country bumpkin

With Labor Day (March 26th on the lunar calendar) just a few days away, the garment factory has already issued a notice that there will be a 7-day holiday.

Kong Xiufang is preparing to go home to see her family. She has been away for more than three months, and has made many good friends and learned a lot of skills at the garment factory.

Although the time was not long, she missed home.

Before going home, she went to the department store in the city center and bought a lot of things, including clothes, shoes and snacks.

After saying goodbye to my older sister, I boarded the bus home at 8 a.m. On the bus, I ran into that familiar stranger, Li Dalong.

The two became acquainted and chatted for a long time. Through their conversation, they learned that Li Dalong had come to the city and had been helping his fellow villager's construction team carry bricks and build a new house.

I also took a few days off for May Day to go home and visit my family. Normally, private contractors don't have holidays, but since the new boss came to inspect the work, I gave them all a holiday to avoid unnecessary trouble.

At 9:30 a.m., Kong Xiufang arrived at her destination, said goodbye to Li Dalong, and hurried home with her bags.

Returning to my hometown and walking through familiar streets evokes a sense of warmth and familiarity; the air is filled with the scent of fresh grass.

Entering the courtyard, Kong Xiufang saw her mother washing clothes. She put down the bundle in her hand and called out, "Mom, I'm back!"

Mu Shuyun looked up at the sound, a joyful smile spreading across her face: "Oh my, my daughter is back! Come and let your mother see her."

Kong Xiufang walked to her mother's side. Her mother looked her up and down, her eyes full of affection. "Is working in the city tiring? You've gotten so thin."

Kong Xiufang smiled and shook her head: "It's not tiring, Mother. I've learned a lot in the city."

As she spoke, she opened the package and took out the new clothes she had bought for her mother. Mu Shuyun tried on the new clothes and kept praising how beautiful they looked.

Seeing her mother's happy expression, Kong Xiufang felt a warm glow inside.

Yunya also peeked her little head out from behind Mu Shuyun at the opportune moment, "Auntie, you're back?"

When Kong Xiufang saw Yunya, she happily hugged her and spun her around.

Yunya looked at her with a grin, "Did Auntie bring me anything delicious?"

Kong Xiufang smiled and patted her hair, saying, "Little one, all you know is food. You only remember the delicious food I promised you, but you forgot about the pretty hair accessories too."

Yunya happily slid off her, "Auntie...Auntie, do you really have a pretty hair accessory for me?"

Kong Xiufang took out two pink hair clips from her bag; they were a pair.

She clipped it into Yunya's hair, and Yunya happily squealed "Gaga..."

She ran inside, took out a mirror, looked at herself, and was extremely pleased to see herself with two pink hair accessories.

She ran out again and circled around her aunt. "Auntie, you're so nice, I really like you."

Kong Xiufang led Yunya into the house, and Mu Shuyun also helped carry the large and small bags into the house.

They sat together and chatted for a long time. Kong Xiufang told Mu Shuyun everything that had happened in the city these past few days.

Mu Shuyun also told her daughter everything that had happened at home. Yunya sat in front of the mirror, listening to their conversation and looking at herself in the mirror, feeling proud and confident.

"Wow, this flower is so pretty! I'm pretty too. Hehe!" she thought to herself as she said it aloud.

Mu Shuyun and Kong Xiufang exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. The aunt said, "Oh dear! Our little Yun'er has learned to be vain now."

As she spoke, Kong Xiufang gently pinched Yunya's cheek and said with a smile, "Our Yunya is very pretty."

When Kong Tongming returned home from get off work in the evening, Mu Shuyun invited everyone to dinner. The family sat around the table, chatting and laughing.

After the meal, Kong Xiufang helped her mother clear the dishes, while Yunya caused a ruckus, making everyone laugh.

It's warm and cozy to be together as a family.

Hu Jinhua's daughter, Deng Yiyao, asked someone to help send a message and brought her elder brother, Deng Yifei, back home.

A man wearing a jacket and blue jeans, with ear-length hair parted in the middle, yellow skin, big eyes with single eyelids, a big mouth, and small ears appeared in front of Deng Yiyao.

It was her older brother, Deng Yifei. He'd been having bad luck these past few days, losing several rounds in a row, and now he'd squandered all the money he'd stolen from Hu Jinhua.

Just as he was feeling upset, a fellow gambler named Cao Renjie, who lived on the same street, told him that his sister wanted to see him, saying that there was great news: money to be made and a beautiful wife to marry.

He knew his sister well, and he would always give her benefits whenever she needed him.

When I don't need him, I can't even be bothered to look at him. Why is he being so kind this time? Why should he get all the good things?

But then he thought, what does it matter to her? As long as he has money, what does it matter if he has a wife or not? Women are just a burden, interfering with his gambling and his wild outings. He doesn't want to marry a woman to control him, nagging him endlessly.

After receiving the notification, he, Cao Renjie, and several gambling buddies they had met went home to find his sister and ask her about the specifics of the lucrative business.

When he arrived home in the afternoon, he asked a few people to wait at the gate while he and Cao Renjie went inside to find his sister.

Because they lived on the same street and knew each other, Cao Renjie and Deng Yiyao were very familiar with each other and didn't need to avoid anything.

He slumped lazily in his chair as if he had no bones and said, "Yaoyao, what kind of wife are you talking about? What do you mean by making money? Explain it clearly."

Deng Yiyao glanced at her older brother, feeling a surge of disdain. She wouldn't even bother talking to him if she didn't need his help.

"Oh, is that so?" She told her older brother about what had happened in the past few months since Kong Xiufang arrived, and then embellished the story with feigned praise for Kong Xiufang. As for her envy, jealousy, and resentment, she didn't tell her older brother.

She only said it was for her older brother's sake, and that her mother had also taken a liking to this girl and was preparing to marry her to him as his wife.

"Brother, you don't know, Kong Xiufang is incredibly beautiful. Half the men in the factory want to date her, but she's too arrogant, and none of them have succeeded. With your handsome appearance, you'd be more than capable of marrying her," Deng Yiyao flattered.

"And the most important thing, do you know what it is?" Deng Yiyao asked cryptically.

"You brat, hurry up and speak, stop dawdling. Don't try this on your own brother," Deng Yifei said impatiently.

"Hehe, don't rush me, I'll tell you. Kong Xiufang learned quickly at the factory, and within two months she was promoted to team leader, with the same salary as regular employees. She also participated in the trade fair and launched a new style. The factory gave her a one-time bonus of 500 yuan." She said, glancing at her brother.

From the burning desire in Deng Yifei's eyes, she could tell that her older brother had taken the bait. She understood perfectly well; her brother was a gambling addict and would definitely be interested in money.

As for who makes the money? Does it matter? No, as long as the money is given to him.

"Hehe! Seems pretty good. I can have a beautiful woman at home to play with, and she can even bring me money every month." He muttered, a lewd smile on his face.

Deng Yiyao thought to herself, "Great, it's done." As long as that scumbag older brother keeps Kong Xiufang occupied, what reputation does she have left to work in the factory?

She remained the "factory beauty" and everyone's attention was focused on her.

"Yaoyao, tell me, what should I do to make her like me? I need to think of a way!"

"Don't worry, big brother, I've thought it all out for you," she said happily.

“You have your friends rob her, then you can play the hero and save the day. I don’t believe she won’t take the bait,” she said confidently.

Deng Yifei's face lit up with joy. "Okay, let's do it this way. When you guys come back from your holiday, I'll go and have a good talk with her."

Deng Yiyao was also overjoyed, her face beaming with happiness. The two finished discussing their plan, and it was almost dark.

Deng Yifei and Cao Renjie left through the gate, leading a group of cronies, and went to the secret gambling den.

That night, Deng Yiyao happily imagined how Kong Xiufang would suffer, and fell asleep contentedly.