Chapter 49 She is Jiang Zhizhi!!
Old Liang didn't think there was anything wrong with Jiang Zhizhi's letter of introduction, and readily agreed: "Okay, I'll go get it for you."
Back at the village committee, he went inside, took out his key, opened the cabinet, rummaged around for a bit, and found Jiang Zhizhi's letter of introduction: "Take a look."
Zhou Xiye took the letter of introduction, glanced at it, and was shocked by the name: Jiang Zhizhi!
The character 知 has some connected strokes, and at first glance it looks like the character 如. The second 知 uses a simplified symbol commonly used by people, indicating that it is the same as the first character.
The letter of introduction stated: Comrade Jiang Zhizhi is going to northern Gansu to search for relatives; we hope that all relevant units will provide assistance…
Below is the official stamp of the Logistics Department of Xiangshan Compound, and the signature of Zhang Guifa, the director of logistics!
She is Jiang Zhizhi!
Zhou Xiye was shocked. He never imagined that the wife he had been searching for but had never met was right beside him.
Seeing Zhou Xiye staring intently at the letter of introduction, Old Man Liang asked curiously, "Captain Zhou? Is something wrong?"
Zhou Xiye calmly folded the letter of introduction and handed it to Old Man Liang: "No problem. By the way, don't let Comrade Xiao Jiang know about this."
Old Liang nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, don't worry, I definitely won't tell. Otherwise, she'll think we don't trust her."
Zhou Xiye nodded, then asked Old Man Liang, "Is Xiao Jiang from Beijing? Isn't he an expert from the provincial capital?"
Old Liang sighed: "Well, let me tell you about it. The experts from the provincial capital couldn't come because of a sudden illness, so Da Zhuang foolishly dragged Xiao Jiang back."
"Xiao Jiang is quite pitiful. At such a young age, her family forced her to marry a decrepit old man. She attempted suicide and injured her arm, but her family still wouldn't let her go. With no other option, she ran away."
The more I talked about it, the more heartbroken I became about Jiang Zhizhi's plight: "What a wonderful girl she was, how could her parents be so heartless? I reckon the other party must be an official, and her family wanted to climb up to him because they saw his power and influence."
Zhou Xiye's throat tightened, and he didn't know what to say.
He was the grumpy old man Jiang Zhizhi described—the one with a bad temper, a penchant for domestic violence, and a bit of power!
She nodded slightly: "Uncle, I'll head back now. If you have any questions, you can find me on the mountain or at the camp."
Old Liang warmly escorted Zhou Xiye to the front door: "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? It's Mid-Autumn Festival today, and we're making dumplings."
Zhou Xiye politely declined, saying, "No need. The team has an activity tonight. I'll come another day."
Old Liang nodded repeatedly, watching Zhou Xiye walk away with a smile, before happily returning to his office to put away Jiang Zhizhi's letter of introduction.
Although he didn't know Zhou Xiye's purpose in wanting to see Jiang Zhizhi's letter of introduction, he guessed that Zhou Xiye had some feelings for Jiang Zhizhi. Even if they got married, a man can't possibly have only one woman in his life.
Not to mention a man as capable as Zhou Xiye.
Therefore, he classified this as a tacit secret among men, which could not be revealed to outsiders.
He kept his mouth shut and didn't tell anyone, including Yang Fengmei.
Zhou Xiye was still a bit confused when he left the village committee, and unconsciously took a detour, passing by Old Man Liang's house.
Looking over the low wall, the setting sun bathed the courtyard in its glow. Jiang Zhizhi, wearing a pale yellow coat, sat in the yard helping Yang Fengmei pound garlic. She looked up at Yang Fengmei with a smile, not knowing what Yang Fengmei had said.
It was a bit far away, so I couldn't see her very clearly, but I could tell she was genuinely happy.
Zhou Xiye slowed down, glanced at the scene, and hurriedly walked towards the threshing ground before driving back to the mountain camp.
...
Zhang Zhao noticed that his boss had returned from his trip and was sitting on a rock smoking, gazing intently at the distant, dark mountains.
After thinking for a moment, he carefully sat down next to Zhou Xiye: "Boss, don't worry, we'll definitely be able to find out who's behind this this time."
Zhou Xiye ignored Zhang Zhao, took a deep breath, and as he exhaled the smoke, his mind was in turmoil.
He never imagined that Xiao Jiang was Jiang Zhizhi!
The person he was looking for was right under his nose every day.
But one thing is certain: Jiang Zhizhi knows him!
The wariness I felt when we first met in the middle of the night, and the awkwardness I felt when we met again on the train.
Even in the village, every time I saw him, I felt like I was facing a formidable enemy, with a sense of caution and wariness.
It seems that only in these last two times have I let my guard down and been able to face him with ease.
Zhou Xiye took another drag of his cigarette, and he suddenly didn't know what to do.
He suddenly hesitated about this marriage.
He thought again of the time on the train when he bandaged Jiang Zhizhi's wound, and the deep, long, hideous scar on her wrist.
She resisted this marriage by attempting suicide; she preferred to live a hard life in the village rather than acknowledge him and marry him.
Standing by the river, she said earnestly and firmly that arranged marriages were unacceptable and that she had to take responsibility for her own life.
My mind is even more confused!
My heart feels like it's been woven into an impenetrable net; I can't get out, and I don't want to get out.
Zhang Zhao had never seen Zhou Xiye like this before, so eerily silent. He cautiously asked again, "Boss, it's time to eat. Aren't you going to go and say a few words?"
Zhou Xiye snapped out of his daze, flicked away his cigarette butt, and said, "Let's go."
He jumped off the rock as if nothing had happened and walked towards the camp.
Zhang Zhao exclaimed and chased after him, "Boss, boss, what's wrong? Did you find something?"
Zhou Xiye glanced at him: "How did it go with my order to keep an eye on the educated youth settlement?"
Zhang Zhao patted his chest: "It's completely under control."
Zhou Xiye ignored him and walked straight ahead.
In just a short while, he made a decision: since Jiang Zhizhi didn't want him to know who he was, he would pretend he didn't know.
Although things seem stable on the outside, it's still quite difficult for a young girl to establish herself.
It's safer to stay under their noses, and it'll be easier to explain to the Jiang family later.
Of course, there was also a bit of personal selfishness and reluctance.
...
Yang Fengmei was very generous tonight, making a lot of dumplings and cooking two dishes. She even allowed Old Man Liang and Liang Dazhuang to have some wine. She then said to Jiang Zhizhi, "Let's eat quickly. After we finish eating, we'll go to the river to look at the moon. I heard that wishes made today are very effective."
Jiang Zhizhi was somewhat interested, mainly because she had a very enjoyable meal today. The fried pork crackling dumplings were bursting with oily broth with every bite, and the aroma was rich, greatly satisfying her taste buds and stomach.
So he happily agreed to Yang Fengmei's request: "Can I make a wish? Then I'll make a wish that we can all eat meat dumplings every day from now on."
Yang Fengmei couldn't help but laugh: "Silly child, you're talking in your sleep. Let's go after we've eaten our fill?"
When the two arrived at the riverbank, there were already quite a few people sitting there, chatting and watching the moon. Because they couldn't engage in feudal superstition, no one was holding any moon-worshiping activities.
Jiang Zhizhi and Yang Fengmei found a secluded spot to sit down, listening to the gurgling river and watching the moon climb to the treetops and fall into the river—a tranquil and beautiful scene.
No one even noticed when Zhou Xiye and Zhang Zhao arrived...
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