"Fiancé?" Xu Xinghe was completely stunned, then found it absurd.
From beginning to end, she only had Jiang Linchuan as her fiancé; it was probably just an excuse he made up.
Xu Xinghe composed herself, suppressing her doubts. "Thank you, comrade, and please thank your brother for me. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known there was such a dangerous situation. By the way, could you please pass on a message to your brother to help investigate this person's identity? I will naturally thank him then. If there is any news, please let me know immediately."
She knew that Old Black would definitely agree.
After seeing the man off, Xu Xinghe returned to the courtyard, her mind replaying his words over and over.
Who would use such an absurd excuse as a fiancé?
If the intention was simply to kidnap someone, wouldn't it be easier to come up with a simple reason?
She carefully recalled the people she knew. Most of the villagers were simple and honest, and she got along well with her comrades in the military. She really couldn't think of anyone who would be so hostile towards her.
She felt like something was off...
Xu Xinghe became more and more confused as she thought about it. She felt as if she had vaguely grasped some clues, but those clues were like smoke between her fingers, fleeting and impossible to hold onto.
Just as she was frowning and deep in thought, Wang Chunmei's cheerful voice came from the courtyard gate, "Xinghe, are you home?"
Xu Xinghe looked up and saw Wang Chunmei standing at the door with a bamboo basket filled with freshly picked vegetables.
"Aunt Mei, what brings you here?" She quickly stood up, temporarily suppressing her doubts.
"I just picked some greens from the back slope because the weather was nice, and I thought I'd bring some over to you."
Wang Chunmei walked into the courtyard. "It's still chilly outside. Why are you sitting here in a daze?"
"There's something I just can't figure out." Xu Xinghe smiled, not mentioning the kidnapping. She decided to have Lao Hei investigate first.
Wang Chunmei didn't ask any more questions. "What are you thinking about? Don't think about it for now! Spring plowing has started on the land behind the military headquarters. A lot of soldiers are busy there. Haven't you always wanted to see what farming is like in the north? Come on, I'll take you to see it. We can also see what kind of crops are suitable for us."
Xu Xinghe nodded. Perhaps going out for a walk and changing her mood would help her clear her mind.
She put the book away and followed Wang Chunmei to the fields behind the military headquarters.
As soon as I reached the edge of the field, I saw a lively scene.
The soldiers, dressed in military green training uniforms, were doing spring plowing, and each of them had a look of enthusiasm on their faces.
Sunlight spills across the fields, and the fresh scent of earth mingles with the aroma of spring grass, instantly brightening one's mood.
Wang Chunmei explained from the side, "Our Heilongjiang province has short summers and long winters, so we have to choose crops that are frost-resistant and early-maturing. Look at this one..."
After the introduction, Xu Xinghe followed her into the fields. Watching the soldiers working diligently, a thought suddenly struck her: "Aunt Mei, I want to go down and try it too. I can learn how to plow in spring and get a feel for our soil. Maybe it will come in handy in the future."
Wang Chunmei smiled and nodded, "Okay, come on, I'll go borrow a small hoe from Squad Leader Zhang. He's a pro at farming, let him teach you!"
Squad Leader Zhang, a dark-skinned veteran, immediately handed over a small, well-sharpened hoe when he heard that Xu Xinghe wanted to learn how to till the soil. "Comrade Xu," he said, "the black soil in Heilongjiang Province may look loose, but you have to use a little skill. First, stick the tip of the hoe into the soil, then flick your wrist and pull it back. This way, the clods will break up evenly, and the seeds will take root more easily when sown."
Xu Xinghe took the hoe and tried to shovel it down like Squad Leader Zhang, but as soon as he put in the effort, the hoe tilted and splashed mud all over his pants.
This thing looks simple, but it's actually quite difficult.
The soldiers around him couldn't help but laugh.
Xu Xinghe was not discouraged. He wiped the sweat from his face and tried again, following Zhang's movements.
This time, the soil was finally turned over. The dark brown soil had a moist smell and contained tiny grass roots and decaying leaves.
“This is black soil, everything grows well here.” Squad Leader Zhang squatted down and picked up a handful of soil to show her. “But there are some things to consider. When planting wheat, you have to turn it over deeper, about seven or eight inches, so that the roots can go down. When planting soybeans, you have to turn it over shallower, four or five inches is enough, otherwise the sprouts won’t come out.”
Xu Xinghe listened attentively, then squatted down and grabbed a handful of soil. He crushed the soil particles between his fingertips and found that it was indeed softer than the red soil in Shanghai. When he kneaded it into a ball and then let it fall apart, the clods would easily crumble.
She followed Squad Leader Zhang and turned over two ridges of soil. Her forehead was covered in sweat and her arms were sore, but looking at the neat ridges she had turned, she felt a great sense of accomplishment.
At this moment, the soldier in charge of sowing seeds handed over a small bamboo basket. "Comrade Xu, would you like to try sowing seeds? Spring wheat should be sown evenly, with each seed spaced about two fingers apart."
She took the bamboo basket and, imitating the soldier, gently flicked her wrist, causing the golden wheat seeds to fall evenly into the furrow.
Wang Chunmei helped out from the side, "and she learned quite quickly."
As the sun gradually rose and began to set in the west, Xu Xinghe spent the afternoon learning, not only mastering the basic techniques of turning the soil and sowing seeds, but also figuring out the characteristics of the soil in Heilongjiang Province.
Looking at the neat rows of earth and the sown seeds in the field, she suddenly realized that no matter how many problems she faced, as long as she worked diligently and practically, she could always find a solution.
Just like this land sown in spring, once the seeds are sown, the day of harvest will always come!
On the other side, after receiving Xu Xinghe's reply, Lao Hei immediately sent people to look for him.
The scarred man was the first to be targeted; he was determined to find the dog that bit him, no matter what!
I won't be satisfied until I give him a good beating!
The scarred man, along with his two brothers, began searching the area where Xu Mingli last disappeared, starting from the alleys of the town.
That area, filled with low, mud-brick houses, was the easiest place for people to hide.
"Brother, are you really sure it's this area? We've asked over a dozen places, and no one has seen that person." The younger brother behind him wiped the sweat from his forehead, his tone a little impatient. "Should we just give up? Maybe he's already run out of town."
"Nonsense!" The scarred man glared at him, the wound on his wrist still throbbing. "Someone saw him disappear around here, so that person must be right here. Besides, I kicked that kid a few times; he's probably at home recovering."
The two walked to another house, stopped, and knocked on the door as usual.
The windowpane was covered with a layer of dust, and you could vaguely see a figure flicker inside.
The scarred man knocked a few times, but when no one responded, he got angry. He could see that there were people inside, so why didn't they open the door?
"Hey, open the door! We've come to ask you something!"
There was no movement inside; even the person from before had vanished.
The scarred man became suspicious and knocked on the door again. "Stop playing dead! I know someone's inside. Open the door now, or we'll kick it down!"
Still no one responded.
The scarred man gave a signal and immediately told his henchman to knock on the door to continue drawing the attention of the people inside, while he himself went around to the back of the house.
As soon as he turned the corner, he saw a person leaning against the windowsill of that room, one hand hanging down, the other good hand gripping the windowsill tightly, trying to jump down.
The other party had obviously heard the commotion outside and was trying to sneak away!
He looked closely and, lo and behold, it was this kid!
Sneaky, and now he's even wearing a mask!
"Found you!"
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