country bumpkin

The rainy season is just around the corner. For the past few months, not a drop of rain has fallen, leaving the parched earth riddled with cracks.

A tense atmosphere permeated a remote village, where everyone was busy reinforcing their houses and stockpiling food. The old village chief, leaning on his cane, went from house to house giving instructions.

Song Ke stood in his own yard, watching the dark clouds gradually gathering on the horizon, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

His roof still had several leaks that hadn't been repaired, and his frail and sickly mother lived there. There was also the girl he had unexpectedly rescued.

He gritted his teeth, picked up his tools, and climbed onto the roof. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, but his hands never stopped moving.

Just then, Uncle Li, a neighbor, passed by and saw Song Ke's busy figure. Without saying a word, he also offered his help.

Working together, the two managed to repair the roof before the raindrops fell. Song Ke had just breathed a sigh of relief when the first raindrop pelted down. Soon, the rain enveloped the entire village.

Song Ke helped his mother sit by the window, looking at the torrential rain outside, feeling extremely fortunate.

The rain came down suddenly and heavily, but because the villagers had made preparations in advance, everyone was safe and sound as they waited for the rainy season to pass and for a new chapter in their lives to begin.

Lying on the bed inside the room was a girl he had rescued; this girl was none other than Zhang Qingjiao, who had disappeared long ago.

Taking advantage of the villagers of Zhujia Village putting out the fire, she escaped. She didn't know how far or how long she ran, only that she kept heading east along the main road until she finally fainted from hunger and exhaustion.

I woke up to find myself in this unfamiliar village.

Zhang Qingjiao, who had been rescued, lay weakly on the bed. Although she had woken up, her legs were too weak to stand up.

The old village chief asked Song Ke, "Ke'er, your own family is barely making ends meet, how come you brought back another girl? How are you going to survive in the future?"

Song Ke smiled and said, "Grandpa Village Chief, I can't just stand by and watch someone die. Besides, I'm here for you. Things will definitely get better."

The old village chief, his eyes clouded, sighed and said, "Alright! You decide what to do! I have other things to attend to, so I'll head back now." With that, he turned and left.

Song Ke's mother, Du, sat by the window watching the torrential rain outside, feeling worried. The past few months had been dry, and now she feared there would be flooding again.

Zhang Qingjiao got up from the bed, but stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Song Ke quickly caught her around the waist, and the two of them felt awkward for a moment.

Steadying herself, Zhang Qingjiao bowed and said, "Thank you for saving me. I will definitely repay you."

Song Ke scratched his head. "No need, no need. Anyone would have helped if they were in that situation."

He then said, "Hello, my name is Song Ke, and this is my mother, her surname is Du."

Du asked, "Young lady, where do you live, and how did you come to our village?"

Zhang Qingjiao said, "Aunt Du, I snuck out. I..."

Song Ke noticed her embarrassment and stepped in to help, saying, "You should rest well. We can talk about it later."

Knowing she had met kind people, Zhang Qingjiao settled down and decided to wait until she recovered before thinking about her future plans.

…………

In the city's garment factory, despite the heavy rain outside, the workshops remained bustling with activity.

When Kong Xiufang came to work this morning, it was just cloudy and hadn't rained yet, but now she can't see anything outside.

The wind whipped up torrential rain, like countless whips lashing against the windows. The raindrops were so dense that it was hard to breathe, as if they were about to engulf the entire world.

Kong Xiufang felt uneasy. She was worried about the family's farmland, Lin Junhui's safety on his way home, and the inconvenience of the flooded road back to her dormitory.

Dark, heavy clouds loomed over the rooftops, making people's hearts feel heavy as well.

Tungsten filament lamps hung in the workshop, their warm orange light comforting the heavy heart.

The rain made it too dark, so I left work early, around 4 p.m. Su Ze, holding an umbrella, ran to the workshop entrance and blocked Kong Xiufang's way.

"Xiufang, here's an umbrella for you," she said, handing it over.

Kong Xiufang didn't take it, and said, "No need, thank you."

Many workers came out of the workshop one after another. Several young and beautiful girls blushed when they saw the handsome Su Ze and went over to greet him warmly.

When Tian Yanyan saw many women greeting Su Ze, she felt a surge of jealousy.

She ran over, snatched the umbrella from Su Ze's hand, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Ze."

Su Ze could only smile and say nothing. Tian Yanyan, as if she couldn't see any of the other women, pulled Su Ze away.

Kong Xiufang thought to herself, "Yanyan is getting deeper and deeper into this mess. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

Lost in thought, she didn't see anyone approaching. A pair of slender, long hands reached out to her.

She handed him an umbrella, and looking at Lin Junhui, who was already half-soaked, she frowned and said, "Why did you come in such heavy rain? You're all wet."

Lin Junhui looked at her with a smile, his eyes full of tenderness.

"It's okay. I saw it was raining and was worried you might have forgotten your umbrella, so I came."

Kong Xiufang took the umbrella from his hand and accidentally touched his cold fingers, which stirred a ripple in her heart.

Lin Junhui seemed to feel the same electric shock, his heart racing, his eyes glazed over as he stared intently at Kong Xiufang.

The two stared at each other for a moment, and when they came to their senses, almost everyone had left. Lin Junhui looked around, and seeing that no one was around, he pulled Kong Xiufang close and the two squeezed under one umbrella.

Kong Xiufang's face flushed red instantly, and her body stiffened slightly, but she did not push Lin Junhui away.

The rain gradually subsided, and visibility slowly improved.

The two walked quietly in the rain, arms around each other, the raindrops pattering on the umbrella.

The small umbrella couldn't support the two of them squeezed together. Half of Lin Junhui's body was outside the umbrella getting soaked.

Kong Xiufang pulled Lin Junhui over on her own initiative, saying, "Move over a bit, don't get wet, you'll get sick."

Lin Junhui moved closer to her; he was very tall, and Kong Xiufang nestled in his arms.

He held the umbrella in one hand and blocked Kong Xiufang with the other, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Kong Xiufang could feel his rapid heartbeat through his thin clothes. She turned her head to ask if he was feeling unwell.

But as she turned her head, Lin Junhui's lips touched her forehead.

The two froze, reacting as if struck by lightning. A spark of love ignited instantly.

Lin Junhui didn't react, letting the rain pound on the umbrella. Kong Xiufang mustered her courage and hugged him, standing on tiptoe, her lips slowly pressing against his.

Kong Xiufang gave him a gentle kiss, the soft touch igniting a flame. Lin Junhui's breath caught in his throat. Kong Xiufang, however, was distracted and couldn't help but deepen the kiss.

Under the umbrella, the two kissed. Lin Junhui felt dizzy and his brain was suffocating from lack of oxygen. Just when he was about to suffocate, Kong Xiufang stopped and gasped for breath.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the pounding of Kong Xiufang's heart woke her up.

She looked at the handsome man in front of her, feeling both shy and annoyed that she hadn't controlled herself. She wondered to herself, "Does he think I'm too frivolous?"

Lin Junhui's breathing quickened as he tried to calm himself, slowly taming his pounding heart. His mind was ablaze with vibrant, colorful fireworks.

He realized that the woman he loved also loved him. Overwhelmed with happiness, he blurted out, "Xiaofang, I love you. I want to marry you and never leave you for the rest of my life."

Kong Xiufang was still regretting her rashness, but after listening to Lin Junhui's heartfelt confession, her worries subsided.

With a sweet, nervous feeling in her heart, she said, "It's...too fast! We're only 18, isn't it too early to get married?"

Lin Junhui grabbed her hand and said, "No, no, I want to marry you. We want to be together every day and never be apart."

The two hugged under the umbrella for a while before leaving the factory.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted ahead. It turned out that Deng Yiyao had seen the two of them sharing an umbrella and had stormed over in anger.

"Kong Xiufang, how could you seduce Lin Junhui!" Deng Yiyao shouted angrily.

Lin Junhui shielded Kong Xiufang behind him and said sternly, "Deng Yiyao, what are you doing? Don't be unreasonable. The person I like is Xiufang. What does it have to do with you?" Deng Yiyao's eyes widened in disbelief.

At this moment, Su Qing, who had been silently watching the situation, stepped forward and pulled Deng Yiyao aside, advising, "Yiyao, matters of the heart cannot be forced."

Deng Yiyao shook off Su Qing's hand and ran away crying. Su Qing sighed helplessly and turned to leave.

Lin Junhui turned to look at Kong Xiufang, his eyes full of worry, "Xiufang, don't overthink it, I'm not familiar with her."

Kong Xiufang shook her head and said softly, "I know that as long as we treat each other sincerely, we don't need to worry about what others say."

After saying that, the two smiled at each other and continued walking slowly in the rain.