country bumpkin

Sun Zitao was also stunned, and it took him a while to come to his senses.

His mother had hit him many times before, but she always hit his body, never his face. This time, he really lost face big time.

The crowd of onlookers gaped, their faces filled with disbelief.

Yunya was so frightened that she ran behind the door. She was scared too; she was afraid that her father would get angry and blame her for causing her grandmother to come and make a scene at home.

Grandma stopped causing trouble and stopped hitting Dad. Speaking of which, she was the one who started this whole thing.

Yunya hid behind the door, watching the crowd disperse, getting smaller and smaller until they were all gone in no time.

Kong Xiujuan walked over and asked softly, "Zitao, are you... alright? Does it hurt?"

Sun Zitao touched his already red face and said, "It doesn't hurt, it's just a little hot."

Kong Xiujuan said, "It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of the child, which is why my mother-in-law came to cause trouble."

She wasn't stupid. She apologized, but the real reason and responsibility lay with her mother-in-law for causing trouble. She wanted her husband to understand that even if there was an argument at home this time, it was his mother who started it, not them.

Sure enough, Sun Zitao said guiltily, "No, Xiujuan, it's all because I'm incompetent. I can't make Mother like me, and I've made you all suffer because of me."

Kong Xiujuan offered a few more words of comfort, then asked, "How did you know your mother-in-law was causing trouble?"

Sun Zitao said, "Yu Huimin from across the street went to inform me."

Kong Xiujuan said, "We owe her a lot! I'll go to her house later and thank her properly."

After saying this, Sun Zitao prepared to leave so he could go back and wait for work.

Kong Xiujuan arrived at Yu Huimin's house and gently knocked on the door. Yu Huimin opened the door and, seeing it was her, quickly and warmly welcomed her inside.

"I really have to thank you today. If you hadn't informed Zitao in time, I don't know how chaotic things would have become," Kong Xiujuan said gratefully.

Yu Huimin smiled and waved her hand, "It's only right for us neighbors to look after each other. But your mother-in-law's demeanor today was quite frightening."

"Sigh, she's always had a problem with me and is always picking on me," Kong Xiujuan sighed helplessly.

While the two were chatting, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.

When they went outside, they found that Sun Zitao's mother had returned, and she had brought several relatives with her. It seemed that she was going to cause another big scene.

Kong Xiujuan's expression changed, and Yu Huimin grasped her hand, her face full of worry.

Sun Zitao hadn't gone far when he heard the commotion and turned back.

He stood in front of his wife and said to his mother, "Mother, let's leave it at that for today. If you continue to act so unreasonably, I'll be in a difficult position. If Xiujuan leaves me, you'll have to look after all three children. Do you really want your son to be separated from his wife and children before you're satisfied?"

Sun Zitao's firm attitude surprised his mother, and his relatives, seeing this, also advised the old lady to stop making trouble.

The old lady snorted, turned around, and slunk away with her relatives, temporarily calming the situation down.

Sun Zitao decided to stay home for a while before going back. Otherwise, his mother might come again, and that would be terrible.

Kong Xiujuan was talking to Yu Huimin at the front door. Sun Limei had already taken her younger brother inside to watch TV.

No one noticed that someone was missing from the house. Yes, it was Yunya.

She watched everyone leave, feeling utterly ignored, and felt incredibly sad. She felt like an unwanted member of the family.

No one cared for her, loved her, or pampered her like her grandmother did. Yunya felt wronged and neglected. The more she felt hurt, the more she wanted to cry; the more she cried, the more she missed her grandmother.

So she took the New Year's money she had secretly hidden and prepared to go back to the countryside to find her maternal grandmother.

When she came out, she saw Sun Limei and Sun Guoqiang watching TV in the living room. She didn't say anything, picked up her small bag, and quietly left the house.

As they reached the gate, Kong Xiujuan and Yu Huimin were chatting animatedly. Kong Xiujuan watched as her second daughter emerged, carrying her small bag, her face dark, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She sensed something was wrong.

She asked, "Yunya, where are you going? Why are you carrying your little bundle?"

Yunya didn't reply and continued walking silently outside.

Yu Huimin also noticed the child's unusual behavior. She gestured towards Yun Ya with her chin, indicating that Kong Xiujuan was doing so.

Kong Xiujuan understood what she meant, grabbed Yunya, and comforted her, "Yunya, what happened just now is not your fault. Mom knows it wasn't your fault. Don't be sad. Your grandma is just like that. She treats all of our family members like that. It's not that she's targeting you, but she just doesn't like our whole family."

Yunya then raised her head and asked softly, "Why? Why doesn't she like our whole family?"

Kong Xiujuan didn't know how to explain it to her, so she just said, "Your grandma has many children. With so many children, she'll be biased, so it's not our fault. It's her fault. Besides, what parent doesn't have biases? Even ten fingers aren't all the same length, let alone parents with many children."

Yunya still didn't understand why. She said, "Grandma, it's not like that. Grandma treats everyone the same. She's good to everyone."

Kong Xiujuan smiled and said, "I know! Your maternal grandmother is my mother, just like you call me mother. She has always been a kind person, so she is kind to everyone."

Yunya thought to herself, "Are most parents in the world biased? Like Grandma, so wicked. It seems that only kind people like Grandma can be good to everyone and treat everyone equally."

Thinking about these things, Yun Ya stopped walking. She didn't go any further. Seeing that Yun Ya seemed to have calmed down, Kong Xiujuan led her back into the house.

She was genuinely afraid that if she didn't look closely, the girl might run away and be kidnapped and sold by human traffickers.

By then, you won't be able to find it anywhere, and it will be too late to regret it.

Kong Xiujuan thought to herself that she should pay more attention to Yunya. This child hadn't been around since she was little, so she probably didn't consider this place her home. Perhaps her maternal grandparents' house was her true home.

No wonder I always felt that she wasn't close to me, as if there was a veil between us, something I couldn't grasp, touch, or see clearly.

This kind of family affection is not what Kong Xiujuan wants. How could her own children become estranged from her?

Kong Xiujuan secretly resolved to take better care of Yunya in the future and help her truly integrate into the family.

In the days that followed, Kong Xiujuan would make a point of spending time with Yunya every day, playing with her and cooking her favorite dishes.

Yunya was initially somewhat resistant, but gradually she got used to this intimacy.

That day, Kong Xiujuan took Yunya to the market to buy groceries. On the way, they encountered a vendor selling sugar figurines, and Yunya's eyes lit up immediately.

Seeing this, Kong Xiujuan immediately bought one and handed it to Yunya. Yunya carefully took it, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face.

"Mommy, this sugar figurine is so sweet," Yunya said softly.

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiujuan's eyes welled up with tears. She knelt down and hugged Yunya, saying, "As long as Yunya is happy, Mom will buy you things often in the future."

Since then, Yunya has become much more cheerful, and her relationship with other family members has gradually become more harmonious.

She no longer misses her grandmother so often, because she feels the warmth of this family and understands that her mother loves her very much too.