country bumpkin

The garment factory is rife with undercurrents. The Deng family is now in complete chaos.

When Hu Jinhua heard that her son had been arrested and imprisoned, she cried and made a scene for several days.

Although the eldest son was disappointing, he was still his own child.

This matter cannot be discussed outside, nor can we cause trouble for Kong Xiufang. Firstly, we fear that if everyone knew the truth, her son's reputation would be further tarnished; secondly, we fear that if Director Xu found out, her daughter would lose her job.

Her husband, Deng Qingshan, kept his head down, smoking, clearly very agitated.

How will his son find a wife after he gets out of prison? He already has a bad reputation, so what girl would want him now?

Hu Jinhua kept cursing Kong Xiufang, saying that she was the one who caused her son to go to prison.

The second son, Deng Yichen, couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up, "Mom, you're being unreasonable. This is all Yiyao's fault. If she hadn't instigated our eldest brother, would he have made a mistake? Would this have happened today?"

Hu Jinhua glared and roared, "It was that vixen who harmed my son! Whose family are you anyway? Taking sides with outsiders, you have no conscience... Waaaaah!"

Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Deng Yichen could only say disappointedly, "Mom, I advise you to keep a close eye on Yiyao. I'm afraid she might come up with some bad ideas that break the law, and it will be too late if she gets arrested."

After saying that, he turned and left. His mother and sister were the same kind of people. He was powerless to do anything about it.

Some people, when faced with setbacks, don't try to find solutions but instead blame others. They make excuses for themselves and end up with nothing.

No one in the neighborhood committee knew what had happened to the Deng family. So Gao Qinglian didn't know either; she was just wondering why Hu Jinhua ignored her whenever she saw her.

Even though things didn't work out last time, it's impossible to ruin the relationship like this.

If they don't want to talk to her, fine. Anyway, there aren't many decent people in her family. With that thought, Gao Qinglian went to the second branch of the family to see her three eldest grandsons.

The new house belonging to the eldest son, Tao, has been built for a month. It's almost completely aired out, and they're just getting ready to move in.

Sun Zitao was thinking of bringing his grandmother home in a few days so she could enjoy a comfortable life with him.

Just as Sun Zitao was happily planning to bring his grandmother to his new home, someone suddenly ran over to tell him that his grandmother had passed away the night before.

Sun Zitao was struck dumb, and stood there for a long time before he came to his senses.

He rushed to his grandmother's house and saw her body placed in the center of the mourning hall. Tears streamed down his face.

He recalled the love his grandmother had for him when he was a child, and those warm scenes kept flashing before his eyes.

However, when Yang Zhaodi's family heard the news, they acted very indifferently.

Sun Zitao was filled with anger. He shouted at Gao Qingyun's family, "Do you have any humanity left? When Grandma was alive, she was very kind to all of us. Now that she's gone, you're all so heartless."

Aunt Yang Zhaodi snorted and pulled her children away. Uncle Gao Qingyun moved back a little, not daring to say a word.

As Sun Zitao watched them walk back into the house, he secretly vowed to stay away from these heartless and ungrateful people in the future.

He and his uncle stayed behind to keep vigil that night. His aunt and mother were also there.

Before his grandmother's coffin, he reminisced about the past, silently bidding her farewell in grief, hoping that she could rest in peace in another world.

The funeral was held the next day.

Aunt Gao Qingzhi and Uncle Li Daniu brought their three children. His mother was Gao Qinglian, and his father was Sun Youcai. His younger brother, Sun Zihao, and his sister-in-law, Liu Juxiu, brought their three children. Kong Xiujuan brought her two children; they all came.

Gao Qinglian's eldest daughter, grandson Hong, and son-in-law Bai Yang brought their two daughters and son, who were too young to be brought along.

Gao Qinglian's second daughter, Sun Ziyan, and son-in-law, Han Yu, brought their eldest daughter, but their son did not come.

Gao Qinglian's third daughter, Sun Zihua, had just gotten married, and her son-in-law, Zhao Fan, also came.

Gao Qinglian's youngest daughter, Sun Ziqin, also came along.

All the relatives came.

Neighbors and the maternal grandmother's nephews also came to attend the funeral.

The funeral procession set off in a grand procession, with Uncle Gao Qingyun following closely behind the coffin, leaning on a wooden stick after smashing the mortar.

Following closely behind were Aunt Yang Zhaodi, Gao Qinglian, Gao Qingzhi, and their children, grandchildren, granddaughters, and grandsons-in-law, all draped in white cloth and wearing white hats. They formed a long procession heading towards the cemetery.

The burly man carrying the coffin walked at the front, followed by eight strong young men whose steps were heavy yet firm.

The deafening sound of firecrackers, the flying paper money, and the endless wailing along the way created a spectacular scene.

Upon arriving at the cemetery, firecrackers were set off, paper money and wreaths were burned, and the burial took place. Everyone wept.

There was a chorus of cries and screams.

The group took one last look at the familiar and kind portrait before slowly filling the grave with earth.

After filling the soil, Sun Zitao stood up and looked around at his relatives.

At this moment, Aunt Yang Zhaodi and the child quietly slipped away.

Sun Zitao sneered, thinking to himself that he was still as callous as ever.

Afterwards, everyone returned to their uncle's house one after another.

Sun Zitao sat alone in front of the grave for a long time, and whispered to his grandmother, "Grandma, don't worry, I will take care of Auntie. I will also live a good life and will no longer associate with those cold-blooded people."

After saying this, he stood up, dusted himself off, and strode away into the afterglow of the setting sun. Though he was still grieving, he also felt a renewed sense of determination.

When they returned to their uncle's house, most of the relatives had already left. Only Gao Qinglian and Gao Qingzhi remained at their eldest brother's house.

After returning home, my aunt went to the inner room and didn't come out again. She knew that she hadn't been filial to her mother-in-law while she was alive, and she was afraid that outsiders would laugh at her and humiliate her.

She was afraid that her two sisters-in-law and nephew would cause her trouble, so she secretly hid in her bedroom.

The Gao sisters, Qinglian and Qingzhi, couldn't be bothered to argue with her. When their mother was alive, they couldn't control their sister-in-law, and now that their mother was gone, what was the point of arguing?

Sun Zitao thought so too. He looked at his uncle Gao Qingyun and said, "Uncle, when Grandma was alive, you only listened to Aunt and didn't care whether Grandma lived or died. Now that she's gone, have you ever regretted it?"

Gao Qingyun lowered her head and said in a voice barely audible, "What can I do? I'm useless. What can I do? My job was found for me by your aunt and brother..." Her voice trailed off.

Sun Zitao shook his head in disappointment. "Fine! Uncle, our two families will no longer have any dealings with each other. I have nothing to do with you anymore."

After saying this, Sun Zitao strode out the door and left. Gao Qinglian and her sister didn't say anything or try to persuade Sun Zitao; they followed him out as well.

Gao Qingyun felt bad seeing that even his own sister was ignoring him. But when he thought about his wife, his children, and his job, he decided to be more realistic.

Nothing else matters, only myself. As long as I can live comfortably, have a job, a wife and children, and not worry about food and clothing, relatives and such don't matter.

He thought about it for a long time and finally convinced himself.

Some of the helpers who had tidied up their belongings, paid their wages, and left.

That evening, Sun Zitao felt upset, so he put his arm around Kong Xiujuan and chatted with her.

With tears in his eyes, he said, "Xiujuan, I really regret not separating the family and building a house sooner, so that Grandma could have lived a good life with us for several years!"

Kong Xiujuan wiped away his tears and said, "It's not your fault. We were always too busy to take care of each other before. If it weren't for having a son, your mother would never have agreed to separate the family. She would have just made you continue to earn money to support her."

Sun Zitao understood that nothing he said would make a difference. It was all caused by poverty. And then there was his mother.

What could he do? She was his own mother who gave him life and raised him; even if she was biased, she was still his mother.

He had promised his grandmother that he would never abandon his mother.

Sun Zitao sighed helplessly and fell asleep with Kong Xiufang in his arms.