Before long, only Xu Xinghe and Jiang Linchuan remained in the courtyard.

Xu Xinghe opened the lunchbox, inside were fragrant pork, stir-fried bok choy, and a bowl of steaming corn porridge, all of which were her favorite dishes.

"How did you know I was hungry?" Xu Xinghe returned to the house, couldn't help but pick up her chopsticks, put a piece of meat in her mouth, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"I guessed." Jiang Linchuan sat down next to her and picked up his chopsticks. "Lian Xiao received a last-minute assignment to go to town to check on the villagers' spring farming supplies. He won't be back for lunch."

Xu Xinghe nodded, took another bite of rice, then suddenly frowned, put down her chopsticks, and said, "I feel like I've forgotten something..."

She rested her chin on her hand, her eyes somewhat blank, her gaze inadvertently sweeping towards the direction of the neighboring yard outside the window. Suddenly, she slapped her thigh, "Oh dear, I forgot to say hello to Cishu! I completely forgot about that!"

Jiang Linchuan looked at her annoyed little face and his lips curled up almost imperceptibly. "Don't worry, finish your food first, and I'll go with you after you finish eating. He won't run away, it's okay if we're a little late."

Xu Xinghe was relieved and quickly finished her meal before pulling Jiang Linchuan toward the neighboring courtyard.

As soon as I reached the gate of the courtyard, I saw that Zhang Cishu's house was open. He was sitting in the living room, holding a book in his hand and a pen between his fingers. He looked focused and exuded a cool and aloof aura.

"Cishu, we're back!" Xu Xinghe greeted first, breaking the silence in the courtyard.

Zhang Cishu raised his head, his gaze falling on the two of them. His eyes were calm and unwavering, and he simply nodded slightly. "It's good that you're back."

"Sorry, I've been busy packing and haven't had a chance to say hello," Xu Xinghe said somewhat apologetically. "How are you doing at the military headquarters? Has anything happened while we were in Shanghai?"

“It’s all right.” Zhang Cishu closed the book. “After you returned to Shanghai, I went to the hospital to take care of Grandpa. I only went back to the military headquarters a few days ago. Everything is normal here, nothing’s wrong.”

He spoke in a calm tone, with almost no extraneous emotions.

Although Xu Xinghe was already used to his personality, she still felt that something was a little strange.

He seemed much more approachable before, so why does he seem colder now than before they left?

Xu Xinghe didn't know what to say for a moment. Seeing that he was still reading, she tactfully said goodbye, "Then you go ahead and do your work. We won't bother you anymore. We'll come over to chat with you when we have time."

Zhang Cishu nodded gently again, and after watching the two leave, picked up the book again.

Actually, he wasn't good at all. After Xu Xinghe and the others left, he was very bored at the military headquarters.

Moreover, his task was to stay by Xu Xinghe's side, so he simply returned to the hospital.

Life returned to normal, and all the popularity he had painstakingly cultivated was lost again.

Now that Xu Xinghe is back, he has to start learning all over again...

Zhang Cishu suddenly felt he couldn't concentrate on his reading, so he put the book down and decided to start studying now.

"Hey, Cishu? What brings you here?" Xu Xinghe was a little surprised. She had just left and he had already arrived. She quickly got up to greet him, "Come in and sit down. I'll get you a glass of water."

Zhang Cishu walked into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Linchuan. "No need to trouble yourself. I came to ask you about the progress of cultivating medicinal herbs."

Xu Xinghe was stunned for a moment, almost dropping the water glass in her hand. "How did you know I was cultivating medicinal herbs?"

She didn't say anything after returning to Heilongjiang Province.

Zhang Cishu's voice remained calm, but his gaze was fixed on Xu Xinghe's vivid and lively face. More than a month had passed, and she was still the same as before.

Sure enough, only with her could he find what he wanted.

After Xu Xinghe and the others left, he unexpectedly came into contact with the educated youth in Hongqi Village.

Although they were all young girls, there was something impure about them, both in their bodies and in their eyes.

The way they look at me, in particular, is disgusting.

It's as if he's some kind of delicious food that everyone wants to take a bite of.

“The Zhang family has some connections. When you were in Shanghai contacting research institutes to prepare cultivation materials, my family mentioned it casually, and I remembered it. If the cold-resistant medicinal materials can be successfully cultivated, it will benefit both the military and civilians in Heilongjiang Province, especially in preventing frostbite in winter. It will be very useful. My grandfather said you did a great job.”

Xu Xinghe's eyes lit up. "Ci Shu, please pass on a message to Grandpa Zhang for me, saying that I am very grateful for his praise."

"Okay." Zhang Cishu glanced at the time. Jiang Linchuan was about to go to training. Since that was the case, he wouldn't disturb him any longer. "Then I'll head back first."

"Oh... okay." Xu Xinghe stared blankly at his departing figure. So he only came to say a few words?

"By the way, Linchuan, I have something to tell you." Xu Xinghe suddenly remembered something and looked up at Jiang Linchuan. "I saw Feng Qiushi when I went to the guard room to pick up a package this morning."

Jiang Linchuan paused in his pouring of water, looked up at her, and said, "So what if I saw it? What's wrong with that?"

“Something’s not right with her.” Xu Xinghe frowned, recalling the scene from that morning. “When I greeted her, she avoided eye contact and wouldn’t answer my questions. I felt like she was hiding something and seemed particularly guilty.”

She had always suspected Feng Qiushi.

After all, the other party was the last person to have contact with Erlaizi.

Jiang Linchuan raised his hand and rubbed her head. "She might just be preoccupied. The military is investigating the case, so don't overthink it."

Xu Xinghe pouted. Although she was still a little concerned, she knew that there was no evidence and it was useless to suspect anyone. "I know, I just wanted to tell you how I feel."

"Yeah, I know you're perceptive." Jiang Linchuan smiled. "I have training this afternoon, so I have to go now. Don't wander around at home. If you want to go out, wait for me to come back and keep you company."

"Okay, go train now."

Xu Xinghe returned to the house and took out the book she had brought from Shanghai, but she couldn't concentrate on reading it. The image of Feng Qiushi kept replaying in her mind…