Zheng Dayou chuckled a couple of times, but said nothing more, and then left with Gu Zhiyun.

He had been a village cadre for many years and knew that although Zhou Zhengqing was not popular, his father was a high-ranking official and could not be easily offended.

Zheng Dayou and Gu Zhiyun arrived at the village committee. Zheng Dayou even prepared a table for Gu Zhiyun and set out writing brushes and ink.

"Xiao Gu, take your time thinking, no rush! The key is to make the slogan catchy and appealing!"

Gu Zhiyun is quite adept at writing articles.

He excelled academically, ranking first in every subject, especially Chinese. His essays were always exemplary, and he won numerous awards in essay competitions.

The promotional article was completed in less than half an hour.

Gu Zhiyun picked up the manuscript to check for typos when Sun Xiumei passed by outside and knocked on the window.

"Captain, is something the matter?"

Sun Xiumei is a kind-hearted person who loves to meddle in other people's business. She is eloquent and knows how to get along with everyone. If there is a dispute between neighbors, or if someone has a difficult problem to solve, or even if someone wants to act as a matchmaker, they will come to her.

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Sun Xiumei walked in with a smile.

She first craned her neck to look at the promotional material written by Gu Zhiyun, and then gave it a thumbs up in praise.

"As expected of an intellectual, they excel at everything they do. Their handwriting is amazing, I've never seen such beautiful characters before."

While praising him, she thought to herself, "If Gu Zhiyun were my son-in-law, what a proud thing that would be! I'd be laughing in my sleep."

It's a pity that Mr. Gu didn't take a liking to his little daughter.

As she thought about it, Sun Xiumei's gossipy nature kicked in, and she lowered her voice to ask Gu Zhiyun:

"Gu, have you and Jingya made any progress?"

Gu Zhiyun's pupils contracted, and he clenched his hands nervously.

During this time, he and Shen Jingyan were very careful, only exchanging a few glances during the day and meeting again in a secluded grove after 10 p.m. at night...

Sun Xiumei laughed: "Look at you, what are you so nervous about? I'm not trying to arrest you, but I've already figured out that you're interested in Jingya. Haven't you taken any action yet?"

Gu Zhiyun: "..."

Sun Xiumei's "excessive concern" was really a bit overwhelming for him.

"Hey, I saw Aunt Xu's grandson come back yesterday. Have you seen that kid? His nickname is Xiao Peng. He's in the army and he's quite promising! Aunt Xu likes Jingya and might introduce her to her grandson! If you don't hurry, Jingya will be snatched away by someone else! To be honest, I still think you and Jingya are the best match."

Sun Xiumei's words struck a chord with Gu Zhiyun.

He had a sudden inspiration and quickly formulated a plan in his mind.

"Captain, I do like Jingya, but her aunt and cousin have caused a lot of trouble and smeared me. I'm afraid that if I'm nice to Jingya, people will gossip about me."

Hearing this, Sun Xiumei was deeply moved. She hadn't expected that a young man in his early twenties would have such a delicate mind.

“I originally wanted to talk to Uncle Gangzi, but he was so upset about Shen Yuqin and Zhou Zhengqing’s mess that I couldn’t find a suitable opportunity.”

Gu Zhiyun sighed helplessly, his brows furrowed deeply, perfectly conveying the restraint of "liking someone but only being able to silently watch their back."

Seeing that Gu Zhiyun was full of grievances, Sun Xiumei could no longer suppress her desire to take charge.

"Xiao Gu, this matter is both difficult and simple. If you go and propose it yourself, you're bound to attract gossip. But if an older person mediates, the matter will be settled!"

Gu Zhiyun had been waiting for these words. He rarely smiled and asked politely and respectfully:

"Captain, aren't you an elder? You can speak up for Uncle Gangzi. Why don't you do me the trouble and help me put in a good word for him?"

Sun Xiumei loved doing matchmaking and escorting work the most, and Gu Zhiyun had elevated her to a certain level, so she agreed without hesitation.

"Hey, it's just saying a few words! What's so difficult about that!"

After leaving the village committee, Gu Zhiyun's steps became much lighter.

On one side, Shen Jingyan carried a basket of mountain produce on her back, preparing to sell it in town.

It snowed again recently, and a lot of snow accumulated on the road to town. She felt it was a bit unsafe to ride a tricycle, so she switched to taking a truck from the forest farm.

The trucks at the forest farm are usually driven by Lao Xu, several workers from the forest farm, Gu Zhiyun, or Yang Zinuo in rotation.

Today is Thursday, and Shen Jingyan remembers that Gu Zhiyun and Yang Zinuo were driving.

No sooner had she stepped out of the dormitory than a truck pulled up in front of her, its horn blaring merrily twice. Jiang Wanpeng poked his head out of the truck and waved cheerfully to Chen Jingyan.

"Jingya, didn't you say yesterday that you were going to town today? Come on up!"

Shen Jingyan's eyes widened slightly: "Comrade Jiang, why are you driving a truck?"

Jiang Wanpeng proudly puffed out his chest: "I was in the army, I could even drive a tank! I'm just sitting here doing nothing anyway, so I'll help my grandpa deliver goods!"

The truck was loaded with timber in the back, and it looked like there was no room for anyone to sit in it.

In other words, if Shen Jingyan were to ride in this car, she would have to sit in the driver's seat with Jiang Wanpeng.

Shen Jingyan strongly suspects that today's events were arranged by Grandma Xu in advance!

It was all to create opportunities for her grandson to spend more time with her!

Shen Jingyan felt annoyed. Yesterday, she was so busy making Gu Zhiyun happy that she didn't immediately explain things to Grandma Xu!

Seeing that Shen Jingyan was standing still, Jiang Wanpeng jumped off the truck and enthusiastically took the basket from her back.

"Jingya, aren't you going to sell mountain products? Hurry up, or you won't be able to get a good spot!"

After struggling internally for a while, Shen Jingyan reluctantly got into the car.

Fortunately, the driver's seat was long enough, and she sat at the end closest to the door, so she wasn't too close to Jiang Wanpeng.

Jiang Wanpeng was in a great mood and started the truck while humming a military song.

The truck slowly drove out of the forest farm. Neither Shen Jingyan nor Jiang Wanpeng saw a pair of angry eyes staring at the truck from behind until it disappeared.

The truck drove for a while, and Shen Jingyan remained silent the entire time, trying her best to keep a serious expression on her face.

She hadn't forgotten what Gu Zhiyun had said last night: she wasn't allowed to smile at other men, otherwise he would immediately imagine a happy ending.

Last night, Jiang Wanpeng received two hours of "guidance from Grandma Xu on finding topics to talk about when dating," and he had a lot to say to Shen Jingyan.

"Jingya, would you like some water? I've added some white fungus to it; it'll soothe your throat."

"I'm not thirsty."

"Would you like a piece of candy? Honey shortbread, it's a reward from the battalion commander for me when I got first place in the last shooting competition."

"I don't like sweets."

"After I deliver the timber, shall I help you sell the mountain products?"

"No need, I'll send it directly to the kitchen of the state-run restaurant."

Jiang Wanpeng: "..."

He couldn't understand how the little girl, with her clever tongue, could kill the topic he had finally come up with.