Upon hearing this, the other male educated youth nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Seeing the group of soldiers and knowing that Jiang Linchuan was also a soldier, they all felt a longing to join the army for some reason.

Jiang Linchuan stopped and turned to look at them. "Of course you can. As long as you sincerely want to join the army and are willing to give to the country and the people, whether you are educated youth or villagers, you have a chance. You are still young. As long as you dare to think and act, anything is possible."

His words instantly excited the male educated youth.

Zhang Guoming rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Really? If we join the army in the future, will we still be able to see you?"

"Maybe it's possible." Jiang Linchuan smiled and didn't say anything more. "I should go now. I wish you all the best in achieving your dreams."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the direction of the female educated youth dormitory.

Sunlight shone on him, his back straight and resolute.

The male educated youth stood there, watching his back as he walked away, their hearts filled with longing.

They didn't know what the future held, but Jiang Linchuan's words gave them a bit more hope for the future.

As Jiang Linchuan approached the vicinity of the female educated youth dormitory, he saw Xu Xinghe standing under the shade of a tree with a cloth bag on her back, waiting for him.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on her, making her face look exceptionally refreshed after her disguise was removed.

The two exchanged a smile, needing no further words, and walked side by side toward the military vehicle at the entrance of the forest farm.

As they walked, Jiang Linchuan took her hand.

The educated youth who witnessed this scene stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Zhao Xiaoyan rubbed her eyes before looking again, "So...they're not cousins ​​at all, but...lovers?"

Wang Lili bit her lip, still unable to control her jealousy, "Comrade Xu is so lucky to have such a man."

Why did she encounter someone like Chen Hu?

Zhao Xiaoyan knew immediately that she was having another episode, and rolled her eyes at her. "Wang Lili, I thought you had changed, but I didn't expect you to still be like this! Comrade Xu and Commander Jiang are a couple not because Comrade Xu is lucky, but because she is outstanding! If a woman is not outstanding, why should she be able to find a good man? Isn't it the same when we arrange marriages over there? Female workers can find male workers as their other half more easily. We can't let it be because we are not good enough!"

Wang Lili knew this principle, but she still couldn't control herself. Perhaps this was the part of her that made her inferior to Xu Xinghe.

...

On an open space not far away, several green military trucks were parked, and the soldiers who had previously controlled the forest area were lined up in an orderly fashion.

Zhang Qiang, handcuffed and with his head down, stood beside a truck, his face ashen. Zhang Qianqian, protected by two soldiers on the other side, had red eyes but was no longer crying. She would only occasionally glance in Zhang Qiang's direction.

"Comrade Xu, Commander Jiang, are you all ready?" The leading soldier who had shaken hands with Xu Xinghe earlier came forward, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Everything's ready. Thank you for waiting so long." Xu Xinghe nodded in response, her gaze sweeping over Zhang Qiang and his daughter before quickly looking away.

The mission is complete, and Zhang Qiang's fate will be judged by law; she doesn't need to concern herself with it anymore.

Jiang Linchuan handed the cloth bag to the soldier next to him to help put it on the car. "The educated youth and villagers in the forest farm are very cooperative. Thank you for your hard work in the follow-up investigation."

"Of course, it's our job." The soldier smiled and nodded, gesturing for them to get in. "Get in the vehicle, it's time for us to head back."

Xu Xinghe and Jiang Linchuan boarded the middle vehicle one after the other, where a soldier was already seated.

They found a window seat and looked out the window.

The male educated youth stood at the dormitory entrance, waving to them from afar.

Zhang Guoming was still shouting, "Comrade Jiang, see you later!"

The female educated youth also crowded at the entrance of the women's dormitory. Zhao Xiaoyan waved her hand, her eyes full of reluctance.

Xu Xinghe waved back at them, a warm feeling rising in her heart.

Although the period of pretending to be an educated youth was full of dangers, it also brought me these simple and genuine friendships.

Soon, Zhang Qiang was led to the car in front by soldiers, and Zhang Qianqian was also escorted to another car by soldiers.

With a crisp whistle, the remaining soldiers quickly boarded the trucks, started the engines, and emitted a deep roar.

Several military trucks drove away from the forest farm one after another, their wheels kicking up dust as they headed towards the town.

Xu Xinghe leaned against the car window, watching the shadow of the forest gradually shrink until it completely disappeared from sight, before slowly turning her gaze to Jiang Linchuan beside her, "It's finally over."

"Yes, it's over." Jiang Linchuan looked at her, his eyes full of tenderness. "After we go back, we can get some rest."

The truck bumped along the road toward town, and the cargo bed quieted down, with only the sound of the engine echoing in our ears.

Xu Xinghe leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and finally relaxed her tense nerves.

After the military vehicles left, the soldiers who had stayed behind at the forest farm began their follow-up investigation.

The soldier first gathered the villagers and educated youth from the forest farm and lined them up in an open space. "Hello everyone, I am Li Wei, the soldier in charge of this investigation."

"Zhang Qiang is suspected of violating the law and has been arrested in accordance with the law. Next, we need everyone's cooperation in conducting some inquiries, mainly to understand Zhang Qiang's daily behavior in the forest farm and whether any abnormal situations have been found recently. We hope everyone will answer truthfully and without any concerns."

After saying this, the soldiers divided the crowd into two groups: the educated youth stayed in the open space, while the villagers were taken to the brigade headquarters next door.

Li Wei first questioned the educated youth, from Zhang Qiang's usual attitude towards them, to the unusual events during the Naadam Festival, and then to the situation before Chen Yifan fell into a coma, asking in detail about each of them.

Zhao Xiaoyan and Wang Lili stepped forward and recounted in detail how Zhang Qiang had suspected the educated youth of stealing money and forcibly searched them.

The male educated youths also added that they talked about Zhang Qiang's usual arbitrary actions and misappropriation of supplies in the forest farm.

Meanwhile, the villagers at the brigade headquarters were also actively cooperating with the investigation.

Some villagers said that Zhang Qiang would occasionally sneak off to the back mountain, and they didn't know what he was doing. Other villagers mentioned that a strange man had come to see Zhang Qiang before, and the two talked for a long time at his house with the door closed, which seemed very mysterious.

The soldiers meticulously recorded every piece of information, constantly asking for details to ensure nothing was missed.

The investigation temporarily came to an end as the sun set.

Li Wei smiled slightly at everyone, "Thank you for your cooperation. We will contact you again if needed. As for the selection of the forest farm's captain, the higher authorities will arrange someone to take over as soon as possible, so you don't need to worry about your life and work."