"Actually, you don't have to hold back." Leaning close to Qi Yanjue's ear, Song Yueying whispered, "I won't stop you from rushing in to save your cousin."

He held his chin tightly, trying to suppress his emotions, but he really didn't want to.

The warm breath sprayed on his earlobe, making Qi Yanjue's heart flutter. He quickly steadied himself and shook his head, saying, "He did something wrong, he deserved to be beaten."

Song Yueying liked hearing these words. They showed fairness, impartiality, and a pragmatic approach, without any cover-ups or blind protection.

Very good, this is how the people's soldiers should be.

Considering he was foolish enough to help his cousin, Song Yueying decided to tell him something: "Qi Yanjue, I'll tell you something interesting."

There's a faint fragrance in this room.

"It looks a lot like... well, you know."

After saying that, Song Yueying gave Qi Yanjue a knowing look with a smile.

In fact, Qi Yanjue didn't understand, but he had a good habit of asking if he didn't know, "Um, what is it?"

"You don't know what that thing is?" Song Yueying looked at him in surprise. Seeing him shake his head, and his expression not seeming to be faking it, she suddenly felt... speechless.

She leaned closer and whispered three words in his ear.

Qi Yanjue's face suddenly darkened. He turned his head and looked at Song Yueying in shock, asking in a low voice, "Really?"

“Really.” Song Yueying nodded affirmatively; her nose had never made a mistake.

Qi Yanjue turned his head back expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on Qi Yanyun inside the room. Wang Muxiang, stopped by Song Rumeng, also lowered his hand that was protecting his head.

His clothes were disheveled, and he looked quite disheveled. Although he didn't know his cousin well, Qi Yanjue had heard his family say a lot about how smart he was.

How could someone as intelligent as her be so easily fooled by Song Rumeng?

I'm afraid that if he tricked Song Rumeng into selling herself, she would still be foolish enough to help him count the money.

"What are you looking at?" Following Qi Yanjue's gaze, Song Yueying saw Qi Yanyun. He sat motionless on the edge of the bed with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Song Yueying said, "He was beaten so badly by Wang Muxiang with a book, yet he didn't utter a single sound."

Someone who can be so patient and tolerant must be no good.

Hearing what the person beside him said, Qi Yanjue turned to look at her. Song Yueying blinked, puzzled, and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

Qi Yanjue didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

Song Yueying felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. Her eyes flickered, and she said, "Next, they should be discussing how to resolve this matter. There's no point in watching. Let's go back."

He was about to jump down from the threshold when Qi Yanjue stopped him. He replied with a "okay" and then turned his back.

Song Yueying instantly understood his meaning and obediently climbed onto his broad back. Qi Yanjue carried the girl on his back out of the educated youth compound, just as he had come.

The two deliberately lowered their voices when they spoke, and left silently, without anyone in the room noticing.

"Qi Yanjue, based on your understanding of your cousin, do you really think he will marry Song Rumeng?" On the way back, Song Yueying asked Qi Yanjue while leaning on his back.

Although the road was a bit slippery, he walked steadily with every step. Song Yueying felt at ease, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

“I don’t know him, but he will marry Song Rumeng,” Qi Yanjue replied decisively.

Song Yueying was puzzled. "Anyone with eyes can see that Song Rumeng schemed against Qi Yanyun. He doesn't agree to the marriage, so Song Rumeng shouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Qi Yanyun could even be described as Song Rumeng being a scoundrel to him.

After all, the incident occurred at the educated youth settlement, and Song Rumeng herself went to his room.

“That’s true.” Qi Yanjue nodded in agreement. “If he chooses to go to the countryside, he has to stay here for at least two or three years. You’ve seen the conditions at the educated youth center.”

"His life will only get better if he marries Song Rumeng."

Song Yueying asked curiously, "How do you know he'll stay here for two or three years? And how do you know he married Song Rumeng to have a better life?"

"He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would sell himself or his marriage just to have a better life."

Qi Yanjue replied, "He responded to the national call to go to the countryside as an educated youth and contribute to rural development. Once a slogan is shouted, it must be done."

"With such high ideological awareness, there's no reason for them to only stay for six months or a year before going back."

“He eats and lives well at home, so he will definitely not adapt well to the simple educated youth camp.”

"As for what you said, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would sell himself or his marriage just to make life easier."

"All I can say is that, in the face of reality, some things and people can be given up."

Song Yueying always felt that he was implying something, especially when he emphasized the words when talking about people. It was as if he was reminding her, but she had no proof.

Forget it, she decided not to think about things she couldn't understand, lest she waste her precious brain cells.

Song Yueying looked around, then whispered in Qi Yanjue's ear, "Have your people in Beijing found anything? Any news about the person behind Qi Yanyun?"

The warm breath seeped into his ear canal, and Qi Yanjue's breathing quickened. He took a few deep breaths to calm his chaotic thoughts.

"Beijing is far from here, so even if we find out something, it won't get back to us so quickly." Qi Yanjue tried his best to make his voice sound calm, but his heart was far from calm.

Song Yueying also knew that communication and transportation were not well-developed at that time, and that she was being too hasty.

Sigh, let alone high-tech gadgets like smartwatches and smartphones, even having a basic mobile phone was a luxury. Wait, back then, phones weren't even common.

Song Yueying wondered again what exactly had caused her to be brought to this era.

With a soft sigh, Song Yueying got back to the point, "Qi Yanyun fell ill as soon as he arrived here. On the day you left, some educated youth came to ask me to treat him."

“I found out he was faking illness, so I did something a little trick and made him stay in the educated youth center for two days.”

“Now that something like this has happened to him, he will definitely contact his superiors.”

“We can use him to trace the clues and find out who is above him.”

"Okay," Qi Yanjue replied, without asking what tricks she had used. Qi Yanyun had disregarded ethics and coveted Yueying; Yueying could do whatever she wanted to him.

If he hadn't been on a mission, he would have personally given Qi Yanyun a good beating long ago.

He simply replied "okay" and then said nothing more, which surprised Song Yueying. Did he really believe her so readily? What if her guess was wrong?

Thinking this to herself, Song Yueying asked, "Qi Yanjue, you trust me so much, what if my guess is wrong?"

"It doesn't matter if one or two clues are wrong, just find another clue and continue investigating." Qi Yanjue is not the kind of person who doesn't know how to be flexible or can't accept failure.

On the contrary, he believes that everything and everyone is subject to change. If he fails, he will not be discouraged, but will learn from his mistakes and strive for success next time.

Since he's already said that, what else could Song Yueying say?

Qi Yanjue walked quickly, and soon the two arrived at the outside of his courtyard. He didn't put Song Yueying down from his back, but carried her directly into the courtyard.

Seeing Wang Qianqian squatting by the pile of herbs and rummaging through them, Song Yueying realized that she hadn't seen Wang Qianqian at the educated youth settlement.

Wang Qianqian, who was searching for medicinal herbs in the courtyard, turned around when she heard the sound and was stunned to see Qi Yanjue carrying Song Yueying in.

"Put me down." Song Yueying patted Qi Yanjue's shoulder.

"Okay." Qi Yanjue squatted down and put her down, only withdrawing his hand after making sure she was standing firmly.

"Xixi, why didn't you go to the educated youth center to watch the excitement?" Song Yueying asked as she walked. She asked casually, but she didn't forget that she had told Xixi to come along before she left.

"The roads outside are too slippery, and I'm afraid of falling, so I've decided not to go." This was the reason Wang Qianqian had prepared beforehand.

She was too embarrassed to tell the truth, because when she ran out of the courtyard gate, she happened to see Comrade Qi carrying the teacher away.

Not wanting to be a third wheel, I decided not to go and watch the excitement.

Song Yueying chimed in, "The roads outside are indeed slippery, and they haven't dried much even after the sun came out. If Qi Yanjue hadn't carried me, I would have preferred not to go see the excitement if I had walked there myself."

"You can tell by looking at the mud on Qi Yanjue's feet."

When talking about Qi Yanjue carrying her on his back, Song Yueying wasn't embarrassed at all.

Walking up to Wang Qianqian, Song Yueying looked at the herbs she had picked out and placed aside. "Qianqian, we're just here to watch the excitement!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"You only picked out this many herbs?!"

Wang Qianqian didn't think she had picked out many herbs, and smiled shyly.

Song Yueying didn't tease her anymore, and squatted down in the same spot to continue searching for suitable medicinal herbs to plant. As she picked, she told Wang Qianqian about what she had seen during her time as an educated youth.

Previously, Wang Qianqian had only heard the gist of the story, but now, hearing Song Yueying's account, she could hardly believe it.

Wang Qianqian said, "Song Rumeng so rashly gave herself to that new educated youth. Wasn't she afraid of misjudging people and ruining her life?"

"To put it another way, she's putting her future on the line," Song Yueying said. "If she wins, her future will be bright; if she loses, she'll be left without a choice."

That's exactly what the original owner did, and he succeeded.

Song Rumeng must have succeeded because the original owner of this body succeeded to dare to act so recklessly. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the original owner's luck and vision; Qi Yanyun is not Qi Yanjue.

To be honest, the original owner wasn't exactly lucky, since the original owner has disappeared and she has transmigrated into this world.

"That's really an apt description!" Wang Qianqian exclaimed. "Song Rumeng is willing to risk everything for a bright future, even her reputation and dignity. She's truly willing to go to any lengths."

“She’s never been one to care about face or reputation, so she’s naturally willing to go all out,” Song Yueying said with a smile. “If she cared about face or reputation even a little, she wouldn’t have lied to me like that.”

"Song Rumeng is really... really... I definitely could never do something like that." Wang Qianqian felt horrified just thinking about it.

“That’s why people are different,” Song Yueying said. “Some people value their reputation and honor above all else and won’t allow themselves to have even the slightest stain.”

"But people like that live a very tiring life."

"Sissi, I hope you don't become that kind of person."

There's a saying that goes, "Instead of wasting your own time, it's better to torment others. When things go wrong, reflect less on yourself and complain more about others."

The herbs in her hand fell to the ground. Wang Qianqian stared blankly at Song Yueying, her gaze growing increasingly fervent. What the teacher said… was too… too shocking.

The educated youth always said that Teacher Song was a village girl who hadn't read many books, but that was because they didn't have the opportunity to get to know her.

After spending time with Teacher Song, you'll realize that she's no ordinary person. She firmly believes that by following Teacher Song, she will definitely succeed.

Song Yueying's words stunned Qi Yanjue, who was digging the ground. It was the first time he had heard such anti-educational remarks.

He was taught during his school years that studying hard and making progress every day, and that respecting the elderly and caring for the young are traditional virtues.

After joining the army, one is willing to risk one's life, putting the interests of the country first, the interests of the people second, and personal interests... are insignificant.

A bird call brought Qi Yanjue back to his senses. He put down the hoe in his hand and walked towards the courtyard gate.

"Qi Yanjue, where are you going?" Song Yueying asked his retreating figure.

Qi Yanjue stopped and turned around. "I have something to do and will be back soon."

Song Yueying said, "Then you should go and come back soon. The ground in the yard hasn't been turned over yet. I've picked out quite a few herbs, so you'll need to dig out some more ground for me."

"Okay." Qi Yanjue nodded, turned around and walked out of the courtyard gate.

Song Yueying stared at the courtyard gate, her gaze lingering for a long time. It was Wang Qianqian who noticed her inaction and called out, "Teacher, Teacher, what are you looking at?"

"It's nothing." Song Yueying looked away and continued searching for herbs.

Wang Qianqian was a sensible person; if Song Yueying didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't ask. She just glanced at Song Yueying every now and then, keeping an eye on her movements.

Song Yueying knew what Wang Qianqian was doing, but didn't say anything.

A while later, Qi Yanjue returned. He didn't continue digging, but walked up to Song Yueying. Looking directly at her, he said, "Yueying, someone wants to see you."

"Who wants to see me?" Song Yueying blinked in confusion.

Qi Yanjue gently shook his head, and Song Yueying immediately understood that he wasn't unaware, but rather unable to speak. Moreover, she saw a serious expression in his deep eyes.

It seems that the person who wants to see her is no ordinary person.

Since she couldn't say, Song Yueying didn't ask. She said to Wang Qianqian, "Qianqian, Qi Yanjue and I are going out for a while. You stay home and keep an eye on things."

“My mom went up the mountain to look for mushrooms. When she comes back, tell her that Qi Yanjue and I went out on business and that she shouldn’t worry about us.”

"Okay, you can go and do your business without worry. I'll take care of things at home," Wang Qianqian solemnly assured her. "I'll stay with Auntie when she gets back."

"Thank you." After thanking Wang Qianqian, Song Yueying quickly stood up and said to Qi Yanjue, "Wait for me a little while, I'll go back inside to get the cloth bag."

Qi Yanjue nodded.

Song Yueying walked quickly toward the main room.

Wang Qianqian looked at Qi Yanjue, hesitating several times before finally gritting her teeth and saying, "Comrade Qi, the teacher is a good person, please be sure to protect her."

"She's my wife, and protecting her is my responsibility." Qi Yanjue's deep voice was completely flat, yet it gave people a very reliable feeling.

At least, that's what Wang Qianqian was thinking at that moment.