country bumpkin

Kong Xiangyao was thinking seriously when suddenly a "squeak..." sound came from the big tree in the yard.

Immediately afterwards, a cicada began to chirp, "Chirp...chirp...chirp," its calls ringing out continuously.

A sudden realization snapped Kong Xiangyao back to reality. He glanced at his watch; it was already 2 a.m., and the temperature seemed to have cooled down a bit.

His eyelids were already drooping. He lay on the straw mat, covered his head with the old, thin sheet, and fell into a deep sleep.

A swarm of mosquitoes, drawn by the scent of human flesh, buzzed and circled in front of the old bed sheet.

The moon, too, seemed to be tired, hiding behind the clouds and disappearing from sight. The sky instantly turned as black as spilled ink. Perhaps even the stars and moon couldn't bear to disturb the sleep of kind people, so they dimmed their light to soothe their sweet dreams.

He slept soundly until the construction workers came to work, at which point he woke up.

Kong Xiangyao looked at the bed in the shed, but his father was nowhere to be seen. His gaze searched around for his father, and finally, he saw him chatting with his father by the red brick wall at the gate.

Kong Tongming was talking to the foreman, explaining some details that needed attention. Suddenly, several workers rushed in from outside. Among them were Dazhuang and Shunzi.

He Fushun wasn't always called that. When he was a child, his grandfather named him He Tianyu. Later, his family suffered a series of misfortunes, and someone knowledgeable in metaphysics said that the name he was given was too grand and he couldn't handle the good fortune, so he changed his name to He Fushun.

It symbolizes harmony, happiness, health, and smooth sailing.

His sister's name has never been changed; she is still called He Meili.

It seems much better now than before, especially with this foreman (Bao Jinhui) and Brother Dazhuang.

He Dongxu said, "This is a case of good people being rewarded. All hardships will eventually pass, and only kind-hearted people will be blessed. When our good fortune arrives, bad luck will depart..."

Despite being such a cheerful person, He Dongxu persevered through the heavy blows of fate.

He reaped good results not only because he received help from many kind people, but also because of the good deeds he sowed.

At this moment, Kong Tongming had already entered the courtyard, and the foreman began to assign tasks.

After the tasks were assigned, everyone got to work. Some were building walls, some were pushing sand, some were mixing cement, and some were carrying bricks; everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Everything went smoothly from morning until lunchtime, by which time a wall as tall as a person had already been built.

Four people were working on the four walls, one person responsible for each wall. Two bricklayers shared a laborer who supplied the cement mortar.

The laborers who carried bricks were also supplied by two masters sharing one laborer.

Kong Tongming was overjoyed to see the four walls erected so quickly. It seemed the house would be finished in less than a month.

At lunchtime, Mu Shuyun left a dozen or so white steamed buns in the shed and told Shunzi to remember to take them home after get off work.

Shunzi was both grateful and touched.

Days passed by in a repetitive cycle, and time flew by.

It's almost been a month, and I'll be taking on the main responsibility soon.

So they chose another auspicious day, and after a series of rituals including offering sacrifices, burning incense, and kowtowing, they were finally able to set off firecrackers and put up the main beam.

The date was set for August 22nd, the 8th day of the seventh lunar month. Such a joyous and lively occasion naturally attracted Granny Zhang from across the street, as well as many children who came to share in the festive spirit.

Around 11 o'clock, after setting off firecrackers, the young and strong men began to climb onto the main beam.

Led by Li Dazhuang, there were more than a dozen burly men.

At the highest point of the house, eight young people, all with both parents alive, good fortune, and in good health, began to pull the main beam upwards with all their might.

Below, six tall, strong men helped to support and stabilize the beam. A large red paper was pasted on the triangularly supported roof beam, which read "Auspicious Raising of the Roof Beam."

While shouting slogans, Li Dazhuang directed everyone, and the roof beam was safely and steadily placed in the correct position.

Next, Mu Shuyun began distributing wedding candies and peanuts. Holding a plate, she grabbed a handful of candies and scattered them in areas with many people. Then she grabbed a handful of roasted peanuts and scattered them as well.

The children rushed forward, some jumping up to catch the wedding candies, others squatting down to search for them, all joining in, instantly making the courtyard lively and bustling.

After completing their task, all the young men who had been on the roof beam climbed down.

As they came down, they uttered auspicious blessings. The hosts were all beaming with joy.

Next came the distribution of red envelopes. Everyone present who participated in the beam-raising ceremony received a red envelope.

Inside was six yuan and sixty-six fen. After distributing those, Kong Xiangyao took out a large handful of small red envelopes, each containing sixty-six fen. He scattered the small red envelopes to buy snacks for the children.

The children were overjoyed, holding small red envelopes and eating candy.

Finally, it was time for the banquet. Several tables were set up for the 14 people who were laying the main beam today, as well as the construction workers who were building the house.

Kong Tongming and Kong Xiangyao, along with Kong Tongcang and Kong Tongyuan who came to support the event, sat at each table, representing the host and accompanying the guests.

Kong Tongming and foreman Bao Jinhui were the first to finish eating. They slipped away and ran into the spacious room to start calculating wages.

After calculating, Kong Tongming handed the money to Bao Jinhui without hesitation.

In front of the host, Bao Jinhui quickly counted the money twice. After confirming that it was correct, he put it into his bag.

The meal lasted until they finished their shift. After a hearty meal, the workers went to the empty room in their new house and lined up to collect their wages.

Afterwards, the workers, each with their wages in their pockets, happily went home.

After these people left, Mu Shuyun and Yunya began to clean up the mess.

Kong Tongming was a little drunk, and Kong Xiangyao helped him to the bed in the shed to rest.

He had only been lying down for five minutes when Kong Tongming began snoring. Perhaps it was the alcohol that made him fall asleep so quickly.

Kong Xiangyao picked up a large palm-leaf fan and fanned all the mosquitoes out of the mosquito net. Then he tucked the mosquito net under the straw mat around the edges, checked it again to make sure it was secure, and then got up to go to the yard to help.

It's already very late today, so we can't move back into the new house yet. Although we built the house in the summer and don't have to worry about dampness, we still need to let it air out for a few days.

The new house still smelled of cement bricks and tiles, and the cement floor wasn't completely dry yet; you could still see footprints when you stepped on it.

The only room where the construction team paid their wages had a temporary wooden plank on the floor, which also needed to be aired out.

When they finished receiving their wages and were about to leave, Li Dazhuang took out the wooden planks and smoothed out the wooden marks on the ground before leaving Kong Xiangyao's house after get off work.

Taking advantage of the spaciousness of the new house, Kong Xiangyao was thinking of hiring someone to paint the walls white.

After we move in, we'll have to paint the walls white and move furniture back and forth, which will be troublesome and a waste of time. It's better to solve everything at once.

Now we're just waiting for the ground to dry so we can move into the new house. Once I've made all the plans, I'll tell my parents about it tomorrow.

After tidying up the yard, Mu Shuyun led Yunya back to Kong Xiangdong's house.

Kong Xiangyao remained lying on the straw mat in the courtyard, quietly appreciating the beautiful scenery of the summer night.