For the next two days, Ah Cui didn't bother her anymore.
Lijia'ao has regained a rare peace.
Jiang Linchuan's injuries healed extremely quickly under the nourishment of the high-purity ointment and spiritual spring water.
By the third day, except for some deeper whip marks that had not completely faded, the rest of the wounds had scabbed over and fallen off, and his strength had basically returned to normal.
Night falls.
The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, gilding the ground with a layer of silvery luster.
Xu Xinghe stood alone in the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She heard soft footsteps behind her, and before she could turn around, a warm and strong embrace tightly encircled her from behind.
Jiang Linchuan's broad chest pressed against her back, his powerful arms almost enveloping her entire body, carrying his unique scent.
He lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of her head, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I will definitely protect myself."
"The mission is important, the country is important, but you are equally important. I will never abandon you."
Xu Xinghe turned around, raised her hand to hug his waist, pressed her cheek against his chest, and could clearly feel his steady heartbeat.
She looked up and said, "Remember what you said. If... if you don't come back, or if you're missing an arm or a leg, I will unilaterally break off the engagement and marry someone else."
Jiang Linchuan's heart clenched suddenly, feeling both pain and anger. He lowered his head and bit her lips hard.
His kiss was filled with possessiveness and reluctance.
He only released her when Xu Xinghe's breathing became rapid and her cheeks flushed. He pressed his forehead against hers and said in a hoarse voice, "No."
Xu Xinghe pushed him away slightly, picked up a small bag that had been prepared on the ground, and handed it to him. "There's a bottle of water and some wound medicine in here. I added some herbs to the water to help you recover your strength and energy quickly. The ointment is the same one I've been using on you these past two days. Just apply it when you get injured. That's all I can do to help you."
Jiang Linchuan took the small bag. "This is already the biggest help. Alright, I should go now."
"Wait!" Xu Xinghe glared at him immediately. "You still haven't told me where we're going on the mission? How far is it from here? Don't forget, you promised me this!"
“It’s not far,” Jiang Linchuan explained. “I got the information from Sister Hong; there’s another hidden stronghold nearby.”
"Then why didn't Sister Hong and the others go there?"
"To prevent exposure," Jiang Linchuan said, "only Sister Hong and another person in charge know about these two strongholds. If there is any risk of exposure, we will never contact the other party, otherwise we will be wiped out. The mission will take about half a month, so please wait for me."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
"Wait!" Xu Xinghe suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Is it near Eagle Beak Cliff?"
Jiang Linchuan paused and turned around. "Yes, I overheard Sister Hong and the others talking and that's how I found out about this place. I tried my best to leave information here."
He then changed the subject, "But you should stay away from Eagle's Beak Cliff recently, it's dangerous there, so as not to expose your identity."
Xu Xinghe's heart sank; it turned out that Eagle Beak Cliff really did hold a secret.
I guess I didn't notice it the time I went there myself.
She nodded. "I understand. Be careful."
Jiang Linchuan gave her a deep look, then turned away, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness outside the courtyard.
Xu Xinghe stood there, gazing in the direction he had left, remaining motionless for a long time.
...
Inside the room.
Xu Xinghe lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
My mind was a mess, and I managed to doze off for a while just before dawn.
The next morning, as usual, Uncle Li carried his hoe and prepared to go to work in the fields.
Xu Xinghe couldn't sleep either, and staying still made her overthink, so she got up, picked up the sickle in the corner, and said, "Uncle Li, I'll go with you."
Uncle Li was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Great! More people mean more help."
The two walked side by side toward the fields outside the village.
As soon as they arrived at the place, they ran into Ah Cui, who had come to deliver water.
Ah Cui was wearing clothes completely unsuitable for work, but her face was radiant, looking much more energetic than three days ago, clearly having come up with another idea.
Xu Xinghe walked past her without looking at her, and as they brushed past each other, she said coldly, "My fiancé is gone. You don't need to go to Uncle Li's house anymore."
Ah Cui stopped abruptly, lowering her voice to retort, "Impossible! It's only been a few days! His injuries haven't even fully healed, how could he have left? You're lying to me!"
She leaned closer and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "You're just afraid that I'll go to him, afraid that when he sees me, he'll fall for my pretty face and never look at you, this ugly monster, again!"
Xu Xinghe said coldly, "Believe it or not."
After saying that, she followed Uncle Li to his field and bent down to start cutting grass.
Ah Cui stood there, increasingly convinced that this ugly monster was lying.
She didn't believe that handsome man would leave so quickly; Xu Xinghe must have lied to her on purpose to prevent her from pestering her!
No, she has to go and see for herself.
After delivering the water, Ah Cui glanced in Xu Xinghe's direction.
Seeing that she and Uncle Li were both engrossed in their work and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, she took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and secretly slipped out of the field, running quickly towards Uncle Li's house.
When they arrived at the gate, A-Cui pushed it and found it was locked.
She raised her hand and pounded on the door a few times. "Is anyone home? Open the door!"
The room was quiet, and there was no response.
Ah Cui panicked and immediately ran to find her three best friends. She pulled them to the outside of Uncle Li's courtyard wall and said, "Help me up here so I can climb over the wall and take a look!"
The girls hesitated upon hearing this, after all, they had been severely reprimanded by their families after the last incident.
Ah Cui stomped her foot angrily, "If you don't help me, I won't give you a single piece of candy that my family buys in the future!"
Thinking of the candy, the group finally agreed and formed a human ladder by raising their hands.
Ah Cui stepped on their hands, laboriously climbed onto the top of the wall, and jumped over it.
She rushed to the door, pushed it open, and found it unlocked.
Ah Cui's eyes quickly scanned everything in the room.
The bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed) was neatly folded, and there was no sign of human presence on the table.
The basin in the corner was empty, and the whole house was deserted, without a single person in sight!
Ah Cui stood frozen in place.
That man is really gone.
"What are you doing at my doorstep?" A cold voice suddenly rang out from outside the gate.
Ah Cui's three friends trembled with fright. When they turned around and saw that it was Xu Xinghe, their faces changed instantly. They stood there in a panic, stammering and unable to utter a complete sentence.
"I...we didn't do anything, we were just passing by..."
Xu Xinghe noticed that A Cui had left in a hurry and went to her own home, so she made a special trip back to check on her.
Unexpectedly, I saw several figures crowding outside the courtyard wall from afar, and I could hear the sounds of things being rummaged through inside the house.
It's obvious that Ah Cui went in to check if Jiang Linchuan had left.
It's rare to see a girl so shameless.
Since that's the case, then I won't hold back!
Xu Xinghe suddenly raised her voice and shouted, "Help! My house has been burgled!"
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