country bumpkin

Chapter 60 Selling Onions

The morning was clear and sunny, with fluffy white clouds like snowflakes and flowers.

In the farmhouse courtyard, Kong Jianjun came skipping and jumping to inform Mu Shuyun that they needed to harvest scallions tomorrow and needed help from the old house.

Seedlings were started in September last winter and transplanted in mid-November. They can be harvested at the end of July or the beginning of August this year.

When Kong Tongming came home from get off work that evening, Mu Shuyun told him about it. He didn't want to help Wang Cuihua, but he was worried that his eldest son wouldn't be able to handle it.

Since the second half of last year, the carpentry shop has not been very busy, and Kong Xiangguang has been busy with fieldwork whenever he has time.

The price of scallions fluctuates from year to year. In years with abundant rainfall, the price of scallions soars, which is why he thought of growing scallions.

Although there wasn't much rain this year, many villagers planted cabbage and radishes, and not many planted scallions and ginger, so there was little competition and the prices were naturally not low.

Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming had already discussed it and decided that they would go to help. Since the second son's family had already separated, they wouldn't disturb their peaceful life.

Besides, Zhou Caiyun is also pregnant and can't do heavy work, so it's better not to let them go to help.

The next morning, Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming took Yunya to their eldest son's house.

As they approached the gate, they saw Kong Xiangguang and Wang Cuihua pulling a cart with their two sons sitting on it, heading out.

Upon seeing Kong Tongming and Mu Shuyun, Kong Xiangguang greeted them and then went to the fields with them.

Wang Cuihua remained silent, too embarrassed to speak or call them "father" or "mother." Last time, she caused trouble herself, then declared she would no longer acknowledge them or have any contact with them. Now, she's shamelessly asking for their help. How can she possibly have the nerve to speak?

Mu Shuyun put Yunya on the cart as well, and the adults followed the cart on foot to the fields. The children sat on the cart, chattering incessantly.

Wildflowers bloomed everywhere along the road, some golden, some white, in clusters and clumps. Birds flew overhead. The children pointed at the birds, looked up, and shouted excitedly.

Yunya danced with joy.

"Look, the little birds are so cute! They fly so high!" Yunya exclaimed.

Kong Jianjun and Kong Jianguo cheered and shouted, "So cute! It flies so high!"

Seeing the children so happy made Mu Shuyun feel much better.

We arrived too early; the grass on both sides of the road was covered in dew. My trouser legs were soaked as I walked by.

The sun had not yet risen, only revealing a bright red sunset that illuminated half the sky.

The distant forest is lush and green, with layers upon layers of leaves, a vibrant scene of life.

The children were like children on a spring outing, all full of energy and laughter.

When we arrived at the field, it was lush and green, growing vigorously.

The children all pitched in to pull up the scallions, with Kong Tongming and Kong Xiangguang wielding iron hoes to dig out the scallions one by one.

Mu Shuyun and Wang Cuihua pulled up a few scallions first, which was quite a bit of work. After they had dug up a lot of scallions, they took the responsibility of bundling them up.

Yunya curiously tried to pull up scallions like the adults, but she accidentally fell on her bottom, making everyone burst into laughter.

They worked from 5 a.m. until a little after 7 a.m., when Wang Cuihua took out the dry food and water she had brought. Everyone sat down together to eat, and the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.

Just then, a sweet fragrance wafted from the roadside; it turned out to be the wildflowers blooming everywhere, swaying in the breeze.

Yunya excitedly ran over to pick the fruit, and the other children followed suit.

Looking at the children playing, Kong Tongming said to Kong Xiangguang, "The scallion harvest is good. We must save the money carefully after selling them."

Kong Xiangguang nodded in response.

Wang Cuihua finally mustered up the courage and said to Mu Shuyun with embarrassment, "Mother, I was wrong before. I shouldn't have acted so willfully and recklessly."

She knew in her heart that she had no choice but to back down. Now she needed her parents-in-law's help; otherwise, how could the two of them possibly finish all the work?

Mu Shuyun glanced at her and said, "Let bygones be bygones. As a family, we still need to work together to live our lives."

Mu Shuyun, still softening her heart, agreed. Kong Tongming glanced at Wang Cuihua but ignored her. He'd seen plenty of people like that—they used people when they needed them and discarded them when they didn't.

After saying that, everyone threw themselves back into their busy work. Accompanied by the fragrance of flowers and the laughter of children, this land was once again full of vitality and hope.

It was already 8:30 when they had acquired half of a plot of land. Kong Xiangguang then drove a large truckload of scallions to the market.

Mu Shuyun went home with the children, while Kong Tongming sat at the edge of the field looking at the remaining scallions.

Kong Xiangguang pulled the cart, while Wang Cuihua helped push it, carrying a cloth bag on her back. The bag contained the scales and water bottle they had brought.

The market was bustling with people, and Kong Xiangguang and Wang Cuihua finally found an empty spot. The two quickly arranged the scallions neatly and waited for customers to come in.

At first, people just passed by and looked around, without any intention of buying anything.

Wang Cuihua was a little anxious and muttered to herself, "Why is no one buying such good scallions?"

Kong Xiangguang comforted her, "Don't worry, someone will recognize its value eventually."

After a while, an older woman stopped in front of the stall, picked up a bunch of scallions and examined them.

Kong Xiangguang said with a smile, "Auntie, these scallions are freshly pulled from the ground."

The woman smelled it and asked, "How much is it per pound?" After Kong Xiangguang quoted the price, the woman thought it was too expensive and started to bargain.

The two argued back and forth over the price. Just then, an older man came over, looked at the scallions, and said, "These scallions are really good quality, and the price isn't expensive."

After hearing this, the woman hesitated for a moment, but ultimately bought two bunches of scallions.

After securing their first order, things gradually went smoothly. Many people were drawn to the business, and Kong Xiangguang and Wang Cuihua were busy weighing items and collecting money, their faces beaming with joy.

Kong Xiangguang started hawking his wares with great enthusiasm, attracting many elderly people who were at the market.

In less than half a day, most of the scallions on the truck were sold.

The two stayed for a while longer and noticed that the number of people was decreasing. It was almost lunchtime, so the people who had gone to buy groceries were all going home.

I can only come back this afternoon. Usually, a small market lasts half a day, while a large market lasts a whole day. Today happens to be a large market, so I can sell a lot this afternoon.

They had sold most of their produce, so they pulled their cart and the remaining two bundles of scallions home. They went back to their old house.

Because we had to go to the market in the afternoon, we had time to eat and rest at the old house.

Zhou Caiyun knew that her mother-in-law and father-in-law had gone to her older brother's house to help out today, so she didn't come over.

Mu Shuyun had already prepared the meal. After they finished eating, they sat on benches to rest.

After resting for a while, Kong Xiangguang brought a lot of food and delivered it to the field for Kong Tongming.

Wang Cuihua and the children stayed at the old house to rest. They were going to dig up scallions in the field later and then go to the market in the afternoon.

When he arrived at the field, Kong Tongming was starving. He weakly took the food and wolfed it down.

Watching his father eat, Kong Xiangguang felt a pang of sadness and said, "Dad, I've made you work so hard. I'll take good care of you when I earn money in the future!"

Kong Tongming swallowed the food in his mouth, waved his hand and said, "Guang'er, farming is the only way to feel at ease. Even if you're just making money, you can't neglect the crops."

After finishing their meal, the father and son sat on the edge of the field chatting. Kong Tongming reminisced about the hardships of the past and expressed his gratitude for how much better life was now.

Kong Xiangguang then recounted amusing anecdotes from the market, making Kong Tongming laugh heartily.

Just then, a wild rabbit suddenly darted out. Kong Tongming's eyes lit up, and he immediately got up to chase after it.

Kong Xiangguang quickly followed. The rabbit darted left and right, running very fast. But Kong Tongming, though old, was still strong and vigorous. He seized the opportunity and pounced, actually catching the rabbit.

The father and son tied up the wild rabbit and happily put it in the car.

Around 1 p.m., Mu Shuyun and Wang Cuihua led the children to the field to help bundle the scallions.

They finished the entire job in an hour and a half. Once they got the hang of it, they were much faster than in the morning. Wang Cuihua and Kong Xiangguang then went to the market.

Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming led their three children back to the old house with the rabbit. Mu Shuyun was astonished to see the wild rabbit. The children also teased and played with it.

In the evening, the family sat together, eating rabbit soup. Laughter echoed in the old house, as if all the fatigue had disappeared at that moment, leaving only a full hope for life.