country bumpkin

When Kong Xiangdong returned from the market that evening, he learned about the police's visit to the village and felt relieved for the time being.

They finally caught those bad guys; otherwise, he would have worried about Zhou Caiyun's safety at home.

From then on, he hid all the large denomination bills in the roof beams. The beams were high and thick, and had a dark side, so it was impossible to see anything on them.

He specifically bought an aluminum lunchbox, put the money inside, and only then did he feel at ease. The aluminum lunchbox is moisture-proof and rodent-proof, making it safer than anything else.

He carried all his small household expenses with him. He gave Zhou Caiyun some pocket money, but she refused, saying she didn't go out and wouldn't need the money.

Kong Xiangdong couldn't refuse, so he put the money in the drawer. He told her that if she needed money urgently, she should borrow it from his mother, and he would pay it back when he returned.

Looking at her husband who loved her so dearly, Zhou Caiyun felt a sweet warmth in her heart. The two chatted for a while longer before falling asleep in each other's arms.

At one o'clock in the morning, Wang Cuihua and Granny Wang secretly arrived, a time when people are in the deepest sleep.

They carried a large rock over the foot of the rock and climbed into the yard. Then they quietly tried to open the house door, but it was bolted from the inside and couldn't be opened.

The two tried several times but couldn't open it. They couldn't make too much noise, afraid of waking the couple inside. Disappointed, they had no choice but to go back.

The two walked along the road, discussing what to do.

Granny Wang said, "Why don't we go tomorrow at noon? I've already found out that Kong Xiangdong will be going to the market and won't be back at noon, and Zhou Caiyun will be going to the old house for lunch and won't be back either. There'll be no one at home, so it'll be easier for us to handle this."

Wang Cuihua was overjoyed: "Great, let's do it this way. Auntie has so many ideas, she's much better at thinking than me."

The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived home.

At this moment, Kong Xiangguang was fast asleep, completely unaware of what had happened that night.

The next morning, after breakfast, Kong Xiangguang went to work at the carpenter's shop. He hadn't been home for lunch for the past few days, which was convenient for Wang Cuihua.

As expected, Zhou Caiyun went to the old house for lunch at noon, and the front door was locked.

Wang Cuihua entrusted her younger son to Granny Wang's care, and sent her older son to the old house for dinner. She then ran madly towards Kong Xiangdong's house.

She looked around at the gate, but no one was there. She then stepped onto the stones she had prepared the night before and climbed into the yard.

Then he took a stone from the yard and smashed the lock on the house door. With a few loud bangs, the lock fell off. He pushed the door open, went inside, and started rummaging through things.

Her heart was pounding; after all, it was her first time stealing.

Wang Cuihua first searched the main room, turning it over and over, but found nothing of value.

So she went into the inner room and continued searching. In the wardrobe, she found a dress that looked quite nice and excitedly stuffed it into her arms.

Then, she opened another drawer and saw some banknotes; her eyes lit up.

However, just as she was about to take the money, she heard footsteps outside the door.

Wang Cuihua was startled and quickly hid under the bed. She listened anxiously to the sounds outside, praying that no one would enter the room.

But things didn't go as planned. The footsteps grew closer and closer, finally stopping at the door. Then, the door was pushed open...

The visitor was none other than Kong Xiangdong! He had gone home at noon to get something and saw the front door wide open, wondering if a thief had broken in.

Upon entering the house, he saw that the bedroom door was open, and looking further inside, the floor was a complete mess. This was outrageous! In broad daylight, someone had actually broken into his house.

Kong Xiangdong thought that since all the robbers had been caught, there shouldn't be any who had escaped!

He grabbed a wooden stick, crept to the bedside, and swung it sharply under the bed. Wang Cuihua screamed and scrambled out of the room.

Kong Xiangdong was taken aback at first, but after he realized what was happening, he didn't hold back with his sister-in-law.

"Oh, so it's you, you stinking woman!" Kong Xiangdong was furious. He chased after Wang Cuihua and gave her a good beating, cursing as he hit her.

Wang Cuihua cried and begged Kong Xiangdong to spare her. Hearing the commotion, neighbors came to see what was happening. After learning what had happened, they all condemned Wang Cuihua for being shameless and a petty thief.

A neighbor pointed and whispered, "They're even stealing from their own family's place, tsk tsk tsk... Shameful... So shameful!"

Kong Xiangdong dragged Wang Cuihua to the village committee and asked the village chief to uphold justice.

Wang Cuihua continued to argue that her mother-in-law was biased and gave the so-called "family heirloom" to the second son's family, which should have belonged to her family. She was just there to take back her own family's belongings.

The villagers who were watching the commotion were speechless; they even had a reason for stealing.

In the end, Wang Cuihua not only apologized but also compensated Kong Xiangdong with money. From then on, she never dared to covet Kong Xiangdong's family again.

When Wang Cuihua got home, she went to find Granny Wang and told her what had happened.

She felt she hadn't done anything wrong; it was just that the village chief and the villagers were biased towards Kong Xiangdong's family.

As he talked to Granny Wang, he became more and more aggrieved, and finally he burst into tears. He cried and cursed, making it seem as if there was a quarrel going on in Granny Wang's house.

The neighbors all over the neighborhood heard it clearly; Wang Cuihua was truly hopelessly greedy.

That evening, Kong Xiangdong picked Zhou Caiyun up and took her home. He told her about what had happened at noon.

Zhou Caiyun couldn't believe it; her sister-in-law had actually come to steal things. And she even claimed it was hers! There are all sorts of people in the world!

She asked Kong Xiangdong with a puzzled look, "Brother Dong, what family heirloom did our parents give us when we divided the family property?"

Kong Xiangdong shook his head, saying there was no such thing as a "family heirloom" and he didn't want to listen to their nonsense.

Zhou Caiyun asked thoughtfully, "If there's no such thing, how could such a rumor have spread?"

Kong Xiangdong thought for a moment and said, "There really isn't one!"

Zhou Caiyun was completely confused. "No...really?"

Kong Xiangdong held Zhou Caiyun's hand and placed it on his heart. "Caiyun, you are my only one. Don't worry, whatever there is in the house, whatever treasures there are, I will give them to you. Everything in the house is yours, and so am I."

Zhou Caiyun scolded playfully, "You're so glib." But she felt secretly delighted.

Before going to bed that night, Zhou Caiyun remembered something very important.

She asked her husband, "Dong-ge, I remember when we got married, Dad gave you a box. Do you remember? What was inside? It wasn't a family heirloom, was it?"

Kong Xiangdong gently stroked her delicate nose. "There's no such thing as a family heirloom, just three books."

Zhou Caiyun asked curiously, "Why did Dad give you the book? What's it for?"

Kong Xiangdong seemed to have figured something out, and slapped his forehead, "Ah! I understand now, so that's how it is..."

Zhou Caiyun was stunned. What was going on? Had her husband gone mad?

Kong Xiangdong looked at his wife's bewildered expression, finding it too adorable. He slowly pulled her close and gently kissed her lips.

Zhou Caiyun was even more confused. What happened? What was wrong with her man? Her eyes reddened as she asked, "Brother Dong, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"

Kong Xiangdong felt he was too clumsy with words; how could he have made his wife cry?

He quickly explained, "No, Caiyun, don't worry, I'm fine. I just remembered what a family heirloom is. Ha...haha...hahahaha"

Zhou Caiyun was completely bewildered, staring blankly at him...