country bumpkin

In the car, Kong Xiujin looked at Xiong Shanhe and asked what was going on. Xiong Shanhe hesitated and then recounted what had happened with Xiao Zhang.

He only mentioned that this person had offended him before, without mentioning anything about Xiao Zhang's sister. He was afraid that Kong Xiujin would look down on him, and he was also afraid that Kong Xiujin would get angry and want to run away again.

Kong Xiujin always felt that Xiong Shanhe had only told half the story and hadn't told the whole truth at all.

However, she's too lazy to dwell on the past now; she can only look forward. The most important thing now is how to make money.

The car sped along, and no one else got on; people only got off at village entrances and intersections.

By the time they reached the entrance of Xiongshanling Village, it was almost noon. The two then began their walk home again.

Kong Xiujin hoped that a donkey cart would pass by in the village and give them a ride. After walking for almost half the distance, they finally saw a donkey cart coming from the village.

The man driving the donkey cart was none other than Grandpa Ren. Seeing Xiong Shanhe and his wife, who looked travel-worn, Grandpa Ren asked, "Er Gouzi, you two have come to town?"

Xiong Shanhe greeted him with a smile, "Hey, yes! Grandpa Ren, where are you headed?"

Grandpa Ren coughed twice and said, "Ahem, I want to go to town to buy some vegetable seeds."

Xiong Shanhe shamelessly said, "Uncle Ren, could you please take my wife and me home first?"

Grandpa Ren could tell from their panting that they had run back again.

Grandpa Ren was a soft-hearted man and couldn't bear to do it, so he agreed to take them home first.

The two got on the donkey cart. Sitting on the cart, Kong Xiujin looked around at the scenery and pondered what ways there were to make money in the village.

Xiong Shanhe chatted idly with Grandpa Ren. Suddenly, the donkey cart lurched, almost throwing Kong Xiujin off. Xiong Shanhe reacted quickly and pulled her into his arms.

Kong Xiujin's face flushed instantly, and she awkwardly pulled away from Xiong Shanhe's embrace.

Grandpa Ren chuckled and teased, "Er Gouzi, you'd better hold your wife tight, or she'll fall." Xiong Shanhe scratched his head and chuckled.

Just then, a commotion arose in the distance, and Grandpa Ren frowned: "What's going on?"

Xiong Shanhe craned his neck to look and said, "It seems that the Li family and the Wang family in the village are having a dispute."

As they were talking, the donkey cart arrived, and there the two families were arguing fiercely. Kong Xiujin had an idea and thought that this might be an opportunity to make money, so she jumped off the donkey cart and prepared to go forward and see what was going on.

It turns out that two families went mushroom picking in the mountains together. They found a lot of mushrooms in the same area, but because they didn't distribute them evenly, they started arguing when they got back.

Grandpa Ren stopped his donkey cart next to them and began to act as a peacemaker.

Xiong Shanhe chimed in, and after Grandpa Ren's earnest persuasion, the two families finally stopped arguing and divided the mushrooms equally.

Kong Xiujin gestured to Xiong Shanhe, telling him to ask them exactly where they picked the mushrooms.

Xiong Shanhe didn't want to ask; asking would be seen as trying to steal someone else's job. If Kong Xiujin wanted to look for mushrooms, he could take her for a walk in the mountains.

Kong Xiujin realized he was refusing and decided to discuss the matter at home.

Grandpa Ren continued pulling the donkey cart to Xiong Shanhe's house. After another 15 minutes, they finally arrived at their destination.

Xiong Shanhe jumped off the donkey cart, then turned back and helped Kong Xiujin off. Once Kong Xiujin was steady, he took out two yuan and handed it to Grandpa Ren.

"Uncle Ren, here's the fare, please take it."

Grandpa Ren waved his hand, refusing the money, and said, "It's just a short distance, it's not worth the money. We'll talk about it when we're going on a longer trip!"

Xiong Shan and Kong Xiujin thanked him repeatedly. After Grandpa Ren drove away in his donkey cart, Kong Xiujin pulled Xiong Shanhe into the house.

When Xiong Shanhe's parents saw them return, they asked them how they were doing and whether they had seen Kong Xiujin's parents.

Xiong Shanhe said with a sullen face, "I've seen him. We'll talk about this later. Right now, I just want to make some money."

His parents stopped talking and went out to attend to their own business.

Inside the house, Kong Xiujin shook Xiong Shanhe's arm and said coquettishly, "Shanhe, just go and ask. Maybe there are lots of mushrooms there. We can pick them and sell them to make money."

Xiong Shanhe sighed helplessly: "Alright, alright, I'll go ask."

Xiong Shanhe found people in the village who were familiar with the Li and Wang families and subtly inquired about the location of the mushroom picking.

That evening, Kong Xiujin excitedly discussed with Xiong Shanhe about going mushroom picking the next day.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the two men took their bamboo baskets and went into the mountains. Following the directions they had received, they found a large patch of mushrooms. Excitedly, they began picking them, and soon their baskets were full.

There was a market in town, and Kong Xiujin took the mushrooms to sell there. The fresh mushrooms were quickly snapped up, and she made a lot of money. Small restaurants, in particular, were the most interested.

Looking at the money in her hand, Kong Xiujin's confidence soared, and she began to plan her next money-making scheme. Under Kong Xiujin's influence, Xiong Shanhe also developed a greater expectation for making money.

Dishes made with wild mushrooms are quite delicious, so there is a great demand for them in both small restaurants and large hotels.

But mushroom picking is a seasonal food, and it's impossible to keep picking mushrooms to sell and support one's livelihood.

Kong Xiujin racked her brains but couldn't find a long-term survival skill. She could only temporarily go to the mountains to pick mushrooms.

Xiong Shanhe's parents were worried about Kong Xiujin's health and didn't want her to go to the mountains. Kong Xiujin said that she was still feeling okay for the next two months. She added that once the season was over, there wouldn't be any more mushrooms to pick.

Aside from tending to their land and feeding the chickens, the elderly couple spent the rest of their time gathering firewood at the foot of the mountain.

Xiong Shanhe followed Kong Xiujin to the mountain to pick mushrooms. After three days, the price of mushrooms dropped.

Because everyone in the village goes to pick mushrooms to sell, the price naturally becomes much cheaper as more people sell them.

Kong Xiujin dried the mushrooms she picked and planned to sell them in the winter for a higher price.

That day, when Xiong Shanhe and Kong Xiujin were picking mushrooms at their usual spot, they discovered that the surrounding area had already been completely harvested. The two had no choice but to venture deeper into the area.

After walking about 300 meters, we found a litter of rabbits. There was also a mother rabbit grazing nearby.

Xiong Shanhe crouched down quietly, then suddenly pounced and accurately caught the rabbit.

Kong Xiujin then put the little rabbits into the basket. There were five little rabbits in total, all white and fluffy, and very cute.

They looked to be over a month old. Perhaps they were hungry and didn't have the strength to escape, which gave Kong Xiujin the opportunity to catch them.

Looking at the little rabbits, Xiong Shanhe said happily, "Xiujin, I think we can raise rabbits. Rabbits eat grass, are easy to raise, and reproduce quickly. Once they're grown, they'll sell well in restaurants and hotels."

Kong Xiujin's eyes lit up, and she replied with a smile, "Great idea! This way we'll have a way to make money in the future."

The two didn't linger and went straight home with the rabbit.