When Liang Shuang returned to the courtyard with her things, she saw Song Ze staring at her with a sour expression.

Smiling, she pointed to the door and said, "Go on out, Qingqing is waiting for you at the door."

Upon hearing this, Song Ze, whose expression had been unpleasant, suddenly brightened up and turned to run towards the door.

Seeing Song Ze's hurried and flustered appearance made Liang Shuang shake her head. She never expected that Song Ze would have this side to him. As expected, Qingqing was amazing, she could bewitch people.

As soon as Song Ze left the educated youth settlement, he saw Xia Qingqing standing at the corner. His heart was filled with joy, but he pretended to be very calm on the surface.

"Didn't you come to see Liang Shuang? Why are you still talking to me?"

Xia Qingqing has come to fully understand that Song Ze is arrogant and has a serious problem with saying one thing but meaning another.

"Aze, don't be angry. I really had something to discuss with Liang Shuang. I'm calling you right away now that I've finished talking to her."

As Xia Qingqing spoke, she took Song Ze's hand and led him to a less crowded area, with Song Ze obediently following behind her.

Since confirming their relationship, the two have indeed spent very little time alone together. On the one hand, Liang Shuang has taken up a lot of Xia Qingqing's time, and on the other hand, they are afraid that being seen by others would have a bad influence.

At that time, the atmosphere in the countryside was still relatively conservative, and there were not many young men and women who freely dated. Xia Qingqing did not want to be watched and gossiped about while she was dating, so the two of them usually met secretly in places with few people.

Finding a quiet spot, Xia Qingqing stopped and wrapped her arms around Song Ze's slender waist, sweetly coaxing him, "Aze, I really missed you. Did you miss me?"

Suddenly embraced by his beloved, Song Ze's face turned red at a visible speed. He tried to hold back but couldn't control the smile on his lips: "Qingqing, I missed you too."

After saying that, Song Ze felt a little annoyed. Was he too easy to coax? Would Qingqing become less and less attentive to him if he did that? But he couldn't bring himself to ignore Qingqing either.

Song Ze cursed himself in his heart. He had really messed up this time, but he was heartbroken.

After lingering together for a while, Song Ze suddenly asked:

"Qingqing, when are you going to tell the family about our relationship?"

A few days ago, Song Ze sent a letter to his grandfather, in which he mentioned that he had started dating someone in the countryside. Judging from the time, his grandfather should have received the letter by now. I wonder what his grandfather's reaction will be.

Xia Qingqing froze at Song Ze's question. She and Song Ze had only been together for a little over a month. Had they already told their parents so soon? She wasn't prepared at all.

"Let's not rush things. How about we talk about this later?" Xia Qingqing said cautiously, afraid of upsetting Song Ze, who was a bit arrogant.

"Okay, whatever you say," Song Ze surprisingly did not disagree with her.

Xia Qingqing was a little surprised. She looked at Song Ze with a scrutinizing gaze, playfully pinched Song Ze's cheek, and asked with a straight face, "You're definitely not Song Ze. Tell me who you are!"

Song Ze was amused by her reaction: "I'm a water ghost, I came here specifically to catch you, how about it, are you scared?"

"I'm not afraid at all. Even if you're a water ghost, you're the most handsome water ghost," Xia Qingqing said with a smile, looking at Song Ze's face with sparkling eyes.

"But why are you being so easy to talk to this time? It's making me a little uncomfortable."

"I've always been easy to talk to, okay? Don't wrong me," Song Ze pinched her fair cheek.

He had wanted to do this for a long time, and now he could finally do it legitimately. Song Ze was secretly pleased.

The reason he didn't urge Xia Qingqing to tell her family was quite simple: he wanted to wait for his grandfather's reply before formally visiting the Xia family.

However, he was still a little worried about his grandfather's attitude. He was afraid that his grandfather would not support him and Qingqing being together, but no matter whether his grandfather supported him or not, he would not separate from Qingqing.

Looking at the little girl nestled obediently in his arms, Song Ze whispered, "Qingqing, we will definitely be together for the rest of our lives."

The words "a lifetime" carried a heavy weight, and Xia Qingqing dared not make a promise, so she remained silent.

Enraged by her reaction, Song Ze grabbed her waist tightly.

"Comrade Xia Qingqing, I am giving you a serious warning: any relationship that is not aimed at marriage is just playing around. If you dare to play around with me, I will make you know what happens when you mess with me."

"What will happen to him? Let me know quickly," Xia Qingqing said, not afraid of Song Ze, this paper tiger, and playfully pulled at his cheek.

Song Ze's anger dissipated immediately: "You're always bullying me, you heartless woman."

"I have a heart, there's someone in my heart, his name is Song Ze," Xia Qingqing's sweet words were so easy that Song Ze couldn't resist them at all, and no matter how angry he was, he could be coaxed in an instant.

Before they parted, Song Ze thought of how Liang Shuang had taken Qingqing away before him yesterday, and said, "How about we go to the county together next time? I'll take you there on my bicycle; it's much faster than an oxcart."

"Okay, I'll definitely go with you next time," Xia Qingqing readily agreed.

"Qingqing is the best," Song Ze happily buried his head in Xia Qingqing's neck, gently inhaling her unique scent.

——

Unfortunately, Song Ze was still unable to go on a date with Xia Qingqing in the county. The next day, when he went to work, he received an urgent telegram.

The telegram said his grandfather had suddenly fallen critically ill and urged him to return home immediately, otherwise he might not be able to see his grandfather one last time.

Song Ze felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His grandfather had always been in good health, so how could he suddenly be critically ill?

However, the telegram did not explain the reason, and Song Ze could not think about it too much. He hurriedly asked the captain to write a letter of introduction. Fortunately, after the captain understood the reason, he did not make things difficult for Song Ze.

After receiving the letter of introduction, Song Ze asked Liang Shuang to help him find Xia Qingqing.

He will be back for at least ten days, or even a month, as he is very reluctant to be separated from Qingqing for so long.

Xia Qingqing looked at Song Ze, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and hugged him with a pang of heartache: "Aze, don't worry too much, Grandpa will be alright."

"Yes, I also hope Grandpa is alright," Song Ze's voice was a little hoarse as he touched Xia Qingqing's cheek.

"Qingqing, take good care of yourself during this time. I'll bring you some local specialties and snacks from Beijing when I come back. They're so delicious!"

Xia Qingqing nodded obediently: "Okay, you take good care of yourself too."

Before leaving, Song Ze took a deep look at Xia Qingqing. He didn't know why he had a bad feeling, but he attributed it to his excessive worry about his grandfather's health and forcibly suppressed the bad feeling.