country bumpkin

Chapter 203 New Year and Giving Money

On the 2th day of the twelfth lunar month in February 1991, the footsteps of the New Year stepped into this land with the first rays of morning sunlight.

In the quiet and simple countryside, bright red lanterns are hung under the eaves early in the morning, like ripe red persimmons, exuding joy.

New Spring Festival couplets are pasted on the doors of every household, and the fragrance of ink and the atmosphere of the New Year are intertwined.

Children, dressed in new clothes and clutching firecrackers, ran and laughed through the narrow alleys, their cheerful laughter echoing across the village.

At the same time, the bustling city was also brightly decorated. The main streets were adorned with colorful lights, like a winding ribbon of light, making the city look like a dream.

The shopping mall was packed with people buying New Year's goods, and the shelves were emptied of all the dazzling array of products.

Cheerful New Year songs were playing over the loudspeaker, and sales clerks were busy and enthusiastically greeting customers.

In this joyful and peaceful atmosphere, a car arrived at the village entrance; it was Li Fugui bringing Kong Xiangyao back.

The villagers who had gone out with him all returned a few days earlier. Only the two of them were the last to come back.

He needed to settle accounts before he could come back and pay their wages. Kong Xiangyao was unmarried and his family didn't need his help, so he stayed to keep Li Fugui company.

Li Fugui drove his car to the village entrance, saying he would first drop off Kong Xiangyao, and then go home.

Kong Xiangyao said he could walk back on his own, and told him to go home first, since there was a lot of money in the car, all of which was his wages for this job, and he should be careful.

Li Fugui didn't refuse and drove home first. Kong Xiangyao strolled home as well. Looking at the scenery along the way, he felt both familiar and strange.

Mu Shuyun was busy preparing today's meals, while Zhou Caiyun was helping in the kitchen chopping meat. Yunya and her grandfather were watching the birthday celebration. Kong Xiangdong was also helping out in the kitchen.

Kong Xiangyao walked silently into the courtyard. "Little Yellow" saw the extra person in the courtyard, barked twice, and then wagged its tail and pounced on Kong Xiangyao.

Once it pounced on Kong Xiangyao's feet, it began to lick him wildly. Yun Ya heard the commotion outside and looked out.

Seeing her uncle return, she ran out happily, shouting, "Uncle, uncle, you're back..."

Hearing Yunya's cries from inside the kitchen, Mu Shuyun rushed out and saw her youngest son, who had grown even taller. Her eyes welled up with tears of joy.

She called out anxiously, "Son, you're back?"

Kong Xiangyao walked to his mother's side and looked at her face, which had become more wrinkled from worry, his eyes filled with heartache.

He called out, "Mother, I'm back!" His voice was hoarse and trembling, and you could tell he was very excited and happy.

Mu Shuyun quickly pulled him to sit down and rest in the main room. She sat down next to him and chatted with him.

Kong Tongming, holding his grandson in the main room, also came to his youngest son's side and listened to him recount what had happened outside.

After chatting for a while, Kong Xiangyao picked up his little nephew and started playing with him. Xiao Qingsheng didn't reject him at all and readily laughed as his uncle amused him.

Mu Shuyun returned to the kitchen and started cooking. Kong Xiangdong had already brought back the ancestral tablets by noon and placed them in the center of the main table.

Zhou Caiyun and Kong Xiangdong are now sitting on small stools in the living room, making dumplings around the dining table.

Kong Xiangyao joined in to help make dumplings, while Yunya went to start a fire. Only Kong Tongming was free, so the responsibility of looking after the children fell to him.

Mu Shuyun had cooked all the vegetables and finished wrapping the dumplings. She cleaned the large pot, filled it with water, and started boiling it to cook the dumplings.

Kong Xiangdong and Zhou Caiyun together carried all the dishes to the dining table in the living room.

Kong Xiangyao went to the courtyard to light incense and started inserting incense from the incense burner in front of the ancestral tablets in the main room.

Then there's the incense burner on the offering table in the east corner of the east room. Above that in the east corner is a tablet for the "Guardian Deity".

There's one on each side of the living room entrance, one on each side of the kitchen and east wing entrances, one in the chicken coop, one in the pigsty, and one near the well. Finally, there's one on each side of the main entrance.

After doing all that, the rest were all placed on the incense altar on the east side of the main room in the courtyard. This was a hollow, high platform made of bricks.

The surface was a smooth cement panel, as clean as a table. A large incense burner sat on it, burning incense. Many offerings were also placed nearby.

In rural areas, people often have such incense altars in their courtyards. These are said to be altars for worshipping the heavens.

A moment later, Mu Shuyun's voice came from the kitchen: "The dumplings are ready, come and get the plates quickly."

Several people hurried off to the kitchen. Mu Shuyun then instructed her two sons to take the dumplings to the offering ceremony first.

One plate is placed on the incense altar, another in front of the ancestral tablets in the living room, and a third in front of the "Guardian Deity" table in the east room.

The rest can be placed on the dining table. With all the food prepared, the family sits together to eat.

Kong Xiangyao even went out into the yard and set off a string of firecrackers, only returning to eat after they had burned out.

Kong Tongming happily drank two glasses of baijiu, and Kong Xiangdong also drank two glasses with him. Kong Xiangyao felt that he was still a child since he was not married, so he did not drink.

Kong Xiangdong joked, "Xiangyao, your second brother already knew how to drink when he was your age. If you don't learn now, you won't be able to later. A man who can't drink will be laughed at."

Zhou Caiyun disagreed with his statement and retorted, "Third brother, don't listen to your second brother's nonsense. How can people laugh at someone who can't drink? That's just an excuse for people who love to drink."

Mu Shuyun sat at the table, holding Qingsheng in her arms, picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, and said, "That's right, your second brother is just talking nonsense."

Yunya, overhearing their discussion about drinking, chimed in, "Uncle, don't listen to your second uncle. Baijiu is so strong, smells awful, and costs money. You absolutely mustn't drink it."

The adults all burst into laughter upon hearing Yunya's words.

Just then, the sound of "Little Yellow" rang out in the courtyard. A person walked in from outside the door; it was Li Fugui.

Everyone stood up and warmly invited Li Fugui to join them for a meal. He politely declined.

After greeting everyone, he explained why he had come: to deliver his wages.

Kong Xiangyao had been working for him for a year, with room and board provided, but he had never been paid a salary. Now that everything has been settled, there's still a considerable amount of money left.

李富贵给他开一个月500元一年就是6000元钱。又给了200元的过节费和300元的奖金。一共给了6500块钱。

Kong Tongming and Mu Shuyun beamed with joy at the sight of so much money. They asked Li Fugui to stay and chat, but he said he had to deliver money to other people's homes and left first, promising to come back in a few days.

Looking at the money, Zhou Caiyun sighed sincerely, "You still earn more money outside. It's almost as much as a regular employee in a state-owned enterprise."

Kong Tongming nodded: "Indeed, ordinary workers in our Yicheng factory only earn about 100 yuan a month, with some earning 50 or 60 yuan a month. If you don't become a minor official, your salary won't be that high."

Seeing the blazing fire in Zhou Caiyun's eyes as she eyed the money, Kong Xiangdong lowered his head in shame.

Zhou Caiyun noticed his dejection and quietly took his hand, comforting him, "We're already living a very good life. The most important thing is to be able to stay with your family."

Kong Xiangdong's eyes finally lit up. The family chatted and laughed as they talked about interesting things happening in the village and outside.