country bumpkin

The next morning, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and soon a light drizzle began to fall.

The autumn raindrops pattered on the rim of the water vat in the yard, making a dripping sound.

Aunt Du looked at the rain outside the window, sighed, picked up the umbrella placed by the door, and went out.

Today I plan to go to town to buy fabric for Zhang Qingjiao to make clothes for her child. Although the rain is not heavy, it is enough to get people wet.

Along the way, Aunt Du saw several villagers who hadn't had time to go home yet, hurrying home in the vegetable garden.

The trees along the roadside looked even more desolate in the rain, with a few yellow leaves occasionally falling.

Upon arriving in town, the market was much quieter than usual. The vegetable vendors covered their produce with plastic sheets, their faces showing helplessness.

Aunt Du selected her fabric at the shop and paid for it. As she walked out of the shop, the rain intensified, the raindrops pounding against her umbrella.

She quickened her pace to get home, thinking that there was still soup simmering on the stove, and her daughter would be anxious and waiting for her to come home when she woke up.

As the wind blew in, carrying autumn rain, Aunt Du wrapped her clothes tighter around herself and resolutely walked towards home.

Zhang Qingjiao woke up slowly at home and found that Aunt Du was not in her room. It was raining heavily outside, and she was very worried.

Xiao Zhe wasn't home. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, the two of them spent five days together at home. Xiao Zhe still had business to attend to and had to go back to oversee it. He would only come back to see her when he had free time.

Zhang Qingjiao stayed to rest during her pregnancy, mainly to keep Aunt Du company.

Song Ke works hard to earn money and rarely has a chance to go home on vacation. As her daughter, she wants to stay by her parents' side.

Aunt Du had always treated her like her own daughter. She wanted to be filial to Aunt Du as if she were her own mother.

Zhang Qingjiao paced anxiously in the room, wondering if she should go out and look for Aunt Du.

But I'm also worried that if she comes back, we might get separated and she might get lost and worry about me. I'll wait a little longer!

Thinking this, she stood at the door and looked outside.

The rain pounded against the roof like a rapid, muddy symphony.

Just as Zhang Qingjiao was waiting anxiously, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

She looked closely and, sure enough, it was Aunt Du who had returned. Zhang Qingjiao quickly opened her umbrella and went to greet her.

"Mom, you're finally back! I was so worried about you."

Zhang Qingjiao said, linking arms with Aunt Du.

"Silly child, it's raining heavily, come inside quickly," Aunt Du replied with a smile.

Shortly after entering the house, a sudden screech of brakes came from outside the door.

The two exchanged a puzzled look, and then saw Xiao Zhe get off a large truck.

He was soaking wet and rushed into the house after getting out of the car. He didn't forget to turn back and remind the driver to be careful on the road.

Xiao Zhe has returned. The transportation team he formed consists of drivers who bring their own vehicles to work. The drivers are willing to join his team because they have vehicles but can't get jobs.

He has connections and resources that keep these drivers constantly busy. Their main job is transporting and delivering goods.

He also started a rental business. If someone needed a large truck to move, they would also provide one for that purpose.

It's raining today, so we didn't get many jobs. We'll keep one vehicle on duty, and everyone else will have a day off.

This time, he had his own transport team drive him back. After dropping him off, the driver said goodbye and went home.

Xiao Zhe called out, "Jiaojiao, I heard that the recent heavy rains have caused flooding, so I rushed back because I was worried about you." Xiao Zhe hugged Zhang Qingjiao tightly.

"It's alright, look, I'm perfectly fine." Zhang Qingjiao's eyes were full of gratitude.

At this moment, the soup on the stove was bubbling away, filling the room with a warm atmosphere.

The rain outside seemed to soften, its patter on the roof less urgent, like a gentle melody.

The family sat together, enjoying this rare moment of reunion during the autumn rainy season.

Before the meal, Zhang Qingjiao asked Aunt Du to go back to her room and change into dry clothes. Now that she had sweated a lot from eating, she wasn't worried that Aunt Du would get sick.

After dinner, Xiao Zhe held an umbrella in one hand and Zhang Qingjiao's hand in the other, and they took a walk in the courtyard.

Although the rain was still falling, they didn't care about the few raindrops. Xiao Zhe gently stroked Zhang Qingjiao's flat stomach, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Jiaojiao, after our child is born, we must give him the best life." Zhang Qingjiao leaned on his shoulder and nodded happily.

Just then, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Everyone looked on curiously, only to see a man covered in mud rush into the courtyard. It was Song Ke, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.

It turned out that Song Ke was extremely anxious upon hearing that his hometown had suffered severe flooding due to heavy rain. He was very worried while riding in the car on his way back, and rushed home as soon as he got off.

Seeing that his family was safe and sound, Song Ke breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone quickly welcomed him into the house and found him clean clothes to change into.

Grandma Du was overjoyed to see her son, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, return; her smile never stopped.

When Xiao Zhe returned to the city for the Mid-Autumn Festival, he sent a message to Song Ke, telling him not to worry about his mother, as Zhang Qingjiao had already returned and planned to stay with Aunt Du for a long time.

He wouldn't have rushed home in the rain if he hadn't heard about the floods.

Aunt Du asked suspiciously, "Why are you all saying there's a flood? Who told you that?"

Song Ke said, "The weather forecast on TV says that it will rain for seven consecutive days in our area."

Although it has only just started raining, it's still best to be careful.

Song Ke brought some rare items from other places to share with his family.

Xiao Zhe joked, "Brother, with you here, it feels even more like Chinese New Year." Everyone laughed.

As night fell, the rain gradually stopped, and moonlight spilled into the courtyard. The family sat in the yard chatting, discussing their future.

Zhang Qingjiao gazed at the starry sky and silently made a wish, hoping that such beautiful moments would never fade away and that this family would always remain so harmonious and happy.

That night, Xiao Zhe kissed Zhang Qingjiao and said, "Wife, I've missed you so much. It's been two months since I've touched you, can I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Qingjiao interrupted him, saying, "No, the doctor said it won't be safe until three months later."

Xiao Zhe said pitifully, "But Old Wang from our transport team said that when his wife was pregnant, she didn't observe any taboos for a single day. Now their son is already 5 years old."

Zhang Qingjiao gave him a gentle look. "No, honey~ please listen to me! Let's wait a little longer. Besides, it would be so embarrassing if Brother Ke heard us when he got back!"

Xiao Zhe pouted and said, "Fine! I'll do as you say, but you can't let your husband go without food for so long! Can you think of another way to help me...?"

Have a good night's sleep.

The next day, dark clouds covered the sky again, and half an hour later, a torrential downpour began. The rooftops were washed clean by the rain, leaving no trace of the previous night.

Since everyone was stuck at home, Aunt Du suggested making dumplings.

So the whole family pitched in. Song Ke was in charge of rolling out the dough, Xiao Zhe and Zhang Qingjiao filled the dumplings, and Aunt Du directed the process from the side. Laughter filled the entire house.

The rain today was much heavier than yesterday. It showed no signs of stopping from morning until I went to bed at night.

Another day passed, and it was still raining. Now, however, it was pouring rain mixed with strong winds.

There were no crops in the fields. Not even a single weed could be seen. The old folks in the village were saying that a flood was coming.

Zhang Qingjiao and Aunt Du sat inside the house talking.

Suddenly, shouts came from outside. It turned out that the river dam in the village had breached, and floodwaters were rushing towards the village.

Xiao Zhe made a quick decision and told everyone to run to higher ground immediately.

He first helped Zhang Qingjiao, and Song Ke carried Aunt Du on his back. The group struggled to make their way to the hillside behind the village.

Upon reaching the hillside, looking down, the village was already submerged in water.

Many villagers also arrived one after another, and everyone huddled together for warmth.

Looking at the disaster-stricken village, Song Ke felt a mix of emotions and made up his mind to help rebuild their homes.

Song Ke comforted everyone, saying that he had earned a lot of money outside and could donate a portion of it to disaster relief.

Xiao Zhe also said that the transport team could help deliver disaster relief supplies. Hearing this, everyone felt a glimmer of hope.

The rain gradually subsided, and a sliver of sunlight even peeked through the sky, shining on everyone's faces and reflecting their resolute expressions. Everyone knew that as long as they worked together, they would definitely be able to overcome the difficulties.