The noise from their conversation startled Zhang Qiang, who was inside the small tent.

He was leaning against the canvas smoking when he heard this, and his heart skipped a beat. When did Li Guowei get a wife?

He stubbed out his cigarette, lifted the curtain of the small tent and stepped out. He saw Jiang Linchuan not far away and asked, "What's going on? Li Guowei, you have a wife? How come I didn't know?"

Jiang Linchuan remained calm and explained, "Captain Zhang, the people outside must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm not married, so I don't have a wife. I'm going out to check the situation so as not to delay the competition."

Xu Xinghe could not possibly reveal the relationship between the two.

So it can only be someone else.

After saying that, he walked towards the tent entrance.

Zhang Qiang simply followed him, saying, "I'll go with you to see if there's any misunderstanding. Maybe there's someone with the same name as you."

The two stepped out of the tent and immediately saw Zhang Qianqian and Xu Xinghe standing at the door.

When Zhang Qianqian saw the person she had been longing for, her eyes lit up instantly. Just as she was about to step forward, she caught sight of Zhang Qiang behind him, and the smile on her face froze instantly, her eyes filled with panic.

She had originally intended to secretly deliver a gift to Jiang Linchuan, but she didn't expect to be caught by her father.

Xu Xinghe was overjoyed. Zhang Qiang was also there, which was perfect. He certainly wouldn't let Zhang Qianqian bother Jiang Linchuan. "Qianqian, didn't you say you had something for my cousin? Now that he's out, hurry up and give it to him. Cousin, Qianqian specially prepared a gift for you for the competition, please accept it."

As she spoke, she gave Jiang Linchuan a wink.

Zhang Qiang's gaze fell on the red cloth bag in Zhang Qianqian's hand, and after looking at her flustered expression, he instantly understood seven or eight parts of the situation. "Qianqian, what are you going to give Li Guowei?"

Zhang Qianqian became even more nervous. She could only slowly hand over the red cloth bag in her hand and whisper, "It's...it's a talisman. I prayed for it. It can protect me from injury during the competition and help me win..."

Zhang Qiang took the red cloth bag, opened it, and saw a small purse embroidered with colorful threads inside. The workmanship was not exquisite, but it was clear that a lot of care had been put into it.

He laughed in exasperation, "You kid, always fussing over nothing! I'm also competing in a wrestling match today, this amulet is perfect for me, I need it more than he does!"

"Dad, no! This is for Brother Guowei!" Zhang Qianqian exclaimed anxiously, reaching out to snatch it.

But Zhang Qiang stuffed the amulet into his pocket and grabbed Jiang Linchuan's arm without saying a word. "Li Guowei, come into the tent with me. I have something to tell you about the precautions for the wrestling match later, and the arrangements made by the commune."

Jiang Linchuan glanced back at Xu Xinghe, flicked his fingers slightly, and then was pulled into the tent by Zhang Qiang.

Zhang Qianqian stood there, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, her eyes instantly reddening, but she didn't dare to chase after them.

Xu Xinghe finally felt relieved.

Fortunately, Zhang Qiang not only helped Zhang Qianqian out of her predicament, but also gave Jiang Linchuan the opportunity to get close to him.

Xu Xinghe patted Zhang Qianqian's shoulder and gently comforted her, "Don't be sad. Your father did this for your own good. After all, you and my cousin are just ordinary friends now. Giving amulets would be too intimate. Besides, the amulet is the same for your father; it's all for protection."

Zhang Qianqian sniffed. "I specifically asked for it for Brother Guowei."

"Alright, alright, don't be angry. Come on, I'll take you to eat some milk tofu. Besides, even if you make a fuss here, my cousin will definitely go wrestling as soon as he comes out. You can only look at him once more, and you might even anger Captain Zhang. Do you want your dad to make things difficult for my cousin?"

Zhang Qianqian thought of something and immediately shook her head, "I don't want to. Let's go eat some milk tofu!"

Xu Xinghe pulled her along quickly to the place where the female educated youth were gathered.

When Zhao Xiaoyan saw them coming, she immediately handed them a piece of milk curd with great enthusiasm, "Qianqian is here! Try this, I just bought it from the herdsmen, it's so fragrant!"

Zhang Qianqian took it and said thank you.

Xu Xinghe took the opportunity to pull Zhao Xiaoyan aside, "Xiaoyan, Qianqian was sick before and hasn't fully recovered yet. Please keep an eye on her and don't let her run around. I have something to do, I'll be right back."

Zhao Xiaoyan understood, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her!"

The female educated youths surrounded Zhang Qianqian, chatting amongst themselves.

Zhang Qianqian gradually became infected by the lively atmosphere, and the disappointment on her face faded a little. She also started chatting.

Seeing that she was no longer concerned about the tent, Xu Xinghe quietly took two steps back and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, slipped away towards the tent where people were changing clothes.

From a distance, she saw Jiang Linchuan standing on the side of the tent, looking in her direction.

Before Jiang Linchuan was pulled into the tent by Zhang Qiang, he secretly gestured to her that he would come later, which was a signal that the two had agreed upon.

Xu Xinghe quickened his pace and walked to the shadowy side of the tent.

Jiang Linchuan immediately lowered his voice and said, "I'll go to the arena with Zhang Qiang in a bit. Once all the wrestlers are on stage, there will definitely be no one in the tents. You can take the opportunity to go in and find Zhang Qiang's personal clothing. It's in the second small tent inside. Be careful not to get discovered."

Xu Xinghe nodded. "You be careful too."

After saying that, Jiang Linchuan turned around and followed the other wrestlers toward the arena.

Xu Xinghe watched his figure disappear into the crowd, took a deep breath, and quietly slipped back to the female educated youth's side.

She deliberately chatted with Zhang Qianqian for a while to make sure the other woman didn't want to go looking for Jiang Linchuan, before leaving quietly.

Zhang Qianqian was engrossed in chatting with Zhao Xiaoyan and didn't pay any attention to her.

Xu Xinghe quickly left and ran towards the tent.

At that moment, deafening cheers erupted from the arena; the wrestling match had begun.

Sure enough, there was no one around the tent.

She pressed herself against the tent canvas, listened carefully to the sounds inside, and after confirming that no one was there, she gently lifted the curtain and slipped inside.

The tent still smelled of sweat and leather, and a few pieces of clothing were scattered on the ground.

Following Jiang Linchuan's instructions, Xu Xinghe found the second small tent, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

Sure enough, inside were Zhang Qiang's Zhongshan suit and coat, as well as a cloth bag.

She immediately stepped forward, picked up the Zhongshan suit, and carefully felt every pocket and hem, not even missing a stitch, for fear of missing any seam.

But he only had a few coins and a handkerchief in his pocket, and no useful clues at all.

She opened the cloth bag again, which contained Zhang Qiang's water bottle and towel, but nothing particularly special.

Xu Xinghe was getting anxious. Could it be that the item wasn't here?