Seeing that these people weren't being aggressive, Qi Shuli felt slightly relieved. He was in the wrong in this matter. As long as he could get away with it, he wouldn't lose face.

"It's good that you're not angry." Qi Shuli smiled like a good-natured person. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come to my house for dinner."

Qi Shuli greeted Niu Dajun, but as for Qi Xiaoyan and He Tiantian, they were from the same village and could go home for dinner; he didn't need to invite them. Niu Dajun had a respectable job and was now a city dweller. If his daughter could find a partner like him, she'd never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of her life!

He has a son-in-law who works for the government, which makes him very proud!

"No, no, it's getting late, I should go back." Niu Dajun refused, turned and walked out of the village branch office, not wanting to get too close to Qi Shuli. After serving in the army for several years, his intuition told him that Qi Shuli was a cunning man, and those two daughters of his, with their dark yellow faces and freckles, were staring at him and grinning foolishly. If he got scammed, he'd have nowhere to turn. He had no intention of going to Qi Shuli's house.

"Then come over for dinner another day," Qi Shuli said, seeing Niu Dajun, He Tiantian, and Qi Xiaoyan off.

As they left the village branch office, Qi Xiaoyan whispered, "Brother Dajun, my dad told you not to leave tonight, but to come to my house for dinner. He has something to tell you."

Niu Dajun glanced at the sky. The road to the county town was all mountainous, making it unsuitable for cycling back. He'd run into the leader's father and been persuaded by Qi Xiaoyan to stay; it would be impolite of him not to go.

"Alright, I'll be bothering you tonight," Niu Dajun said cheerfully. Luckily, he had a bottle of good wine in his bag, a perk from his workplace, so he wouldn't be arriving empty-handed.

He Tiantian was tired after a long day of wandering around. Besides, since Niu Dajun was visiting Secretary Qi's house, there was no need for her to go with him. Moreover, she was eager to go back and see her parents and Huo Yingjie's reply.

"Thank you so much, Comrade Niu. I'll definitely repay you another day," He Tiantian said. Next time she sends a letter, she'll send Niu Dajun a pickled rabbit or a pheasant from her home as a token of her gratitude. With Niu Dajun as a connection, she's no longer worried that the letters she receives will be forged by someone else using Qi Jianguo's handwriting.

Qi Jianguo does have some ability, but he can only play tricks in the village. In the county town, who does Qi Jianguo count for?

"No need to be so polite. Just call me Brother Dajun, like Xiaoyan does," Niu Dajun said. This girl is quite pitiful, having left her hometown at such a young age to come here. And since she's Xiaoyan's friend, he'll take good care of her in the future.

He Tiantian naturally wouldn't refuse the opportunity to get closer to Niu Dajun, and nodded with a smile, "Then thank you very much, Brother Dajun."

"Sweetie, why don't you come to my house for dinner?" There were only three of them now, and Qi Xiaoyan felt it wouldn't be right not to invite He Tiantian.

"I won't go." He Tiantian waved her hand. "I haven't been home all day, and I don't know how Grandma Qi is doing. Besides, I just got the letter and I can't wait to read it. You know how homesick I am."

When Qi Xiaoyan heard He Tiantian say that, she didn't press the matter any further. If she were He Tiantian, she would also be eager to go home and read the letter.

"Okay, I'll come visit you tomorrow," Qi Xiaoyan said. "Don't worry, with Brother Dajun helping me now, I can just give you your letters in person from now on."

"Mmm." He Tiantian nodded; this was He Tiantian's biggest gain today.

Qi Xiaoyan took Niu Dajun home, while He Tiantian turned around and went back to Qi San's Grandma's house.

When Grandma Qi saw He Tiantian return, she smiled and said, "You're finally back! It's already dark. Don't stay out so late in the future. Girls aren't as good as boys; it's not good for you to be out so late."

He Tiantian received the letter today and handed it to Niu Dajun. She was very happy and said in a cheerful voice, "Grandma Qi, I remember. I'll go home when it gets dark and won't wander around outside. By the way, Grandma Qi, have you had dinner yet? If not, I'll make some right away."

"I've already eaten. I left you two vegetable pancakes and a bowl of porridge in the pot, they're still warm. Go and eat quickly," Grandma Qi said with a smile. She hadn't seen the girl all day and was really missing her, worried that something might have happened to her while she was out.

After living together for almost a month, Grandma Qi grew to like He Tiantian more and more. Although she couldn't compare to her own granddaughter, she had developed genuine feelings for her.

He Tiantian served herself some porridge and ate some cornbread pancakes. Her rumbling stomach finally calmed down. After cleaning up the dishes, He Tiantian went back inside to read her letter.

Seeing the paste stains on the envelopes, He Tiantian felt disgusted; the two letters had indeed been opened and read. She had no direct connection with Qi Shuli, so the one who read her letters must have been Qi Jianguo.

Just as she heard on the recording, Qi Jianguo had harbored feelings for her from the first time they met. However, his methods were too despicable and disgusting, deceiving He Tiantian for her entire life. He Tiantian was determined to avenge this.

However, successfully getting the letter back this time is a slight victory!

He Tiantian took out a pair of scissors, cut open the envelope, and ripped off the seal that was covered in dough. These were all precious things to He Tiantian, and she didn't want them to be tainted by anything related to Qi Jianguo.

He Tiantian opened Huo Yingjie's letter first, not because Huo Yingjie was more important than her parents, but because she was worried that Qi Jianguo might have switched the two letters. He Tiantian had made an agreement with Huo Yingjie before, but forgot to make an agreement with her parents.

He Tiantian opened the letter and checked it carefully. The last word of the first paragraph was "tian" (天), the last word of the second paragraph was "tian" (甜), and the last word of the third paragraph was "he" (喝). Put them together and you get "tian tian he" (天甜喝). Change the order and tone, and you get "He Tiantian" (何甜甜).

Upon seeing these, He Tiantian smiled; these were letters written by Huo Yingjie.

In his letter, Huo Yingjie said that the matter concerning her parents had been suppressed; they were only suspended from their jobs for investigation, and they hadn't been publicly criticized. The Huo family was currently trying to arrange for her parents to be transferred to a more peaceful location, and he told her not to worry. He also said that he would be going to the weapons research institute the day after sending the letter, and that he would write to He Tiantian again after arriving at his workplace to tell her his new address. Finally, he told He Tiantian to take good care of herself and that he would send her his salary once he received it at work.

Although her parents' reply was cryptic, He Tiantian understood their meaning. Thankfully, she had burned the letters beforehand, so the search party found nothing. Her parents' profound self-criticism also satisfied the inspection team. Although she couldn't go to work, at least she wasn't suffering. The letter also mentioned that most of He Tiantian's belongings had been mailed over, and some unnecessary items could be given away as favors.

So many things, indeed, are what she needs right now. Many of the clothes there are unnecessary, but they are very clean and can be given away. However, in the countryside, there are many rules about giving things away. One wrong move and someone will hold a grudge, so she should be careful.