Shen Honggang is quite old, so he certainly wouldn't be easily moved by a few sincere explanations.

He asked with a stern face, "You're swearing on your integrity? How much is your integrity worth?"

Gu Zhiyun was both amused and exasperated: "Then what do I have to do for you to believe in my sincerity towards Jingya?"

Shen Honggang had been testing Gu Zhiyun, so he went ahead and said threateningly, "You've already taken advantage of Jingya. If you get a marriage certificate with Jingya right now, I'll believe you!"

Shen Jingyan was quite frightened upon hearing this, but before she could speak, Gu Zhiyun said without hesitation:

"Okay! I'll write to my parents right away and ask them to send me my household registration booklet!"

Shen Honggang and Shen Jingyan were both stunned.

"You...you're serious?" Shen Honggang asked incredulously.

Gu Zhiyun stared intently at Shen Honggang and said decisively:

“Uncle Gangzi, if I were the same kind of person as Zhou Zhengqing, I wouldn’t have let the captain of the inspection team act as a matchmaker. The reason I dared to let her act as a matchmaker is, of course, to marry Jingya. Since you want me and Jingya to get a marriage certificate, why should I refuse? I’m more than happy to do so!”

The words Shen Honggang used to provoke Gu Zhiyun were exactly what he wanted most!

He was already afraid he wouldn't be able to get past Shen Honggang, but he never expected that this only elder who could be Jingya's master would be the first to propose that he and Jingya get a marriage certificate!

So what else is there for him to hesitate about?

Once you get the marriage certificate, you're legally married and can move in together openly...

The thought of being able to hold his little darling and fall asleep every night makes him wish he could get the marriage certificate today!

These frank and sincere words left Shen Honggang at a loss for words.

Shen Jingyan shook Shen Honggang's arm, blushing as she said, "Uncle, we can't get the marriage certificate yet!"

Gu Zhiyun became anxious: "Why not? Jingya, don't you want to marry me?"

Chen Jingyan: "I..."

She tugged at her braids shyly, half-scolding and half-resentfully saying, "Getting a marriage certificate is marriage! How can marriage be so rushed!"

Although she had made up her mind that she would only recognize Gu Zhiyun as the man in her life, the two of them had not been together for very long, and Gu Zhiyun's parents did not even know that she existed. How could she skip the two elders and get married directly?

Shen Honggang hurriedly walked down the steps that Shen Jingyan had laid out:

"Yes, yes, we can't rush into getting the marriage certificate! Jingya is my only niece, and she has to have a grand wedding. You have to show some sincerity. Don't think you can trick my Jingya into marrying you with just a few words!"

Gu Zhiyun smiled and said, "Uncle Gangzi, does that mean you agree to me and Jingya dating?"

Shen Honggang: "???"

He almost laughed out of anger: "You little rascal, who taught you that? You're so clever!"

Seeing that Shen Honggang had calmed down and the atmosphere had eased, Shen Jingyan figured he wouldn't have the urge to hit anyone for the time being, so he let go of Shen Honggang's arm and walked to Gu Zhiyun's side.

Gu Zhiyun had been busy making statements the whole time, and Shen Honggang had misunderstood her for so long, so she had to say something too, otherwise Comrade Gu would feel wronged.

She took Gu Zhiyun's hand and intertwined their fingers. The two stood together, the golden sunlight shining on their smiles, making them look radiant.

Shen Honggang felt a brief heart attack, and said resignedly, "Okay."

Gu Zhiyun's heart leaped with joy. He really wanted to hold his little girl in his arms, climb to the very top of the snow-covered peak, and shout to the whole world:

"Jingya is my girlfriend!"

Shen Honggang straightened his face again and admonished him in the tone of an elder: "Gu, don't get too cocky. That rich girl from the city—"

“She has nothing to do with me, and I will sever all ties with her,” Gu Zhiyun gave the most decisive reply.

Shen Honggang picked up the shovel from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, took a few steps, then turned back and warned:

"Don't go too far in broad daylight! If I see you doing this again, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

He made a harsh statement, then shouldered his shovel and went up the mountain.

Before Shen Honggang's figure had even disappeared, Gu Zhiyun couldn't wait to hug Shen Jingyan and kiss her on the cheek.

Shen Jingyan was extremely shy. She had never been so intimate with Gu Zhiyun in broad daylight before, and she felt a little uncomfortable.

"You...you'd better get to work, or Grandpa Xu will count it as absenteeism and won't give you any work points!"

Gu Zhiyun nuzzled her temple with the tip of his nose and whispered intimately in her ear:

"Come to the educated youth's room for dinner tonight. I want to announce to the world that Shen Jingyan is my girlfriend!"

Shen Jingyan gave a soft "hmm".

After the two parted ways, Gu Zhiyun carried his logging tools up the mountain. Everyone was quite surprised to see that his usually indifferent handsome face was actually carrying a faint smile.

"Old Gu, what are you laughing at? Are you in your bridal chamber?" Yang Zinuo teased.

For the first time ever, Gu Zhiyun smiled at him, revealing her teeth: "Soon."

Seeing that he was beaming with joy, Yang Zinuo assumed that he had cleared up the misunderstanding about his "city girlfriend" and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Old Gu, what are you going to do about that young lady?"

Yang Zinuo and Gu Zhiyun were childhood friends, so they naturally knew Zhao Yanyan's temper. If that young lady made a scene, the entire capital compound would be in chaos.

Gu Zhiyun frowned in disgust: "She has nothing to do with me, I don't need to worry about her."

"What if she starts making a scene?" Yang Zinuo asked in a worried low voice. "And what if she goes to cause trouble for Jingya? You know Jingya's temper; when she gets angry, she'll grab an axe and start chopping people up. What if..."

"She won't be able to cause trouble for long; her parents will send someone to pick her up."

Gu Zhiyun said, "My Jingya doesn't go around slashing people. Don't make her sound so fierce."

Yang Zinuo was thoroughly embarrassed by the display of affection and grinned, saying, "Your Jingya, that's so cheesy!"

Gu Zhiyun glanced at him, then carried her tools to cut down another tree.

...

Grandma Xu came out of the main house and saw a girl in a white coat sitting on a tree stump in the open space, crying her heart out. In an instant, she knew who she was.

The forest farm is only so big, so good news and bad news spread like wildfire.

She had just heard that a girl from the city claimed to be Gu Zhiyun's girlfriend, but Gu Zhiyun scolded her with a dark face.

Grandma Xu was kind-hearted. Seeing Zhao Yanyan crying so pitifully, she stepped forward and said with concern:

"Honey, it's cold outside, come inside and have some hot water!"

When Zhao Yanyan saw a kind-looking old lady standing in front of her, she said politely, "Thank you, Grandma."

She followed Grandma Xu into the main room. Grandma Xu warmly pulled her to sit down, but when Zhao Yanyan saw that the kang (a heated brick bed) was covered with yellowed newspapers and had a faint smell of smoke, she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Please, have a seat!"

Zhao Yanyan moved aside slightly: "No need, I'm not tired, I can just stand."

Grandma Xu poured her a cup of hot water: "Here, have a sip, warm yourself up!"

Seeing that the water jug ​​was chipped and worn, indicating it had been used by countless people, Zhao Yanyan quickly waved her hand and said, "I'm not thirsty, I'm not thirsty!"