country bumpkin

Chapter 436 Staying at Grandma's House

Today was a sunny day, and at noon the sun shone warmly on the farmhouse courtyard.

Mu Shuyun sat on a stool in front of the main room, leaning against the incense burner, lazily basking in the sun.

Yunya noticed that older people like to sunbathe, while young people nowadays always avoid the sun, not even wanting to stay in the shade for long, for fear of getting a tan.

After lunch, with nothing to do, Yunya sat close to her grandmother on a low stool, enjoying the breeze and sunshine.

Watching the roosters and hens pecking at the food in the yard, the piglets snoring away, and the lamb hopping around happily, this warm and idyllic scene is far more relaxing and enjoyable than any urban outburst.

Yunya squinted, enjoying the sunshine, while her grandmother gently patted her hand and told her stories of the past.

Grandma said that life was hard in the past, and the whole family just hoped to have enough to eat and wear. The chickens, pigs, and sheep they raised were all treasures, and they relied on them to exchange for money to buy daily necessities.

As Yunya listened, a scene came to mind: her grandmother working diligently in this small courtyard when she was young, taking good care of the poultry and livestock.

Just as she was listening intently, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard. Yun Ya stood up and looked towards the gate, where she saw several village women gathered together, seemingly arguing about something.

Grandma stood up, gently patted the dust off her clothes, and slowly walked towards the front door, saying, "Let's go see what's going on."

Yunya followed her grandmother to the courtyard gate, where she saw a young woman arguing with others, her face flushed. It seemed that her chickens had wandered into someone else's vegetable garden and pecked at the vegetables.

At this moment, Granny Zhang, who always loved gossip, saw her old friends Mu Shuyun and Yunya and immediately came over to act as Yunya's commentator.

After hearing the whole story, Yunya finally understood that the woman who was arguing was a second-marriage woman from the neighboring village. She was ugly, talkative, foul-mouthed, had a bad temper, and was unforgiving.

Now she's arguing even when she's in the wrong. It was clearly her chickens that were damaging someone else's vegetable garden, but she's turning the tables and saying that the other person's vegetables made her chickens choke to death.

The owner of the vegetable garden was no pushover either; he was just as bad as Granny Wang, and had never lost a fight in the village.

This time, the two tough guys clashed, and everyone could only watch the show and enjoy the spectacle; no one dared to step in and mediate.

Yunya hadn't seen this kind of arguing in a long time, and for a moment she treated it like watching a play, watching with great interest.

The two jumped up and down like fighting cocks, clapping their hands and craning their necks to hurl insults at each other.

After telling the story, Granny Zhang looked at Yun Ya and said, "Come on, come on... come on... let's go to your house to chat. Don't stand on the street. This show is almost over."

Yunya looked at Granny Zhang and asked, puzzled, "Granny Zhang, how do you know this fight is almost over?"

Granny Zhang puffed out her chest confidently, "Can't you see? Neither of them will stop on their own. They'll definitely keep arguing until their throats are dry. But it's been almost an hour since they started trying to reason with each other, and they're probably exhausted by now."

Yunya nodded in sudden realization, "Yes, that really is it. Look, their voices have become much softer; they must be tired of yelling."

The onlookers also lost interest, and some began to leave and head home.

Back in the courtyard, Mu Shuyun said to Granny Zhang, "Old sister, what are they arguing about during the New Year? As the saying goes, arguing in the first month of the lunar year brings bad luck for half a year, while harmony in the first month brings good luck for the whole year. Sigh! These people can't stand to suffer even the slightest loss, and they don't care about these taboos at all."

Granny Zhang chimed in, "Who says otherwise! It would be a loss if things really went badly all year."

The two elderly women sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun and chatting. Yunya went inside and brewed two cups of tea, bringing them over. Granny Zhang was delighted and praised Yunya for being observant, polite, and filial.

Yunya enjoys chatting with people like Grandma Zhang; just listening to them talk about everyday things makes her happy. They're not only good at gossiping, but they also actively participate and offer praise and feedback when appropriate.

As the sun began to set and the air grew cooler, they moved their little tea party indoors.

Yunya stopped listening to the gossip and went to the kitchen to help her aunt prepare dinner. She picked and washed vegetables and added firewood to the fire.

We've already bought a gas stove, but during the Lunar New Year, we still use a large iron pot to stir-fry and stew dishes. Grandma says that dishes cooked with firewood taste better and have a more smoky, homely flavor, and everyone agrees that cooking in a large iron pot is tastier.

After preparing the meal, Mu Shuyun invited Granny Zhang to stay for dinner. She then turned around and hurried home, fiddling with her legs as she politely replied to everyone.

"Oh, no need, no need, I had lunch late, I'm not hungry yet!"

The sound drifted away with her figure, and when I looked up, she was no longer in sight.

Mu Shuyun smiled and shook her head. "That's just how this older sister is. Every time other people start to eat, no matter how we try to persuade her to stay and eat with us, she always answers the same thing and runs off very quickly."

My aunt came over carrying a pot of soup and said, "Mom, Aunt Zhang is a very interesting person."

Yunya chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, it's quite interesting."

They exchanged glances and burst into laughter. The atmosphere in the room became even more lively.

Meanwhile, Zhang Haiying returned to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, but went back to her husband's family home that same day. Because she was experiencing morning sickness, she couldn't eat much, and her complexion looked much more haggard. Her mental state wasn't good either.

To encourage her daughter-in-law to eat more, Liu's mother cooked different dishes every day. Since Zhang Haiying couldn't stand the smell of cooking oil, Liu's mother made her light and refreshing cold dishes.

Salt-boiled shrimp, stir-fried lettuce, cucumber and wood ear salad, boiled eggs, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, green peppers and dried tofu, home-style tofu, stir-fried diced vegetables, tomato and egg soup, mushroom soup, etc.

Zhang Haiying was very grateful to her mother-in-law, even though she knew that her mother-in-law was only doing this because of the baby in her womb, patiently preparing different dishes for her. But her mother-in-law had truly done her best.

Liu Shuai works every day, and he didn't take a holiday during the Spring Festival; he chose to work shifts instead. His holiday pay is doubled, so he needs to work hard to earn money to support his child.

Zhang Haiying is very satisfied with her current life. Her mother-in-law cooks delicious meals, her father-in-law is easygoing and honest, and her husband is hardworking and caring. Zhang Haiying can even wake up with a happy smile in her sleep.

It was already the sixth day of the Lunar New Year in Kongjia Village. Although she was very reluctant, Yunya could only say goodbye to her grandmother with a heavy heart.

Yunya comforted her grandmother, saying she would come back to visit her often during her holidays. Mu Shuyun knew that children eventually need to go out to work and gain experience; if she didn't let go, her children would never grow up.

Because of her leg pain, she couldn't take Yunya to the village entrance to wait for the bus, so her third daughter-in-law had to take her granddaughter there instead.

Yunya said she could handle it herself and didn't need her aunt to take her, but Mu Shuyun and her aunt insisted, so Yunya agreed anyway.

Yunya walked out of the gate and began her journey home.