country bumpkin

Spring comes and autumn goes, flowers bloom and fade, just like the lives of the people in this village—simple yet full of rhythm.

The old locust tree at the entrance of the village has witnessed the growth and aging of generations.

Every day, Kong Chunhua sits at the entrance of Granny Niu's house, sewing insoles. Her rough, yellowed fingers skillfully thread the needle, as if time itself is slipping away with each stitch.

She occasionally looked up at the falling leaves, her eyes filled with reminiscence. Once, she was a young girl playing under the tree, but now she was a middle-aged woman.

Children chased butterflies in the fields, their laughter carrying far and wide. Young girls gathered together, discussing which family's young man was the most diligent.

Days flowed by slowly, spring turning to autumn. Though the village was devoid of dramatic events, it possessed a precious and ordinary human warmth, a tranquility that seemed capable of withstanding any storm.

Summer has passed by in a flash, and the cool autumn has arrived.

The midday heat of early autumn was still like summer. However, this "autumn tiger" (a period of intense heat in late summer) was truly fierce.

Kong Chunhua was sewing insoles when fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She raised her hand to wipe them away and muttered, "This weather is really strange."

The children, both big and small, who were playing in the fields, as well as Jinbao and Weixiu, couldn't stand the sweltering heat and ran to the big trees by the river to cool off.

Several mischievous boys took off their shoes and jumped into the river, splashing water everywhere.

Jinbao didn't dare to go into the water, so he sat on the bank with Weixiu and gently splashed the river water with his hands to cool it down.

The village chief, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, sat on his doorstep, squinting at the sky, and said, "This late summer heat is fierce; I'm afraid another rain is coming."

Hearing this, everyone secretly hoped that the rain would bring relief from the oppressive heat.

As evening approached, large patches of dark clouds rolled in on the horizon, and the wind gradually picked up.

Kong Chunhua quickly put away the insoles and went inside, while Kong Shangwu stopped what he was doing and tidied up his things.

The children cheered and ran home. Jinbao, with Weixiu holding his hand, ran to the abandoned house in the fields where the orchard was guarded.

The entire village was filled with a tense yet excited atmosphere in the lead-up to the upcoming autumn rains.

Liu Fangxiang watched as the sky outside gradually darkened, as if a storm was brewing. Jinbao hadn't returned from playing outside yet, and she couldn't help but worry.

Seeing children running back from the fields, she quickly asked, "Liu Yanzi, Li Caixia, have you seen my Jinbao?"

Liu Yanzi said, "Oh! Aunt Liu, your Jinbao and Weixiu are playing together! When I came back, I saw them heading towards the orchard hut."

Liu Fangxiang said, "Oh! Okay, thank you! It's about to rain, and it's getting dark, you should go home quickly!"

After saying that, he turned around and went to find Jinbao without looking back.

Liu Fangxiang thought to herself, "It's going to rain, and it's getting dark. Why isn't Wei Xiu going home? Why is she leading her son to this deserted little house? What is she planning? Could she be trying to force Jinbao to marry her?"

He suddenly stopped and thought for a while: "If that's really the case, it's fine too. Although Wei Xiu isn't pretty, at least she's a virgin, much better than Kong Chunhua. If my son can't find a wife, what will happen to him when they get old?"

Thinking of this, Liu Fangxiang slowed her pace and changed her route to Zhang Pozi's house, the village's famous gossip queen, whose mouth could spread news from a thousand miles away.

Liu Fangxiang thought that if Weixiu and her son got together, the news would definitely spread throughout the village. Weixiu's stepmother and stepfather would probably feel ashamed and betroth Weixiu to Jinbao.

Inside the abandoned hut, Wei Xiu was helping Jin Bao put on his shoes. He had been playing in the water and had dropped his shoes in, so Wei Xiu had used a tree branch to retrieve them.

Wei Xiu was squatting while putting on her shoes. When she finished and stood up, Jin Bao happened to look down at her shoes, and their lips touched.

Wei Xiu's heart was pounding, and she quickly blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look at Jin Bao. Because of her dark skin, her blush was not visible; she only felt her face burning hot.

Jinbao felt an indescribable sensation when his lips touched her soft, warm lips. They felt so soft, and he longed to experience it again.

He suddenly remembered when he was a child at his grandmother's house, peeking through the window to watch widows meet with men.

My heart started racing, my face felt hot, my heart felt hot, and my whole body felt warm, like I was about to burst into flames.

Kong Jinbao lifted Wei Xiu's chin, looked at her blankly, and asked, "Xiu'er, I think I kissed you just now, are you angry?"

Wei Xiu's heart was still pounding, and she couldn't care less about what Jin Bao was saying. She just closed her eyes, not daring to look at him. She didn't say anything, and gently shook her head.

Jinbao assumed Weixiu also liked that feeling, so he didn't move his hand that was holding his chin, but instead pressed his lips against Weixiu's lips.

Wei Xiu was shocked. What was wrong with Jinbao? What were they doing? If her stepmother found out about such a scandalous thing, she would beat her to death.

She quickly tried to push Jinbao away. But Jinbao was a grown man, how could the frail Weixiu possibly move him?

She pounded on Jinbao's chest with all her might, but Jinbao held her mouth tightly in his mouth.

Jinbao imitated the men's actions, placing one hand on the back of Weixiu's head and pulling her forcefully into his arms.

With his other hand, he embraced Wei Xiu's petite and delicate body tightly, drawing her into his arms as if they were perfectly sealed together.

I kissed her for a long time, until I felt like I was suffocating, before I let go of her and took a deep breath.

Wei Xiu felt both excited and worried. She liked Jinbao very much, his appearance, his kindness and innocence.

She was also afraid that her stepmother and stepfather would find out about this and beat her.

However, looking at the fair and handsome face in front of him, and the changes in his body, Wei Xiu was moved.

She couldn't resist and gave in to him.

And so, in that dilapidated little house, on the ground covered with leaves and weeds, the two of them did something indecent.

Liu Fangxiang arrived at Granny Zhang's house and exclaimed as soon as she entered, "Oh dear! Sister, please help me! My son is missing, and I'm so worried!"

Granny Zhang was collecting clothes in the yard when she heard someone coming. Just as she looked towards the gate, Liu Fangxiang appeared in front of her.

She was puzzled; why had this woman come to her house today? Old Mrs. Zhang laughed and said, "Oh dear! What brings you here?"

Liu Fangxiang came over to her without any ceremony, took her arm and said with a smile, "Oh! Old sister, we're from the same village. I just wanted to visit you and chat."

Granny Zhang was even more puzzled: "The two families don't usually visit each other, so why did they come to her house to chat today?"

Seeing her confused and conflicted expression, Liu Fangxiang quickly changed her tune, "Sister, actually I came out to look for my son. I was in a hurry and didn't bring an umbrella. It was about to rain, and I happened to be standing in front of your house, thinking I'd borrow your umbrella and raincoat to go find my son."

Granny Zhang believed her. Liu Fangxiang was known throughout the village for being fiercely protective of her son. Now that it was getting dark and her son hadn't come home, she must be extremely worried.

She quickly went inside and found a military green raincoat and an old umbrella, which she handed to Liu Fangxiang.

"Here, take this and hurry up and go find it, it'll be harder to find if it rains later."

Liu Fangxiang took the rain gear, then looked at Granny Zhang apologetically and said, "Old sister, I heard from the children I met on the road that my son went to the abandoned orchard hut over in Beishan. Someone died there, it's quite scary. Could you come with me to take a look? It will be dark by the time we get there, and I'm afraid I'll see some evil spirits that will scare me."

Granny Zhang thought this person was too much trouble, why did she have to make so many fuss? She didn't refuse, since everything was already packed and she wasn't worried about getting wet in the rain. So, she kindly agreed to go with her.

The two chatted about gossip along the way, which made them quite entertained, and soon they arrived at the Kitayama field.

There are many orchards here, and from one of the dilapidated little houses, the voices of a man and a woman could be heard. Liu Fangxiang immediately guessed that it was her son.

She quietly walked over, wanting to hear if what she thought was true.