country bumpkin

Chapter 88 New Life on National Day

October 1st is National Day.

The warm sunshine of National Day shone on the quiet rural courtyard, and the old locust tree in the yard cast dappled light and shadow, like scattered gold.

Zhou Caiyun was sitting on an old rattan chair under a tree, sewing clothes for her unborn child, her fine stitches filled with anticipation.

"Ouch!" She suddenly clutched her stomach, the small clothes slipped from her hands, and her face turned pale with pain.

Hearing the commotion, Kong Xiangdong, the husband who was repairing a bicycle nearby, dropped what he was doing and rushed to his wife's side, his voice trembling: "Caiyun, what's wrong? Is she about to give birth?"

Zhou Caiyun bit her lip, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, and nodded with difficulty: "I'm afraid... the baby is eager to come out and see National Day."

Kong Xiangdong panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down, picked up his wife, and rushed out of the yard.

The neighbors had already rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and Granny Li shouted at the top of her lungs, "Everyone, lend a hand and bring the tractor over!"

Grandpa Zhang limped ahead, clearing the way, his cane thumping on the ground: "Steady, don't bump into Caiyun!"

Grandma Li called out to her grandson, "Bao'er, hurry up and go to Grandma Mu's house to tell them that Caiyun is about to give birth, and tell them to go directly to the town hospital."

The tractor sped along the dirt road, kicking up clouds of yellow dust. Kong Xiangdong held his wife's hand tightly, constantly reassuring her, "Don't be afraid, we'll be at the hospital soon."

Zhou Caiyun was in so much pain she almost fainted, but she still managed a smile: "Our child really knows how to pick a day, National Day, how festive..."

The hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Outside the delivery room, Kong Xiangdong paced back and forth, his heart burning with anxiety. The faint sound of drums celebrating National Day could be heard outside, adding to his tension.

After an unknown amount of time, a loud cry pierced the tense atmosphere, and Kong Xiangdong rushed to the door.

The nurse brought out the swaddled baby: "Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy! Mother and child are safe and sound!"

Kong Xiangdong looked at the child's rosy cheeks, his eyes moist, and gently touched him: "Son, you came just in time for National Day. You must be successful in the future and grow up and become stronger with our motherland."

Because it was a natural birth, I rested at the hospital for a few hours and then went home.

Back home, the courtyard was warm and cozy again. I didn't have time to boil the red eggs, but I bought some wedding candy on my way back from the department store.

The table was piled high with wedding candies. Villagers sat around, laughing and joking all around.

Zhou Caiyun leaned against the bed, looking at the sleeping baby in her arms, and murmured softly, "Let's call him 'Qingsheng' as his nickname, to commemorate this special day."

Kong Xiangdong nodded, looking at the five-star red flag flying high in the center of the village committee courtyard in the distance, his eyes full of hope.

On this National Day, a new baby was born in our little courtyard. Life is full of hope, and the future will surely be as bright and prosperous as the red flag.

Mu Shuyun has been following her daughter-in-law around since morning, taking care of her daughter-in-law and child.

She happily grabbed Zhou Caiyun's hand, her face beaming with joy!

Kong Xiangdong brought the meal she had prepared to the bedside. Mu Shuyun got up and had her son sit on the edge of the bed to feed Zhou Caiyun.

Mu Shuyun said, "Fortunately, the second brother hasn't gone out to the market these past few days, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to get Caiyun to the hospital in time."

While feeding Caiyun, Kong Xiangdong said with a smile, "Mom, don't let my honest appearance fool you, I'm not stupid. My due date is in the next few days, how can I go out? I'll definitely stay home and take care of Caiyun."

Zhou Caiyun felt an overwhelming sense of happiness as she drank the chicken soup.

What do women want from a marriage? Isn't it someone who will cherish them? She felt that she was the happiest person at that moment.

It was already dark, and Mu Shuyun was still at the old house, not staying. She had agreed to come over the next day to help take care of the children.

She instructed Kong Xiangdong not to go out for the next month and to stay home and take good care of his daughter-in-law. She would also come to help.

When Kong Tongming got home from get off work, no one was home yet. He heard from Granny Zhang that his second son's wife had given birth to a grandson, and he was overjoyed.

Overjoyed, he ran towards Kong Xiangdong's house. But after walking less than halfway, he stopped again.

It was already dark. Going to my son's house now would be inconvenient for my daughter-in-law during her postpartum period, and it wouldn't sound good if word got out, so I came back.

He had just returned home when Mu Shuyun brought Yunya back with her.

Upon seeing Kong Tongming, Mu Shuyun excitedly recounted the news of the birth of their eldest grandson.

Yunya also started gesturing wildly and wildly.

He grinned, showing his gap-toothed smile, and said, "Grandpa...Grandpa...you don't know, that little baby was so tiny! So soft, I didn't dare touch him, I just gently touched his little hand."

As she spoke, she spread her little arms out to show the size of the child.

Kong Tongming's smile deepened his wrinkles. Mu Shuyun wore the same expression.

She patted Yunya's head affectionately and said, "This little baby is a whole size bigger than you were when you were born! The baby weighs 7 pounds and 8 ounces. You were even smaller back then, and a pair of size 45 shoes could fit you."

Yunya imagined what she was like when she was little and asked, "Grandma, was I this soft too?"

Mu Shuyun looked at her kindly, "Yes! So small and soft, so cute!"

Yunya happily kissed her grandmother's cheek, "Grandma, I'm cute now too! Hehehehehe."

The warm atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by the "clattering" sound.

Mu Shuyun thought, "...How come I feel like I've spoiled Yunya...Where did the cuteness go?..."

Kong Tongming smiled at the mother and daughter, "What's going on?"

At this moment, Mu Shuyun's stomach started growling.

She slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "I'm done with work today, but I haven't had dinner yet!"

She quickly ran to the kitchen to cook. Yunya followed her to the kitchen to start the fire.

After half an hour of work, the food was served: a bowl of egg noodles and a plate of pickled potato shreds.

They were served on the table, separated with chopsticks and spoons, and poured into three bowls, one for each person to eat.

After finishing her meal, Mu Shuyun cleaned up the dishes and table, then took Yunya to visit someone across the street.

There are few entertainment options in the countryside at night. Although the village has electricity, the power supply is unreliable.

The lights might have been on just now, but then the power went out. So in the evenings, we usually sit and chat in the yard. It saves electricity and candles.

I dislike being indoors in the summer because it's stuffy and hot. Under the big tree in the yard, it's well-ventilated and cool.

People don't like to go out after meals in winter. Firstly, they're afraid of the cold, and secondly, they want to save on candles or lamp oil. Some people go to bed as early as 5 pm in winter. This is all quite common.

There are also relatively wealthy families in the village, such as the village chief's family and the village chief's brother's family, who have bought black and white televisions.

The neighbors who lived closer to the village chief all went to his house to watch TV.

Yunya followed Mu Shuyun to the opposite house, while Caixia, in the main room, could hear the sounds coming from Granny Zhang's courtyard.

Hearing that Yunya was playing at Grandma Zhang's house in the backyard, she ran over there excitedly.

The adults sat in the courtyard, gossiping enthusiastically about the village's exciting events, while the children chased each other, playing and frolicking.

The lively farmhouse courtyard was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

After running for a while, the two little girls were so tired that they lay on the bench, panting heavily.

After a while, once things calmed down, the two little girls started singing nursery rhymes, one line at a time.

The song swayed gracefully in the breeze, drifting into the distance...