country bumpkin

Yunya took out her phone book, went to the phone, and started dialing.

After dialing the number, I waited about a minute before I heard a voice from the other end.

"Hello, who are you looking for?" a shrill voice called out.

Yunya quickly replied, "Hello, I'm looking for Guan Yuxin."

After he finished speaking, he heard a woman's shouts and the sound of footsteps leaving through the phone receiver.

"Yuxin, your phone, hurry up, quick!" The urging voice pulled Guan Yuxin into the house.

She answered the phone and said, "Hello, who is this?"

Yunya excitedly said, "Guan Yuxin, hello! Do you remember me? I'm Sun Yunya."

Guan Yuxin was stunned for a moment and didn't say anything. Yun Ya guessed that she had forgotten her and kindly reminded her, "Do you remember me? We took the bus back to Yicheng together, but the bus had a problem on the way."

Guan Yuxin's mind suddenly cleared up, and she slapped her forehead, "Oh, I remember now, you're that talkative young lady."

Yunya chuckled and asked, "Yuxin, where do you live? I'm near your house. I'm at the farmers' market, a little south of the entrance to Haochizailai Bakery."

Guan Yuxin replied, "My home is in the first alley on the west side of the road, south of the bakery."

Yunya said, "Oh, then come out and wait for me at the entrance of the alley. I can get there in about 15 minutes."

After hearing this, Guan Yuxin said, "Okay, I'll go to the alley entrance and wait for you now. Take your time, don't rush."

Yunya hung up the phone and prepared to leave with her small backpack. She said a few words to her third aunt, who then carried Lingyun to the stall.

Yunya, carrying her schoolbag, walked out of the long alleyway of her third aunt's house and skipped south.

The road was lined with shops selling everything from flatbread to noodles to pots and pans. There was a wide variety of goods on display.

After walking for 10 minutes, I saw the alley that Yuxin had mentioned. Standing at the entrance of the alley was a pretty and clean little girl, who was none other than Guan Yuxin.

Yunya quickly stepped forward, smiling as she greeted, "Yuxin, I'm here!"

Guan Yuxin also smiled brightly, took Yun Ya's hand, and said, "Sister Yun Ya, come home with me."

The two walked hand in hand into the alley. Guan Yuxin's home was a small, old-fashioned courtyard. Although it was not big, it was clean and tidy.

Once inside, Guan Yuxin warmly poured water for Yunya and even brought out some homemade snacks.

Yunya ate her snacks, curiously looking around the room. Several photos hung on the wall, group photos of Yuxin and her family.

Yun Ya pointed to the photo and asked, "Are these your mom and dad?" Guan Yuxin nodded, her eyes filled with memories and confusion.

After chatting for a while, Guan Yuxin suggested, "Sister Yunya, let's go play in the small park behind the house. It's a lot of fun there." Yunya readily agreed.

So they skipped and hopped out the door and headed toward the small park, laughing and chatting all the way, as if they had endless things to say.

Upon arriving at the small park, the two sat down and began to chat. Yun Ya spoke first, questioning, "I called you earlier, and you didn't even remember who I was? Have you forgotten me?"

Guan Yuxin touched her nose sheepishly and said, "Um, I'm sorry, it's been too long, I can't remember clearly."

Yunya wasn't angry; she just wanted to tease her. She automatically changed the subject, saying, "So, is this your grandma's house?"

Guan Yuxin nodded. "Yes, my family is from the countryside. My mother married and moved back to the countryside, so my parents and younger brother are all in our old rural hometown."

Yunya looked at her, puzzled. "Then... why... did you come to the city?"

Guan Yuxin replied, "My maternal grandmother wanted me to receive a good education, so she sent me here."

Yunya then asked, "Who is that woman who answered the phone just now?"

Guan Yuxin said, "That's my aunt He Yinghong. She's very fierce. My uncle listens to her at home and doesn't talk much."

Yun Ya thought to herself: [I knew it a long time ago].

Yunya suddenly felt a sense of shared misfortune, as both of them were living under the roof of others.

Yuxin was staying at her aunt's house. She was staying at her younger brother's house and her mother's house.

The two then started talking about their experiences at other people's homes and recent events.

From her words, Yunya learned that her grandfather, Tan Songke, was a retired teacher, and her maternal grandmother, Fang Shuying, was a retired nurse.

They are both retired and stay at home taking care of the children. Her mother, Tan Min, and father, Guan Chengze, met through a classmate's introduction.

Her maternal grandmother disagreed with her mother marrying into the countryside, so her mother cruelly ran away with someone else. When she returned, she was already pregnant with her.

Grandparents had no choice but to accept reality. Because she was pregnant out of wedlock, her parents didn't like her.

Her mother didn't like her very much either. After her younger brother was born, her parents focused all their attention on him.

Guan Yuxin spoke while tears streamed down her face. Yun Ya, feeling her pain, hugged her and gently comforted her.

"What's there to be afraid of? Don't you still love your grandma? There's nothing to be sad about. We need to be happy so that those who love us can be happy too!"

Yun Ya's words made Guan Yuxin realize what she meant, and she nodded firmly, "Yes, you're right. As long as I'm happy, the people who love us will be happy too!"

Yunya then told Yuxin about all the things that happened after she returned "home".

Yu Xin didn't expect that Yun Ya was just like her, unpopular, but Yun Ya's carefree and rough personality meant she wouldn't take it to heart.

She knows how to selectively forget the bad and unhappy things. She doesn't hold grudges or dwell on them; she's like the last sunflower in winter, striving to grow and live, warming her friends and melting the winter's ice.

The two played together until 12:30 pm. Yun Ya was already hungry, so she prepared to go back and quickly gave Guan Yuxin the gift she had prepared in her schoolbag.

Guan Yuxin accepted Yun Ya's gift and quickly thanked her, saying, "Sister Yun Ya, thank you for the gift, I really like it."

The gift was a pack of "Smurfs" stickers, which kids love.

Guan Yuxin wanted Yunya to stay for dinner, but Yunya declined. She felt that Yuxin's aunt was a difficult person to get along with, and she didn't want to cause trouble for Yuxin. Besides, her aunt's house wasn't far away, so she decided to go back home for dinner.

Yunya said goodbye to her, promising to keep in touch by phone often, before turning around and walking north with her schoolbag on her back.

When we arrived at the entrance of the alley where my third aunt lived, we saw that my third aunt's husband, Shen Changsheng, was still tending the stall. My third aunt was not there; she had probably gone home for dinner.

Yunya greeted him and headed home. Back in the courtyard, she smelled the aroma of stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

She hurried into the house, where her third aunt and younger brother Shen Lingyun were eating. When Kong Xiufen saw Yunya return, she quickly served her rice. Yunya washed her hands and sat down to eat as well.

Auntie ate quickly. After finishing her meal, she said, "Yunya, you eat first. I'll go watch the stall and come back to eat with your uncle. When you're done eating, just put your bowl on the table. Your uncle needs to catch up on his sleep, so I'll wash it when I get back tonight."

Yun Ya nodded: "Okay, Third Aunt." Kong Xiufen went to the alley entrance to relieve her husband so he could come back for dinner and rest.