The Naadam Festival was not suspended because of Zhang Qiang's incident.

Horse racing, archery, and bonfire parties continued as scheduled for three whole days.

For the past three days, Xu Xinghe carried the scroll with her, a constant worry lingering in her mind.

Although Zhang Qiang did not mention the lost money again, he secretly arranged for several old villagers to keep an eye on the people at the forest farm.

Especially for the educated youth, they were followed almost everywhere they went, so she couldn't find a chance to meet Jiang Linchuan alone.

Jiang Linchuan also noticed something was wrong. Every time their eyes met, he would just nod slightly, signaling her not to rush and to hide the things first.

Xu Xinghe kept the paper roll close to her body, even covering her chest while sleeping, for fear of making any mistakes.

Three days later, the conference concluded.

Everyone packed their luggage and prepared to set off back to the forest farm.

They used the same oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages they had come in.

Xu Xinghe and the other female educated youths squeezed onto the cart. Just as they settled in, they saw Zhang Qiang riding a horse at the very front of the group, his face extremely gloomy and his eyes filled with a sinister look.

The return journey was even more somber than the way there; no one was chatting and laughing like they had on the way there.

Zhang Qiang would occasionally rein in his horse, turn around to look at the group, and let his gaze sweep over each person with a chilling aura that sent shivers down their spines.

“Li Juan, don’t you think… Captain Zhang seems like a different person?” Zhao Xiaoyan quietly moved closer to Xu Xinghe, shrinking her neck slightly. “He used to be strict, but sometimes he was quite gentle. But these past few days, he looks at everyone like they’re thieves, and his eyes are terrifying.”

Xu Xinghe followed her gaze to Zhang Qiang in front of her, a cold smile playing on her lips.

I lost something important, and for three days I couldn't eat or sleep well. My mind was filled with suspicion of the people around me. I was almost driven to the point of being neurotic. How could I possibly be calm?

But she simply said, "Maybe he's just upset because he lost something. Don't overthink it. Let's just sit here quietly."

Zhao Xiaoyan nodded in agreement, but still couldn't help but move closer to Xu Xinghe, clearly quite frightened by Zhang Qiang's appearance.

After a bumpy ride, we finally arrived back at the forest farm in the evening.

Just as everyone unloaded their luggage at the dormitory entrance, they heard that there would be a bus to town the next day.

Several educated youths immediately became excited and clamored to go to town to buy some snacks and daily necessities.

Zhao Xiaoyan also grabbed Xu Xinghe's arm and said, "Let's go together. I want to write a letter home and buy some candy while I'm at it."

Xu Xinghe shook her head and looked at Jiang Linchuan not far away.

Their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other's meaning.

Going to town now is too risky. Zhang Qiang already suspected the people at the forest farm, and going out alone at this time would be like walking into the line of fire.

"I'm a little tired and want to rest. You guys go tomorrow." After Xu Xinghe finished speaking, she turned to the other educated youth and smiled. "Could you please bring me back a bar of soap? If you have any hard candy, please bring me some too. I'll give you the money tomorrow."

Jiang Linchuan also told the male educated youth, "I'm not going. Please bring me a notebook and a pen, thank you."

The educated youth who were going to the town didn't think much of it, smiled and agreed, and then went back to their dormitories to pack.

Early the next morning.

The dormitory for educated youth in the forest farm became lively.

The educated youth gathered together, asked the team leader for leave early, and walked in groups toward the bus stop at the village entrance, chatting and laughing all the way.

Xu Xinghe didn't go with them. Instead, she took the roll of paper hidden in her underwear and went to the work site as usual.

Three other female educated youths stayed with her. They took hoes and turned over the soil in the field, chatting casually as they worked.

"The weather is getting hotter and hotter. It's already this sunny in the morning. How are we going to survive until noon?" A female educated youth complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Yes, it's so hot. I thought it would be cooler here."

Xu Xinghe also felt that the back of her clothes was already soaked with sweat. If the sweat seeped into her underwear and wet the paper, it would be troublesome.

She looked around and saw that the other educated youth and villagers were all working in their respective places, not too close. So she walked towards a large elm tree not far away. "I'll go over there to rest for a while and get some fresh air before I come back."

The area under the big elm tree was very shady.

The wind was blowing and it was a little chilly.

Xu Xinghe leaned against the tree trunk, quickly pulled open her collar, and carefully took out a tissue from her underwear, which was now a little damp.

She quickly pulled out a new tissue from her pocket, stuffed it into her bra, and adjusted its position.

In this way, the sweat is absorbed by the tissue and will not get into the sponge.

I had just finished tidying my clothes when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

Xu Xinghe's heart tightened, and she turned around abruptly, seeing Chen Yifan, a male educated youth, standing not far away, looking at her with complicated eyes.

"You..." Xu Xinghe was about to ask him how he got here, but Chen Yifan spoke first, his voice very low, "I saw it. On the day of the Naadam Festival, you went to the tent where Zhang Qiang and the others were changing clothes. I happened to be resting behind a nearby haystack and saw it clearly."

Xu Xinghe's heart skipped a beat and then sank.

She tried to remain calm, frowning as she said, "You must have misread it. I watched the game the whole day, and except for going to the restroom, I didn't go to the tent area at all."

“I didn’t see wrong!” Chen Yifan stepped forward, his tone very certain. “I saw you come out of the tent with my own eyes. Don’t try to lie to me.”

Looking into his eyes, Xu Xinghe knew he wasn't trying to scare her.

He really saw it.

She quickly calculated in her mind that since she had been caught, there was no point in denying it, so she simply asked directly, "What do you want?"

Unexpectedly, Chen Yifan suddenly blushed, his eyes became evasive, and his tone became hesitant and awkward, completely unlike his previous demeanor, "I...I don't mean anything, I just...I've liked you for a long time, ever since I first saw you when you first came to the forest farm."

Xu Xinghe was stunned, completely unexpected that he would suddenly confess his feelings!

“At first I thought you were a very introverted girl, but then I realized you weren’t,” Chen Yifan continued, her eyes filled with a hint of infatuation. “You are very resilient and smart. When Wang Lili was bullied by the older educated youth, you stood up to help her. When Zhao Xiaoyan was bullied, you stood up again. When the female educated youths were poisoned, you stood up again. I think you are a very good person, better than any other girl in the forest farm.”

He suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming very similar to his earlier one, "If you don't want me to tell the battalion commander about you going to the tent, then... then date me, I promise I'll treat you well."

Xu Xinghe looked at him and suddenly laughed, but her eyes were cold. "So, you're threatening me? Using this to force me to date you?"