Cheng Chao was suddenly assigned a mission. He had originally planned to get some good things for Jian Dan, but there wasn't enough time now. He could only pack up the things and money he had and send them to Jian Dan.

"Your brother said he'll be back as soon as possible. He told you not to go deep into the mountains, to be careful, and if you're tired, to take it easy."

Even Liu Sanye thought the last line was too fake. When did Xiao Jian ever stop working because she was too tired?

"Oh, he also said that you don't need to worry about the two children, he has already made arrangements."

She opened her mouth briefly, but ultimately said nothing. Everything had been arranged so clearly; what could she say? Whether she needed it or not, this was her brother's way of showing his affection.

To paraphrase Versailles, it's a sweet burden!

During the break, several male educated youths went up the mountain. There were a few female educated youths in the educated youth compound. Su Hong was still living in the room near the entrance, but she was in the courtyard at the moment. Hearing the sound, she pushed open the door to greet them. After looking around, she recognized the person. After all, he was the only unfamiliar face she knew.

"Third Master Liu, you're back!"

Are these the new educated youth who arrived today?

Master Liu nodded.

"This is Xiao Jiang, an educated youth. She's the only one in this batch. Weimin told you, right?"

Little Jiang, these few…

He pointed to Su Hong, Tang Hongying, Wen Yan, Lin Nan, and a few others standing at the entrance of the educated youth compound, then pointed to Jian Dan and Mingzhu outside the door.

"And these two are the same two as you, both former educated youth. Ask them if you need anything."

As one of the insiders, seeing that Xiao Jiang, who had now put away all his thorns, was still just a child, the old man felt a little sorry for him and unconsciously gave him a few more words of advice.

"These educated youths nowadays are all good, and there are no messy things in our village, so you can rest assured."

Su Hong glanced at him with slight surprise; this old man didn't seem like a very enthusiastic person.

Upon arriving in a new environment, Jiang Ping, a former educated youth, was already easily frightened. She didn't relax much after hearing this; her whole body remained tense, and even her nods were stiff.

Jian Dan isn't a particularly enthusiastic person, but perhaps because he witnessed her resolute determination in the face of life and death, seeing her so timid now makes him feel uneasy.

Thinking it over, he pulled Huizhou inside and took over the conversation.

"I know, Third Master. We're all here, why aren't you worried?"

Upon seeing her, the old man immediately felt relieved. She was one of only three people in the village who knew the truth, and she wasn't reckless. He smiled immediately.

"Alright, alright, don't worry, I won't say anything more, you can make your own arrangements."

"After you're done packing, remember to take her to the village office to complete the formalities."

After Chen Jing and Wei Shujuan returned to the city, there were now nine male educated youth living in the educated youth compound, and seven female educated youth, including the one who had just arrived.

Su Hong still lives in the room near the courtyard gate, Bai Xiaoqin and Tang Hongying live in the room that Tan Yajun and the others used to live in, Wang Hongmei has her own room, Fang Xiaotong and Chen Xiuying live in one room, and there are empty rooms.

To be honest, there was no need for Jian Dan and Mingzhu; Su Hong and the others took the people inside. They were more like there to watch the fun.

Jiang Ping kept the formalities in mind. She put her luggage in the room and came out. The girls in the courtyard looked at each other. One was washing clothes, the other was chopping firewood, and the other was tending the vegetable garden. They all had something to do.

Jian Dan and Mingzhu exchanged a glance.

“You’re busy, we just happened to be heading to the village, let us take her there.”

Su Hong waved her hand, smiling broadly.

"Okay, then please take them there. It looks like it's going to rain, so I'll quickly wash these clothes."

"We're both off today, why don't we come over together when we get back?"

This has almost become a tradition. Every time a new educated youth arrives, they have to have a meal together at the educated youth compound. It's like the educated youth who have moved out, except for those who married villagers, almost all of them will participate.

The atmosphere at the youth settlement is much better than before, and Jian Dan and the others had no objections and readily agreed.

"Okay, we'll come over tonight."

It was already afternoon. The weather was muggy and there was no wind. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and there was definitely a sense that a heavy rain was about to fall.

The two of them, Jian Dan and Hui Zhou, walked ahead, swinging on a swing, while Jiang Ping followed beside them, occasionally saying a few words. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

As we approached the village office, Old Han led a group of militiamen who came running towards us. They were all young men, panting heavily, making quite a commotion.

Upon seeing them, the two boys in front rushed over with their eyes lit up. But when they noticed Jiang Ping two steps behind them, they immediately held their breath, tensed up, and even trembled slightly.

She paused for a moment, then subtly moved two steps to the side, blocking the two young men's view.

"Linzi, what are you rushing off to?"

Lin Zi, who has dimples when she smiles, quickly picked up Xiao Huizhou and spun her around in circles.

This person often interacted with Lin Dongfang, and obviously had played this game quite a bit. The child wasn't scared at all and even giggled.

"Sister Jian Dan, we need to go up the mountain. They've caught some wild boar. Let's go pick them up. Sister Ming Zhu, Brother Lin has already led the others up."

"Okay, be careful."

A group of young men ran off in a flurry, and Mingzhu complained.

"I knew it! The oxcart has already returned, but he still hasn't seen a trace of anyone. He's really busy."

Once the person was out of sight, Jiang Ping finally let out a long sigh of relief; her bangs seemed to have stuck to her forehead.

He glanced at it briefly, then thought to himself, "This situation doesn't seem good."

Mingzhu's attention was entirely focused on the child, and she didn't notice this detail.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!