country bumpkin

Chapter 336 New Year's Greetings

Kong Xiangwei gasped for breath, trying to recall what happened in his dream, and was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat.

He leaned against the pillow, his heart pounding, and rubbed his face with his hands, trying to drive away the bad memories.

It took him a long time to calm down. He made up his mind that he would not let Nie Xianghong become a mother until she came of age.

This meant they would have to wait another two years. Only after making up his mind did Kong Xiangwei feel a little more at ease.

He was really afraid that what happened in his dream would become real. In his dream, Nie Xianghong must have had a problem giving birth, which was why he couldn't find her.

That's why her parents came to him seeking revenge and demanding their lives.

Kong Xiangwei's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts about the future, and he drifted off to sleep again.

When he woke up again, it was already broad daylight. He got up, put on his clothes and shoes, and went back to the old house.

Upon arriving at the old house, Xie Wenli called him over and said, "Xiao Wei, today is the 28th of the lunar year, and the eve of the Lunar New Year is just one more day away. You're already engaged, so you should go and send the New Year's gifts. If you don't go now, you won't have time."

Kong Xiangwei nodded, "Yes, Mother, I also plan to deliver the holiday gifts today."

Xie Wenli asked, "Are you giving money, or are you buying something?"

Before Kong Xiangwei could answer, Xie Wenli continued, "It's customary to give gifts in our village. Why don't you buy something? Otherwise, outsiders won't see that you're giving a gift and will think you didn't send any holiday presents! It's all about saving face."

Kong Xiangwei also felt that this made sense; if you send New Year's gifts to your future father-in-law's family without bringing anything, it feels like you're not showing them any respect.

He asked his mother, "Mom, what do we need to buy? I don't know either."

Xie Wenli said, "Oh! First, two cases of liquor, then a pork gift, two fish, um... and two packs of cigarettes. How about that?"

Kong Xiangwei: "Oh! Four things, that doesn't sound very good! How about six things?"

Xie Wenli: "Oh my! That's quite a generous gift. In our village, we usually give four things."

Except for the first year after the wedding, there are always six gifts. After that, as time goes on, money is fine, or you can bring two gifts.

Kong Xiangwei: "Well, they're all pretty much the same anyway, so adding one or two more things won't make much difference."

Besides, Xiang Hong is more than ten years younger than me. Taking more things will make her parents feel more at ease. Otherwise, I always feel like her family is getting the short end of the stick.

Xie Wenli: "What loss? Her family isn't losing out at all. My son has such a good personality, and he's good-looking too. They should be secretly happy to have found such a good son-in-law like you!"

Kong Xiangwei: "Mom, how can you praise your son like that? Xiang Hong is also good-looking, young, and most importantly, I like her."

Xie Wenli curled his lip, "Oh my! You brat, you're really unbearable to look at, why are you so obsessed with your girlfriend! Oh! She's still my girlfriend, not my wife."

Kong Xiangwei stopped arguing with his mother and hurried inside to check on the wine and gifts they had bought.

After checking, he said to Xie Wenli, "Mom, I think we've bought almost everything we needed. I'll ride my bicycle to town to buy fish and meat. Then I'll buy two chickens and two packs of pastries!"

Xie Wenli: "Okay, go ahead! Oh, by the way, do you need more money?"

Kong Xiangwei said, "No need, I have money on me." After saying that, he pushed his bicycle and went to the town market.

The snow has stopped, and the snow on the ground has frozen into ice. It's a bit slippery to walk on, but it's slightly better to ride a bicycle.

He pedaled his bicycle slowly, and it took him half an hour to reach the market. Everywhere there were vendors, all eager to earn as much money as possible to go home for the New Year.

Things are naturally much more expensive than usual. Vegetables, in particular, saw prices skyrocket during the Lunar New Year.

Kong Xiangwei was glad that he only needed to buy fish, meat, and chicken, and thankfully he didn't need to buy vegetables.

He first went to the fish stall, picked out two big, lively fish, paid for them, and carefully put the fish into a bag and tied it to the back of his bicycle.

Then I went to the butcher's stall and got a good piece of pork. The meat was marbled with fat and lean, and it looked very appealing.

After buying the meat, he went to the chicken stall and picked out a plump hen and a spirited rooster.

The chicken vendor kindly helped him tie the feet of the two chickens separately, then tied them together and placed them on the crossbar of the cart, reminding him to be careful on the road.

After buying these, Kong Xiangwei went to the pastry shop and bought two more packs of pastries. Looking at them, he imagined the expressions on Nie Xianghong and her parents' faces when they received the gifts. He thought they would be very happy!

He tied everything up, got on his bicycle, and carefully made his way home. He still needed to go home to get the wine and cigarettes before he could deliver the gifts to his father-in-law.

When he got home, Xie Wenli had already borrowed a tricycle for him. He carried all his things onto it.

He pushed open the gate and hurried towards Nie Xianghong's house. Along the way, he felt exceptionally lighthearted. Although the road was still a bit slippery, he was filled with anticipation to see Nie Xianghong, as if all the hardships were insignificant.

Their two houses weren't far apart, and he arrived at Nie Xianghong's doorstep in about 15 minutes. If the road hadn't been slippery, he could have reached Xianghong's house in 8 minutes by bike.

He got out of the car and knocked on the door. Nie Xianghong's voice came from the courtyard, growing louder as it approached.

"They're here...they're here! Who is it? Who's here?"

She opened the door and saw Kong Xiangwei grinning at her. Nie Xianghong felt both shy and happy, looking back at her beloved.

Li Chunmei came out of the house and asked, "Xiang Hong, who's here?"

Nie Xianghong snapped out of her daze and smiled broadly, saying, "Oh, it's Awei."

Li Chunmei was overjoyed to hear that her son-in-law had arrived. Her face immediately lit up with a smile as she went out to greet Kong Xiangwei.

In the past, when she first found out that her daughter was dating, she looked down on the young man at all.

After many events, she discovered that this person was actually quite reliable. He also maintained the facade he was expected to project to outsiders.

They were given the respect they deserved. And they genuinely dote on her daughter, are very generous, and have excellent judgment.

So my opinion of him changed. Now the more I look at him, the more pleasing he seems to me, and the more satisfied I am with him.

Kong Xiangwei pushed a tricycle full of goods into the yard. Nie Xianghong grinned and helped him push the cart from behind; the harmonious scene resembled that of a newlywed couple.

Li Chunmei said politely, "Oh, Xiangwei, why did you buy so many things? It's good that you're here. Just take a couple of things as a token. How much did it cost to buy so many things?"

Kong Xiangwei said, "Auntie, it's not much. I didn't have time to prepare because of the rush. My family prepared it in advance, and I just brought it here. Please don't mind."

Finally, he silently added in his mind, "Xiang Hong deserves the best."

Li Chunmei: "What's there to complain about? Look at all these good things, Auntie doesn't mind at all. Auntie is very happy, haha..."

Kong Xiangwei felt relieved when he saw the wrinkles on his future mother-in-law's face deepen with her smile. Making his future in-laws happy was more important than anything else.