The home of the village head of Hongqi Village.

Jiang Linchuan took Xu Xinghe's hand and led her into the house.

Although no fire was lit in the side room, it still kept out the cold wind from outside.

As soon as she stepped inside, Xu Xinghe felt noticeably warmer.

Jiang Linchuan was still holding her hand, and he gently rubbed her cold fingertips with his fingertips.

The house was vacant and belonged to the village chief. It had two bedrooms, just enough for the five of them to stay overnight.

Lieutenant Wang held the firewood and began to start a fire.

It was rare for Lian Xiao to take the initiative to help.

Before long, a fire was lit, glowing with an orange light, and the room grew warmer and warmer.

Xu Xinghe sat on a small stool, warming herself by the stove.

Jiang Linchuan then brought over a pot of water, which was being boiled.

They swallowed a lot of cold air and needed to drink some hot water to cool it down so they wouldn't catch a cold.

It doesn't matter to the men, but there's also Xu Xinghe, the young lady.

The water boiled in no time.

Xu Xinghe held the bowl and sipped the hot water slowly. The hot water slid down her throat and into her stomach, and she couldn't help but sigh with pleasure.

Deputy Wang sat near the door, followed by Zhang Cishu, Lian Xiao, Xu Xinghe, and Jiang Linchuan.

The five of them sat in a semicircle, which was a way of keeping each other warm.

At the other educated youth settlement, Ye Wenshu leaned against the headboard, her emotions having calmed down considerably.

Several female educated youths surrounded her, offering words of comfort one after another.

"Now that the military is backing us up, no one will dare to bully you anymore!"

"Exactly! Those people only dared to be so arrogant because they saw we were from out of town. Now that Commander Jiang has stepped in, look at them, they're behaving themselves now."

With no outsiders around, they spoke without restraint.

At this moment, several male educated youths walked in carrying firewood and food.

"Comrade Ye, how are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel much better. Thank you so much for protecting me today," Ye Wenshu said softly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"Why thank us? If we really want to thank someone, we should thank Commander Jiang!" The male educated youth added firewood to the stove, and the flames leaped even higher. As if remembering something, he added, "By the way, I went out to get firewood just now and heard from the villagers that Commander Jiang and the others didn't make it. The snow is too heavy and the roads are difficult to travel. They'll have to stay at the village chief's house for the night. I don't know if that's true or not."

"They haven't left yet?" Ye Wenshu's eyes lit up immediately. She had been so focused on calming herself down that she had forgotten to ask about this.

She sat up abruptly, her voice urgent, "Then I have to go thank him! Thank him in person!"

"Don't go!" A female educated youth quickly grabbed her. "You were just frightened and your body is still weak. With the snow falling so heavily, if you go out and catch a cold, it's no joke!"

"Yes, there's no rush to thank him now. We can go to the military headquarters together to find him after the snow stops!"

But Ye Wenshu wouldn't listen to any of that.

She lifted the cabinet next to the kang (a heated brick bed) and took out all the milk candies and dried fruits that she had been reluctant to eat.

These were all things her family gave her when she went to the countryside. She usually saved them for herself, but now she wanted to give them all to Jiang Linchuan.

She quickly packed her things, then went to the mirror and looked at herself, immediately frowning.

Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying for too long, her face had a sickly yellowish tinge, her hair was messy, and she had no energy at all.

She bit her lip, quickly found a comb, and carefully combed her hair in front of the mirror. Then she touched the handkerchief in her pocket, wanting to wipe her face properly.

In any case, you can't be too embarrassed when you meet your savior.

The female educated youth next to her coughed lightly, "Why are you dressed up?"

Ye Wenshu paused, then replied somewhat awkwardly, "I'm here to meet outsiders, aren't I? By the way, could you please put the spoon in the snow outside? I'll use it to reduce the swelling later; my eyes look terrible right now."

"OK."

Ye Wenshu turned around and started working on herself in front of the mirror.

This whole process took a full half hour.

She placed the spoon around her swollen eyes and carefully wiped her face with warm water. Although her complexion still had a sickly yellow tinge, she was no longer as disheveled as before.

Her hair was also neatly braided again, and she even applied some hair oil to tuck all the stray hairs behind her ears, leaving no frizz.

She picked up the cloth bag containing the thank-you gift, straightened her clothes one last time in front of the mirror, and said, "I'm going to the village chief's house. You can wait here. I'll be back in a bit."

Before the educated youth could persuade her any further, she had already lifted the curtain and run out through the snow.

The male educated youths didn't think much of it, assuming she was genuinely going to thank her benefactor.

The female educated youths exchanged glances, their eyes revealing unreadable emotions.

When Commander Jiang was mentioned just now, Ye Wenshu's eyes lit up so clearly, it was obvious that she was interested.

Unfortunately, no matter how she dressed up, she couldn't compare to that girl named Xu Xinghe.

Xu Xinghe's beauty is striking. Even in an ordinary cotton-padded jacket, her charm is undeniable. Not to mention the educated youth, even in the city, it's rare to see someone so outstanding.

The snow was still falling. Ye Wenshu trudged through the snow towards the village chief's house, her cotton shoes filled with snow, but she didn't care that her toes were numb from the cold.

When she arrived at the village chief's house, she hesitated for a moment.

She really didn't want to see Dazhuang, but then she remembered that he was there to thank Jiang for his command, so she raised her hand and knocked on the door anyway.

The door opened quickly, and the village chief's wife's face immediately fell when she saw her. "What are you doing here? You're not still trying to find my son, are you? Let me tell you, it's too late!"

"I'm not here to see your son, I don't even want him!" Ye Wenshu immediately interrupted her, straightening her back ramrod straight. "I'm here to see Commander Jiang, to thank him for saving my life. Don't forget, Commander Jiang said that no one can force me, so get out of my way!"

The village chief's wife was taken aback, then laughed angrily, "You little brat, you really think that with Commander Jiang backing you up, no one can deal with you? Just wait, you'll get what's coming to you!"

Although the words were harsh, she still reluctantly moved to the side.

No matter how domineering she was, she wouldn't dare to stop people in front of Commander Jiang.

Ignoring her sarcastic remarks, Ye Wenshu walked straight inside, asking, "Where are Commander Jiang and the others?"

"In the side house!" The village chief's wife spat behind her, her voice low but clear. "She said she was thanking her benefactor, but who knows if she's just here to seduce men? She even changed her clothes, how shameless!"

Ye Wenshu gripped the cloth bag tightly, pretending not to hear, and quickly walked to the side, where she indeed saw a room with a light on.

She stopped at the door, took a deep breath, and then raised her hand to tidy her braids, making sure no stray hairs were messed up, before gently knocking on the door.

The door opened quickly, and when Wang, the adjutant, saw her, he was clearly taken aback. "Comrade Ye? What brings you here? You were just frightened; you should be resting at home."

"I came here specifically to thank Commander Jiang." Ye Wenshu looked into the room eagerly, her tone pleading. "Lieutenant Wang, please let me in. I just want to say a few words."

They came to express their gratitude, so Lieutenant Wang couldn't stop them. He stepped aside and said, "Come in, it's cold outside."