Wang Lili lay on the ground, her face gradually turning pale, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Xu Xinghe's words were like a sharp knife, piercing her heart.
She recalled the way Liu Hu looked at her every time, his perfunctory tone, and the ambiguous smiles of the old educated youth. All those details she had deliberately ignored now connected together, all confirming that Xu Xinghe's words were true!
It turns out that the person she thought was her protector was just making fun of her.
What she thought was affection was nothing more than an excuse for the other person to vent their desires.
She even started to have wild thoughts: if Li Juan knew, then did everyone in the entire forest farm know?
Why did Liu Hu reveal their affair?
Why would he do this to himself?
Overwhelmed by shame and despair, Wang Lili's screams gradually turned into suppressed sobs, her tears mingling with the dust on the ground, leaving streaks of dishevelment on her face.
Xu Xinghe felt no sympathy for her as she looked at her in a state of collapse.
All of this was Wang Lili's own choice.
She turned to look at Zhao Xiaoyan, who was still frozen in place, and said, "Xiaoyan, help her up."
Zhao Xiaoyan quickly stepped forward and carefully pulled Wang Lili up from the ground.
Wang Lili was like a puppet, letting the other person support her, her eyes empty and her face devoid of color.
Xu Xinghe concluded, "Wang Lili, I tolerated you before because I didn't want to cause trouble, not because I was afraid of you. I'm telling you this now: don't bother me or my cousin again. I've tolerated it so many times; even if I were made of mud, I've had enough. If there's a next time, I might not hold back. No matter who you bring then, it won't matter!"
After saying that, she stopped looking at Wang Lili's distraught appearance, turned around and walked to her own bedside, picked up a towel, and silently wiped away the dust that had accidentally gotten on her hands.
Only Wang Lili's suppressed sobs and Zhao Xiaoyan's soft words of comfort remained in the dormitory, the atmosphere so heavy it was hard to breathe.
After this conflict, Wang Lili should probably not dare to provoke me again.
But this is only temporary.
As long as Zhang Qiang continues to target Jiang Linchuan, and as long as their mission is not completed, the trouble will not truly disappear.
She had to find a solution as soon as possible to resolve Jiang Linchuan's problem of carrying the saplings, and at the same time, find the relevant documents!
The next morning, Jiang Linchuan carried a shoulder pole to the seedling nursery on the back mountain, the gauze on his shoulder faintly visible under his coarse cloth shirt.
Xu Xinghe stood in the nursery, holding a small shovel in her hand, but her eyes were always following Jiang Linchuan's back, her heart filled with worry.
The wound from yesterday hasn't healed yet, and if I carry the saplings for another day today, I don't know if it will get worse.
She absentmindedly added soil to the sapling, and several times she almost dug up the roots of the sapling with her shovel.
Seeing her absent-minded look, Zhao Xiaoyan couldn't help but comfort her, "Li Juan, don't worry too much. Your cousin is so strong, he should be able to handle it."
Xu Xinghe forced a smile, and was about to speak when she saw Zhang Qianqian running over breathlessly, her face beaming with excitement. "Sister Li Juan! Where's Brother Guowei? I have good news to tell you!"
"He went to the back hill to carry saplings." Xu Xinghe's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "What good news?"
"My dad went out today!" Zhang Qianqian said in a low voice, her tone full of excitement. "He said early this morning that he had to go to an important meeting in town. It's quite far away, so he definitely won't be back today! I told the deputy captain that you and Brother Guowei don't have to work today. You can come home with me. Just tell him I'm not feeling well and need someone to keep me company!"
Xu Xinghe's eyes lit up instantly. Zhang Qiang wasn't home! This was a godsend!
They had been looking for an opportunity to uncover Zhang Qiang's secrets and search for any potentially hidden top-secret documents. Now that Zhang Qiang was out and no one was watching his office or home, it was the perfect opportunity to search!
Suppressing her excitement, she feigned reluctance, saying, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? If we don't work, won't the deputy captain have a problem with that?"
"Don't worry!" Zhang Qianqian patted her chest. "The vice-captain listens to my dad the most, he'll definitely believe what I say! Besides, my dad's not home, no one will say anything! Quick, let's go find Brother Guowei and tell him to stop carrying the saplings!"
Seeing that the time was right, Xu Xinghe immediately nodded in agreement, "Okay, let's go find him now!"
The two walked quickly toward the back mountain and saw Jiang Linchuan carrying a bundle of saplings toward the planting area from afar, his shoulders slightly tilted from the effort.
Zhang Qianqian immediately ran over and shouted to Jiang Linchuan, "Brother Guowei! Don't carry anymore! You don't have to work today!"
Jiang Linchuan saw them, paused for a moment, and put down the sapling in his hand.
Zhang Qianqian repeated the news of Zhang Qiang's departure, and Jiang Linchuan looked at Xu Xinghe again, a knowing glint in his eyes.
This is indeed a good opportunity.
This was also the first opportunity they had encountered after being here for so long.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Jiang Linchuan feigned hesitation.
"No trouble at all!" Zhang Qianqian quickly shook her head. "I'm bored at home alone, you guys are perfect to keep me company! Come with me!"
Jiang Linchuan nodded reluctantly and followed them toward the Zhang family's house.
On the way, Xu Xinghe asked casually, "Qianqian, what kind of meeting is your dad going to? And why does he have to go to such a far place?"
"I don't know either." Zhang Qianqian shook her head casually. "He left in a hurry this morning, saying that the town had called an emergency meeting, but he didn't say what it was about. Anyway, he said he definitely wouldn't be back today. You'll sleep with me tonight, Sister Li Juan. It's been so long since we chatted!"
Xu Xinghe was secretly delighted, but on the surface she seemed helpless. "Alright, then I'll sleep with you tonight, but please don't complain that I'm taking your blanket."
Zhang Qianqian laughed at her, "No way!"
The three of them soon arrived at the Zhang family's house.
Zhang Qianqian pushed open the door and warmly invited them in, "Come in quickly, I'll get you some water!"
Jiang Linchuan walked into the courtyard, glanced at the captain's office not far away, and silently went inside.
The three chatted for a while, then Jiang Linchuan suddenly stood up. "I'll go back to the educated youth dormitory to change my clothes. I got them dirty carrying the saplings earlier. I'll come over after I change."
Xu Xinghe understood what he meant and nodded, "Okay, come back soon."
Zhang Qianqian didn't think much of it, "It's okay, take your time, I'll wait for you to eat together!"
Jiang Linchuan turned and left the Zhang family's house. Instead of going directly back to the educated youth dormitory, he took a detour and walked quickly towards the brigade leader's office.
He walked to the office door, listened carefully to make sure no one was inside, and then carefully observed his surroundings. Only when no one was paying attention did he take a thin wire out of his pocket.
This was something he had prepared beforehand, specifically to deal with this situation.
He inserted the thin wire into the keyhole, his fingers deftly turning it, and soon, with a click, the lock opened.
Jiang Linchuan pushed open the door, quickly walked in, locked the door behind him, and then began searching through the office.
The office was simple, with a desk, a filing cabinet, and two chairs.
Jiang Linchuan first walked to the filing cabinet, opened the cabinet door, and inside were some forest farm ledgers and reports neatly arranged. He quickly flipped through them, hoping to find some suspicious documents.
At the same time, his gaze swept across the drawers of his desk and the corners of his bookshelves, not missing any place where documents might be hidden.
Time was limited, and he had to find clues as soon as possible; he couldn't afford to waste too much time!
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