country bumpkin

Chapter 312 The couple argues

Back home, Yunya really took finding a job for Zhang Haiying seriously.

She plans to ask her third aunt tomorrow if there are any jobs available in their neighborhood.

Zhang Haiying is also a person with a hard life. Although her family does not favor boys over girls, her mother is not healthy and cannot take care of her.

She also has an older brother named Zhang Haibin, whom Yunya seems to have met a few times. He's probably finished school and is working by now.

Her father, Zhang Weiguo, was Zhang Jiefang's older brother. He worked in a construction team building walls and houses.

Besides the two brothers, there was an older sister, Zhang Yumin, and a younger sister, Zhang Yuli. The older sister married someone from the same village, while the younger sister committed suicide by drinking pesticide.

The reason was that she had a boyfriend who was a good-for-nothing slacker. He was good-looking and tall, a pretty boy.

Their family disapproved of their relationship, so Zhang Yuli drank pesticide that night. By the time she was found, she was already dead.

After her death, that scoundrel quickly found a new girlfriend. This made her family hate him even more.

Zhang Jiefang and Zhang Weiguo wanted to find the thug and beat him up to vent their anger, but they couldn't find him anywhere.

Later I heard that he went to a big city with a wealthy divorced woman and never came back.

This bloody lesson has served as a constant warning to the girls in the neighborhood: never do anything foolish.

Sacrificing her life for some bullshit love is utterly pointless. Didn't he forget her quickly? And she foolishly gave her life for it.

After that, no one in the family ever mentioned Zhang Yuli again. Perhaps they were afraid to mention her, fearing it would only cause more heartache.

When Yunya got home, her parents were already back. Yunya asked Kong Xiujuan, "Mom, you're both back. Isn't anyone watching the old house? Aren't we afraid someone will steal our things?"

While washing the vegetables, Kong Xiujuan said, "It's alright. Your second uncle came to see us today and we've already discussed it. Our two families will take turns on duty, one family watching for a day. That way, we'll both have time to rest."

Yun Ya nodded. "Oh, when did my second uncle become a better person?"

Kong Xiujuan warned, "Don't go around spreading rumors outside. If it gets back to your aunt, it'll cause trouble again."

Actually, your second uncle has never done anything too outrageous to our family. It's all because your grandmother is biased that so much trouble has arisen.

Yunya asked again, "Mom, is the house still being built at night?"

Kong Xiujuan: "Yes, we build the house at night and rest during the day. That's good, since no one dares to openly steal things during the day."

Yunya: "Oh, that's true."

Just then, Sun Limei, who had just entered the courtyard, interjected, "Oh my goodness! I'm exhausted."

She went inside and immediately slumped down on a stool, panting heavily.

Kong Xiujuan, puzzled, asked her, "Limei, what's wrong with you? You look exhausted."

Sun Limei shouted at the top of her lungs, "Mom, Auntie's shop received some goods today, and I helped unload them. Then I had to arrange the goods, hang up clothes and fabrics. I was exhausted."

Kong Xiujuan: "Where's your aunt's husband? Isn't he at the shop?"

Sun Limei: "Yes, I am. If my uncle-in-law weren't here, my aunt and I would be exhausted unloading the goods."

Kong Xiujuan: "Oh! It seems your aunt's business is doing quite well!"

Sun Limei: "It's true, these days business attire is all the rage, and lots of people are asking my aunt to customize clothes for them. I've been busy helping out."

Kong Xiujuan continued chopping vegetables and said, "Oh, shouldn't ready-made clothes come in trendy styles? Why do people spend money to have them custom-made?"

Sun Limei said, "Mom, you don't understand! These clothes are custom-made to their measurements. How can they be the same as ready-made mass-produced clothes?"

Kong Xiujuan replied, "Yes, it's true that a custom-made one doesn't fit as well as a tailor-made one."

Sun Limei called out from inside the house, "Mom~ when are you going to cook dinner? I'm starving!"

Kong Xiujuan: "I just got back not long ago, and I've been busy cooking as soon as I got back. The soup is ready, take it over and put it in a bowl to cool for a while."

Sun Limei: "Oh dear~ I really don't want to move, Yunya~ Yunya, please bring the soup inside!"

Yunya was helping in the kitchen when she heard her sister ordering her around. She pouted and muttered something.

"People who are used to being idle will complain that they are too tired to do anything, and that they are going to die.

I kill chickens and do chores every day, starting in the morning and working non-stop all day, but I never feel this tired. People just get lazier the more idle they are, and the more they eat, the more they crave food.

While saying this, he stopped what he was doing and obediently carried a steel pot of soup into the living room.

He went back and grabbed a stack of bowls, ladled out the soup into each one, and waited for it to cool.

Kong Xiujuan said with a smile, "Yunya, you're all bark and no bite. You may say you're unhappy, but your actions speak louder than words. You still have to do what you're supposed to do."

Sun Limei had been listening to Yun Ya's grumbling the whole time, and she chimed in, "That's right, she's doing the work herself, but she's complaining about it."

You're putting in the effort and getting no credit. Whether you say anything or not, you have to do it anyway, so why bother complaining and making others unhappy?

Yun Ya: "You're so good with words, so cunning. Alright!"

I'm just feeling really upset and want to say it. The work isn't heavy, so I just did it and that was it. But I have to get it off my chest, or I'll suffocate.

Sun Limei said, "Yunya, you can't do this. If you're not careful when you're out there, you'll just suffer for nothing and your boss won't even value you."

In today's society, everyone loves to flatter and fawn; honest, hardworking people who speak the truth simply don't get ahead!

Yun Ya said, "There's nothing I can do about it. That's just my personality. I can't change it, and I'm not very cunning."

Kong Xiujuan: "Alright, stop talking, wash your hands and get ready to eat."

Yunya looked around but didn't see her younger brother, so she asked, "Mom, where's Guoqiang? Hasn't he come back yet?"

Kong Xiujuan: "He's doing his homework inside! Go and call him out for dinner."

Yunya: "We're talking so loudly, didn't he hear us?"

Sun Limei said, "I guess he was studying very hard and was so focused that he didn't hear us calling him to eat."

Yunya: "Oh! I'll go call them."

She pushed open her brother's door and saw that Sun Guoqiang was already asleep, slumped over the table.

Yun Ya walked over and shook his arm. While shaking him, she called out, "Guoqiang, wake up, wake up! Get up and eat."

Sun Guoqiang opened his sleepy eyes and said listlessly, "Oh! I know."

After realizing what had happened, he said in confusion, "Huh, how did I fall asleep?"

Yun Ya said, "You don't know? Don't you know yourself?"

Sun Guoqiang rubbed his eyes. "Well, after I finished my homework, I felt a little sleepy, so I naturally lay down on the table to rest. Who knew I would fall asleep?"

Yun Ya quickly urged, "Alright, now that you're awake, let's go eat!"

The two walked out of the bedroom one after the other and into the living room. The food was already laid out on the table, and the chairs were also arranged.

Only Yun Ya and Sun Guoqiang's seats are empty; everyone else has already sat down and started eating.

They sat down, picked up their chopsticks, and started eating. Sun Zitao sipped his wine, taking a bite of food and a sip of wine.

Kong Xiujuan glared at her and said, "You can't drink too much, just a small cup, understand?"

Sun Zitao was annoyed and wanted to retort, but he held back. He said, "Not much, not much. This small cup isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap. How is it too much?"

Kong Xiujuan said, "Oh! Your teeth have such big gaps! It looks like you have cavities. Let me check if there are any black pits. If not, go to the dentist to get them checked out. If there are any big holes, get them filled as soon as possible."

Sun Zitao: "It's not that exaggerated. I think you're just saying that on purpose. It's just a little alcohol. It's not that much. It can't be that serious!"

Kong Xiujuan saw that her husband had indeed not poured any more wine, and had only drunk that one cup before remaining silent.

Sun Zitao picked up a piece of food and put it in his mouth, complaining, "I was hoping that after raising two daughters, they would bring me more good wine when they went back to their parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year after their wedding! Now look what's happened, they won't even let me drink."

Kong Xiujuan said, "Who told you not to drink? They just wanted you to drink less. It's all for your own good. Ma Fushan from our village drank so much that he had a stomach hemorrhage and was hospitalized. He almost died. Haven't you heard?"

Sun Zitao was speechless. "How can I be the same as him? I only drink 2ml at a time. This small cup isn't big enough to hold more!"

Who is Ma Fushan? He drinks a whole bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) at once, and he does it over three meals. If he doesn't get sick, who will?

Kong Xiujuan: "Fine, you're right, you're reasonable, okay?"

Sun Zitao then smiled, his憨憨的笑声 echoing throughout the living room.