The next day, Ling Yunjue took Ye Zhaoyu to get their marriage certificate, and did not let Ye Zhaoyu out of Huo's sight.

The Huo siblings followed the two men but did not find another opportunity to strike.

Huo Jianan's vacation was over, and he had to return to his unit to report for duty.

The other female educated youths were a little disappointed when Huo Jian'an left. Who knew that Huo Jian'an didn't like the women from both families, but only liked that slut Ye Zhaoyu.

He disliked Ye Zhaoyu, but dared not lay a hand on her. Her family background was inferior, and she had a man who cherished her like a precious jewel.

After Huo Jian'an left, the male educated youth made a move.

Unsurprisingly, Huo Jianhong was the person who came into contact with power the fastest and closest to them.

Marrying Huo Jianhong would be a sure path to instant success.

Five single male educated youths surrounded Huo Jianhong every day.

She imitated Ling Yunjue's speech and actions every day, making Huo Jianhong very happy.

Ye Zhaoyu watched the spectacle from the sidelines.

As time went on, Huo Jianhong suddenly stopped being so fixated on Ling Yunjue.

Even without Ling Yunjue, there were other men who liked her—not just one, but five.

They would say sweet things to make her happy, feed her, help her carry bath water, and wash the dishes for her.

If they could, they would all like to wash their clothes for them.

These five people aren't particularly ugly; with some grooming and care, they could still be quite presentable.

Huo Jianhong looked at the five men around her, and then at Ye Zhaoyu who only had Ling Yunjue by her side. No matter how you looked at it, Ye Zhaoyu was more popular.

Life went on noisily, and soon it was May.

Ling Yunjue and Ye Zhaoyu also moved in together, and Ye Zhaoyu's house was rented by another educated youth named Luo Ming.

She was a sent-down youth in the same batch as Ye Zhaoyu and the others, and she came from Shanghai.

She looks very young, around 18 years old, with an exceptionally youthful face.

After dinner, Luo Ming came through the small door to find Ling Yunjue and Ye Zhaoyu.

“We searched all the surrounding mountains and found this place to be a bit unusual. There was smoke and fire coming from below, but the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see it unless you looked closely.” Luo Ming pointed to a cliff on the map. “It doesn’t look like the people came down from the top, and we don’t know how they got to the bottom of the cliff.”

Ye Zhaoyu looked at the place. The heavy fog indicated that there was plenty of water, and there might be a lake or something similar below, so drinking water would not be a problem.

We're currently stuck down there for a long time. How are supplies being transported in? Where are they being transported from? And how many people are down there?

Ye Zhaoyu measured the distance briefly.

The cliff here is neither far nor near the village; it would take half a day to walk there quickly, but a whole day if you were carrying your belongings.

I thought of the lazy, strong, and ruddy-faced men in the village.

They don't seem to be going to leave the village for long.

At most, you might not see them for half a day.

"What's the situation with those three people who are secretly watching?" Ling Yunjue asked Luo Ming.

“Those people would go out and buy things every day, mostly rice, flour, and salt. The last time they bought vegetable seeds. They would only appear in the afternoon every two days, and they would look very tired when they did. They would take turns coming one day at a time.”

Ling Yunjue was talking about the lazy family in the village. These three men were brothers, all in their thirties, and none of them had married or wanted to. They just wandered around the village every day.

What's the story behind the big ox and the pockmarked cow in the village?

“Niu Mazi makes a living by helping villagers buy things on the black market. Da Niu can’t tell, but they’ve been watching you ever since you entered the village.” Luo Nanming didn’t wait for Ling Yunjue to ask any questions and reported all the information he had gathered recently.

Ye Zhaoyu was also listening nearby, and the fact that she wasn't asked to leave meant that she could listen.

After Luo Ming finished reporting everything, he went back to his room. Ling Yunjue blocked the entrance to the cave with a box, sat back on the kang (a heated brick bed), and continued to look at the documents, connecting all the clues and deducing the outcome.

"Are we getting ready to make our move?" Ye Zhaoyu asked Ling Yunjue.

“Yes, these anomalies indicate a problem, and delay could lead to complications.” Ling Yunjue nodded.

"When do you plan to make your move?"

"Can you prepare the medicine tomorrow night? A medicine that will put the whole village into a deep sleep two hours after dinner?" Ling Yunjue asked Ye Zhaoyu.

Last time, when Huo Jianan and his sister plotted against them, they used Ye Zhaoyu's sleeping potion, which made them dizzy as soon as they smelled it, and it was very effective.

"Sure, I'll give you both kinds of sleeping pills." Ye Zhaoyu took out four packets of medicine from her small backpack and gave them to Ling Yunjue.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. I just want to ask what Su Aiguo is after about my mother? Why is he trying to infiltrate her?" Ye Zhaoyu saw that Ling Yunjue was only showing some signs of something, so she decided to wipe out the entire village first.

I knew then that he had already determined that Su Aiguo was an enemy agent.

The fact that they didn't doubt her at all and even let her participate in the work can only mean that her mother's identity was absolutely recognized and without any questioning.

Su Aiguo's approach can only be attributed to something.

"We haven't figured out why they're lurking around your mother. We'll have to see what they're actually doing here," Ling Yunjue said vaguely.

"Okay." Ling Yunjue didn't want to say, and Ye Zhaoyu didn't want to ask either.

Her mother's identity is different; to learn more, one would have to join a special department like Ling Yunjue.

Her mother wouldn't hide anything from her that she knew, unless it was something that couldn't be told.

Ye Zhaoyu didn't dwell on it anymore and simply cooperated with Ling Yunjue's work.

The next day, Ye Zhaoyu went to the county town to call her father and told him that he didn't need to bring her grandmother down.

They hadn't expected the mission to be completed so quickly.

When the two returned to the village, it was still bustling with activity, and there was no sign that anything major had happened.

As time passed, night fell.

By 10 p.m., everyone in the village had gone to sleep.

Luo Ming led his men to search house by house, and kidnapped those who couldn't sleep.

Ling Yunjue brought Ye Zhaoyu to Da Niu's house. Da Niu was tied up and thrown aside. Compared to the thin and weak villagers, Da Niu was quite sturdy.

The house could be seen at a glance; there was nothing special about it. There wasn't much rice in the rice jar, but there was a pot full of lard.

They didn't stay in the house for long before they arrived at the cellar.

There was another person sleeping in the cellar, someone Ye Zhaoyu and her group hadn't seen in over a month.

Ling Yunjue signaled for someone to tie him up.

Neither of them showed any mercy. They bumped and jostled, waking her up.

When he woke up, the first thing he saw was Ye Zhaoyu in front of him.

She spoke in Japanese, "What are you doing here? Weren't you sent back to Japan? No, you're not her? You're her daughter."

"You know my mother? Tell me what you did to her?" Ye Zhaoyu asked anxiously, lifting the person up.

"I don't know him." After saying this, the man vomited blood and died.