After dinner, Song Yueying and her mother finished washing up. Song's mother washed the clothes she and Song Yueying had changed out of in the yard, while Song Yueying stood beside her fanning her.

The village didn't have electricity yet, and the houses relied entirely on the moon for lighting.

The neighboring courtyard was bustling with noise; there were voices, curses, and cries of pain.

The voices were Wang Muxiang and Song Rumeng's, and the cursing was Song's uncle's. Song's uncle had been cursing non-stop since she went home to recuperate after cutting her calf in the morning.

The cries of pain came from Wang Muxiang's nephew, Wang Laicai.

"Little Shadow, are you really not going to go next door to have Uncle Song and Wang Muxiang's nephew checked out?" Song's mother asked Song Yueying in a low voice while washing clothes.

Song's mother didn't want her daughter to go next door, but her daughter was a village doctor, and it was her responsibility to treat and save lives.

"No need." Song Yueying shook her head, waving her fan idly.

Seeing her mother's nonchalant demeanor, Song's mother asked in an even softer voice, "Uncle Song cut his calf, it's normal for him to be in pain. Do you know why Wang Muxiang's nephew is complaining of pain all over his body?"

She had asked the right person; she actually knew. Song Yueying smiled and said, "He was used to a life of luxury in the city, and suddenly he came to the village to do farm work."

"It would be abnormal if he didn't feel any pain, since he was still doing heavy work like carrying rice."

Song Yueying spoke frankly, as if Wang Laicai's pain had nothing to do with her.

"It's good that she's not sick or injured." Hearing her daughter say this, Song's mother felt relieved. "Little Shadow, no matter what Song Rumeng says, you must not go next door alone."

“That Wang Laicai is a good-for-nothing; he’s always trying to bully you.”

“Wang Muxiang and Song Rumeng are also heartless; neither of them has good intentions. You must not fall for their tricks and put yourself in danger.”

Just as they were having dinner, Song Rumeng called Xiao Yingzi to go next door to check on her father's injury, saying it was in a lot of pain.

Xiao Yingzi said that Uncle Song's calf wound was so long and required several stitches, so the pain was normal. Song Rumeng asked her for painkillers, but Xiao Yingzi said there were no painkillers available.

Song Rumeng had no choice but to go back.

A little while later, they came again, this time saying that Wang Laicai was complaining of pain all over his body and asked Xiao Yingzi to come and take a look at him.

The little shadow said it was caused by doing farm work, so there's no need to look at it.

Song Rumeng didn't believe it, so Xiao Yingzi asked her if she was in pain. Song Rumeng replied that her hands and shoulders were a little sore, and Xiao Yingzi said it was from doing farm work.

Song Rumeng wanted to say something, but a look from Xiao Qi scared her back. Unable to call out to Xiao Yingzi, and unable to refute her words, she could only go back.

But she was certain that Song Rumeng wouldn't let it go so easily; she would definitely think of other ways to trick Xiao Yingzi into going next door.

"We must fix our gate tomorrow, so that some people can come and go as they please," said Song's mother. She quickly washed the clothes and began to drain them.

“Okay.” Song Yueying nodded in agreement. “Aunt Li promised that she would go back to her parents’ home tonight and have her younger brother make the gate for our courtyard. We can bring it back and install it tomorrow.”

“Li Cui is a liar. If she doesn’t bring the gate back tomorrow, are you going to go to the fields and beat her?” Song’s mother snorted.

She had been deceived by Aunt Li for too long, and the lesson had been too painful; now she didn't believe a word Aunt Li said.

Song Yueying knew that her mother was being overly cautious after being bitten once, so she comforted her, saying, "Mom, don't worry, Aunt Li definitely won't dare to lie to us this time."

Song's mother nodded, as if in response to her daughter's words.

The clothes in the large wooden basin had been soaked twice. Song's mother wrung them out and dried them before hanging them on a bamboo pole in the yard.

The moon shone on the earth, and the sounds of frogs and insects in the fields filled the air.

"Big sister, big sister, we're here." The young boy from May led his friends to deliver the herbs they had gathered on the mountain during the day under the cover of night.

"Come in with me." Song Yueying led them into the main room and sat them down on a long bench. "You can line up and come in one by one."

The children were very well-behaved and lined up in an orderly fashion.

While inspecting their herbs, Song Yueying calculated the cost for them based on the market price of herbs.

When Song's mother came in and saw them busy, she took a bamboo fan and came over to fan Song Yueying. These were all the small, insignificant things she could do for her daughter.

Each boy received some money, and a satisfied smile appeared on their face.

In May, she leaned close to Song Yueying and whispered, "Big sister, I found a field full of mushrooms in the mountains. Do you want to buy them?"

"What kind of mushrooms did you bring back?" Song Yueying asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." May shook her head and held out her fist. "The mushroom was about the size of my fist. I didn't pick it up because I wasn't sure if you would accept it, Big Sister."

"I'll bring some back tomorrow when I go up the mountain to find herbs."

"Okay." Song Yueying nodded, then instructed him, "I haven't seen the mushrooms you mentioned before, and I don't know if they're poisonous or not. You absolutely must not pick them and take them home to eat."

"Also, you must remind your friends not to pick mushrooms from the mountains and take them home to eat."

In May, they nodded vigorously, as if pounding garlic.

Song Yueying recalled that these were times of scarcity, with vegetables and fruits being seasonal and scarce. Mushrooms picked from the mountains could also be a dish.

Seeing the young boys looking pale and thin, as if they had been malnourished for a long time, Song Yueying suddenly felt a pang of pity.

Looking up at the other boys, Song Yueying said, "I know there are a lot of mushrooms in the mountains now. You must have seen them when you went up the mountain to look for herbs."

"If you really want to eat mushrooms, you can pick some and I'll show them to you."

"I must confirm that the mushrooms are not poisonous before you can take them home to eat."

"I'll emphasize again, you can only take the mushrooms home to eat if they've been shown to me. If anyone disobeys and secretly picks mushrooms from the mountains to eat at home..."

"I am not responsible for any symptoms, whether it is poisoning or something else, after eating mushrooms. Also, there is no need to send me herbs every day."

As soon as Song Yueying finished speaking, the boys' expressions changed drastically. They all promised that they would not pick mushrooms from the mountains to take home and eat, only begging their leader not to refuse their medicinal herbs.

May also promised that he would keep an eye on his friends.

Song Yueying only agreed to let them go back after she saw that the beating had gone on long enough.

The boys instantly forgot Song Yueying's reprimand and happily left with the money.

"Children from poor families mature early," this saying perfectly describes them. Looking at the young boys' retreating figures, Song's mother felt a pang of sadness. "They're still so young, so very young..."

Looking at them, she remembered when Little Shadow's father had just died, and how difficult it was for her and Little Shadow.

“They may be small, but they’re quite bold.” Song Yueying rested her chin on one hand, lost in thought. With her other hand, her fingers tapped idly on the table.

Hopefully she's mistaken.

"Xiao Qi seemed to have said he would be back soon when he left." Song's mother glanced at the courtyard gate and said worriedly, "He hasn't come back yet. Could something have happened to him?"

"No." Song Yueying blurted out without thinking, and only after she finished speaking did she realize that she had spoken too confidently, which made her unbelievable.

Song Yueying's words weren't just meant to comfort her mother; she had personally witnessed Qi Yanjue's fighting prowess. He could attack enemies even when severely injured, and he could handle any situation.

"Xiao Qi, you're back." Song's mother looked at the door with joy.

Upon hearing this, Song Yueying looked over.

At the entrance to the main room, the moonlight cast a long shadow of the man's tall and upright figure.

"I'm sorry to have worried Mom." Qi Yanjue walked into the main room and looked at Song Yueying.

Sensing that he wanted to talk to his daughter, Song's mother very considerately made room for them. She told them to go to bed early, then took a kerosene lamp and went back to her room to sleep.

Only a kerosene lamp remained on the square table, stubbornly illuminating the entire main room.

After glancing at Qi Yanjue, Song Yueying didn't look at him again.

Her gaze fell upon the pile of fresh herbs in the main room. Qi Yanjue was back; how could she avoid him and get the herbs into the space experiment vehicle?

A large hand waved in front of her eyes. Song Yueying blinked and looked at the owner of the hand.

"What are you thinking about?" Qi Yanjue asked.

Song Yueying snapped out of her reverie, looked at him, shook her head, and said, "I wasn't thinking about anything."

"Let's go to bed early tonight." Knowing she wasn't telling the truth, Qi Yanjue didn't press her. He picked up the kerosene lamp from the table, took her hand, and led her into the house.

"Aren't you going back to the hospital tonight?" Song Yueying asked, trying to pull her hand away, but Qi Yanjue wouldn't let go.

"No reply," Qi Yanjue answered decisively.

Entering the room, Qi Yanjue placed the kerosene lamp on the desk under the window. He put down his backpack and took out a small box.

Turning around, he saw Song Yueying sitting on the edge of the bed, fanning herself with a bamboo fan.

He sat down beside her and handed her the small box he was holding. Qi Yanjue naturally took the fan from her hand and gently fanned her.

“I can fan myself,” Song Yueying said, reaching out to take the fan.

“I’m strong, I’ll fan you.” Qi Yanjue took the opportunity to grab her hand and put the small box in her hand.

Song Yueying looked at him in confusion, "It's for me."

"Hmm." Qi Yanjue nodded, gesturing for her to open the box. Song Yueying looked down at the small box, about the size of a palm, with a simple design.

Upon opening the box, Song Yueying found a women's watch inside. She looked at Qi Yanjue with surprise. A watch? What did it mean to suddenly buy her a watch?

Qi Yanjue felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, so he coughed lightly and said, "I will buy all the items you need for the wedding, and you can hold the wedding banquet wherever you like."

"But this isn't Beijing, so some items are unavailable even with tickets. We'll have to wait until we get back to get them for you."

Song Yueying was taken aback. "Are you serious?"

“Of course, I never joke.” Qi Yanjue put down his fan and stood up. He stood ramrod straight and looked at her with a serious expression. “Comrade Song Yueying.”

"I want to marry you, to become your revolutionary partners, and to stay together for life. I swear, I will be as loyal to you as I am to the country, and I will never betray you."

Looking at the man making the oath before her, Song Yueying suddenly felt a little dazed.

Imagine a man who is handsome and outstanding in every way. He swears to you that he will be as loyal to you as he is to his country, and will never betray you.

Who could stand this!

At this moment, Song Yueying's heart was pounding like a rabbit.

She had long forgotten her original intentions and plans.

Her original plan was that if she didn't divorce him, she would remain a military wife, and no one would bother her anymore. He would continue to risk his life for the country and the people, and the two would go their separate ways.

After a while, she took Song's mother away from the village and they went to find a place to live a leisurely life.

Seeing that she remained silent, Qi Yanjue felt uneasy. In his twenty-plus years of life, this was the first time he had fallen for a woman and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

He confessed his feelings, but she... did not respond.

Qi Yanjue said, "Yueying, you can tell me what you want. I can't exaggerate and say I can agree to everything, but I will do my best to do it."

"Since you enjoy making pills, I will do my best to help you find the raw materials."

"Qi Yanjue." Song Yueying shifted her body and patted the seat next to her. "Sit down, let's talk while we're sitting."

"Okay." Qi Yanjue sat down beside her, his deep eyes looking straight at her. "What do you want to say? If there's anything about me that you're not happy with, just tell me."

"I will change, I am sure I can change."

Seeing his anxious expression, Song Yueying calmed down. She gently patted his arm, "Don't worry, let's talk openly and honestly."

"I'm not in a hurry," Qi Yanjue said, but his eyes betrayed his anxiety and worry. He was afraid she wouldn't be satisfied with him, and even more afraid of being rejected by her.

He just couldn't calm down at that moment.

During his time as an undercover agent abroad, he faced numerous critical moments with composure. But now, facing Song Yueying, the little woman he loved, he couldn't remain calm.

"Give me five minutes." With that, Qi Yanjue got up and strode out of the house.

Song Yueying sat on the edge of the bed in astonishment. What happened to the open and honest talk? He had already fled in panic, and now he was talking about bird droppings!

Looking down at the watch in the box, Song Yueying realized it was an antique over fifty years old! Since she couldn't see it clearly from inside the box, she took it out and examined it closely.

There is a plum blossom logo on the back of the watch, which should be the legendary Plum Blossom brand watch.

A moment later, the door opened, and Qi Yanjue walked in calmly. His steps were composed and steady, a stark contrast to his hasty and desperate escape when he left.

It was as if the person who had just been there wasn't him.

Hearing the sound, Song Yueying looked up at him and saw that he had returned empty-handed. She asked, "What did you go out to do?"

"I went out to calm down," Qi Yanjue replied, his expression calm and composed, and sat down next to her.

He calmed down, he went out to calm down on purpose? Song Yueying was taken aback. Recalling his urgency when he left, yes, he was indeed a little flustered just now.

Wait... does he mean that confessing his feelings to her just now was an impulsive act?

Thinking about it this way, Song Yueying instantly became furious. "Qi Yanjue, are you saying that what you just said to me was said in a state of not being calm?"