country bumpkin

The next morning, Yunya got up early, washed her face, and ate breakfast. Kong Xiujuan heated up the leftovers from the previous night on the gas stove, and after they finished eating, they went to school.

In winter, Kong Xiujuan couldn't get up, so Yunya and Sun Limei had to find their own food. After the weather warmed up, Kong Xiujuan started getting up earlier and was able to make breakfast for the students.

Sun Guoqiang was still asleep. Kong Xiujuan had already cleaned up the table and had plenty of time, so she went to work in the yard.

Soon after, Sun Zitao got up, and Kong Xiujuan prepared breakfast and went to feed the donkey. She brought a bowl of porridge made with crushed corn and placed it in front of the donkey.

The donkey ate with loud clattering, quickly emptying the bowl. Once full, the donkey snorted and lowered its head to chew on the dry grass between its teeth.

After feeding the donkeys outside, Sun Zitao finished eating inside. He pulled the cart out to harness the donkeys.

Today, Kong Xiujuan plans to go out and cut a cartload of grass, do the housework, wash and chop the vegetables needed for lunch, and put them in the cupboard.

The rice porridge is cooked, and there are also steamed buns from yesterday in the basket. I can eat them when I come back at noon.

Everything was prepared, but her son still hadn't woken up. Kong Xiujuan walked into the bedroom, somewhat puzzled.

She walked to the bedside, lifted the blanket, reached out and touched her son's forehead, muttering, "He's not hot, why isn't he awake yet?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Sun Guoqiang opened his eyes. Kong Xiujuan affectionately picked up her son and asked, "My good son, my sweetheart, Mommy's little darling, why are you sleeping so much today? You scared me to death, I thought you weren't feeling well!"

Sun Guoqiang chuckled and hugged his mother's neck affectionately, saying, "I'm not feeling unwell. I just had a dream last night, so I was very sleepy today and woke up a little late."

Kong Xiujuan feigned surprise and asked, "What sweet dream is our darling having?"

Sun Guoqiang licked his lips, swallowed, and said, "I dreamt that I was eating a grand feast at a big table, with lots of delicious food, and even candy and melon seeds!"

Kong Xiujuan affectionately patted her son's head: "Our little chili pepper is craving something sweet. Mom will buy you meat for lunch today, okay?"

Sun Guoqiang jumped up on the bed with joy, clapping his hands and saying, "Great! Great! Hoo~ Hoo~ We'll have meat to eat! We'll have meat to eat!"

Kong Xiujuan quickly dressed him, talking to her son about their plans for the day as she did so.

Sun Guoqiang cooperated readily, quickly putting on his pants and shirt. Then he got up to eat.

A simple bowl of rice porridge with two eggs would be her son's breakfast. She thought she'd give him a little something to eat first, and then buy him a big meat bun on the way to satisfy his craving.

She took a small thermos, then grabbed the sickle her husband had prepared, pushed the tricycle, and left home.

Sun Guoqiang sat on it, looking around. When the tricycle reached the main road, he saw that Chu Yiping had been waiting there for a long time.

Kong Xiujuan quickly stepped forward to greet her: "Sister Yiping, you've been here for a long time, haven't you?" Chu Yiping smiled and said, "Not long, I just arrived."

Her youngest son, Wang Jilei, was sitting in the back of her tricycle. He saw Sun Guoqiang happily waving a fan in his hand and excitedly shouting, "Guoqiang, Guoqiang, look at my fan, isn't it pretty?"

Sun Guoqiang looked at the ordinary fan in his hand and said, "You don't need a fan in this weather."

Wang Jilei said proudly, "This kind of fan is different from the ones specifically used for fanning. This fan is for blocking the sun from shining on your face."

Sun Guoqiang used one small hand to press down on the lower eyelid of one eye and pulled it down, saying, "We are boys, we are not afraid of getting tanned by the sun, what is there to worry about?"

Wang Jilei lost his arrogance in front of Sun Guoqiang and obediently shut his mouth. He wanted to show off a little because Sun Guoqiang was smarter than him.

When playing with other children, everyone listens to Sun Guoqiang, but no one listens to him.

When making the game, Sun Guoqiang is the leader, like a general, while he is just a soldier, running errands and doing odd jobs, and is very inconspicuous.

He wanted to surpass Sun Guoqiang, but he simply didn't have the intelligence, so he could only rely on what he already possessed to gain an advantage.

Unexpectedly, Sun Guoqiang didn't give him the chance to show off. At this moment, Wang Jilei looked like a wilted eggplant, lacking the energy he had when he first arrived.

Chu Yiping and Kong Xiujuan chatted about gossip while pedaling their tricycles.

Before long, they arrived at the closest farmland to the city. This was the land of the people who lived on the outskirts of the city.

Some of the land closer to the city was sold by the neighborhood committee and houses were built on it.

They only kept a small portion of their own land, which was not enough to grow much.

But they did plant wheat and corn. They could only plant corn in the spring and wheat in the winter; the rest of the time they were cutting grass and doing housework.

The rabbit I brought home last time has grown quite a bit. We can still use the cut grass to feed it.

Kong Xiujuan and Chu Yiping didn't care what the two children were doing. As long as they didn't run around, they let them play and fight however they wanted.

The two adults worked harder to cut the grass, as they needed to go back and cook lunch before the children got out of school.

Sun Guoqiang and Wang Jilei jumped off the tricycle and ran and played in the fields. Their laughter echoed across the fields.

After the adults had filled the truck with hay, the two children were exhausted from running around. They found a place to sit down, took out a water cup that was half-filled with cold water, added some hot water, and the two children gulped it down. By the time the children finished drinking, it was almost time to go home.

The children were still sitting on the tricycle, but the tricycle was covered in grass, so the children had to sit on the grass.

Wang Jilei disliked the smell of the grass and refused to sit on it. He even insisted that Chu Yiping take him home alone first.

Sun Guoqiang glared at him, and Wang Jilei immediately shut up. He was afraid of Sun Guoqiang; his friends all listened to him, and he was afraid Sun Guoqiang would get them to gang up on him.

Chu Yiping also saw what the two children were doing and laughed until tears streamed down her face. Kong Xiujuan, however, felt embarrassed.

She looked at Chu Yiping and said, "This child is so immature. I will definitely discipline him properly when I get back, Sister Yiping."

Sun Guoqiang didn't take it seriously; his mother wouldn't bear to discipline him. Didn't she see how he was pampered and adored every day?

Chu Yiping waved her hand: "It's alright, no need. Guoqiang is keeping an eye on him, which is good. Our son is just naughty, it's good to have someone to keep him in check."

Kong Xiujuan didn't say anything, and the two smiled at each other.

They quickly loaded the grass onto the cart, tied it with a rope, put the child on the grass, and got on the tricycle to head home.

They pedaled their bikes with great speed, using up all their strength. Their calves were also sore and swollen.

They traveled in silence and finally made it back before the students were dismissed from school.