country bumpkin

The two confirmed their relationship and went to the marriage registry office to register the next day. No wedding banquet was ever held.

Tian Dali is an orphan with no relatives to ask for help, except for the village elders. But his wife is divorced with a child, and the village elders will definitely object, so it's best not to tell them.

As for Shi Zhenxiang, it's even more of a story. Her ex-husband's family won't be coming, and her parents have passed away, leaving her only with an older brother. She and her sister-in-law have a falling out, and the sister-in-law won't let her visit her parents' home at all. So, skipping the wedding saves money, doesn't it?

After obtaining their marriage certificate at the registration office, the two held hands and went to the nearest small restaurant for a meal.

Now that they were married, Tian Dali felt relieved. After returning home, he gave all the money he had saved over the years to Shi Zhenxiang.

Shi Zhenxiang was overjoyed to see the bankbook, praising Tian Dali as capable and thrifty. She also instructed her children to treat him politely, otherwise no one would help her raise the children.

She has also corrupted her two children, making them just like her—profit-driven, selfish, and prone to making wild claims.

The family coaxed Tian Dali to work hard and earn money until the children grew up.

Several years after their marriage, Shi Zhenxiang still hadn't given birth to a child for Tian Dali. She said it was for the sake of her two children, fearing that having a younger sibling would make them feel neglected.

Shi Zhenxiang also brainwashed him, saying, "Dali, don't worry, the children are all good children with a conscience. They don't have a father anymore, and now that you've raised them, you're their biological father."

After thinking about it for a long time, Tian Dali felt that Shi Zhenxiang was right. Now that he was helping her raise her child, the child would definitely take care of him in his old age.

Years later, when the children turned twenty, Shi Zhenxiang said that her son needed to get married, so they needed to rebuild the house.

Tian Dali didn't object and said, "Okay, Ah Xiang, I'll do whatever you say. The money is all with you, so you can do whatever you want."

Shi Zhenxiang looked at him with a beaming smile, her words of gratitude flowing endlessly. Inwardly, however, she sneered, "Once you're no longer of any use, who'll care if you live or die? My son will take care of you in your old age? Dream on! Pah! Don't you even look at yourself? Do you deserve it?"

Tian Dali was completely absorbed in Shi Zhenxiang's tender embrace and had no idea what the foreman had told him.

When Shi Keliang was 25, Tian Dali was forced to divorce. Shi Zhenxiang was ruthless and cunning, managing to leave Tian Dali with nothing. (These are all things that happened later.)

The new house he paid for was registered under the name Shi Keliang, and during the construction of the house, Shi Zhenxiang actually got together with Wang, the foreman of the construction team.

Several neighbors have seen her and Foreman Wang embracing and flirting on several occasions.

Tian Dali was completely oblivious, like someone who was blind, to the fact that they were having an affair. Of course, Foreman Wang had a wife and children at home; he was just looking for a fling.

Shi Zhenxiang didn't want a serious life with him; it was just a mutual exploitation, each getting what they needed. Having a relationship with the foreman meant her house was built quickly and cheaply—just what Shi Zhenxiang wanted.

Tian Dali spent his whole life being a sycophant, raising other people's children in such a pathetic way, and he himself didn't get a good ending.

When Tian Dali got divorced, he was already over 50 years old. With nowhere else to go in the city, he could only return to the village where he grew up.

In the past, his elders had either passed away or scattered, and no one came to ask about him or care about him anymore.

He returned to the mud-brick house from his childhood. The door was broken, and the windows were drooping. It swayed in the wind and looked like it was about to fall down.

Although the mud-brick house was in terrible condition, it would do for one night. He planned to repair it properly tomorrow.

On the way back, I bought a lot of steamed buns and laid them out to dry on the ground covered with woven bags. But then I worried they'd feed the rats, so I put them in bags and hung them up.

Fortunately, he still had 500 yuan on him, which was a loan from a fellow worker at the construction site. After learning that he had been kicked out of his home and left with nothing in the divorce, the worker voluntarily returned the money to him.

At this moment, Tian Dali lay on the dilapidated wooden bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He thought back on everything he had done and everyone he had met in his life. Tears, which he could no longer hold back, streamed down his face.

In a daze, I heard the old village chief's voice, "Dali, are you home? Come... come quickly, see what delicious food I brought you?"

Then came Grandma Li's voice from next door, "Dali, Grandma Li's teeth aren't good, she can't chew and it gets stuck in her teeth, so you can eat this chicken leg for her!"

Then came Grandpa Huang's excited voice, "Dali...Dali...Come out quickly, look what good thing Grandpa has in his hand. Oh! Look, it's roasted sweet potato, fragrant and sweet, and piping hot. Hurry up and eat it while it's hot..."

In his dazed state, the familiar faces of the elders who had once helped him flashed through his mind, repeatedly rotating in and out…

The neighbors around Shi Zhenxiang in the urban village had witnessed her actions. The unscrupulous things she and her son had done were widely discussed and gossiped about. Her swindling of Tian Dali became the talk of the town.

She bought the house, rebuilt it, and lived there for 20 years without ever saying hello to a single family in the village.

Her neighbors always thought she was eccentric, different from others, and had an odd, unsociable air about her.

Her son grew up, got married, and found a girlfriend just like him—cold, arrogant, and unsociable. Birds of a feather flock together. The whole family is an oddball.

Their daughter, Shi Duoduo, was also quiet and didn't do well in school. She didn't get into university and went to work in another city. She found a local colleague, got married, and stayed in that city. Only Shi Zhenxiang, her son, and daughter-in-law remained at home.

The villagers acted as if this family didn't exist, because they always gave off a sense of alienation.

Over time, their family affairs were quickly forgotten, only occasionally brought up as a joke.

People laugh at Tian Dali's cowardice, his lack of cunning, and his lack of ambition. They also admire Shi Zhenxiang's ruthlessness; most people couldn't do something so cruel.

The world is full of surprises.

Getting back to the topic, Yunya is now in the first year of junior high school and is already 11 years old (by Chinese reckoning). Girls mature earlier than boys, and teenage girls are more likely to develop feelings for the opposite sex.

So, on Saturday and Sunday, Yunya and Sunfei talked about this topic.

Young girls' secrets are always so strange and unusual.

"Feifei, do you...do you...have a classmate you like?" Yunya asked Sun Fei haltingly, her face flushed.

Sun Fei's cheeks flushed bright red instantly. She lowered her head shyly and said, "What about you? Tell me first, and then I'll tell you."

Judging from what she said, it seems so. However, Sun Fei wanted to exchange a little secret.

Yun Ya was also a little shy, and lowered her head, not daring to look at Sun Fei. She stammered, "Um... that... that person? Is it someone you know?"

Sun Fei said anxiously, "Oh dear, we know too many classmates together, I don't want to guess, just tell me, who is it?"

Yun Ya recalled the boy's image in her mind, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips, making Sun Fei even more curious.

Yun Ya stopped being coy and said directly, "It's Meng Fanxing."

Sun Fei chuckled, "Tsk... Oh! I guessed right. I knew it was him from the start."

Yun Ya felt even more embarrassed, and she hurriedly urged Sun Fei to tell her who she liked.

Sun Fei also directly stated, "It's Fu Jingchao."