After Qin Jiajia left, Liu Xiaoying quickly poured the porridge from Qin Jiajia's bowl into her own, and also picked up and ate the unfinished cornbread.

Everyone who saw this was used to it.

Even if she doesn't eat it, no one else will.

It would be very awkward for the male educated youth to voluntarily eat the food left over by the female comrades.

Liang Shuang wasn't short of leftovers.

After a satisfying meal, Liu Xiaoying let out a contented burp, her eyes darting around as if she had just remembered something, before heading towards her room.

As soon as Liu Xiaoying entered the room, she saw Qin Jiajia sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow and sulking.

Liu Xiaoying asked with concern, "Jiajia, are you in a bad mood today? You haven't eaten properly for the past two meals. Your body won't be able to take it if this continues."

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiajia glanced at her. Finally, someone cared about her. This time, she didn't give her the cold shoulder and simply said calmly, "I have no appetite and can't eat."

"What's wrong? Tell me about it, and see if I can help."

Hearing Liu Xiaoying's words, Qin Jiajia finally started to look at her properly. Seeing that she was interested, Liu Xiaoying immediately pressed on:

"Jiajia, I've always considered you my best friend. Seeing you so sad makes me feel bad too."

"But it's no use telling you," Qin Jiajia said, burying her head in the pillow, her voice muffled.

After listening, Liu Xiaoying's eyes flickered, and she asked, "Is it related to Song Zhiqing?"

"How did you know?" Qin Jiajia looked at Liu Xiaoying in surprise, her face full of disbelief.

Liu Xiaoying inwardly scoffed. Even a fool could guess, after all, who else besides Song Ze could make Qin Jiajia so unhappy?

"I'm guessing. The way you looked at Song Zhiqing at the dinner table just now seemed a little strange."

"Even you noticed, I don't believe Song Ze didn't," Qin Jiajia's voice was even more aggrieved, with a slight sob in it.

She was furious; Song Ze didn't care about her at all.

If only Song Ze could always be so indifferent to all girls, but today she had to see another side of him.

Seeing this, Liu Xiaoying quickly comforted him, "I'm a girl too. We girls are more sensitive. Song Zhiqing, a grown man, might not have even noticed that something was wrong with you."

These were just excuses she made up on the spot, but they still managed to comfort Qin Jiajia.

She suddenly looked up and asked excitedly, "Really? You also think that Brother Song Ze wasn't ignoring me on purpose, right?"

“Yes, Jiajia, I think Song Zhiqing treats you very differently. I haven’t seen him get close to any other girl except you,” Liu Xiaoying said confidently.

Liu Xiaoying still felt a pang of conscience saying such things, but she knew what Qin Jiajia liked to hear, so she just said whatever Qin Jiajia liked.

Qin Jiajia's mood improved, and she then told Liu Xiaoying what she had seen that day.

Liu Xiaoying's eyes widened: "No way, I don't think Song Zhiqing's taste is that bad. Maybe it's that village girl who's been pestering Song Zhiqing."

She had never seen Song Ze give anyone a kind look. He was so arrogant and domineering. How could he possibly be interested in a country girl?

Qin Jiajia nodded in agreement: "You think so too, right? That village girl must have used some tricks. How could she be worthy of Song Ze?"

——

After several days of rest, Xia Qingqing's previous fall injury had almost healed, so she felt embarrassed to ask Song Ze to help her cut pig feed again.

That day, she had just delivered a basket of pig feed to the pigpen when she was stopped on her way back by a bright and elegant girl with a tall figure.

Xia Qingqing had a vague impression of this girl; she seemed to be a sent-down youth who had been sent to the countryside.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" Xia Qingqing asked, looking at the girl who was blocking her way.

The other person's less-than-friendly expression made Xia Qingqing subconsciously take a step back.

Qin Jiajia stood with her hands on her hips, looking Xia Qingqing up and down, and said with a disdainful look, "You're not as tall as me, not as pretty, and not as well-off. What makes you think you can seduce Brother Song Ze?"

What? A big question mark appeared above Xia Qingqing's head. What nonsense was this woman spouting? When did she seduce Song Ze?

She admitted that her body was not very tall due to insufficient nutrition since childhood, and her family was not well-off, but she would never admit that she was not as good-looking as her.

Xia Qingqing mimicked the other person's manner, revealing a contemptuous expression, and said, "Ma'am, have you ever looked in the mirror? Where did you get the nerve to say I'm not as good-looking as you?"

Qin Jiajia couldn't believe her ears: "You little country bumpkin, how dare you talk to me like that?"

"Oh, who are you? Why can't I talk to you like that?" Xia Qingqing rolled her eyes and retorted in a strange tone.

Qin Jiajia revealed a proud expression: "Hmph, Song Ze and I grew up together since childhood, and I am the granddaughter-in-law recognized by Song Ze's elders."

She was referring to a joke between Qin's grandfather and Song Ze's maternal grandfather when she was a child. The two adults didn't take it seriously, Song Ze didn't take it seriously, but Qin Jiajia was the only one who took it seriously.

Xia Qingqing was stunned for a moment, unsure whether what the other person said was true or false. If it was true, then she would silently mourn for Song Ze for three seconds.

Seeing that Xia Qingqing remained silent, Qin Jiajia became even more arrogant: "If you have any shame, stop bothering Song Ze, or I'll tell everyone you stole someone else's man."

No matter how good-tempered Xia Qingqing was, she couldn't stand this kind of attitude and cracked her knuckles.

"Big sister, are you out of your mind? What I have with Song Ze is none of your business. If you don't want us to have any contact, just let Song Ze tell me to my face. Why are you barking like a dog in front of me?"

Qin Jiajia was startled by Xia Qingqing's icy gaze and shivered inexplicably.

"Fine, fine, you said it yourself. In short, I will definitely marry Song Ze. Stop coveting other people's men." After saying this, Qin Jiajia quickly left.

She really thought Xia Qingqing was going to hit her. Despite Qin Jiajia's tall stature, she was actually quite weak because she had been spoiled since childhood. After suffering a great loss at Liang Shuang's hands last time, she was afraid to fight with anyone.

Xia Qingqing cursed under her breath for her bad luck and continued walking up the mountain.

After finishing work at noon, Liu Xiaoying quietly approached Qin Jiajia and whispered, "Jiajia, how did it go? Did you talk to that village girl?"

Qin Jiajia nodded: "I told her. I've already told her about my relationship with Song Ze, and she promised not to bother Song Ze anymore."

Liu Xiaoying smiled and agreed, "Right? I told you this was a good idea. You just reveal your identity. How could a country girl like her dare to compare with you?"