After saying this, Yang Wanqiu lowered her head shyly, but in reality she was thinking that if Zhao Qianjin were any kind person, he should have left since she was already like this. After all, girls are so shy that they don't even dare to lift their heads, how can a grown man like you still stand there watching?

If Chen Shuning heard their conversation, she would definitely give those two hypocrites a good slap on the back without hesitation. She was worried that they would lead her astray. She and Brother He were talking openly in the courtyard, and they were still gossiping about her behind her back.

If you're really that virtuous, why don't you pay attention to your image? What's going on with you two, a man and a woman, spending so much time alone in a room?

Some men really do like Yang Wanqiu's witty remarks. After hearing Yang Wanqiu's words, Zhao Qianjin felt that the little woman in front of him was really kind and understanding. Oh no, I mean, understanding.

Even as an outsider, he couldn't stand Chen Shuning's attitude towards her these days, but Wanqiu was still speaking up for Chen Shuning at this point. What else could this be but kindness?

And when she just told me to go back and rest, was she showing concern for me? Does that mean she also has some feelings for me?

If he works a little harder, wouldn't it be soon enough for Wanqiu to agree to be his girlfriend?

This realization instantly ignited Zhao Qianjin's heart. Looking at Yang Wanqiu's shy face, and just as she had thought, he pointed to the food in Yang Wanqiu's hand and urged, "Wanqiu, eat it while it's hot, the eggs won't taste good if they get cold. Also, if you don't have anything else to do, I'll head back first. It wouldn't be good if others saw me staying here too long."

"By the way, Wanqiu, just leave your dishes aside after you've finished eating; I'll take them back to wash them later."

Yang Wanqiu was already impatient with dealing with Zhao Qianjin, especially since He Chaoyang was still outside. If Zhao Qianjin stayed in her room for too long, it might not have a good impact on her image in He Chaoyang's eyes. So, Yang Wanqiu was happy when Zhao Qianjin said he was leaving.

So, fearing that Zhao Qianjin might change his mind, he hurriedly said, "Brother Zhao, you're right. It's not good for the two of us to be alone for too long."

"Then I won't keep you any longer, Brother Zhao. You should go back and get some rest as soon as possible. I'm really sorry to have troubled you with cooking for me these past few days. Once I'm better, I'll definitely cook you a nice meal myself."

If Yang Wanqiu were smart, she would have realized on the spot that she was really treating Zhao Qianjin like a sucker.

The implication was that Zhao Qianjin would still have to bring her meals during her injury period. As for the earlier suggestion to pay the old educated youth to bring her food, she accepted the offer without mentioning it again.

Furthermore, it was one thing for her to have someone take care of her food and drink while she was injured, but in the end, all she did was invite Zhao Qianjin to a meal after she recovered, without mentioning at all that she should provide him with food rations.

You have to understand how precious food was at that time. Even landlords didn't have any surplus grain. How could Yang Wanqiu have the audacity to ask someone to cook for her without giving her any food?

She casually mentioned that she would treat someone to a meal once she recovered, hoping that Zhao Qianjin would continue to provide for her until her leg injury healed. This plan was undeniably shrewd.

But this blatant scheming was seen as genuine, cute, and unpretentious by Zhao Qianjin, who was infatuated with her beauty, and he didn't treat her like an outsider.

At this point, Zhao Qianjin had already considered Yang Wanqiu as his girlfriend, or even his future wife. It was perfectly normal for his wife to eat some of his food; he could always write to his mother for money when he was short of cash.

So after hearing Yang Wanqiu's words, he just smiled foolishly and replied, "I understand," before turning around and running out.

What's even more infuriating is that Zhao Qianjin, who ran back to the front yard, didn't actually go back to the house to rest. Instead, he followed He Chaoyang's example, took a wood-chopping knife and a rope, and went to the back mountain. He really did keep his word and went to the back mountain to collect firewood for Yang Wanqiu.

Yang Wanqiu had some savings, but because she had completely fallen out with her family, she now only had herself and the little money she had left.

Coupled with her past life experiences, she doesn't trust anyone. Even though she's determined to win He Chaoyang's heart, she feels she absolutely needs to have money.

Only the money in her own hands was truly reliable. Besides, she was afraid that if people knew that she, a helpless orphan, had so much money, it would attract the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives, who would then harm her like they did in her previous life.

Therefore, since going to the countryside, she has cultivated the persona of being helpless and penniless, because in Yang Wanqiu's eyes, this kind of persona is the easiest to arouse the pity of good men and keep away those with ulterior motives.

So although Yang Wanqiu rented a house and cooked for herself, she usually ate nothing more than vegetables from the old educated youth's private plot in the front yard. Her meals were usually bland and watery, and she didn't eat any better than the old educated youth in the front yard.

When Yang Wanqiu saw the golden-brown, sizzling eggs in front of her, she could no longer resist.

Having never eaten well, she had just seen Zhao Qianjin off when she eagerly picked up a large mouthful of egg and put it in her mouth, only to spit it out the moment it entered her mouth.

It turns out that although Zhao Qianjin's family was of average means, it was an extremely patriarchal family. This time, if it weren't for his sister's dissatisfaction with their parents' constant favoritism towards him, the eldest brother, he would have been sent to the countryside.

Forced to go to the countryside in place of Zhao Qianjin before she even graduated high school, Zhao Qianjin's sister stole money from home to find herself a husband and also stole the family's household registration book to register Zhao Qianjin for the rural assignment. Otherwise, Zhao Qianjin would never have had to go to the countryside.

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