Xia Qingqing turned around and saw Song Ze standing not far away, his posture upright. A smile appeared on her face: "Song Ze, what brings you here?"

Song Ze's gaze swept over Liu Caixia and finally settled on Xia Qingqing: "I need to talk to you about something. Come over here for a moment."

"Go quickly, don't keep people waiting," Liu Caixia immediately waved for Xia Qingqing to leave, her attitude even more enthusiastic than Xia Qingqing herself.

"Well, I'll be going now, sister-in-law. I'll come back to chat with you another day," Xia Qingqing said, feeling a little uncomfortable under Liu Caixia's gaze, and quickly ran off.

The two walked together to the riverbank. Xia Qingqing tilted her head and looked at Song Ze: "What do you want from me? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Song Ze was thinking about what he had just heard.

Liu Caixia was getting carried away with gossip, and her voice wasn't kept low. When Song Ze came over, he heard everything she said clearly.

Now he really wants to know whether Xia Qingqing prefers Zhang Jianguo's type or his own type.

Looking into Xia Qingqing's clear black and white eyes, Song Ze ultimately didn't dare to ask the question; he was a coward!

"Hey? Song Ze, if you don't talk to me, I'm leaving. Who wants to stay here and feed the mosquitoes with you?" Xia Qingqing's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Song Ze hurriedly grabbed Xia Qingqing's arm to stop her from leaving: "Wait, I was just thinking about something."

"I'm looking for you to ask if you'll still be working at the pigsty in the future? I didn't see you when I came yesterday."

Song Ze also came here looking for Xia Qingqing yesterday, but he didn't see her. The person feeding the pigs has also changed back to Liu Caixia.

Xia Qingqing slapped her forehead in annoyance: "Look how impatient I am, I forgot to tell you in advance that I went to the county town yesterday."

"Also, Sister-in-law Caixia has finished her postpartum confinement, so she will still be in charge of the pigsty. I won't have to cut pig feed anymore, and I plan to start working in the fields in a couple of days."

When Song Ze heard her say she wanted to work in the fields, he looked at her in surprise: "Work in the fields? Can you even lift a hoe with your small frame?"

"Who are you looking down on? I might be stronger than you, want to have a contest?" Xia Qingqing made an arm-wrestling gesture. She had taken a magic potion and was bursting with confidence.

"That's not what I meant. I just think it's not suitable for a young girl like you to work in the fields. It's not like working in a pigsty where there's a shed to block out the sun. Do you want to get tanned to a crisp?" Song Ze looked at Xia Qingqing's fair face and couldn't imagine what she would look like after getting tanned.

There was another reason he didn't mention: he didn't want Xia Qingqing to suffer so much.

Xia Qingqing might have cared about getting a tan before, but now that Gu Yunshu has given her the beauty potion, she's not afraid at all.

She said somewhat smugly, "No problem, I'm naturally beautiful and don't get tanned."

Song Ze frowned unhappily. Even if she didn't get a tan, it would still be uncomfortable. He couldn't bear to see the fair-skinned girl suffer.

“Working is really tough. It’s not just about getting a tan. The sun is so strong that you can hardly breathe. You’re drenched in sweat every day. Your clothes get wet and dry, then wet again. Can you handle all of that?” Song Ze began to list the other disadvantages of working, determined to persuade Xia Qingqing to stay.

As Song Ze described it, scenes of the original owner working in the fields from Xia Qingqing's memory also surfaced in her mind.

After graduating from high school, the original owner couldn't find a job in the county, so he went home and started working in the fields to earn work points. At first, because he wasn't used to it, his hands were covered in blisters and he got several shades darker from the sun. It wasn't until he got injured that he recovered.

She looked at Song Ze with some difficulty and said, "But I can't just stay at home every day and sponge off my parents. Not to mention what other people will say, my mom will definitely keep urging me to go on blind dates if she sees me too idle."

Upon hearing the words "blind date," Song Ze's face instantly darkened. Absolutely not.

“I’ll help you find a job in the county town,” Song Ze suddenly said.

Xia Qingqing was dumbfounded: "Do you think the county town is your home? If you could find a job, why would you go to the countryside as an educated youth?"

“One of my grandfather’s subordinates is now the factory manager of a textile factory in the county. If I go through some connections with him, even if I can’t get a permanent job, I should be able to get a temporary one,” Song Ze said confidently, without the slightest bit of embarrassment about using connections. It would be foolish not to use resources you have.

Xia Qingqing looked at Song Ze in surprise. She had thought that Song Ze's family was well-off, but she didn't expect it to be this good. Song Ze's maternal grandfather's subordinates were all factory directors, so his maternal grandfather must be even more powerful.

Xia Qingqing shook her head and refused. Not only did she have no relationship with Song Ze now, so it was impossible for Song Ze to help her arrange a job, but she also didn't want to go to the factory.

For people of this era, getting a factory job might be a great thing, but for Xia Qingqing, it was a different story.

Working is absolutely out of the question. You won't earn much money, you'll have to deal with colleagues, follow your boss's instructions, and you might even get scolded and have to work overtime.

That's not as easy as farming in the countryside. She didn't expect to earn many work points anyway, and when she was tired, she could slack off or take a day off.

Seeing that she refused him, Song Ze quickly emphasized, "Qingqing, don't be afraid of trouble, this matter is easy to handle."

Xia Qingqing looked at Song Ze with a strange expression. Suddenly, the words that Sister-in-law Caixia had said came to mind. Song Ze cared so much about her affairs. Who would believe that he didn't like her?

Song Ze was unaware that his little scheme had been completely exposed. Seeing Xia Qing's clear, almond-shaped eyes staring intently at him, he quickly patted his chest and assured her:

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem with work. Just go home and wait for my good news."

"Song Ze, why are you so good to me?" Xia Qingqing's sudden question made Song Ze's smile freeze instantly.

He adjusted his facial expression and said, feigning nonchalance, "Aren't we friends? It's only right that we help each other."

"Is that all? You're this nice to every friend?" Xia Qingqing looked directly into Song Ze's eyes, making Song Ze feel as if his little thoughts could no longer be hidden.

He decided to throw caution to the wind and said defiantly, "You figured it out? Yes, I like you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Ze's mind went blank. How could he have impulsively blurted out his thoughts? His mouth was so useless; he couldn't keep a single secret.

Although Xia Qingqing had expected it, her ears still couldn't help but turn red a little when she heard Song Ze's straightforward confession: Oh no, what should I do if I'm a little tempted?

Seeing that she remained silent, Song Ze felt so nervous that his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

The courage I had just mustered up vanished completely: "Well, just pretend I was talking nonsense. I have something to do, so I'll be going now."