country bumpkin

Aunt Du saw that they were crying and showed no signs of stopping, and realized that this couldn't be a solution.

She went over to comfort the two of them, saying, "You two are blood relatives, there's no need for grudges to last overnight, just talk it out and you'll be fine."

She looked at Qingjiao and advised, "Jiaojiao, your mother has realized her mistake and apologized to you, so please forgive her! Give yourself a chance too. I can see that you are also feeling uncomfortable. Only by resolving your inner conflict can you feel at ease."

Zhang Qingjiao hugged Aunt Du tightly and cried out, "Mom, thank you, you are my own mother."

Seeing this scene, Granny Zhang felt a pang of sadness. Her own daughter was treating her godmother better than she was. She was both angry and heartbroken.

Realizing she was in the wrong, she was too ashamed to complain. Instead, she felt grateful to Aunt Du and her family for saving her daughter and for treating her so well.

Zhang Pozi blushed with embarrassment and stood there helplessly looking at Du Da Niang and her daughter.

Seeing her mother's predicament, Zhang Qingjiao couldn't continue to embarrass her, so she said, "Mother, since you and brother have both come looking for me, I'll acknowledge you as my mother. But I won't go back with you. I'm very happy here; I feel the warmth of home. The journey is long, so you should go back!"

Old Mrs. Zhang was at her wits' end; all her kind words were no match for her daughter's heart of stone.

Playing the victim and crying won't help, so what else can be done? This is the only option for now; at least her daughter still acknowledges her as her mother.

Zhang Qingguo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his younger sister had finally convinced her to acknowledge their mother and him as her older brother.

My sister is married now, and her husband is quite a capable man. Maybe I'll benefit from her success in the future!

Thinking this, Zhang Qingguo smiled even more genuinely. He said to his younger sister, "Little sister, we won't bother you any longer. If you have time, come back and visit us. Dad misses you a lot too. And your eldest sister, Qingxia, has asked about you many times."

Zhang Qingjiao felt another wave of sadness when she thought of her father and eldest sister. Her father was an honest man, and her mother always made the decisions at home.

My older sister rarely comes back after getting married, and her mother-in-law is not easy to get along with. My sister lives a life of constant anxiety and hardship.

Seeing that everything had been said and all that needed to be said, Granny Zhang said goodbye and went home with her son.

Zhang Qingjiao didn't invite them to stay for dinner, and Granny Zhang didn't object either. She didn't dare offend her daughter again; she had finally gotten her forgiveness, and she couldn't afford to mess it up again.

Zhang Qingguo rode his bicycle with his mother on the back, pedaling hard.

On the way back, the mother and daughter chatted for a while about Zhang Qingjiao before leisurely returning to Kongjia Village.

Over here, her older brother and mother had been gone for a long time, but Zhang Qingjiao was still sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Seeing that she seemed to have something on her mind, Aunt Du went over and took her hand, saying, "Child, there's nothing to be upset about. I've been through this before, so let me share some of my experience. Listen to me, and if it's right, follow it; if not, just consider it my advice."

Zhang Qingjiao nodded and listened attentively.

Aunt Du said, "First of all, it was your mother and elder brother who were in the wrong, but no one can change the fact that they are your closest relatives. So don't hide anymore, it's no use hiding, they will find you again and again. As long as you can maintain appearances and prevent others from gossiping, that's enough. Your own happiness is the most important thing."

Zhang Qingjiao seemed to understand something, nodded and smiled, saying, "Mother, thank you, I understand."

She's not stupid; she understands this perfectly well. Maintaining appearances is enough; don't even think about treating them with the same genuine sincerity as before.

However, it's not that we won't give them a chance; we'll just see how they treat themselves in the future.

Perhaps they came to see her this time only for their brother's job? They heard that the man they found was capable and wanted to take advantage of him.

Thinking of this, Zhang Qingjiao stopped worrying and pulled Aunt Du into the house.

When Granny Zhang got home, she didn't even go inside; she went straight to Mu Shuyun's house to share her story with her.

Zhang Qingguo didn't know his mother well enough to know that she was someone who couldn't keep a secret, and that she must have gone to Aunt Mu to show off.

Just as he guessed, laughter, "ga ga ga..." came from Mu Shuyun's courtyard.

As the person was still walking in through the gate, Zhang Pozi's laughter could be heard coming from inside the courtyard.

Hearing someone arrive, Mu Shuyun recognized the voice as Zhang Pozi's. She quickly and warmly invited, "Oh! Old sister, what brings you here? You seem so happy!"

As soon as Granny Zhang entered the courtyard, she told her son about her search for her daughter.

Then, with a smug look on his face, he said, "Little sister, I just came back from my daughter's place. Let me tell you, my son-in-law is something else, he's incredibly capable."

Mu Shuyun's eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Granny Zhang down to sit. "Tell me quickly, how do you have the ability?"

Granny Zhang then embellished the story, recounting Xiao Zhe's various impressive achievements. In short, her son-in-law had money to start a transportation team, owning both large and small trucks, and was now a big boss.

Mu Shuyun was completely confused.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhe returned from his business trip ahead of schedule. Zhang Qingjiao told him about her mother and brother visiting her.

Her husband, Xiao Zhe, hugged her and said, "No matter what, as long as we live our lives well, that's all that matters. As for your family, you can handle it according to your own wishes." Zhang Qingjiao leaned against her husband's chest, feeling much more at ease.

A few days later, news spread throughout Kongjia Village that Zhang Qingjiao had found an extraordinary husband.

Many people have begun to look at the Zhang family in a different light. Some villagers who used to look down on Zhang Qingguo are now taking the initiative to get closer to him.

At first, Zhang Qingguo quite enjoyed this feeling, but he gradually realized that some people were only there because of Xiao Zhe's name, just like him, wanting to get some benefit from it. He felt somewhat conflicted.

But Granny Zhang was immersed in this vanity, showing off everywhere all day long, completely unaware of the hypocrisy hidden behind it.

After Xiao Zhe and Zhang Qingjiao finished talking, they sat on the edge of the bed in the bedroom and hugged and kissed for a while. Only then did Xiao Zhe remember the important matter.

He said, “Jiaojiao, our baby is already two months old and hasn’t been registered yet. We should hurry up and come up with a good name!”

Zhang Qingjiao said, "Okay! I think it sounds nice to keep calling her 'Baby, Baby,' but she's still too young to be called that now. It won't sound good when she grows up; it'll sound too childish."

Xiao Zhe took out a folded piece of paper, slowly unfolded it, pointed to the names written all over it, and said, "Jiaojiao, these are names I came up with during my free time at work. You can choose one!"

Zhang Qingjiao looked at the names again and again: Junheng, Hanpeng, Shunzhe, Shuoyuan, Hongrui, Jingge, Beicen, Chengan, Yuhang, Jingchen...

Zhang Qingjiao was overwhelmed by the choices and rubbed her temples, saying, "This is too difficult to choose! All the names you've suggested are excellent. Why don't you choose one yourself?"

Xiao Zhe smiled and kissed her affectionately, saying, "You naughty girl, I let you choose, but you pushed this difficult problem onto me again. Well, I can choose now, and you're not allowed to regret it."

Zhang Qingjiao held her hand and said coquettishly, "I don't regret it, I'll listen to my husband."

Xiao Zhe smiled even more broadly, pointing to the last name and saying, "This one will do! Jingchen, meaning studious and intelligent. What do you think?"

Zhang Qingjiao nodded repeatedly, giving a thumbs-up in agreement, "Great, this sounds nice, I like it."

And so the child's name was decided: Xiao Jingchen.

The couple looked at each other and smiled.