"If it weren't for A Qiu, I probably wouldn't have been able to come back alive or have any face to show for it today."

Yang Chuchu pulled Ruan Qiushui over.

"Mom, you really have to thank her. By the way, she's my best friend now."

Yang Chuchu's tears smeared all over Chu Fang's body, and she raised her head with a smug look on her face.

She has such good taste; her friend is not only good-looking but also able to protect her.

"Daughter, thank you so much."

Chu Fang broke out in a cold sweat. Thinking about how terrible this matter was, she felt even more grateful to Ruan Qiushui.

Chu Chu was her only child, born after she was over thirty and had given birth with great difficulty. If anything were to happen to Chu Chu, she wouldn't be able to survive.

Ruan Qiushui not only saved Yang Chuchu's life, but also the lives of her entire family.

"Auntie has nothing to repay you with. If you have any requests, just let us know. As long as it's within our power, we'll do it without hesitation."

Chu Fang wanted to thank Ruan Qiushui with money, but she was afraid of hurting Ruan Qiushui's pride by being rash.

"Auntie, there's no need to repay me. I was just lending a hand."

Ruan Qiushui waved her hands repeatedly to decline, as her original intention in saving people was not for these material things.

"It's getting late, I have things to do, I need to go back to the brigade first."

It's getting late, and it won't be safe to go back any later.

"Girl, why are you leaving? Have dinner at Auntie's house before you go. Don't be shy."

Chu Fang held onto Ruan Qiushui, preventing her from leaving.

This is her daughter's savior. How could she leave empty-handed without offering any thanks? What kind of person would she, Chu Fang, become?

"Auntie, really, there's no need. It'll be too late to go back now, and the roads to the brigade are difficult to navigate at night."

Helpless, Ruan Qiushui looked at Yang Chuchu beside her, hoping she could persuade Chufang.

“Mother, Aqiu is an educated youth from the Red Flag Brigade. It’s too far to travel, and it won’t be safe if we delay any longer.”

Yang Chuchu tugged at Chu Fang's sleeve.

"Alright, then I won't keep you any longer. When your uncle comes back, I'll talk to him, and we'll find some time to go to the Hongqi Brigade together to thank you."

Chu Fang thought about it for a moment and then made a decision.

"Great, A-Qiu, wait for me to come and play with you."

Yang Chuchu was happily thinking about visiting Ruan Qiushui in the future, and when Ruan Qiushui wanted to leave, she didn't try to stop her at all.

After leaving the Yang family, Ruan Qiushui quickly grabbed her bicycle and headed back to the brigade. She managed to get back to the brigade before sunset.

"Oh no! Oh no! Duan, the educated youth, is sleeping with the new educated youth, An! Everyone come quick!"

Ruan Qiushui had just parked her bicycle at the clinic when one of the women suddenly yelled, startling her so much that she ran towards the source of the sound.

Duan Zhiyu and An Qin, that's big news. I don't know how the two of them got together.

"This is a grove of trees! Duan Zhiyu is something else, doesn't he mind getting pricked by the branches and weeds?"

Ruan Qiushui noticed that Qin Qiaoqiao and Zhao Meimei had also arrived at the scene.

The love triangle, with its dramatic plot, really piqued her interest.

Ruan Qiushui, being agile, quickly squeezed into the crowd and rushed to the front line of the melon-eating crowd.

At this moment, Duan Zhiyu and An Qin were barely clothed and were frantically trying to put on their clothes behind a tree trunk.

"Brother Duan, what... what happened to us?"

An Qin was in a lot of pain, and her sobs, combined with the red marks on her body, made her look extremely pitiful.

"Shut up! If you hadn't drugged me, how could I have done this to you..."

He was certain he had been drugged; otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his mind like this.

And An Qin just happened to be here, so who else could it be but her?

He still had feelings for Ruan Qiushui. Even though she was dating Gu Changfeng, as long as they weren't married, he still had a chance.

Now that he's tied to An Qin, what right does he have to pursue his own happiness?

"I...I'm innocent! I was just passing by when you grabbed me. I didn't even have the strength to struggle before you..."

An Qin's face was streaked with tears, and she lowered her head, looking like a victim.

I don't know who did such a good deed and put the opportunity in front of her.

She had her eye on Duan Zhiyu, hoping to use his family's wealth to make her life more comfortable in the countryside.

Maybe we can get back to the city sooner by relying on him.

With so many witnesses now, Duan Zhiyu isn't afraid of denying it.

"You shameless slut, are you that thirsty? Have you never seen a man before? This is utterly indecent!"

Qin Qiaoqiao rushed over upon hearing the news, so angry that she felt dizzy and slapped An Qin across the face.

Duan Zhiyu was the husband she had already chosen, but now he was caught in the act with another woman. How could she bear it?

"Qin Zhiqing, what right do you have to hit me? Brother Yu, look at her."

An Qin covered her cheeks and complained to Duan Zhiyu, feeling wronged.

"How...how could this be?"

Zhao Meimei stared at the scene before her, her face filled with disbelief.

She clearly had someone bring Duan Zhiyu to her place, so why did An Qin suddenly appear?

"Alright, Duan Zhiqing, An Zhiqing, tell me how you want to resolve this matter."

Gu Xianjin's face turned pale; all the joy he felt today from being captured by enemy agents was gone!

They're all disgusting people, causing all sorts of scandals. Unmarried men and women openly engaging in illicit affairs.

If the commune finds out, will we still get this year's advanced worker award?

Do the people from the Red Flag Brigade have any shame when they go out in the future?

"What do you mean, what to do?"

Duan Zhiyu looked completely bewildered by the question.

We've already made a fool of ourselves in front of everyone in the brigade, and we've been laughed at. What more do you want?

"Captain, I... I don't want to live anymore."

An Qin covered her face and cried, pounding her chest with one hand as if she wanted to die.

"Shut up!"

Gu Xianjin's head was throbbing from An Qin's constant nagging.

"What, you want to shirk responsibility?"

Gu Xianjin glanced at Duan Zhiyu with contempt, thinking, "What a beast."

"I'm giving you two choices: either you two admit to your relationship and get married immediately, or you report me for having an affair and go to jail or get shot."

These are the two paths you're on; decide for yourself.

"I."

Duan Zhiyu never expected the consequences to be so severe.

He doesn't want to go to jail; he's waiting to go back to the city.

But he was unwilling to marry An Qin.

Have you thought it through?

He's so indecisive, is he even a man?

"I... I've made up my mind. I'm willing to marry An Zhiqing."

Duan Zhiyu was startled and quickly answered.

Whether he gets married or not, nothing is more important than his life.

He didn't want to go to jail; it was a dark and hopeless place, and he wouldn't survive if he went there.

"Okay, come to me first thing tomorrow morning to pick up the letter of introduction and go to town to get your marriage certificate."

After dealing with the upsetting matter, Gu Xianjin turned and headed home, feeling annoyed even by looking at it for a second longer.

"Brother Duan, how could you marry a woman like An Qin?"

The matter was already settled, and Qin Qiaoqiao's face turned ashen.

If Duan Zhiyu marries someone else, what will all her sacrifices amount to?

Looking back on the events of the past few years, it all seems utterly ridiculous.

Qin Qiaoqiao laughed maniacally and returned to the educated youth compound in a daze.