the son, a 20-year-old young man, was squatting on the ground comforting his younger sister.

Bai Bing rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "When did these two kids become so pretentious?"

At this moment, Song Ke, the future son-in-law, walked into the ward carrying a bunch of fruit.

As soon as he entered the door, he exclaimed, "Uncle, look what I brought you! They're all good things to nourish your body."

As he spoke, he dumped all the fruit on the table, but accidentally knocked over an apple, which rolled around in the ward.

Song Ke hurriedly chased after it, but accidentally bumped into the cabinet next to the bed. The water glass on the cabinet fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered into pieces.

The White Soldier was so frightened by the series of noises that he almost jumped out of bed. His already pale face turned even whiter with fright.

Bai Linlin cried even louder, whether from anger or fright at the sudden turn of events, it was hard to tell.

Bai Binbin looked up, staring blankly at everything before him, and asked, "What's going on?"

Song Ke stood there awkwardly, scratching his head and saying, "Brother, this...this was purely an accident, an accident."

Bai Bing sighed helplessly, thinking, "Did I just have surgery, or did I walk into a comedy show?"

Bai Linlin looked up at Song Ke with concern and asked, "Brother Ke, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Song Ke smiled and said, "It's okay, don't worry. It was just an accident."

Seeing that her mother hadn't returned, Bai Linlin asked again, "Brother Ke, has the matter of Monkey Three been resolved? Why didn't Mother come back with you?"

Song Ke replied, "It's almost resolved."

Bai Linlin and Bai Binbin looked at him together and asked, "What do you mean by 'roughly'? Haven't you explained it clearly yet?"

Song Ke explained, "I've already returned the 2000 yuan dowry he gave me. He also asked for 100 yuan in compensation for emotional distress. He threatened that if I didn't pay it, he wouldn't break off the engagement."

Bai Binbin said angrily, "This scoundrel is demanding compensation for emotional distress. He's already mentally unstable."

Song Ke explained, "He initially asked for 300 yuan! It was only after Aunt Chen and his mother talked about neighborly relations that he agreed to pay. He gave me 100 yuan, just to avoid further trouble. As long as I can get rid of him completely, that's already good enough."

Bai Linlin agreed, otherwise she would be terrified to go out in the future. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Bai Bing listened attentively to these matters. He felt deeply guilty; if it weren't for him, his daughter wouldn't have so readily agreed to this marriage.

A while later, Chen Hong came in from outside, smiling broadly. Seeing her beaming expression, everyone knew that the matter had been resolved.

The happiest person was Bai Linlin. At first, she just thought that since no one liked her and she couldn't find someone she truly loved, it didn't matter who she married.

After careful consideration, I feel that after marriage, we'll be seeing each other every day and living together constantly, so mutual affection is a more sustainable approach.

In the cold early December, this small ward, despite the many unexpected situations, was filled with a unique warmth.

Perhaps this is life; even when it's full of surprises and challenges, the company of family can make everything seem less bad.

Bai Bing stayed in the hospital for seven days and has almost recovered. During that time, his daughter and future son-in-law visited him twice more.

Every time he came, he brought lots of bags and packages, and Chen Hong became more and more satisfied with Song Ke.

She felt that someone who could treat his girlfriend's family as his own must be of very good character.

They were planning to be discharged today. The whole family came. Chen Hong packed their things, Bai Binbin helped his father, and Song Ke called a colleague from the construction site to come and pick them up in a tractor to take them home.

The driver drove very slowly along the way because the wound had not fully healed and needed to rest properly at home.

So the ride couldn't be too bumpy; we had to make it home slowly.

After waiting for two hours, they finally arrived home. Bai Binbin then helped his father into the house.

Chen Hong carried the luggage behind. Bai Linlin also followed Chen Hong, helping to carry the luggage home.

Everything was taken back inside, and the driver drove away. Chen Hong went to the kitchen to cook. Bai Binbin talked to Bai Bing by the bedside.

Bai Linlin was cleaning the house; it hadn't been cleaned for several days, and a layer of dust had settled everywhere.

Song Ke also rolled up his sleeves to help clean.

With the whole family working together, the house was spotless in no time.

Inside the main room, fragrant dishes were laid out on the table. Everyone began to gather around the table, ready to eat.

Bai Bing was still taking medication and couldn't drink alcohol, so Bai Binbin had a little wine with Song Ke. Soon his face turned flushed, showing signs of slight intoxication.

Bai Linlin and Chen Hong saw that Bai Binbin seemed drunk, so they helped him to his room to rest.

After they returned to the dining table, Song Ke solemnly said to Chen Hong and Bai Bing, "Auntie and Uncle, I want to bring Linlin home this Sunday so that my mother can meet her."

Chen Hong smiled and nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, that's only right. Your mother raised you with great difficulty, she must have been looking forward to you settling down and starting a family a long time ago!"

Song Ke's eyes reddened slightly as he said, "Thank you, Auntie and Uncle, thank you for your understanding. My mother will be so happy to see Linlin."

He then added, "After we meet, could we get engaged before the end of the year?"

Chen Hong exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you in such a hurry? We need to see if there are any auspicious days before the New Year."

Song Ke's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "There will definitely be an auspicious day before the end of the year suitable for the engagement."

He then said shyly, "Actually, I'm anxious because I'm afraid someone will take Linlin away from me..." After saying that, he lowered his head and glanced at his future father-in-law and mother-in-law out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing his embarrassment, Chen Hong laughed so hard her eyes were almost closed. Bai Bing laughed along, teasingly saying, "That's right, my precious daughter is the village's one and only beauty."

Bai Linlin blushed shyly and said, "Dad, what are you saying?" She got up and ran to her room.

Looking at the two young people, both so shy, Chen Hong thought with worry, "Sigh! When will I be able to hold my grandson!"