Educated youth settlement.
Even Zhao Xiaoyan didn't react much to Wang Lili's departure.
She didn't want to pay attention to the other person anymore; let them do whatever they want. She was just too tired.
Xu Xinghe ignored it even more. She tied the hair tie that Zhang Qianqian handed her to the end of her hair, turned around in front of the mirror, and said with a smile, "It looks really good. Thank you, Qianqian."
Zhang Qianqian sat next to her, and seeing that she liked it, her eyes curved into crescents.
Xu Xinghe rummaged through her bag and pulled out two pieces of floral fabric and a ball of cotton thread. She suggested, "Since we have nothing to do on a rainy day, let's make a small sachet together. We can put some dried mugwort in it to repel insects."
Zhang Qianqian immediately nodded and came over to learn how to thread a needle from Xu Xinghe. Their fingertips occasionally touched, and the two couldn't help but laugh, instantly making the atmosphere in the dormitory warm and cozy.
Halfway through sewing, Xu Xinghe casually brought up the topic, "By the way, Qianqian, your dad came to the nursery to see you last time and said you weren't feeling well. Did you have some kind of illness before?"
Zhang Qianqian's smile faded slightly, and she sighed softly, "I had a high fever once when I was little, a really high fever, and I almost didn't make it. After I recovered, I've always been a bit weak. I get dizzy and cough from time to time, and I have to take good care of myself. My dad is afraid that something will happen to me again, so he doesn't let me go out much, and he doesn't even let me do any work at the forest farm."
As she spoke, a hint of helplessness appeared in her eyes. "Sometimes I want to work with everyone, but my dad always says my body can't take the strain."
Xu Xinghe offered a few words of comfort to Zhang Qianqian, then changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the old educated youth in the forest farm seem to be quite formidable. They had a bit of a disagreement with my brother last time, and they seem like they're not easy to mess with. Do you usually have a lot of contact with them?"
Zhang Qianqian shook her head blankly. "I rarely talk to them. I was sick all last year and spent most of my time lying at home. By the time I recovered, it was already cold, so I couldn't go out at all. I was only able to come out this time because it's warmer now. I begged my dad for a long time before he agreed. But that old educated youth named Liu Hu is really fierce. He even damaged the saplings last time."
Xu Xinghe's heart sank slightly. It seemed that Zhang Qianqian knew nothing about the situation of the old educated youth, and she could not get more information about the connection between Liu Hu and Zhang Qiang from her.
She didn't press further, but simply smiled and sewed the purse.
An hour later, the purse was sewn up. Although it didn't look quite right, it was at least complete.
Zhang Qianqian suddenly put down the cloth in her hand, her cheeks flushed, and asked with evasive eyes, "Sister Li Juan, you're off today, why don't you go talk to your cousin?"
Xu Xinghe paused for a moment, then realized what the other person was thinking. She couldn't help but cough lightly and smiled awkwardly, "It's raining and windy outside. It's easy to catch a cold if you go out. It's warmer to stay in the dormitory."
"You won't catch a cold!" Zhang Qianqian immediately waved her hand, her eyes lighting up. "Look, the rain outside has lessened, it's just a drizzle now! I know a place, by the stream east of the forest farm, where there's a patch of wild roses that are in full bloom right now, they're so beautiful! We can go take a look together, just to... relax and unwind!"
After she finished speaking, she blinked her eyes, full of anticipation, as if afraid of being rejected.
Seeing Zhang Qianqian's shy yet expectant expression, Xu Xinghe could only nod, "Okay, let's go find him when the rain gets a little lighter, and go see the wild rose you mentioned."
Let Jiang Linchuan try to get some information out of me...
Moreover, even if I don't help, Zhang Qianqian will definitely find a chance to get close to Jiang Linchuan, so it's better for me to stay by her side.
Zhang Qianqian was so happy she almost jumped for joy. She quickly picked up the oil-paper umbrella that was placed aside and urged, "Then let's go find him now! The rain has lightened, and if we wait any longer, the roses might wilt when the sun comes out!"
Xu Xinghe and Zhang Qianqian arrived at the door of the male educated youth dormitory. Just as they were about to knock, Zhang Guoming came out from inside, holding an enamel basin in his hand.
Upon seeing the two, Zhang Guoming paused for a moment, then greeted them with a smile, "Comrade Li Juan, Comrade Zhang Qianqian, are you here to see Li Guowei?"
Xu Xinghe nodded, "Yes, could you please ask him to come out?"
Zhang Guoming scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "He went out earlier, I don't know where he went, he's been gone for a while, I thought he was with you guys."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qianqian's smile faded slightly, and her eyes were filled with disappointment.
Just as Xu Xinghe was about to say a few words of comfort to her, she heard footsteps not far away. Turning her head, she saw Jiang Linchuan walking out of the woods.
His coat was covered in mud, and a few drops of rain clung to his hair. His eyes were deep and unfathomable; it was impossible to tell how long he had been in the woods.
When Zhang Qianqian saw him, her cheeks instantly turned as red as ripe apples. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, carefully examining him. Even her breathing became lighter, and her previous liveliness vanished without a trace.
Xu Xinghe coughed lightly, "Um... Cousin, where did you go? Qianqian said there's a patch of wild roses blooming beautifully by the stream on the east side of the forest farm, and she wanted to take us there to see it."
Jiang Linchuan looked at Zhang Qianqian in the direction she was referring to and nodded slightly, "Okay, let's go take a look."
He naturally understood Xu Xinghe's meaning and cooperated by playing the role of the cousin without revealing any flaws.
The three of them walked together toward the east side of the forest farm, and the atmosphere along the way was somewhat subtle.
Zhang Qianqian, unlike her previous talkative and cheerful self, appeared very introverted and shy, occasionally stealing a glance at Jiang Linchuan before quickly lowering her head again.
Xu Xinghe was not in a position to actually act as a matchmaker for Zhang Qianqian and Jiang Linchuan, and she didn't know what to say.
Jiang Linchuan remained silent, simply walking quietly beside the two, observing the surrounding environment.
The three of them walked in silence for about twenty minutes until they finally reached the riverbank.
Sure enough, there was a patch of wild roses on the shore, with pink and white flowers dotting the green leaves. However, after being washed by the rain, many petals had fallen to the ground, and the flowers were wilted, no longer as beautiful as I had imagined.
Looking at the scene before her, Zhang Qianqian pursed her lips somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect the rain to ruin the flowers like this. They'll definitely look beautiful when we come back on a sunny day."
To break the silence, she mustered her courage, looked at Jiang Linchuan, and asked softly, "Comrade Li Guowei, do you like roses?"
Jiang Linchuan glanced at the wild rose and said in a flat tone, "I don't like it."
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