country bumpkin

After the New Year comes the Lantern Festival. This festival is also very important. The whole family sits together for a reunion dinner.

This winter, we've had several snowfalls, and as the saying goes, a good snow promises a bumper harvest. The wheat in the fields is lush and vibrant, a sight that brings smiles to the faces of all the villagers.

After the start of spring, everyone went to work. Except for those with a lot of land who stayed home to farm, most people went out to make money.

The fourth daughter, Kong Xiufang, went to work in a factory in another city, supposedly making canned goods. The third daughter, because she was engaged and about to get married, didn't go to work in another city; she stayed home and sold tofu at the market. Kong Xiangdong also helped make tofu at home, while Kong Xiangyao was in the city learning how to build and renovate houses.

Everyone had their own work to do. Grandma's main tasks were looking after the house, farming, raising pigs, and feeding Yunya. Grandpa also worked outside; because Kong Tongming could read and do math, he worked as an accountant at a factory. His responsibilities included handling incoming and outgoing goods, bookkeeping, and buying and selling transactions.

…………

The weather is still quite cold, so Xiaoyun rarely goes out. Right now, her grandmother is carrying her around the house.

Yunya can now babble and speak. She's no longer a little mute; when someone teases her, she'll imitate their speech sounds.

When her third aunt returned from the market, she loved to hold her and play with her. She also loved this relative very much, often licking her fingers and babbling as she looked at the person who doted on her.

Life passed by uneventfully...

Soon it arrived at my third aunt's wedding day, the sixth day of the fifth lunar month. The house was extremely lively that day. Many relatives and friends came. Each family's elder brother and sister-in-law selected a few representatives to accompany the bride, while the rest stayed to eat at the feast.

A young nephew also helped carry the chicken to the wedding, a traditional custom. This nephew was Kong Jianjun.

Wang Cuihua insisted that her son come, because there was money to be made from carrying the chickens. She couldn't let someone else benefit from it.

But her son was too small to lift the basket of chickens, so she held him and let him place his hands on the basket. His hands were too small to grip the basket properly, so she simply slung the basket over her shoulder. She figured there were plenty of people around, and no one would notice her.

After changing into her wedding dress, Kong Xiufen wore a red veil, her face was rouged, and she was all red, looking very happy.

Bright red "double happiness" characters were pasted everywhere—on the windows, the front door, and the boxes—signifying that today was extraordinary.

Just then, the sounds of suona horns from the wedding procession and the crackling of firecrackers filled the air outside.

"Coming, coming!" the uncle shouted as he ran.

Following the pleasant sound of wind and percussion music was a large, thronged crowd.

There was a groom and his wedding procession, as well as villagers watching the spectacle. Everyone was smiling happily, and the crowds were bustling and lively.

The village children, who love excitement, all came from nearby. People helping out were scattering wedding candies in the yard, and the children excitedly rushed forward. The scene was incredibly lively.

The groom entered the main room and knocked on the bedroom door, saying, "Open the door quickly, we've come to fetch the bride!" Two young men followed him, knocking on the door as well. Inside, two pretty and lively girls laughed and said, "Give us the red envelope, or we won't open the door."

Two young men outside handed over a red envelope containing 66 cents. The little girl took the envelope and opened the door.

The bride sat upright on the edge of the bed, raising her head covered by a red veil. All she could see were feet; the veil blocked her view.

At this moment, Mu Shuyun walked over, holding a small strand of hand-pulled noodles. She lifted half of the veil and fed the noodles to the bride, saying, "Eat half and keep it in your mouth, spit out the other half and wrap it in red paper." As she spoke, she handed over a red paper packet.

The bride took the red paper packet, spat out half of it, wrapped it up, and handed it to her mother. She kept the other half in her mouth.

At this moment, a steward entered and directed the carrying of the dowry out. It consisted mostly of daily necessities: a thermos, quilts, basins, and a lamp.

Then the bride stood up and was carried out the door by her brother. When they arrived at the donkey cart, the groom helped her onto it.

A total of six donkey carts arrived, three of which were empty and were used to pick up and drop off the wedding party.

The bride and groom rode in one donkey cart. The officiant and several members of the wedding party sat together. The person playing the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) sat together. The rest of the people sat in the two empty donkey carts. There was also an empty cart carrying the dowry, and people who couldn't find seats.

After bidding farewell to her parents, the bride embarked on her journey to happiness amidst joyous music.

Watching the wedding procession disappear into the distance, Mu Shuyun secretly wiped away her tears. As the procession receded into the distance, Mu Shuyun's heart grew heavier.

She recalled every moment of her daughter's life from childhood to adulthood, her heart filled with reluctance and worry. But she also knew that this was a new chapter in her daughter's life, and she should wish her daughter happiness and joy.

Mu Shuyun turned and went back into the house. Looking at the empty room, she couldn't help but sigh. She decided to tidy up the house and keep herself busy to alleviate her discomfort.

Just as she was busy, she heard footsteps outside the door. Mu Shuyun turned around and saw a strange young man standing in the doorway.

The young man introduced himself as the groom's younger brother, who had come specifically to thank Mu Shuyun for raising the bride and to present her with a gift. Mu Shuyun was very pleased and warmly invited the young man into the house. The two chatted for a long time. Through their conversation, Mu Shuyun gained a better understanding of the bride's new life, and her unease gradually dissipated.

After all, her husband's family has a polite and sensible younger brother-in-law, so her daughter's life will be a little easier.

It's common for daughters to suffer mistreatment from their husband's younger brothers and sisters after marriage. Not to mention the wicked mother-in-law.

The young man said, "Auntie, don't worry. After my sister-in-law marries into the family, she will continue to live separately and won't have to do so much housework. My mother won't mistreat her either."

Hearing this, Mu Shuyun was relieved. After giving a few more instructions, the young man took his leave. Otherwise, he would be too slow to catch the donkey cart back.

The wedding procession took three hours to reach its destination. Kong Xiufen married a man from the city.

Her husband, Shen Changsheng, is the eldest son in his family, with a younger brother, Shen Changyuan, and a younger sister, Shen Changxue.

Their family runs a business; they own a storefront selling food, and they're quite well-off. The mother-in-law is also an honest person who doesn't cause trouble, so she's very easy to manage.

Kong Xiufen often sells vegetables outside, so she is very cheerful and has a good business sense. Therefore, Shen Changsheng's family is very satisfied with this daughter-in-law.

When her daughter-in-law entered the house, her mother-in-law, Ding Guixiang, happily went to greet her. Listening to the various arrangements made by the person in charge, she busied herself with preparations, her face beaming with joy.