After pondering for a while, Chen Shuning, who was still burying her head in the sand and thinking she would find another opportunity to talk to her mother before letting He Chaoyang meet with his family, was about to speak again to persuade He Chaoyang to leave first.

Seeing the jeep slowly driving onto the road from the other side, Chen Shuning became really anxious. She quickly grabbed He Chaoyang and pointed at the jeep, shouting, "Hey, hurry up and make the car wait! Otherwise, how are you going to get back?"

Chen Shuning, who was in a hurry, did not notice He Chaoyang's increasingly dark expression.

He was completely stunned by what He Chaoyang said next.

He Chaoyang's cold voice, the kind he usually used when speaking to others, came from above: "I remember we discussed the matter of submitting a dating report last time, and you agreed at the time."

Looking completely bewildered, Chen Shuning instinctively replied, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Seeing Chen Shuning's bewildered expression, He Chaoyang was completely exasperated and explained with a wry smile, "The relationship report requires a background check. In other words, once I submit the report, the military will send someone or send a letter to investigate your family situation."

So a few days after I submitted my relationship report, my aunt and uncle's workplace received a background check letter from the military. Do you still think my aunt and uncle didn't know we were dating?

"And if I hadn't known Auntie was coming today, that would have been one thing, but since I knew and didn't wait here to pick her up, that was my fault, don't you think?"

He Chaoyang's words struck Chen Shuning like a bolt from the blue, leaving her stunned and shattering any lingering hope she had.

Looking at He Chaoyang with a terrified expression, she stammered, "How was I supposed to know that submitting a dating report would require checking my family background! If I had known, I would have..."

Before Chen Shuning could finish speaking, he heard a sinister voice from above: "If I had known, what would you have done?"

He Chaoyang was standing next to the oxcart. Because of his tall stature, Chen Shuning, who was sitting on the oxcart, could only see He Chaoyang's chest.

Hearing that sinister voice, Chen Shuning quickly changed "If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed to date you" to "If I had known, I would have told my mom sooner."

He Chaoyang was clearly satisfied with the answer and switched to his usual gentle voice, saying, "It's still early. Would you like to grab something to eat first? Auntie might not have time to eat after getting off the bus. Let's buy her something to eat on the way, and then we can go to the supply and marketing cooperative."

"good."

For Chen Shuning, there's nothing a meal can't solve; if one meal doesn't work, then two will.

So when she heard that He Chaoyang was going to take her out to eat, her worries vanished instantly. She grabbed her shoes from the bamboo basket, put them on, and jumped off the oxcart.

He Chaoyang invited Old Yang to come along, but the old man refused. Firstly, he couldn't bear to part with his ox and was worried about leaving it there.

Another reason is that the old man knows He Chaoyang is busy in the army and the young couple can't see each other often, so he wants them to spend more time together.

Knowing that the old man cared about the cow, Chen Shuning didn't insist. She gave the old man the two lunch boxes that she had prepared in advance and wrapped in small cotton pads to keep them warm, and then followed He Chaoyang without a care in the world.