The pastries sent in Chapter 42 were all spoiled.

The thought of Linghui's tragic ending in the original book made Jiang Feiyan feel very sad.

“Sister Linghui, Xiao Feng is not your boyfriend. He has the right to pursue and like other people.”

Jiang Feiyan looked at her earnestly and advised her patiently, "No matter what those two people did, I hope you won't act impulsively."

Zhou Linghui sighed and said, "I know, but there's nothing I can do."

“But there’s one thing I still want to remind you of,” Jiang Feiyan continued, “I’ve told you this many times before.”

If Xiao Feng privately accepts your advances, but on the surface remains indifferent to you and flirts with others...

That means he's a very bad person and is just playing you. You need to be careful and see things clearly.

Zhou Linghui bit her lip: "Xiaoyan, he's really not as bad as you say. I've known him for several years, and I know him well."

That's just his personality; he's always aloof and indifferent to everyone, but he's not a bad person at heart.

Although Xiao Feng did borrow some money from her privately a couple of days ago, she believed he would pay her back.

Jiang Feiyan: "Alright, I won't say any more."

People only realize their mistakes after they've stumbled and fallen.

Fortunately, the incident with the ruthless bandits had some effect, leaving Sister Linghui with some lingering resentment.

With her occasional persuasion and Li Xiaoqing watching over her, Linghui shouldn't have become as obsessive as she was in the original book.

......

The two chatted for a while longer before Zhou Linghui went back.

As she walked along the village path, she spotted Xiao Feng's figure in the distance.

Zhou Linghui's eyes lit up with joy, and she quickly stepped forward to greet him, only to notice that there was another person standing beside him.

Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Zhang Pan'er.

The other person smiled brightly, looking up at Xiao Feng with eyes full of admiration and worship.

Xiao Feng smiled and looked down at her, his eyes sparkling.

Zhou Linghui's heart skipped a beat.

An unprecedented pain suddenly swept over me...

She had known Xiao Feng for several years, and he had never smiled at her like that before.

I never expected that he would be so open and cheerful with a girl after only 10 days in the countryside.

So... was it really just wishful thinking on her part before?

Zhou Linghui felt extremely distressed and wanted to rush up and ask for an explanation.

But then he remembered Feiyan's repeated reminders and held back.

No, she can't be so impulsive; she promised Yanzi!

Watching the two chatting and laughing for a while from afar, Zhou Linghui stood there stunned for quite a while.

Only after seeing Zhang Pan'er skip away did Zhou Linghui unable to resist chasing after her, calling out, "Xiao Feng..."

Xiao Feng was in a good mood, with a faint smile on his face.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, his face immediately turned cold.

He turned around and asked accusingly, "Zhou Linghui, were you following me?"

Zhou Linghui quickly explained, "No, you misunderstood. I just came from the next village. I went to find Yanzi!"

"Oh." Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng's expression softened slightly: "Since we're going the same way, let's go back to the educated youth compound together."

"Mmm!" Zhou Linghui felt a little excited when she heard him take the initiative to invite her.

Looking at his handsome face, her face flushed slightly.

The two didn't say much and walked quietly down the road.

"Did you see something earlier?" Xiao Feng suddenly asked halfway through the journey.

"Huh?" Zhou Linghui glanced at him, then, recalling the scene she had witnessed earlier, felt a little down and said, "Yeah, I saw it..."

She dared not ask, fearing that Xiao Feng would get angry with her and that their relationship would become strained.

"That person was just a village girl. She had helped me with a small favor before, and we just happened to run into each other and chatted for a while."

Xiao Feng pursed his thin lips and glanced at her indifferently: "Don't overthink it, and don't tell anyone."

He and Zhang Pan'er currently have absolutely no relationship.

But for some reason, from the moment he first saw Zhang Pan'er, he felt something strange.

The other person has a lively and cheerful personality, is innocent and cute, and has bright eyes that seem to speak volumes.

Every time he saw her radiant smile, his mood would brighten considerably.

Originally, he planned to work hard in the countryside and strive to return to the city as soon as possible, without considering personal feelings or anything like that.

But now he's a little hesitant...

However, there is still plenty of time, so there is no rush.

Hearing this, Zhou Linghui nodded, looking completely convinced, and said, "Yes, I know, you two are definitely not a couple."

This was the first time Xiao Feng had taken the initiative to explain these things to her. She was overjoyed and decided to forget about all the unpleasantness.

Seeing how cooperative she was, Xiao Feng smiled and said, "Thank you."

Although he didn't like her, he had to admit that it was quite nice to be trusted by her unconditionally.

Even if he couldn't stand her reckless behavior, he would just have to put up with it for the sake of how she would occasionally help him out.

I'll explain things to her when the time is right, to avoid any misunderstanding.

---

Jiang Feiyan's side.

In the days that followed, she continued her daily patrols of the mountains and forests, searching for medicinal herbs whenever she had time.

Perhaps it was good luck, but they managed to get a lot of good medicinal herbs and even caught a pheasant.

She and Xiao Huang couldn't finish all that chicken. They ate half of it and took the other half to the village chief's house.

It just so happens that my appointment with the village chief for half a month has come to an end, and he has been coming to visit me from time to time these days.

On the surface, it's about supervision, but in reality, it's about caring about her situation and seeing if she's adapted.

Jiang Feiyan naturally wouldn't be stingy with money for this kind-hearted old man.

The village chief's wife was overjoyed to see the pheasant she was carrying and quickly welcomed her into the house.

After hearing her purpose, the village chief readily agreed to let her continue working as a forest patrolman.

He had observed her over the past few days and found that she was hardworking, meticulous, and quite bold, making her very suitable for the job.

His worries were unnecessary; the girl didn't disappoint him.

Before leaving, the village chief smiled and said, "Work hard. If you do a good job, I'll consider giving you some extra work points."

Jiang Feiyan said earnestly, "Thank you, Village Chief. I will definitely do my best!"

Back at the cabin at the foot of the mountain, I could see a person standing at the door from afar; it was Zhou Linghui.

She brought some pastries with her this time so that Jiang Feiyan could try them.

Zhou Linghui said with a grin, "It tastes delicious, you should eat it!"

Jiang Feiyan tried one piece and then stopped eating.

To be honest, the taste was so-so, and it even showed signs of spoiling.

When Zhou Linghui saw her like this, she asked, "What's wrong? Is it not tasty?"

Xiao Feng bought this from town and gave it to me; I specially saved some for you to eat.

Jiang Feiyan's lips twitched, and she said speechlessly, "No wonder. I was wondering why your taste is so bad. Can't you tell it's almost spoiled?"

"...Um, it looks edible to me." Zhou Linghui scratched her head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Yanzi, I just thought it was rare for him to give me something, so I thought I'd let you try it."

Jiang Feiyan bluntly retorted, "You're just blind to beauty; you probably think even the other person's excrement smells good."

If Xiao Feng truly cared for you, would he send you such unpalatable, nearly spoiled pastries? Does he need something from you again?

Zhou Linghui looked guilty: "You can't say that. I'll just try to mention him less in front of you in the future."