country bumpkin

The whole family cooked lunch and dinner at the new house and did not go back to Kong Xiangdong's house.

Now Mu Shuyun and Yunya are only staying at Kong Xiangdong's house for sleeping, and they no longer eat at her house.

Zhou Caiyun was much more relaxed now that she didn't have to cook for so many people. Her mood improved, and she no longer gave her mother-in-law and the others a hard time when they came home to rest in the evening.

Mu Shuyun took out 500 yuan and handed it to Zhou Caiyun, telling her it was for food expenses. They couldn't eat and stay for free.

Zhou Caiyun was too embarrassed to accept the money, but she really wanted it.

She said politely, though her words didn't match her true feelings, "Mom, we're all family, why are you being so polite? Besides, it's just one meal tonight, it doesn't need to cost so much money!"

Mu Shuyun understood the implication: her second daughter-in-law wanted to accept the money, but felt embarrassed to take it because it was too much.

Mu Shuyun said jokingly, "Caiyun, look, you've been busy building our old house and taking care of the family's meals. You've worked hard too. Why don't you leave some money for me? It would make me feel better. Otherwise, I'll always feel like I've wronged you."

Zhou Caiyun was overjoyed. She was just worried about how to save money and find an excuse, and now her mother-in-law had given her a way out.

So she blushed and said shyly, "Oh, what do you mean by food expenses? Since Mother insists on giving it to me, I'll just accept 300 yuan. Consider it money for Mother to buy snacks for Qingsheng's birthday."

Mu Shuyun took out 300 yuan and stuffed it into Zhou Caiyun's hand, then put the rest of the money back into her pocket.

Since her daughter-in-law has given the number, she doesn't mind following her arrangement. Otherwise, there would be endless arguing and pretense, which would be too troublesome.

Zhou Caiyun took the money and quickly stuffed it into her pocket. Her face flushed and her heart pounded as if she had done something wrong; she was flustered.

She steadied herself and reminded herself, "This is money they should give me. We've separated the family; they can't just eat and live here for free! Besides, the money saved will only benefit the third son, not my mother-in-law. I'm doing this for her sake."

After Zhou Caiyun accepted the money, she smiled radiantly for several days in a row. She had regained the sensible, obedient, and understanding demeanor she had when she first got married.

Mu Shuyun knew in her heart that this was probably just the beginning. After the third son got married, the second daughter-in-law, who would not be able to gain any advantage, would become even more unreasonable.

Once a person develops jealousy, a competitive spirit, or a utilitarian mindset, they will change.

Mu Shuyun and Yunya stayed at Zhou Caiyun's house for a few more days. Kong Xiangyao bought paint and painted all the walls of the new house.

After painting the house and letting it air out for seven days, the family began a thorough cleaning on August 30th.

Sweep and mop the floor, wipe the windows and doors, clean inside and out, and the day after tomorrow we'll be moving all our things back inside.

Yunya can't wait to move into the new house, because the day after tomorrow is September 1st, and she has to go back to school.

The day before school started, Yunya reluctantly returned to the city. Before leaving, she filled the water vat in the yard with water, just like before.

Although her uncle was home and could help her grandmother with these chores, Yunya always wanted to do as much as she could, because she felt that the time she spent with her grandmother was the happiest time of her life.

After returning to the city, Yunya resumed her peaceful life. She went to school every day, came home in the evening to practice calligraphy, and occasionally went out to play with her friends.

When she has some free time, Yunya still misses her maternal grandparents, her paternal grandparents, and her uncle. She also misses the joyful life in the countryside.

September 1st, the 9th day of the seventh lunar month, is an auspicious day. There are weddings and engagements on this day, and Kong Tongming also chose this day to move after consulting the auspicious calendar.

Mu Shuyun and the others' beds were moved to the east room, while Kong Xiangyao's bed was moved to the west room. An empty bed was also moved to a small room next to the east room.

There was a well on the west side, so when the house was built, the area was only expanded to the north, east and south, while the location of the west wall remained unchanged.

The main room is still the size of two rooms, which can be divided into a living room and a dining room. Since farmers eat in the living room, the dining room can also be used as a bedroom by separating it with a curtain or a plywood door.

There are fewer people in the house now, and there's enough room, so we didn't partition it. We just bought a large curtain and hung it in the center.

The curtain was painted with emerald green bamboo and adorable pandas. There were also tender green bamboo shoots, their tips just beginning to emerge. The scene was vibrant with life, bringing a sense of peace to the viewer.

There aren't usually this many people, and we're not in a rush to buy a new bed, so the dining area is empty. The living room and dining room are connected, making the whole living room feel more spacious.

There were also two large wooden chests in the house, which people in the countryside call cabinets. One of them contained Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming's clothes, and this chest was moved to their sleeping room.

The other large wooden chest contained only a few sets of clothes belonging to Kong Xiangyao and a cloth bundle. The bundle contained the family's valuables.

I have my household registration booklet, ID card, marriage certificate, and land use certificate. I keep these things hidden away like precious treasures, and I absolutely won't take them out unless I need them, because it would be a hassle if I lost them.

Not knowing where to put the box, I could only leave it in Kong Xiangyao's room for now and use it as a table.

After tidying up, the yard was empty. Mu Shuyun then cleaned up the yard, sweeping the sand and cement that had been dripping in front of the pigsty and chicken coop together and piling it in the corner.

These past few days, Mu Shuyun has been busy cooking for the construction workers and feeding the pigs and sheep on schedule, which has exhausted her.

Fortunately, Yunya helped her by starting the fire and cooking pig feed; otherwise, Mu Shuyun would have collapsed from exhaustion.

Kong Xiangyao would also climb trees in his spare time to break off poplar and locust branches to feed the sheep. Otherwise, if the sheep were only fed grain, they would overeat and suffer from indigestion.

Herbivorous animals need to eat herbs regularly, otherwise they will get sick.

Just like now, many farmers who raise chickens, ducks, and pigs feed their animals with commercial feed.

Animals fed growth-enhancing feed grow quickly, gain weight, and can be sold for money in a short time.

However, the meat loses its original flavor. Pigs raised on feed also contain those components in their pork, which can cause weight gain in humans.

That's why many children nowadays are obese, weighing 180 or 200 pounds, and have to spend money to lose weight.

Even worse, some people inject pigs with sterilization drugs to make them grow faster and prevent them from reproducing.

When these drugs seep into the meat, the consequences for people who eat it are predictable.

Some older people say, no wonder, it's so hard for young people to get pregnant these days. And it's even harder to have a healthy child.

These poultry and livestock eat grass and grain, why bother with technology and grueling work?

These people are blinded by money and their conscience. Don't they worry that one day their family, relatives, and friends will also eat food laced with drugs by them?