On the other side, Xu Xinghe and Zhang Qianqian were having a very pleasant conversation.
Xu Xinghe took the brown sugar water offered by the other party and took a sip.
Seeing that she had drunk it, Zhang Qianqian was in a good mood. "Tell me about your hometown."
She has spent her entire life in the forest farm and rarely even goes to town, so she is full of curiosity about the outside world.
Xu Xinghe nodded, "Okay."
Zhang Qianqian's eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned closer. "Sister Li Juan, tell me quickly! Are there any movie theaters in the city that can show animated pictures? I heard the deliverymen who come to the forest farm mention it, and they said it's amazing!"
“Yes, that’s called a movie.” Xu Xinghe described the movie theater in the city. When the black curtain was drawn and the lights dimmed, characters and stories would appear on the screen. There were films about tunnel warfare and movies about the lives of ordinary people. The movie theater was full of people, and everyone laughed and cried along with the plot.
Zhang Qianqian listened intently, her eyes wide, occasionally letting out a "wow" in amazement. She really wanted to go out to see a movie, but unfortunately, her father wouldn't allow her to go.
Zhang Qianqian couldn't help but ask, "Do the trams in the city have two wires hanging in the air? Do they really run without horses?"
Xu Xinghe patiently answered all the questions, explaining them in detail and vividly, as if bringing the city scenes to Zhang Qianqian's eyes.
After she had said enough, she changed the subject and said sincerely, "Speaking of which, we really owe a lot to your father yesterday. If it weren't for Captain Zhang's ability to distinguish right from wrong, my cousin might have been wronged. Your father is a really good man and he is very fair in his dealings. No wonder everyone in the forest farm praises him."
These words struck a chord with Zhang Qianqian, who immediately straightened her back, her face beaming with pride. "Of course! My dad has always been like that! He's good to the people at the forest farm, and even better to me. Last winter, when I caught a chill, he specially went to town to buy me a new cotton-padded coat, and he also made me brown sugar ginger tea every morning, afraid that I would catch a cold again."
She went on and on about how good Zhang Qiang had been to her, from the toys she had as a child to the care he showed her now, her eyes filled with dependence and admiration.
Xu Xinghe listened quietly. It seemed that Zhang Qianqian had deep feelings for Zhang Qiang. Perhaps she could start by looking at their daily life together and slowly find out Zhang Qiang's whereabouts and habits.
She didn't press for more information, but simply chatted casually with Zhang Qianqian, occasionally interjecting a few words to keep the conversation relaxed and pleasant, without any trace of her deliberately probing.
Wang Lili, who was not far away, looked at the two chatting happily and her face darkened. She then shoveled the small shovel in her hand into the soil.
Hmph, what's the use of the two of them being so close now?
Sooner or later, Xu Xinghe will regret it!
In this world, relying on yourself is never as good as relying on others!
We took a break at noon.
The sunlight softened slightly.
Zhang Qianqian didn't leave; instead, she wanted to work with Xu Xinghe. "Sister Li Juan, I have nothing to do at home anyway, so why don't I help you with the work?"
Xu Xinghe was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and replied, "That's great. Then I'll trouble you to stand in front and check if the trees I planted are crooked, or give me some guidance."
She would never actually let the brigade leader's daughter do chores for her; that would be disgraceful.
Zhang Qianqian immediately nodded, and the two chatted while working.
She was still reminiscing about the interesting things Xu Xinghe had told her about the city that morning. She kept asking how many colors of floral fabrics there were in the city, and saying that she definitely wanted to see a movie someday. She chattered like a happy little bird.
Xu Xinghe patiently responded, and seeing that the conversation was almost over, she wiped the sweat from her brow and casually asked, "Qianqian, thank you so much, Captain, for what happened yesterday. If it weren't for him, my cousin might have really suffered. I was thinking, shouldn't we give the Captain a small gift as a token of our gratitude? Otherwise, I'll feel bad, and I'm also worried that someone might bully us again in the future. When is the Captain usually busy, and when is he free?"
Without thinking much, Zhang Qianqian casually replied, "No need to send it! My dad dislikes receiving gifts the most. Besides, he just did what he was supposed to do."
Seeing that Xu Xinghe still looked apologetic, she added, "Never mind, I'll tell you anyway. My dad is very busy in the mornings, going to check on various planting areas and discussing forest farm matters with the villagers. He's not so busy in the afternoons; he usually organizes documents in the office and sometimes goes home to rest."
Xu Xinghe was overjoyed and silently noted down this crucial information. Just as she was about to ask more questions, she heard a familiar voice coming from not far away.
"Qianqian!"
The two looked up and saw Zhang Qiang.
He strode over, his face expressionless. His gaze swept over Xu Xinghe and then landed on Zhang Qianqian. "Come home with me. You're not in good health. Don't keep running around doing nothing. What if you get tired?"
Zhang Qianqian pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "Dad, the weather is warm now, and I'm perfectly healthy! I just wanted to come out and help Sister Li Juan with some chores. Staying at home all the time is too boring."
Zhang Qiang frowned, his tone becoming firmer, "Listen to me, come back with me, there are things at home waiting for you to do."
Zhang Qianqian wanted to argue, but seeing the other party's serious expression, she finally backed down and could only say to Xu Xinghe with a wronged expression, "Sister Li Juan, then I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Xu Xinghe smiled and nodded, "Okay, be careful on your way."
Xu Xinghe frowned slightly as she watched the two figures leave.
She had just carefully examined Zhang Qianqian. Zhang Qianqian had a rosy complexion and was energetic when working. She couldn't see anything wrong with her health. Why would Zhang Qiang say that?
Is there some hidden story?
She planned to ask Zhang Qianqian a lot of questions when she brought water again tomorrow.
On the other side.
Zhang Qianqian followed Zhang Qiang home. As soon as they entered, Zhang Qiang slammed the door shut, his face darkening. "Qianqian, how many times have I told you not to get too close to those educated youth! They're all from the city, and they're all scheming and not good people. Besides, they'll leave sooner or later. Even if you get along well with them now, it won't matter in the future; it's just a waste of time."
Zhang Qianqian pouted and said unconvinced, "Dad, why do you say that? Sister Li Juan is such a nice person. She talked to me about a lot of things in the city. I just want to make a friend. Even if they leave in the future, I can still spend time with her during this period. It's better than staying cooped up at home."
Zhang Qiang sighed helplessly as he looked at his daughter's stubborn expression.
He knew his daughter had been lonely since childhood and had few friends, but those educated youths were definitely not suitable to be friends with.
More importantly, he was afraid that Zhang Qianqian would fall in love with the educated youth.
A similar incident happened in their forest farm before: a woman fell in love with an educated youth and ended up drowning herself.
Those city folks are the best at deceiving naive girls!
But he couldn't tell his daughter the real reason, so he could only compromise and say, "Alright, I won't stop you from seeing them, but you can only go out for three hours a day. The rest of the time you must stay at home and not run around, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qianqian almost jumped for joy, "I understand! Thank you, Dad!"
After saying that, she skipped and hopped back to her room.
She pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with small plum blossoms from the wardrobe. She had embroidered it herself and originally wanted to give it to Jiang Linchuan, but she was too embarrassed to go to the male educated youth dormitory to find him.
Now that she has Xu Xinghe's connection, she can ask him to help her make connections.
After all, she was a girl, and she couldn't go to the male educated youth's place every day.
With Xu Xinghe's help, there will definitely be more opportunities to interact with Jiang Linchuan.
Thinking of this, Zhang Qianqian's cheeks flushed again, and she eagerly awaited tomorrow.
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