Fang Wu said in a low voice, "Didn't you hear anything?"

Fang Wen immediately quieted down, listened to the sounds around him, and shook his head: "The sound of the wind is nothing special. You're being too paranoid."

Fang Wu stood still and pondered for a while. Could it be that he was just being paranoid?

Then they heard several distant wolf howls.

"There are wolves and other wild beasts in these mountains. It's better to avoid trouble. Let's leave quickly."

"Okay, let's go."

The two people left quickly.

The captain's house

Lu Zhengting got up before dawn. After his mother got up, she pushed him out into the yard to enjoy the morning sunshine and fresh air.

Lu Zhengting, however, kept gazing in one direction, somewhat like a statue waiting for its wife.

The two discussed how to welcome Lin Qingyan back. Lu's mother said, "I'll go to the county town supply and marketing cooperative to buy vegetables in a little while, so that if I go too late, all the good stuff will be bought up."

The brigade leader overheard this and casually reminded Lu's mother, "When you invite that educated youth Xiao Lin to dinner, you must tell him in advance."

"When I go to the county town later, I'll pass by her house and tell her not to cook lunch and to come to our house for lunch with Aunt Lin."

"Okay, also tell her that she doesn't need to go to work today. There aren't many patients. She's been going to see a doctor in the next village for the past few days, so one more day won't make a difference. She should get some rest."

"I see."

Lin Qingyan and Grandma Lin got up early as well, and Lin Zhiheng went to the county town at almost the same time.

Grandma Lin was talking about pulling grass for the rabbits early in the morning, so Lin Qingyan planned to pull some grass with her and dig up some fresh wild vegetables before coming back to cook.

This time, Lu's mother was accompanied by Li Qinqin to the county town. Lin Qingyan and Grandma Lin had just left with their baskets when they ran into Lu's mother and Li Qinqin, who were also on their way to the county town.

"Sister Qingyan." Li Qinqin immediately came over and took Lin Qingyan's hand: "Sister Qingyan, my father said that there are not many sick people in the village now, so you don't have to go to work today and can rest at home. However, my aunt would like to invite you to our house for lunch. Why don't you come to my house with Grandma Lin at noon?"

Mother Lu glared at Li Qinqin: "You little brat, you've already told Xiao Lin what I was going to tell the educated youth."

"Did you say that again, Auntie?"

Lu's mother said to Lin Qingyan, "You've suffered a lot inside these days. Auntie wants to cook some of my signature dishes for you to try."

Lin Qingyan thought to herself, "My future mother-in-law is really thoughtful."

"Thank you, Auntie." She continued, "Auntie, since I don't need to go to the clinic today, why don't I treat Comrade Lu this morning? It's been several days since I last had a treatment. I'll go over after breakfast, give him a thorough examination, and then develop a new treatment plan based on the situation."

"Okay. Well, it's getting late, I'll go to the county town with Qinqin first."

"Okay, Auntie."

Lin Qingyan and her mother-in-law hadn't gone far when they saw Lin Sisi again.

Lin Sisi barely slept a wink last night at the educated youth settlement, her mind preoccupied with finding the jade pendant.

She searched all the way from the educated youth settlement but still couldn't find any trace of the jade pendant. However, she was slightly alarmed when she saw Lin Qingyan.

Lin Qingyan ignored her completely. Grandma Lin asked her, "You seem so flustered. Have you done something wrong?"

Grandma Lin's words made Lin Sisi even more flustered, but she tried her best to remain calm.

"Who did something wrong? You're the one who did something wrong."

“Whether you did something wrong or not, at least your brother did,” Lin Qingyan said, pulling on Grandma Lin’s arm. “Grandma, let’s talk to her less. We still need to pull weeds for the rabbit.”

"Mmm, I'll pull some grass for the bunny. The bunny will grow strong and healthy from eating it, and I'll get fat from eating the bunny."

"Grandma, you're so good at making up rhymes."

Lin Sisi breathed a long sigh of relief after the two women had walked away.

Even if he couldn't find the jade pendant himself, he didn't want Lin Qingyan to find it.

She hurriedly climbed the mountain, following the same route she had taken yesterday.

Once they reached the mountain, they searched carefully through all the places she had passed through the day before, but to no avail.

She found a small stick and searched through the leaves as she went.

After having dinner with Grandma Lin, Lin Qingyan went to the brigade leader's house.

Lu Zhengting thought Lin Qingyan would come around lunchtime. After breakfast, he went back to his room and sat alone in his wheelchair, staring blankly out the window.

In the courtyard, Li's mother was sitting in the warm sunshine sewing shoe soles. When she saw Lin Qingyan and Grandma Lin coming, she greeted them with a smile: "Little Lin, the educated youth, and your aunt have arrived."

She took three candies out of her pocket and handed them to Grandma Lin.

"Auntie, have some candy."

Grandma Lin accepted the candy from Li's mother without hesitation and said to her, "Thank you, Grandma."

Very polite.

She was as well-behaved as could be.

Li's mother: "..."

Lin Qingyan: "..."

The two of them froze at the same time.

Li's mother had little contact with Granny Lin, so she was inevitably surprised and bewildered by Granny Lin's behavior.

Even though Lin Qingyan was used to spending every day with Granny Lin, she was still shocked by Granny Lin's words and actions, and then couldn't help but laugh at Granny Lin, who was like a well-behaved child.

Grandma Lin seemed to ignore the two people's reactions, and peeled a piece of candy for herself, popped it into her mouth, and said with relish, "Delicious, so sweet."

Lin Qingyan and Li's mother exchanged a glance. Lin Qingyan smiled, and Li's mother smiled as well.

"Aunt Lin is so funny." As Grandma Lin's junior, she naturally couldn't accept Grandma Lin's way of addressing her. She walked up to Grandma Lin and said, "Aunt, you are my elder, I can't accept your way of addressing me. My name is Cuilan, you can just call me by my name."

Grandma Lin nodded: "Okay, Cuihua, I'll remember."

"Auntie, it's Cuilan."

“Okay, Cuilan, I’ll remember that. Your name is Cuihua.”

"Auntie, it's Cuilan, not Cuihua."

"Steamed bun!" Granny Lin rubbed her forehead. "It's not a steamed bun, it's a sesame seed cake. Steamed bun, sesame seed cake, which cake is it? Sesame seed cake, sesame seed cake, sesame seed cake is delicious."

Lin Qingyan was almost laughing to death. Li's mother shook her head at her, indicating that she was unable to make Grandma Lin remember her name.

Grandma Lin walked around the yard and came back, patting Li's mother on the shoulder.

"Steamed bun, do you know Wu Dalang?"

Li's mother was illiterate and had never read "Water Margin," so she didn't know which wolf Granny Lin was referring to.

“Auntie, my name is Cuilan. I only know that there are wolves in our mountains sometimes, but I don’t know what kind of wolf you are talking about.”