country bumpkin

Chapter 335 Nightmare

Kong Xiangwei planned to take Nie Xianghong home first, and then go back himself.

Arriving at Nie Xianghong's gate, Kong Xiangwei knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Nie Xianghong said, "Awei, the front door is probably too far from the main room, and the people inside can't hear the knocking. Why don't you call out?"

Kong Xiangwei called out, "Is anyone home? Come open the door if anyone's here!"

Hearing what sounded like someone knocking on the door, Nie Dayong, who was inside the house, quickly went out into the yard.

Kong Xiangwei stood at the gate and heard someone coming out. Judging from the footsteps, it was a strong man who was quick and agile.

He guessed that it was his future father-in-law who had come to open the door, so he called out in a more serious voice, "Uncle Dayong, Xiang Hong is back."

Nie Dayong opened the door with great joy, looking at his daughter in front of him, his eyes overflowing with happiness and longing.

Nie Xianghong quickly called out, "Dad, I'm back."

Nie Dayong quickly replied, "Yes! Good, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Immediately afterwards, Nie Dayong took his daughter's hand and said, "Come on, let's go inside quickly, it's cold outside."

As they walked, they said, "Your maternal grandparents, your paternal grandparents, and your mother have all been thinking about you so much, they've been longing for you to come back every day these past few days!"

Ignored, Kong Xiangwei could only follow behind the father and daughter, carrying their luggage into the house.

Hearing the voices, Li Chunmei looked over and saw that her daughter had returned. She happily ran over and hugged her daughter tightly.

The mother and daughter embraced tightly, and Li Chunmei's eyes reddened. She held her daughter for a long time before letting go.

Then he gently patted his daughter's shoulder and said, "You little rascal, the older you get, the more trouble you cause."

How can you just leave like that? It's so dangerous outside, there are human traffickers everywhere. You should be thanking your lucky stars if you don't get caught and sold by bad guys.

You dared to go find Kong Xiangwei alone? You're asking for trouble! If you ask me, you just need a good beating…”

The more Nie Dayong listened, the more he felt something was wrong. Was his wife saying this to her future son-in-law?

He coughed twice and said, "Cough cough...Mom, what are you saying? Say something auspicious during the New Year."

Li Chunmei looked at Kong Xiangwei's dark face and explained, "Oh... well... it's not that serious. Luckily I knew you went to see Xiangwei, otherwise I would be a hundred times worried and would definitely have your dad find you."

Nie Xianghong glanced at Kong Xiangwei's expression, then at her parents' expressions, and tried to mediate between them.

She said, "Oh dear! I'm not a child anymore, and I'm not that stupid. How could I have been kidnapped and sold by bad people?"

Besides, I knew where Awei was, that's why I went to find him. And with Awei protecting me outside, no one can hurt me.

Li Chunmei was at a loss for words. She looked at her husband with questioning eyes, thinking that their daughter was a complete waste.

Nie Dayong thought to himself: A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home; if you try to keep her, she will only become an enemy! This girl must get married when she grows up, otherwise she will become too wild.

Look, she hasn't even married Kong Xiangwei yet, and she's already calling him "Awei, Awei." This intimate way of addressing him makes one's scalp tingle.

Little did they know, this was something the two of them had planned together; in front of outsiders, they would call him Awei. When it was just the two of them, Nie Xianghong would still call him "Uncle Wei," or "Brother Wei!"

Parents naturally wouldn't know about what's going on between young couples.

Li Chunmei stopped talking, and Kong Xiangwei then greeted Fang Jinxiu and Li Weixiu. Then they prepared to go home.

Nie Xianghong wanted to go with them, but Li Chunmei grabbed her arm and desperately tried to signal her with her eyes.

Nie Xianghong didn't understand what her mother's eyes meant, but her mother had pulled her back, so she must have wanted her to stay.

She had no choice but to stay and go find Kong Xiangwei later.

After saying goodbye, Kong Xiangwei picked up his luggage bag, turned around, and left the courtyard to go home.

After he left, Li Chunmei pulled her daughter into the bedroom. Her mouth flowed like a floodgate opening, and she talked incessantly.

"Xiang Hong, you and Kong Xiangwei aren't married yet, you're just engaged? You're a young woman, going to see him during the New Year, what kind of talk will that make?"

Nie Xianghong blushed. "Mom, we truly love each other."

Li Chunmei put her hands on her hips and said, "It's one thing to like someone, but you can't just throw yourself at them like that. You can't be so reckless in the future."

Listening to his wife's nagging from the outer room, Nie Dayong was afraid that his daughter would act recklessly, so he quickly advised, "Alright, the child is back, so stop nagging."

Li Chunmei rolled her eyes at him. "I'm doing this for her own good. Look at Kong Xiangwei, he seems alright, but who knows what will happen in the future?"

Nie Xianghong stamped her foot, "Mom, Awei is so good to me, please don't say that about him."

Li Chunmei sighed, "Alright, alright, Mom won't say anything more. But you should know your place and not let love cloud your judgment."

At this moment, Fang Jinxiu came over and smoothed things over with a smile, "Alright, alright, it's good that the child is back safe and sound. It's the New Year, everyone should be happy."

Nie Xianghong breathed a slight sigh of relief, but she was still thinking about Kong Xiangwei and wanted to find an opportunity to meet him again later.

The two of them were away for a whole year, living together like a newlywed couple, loving and inseparable.

Their companionship had become a habit, and she wondered if she would be able to sleep at night after being separated so suddenly. Nie Xianghong thought worriedly.

Meanwhile, Kong Xiangwei returned to the old house and saw his parents and brothers gathered together to discuss the New Year's celebrations.

When he saw that his whole family was there, he happily chuckled to himself.

Xie Wenli patted his head and said, "What are you doing? What good idea came to mind? Look at you, all silly and excited?"

The eldest brother, Kong Xiangzhuang, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hmm, not bad, you've grown stronger after a year away from home."

The second brother pinched his cheek and said, "Yeah, your face has gotten fuller, hehe!"

Kong Xiangwei looked back at his two older brothers and said, "My brothers have also gained weight and become much stronger."

Kong Tongyuan watched with satisfaction as the three brothers praised each other, their relationship as close as if they were inseparable.

The lively atmosphere at home also chased away the loneliness and cold of winter.

Kong Xiangwei wanted to pick up his luggage, but his second brother beat him to it and took it back into the house.

The snow outside had lessened, and a few snowflakes drifted down from the trees in the yard, shimmering and sparkling under the electric light from the doorway.

The whole family went inside and sat around the fireplace in the living room to warm themselves. They chatted and laughed, and their laughter carried far and wide.

Kong Xiangwei remembered the gifts he had brought back and opened his backpack.

He first took out the bottle of fine wine meant for his father and handed it to Kong Tongyuan, saying, "Dad, this is for you. Please try it."

Kong Tongyuan took the wine, his eyes full of surprise. "Oh, my son has grown up. He even knows to bring gifts for his father now."

Then, Kong Xiangwei handed the scarf to his mother, saying, "Mom, this scarf will definitely look good on you."

Xie Wenli couldn't stop smiling. "My son is so filial."

His eldest and second eldest brothers also received gifts he had carefully prepared.

The eldest brother's gift was an electric shaver, and the second brother's gift was also an electric shaver. The whole family was overjoyed.

Seeing his family's happy faces, Kong Xiangwei felt a warmth in his heart.

Everyone sat around the stove, drinking hot tea and chatting about their experiences over the past year.

Kong Xiangwei recounted the amusing things he encountered while out, making everyone burst into laughter.

As night deepened and the snow stopped, the family said goodnight to each other and went home to rest.

Kong Xiangwei returned to his new home and lay on the bed alone. Although he was physically tired, he felt exceptionally at ease.

He thought of Nie Xianghong, wondering how she was doing. A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips as he drifted off to sleep, filled with anticipation for the future.

After a while, Kong Xiangwei suddenly dreamed of something bad, and sat up abruptly.

When he came to his senses and looked around, he realized he was back in his hometown. In his dream, he kept searching for the way home, but he couldn't find it no matter what he did.

And Xiang Hong was gone too, vanished right before his eyes. He screamed in his dream, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find his girlfriend, Nie Xiang Hong.

He cried, cried so heartbrokenly. Just then, Nie Dayong and Li Chunmei came looking for him with wooden sticks and shovels.

They roared through gritted teeth, "Kong Xiangwei, you heartless bastard, give me back my daughter!"

Why did you lie to my daughter and run away? She's so young, how could you bear to let her have your child?

"Give me back my daughter's life! I'll beat you to death and avenge my daughter..."