country bumpkin

Some villagers who had passed by kindly told him the exact location.

He turned a corner and arrived at Huang Tianye's house. Upon arrival, he greeted the owner, who then began taking inventory.

After checking that the quantity of goods was correct, unloading began. Several workers who were building the courtyard wall helped with the unloading, and it was all done in no time.

After the employer paid him his wages, Sun Zitao said goodbye and pulled the donkey cart back to his aunt's house.

When his aunt saw him return, she happily served him the pancakes she had made and the tea she had brewed.

While eating, Sun Zitao chatted with his second aunt about everyday things and learned that she was still in relatively good health.

Gao Qingzhi also told him that since her mother-in-law fell ill, she had never suffered any grievances and her life had become better and better.

Sun Zitao was also very happy for his second aunt. He then asked about his second aunt's husband's recent situation.

Gao Qingzhi said, "That's how it is, I still go to the market to sell meat." At home, she only takes care of her two daughters; her son still lives with his father-in-law, so she doesn't have to worry about him at all.

My mother-in-law is still being taken care of by the same neighbor. Except for when the neighbor can't come because of something, my mother-in-law doesn't have to worry about anything.

The two talked a lot, and Sun Zitao understood that his second aunt was now considered the head of the family.

Just then, someone came to borrow farm tools from my second aunt, and she went out to deal with them for a while.

Sun Zitao looked around the room and noticed an old photograph hanging on the wall. It showed his second aunt and family when they were young, and everyone's faces were filled with happy smiles.

After Auntie returned, Sun Zitao asked Gao Qingzhi, "Auntie, is Uncle treating you better than before?"

Gao Qingzhi smiled wryly and said, "My second aunt is already this age, so it doesn't matter whether she's doing well or not. As long as the children are doing well, that's better than anything else."

Sun Zitao then inquired about Daya and Erya's situation and learned that they were both continuing their studies.

Sun Zitao was happy for them too. He said, "Second Aunt, if you need more money, just tell me. I can't give you more, but I can manage to scrape together some."

Gao Qingzhi waved her hand with relief: "No need, Zitao, just live your life well. It's easier for your aunt to save money now. I can't help you much, and I don't want to cause you any trouble. You've had it tough too, with three children to support and send to school, it costs a lot!"

Sun Zitao scratched his head: "Hehe, Auntie, don't worry, I'm still young, I'm not afraid, I'll earn the money slowly."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Sun Zitao said he had to hurry back, otherwise the roads would be difficult to travel in the dark. His aunt gave him some homemade pickled vegetables to take with him.

Sun Zitao thanked his second aunt and set off on his return journey in the donkey cart. Along the way, he thought about the preciousness of family ties; no matter how far apart they were, the concern between family members was always the warmest feeling.

Sun Zitao didn't get home until after 7 p.m. His wife and children had already finished dinner.

Yunya and Sun Limei were doing their homework at the desk in their bedroom. Sun Guoqiang was playing with toys in front of the television.

When Kong Xiujuan saw her husband return, she quickly went to heat up the food. After heating it up and putting it on the table, Sun Zitao ate.

Kong Xiujuan went to feed the donkey. It had traveled a long way today, and the donkey must be tired; it deserved some good food.

Kong Xiujuan mixed cornmeal with soaked peanut cakes and gave it to the donkey as a treat. The donkey ate it with relish and quickly.

After the donkey had eaten and drunk its fill, Kong Xiujuan took it back to the donkey shed and let it lie down and rest.

By this time, Sun Limei had also finished her homework. Yunya, when she encountered something she didn't understand, was too lazy to ask her sister.

She scribbled down an answer haphazardly and considered it done. After quickly and carelessly finishing her homework, Yunya ran out to find Sun Fei to play.

At this time, Sun Fei was also doing her homework at home. Her studies were similar to Yun Ya's, and she was basically just slacking off.

They both excel at everything else, including talking, playing, and making friends. The only thing they're incredibly bad at is studying.

When Yunya arrived, she saw Sun Fei struggling with a problem. Sun Fei was frantically scratching her head and staring blankly at the question.

Yunya said, "I don't know the answer to this question either, so I just wrote down a random answer. As long as I can finish my homework, I don't care if it's right or wrong!"

Sun Fei thought what she said made a lot of sense; as long as the homework was finished, that was fine. That way, the teacher wouldn't hit anyone tomorrow.

With that in mind, Sun Fei quickly adopted the same spirit as Yun Ya, scribbling away haphazardly, and finished her homework in just a few minutes.

The two of them went to find Gu Yu to play, hand in hand. Gu Yu's house had a large pond dug facing the entrance to the main hall.

Lotus flowers were planted inside, and many goldfish swam around in them. Some were red, some were orange, and some were black.

These fish frolicked and played in the pond, swimming freely to and fro.

Yun Ya and Sun Fei ran to Gu Yu's house and saw Gu Yu squatting by the pond, playing with the goldfish. When he saw the two of them, Gu Yu waved excitedly.

The three of them sat together to watch the goldfish. Yunya reached out to catch one, but missed, splashing water and wetting her sleeve.

Just as the three were laughing and joking, Gu Yu's father came out, pretending to be angry, and said, "You little girls, don't you dare mess up my precious goldfish." Then he smiled and went back into the house to take out some candy and give it to them.

On the other side, Sun Zitao finished his meal and sat in the yard smoking. Looking at the stars, he thought to himself that he must work hard to earn money so his children could receive a good education, and not be like him, illiterate. Ideally, they should be able to go to university.

After Kong Xiujuan finished cleaning up the kitchen, she sat down next to him and said, "The kids are still young, we'll teach them slowly." Sun Zitao nodded.

Yunya and the others got tired of playing and went home to sleep.

At night, Yunya had a dream in which she dreamed that because she didn't study hard, she could only collect scraps when she grew up.

When she woke up the next day, she seemed like a different person, and took the initiative to ask her older sister for help with the lessons she didn't understand.

Surprised, her older sister patiently explained, and from then on, Yunya gradually changed her attitude towards learning.

But her good fortune didn't last long. As she encountered more problems, she began to slack off again. She wanted to study hard, but there was always a voice in her ear telling her, "You're just a money-loser, a useless girl. Going to university won't help you; it'll just be a waste of money."

The source of the sound was her grandmother, Gao Qinglian.

During this holiday, she, her sister, and Sun Fei went to her sister's classmate's house to play.

Passing by her grandmother's house, Gao Qingzhi asked Sun Limei who she was. Because Yun Ya and Kong Xiujuan looked so alike, Gao Qinglian guessed right away that it was indeed that good-for-nothing second daughter.

They immediately started making sarcastic and mocking jokes about Yun Ya, and even Sun Limei was dragged into it.

Sun Limei was a bit older than Yun Ya and didn't take Gao Qinglian's words to heart at all. Yun Ya, on the other hand, was stubborn and would argue back if someone said anything to her, or she would feel suffocated.

So Yunya didn't hold back and gave Gao Qinglian a piece of her mind.

"Oh! You call others worthless trash? You're no better. Aren't you a woman? Are you a man? Before you start criticizing others, take a look at yourself."

Gao Qinglian jumped up and down in anger, "You ill-mannered brat! I'm your grandmother! How dare you talk back to me? I'll beat you to death!"

As she spoke, she picked up a broom and walked over, pretending to hit Yunya. Sun Limei stood to the side watching, and was so frightened that she hid to the side.

Seeing Gao Qinglian lose her temper, Yun Ya ran away in a flash.