country bumpkin

Kong Jinbao slowly came to his senses, glanced at his second sister, and remained silent. He was afraid that if he told his parents about this, his father would probably beat his second sister to death.

Kong Shangbiao never imagined that his obedient and sensible daughter would do something so outrageous.

Liu Fangxiang was completely unaware of any problem, only concerned about her beloved son. Seeing that her son had looked over and seemed much more awake, she felt relieved.

After so many years of marriage, they've only managed to raise two daughters. Jinbao had another girl before, but she didn't survive and died after only a few days.

Although the son was not Kong Shangbiao's biological child, his husband treated him as his own child, caring for him even more than his own daughter.

This is the generation influenced by the stubborn patriarchal ideology of valuing sons over daughters.

Kong Shangbiao figured that since his wife was with him anyway, and that pretty boy had disappeared, maybe the pretty boy didn't know he had a son in the countryside.

Even so, he's still the biggest winner. He has a wife, a son and a daughter, and a simple, peaceful life. He's easily satisfied.

Liu Fangxiang took her beloved son's hand and walked into the house, asking him questions as they went.

"Baby, are you hungry? Mommy will make you something delicious."

Jinbao waved his hand and said, "Mom, I'm not hungry."

He patted his stomach and said, "I'm full from eating fried dough twists, hehe!"

Liu Fangxiang looked at her simple-minded son with heartache and said, "Listen to your mother. From now on, no matter whose house you are playing at, if you get hungry, ask the host for food, okay? Don't be polite. The villagers won't hold it against you."

She added in her mind, "Because they all think you're a fool."

After speaking, she gently patted her son's head, feeling both heartache and helplessness. Her son's mental disability was something she couldn't do, a pain she would never forget, and now she was powerless to help him.

When Jinbao was two or three years old, he was just like any other child. He was lively, active, and talkative, with a sweet tongue, clear speech, and excellent communication skills.

When I was four years old, I had a high fever, and ever since then my brain has been affected and I can no longer function properly. My thinking has been stuck at the age of three or four.

She feels that she is the one who caused her son to become like this, so she spoils him very much now, buying him whatever he wants and never mistreating him.

Kong Shangbiao followed her into the house, while Kong Xiuyan returned to her own room. Her room wasn't clean yet; even the slightest clue left behind could alert her parents.

I went back inside, changed the sheets, and cleaned up the trash and old underwear on the floor. Then I opened the window to let in some fresh air.

She took the bed sheet and underwear to the backyard to wash clothes. Her parents' attention was all on their son; no one was paying attention to her, which relieved her.

At Yunya's house, relatives and friends sat for an afternoon, offering their congratulations and chatting for a while before preparing to go home.

Mu Shuyun invited them to stay for dinner, but everyone declined, saying they would come back to get together sometime in the future.

After seeing everyone off, Yun Ya, Mu Shuyun, Kong Tongming, Kong Xiangdong, and Zhou Caiyun, holding their child, joined Kong Xiangguang, Kong Jianjun, and Kong Jianguo for a family meal.

Wang Cuihua didn't come. Kong Xiangguang asked her to come with him, but she said she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to move. Kong Xiangguang didn't force her.

The table was laden with all sorts of dishes: braised pork ribs, stir-fried shredded pork with chili peppers, dried and flat pork intestines, stewed carp, spicy chicken, stir-fried bok choy with minced garlic, meatballs stewed with spinach, eggs with garlic sprouts, steamed sausage, and spicy diced radish.

There were a total of 10 dishes. The men drank and chatted, while the women and children ate their meals with great relish.

Wang Cuihua at home was not feeling unwell at all. She ate a simple meal and then went to Granny Wang's house to gossip.

Granny Wang cracked melon seeds, her triangular eyes wide open, spitting out seed shells as she chatted on gossip.

"You have no idea what I saw when I went to the village entrance that day?"

Wang Cuihua excitedly replied, "What did you see! Tell me quickly!"

Granny Wang said, "I saw Kong Xiuyan waving goodbye to a man!"

Wang Cuihua thought there was some earth-shattering gossip, and scoffed, "What's the big deal? It's just saying goodbye. What's the big deal?"

Granny Wang rolled her eyes at her, "What do you know? I've eaten more salt than you've walked roads."

She spat out the sunflower seed shells from her mouth and said, "That wasn't a normal goodbye; they were even holding hands!"

Wang Cuihua exclaimed excitedly, "Really? Did you see clearly? Is it someone from our village?"

Granny Wang also got interested and rummaged through a bunch of things, saying, "No, I've never seen him before, but he looks like he's several years older than her."

Wang Cuihua asked with a grin, "You didn't find a godfather in town, did you? Haha...hahaha."

After saying that, he covered his mouth and burst into laughter.

Granny Wang asked in confusion, "What godfather? I've never heard of him before."

Wang Cuihua said, "Hey! You haven't heard of this? My younger sister from my family works in the city. She told me this when she came to visit last time. She said that nowadays, rich older men like to adopt goddaughters, giving them money, houses, and supporting them."

Granny Wang's mouth dropped open. "Such a good thing?"

Seeing her expression, Wang Cuihua laughed even harder. "Auntie, how can you be so confused? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Besides, those rich people are all incredibly shrewd; how could they possibly suffer a loss? They're just old cows eating young grass! Understand?"

As he spoke, he winked at Granny Wang.

Granny Wang instantly understood. Oh, so that's how it is! She thought for a moment, then thought, "That's not right. I don't think that person is that old. He's only about five or six years older than her."

Wang Cuihua suppressed a laugh and said, "Maybe it's a godbrother! Haha...hahaha."

Granny Wang nodded knowingly. "Yes, very likely."

Wang Cuihua then asked for more details, "Were there any other intimate actions?"

Granny Wang thought for a while and then slapped her thigh, "Oh, I remember now!"

Wang Cuihua was startled and clutched her chest, complaining, "Auntie, just talk normally, don't startle me like that."

Granny Wang chuckled: "I remember now. A few nights ago, I went to your house to play, and when I came back, I saw Kong Xiuyan and that man kissing in a dark corner on our street!"

Wang Cuihua was so shocked her jaw almost dropped. She asked seriously, "Really? Did you see it clearly? Don't talk about things like this, or his father will beat you to death."

Kong Shangbiao had a fierce look in his eyes and a short temper, and few people in the village dared to mess with him.

So no one dared to say that his son wasn't his biological child. They all gossiped about it behind his back.

If he knew that others were spreading rumors about his daughter doing such a thing, he would probably ransack their house.

Wang Cuihua cautiously instructed Granny Wang, "Auntie, don't talk about this. If it gets to Kong Shangbiao's ears, we'll definitely be in trouble."

Granny Wang nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, I know. That's why I only told you about it and didn't tell anyone else."

Granny Wang continued, "Don't you think their family is cursed? Liu Fangxiang cheated on her husband, and her daughter is cheating on her too. Tsk tsk... tsk tsk, it's true what they say, like father, like son!"

Wang Cuihua chimed in. The two continued gossiping while cracking sunflower seeds. Inside, Wang Pozi's daughter-in-law had already woken up and was shocked to hear her mother-in-law and Wang Cuihua talking about gossip.