This was the first time the group had stayed together off-campus, and Jian Rong was extremely smug, which even cheered Tao Yue up considerably.

The four of them huddled on one bed, discussing where to go the next day. As they talked, Jian Rong snapped a photo of them all together and posted it in the group chat. Shi Jing quickly noticed his phone ringing, picked it up, and was speechless.

"You're just taking advantage of Momo's good temper so she won't hit you, aren't you?"

"Hehe." Jian Rong chuckled and tagged Qiao Momo in the group chat.

[MoMo, come to my house too! We can even stay together. I'll take you hiking.]

It's rare to see Qiao Momo still awake at this hour; she's surprisingly quick-witted.

[...]

[You all went to Jian Rong's house to play, huh?] After saying that, Qiao Momo also tagged them.

Nan Zhuowen knew that Jian Rong had sent a group message, so he also switched to the group to check the chat history.

I sent a message a while later.

[Yeah, I just finished up some work and came over to hang out. Why don't you come too?] Jian Rong was overjoyed.

[Never mind. I just found a part-time job, so I can't go.]

[Oh? You're looking for a job.] Jian Rong was immediately filled with regret; then they wouldn't be able to get together.

Nan Zhuowen rolled his eyes at her: "Aren't all these people coming to visit you enough?"

"Hehe. Isn't it better if there are more people?" Jian Rong said coquettishly.

"Alright, alright, aren't we going out to play tomorrow? Let's go to bed early tonight." Shi Jing's schedule has always been pretty good, and recently, living in the village, he's been going to bed early and getting up early even more. He's now urging the others to get up as well.

Everyone had a good night's rest, and the next day was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a trip.

Shi Jing gets up at five o'clock, goes out for a morning run, and then wakes up the others to have breakfast together.

After breakfast, she drove the group to the place they had agreed to visit the day before.

In Jian Rong's words, when you arrive in a new place, you should do something relaxing and enjoyable.

The relaxation and enjoyment she was referring to was going to a fruit-picking garden at the foot of the mountain to pick fruit.

"The strawberries here are delicious. Every year when I go home for vacation, my brother always brings me here to pick them and eat them," Jian Rong said, as she bought tickets and picked up a basket as if she knew the way well.

Although it's a fruit-picking farm, it's not actually very crowded. In Jian Rong's words, their area is underdeveloped, and there aren't many attractions that truly draw tourists. While there are places like hot springs, because they're undeveloped, only occasional visits from locals do occur.

Today is not a holiday, so there are even fewer tourists visiting the orchard.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by Shi Jing, who couldn't help but think of the beautiful scenery of Qingfeng Mountain. In fact, Qingfeng Mountain is a very nice place; if properly managed, it could very well become a great place for relaxation and leisure.

However, as Jian Rong said, no matter how beautiful a place is, if it is not properly developed, it cannot bring economic benefits.

Therefore, she should pay more attention to the development and construction of the Qingfeng Mountain land.

After purchasing tickets to enter the strawberry farm, each person can pick a basket of strawberries to take home. Strawberries are a very delicate fruit; the flesh is more easily broken than that of ordinary fruits, so you need to be careful when picking them.

The orchard also provides disposable gloves and scissors for everyone to choose from. Jian Rong prefers to pick the fruit directly with her hands, while Shi Jing took a small pair of scissors.

It must be said that this kind of work process is actually somewhat stress-relieving.

They spent the morning in the strawberry farm and had a simple lunch there.

The host told us that they had planted a small watermelon patch this year, and the watermelons were growing very well. All four of them were very interested.

Apart from Jian Rong, the others had little experience with farm work and found it all very novel.

If I have the chance to experience it a little longer, of course I can't give it up.

The group had a great time, and in the afternoon, Shi Jing and the others picked watermelons, peaches, cantaloupes, and more. Tao Yue even took a fancy to a big, round winter melon.

In short, the group of them returned laden with spoils, like locusts swarming across the land.

Over the next few days, they went hiking, fishing, and digging for wild vegetables. Jian Rong even took them to a hot spring picnic, where they cooked hot spring eggs at the spring's source.

In short, they had a great time over the next few days, and everyone was very happy.

After a day of sightseeing, Tao Yue's gloom dissipated considerably, and only then did Shi Jing and the others dare to bring up Qi Xing's matter.

"I didn't make a mistake coming here, did I? Are you feeling better now?" Nan Zhuowen asked with a smile.

On a peaceful afternoon, the four of them each moved a deck chair to a shady spot in the yard and lay down, feeling incredibly comfortable.

Tao Yue waved her large palm-leaf fan twice, her face completely devoid of the sadness she had shown before: "Don't worry, I was just overthinking things before, I'm fine now." She chuckled, "With everyone here with me, what's more fun than men?"

"Pfft!" Shi Jing couldn't hold his soda in his mouth and spat it out. Zhao Xunkan, who was strolling leisurely towards the courtyard, also stopped in his tracks, caught in a dilemma.

"Cough cough..." Shi Jing coughed for a while, and the others quickly patted her back: "Be careful, drink slowly."

She coughed for a while before finally managing to suppress the itching in her throat.

Looking up, I saw Zhao Xunkan standing at the door, looking hesitant and unsure whether he should come in.

She waved her hand and smiled, "Someone's coming."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the door.

Standing at the doorway was Zhao Xunkan, tall and elegant with long legs. However, his expression was somewhat off.

"Did I disturb you?" Zhao Xunkan asked somewhat awkwardly.

He never expected that he would accidentally stumble upon a girl's conversation when he just came to take a look.

"It's alright, come in." Tao Yue quickly realized why the other person had that expression. Although she was a little embarrassed, she still hurriedly invited the person in.

The group stopped talking about Tao Yue's love life for a while.

Where is Brother Qingyue?

Shi Jing looked behind him but didn't see Jiang Qingyue. The two of them were usually inseparable, so why was he all alone today?

Noticing her movement, Zhao Xunkan coughed lightly: "He's taking a nap. I thought it was nothing, so I came over to check on him."

"Come sit down for a while, I happen to have something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Zhao Xunkan strode into the courtyard and quickly restored the previous calm. He casually moved a chair over and sat down in the shade.

"What do you need me for?"

"I'm going back to Dingdu tomorrow. My classmates are staying here for the next few days, so please take care of them."

Jian Rong was surprised to hear this: "Huh? You're leaving so soon?"

Nan Zhuowen and Tao Yue also looked over.

"I've been here for almost half a month now," Shi Jing chuckled. "Qi Shuang is joining a film crew this summer, so I'll go check on her. I also need to go to the company. If things go smoothly, I'll come back later."

During this trip, Shi Jing didn't hide anything from them, so they had heard a little about the Qingfeng Mountain land and the company's affairs.

"Okay," Jian Rong said reluctantly.

"Be careful, and come back soon," Nan Zhuowen and Tao Yue reminded each other.