country bumpkin

When they arrived at Kong Xiangdong's home, Zhou Caiyun had already prepared a hot meal.

She saw her parents-in-law and Yunya return with her husband, and quickly invited them to wash their hands and eat.

Hearing that a group of people had arrived at the house, 5-year-old Qingsheng ran out of his bedroom. He first went up to his grandparents and greeted them warmly, and then called out to Sister Yunya.

After washing their hands, the group went inside. Mu Shuyun smiled and patted her grandson's head, her eyes full of affection.

Kong Tongming sat down and called for his grandson to pour him some wine. Kong Xiangdong sat next to his father and drank a few cups with the old man.

Zhou Caiyun also ate with them. Qingsheng sat between her grandmother and Yunya, picking up food with her chopsticks.

Suddenly, Zhou Caiyun remembered that her brother-in-law hadn't come. She said, "Huh, where's Xiangyao?"

After asking the question, Mu Shuyun looked up at her mother-in-law and replied with a smile, "Oh, he stayed behind to look at the materials. Your father will go to relieve him in a bit, and then he will come back for dinner."

Zhou Caiyun stammered, "This... um... Mom, I didn't save any food for him separately. If he comes later, I'll cook a few more dishes."

Kong Tongming overheard their conversation and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright, no need to go to so much trouble. He can just heat up the leftovers when he gets back."

Mu Shuyun felt sorry for her youngest son, so she suggested, "How about this, you go and get an empty bowl, and we'll set aside a little bit of each dish for him so he won't have to eat what we leave behind."

Zhou Caiyun thought this was a good idea, so she quickly went to the vegetable display case, grabbed a large bowl, and took a few bites of each dish. She put the reserved dishes back in the display case, and everyone continued eating.

Kong Tongming was in high spirits and wouldn't finish his meal for a while. Mu Shuyun, worried that her youngest son would go hungry, packed the food into a basket and took it to Kong Xiangyao.

Yunya was bored at her second uncle's house, so she went along to deliver food. Qingsheng followed behind Yunya, skipping and hopping as he talked to her about the cartoons he had watched that day.

Upon arriving at the old house, Mu Shuyun took the food out of the basket and placed it on the square table. Kong Xiangyao sat down around the table, picked up his chopsticks, and set off.

He was starving, chewing his food in large mouthfuls until his mouth was stuffed full.

Mu Shuyun looked at him with concern and said, "Eat slowly, eat slowly. No, I'll watch over him tomorrow. You go eat first, and come and relieve me when you're done."

Kong Xiangyao could not agree to this. He said, "This, how can this be? Mother, you are already so old, you can't go hungry."

Mu Shuyun insisted, "We old people have small appetites and eat less, so it's healthier to be hungry for a while. You young people are different; you're very active, and you'll feel weak if you're hungry for a while. Okay, listen to your mother."

Kong Xiangyao had no choice but to compromise. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that he had indeed been feeling very hungry.

Mu Shunu handed her son a glass of water, which Kong Xiangyao took, looked up, and gulped down.

Yunya had already started curiously circling around the demolished old house. Qingsheng ran behind her.

The two children were sweating profusely from running around when Caixia came running, following the sound. Yunya saw Caixia and happily called her over to play.

Caixia ran over with a smile, and the group started playing hide-and-seek in the old house. Qingsheng was young and slow, so he was always the first to be found, but he wasn't discouraged at all and excitedly continued to participate each time.

After finishing his meal, Kong Xiangyao chatted with his mother for a while and also joined in the children's games.

He deliberately slowed his pace to make it easier for the children to hide, and their cheerful laughter echoed through the old house.

After playing for a while, it gradually got dark. Mu Shuyun called everyone to go back. Although the children were a little reluctant to leave, they obediently followed her back.

On the way, Yunya and Qingsheng were still chattering about the fun things that happened in the game.

Back at Kong Xiangdong's house, Zhou Caiyun had already cleaned up the dishes and made hot tea for everyone.

The family sat together, chatting and laughing. A warm atmosphere filled the house, as if all the fatigue and worries had been dispelled by this deep family affection.

Kong Tongming had already taken a short nap and was now full of energy. He was about to go and relieve his youngest son when Mu Shuyun said, "Drive carefully, it's getting dark."

Kong Tongming replied, "Okay, it's alright, you should all get some rest too!"

Kong Tongming took a flashlight and went out. After walking out the gate, he turned off the flashlight and looked up at the moon in the sky. Tonight, the moon shone brightly on the village, as clear and bright as day.

Upon arriving at the old house, Kong Tongming and his youngest son sat on a stone and chatted for a long time. Kong Xiangyao told his father about all the interesting things he had encountered and heard while working outside.

Kong Tongming listened intently as his son recounted the outside world, its fascinating stories and the hardships and tears of migrant workers, his eyes filled with disbelief.

As they were talking, Kong Xiangyao suddenly remembered something and said, "Dad, there's a brother and sister from out of town. The brother's name is Chen Hu, and he works as a laborer on our construction site. He's a very honest man and works hard. The sister, Chen Hemiao, looks delicate and frail, but she has a clever look in her eyes. She also found a job as a nanny near the construction site."

Kong Tongming became interested and asked, "Oh? Why are you suddenly bringing them up?"

Kong Xiangyao continued, "Their lives have been very hard. Their father was hospitalized with tuberculosis but had no money, so he could only stay at home and suffer. Their mother also had leg and back pain and couldn't do heavy work. The whole family depended on the older brother to earn money to support them."

Kong Tongming stroked his chin, pondering, and said, "What exactly do you mean? And what do you plan to do?"

Kong Xiangyao said firmly, "Dad, I want to help them."

Kong Tongming nodded in agreement without hesitation. He asked, "How exactly can I help?"

Kong Xiangyao laughed excitedly and said, "Actually, I left them 5000 yuan when I came back. I also told Fugui and a few other workers about it, and they all donated some money."

Kong Tongming patted his son on the shoulder and looked at him approvingly, "You did the right thing, that's good. Life is not easy, it's fate that we met, so help if you can."

Kong Xiangyao nodded seriously.

They are all working people, ordinary folks. Although they may not have much ability, they are respectable for helping others without expecting anything in return.

After that, the father and son chatted about other things for a while, and then Kong Xiangyao packed his things and went to the threshing ground.

He could have stayed in the yard; he could have just laid out a straw mat and slept there when it got hot. However, there were more mosquitoes in the yard, buzzing around people at night and giving him a headache. The threshing ground was much quieter in comparison.

The shed next to the kitchen is the same one that the people watching over the melon fields have set up. When it's hot, you can just put down the mosquito net; when it rains, you can just cover the mosquito net with a plastic sheet.

Kong Tongming stayed behind to continue guarding the materials. He couldn't sleep after his son left, so he rolled a cigarette by the moonlight and took a deep drag.

The moonlight shone on the old house at night, making everything appear peaceful and serene.