country bumpkin

The weather was cool on the fifteenth day of the ninth lunar month. The autumn wind swept across the land, turning the fields golden.

Kong Xiangwei hummed a little tune as he carried his hoe toward his own field.

The sweet potatoes in his field are growing well, and he plans to dig them up today to see if they are ripe.

When he arrived at the field, he put down his hoe, squatted down, and dug the soil with his hands, revealing plump sweet potatoes.

At this moment, the village children ran over and gathered around, watching curiously.

"Uncle, why are these sweet potatoes so big?" a child asked.

Kong Xiangwei grinned and said, "This autumn is cool, so the sweet potatoes are naturally growing well thanks to the heavens."

After digging up some sweet potatoes, Kong Xiangwei carried the baskets home. As he passed the old locust tree in the village, he saw a group of people chatting under the tree.

He joined them, listening to everyone's estimates of this year's harvest.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, while a gentle autumn breeze brings a touch of coolness.

This autumn is pleasant and beautiful, and people enjoy the joy of harvest and the tranquility of life in this season.

Like many villagers, he first went to the field to dig up some sweet potatoes to see how they were growing and whether they were all ripe.

Most of the crops are ripe, but a few fields were planted later, so it will take a few more days before they can be harvested.

Kong Xiangwei is the youngest son of the eldest brother, Kong Tongyuan. He is the same age as Kong Xiangyao. When Kong Xiangyao went to another place to make money with Li Fugui, he invited Kong Xiangwei to come along.

But he didn't want to travel far; he just wanted to stay at home, farm, and do odd jobs.

Kong Xiangyao certainly couldn't force him; everyone has their own ambitions. Although they were cousins ​​from the same grandmother, he couldn't make any decisions for him.

Kong Xiangwei is a person who just wants to be free and enjoys an unrestrained life.

In the eyes of the villagers, although he did not go out to make a lot of money, he always had a satisfied smile on his face.

Just then, Kong Xiangdong returned from selling tofu. He passed through the village, saw him, and went up to greet him.

Kong Xiangdong walked up to Kong Xiangwei, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiangwei, I think you should learn some trade. But seeing how carefree you are in our village is also good."

Kong Xiangwei responded with a smile: "Yes, I love the feeling of our village."

Looking at the sweet potatoes in the basket, Kong Xiangdong sighed, "Sometimes I actually envy your simple life."

At this moment, an elderly person in the village said, "Whether you work hard outside or farm at home, being comfortable is what really matters. Xiangdong, you've made money, and Xiangwei, you're enjoying a leisurely life. You are both blessed people."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and the laughter echoed under the old locust tree, accompanied by the autumn wind and dappled sunlight, continuing to tell the ordinary yet beautiful story of this small village in this era.

It was lunchtime when Xiang Hong and Cai Xia passed by the big locust tree and saw Kong Xiangwei and Kong Xiangdong chatting there.

Caixia and Yunya had known each other for a long time, so they were familiar with all of her uncles.

Caixia led Xiang Hong to greet them one by one, introducing them to each other. The two of them simultaneously called him "Uncle," making Kong Xiangwei blush.

He was only 12 years older than Xiang Hong and the others, so calling him "brother" would be appropriate, but given their seniority, they had no choice but to agree.

Kong Xiangwei always had a smiling face, which left a good impression on the two of them.

After saying goodbye, the two held hands and skipped home for dinner.

Kong Xiangwei didn't mind; they were just children, and he didn't care what they called him. Kong Xiangdong also said goodbye and went home.

On the way, Xiang Hong asked Cai Xia, "Cai Xia, is that smiling tiger also Yun Ya's uncle? I've never seen him before when he came to visit her."

Caixia replied, "Yes, but he's her great-grandfather's youngest son, so he doesn't come over often."

Xiang Hong simply said "Oh," and didn't say anything more about him. They started talking about other things.

The two little girls continued walking home. When they reached the intersection where they parted ways, they waved to each other and went their separate ways home.

A few days later, on the weekend, Caixia and Xianghong each went to the fields with their respective elders to help harvest sweet potatoes.

It's busy farming season, so rural schools are usually closed. In addition to the weekend, they also have a three-day holiday.

Teachers also need to go home to harvest crops, so during these few days every year, the whole village is filled with busy people harvesting crops.

That day, Caixia went to the fields to harvest crops with Granny Niu and old man Kong Fugui. Her mother, Kong Chunhua, also came to help.

The eldest son, Kong Tiezhu, has already separated from the family. Apart from helping to bring back the harvested grain, he spends the rest of his time busy with his own family affairs.

The second son, Kong Tieshuan, was a driver and had no time to manage household affairs. He wasn't married yet, so he hadn't separated from the family and continued to live with his parents.

Kong Fugui, though in his early fifties, was still very hardworking. He bent over, his back sticking out, and dug and dug, eventually unearthing an entire row of sweet potatoes.

Niu Pozi, Kong Chunhua, and Caixia dug all the sweet potatoes out of the soil from behind.

Then twist the hairpins on the vines and pile all the sweet potatoes that were close together together.

Caixia even took out a woven bag and put it in the bag, waiting for her grandparents to carry it to the field!

Then, before dark, my eldest uncle would come over and pull the donkey cart to help haul the sweet potatoes home.

By noon, everyone was exhausted, so they all sat down to rest and eat.

Their land is next to Kong Tongyuan's land. Kong Tongyuan has many children, so he has a lot of land; this plot alone is five mu (approximately 0.33 acres).

Furthermore, Kong Tongyuan's eldest and second sons have already married and had children, and have not been allocated any land.

They didn't live or eat together, but they farmed together. They separated the households but not the land because they thought that having all the fields connected would make working easier and save them from having to run around looking for their own plots. After the harvest, the grain was divided equally among the families.

Compared to others, their house was truly lively. Whenever they did chores, there were sounds of talking, working, and children playing everywhere.

Hearing the commotion, Caixia took advantage of a break to sneak over and watch.

She stared wide-eyed at the vast expanse of land, wondering, "How long will it take to harvest all this crops?"

Kong Xiangwei was lying on the ground, resting listlessly. Sensing someone watching him from a distance, he curiously got up and quietly went around to see who it was.

When he went around to the back and saw who it was, the person also saw him. Their eyes met, and they both fell silent.

Kong Xiangwei smiled and then said, "Oh! It's you, Caixia. What are you doing here?"

Caixia wasn't scared when she was caught on the spot. She replied, "Oh, Uncle, I heard some noise over here. It sounds very lively. I wanted to come and see what's going on."

Kong Xiangwei smiled again, his face full of nonchalance. "Oh, I see! Are you all done with your work? Do you need your uncle's help?"

Caixia quickly waved her hand: "No need, no need, thank you, Uncle."

Kong Xiangwei smiled even more and looked at her, saying, "Don't be so polite. You're Yunya's friend, so you don't need to stand on ceremony with me."

Caixia nodded and hurriedly ran away.