country bumpkin

Time flies, and the New Year is just around the corner.

Every household was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. While the countryside may not be as bustling as the city, it has its own unique charm.

Inside the house, the baby's maternal grandmother, Mu Shuyun, was chopping meat. Eating dumplings during the Lunar New Year is a tradition.

After a flurry of activity, we made two large slabs of dumplings, and then it was time to cook other dishes. Vegetables were scarce in winter, so we had braised pork intestines with tofu, braised pork belly, stir-fried mung bean sprouts, spicy diced radish, cold pig's ear salad, and dry-fried spicy chicken. In those days, it was quite a feast.

…………

As the year draws to a close, everyone is incredibly busy. Some are washing dishes, some are preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, some are putting up Spring Festival couplets, some are visiting ancestral graves to invite the spirits, and others are rushing home. No matter where you are or what you are doing, the goal is to return home for a family reunion.

There was no electricity in the countryside at that time. The only options were candles or kerosene lamps.

The kerosene lamp was lit in the main hall. The whole family sat together eating their New Year's Eve dinner.

Seated at the head of the table was the head of the family, Kong Tongming. To his left were his eldest son, Kong Xiangguang; his second son, Kong Xiangdong; and his third son, Kong Xiangyao. To his right were his third daughter, Kong Xiufen; his fourth daughter, Kong Xiufang; and his eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Cuihua. Wang Cuihua was holding her seven-month-old son, Kong Jianjun.

Grandma Mu Shuyun was holding little Yunya. She was sitting on a stool, not at the table. Yes, that's Yunya, the skinny little monkey who was brought here in the dead of winter.

Grandpa named her Yunya. Grandma called her by the wrong pronunciation, and following the tone, it became Yunya. The family all called her that, and they never changed it.

Little Yunya is a month old now, and her face has become a little chubby. Her bright, grape-like black eyes look left and right, but she can't see very far.

Look at her now, pouting her little mouth and licking her tongue, she's so adorable. You can't tell the difference from when she was first brought here.

My aunts and uncles all adored this cute yet pitiful little girl. Only my eldest aunt was different.

Wang Cuihua was from a neighboring village, and she was known for her fierceness in her own family. She had fought and verbally abused everyone in her family, both in front and behind her.

When they first met, she pretended to be well-behaved and sensible. She was beautiful, eloquent, and charming, captivating Kong Xiangguang. His elders disapproved, but they couldn't resist their son's threat of a hunger strike.

After marrying into the family, she had a son within a year, and her arrogance and domineering behavior became even more outrageous.

In rural areas, even married couples who have separated their households still celebrate the Lunar New Year together.

Every time Wang Cuihua came, she arrived empty-handed and did nothing. She was always grumbling and cursing. Even in the first year of her marriage, before they had children, she would come into the house and sit on a stool like a sticky mouse trap, impossible to remove.

As soon as her mother-in-law finished cooking, she was the first to pick up her chopsticks and eat. She didn't wait for her parents-in-law, or her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth and went straight home.

Mu Shuyun was a gentle and virtuous person with a good temper, so she didn't hold it against her. She always said that it's better to avoid trouble and that harmony in the family brings prosperity!

However, they let Wang Cuihua grow up like this.

Wang Cuihua's son is six months older than Yunya, so they are both within the same year. Because her mother-in-law didn't help take care of the child, she was often scolded.

When Yunya first arrived, the head of the household wasn't home, and Wang Cuihua came to the house several times to cause trouble. Each time, she would foam at the mouth while cursing, clapping her hands, jumping around...

No matter how fierce she was, she was still somewhat afraid of her father-in-law. It's just that her husband, Kong Xiangguang, was afraid of his wife.

She had only been married for a little over a year, but the neighbors and the entire neighborhood had already become so disgusted with her that they stopped talking to her.

This time was no different. After finishing her meal, Wang Cuihua wiped her mouth, picked up her child, and left.

The two younger sisters-in-law did the chores left behind. The third daughter, Kong Xiufen, cleared the dishes, and the fourth daughter, Kong Xiufang, swept the floor. Kong Xiangdong and Kong Xiangyao also helped with the tidying up.

The head of the family, Kong Tongming, looked at the busy children, wanting to say something, but in the end he sighed helplessly. It was the New Year, and he thought, "It's better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble."

It was only because of the Lunar New Year that Kong Tongming would have been so indulgent towards his daughter-in-law, who had no manners whatsoever. As the head of the family, he still maintained his authority.

He was one of the few literate people in the village. He could read and do arithmetic. He also knew palmistry and feng shui.

When an elderly person in a family passes away, they all ask him to come and help look after the grave.

One day, Kong Tongming was studying feng shui at home when someone knocked on the door. He opened it and saw it was Grandpa Li from the village. Grandpa Li looked troubled and said, "Mr. Kong, things haven't been going well at home lately, and I'd like to ask you to take a look at the feng shui." Kong Tongming readily agreed and followed Grandpa Li to his house.

After some observation, Kong Tongming discovered that there was something wrong with the location of Grandpa Li's ancestral graves.

Pointing to the location of the ancestral graves, he explained to Grandpa Li, "The location of these graves is unfavorable, affecting the family's fortune." Grandpa Li immediately understood and asked, "Then how can this be resolved?" Kong Tongming pondered for a moment and offered some suggestions for adjustment. Grandpa Li was extremely grateful and said he would follow Kong Tongming's instructions.

A few days later, Mr. Li made a special trip to the Kong family to express his gratitude, saying that the situation at his home had improved.

From then on, Kong Tongming's reputation grew even stronger, and more and more people sought his advice on feng shui. He consistently upheld the principles of fairness and objectivity, helping people solve their problems.

Some children were frightened, crying at night and sleeping excessively during the day. Kong Tongming was able to cure them, and word spread quickly. After the first person recovered, more and more people learned about these things.

Whenever someone needed help, they would come to him for help. Unfortunately, Kong Tongming wouldn't accept money; he would only ask for a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of wine.

He also has a job, and he only helps with these strange occurrences when he has free time. He doesn't do this full-time, nor does he earn a living from it. He's just from the village, and he helps whenever he can.

Over time, wealthy families in the city heard about this, especially business people who believed in feng shui.

Someone offered him a high price, but he didn't want to go, making excuses that he had too much work at home and couldn't be left unattended. He even said, "It's all a lie, don't take it so seriously." But the more he said that, the more those wealthy people felt that he was unwilling to reveal the secret.

In the end, it was always relatives of wealthy families who came here to plead with Kong Tongming on their behalf. Since they were all from the same village and relatives, they agreed to help.

Kong Tongming said, "Let me make this clear from the start: I don't want money. There are no outsiders here. Just give me a pack of cigarettes, that's enough. You all have to keep your mouths shut and not go around talking about it. Our government is against feudal superstition."

The person who came to invite him bowed and scraped, smiling and promising not to say anything out of line. They even offered him a case of liquor.

When the villagers learned of this, the story spread, and their admiration for Kong Tongming grew even stronger. They considered him a capable man. Whenever they met him on the road, they would greet him politely.

He himself is also someone who politely responds to everyone who greets him.