country bumpkin

At the village entrance, Lin Junhui held Kong Xiufang's slender, fair hand, reluctant to let go.

Kong Xiufang noticed that some villagers were passing by and staring at her. She was so embarrassed that she quickly pulled her hand away.

When no one else is around, she can take the initiative to get close to her sweetheart, but when there are other people around, it's better to be more reserved.

After all, the gossipy women in the village are quite adept at spreading rumors. They can even make the dead seem alive, spreading very abstract and unfounded stories.

What happened in the neighboring village last year is frightening.

A widow struggled to raise her daughter alone. Her cousin from her maternal family often helped her out. However, malicious rumors spread that she was having an affair. To prove her innocence, the widow drowned herself in the river.

The poor little girl was left behind and returned to her maternal grandmother's house, where her uncles took care of her.

Thinking of this, Kong Xiufang's face paled slightly. Lin Junhui noticed her unusual expression and asked her softly.

Kong Xiufang then voiced her concerns, fearing that their normal interactions would be fabricated into something unsavory.

Lin Junhui comforted her, "We've done nothing wrong, so we're not afraid of gossip. Besides, neither of us is married. As long as we're sincere with each other, we can get married soon." Kong Xiufang blushed and nodded gently.

Just then, a bus approached from a distance. Lin Junhui boarded the bus and waved goodbye to Kong Xiufang.

The car had already driven away when Kong Xiufang turned to go home.

Granny Wang was eating melon seeds at the village entrance when she saw what had just happened, and her gossipy nature started acting up again.

She walked over and caught up with Kong Xiufang, saying, "Xiufang, that young man was quite handsome! Is he your boyfriend?"

Knowing Wang Pozi's big mouth, Kong Xiufang ignored her and said, "What's it to you?"

Granny Wang choked on her words, swallowing her anger in silence. She thought bitterly, "What's so great about that? If you don't tell me, I won't know!"

He snorted and went to find Granny Zhang.

At this moment, Granny Zhang was chatting and eating melons under a big tree next to the threshing ground.

Today's news is the biggest news in the village. Granny Wang sat down next to Granny Zhang and said mysteriously, "Guess what I just saw?"

Granny Zhang's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly asked, "What? Is it related to the village chief's family's matter?"

Granny Wang waved her hand, "No, I saw Kong Xiufang and a young man at the village entrance, reluctant to part. That young man was the one who came this morning. He's already on the bus and left. I figured he must be her boyfriend. When I asked her, she got all stern."

Granny Zhang clicked her tongue, "Don't spread rumors. She was introduced by Xiujuan, and she's a very good person!"

Granny Wang said, "Oh dear, Xiufang usually seems so well-behaved, how come she's so ill-mannered? But if this is true, our village hasn't had a wedding in a long time."

Granny Zhang looked at her and said, "You haven't had much contact with her, so don't talk nonsense if you don't know. Xiufang is a good person, smart and hardworking. I watched her grow up, and she and my Qingjiao are good friends. I know her best."

Granny Wang curled her lip. "Hmph! Say whatever you want, I don't have a good impression of her anyway. By the way, what did you mean when you said the village chief's house had a big gossip? Tell me about it!"

One of the women took the initiative to tell Granny Wang about the village chief's family.

On the other hand, after Kong Xiufang got home, she started busying herself with housework, but her mind was filled with the image of Lin Junhui.

Within days, various versions of gossip about Kong Xiufang began to circulate in the village. They said the two were behaving intimately, and that Kong Xiufang was shameless for being involved with a man before even being engaged.

But Kong Xiufang didn't care. She believed that Lin Junhui would shut these people up when he came back next time.

After this incident, Lin Junhui and Kong Xiufang became even more determined in their feelings for each other.

Besides, Lin Junhui isn't from this village, so it's impossible to see him every day. Why not hurry up and get engaged?

Lin Junhui got home at 7:30, and it was almost dark.

Luckily, there weren't many people on the bus when I came back, and the driver drove very fast, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten home by 8 o'clock.

Hearing the commotion, Song Shiyue saw her son return and asked him what they had talked about at her daughter-in-law's house that day.

Once the matchmaker is chosen, it's time to discuss the engagement date.

The next day, Lin Junhui visited Sun Zitao's house and told him about his trip to Kong Xiufang's house.

Kong Xiujuan was very happy. She had always felt that her younger sister and Lin Junhui were a match made in heaven, and she never expected that they would actually get together in the end.

Lin Junhui entrusted the entire engagement process to Sun Zitao.

Sun Zitao said, "You two want to get engaged quickly, don't you?"

Lin Junhui said, "Yes, the sooner the better. Those gossipy women in Kongjia Village have already started spreading rumors about Xiufang."

After hearing this, Kong Xiujuan said, "Those old women are just bored and have nothing better to do than talk nonsense all day long. If you want to get engaged quickly, you should find an auspicious day in the next few days."

Sun Zitao took out a calendar and looked through the auspicious days in the lunar calendar. He said, "It's the ninth month of the lunar calendar now. How about we set it for the sixth or sixteenth day of the ninth month?"

Kong Xiujuan said, "I remember that my second brother's baby celebration was on October 6th, which is the seventh day of the ninth lunar month. Isn't it too rushed to be so close to the engagement banquet?"

Lin Junhui said, "I think it's okay, but we still need to ask Aunt Mu's opinion. Could you please trouble Brother Zitao and Sister-in-law Xiujuan to go to Kongjia Village this afternoon?"

Kong Xiujuan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go after lunch today. This is a major event in my sister's life, and I will definitely take it to heart."

After saying that, Lin Junhui went home. He needed to prepare properly, check what he needed, and tidy up the house.

Lin Junhui was busy tidying up the house at home, while Kong Xiujuan had already taken her son and eldest daughter to Kongjia Village.

I got on the bus at 1 p.m. and arrived at the village entrance at 2 p.m. The driver was a young man who was listening to music on the radio and drove incredibly smoothly.

This year, many new songs by Hong Kong and Taiwan singers have been released, and drivers are driving so fast that their cars are practically taking off to the beat of the music.

After arriving at Kongjia Village, Kong Xiujuan went straight to her parents' home.

Along the way, many villagers watched them curiously, whispering among themselves, wondering if something might happen to the Kong family.

But Kong Xiujuan held her head high and ignored these people completely.

I ran into a few familiar villagers, so I greeted them politely. Some of them were quite nice.

Upon arriving at her parents' home, she explained her purpose. Mu Shuyun looked at her eldest daughter and smiled, "The sixth day of the ninth month is an auspicious day. It's close by and more lively, so let's go with that day."

Sun Limei and Sun Guoqiang followed Yunya to find Caixia to play.

When the news spread, the gossipy villagers were stunned, not expecting the two to get engaged so soon.

Kong Xiufang was overjoyed upon hearing the news. She began preparing the clothes she would wear for her engagement.

Kong Xiujuan instructed her younger sister, "Xiufang, tomorrow is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. Have you prepared all the clothes you need? Dress up nicely tomorrow and make a dazzling appearance!"

Kong Xiufang said with a smile, "Don't worry, big sister, I will definitely dress up nicely and dazzle their eyes (gossiping)."

Meanwhile, Lin Junhui was busy preparing the betrothal gifts. He carefully selected every item, hoping to give Kong Xiufang the best.

Song Shiyue took out a small box and pushed it to her son, saying, "Son, this is the money your mother has saved. Count it and see if it's enough. If not, we can borrow some more. We can't let Xiufang suffer."

Lin Junhui said emotionally, "Mom, I've saved some money. I don't need your money. I've saved enough."

Song Shiyue said, "Silly child, take it! You don't need it now, but you'll still get it for your wedding. Keep it safe and don't lose it."

Lin Junhui could only silently accept the money, saying, "Mother, don't worry. Xiufang is a sensible person and won't ask for things randomly. We probably don't need this money now, so I'll hide it and use it later when we need it."

Song Shiyue said, "Okay, just put it away. I'm going to rest now, you should go to sleep too!"

…………

On October 5th, the sixth day of the ninth lunar month, Lin Junhui arrived at Kongjia Village early in the morning on a rented tractor with his uncles and cousins.

Kong Xiufang was dressed in a festive red outfit, looking as beautiful as a fairy.

When the two stood together to receive everyone's blessings, all the previous rumors seemed to disappear instantly.

The two rented tractors were thoroughly cleaned, and clean red carpets were laid out in their baskets.

A tractor carried Lin Junhui, his uncles and aunts.

The other car carried Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming. The second sister-in-law was in confinement after childbirth and did not come, but the second brother did. He had prepared a day's worth of meals in advance and told Zhou Caiyun to heat them up before eating.

The eldest brother, Kong Xiangguang, came, but the sister-in-law didn't want to come, so she made up an excuse to go back to her parents' home.

Nobody cared about her. Everyone in the family wanted harmony, but she insisted on being the kind of person that everyone disliked. Nobody wanted to be around her.

Kong Tongming's nephew and niece-in-law also came as representatives to attend the engagement banquet.

Everyone was immersed in the joyous atmosphere.

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