country bumpkin

Kong Xiangguang said with a mixture of heartache and anger, "Alright, Cuihua, stop crying. It's all my fault. I'm the one who's incompetent to let you suffer with me."

Wang Cuihua stopped crying and cursing, looked up at her husband, and thought to herself, "Hmph, you little brat, I still have you completely under my control. I knew you'd have to surrender."

She was as proud as a victorious rooster. She stood tall and head held high as she went to cook.

Kong Xiangguang was overjoyed to find that he had managed to appease his wife. This wife was like an ancestor, so difficult to please.

"Cuihua, I'm going to pick up the children. You should rest for a while and don't tire yourself out," Kong Xiangguang said before heading out.

He had just stepped out of the street when Granny Wang came running up to him.

Granny Wang looked around furtively, then said, "Cuihua, your husband's gone!"

Wang Cuihua said, "Let's go. That coward, all he does is criticize me, what a spineless coward."

Granny Wang asked cautiously, "Did you get the money? Did you get your share?"

Hearing this, Wang Cuihua got angry. "No, that old hag just won't budge. She even tried to reason with me. Bah..."

Granny Wang instigated, "If she doesn't give it to you, go make a scene again tomorrow. As long as she doesn't give you money, you can make a scene every day. I don't believe she can just watch you make a scene every day without giving you money."

Wang Cuihua understood immediately and agreed to do it that way.

She said to Granny Wang, "Granny Wang, you are my strategist, giving me advice and strategies."

…………

In the evening, Kong Xiangguang picked up his two sons and brought them home. After dinner, the children fell asleep, and he also prepared to go to bed.

He lay on the bed and reached out to hug Wang Cuihua: "Wife, please don't go to the old house to cause trouble anymore. Your parents have had a hard time too."

He continued, "They raised us seven children, helped me get married and build a house, and even had me apprentice in carpentry. Now my second son is married, and my third son is grown up. There are many expenses at home, so we can't help them and shouldn't cause any trouble."

Wang Cuihua forcefully shook off Kong Xiangguang's hand, "Get lost, you coward, I'm taking this money."

She turned around and went to sleep with her back to Kong Xiangguang.

Kong Xiangguang was troubled by the things happening at home and couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning.

Knowing Cuihua's temper, he decided to have a proper talk with his parents the next day.

The next morning, Kong Xiangguang went to the old house and explained the situation to his parents, saying that he would work hard to earn money to support the family and hoped that they could understand Cuihua.

After listening, Mu Shuyun pondered for a moment and finally agreed to give part of the money to Cuihua.

She didn't want to put her son in a difficult position. The strained relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law meant her son was caught in the middle and suffered.

After getting off work that evening, Kong Xiangguang happily returned home and handed the money to Cuihua.

Cuihua took the money, counted it, and said, "This is all you have. What can you do with it?" As she spoke, she casually threw the money at Kong Xiangguang's face.

Kong Xiangguang "…………"

He never expected Wang Cuihua to have such an attitude; it was truly disheartening.

He crouched down and silently picked up the scattered money from the ground.

Five hundred yuan is a lot these days, but after working himself to the bone all month, his master only gives him 90 yuan. Even in a decent company, a regular worker only earns 100 yuan a month, and he still thinks that's too little.

After he came of age, he went to learn carpentry and never gave his family a single penny. When he first started learning carpentry, he had to give his master gifts during holidays and festivals, and he didn't receive any wages.

Later, after he finished his studies and started earning money, he got married and separated from his family. It was his wife who insisted on separating the household finances.

He felt guilty towards his parents and couldn't do anything about his wife, so he was deeply remorseful.

Wang Cuihua was so angry that she went to visit Granny Wang. She needed to vent her frustrations; otherwise, she would suffocate from holding it in.

At Granny Wang's house, her son and daughter-in-law remained inside. Wang Cuihua and Granny Wang sat facing each other.

"Aunt Wang, you said you'd only give me 500 yuan, should I take it or not? That's too little," Wang Cuihua said.

Granny Wang smiled at her and said, "It doesn't matter how much it is, just take it as long as it's given to you. Why not take it if it's free? It's a waste not to take it. If someone gives me money for free, I won't mind even a penny."

Wang Cuihua nodded, "That's true. Why wouldn't you want it? Only a fool wouldn't."

Granny Wang said some more nonsense, mainly telling Cuihua that if she was getting a free advantage, she might as well take advantage of it.

The two chatted until 10 p.m. before Wang Cuihua reluctantly went home.

When she got home and didn't see Kong Xiangguang in the living room, she wondered if her husband had sent the 500 yuan back again.

Wang Cuihua went to the two children's room, but they were both asleep. She then went to her own bedroom, but couldn't find Kong Xiangguang there either.

"Where did he go so late?" she wondered. She closed the door and prepared to sleep.

Kong Xiangguang returned from outside, reeking of cigarette smoke. Wang Cuihua asked him, "Where did you go? You didn't return that 500 yuan, did you?"

Kong Xiangguang looked up at her and said, "No, I was feeling down so I went for a walk."

Wang Cuihua was also a little scared. She was really afraid of angering Kong Xiangguang. She was thinking of running away. If she ran away from home, it would be troublesome.

Wang Cuihua got up, walked over and hugged Kong Xiangguang, pretending to be upset, saying, "Xiangguang, I was in a hurry today, don't be angry. Five hundred it is, I won't make a fuss anymore, okay?"

Kong Xiangguang didn't expect her to back down this time. She had caused a lot of trouble with her parents before and had never given in. It seems that money is indeed a powerful force.

That was the end of that.

Mu Shuyun, from Yunya's family, finished her housework and prepared to rest. Kong Tongming had also heard about what had happened that day.

The commotion today was so big that it spread throughout the whole village; how could we not know?

Kong Tongming frowned and said, "If Wang Cuihua causes trouble again in the future, just send someone to call me, and I'll give her a good beating."

Mu Shuyun sighed and said, "Oh! What can we do? It's too hard for our son to be caught in the middle. Besides, what kind of father-in-law hits his daughter-in-law? People will laugh at our family."

Kong Tongming said, "She uses such foul language, so people won't laugh at her. She's been married into this family for years, and she's caused a scene here several times a year. She doesn't seem to care about the shame, so what are we afraid of?"

Mu Shuyun said, "Let's talk about it later. Just bear with it and it will pass. We can't let the whole village laugh at us."

After saying that, she looked at the sky and realized it was too late, so she quickly went to bed. Looking at the little girl sleeping soundly on the bed, Mu Shuyun's gloom dissipated somewhat.

Mu Shuyun gazed at the child's adorable sleeping face, gently stroking her hair, feeling an immense warmth in her heart.

She prayed silently that her child could grow up healthy and happy, unaffected by family conflicts.

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the courtyard. Mu Shuyun got up early to prepare breakfast for her family, beginning her busy day.

Kong Tongming also got up. Looking at the busy Mu Shuyun, he was filled with emotion. Despite the many disappointments in life, this family was still full of warmth.

After breakfast, Kong Tongming decided not to go to work today; instead, he went to check on the fields. He hadn't been to the fields since the snowfall and wondered how the crops were doing.

Mu Shuyun stayed at home to take care of the children and also did some housework.

Life went on day by day, uneventful but full of hope.