country bumpkin

After they finished washing up, the meal was ready. Li Chunmei called the family to come and have breakfast.

At the dinner table, Li Fugui talked about his plans. "Father, Mother, and Elder Sister, I want my brother-in-law to come with me and try his luck."

Li Weixiu looked at him in surprise and said, "Fugui? How come it's so sudden?"

Li Fugui said, "I had already thought about this before I came back. My brother-in-law works as a porter and unloader in town. His job is tiring and he doesn't earn much. Why don't he come with me? I can't guarantee he'll earn twice as much as he does at home."

Upon hearing this, brother-in-law Nie Dayong immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll go with you. Anyway, we don't have much land at home, and those few acres don't yield much harvest, not even enough for Chunmei to plant!"

Mother Fang Jinxiu hesitated before speaking: "The people who could take charge of the family are all gone. If anything serious happens, there will be no one to rely on."

Li Weixiu glared at her: "What are you saying? Aren't I the one who's in charge? Can't you see there's a real man in front of you?"

The siblings and brother-in-law all burst into laughter, finding their father increasingly amusing as he aged.

The family had discussed it and decided to go to Kongjia Village together. Nie Dayong told his father about going to work in another city and also about his future plans.

His biological mother died in childbirth while giving birth to his younger brother, along with her unborn child. Later, his father remarried and had two sons and a daughter.

His stepmother often berated him; it was his grandparents who supported his schooling and raised him.

A few winters ago, his grandfather fell ill and didn't make it, and his grandmother also passed away. So his relationship with his father wasn't very good.

He met Li Chunmei when he went to Kongjia Village to help build a house. He was only 17 years old at the time and was doing odd jobs with the village chief's eldest son.

After he turned 18, his stepmother separated him from his family and gave him his grandparents' old house and a small plot of land.

Now he has a son, a daughter, and a wife. His mother-in-law's family treats him very well, and he is very grateful, treating his parents-in-law like his own parents.

Nie Dayong's father, Old Man Nie, did not stop him. He was not in charge of the household and had no say in it. Leaving their troublesome family would be a good thing for his eldest son.

Li Fugui was driving, and cheerful, festive songs were playing on the radio, which greatly improved the mood of the whole family.

The express train arrived at Kongjia Village an hour later. At the village entrance, there were still small groups of villagers chatting and gossiping.

Some people saw it was Li Fugui's van and cast envious glances. Children chased after the car, shouting and yelling.

Kong Jianguo and the other children ran after the car. Kong Jinbao was also there; he had made many friends among the children of his clan and was having a lot of fun playing with them.

His height is quite noticeable among a group of short children.

He was 1.7 meters tall, the same height as an adult, with a fair and delicate face, long eyelashes, big eyes, and double eyelids, making him look very handsome.

If you put a wig on him, people would mistake him for a girl.

The car stopped when it reached his doorstep. Li Fugui got out and started unloading his things.

Before they returned, they brought bedding and household items from their sister's house—basically everything usable.

My sister and mother were making the bed inside, while my brother-in-law and father were helping unload things. The two children were playing with other kids next to the car.

Children form friendships quickly, starting with a piece of candy.

Xiang Hong took out the candy her uncle had given her from her pocket and gave one to each child. They quickly started playing together.

Jinbao also got some candy. He happily licked his lips, took a bite of the candy, and his eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, they quickly put it in their mouths and started eating. Xiang Hong and Xiang Yang looked at their tall friend with a bit of curiosity.

They thought this person's face didn't look like an adult's, and his behavior was like a child's, but how could he be so tall!

One of the children, who was about nine years old, said, "His name is Jinbao. He is the grandson of the patriarch of the Kong family. He is about 16 or 17 years old this year. He is a bit confused. We call him Kong Sanbao because his brain is only that of a three-year-old."

After saying that, he tapped his head with his finger, implying that he was an idiot. He just didn't say it outright.

Xiang Hong instantly understood. Looking at this handsome 'little friend,' she figured his intelligence was about the same as her younger brother's!

I felt a little sorry for him. He's such a grown man, yet he still thinks like a child. The villagers probably all look down on him!

Li Fugui also heard the child's explanation and realized that this was a brother of Kong Xiangyao's clan.

I feel sorry for him, but even more so for him. If he were a normal person, he would be making money now, just like Kong Xiangyao.

Li Fugui took out another handful of candy from the house and handed it to him. "Jinbao, is this candy tasty? Here, take some more, take it home and eat it!"

Kong Jinbao put the candy in his pocket and thanked him politely. Then he happily skipped home.

Watching his cheerful figure, Li Fugui said with a mixture of regret and envy, "Maybe living like this is quite good. Not understanding anything is the happiest way to live."

The children at the door were playing enthusiastically with Xiang Hong and Xiang Yang. The house had been cleaned and the beds had been made.

Fang Jinxiu was about to go to the kitchen to cook. Li Fugui greeted them and then went to Kong Xiangyao's house with two boxes of gifts.

He and Kong Xiangyao were best friends. Kong Xiangyao helped him a lot when he was in school.

Sometimes they would bring him breakfast, sometimes they would bring him school supplies. Whenever a student bullied him, his good friend would fight back for him.

The two men share a brotherly bond, like blood brothers. Therefore, he's happy to work with Kong Xiangyao to make money.

He also remembers the kindness shown to his family by the villagers. Now that he has made a name for himself, he wants to help others whenever he can.

He is a grateful person.

When he arrived at Kong Xiangyao's house, the family was just about to eat. Kong Xiangyao saw him and pulled him over to eat with them.

He wasn't polite; he was used to it. Since he was little, his parents had been working in the fields and would come home late, so he would always have lunch with Kong Xiangyao after school.

Kong Xiangyao has many older sisters. The eldest sister can help with chores and earn work points. The second sister can cook and do laundry for the family, and the third sister can help her second brother make tofu to sell.

Li Fugui sat down and ate with them, chatting and laughing throughout. The meal included meat dishes, vegetable dishes, and his and Kong Xiangyao's favorite dish, stir-fried pork intestines with chili peppers. They ate a very satisfying meal.

At his home, Fang Jinxiu served the food and waited for a while. When her son didn't return, she knew he had stayed at the Kong family's house for dinner again. So she stopped waiting for him and told her family to eat quickly.

She planned to visit the Kong family that evening. They had helped her family a lot in the past. Now that she was back, she wanted to maintain those relationships.

After the family finished eating, she took her daughter, grandson, and granddaughter to visit the Kong family.

When they arrived at the Kong family's house, they learned that the son and Kong Xiangyao had gone to visit a friend in the same village, so they stopped worrying about him.

The mother and daughter chatted with Mu Shuyun about everyday things. Xiang Hong, Xiang Yang, Yun Ya, and Cai Xia watched TV together in the house, talking, playing, and laughing.

The two families were just like one big family, enjoying each other's company.