country bumpkin

Chapter 94 Childbirth Banquet

Granny Wang was panting heavily as she ran, calling out to the people in front of her, "Wait... wait for me... huff... huff..."

The two middle-aged men who had arrived earlier, along with Kong Xiangdong, had already grabbed the short rope around the cow's neck.

Kong Xiangdong led the ox back, the two men following behind. The rest of the people followed.

When Granny Wang saw them return, she took a closer look and realized it really was her own cow, so she quickly said some nice things to them.

"Thank you everyone for helping my family catch the cow. Xiangdong, could you please lead it home for me?"

Kong Xiangdong glanced at her; she had just been mocking his sister! But cattle were the farmers' treasures, and they couldn't just ignore them.

I decided not to argue with her and ignored her, leading the ox to Granny Wang's house.

Mu Shuyun carried the sleeping Yunya and Kong Xiangdong back home.

My uncles, aunts, cousins, and cousins' wives have all gone back to their own homes.

The tractor was rented, and the driver was from the city. After safely delivering the family members home, they also returned home.

The men drank quite a bit and were slightly tipsy; they all went home and went straight to sleep.

The women were all very energetic, tidying up the house and sharing their day's experiences with their families.

Kong Xiangdong didn't drink much, only two cups of wine. He was in a hurry to go home to see his wife and children, so he tied up the ox and went straight home without going to the old house.

Zhou Caiyun was still sleeping at home when Kong Xiangdong came back. Hearing the faint snoring, he grinned and felt relieved.

She quietly went inside, cleaned up the boil, and then went to the yard to wash it.

After washing the boil, Zhou Caiyun woke up. Hearing a noise in the yard, she called out.

Kong Xiangdong was drying boils when he heard his wife calling him. He quickly put down what he was doing and ran into the house.

Zhou Caiyun smiled at him and said, "Brother Dong, when did you get back?"

Kong Xiangdong gently sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned down and kissed her forehead, saying, "I've been back for a while now, and the boils are all washed off. Are you hungry? I'll go make you some food."

Zhou Caiyun pulled his hand and squeezed it, saying, "I'm not hungry, I just ate not long ago, it's just... I haven't seen you all day... I missed you."

Kong Xiangdong's heart melted at her words; her gentle gaze could make a cow swoon.

Zhou Caiyun blushed slightly under his affectionate gaze, her heart raced, and she couldn't help but kiss his lips.

Kong Xiangdong finally couldn't hold back any longer and hugged his wife, kissing her passionately. Zhou Caiyun was dizzy from his kisses and gasped for breath.

The little one cried out "Wah..."

Kong Xiangdong had no choice but to pick up the child and try to comfort him.

After holding the child for a while, Zhou Caiyun said, "Bring the child here so I can see if he has wet himself."

She gently placed the baby on the bed, opened the swaddling clothes, and sure enough, the boil was soaked with sweat. Zhou Caiyun changed the boil to dry, then held the baby and breastfed.

At the old house, Mu Shuyun had just put Yunya on the bed when she woke up. She had slept the whole way and was still a little groggy.

She rubbed her eyes, looked around at her surroundings, and then opened her little mouth, "Gaga gaga... I'm home! Gaga gaga!" she cheered excitedly.

Kong Xiufang took out a bulging red envelope from her backpack and gave it to Mu Shuyun, saying, "Mom, take this money. You can use it whenever you need it at home."

Mu Shuyun returned the money, saying, "We don't need this money. We still have some money at home. There's nothing major happening right now, so we'll have enough. Keep this money and take it back to your husband's family when you get married. That way, your mother-in-law will be happy and won't mistreat you. It will also make you look good."

Kong Xiufang thought her mother was right, so she didn't refuse and put the money away.

She had witnessed how her eldest sister was tormented by her wicked mother-in-law, and although Lin Junhui's mother seemed like a gentle person, she couldn't believe she was a wicked mother-in-law.

But you also need to save face for yourself and your family. It's best to be careful.

She then took out the wages she had saved over the past few months and gave them to Mu Shuyun, saying, "Mother, keep this money. This is money I earned myself. Once we save up a little more, we'll rebuild the old house."

She continued, "My younger brother is also about to get married, so let's build a new house first! Otherwise, it will be difficult to find a wife."

Mu Shuyun nodded, "Okay, leave it with me for now. If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll give it to you. As for rebuilding the new house, let's see how much money we can save by the end of this year. If it's not enough, we can rebuild it next year."

Kong Xiufang was very happy to see her mother accept the money, as she was able to help the family again.

The family gathered for dinner that evening, but because they had attended a banquet at a hotel earlier that day, none of them were very hungry.

At a meal, people usually pick up food from this and that with their chopsticks, and after doing so, they feel almost full.

I feel full after drinking some soup or tea. But I feel hungry again soon after getting home, though I don't eat much. I just feel vaguely hungry, but I still don't eat much.

Kong Xiufang felt the same way; she felt hungry but didn't want to eat, yet she felt like she was missing a bite to eat even though she wasn't hungry.

Dinner was rice porridge. Yunya slurped down a whole bowl, while Kong Xiufang only drank half a bowl.

Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming each only drank half a bowl.

After a simple meal and a short chat, everyone went to rest.

A good night's sleep.

The next day, the seventh day of the ninth lunar month, was the sixth day after the child's birth, which was the perfect time to hold a baby shower.

All the relatives came, and everyone gathered in the courtyard, filled with laughter and joy.

Zhou Caiyun came to the old house specifically for this purpose, and she stayed in Kong Xiufang's room. The child lay beside her, staring curiously at the dark ceiling.

Outside, children chased and played among the crowd, occasionally running to the table where food was laid out and secretly grabbing a handful of melon seeds or candy to stuff into their pockets.

There were also bright red hard-boiled eggs, and every child had one.

At this moment, the eldest member of the clan, Grandpa Kong Jiu, stood up and cleared his throat. Knowing he was about to speak, everyone gradually quieted down.

"Our family hasn't been this joyous in a long time. This newborn is a blessing."

"Grandpa Kong Jiu said with a smile. Everyone nodded in agreement."

Just then, the sound of gongs and drums came from afar. Everyone looked over curiously and saw a group of performers dressed in traditional costumes walking towards them.

It turned out to be a theatrical troupe specially invited by the clan elders to add to the festivities. The actors, dressed in their finery, took to the stage and began to sing in their melodious voices.

Then young men and women sang pop songs.

Kong Xiangdong and Zhou Caiyun held their child, their faces beaming with happiness.

After the relatives arrived, they first came inside to see the baby, and then gave Zhou Caiyun the lucky money.

Zhou Caiyun had many relatives and relatives, and she collected a small pile of money, which she put in a shoebox.

Zhou Caiyun whispered to her husband, "I really hope every day will be this lively from now on."

Kong Xiangdong squeezed her hand, "Yes, our lives will definitely get better and better."

Just then, the child suddenly giggled, as if he too could feel the joyful and peaceful atmosphere.

Grandpa Kong Jiu, the clan elder, is Kong Tongming's cousin. This large family has a large population and is divided into several branches, so the younger generation cannot recognize all the clan members.

Everyone sat at the gate, listening to songs and watching the opera, with some neighbors joining in the fun. When it was time to start the feast, the steward set up tables and chairs in the alley and prepared to serve the dishes.

The tribespeople all sat down around the table and began to eat. The singers and performers continued their performance without stopping.

Zhou Caiyun stayed inside the room the whole time and ate in bed.

Kong Xiangdong, however, was constantly going in and out, back and forth, extremely busy.

After everyone finished eating, those who lived far away came to say goodbye, while those who lived nearby stayed to chat.

It wasn't until 4 p.m. that everyone had left.

Kong Xiangdong entered the room and was pleasantly surprised to see a shoebox full of red envelopes; it seemed he had received quite a bit of money.

Zhou Caiyun packed the money away, telling herself to remember to take it home later.

Kong Xiangdong asked her, "Caiyun, do we still need to give half of the money to Mother?"

Zhou Caiyun said, "I've already asked, and Mother said we should keep it. Since you didn't go to sell tofu this month, we can use this money for living expenses."

Kong Xiangdong didn't ask any more questions. He cleaned up the boils and swaddled baby, put his wife and child on the borrowed donkey cart, and went home.