"Does it hurt? You're a grown man, but you're so useless that you can still get hit by sparks."

"No, it doesn't hurt."

The truth was, Duan Xinyan went to the backyard utility room to get some snacks for the guests and bumped into Erlangzi in the hallway, carrying a charcoal basin. Because the charcoal was freshly pulled out of the stove and was burning brightly, Erlangzi was worried that sparks would fly onto Duan Xinyan's clothes.

He couldn't afford to pay for her clothes, so he panicked and quickly moved to the side. However, what he feared came true. His elbow hit the wooden wall, and the charcoal brazier in his hand instantly burst out with several sparks, but none of them hit Duan Xinyan, and all the sparks hit his head and face.

"Go ahead." Duan Xinyan glanced towards the aisle and walked towards the backyard.

She let the fool go like this and she couldn't deal with him. Normally, she would scold him even for no reason. His impulsiveness just now shocked her, and he was prepared to be scolded by her.

"Let's go." Jian Ning withdrew his gaze. Because of the bookshelf blocking the way, Erlangzi and Duan Xinyan who was heading to the backyard did not notice them.

Coming out of the bookstore, Jian Ning curled her lips slightly. Originally, she didn't want Duan Xinyan to pester Ma Xiaomai in the military camp, but it wasn't because Duan Xinping had such an intention, she wanted her to ask Duan Xinyan to come. But could Duan Xinyan really be interested in Erlangzi?

Jian Ning felt that it was hard to say given Duan Xinyan's personality. At first, she thought she liked Ma Xiaomai very much. After she came here, she always insisted on going back to the capital, but recently she hadn't heard her clamoring to go back.

She and Xu Dali arrived at the foot of Nanshan Mountain. Ding Youtian was holding her cloak in his arms and gave her a hand warmer. He and Tong Bajin were waiting for her.

Seeing Jane Ning coming, he smiled and took a few steps forward, handed her a hand warmer and put a cloak on her. Although Jane Ning didn't feel that cold, and he didn't say a word of concern, as if what he did was just an ordinary thing, Jane Ning was deeply moved.

In her previous life, apart from her master, another person who made her feel cared for was Captain Wu. Every time she went out on a mission, Captain Wu would remind her to pay attention to safety and to think about protecting herself first in case of an emergency.

But after traveling through time, she realized that the armed forces did not make an exception for her, but also treated any special police officer who went out on a mission the same way.

All her feelings in the past were wrong, and were just wishful thinking on her part. But the care that this man showed her was real, visible, and something she could truly feel.

"What do you want to eat at noon? I'll make it for you when we get home." Jian Ning glanced at him and smiled.

"Anything is fine." He then asked, "Do you still have those fried white sorghum biscuits that you brought from home?"

"It's all finished. If you want to eat more, I'll tell Shopkeeper Chen to go back to Dingxian Village and find Uncle San. I'll have him fish some out and have Sister Chang fry it. Then he can send it to the escort agency."

Ding Youtian smiled, nodding his chin towards the mountain. "Shopkeeper Chen is up there, as is Shopkeeper Tong. Dali has already taken care of the matter you mentioned yesterday about forming a local escort team. Over thirty people have signed up, and he and Brother Tong will bring them all out later."

Yesterday, Jian Ning told him about Ma Fuquan's proposal, and also mentioned that he would let Xu Dali, who used to be a bodyguard, form a local escort team. After Huo Jincheng connected the escort agencies in various places, the local escort team would only need to escort the ginkgo paste to the escort agency in the neighboring county, and the transportation chain would be opened up.

After Erniu made a fuss in the morning, she thought Ding Youtian would have forgotten about it, but she didn't expect that he had already gotten things done in such a short time.

As they climbed up the mountain, the wind made their cloaks rustle. The winter in the north was indeed much colder than in the south. Jian Ning didn't dare to imagine how the people who had defended this place for the past ten years had survived the lack of food and clothing.

The mountain looked much better than when they first arrived. At least it was no longer just rock and yellow earth; it was now covered in weeds. The hardy saplings Huo Jincheng had brought back from the capital to provide disaster relief in Danyang had grown to a full man's height thanks to the nourishment of alpaca dung.

The villagers were already digging holes in the trees, each one full of enthusiasm. Seeing them approach, they all waved and greeted them. Now, no one had to worry about making a living or being unable to keep warm in the harsh winter. The children could even attend the free county school, all thanks to the county magistrate and his wife. Seeing them, the villagers' enthusiasm grew even higher.

The mountain suddenly became lively, and the two shopkeepers, Chen Tong, strode up against the wind.

After Jian Ning told Chen Dazhi to give it to Uncle Ding San, she gave the hand warmer to Ding Youtian. She instructed people to cut off the apple branches, and then quietly led the spiritual spring water to her fingers, allowing it to penetrate into the roots to promote growth and survival rate.

Chen Tong and the other two also helped prune the branches. They had come to help after hearing the news. Chen Dazhi saw with his own eyes the love the people had for Jian Ning and Ding Youtian, and he felt more at ease. He assured Jian Ning that he would go straight to Dingxian Village when he returned and would definitely pass on the message to her.

But when they came down from the mountain, Ding Youtian asked them to go to his house for dinner. When they returned to the government office, Mei Niang heard the noise and came up to them, holding Xiao Yuer in her arms. She said with a smile, "Someone from your village has brought you two big packages of things. They were delivered by the postman, along with a letter. Madam Li has sent it to the Little Flower Hall. You two should go and take a look."

Ding Youtian raised his eyebrows and said happily, "It must be the clan leader and the village head. Let's go and take a look." He took Jian Ning's hand and walked quickly towards the small flower hall.

He read the letter while Jian Ning unpacked the package. "Oh, there's fried white fish roe. You just said you wanted to eat it, and they delivered it right away. It must have been fried by Sister Chang, the color is so beautiful." She took a piece of fish and put it to her nose to sniff. "Hmm, it smells like home, so good."

The letter was written by Master Chen. After reading it, Ding Youtian was stunned for a moment. Jian Ning looked up and asked him, "What's wrong? What did the letter say?"

Ding Youtian glanced sideways, a smile on his lips, "Guess who fried White Lady and sent her here?"

"Isn't it Sister Chang?"

He shook his head. "Uncle San, Mrs. Chang, and the clan leader brought some steamed pork and bacon. The sweet potatoes were brought by the village head uncle. We forgot to bring the sweet potatoes when we came back last time."

Apart from these people, the only person Jian Ning could think of was the second oldest brother, Ding Youliang. "Is it your second brother and Fang? Oh, no, it's San Gouzi and Mingyue, right?"

"No." Ding Youtian said, "It was my eldest brother. He asked Liu to fry these fish."

This was somewhat beyond Jian Ning's expectations. Although she asked Mr. Ding San to give the eldest brother and his wife a ride and brought them lunch when they were walking back from Jin County, they had indeed not been against her and Ding Youtian since then. He even brought the second and third brothers to support them when Pei Xiyuan came to the village, but they didn't have much contact with them in normal times. She really didn't expect that he still thought about them.

No, it should be said that he is still thinking about his younger brother Ding Youtian.

To be honest, Ding Youwang still acted like an older brother. Jian Ning looked up at Ding Youtian and saw that he still had a smile on his face, but his brows were slightly furrowed. She immediately thought of Ding Zhu, "Are you worried about Ding Zhu again?"