country bumpkin

Chapter 61: Making trouble

In the early morning, sunlight sprinkled across the earth like scattered gold, and the air was filled with a fresh scent that lifted one's spirits. It was a new day, a new beginning.

Kong Xiujuan set off early in the morning to cut grass at the foot of the mountain in the surrounding villages. Sun Guoqiang did not go with her; he was taken to Kong Xiuzhen's house.

Because Kong Xiuzhen's husband, Zhang Jiefang, is a regular worker, she only needs to stay at home to take care of the children.

Then there's her daughter, and her son is still quite young, so she needs to take care of him all the time.

She said that taking care of two children and taking care of three children is the same. She took the initiative to approach my eldest sister and said that if my eldest sister was busy, she could leave the children with her and she would help take care of them.

The older sister was very happy and grateful to her. The two houses weren't far apart, only two streets away.

The eldest daughter, Sun Limei, went to school. Several children from the same neighborhood went to school hand in hand.

No adults pick them up or drop them off; the children go to school on their own. The school isn't far from home, about a 10-minute walk.

The school was built on a relatively wide street. The main gate was on a paved road, but the children all walked through narrow alleyways to get to school.

Because buses and hand tractors sometimes pass by on the main road, it's not very safe. Only third and fourth graders dare to walk on the main road.

Kong Xiujuan cut a large basket of grass and carried it home. She met Hu Jinhua just as she reached the main road.

Hu Jinhua is known in the village for her outspokenness; she's always the first to know and spread the word about anything that happens in someone's family.

"Xiujuan, you've cut so much grass!" Hu Jinhua greeted her with a smile.

"Yes, Aunt Hu, the livestock at home are tired from pulling the cart, we won't have enough to eat if we don't cut more," Kong Xiujuan said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"I heard your Guoqiang was sent to Xiuzhen's place?" Hu Jinhua leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

"Yes, my second sister, Xiuzhen, is kind-hearted and offered to help me take care of her."

“Xiuzhen is indeed a good person. But you have to be careful. Although we are relatives, it’s inevitable that some misunderstandings will arise over time,” Hu Jinhua reminded her with a worried expression.

Kong Xiujuan was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Aunt Hu, don't worry, Xiuzhen isn't that kind of person, and besides, she's my own sister."

After saying goodbye to Hu Jinhua, Kong Xiujuan felt uneasy, and her steps became heavy.

She felt that Hu Jinhua was trying to sow discord between her and her sister. She wondered what Hu Jinhua was up to; had she gone to her sister's house too and said something to her?

She quickened her pace toward home, thinking she needed to put the grass down as soon as possible and then go to Xiuzhen's house to check on things so that there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.

After arriving home, Kong Xiujuan hurriedly placed the haystack in the corner of the yard and rushed to her younger sister Xiuzhen's house without even having a sip of water.

Along the way, a variety of thoughts churned in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

When she arrived at Xiuzhen's house, she heard cheerful laughter coming from inside, as well as her son Guoqiang's clear laughter.

She knocked gently on the door, and Xiuzhen opened it to see her sister. She quickly and warmly welcomed her in.

Inside, there were some simple yet thoughtfully prepared snacks on the table.

Xiuzhen smiled and said, "Sister, you're here. Aunt Jinhua came by earlier, but she didn't say anything bad. She even praised Guoqiang for being sensible."

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiujuan felt a great weight lifted from her heart. However, she still suspected that Hu Jinhua had ulterior motives.

Then Xiuzhen pulled her down to sit and said earnestly, "Sister, there's no need for us sisters to overthink things. Guoqiang is just like he's at home here. If you're too busy, just leave the child with me."

Kong Xiujuan looked at her younger sister gratefully, held her hand tightly, and said, "Xiuzhen, I can rest assured about my child. It's just that I always feel something is off about Hu Jinhua." She put these things aside for now and would talk about them when they got home.

Afterwards, the two sisters sat together and chatted happily about everyday things, while Guoqiang played nearby, filling the room with a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

After picking her child up from school in the afternoon, she found Hu Jinhua increasingly strange. They didn't usually interact much, so why was she making a special trip to her sister's house to chat?

It seems that Hu Jinhua has ulterior motives.

When Sun Zitao returned from work that evening, she told her husband about it. Sun Zitao was also puzzled, unable to guess what had happened.

The two of them guessed at many reasons, but none of them worked. They were completely unaware of Deng Yifei's imprisonment because of Kong Xiufang, so they couldn't figure out the reason at all.

Last Sunday, Kong Xiufang and Lin Junhui came to their new house for a celebratory meal. The couple were overjoyed to learn that the two were dating.

Sun Zitao thought that Hu Jinhua was causing trouble because Deng Yiyao was jealous of her younger sister's relationship with Lin Junhui.

Kong Xiujuan thought it was impossible because they lived on the same street. If Deng Yiyao and Lin Junhui could be together, they wouldn't have waited so many years.

Furthermore, given Hu Jinhua's character, she would definitely look down on Lin Junhui's family for being poor and would disagree with the marriage.

Unable to figure out the reason, Sun Zitao simply advised, "Let's be more careful in the future, and not let Hu Jinhua trick us."

Deng Jia Hu Jinhua's attempt to sow discord failed, so she devised another plan. She hadn't visited Gao Qinglian in a long time, so she decided to go and have a good chat with her tomorrow.

She thought that if her family was having a hard time, she would make things difficult for Kong Xiujuan, so that Kong Xiufang would also be unhappy.

She knows Gao Qinglian best. This mother-in-law has always favored her youngest son, so it would be very easy for her to sow discord between her and Kong Xiujuan.

The next morning, after finishing her work, she went to Gao Qinglian's stall and struck up a conversation with her.

Gao Qinglian is a simple-minded person who only knows how to curse fiercely. She is not stupid, but she is also smart and often makes mistakes.

Hu Jinhua handed two tea eggs to Gao Qinglian. Gao Qinglian took them and chatted with her warmly.

The two companies are close neighbors with no competitive relationship and have always maintained contact.

Since the last marriage proposal, they've only spoken very little and haven't completely broken ties. So now that one of the families has spoken up first, the old relationship has been restored naturally.

Hu Jinhua spoke first: "Older sister, I have something to tell you, but don't get upset."

Gao Qinglian stared wide-eyed with curiosity, urging her to continue.

"I saw your eldest daughter-in-law, Kong Xiujuan, secretly talking to a man the other day. They seemed very intimate; it didn't look like a normal relationship."

Upon hearing this, Gao Qinglian's face immediately fell.

"Really? Is this woman up to something behind my son's back?"

Hu Jinhua was secretly pleased, but said aloud, "I just happened to see it, maybe I was mistaken. But the man's clothes and appearance made him seem like he had some money."

Gao Qinglian grew angrier as she listened, and threw down what she was holding. "Hmph, if this is true, I will never let her off the hook."

Just then, Kong Xiujuan and Sun Zitao came to the old house to get something and overheard the conversation.

She knew in her heart that it was Hu Jinhua who was up to no good again, so she stepped forward and said to Gao Qinglian, "Mom, you must not believe her nonsense. She wanted to cause trouble in our house before, but she failed. Now she has come up with this way to slander me."

Gao Qinglian hesitated for a moment, and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes as she looked at Hu Jinhua.

She looked at her daughter-in-law again, unsure which one to believe.

Kong Xiujuan continued, "Mom, I'm busy taking care of the family every day. When do I have time to flirt with other men?"

Besides, although our family isn't wealthy, Zitao and I are doing fine together. How could I do anything to betray him?

Gao Qinglian thought about it carefully and realized it made sense; her daughter-in-law was indeed diligent and honest. Although she didn't like this daughter-in-law, she had always been dutiful.

Hu Jinhua became furious upon seeing this and pointed at Kong Xiujuan, saying, "Don't try to deny it. I saw it clearly. Maybe you've already planned this all along, waiting for the right opportunity to run off with that rich man."

Kong Xiujuan sneered, "Aunt Hu, what good does it do you to spread rumors about me like this? If you really saw something you shouldn't have seen, why didn't you expose me on the spot? Instead, you're gossiping behind my back like this today?" Hu Jinhua was speechless.

At this moment, Sun Zitao, who had been silent all along, stepped forward. He took Kong Xiujuan's hand and said to Gao Qinglian, "Mom, I know Xiujuan best. My husband and I have a good relationship. I trust her."

Seeing this, Gao Qinglian was completely relieved. She glared at Hu Jinhua and said, "Jinhua, don't spread rumors and cause trouble anymore. We're all neighbors, we should look after each other instead of sowing discord."

Hu Jinhua, feeling awkward, said guiltily, "I must have been mistaken that day..." and then slunk away.