Xu Xinghe lowered her head, her fingers gently twisting the hem of her clothes. "That work was done by that stinking old intellectual. He's just an educated youth. Even if he made a mistake and deserved to be punished, he's already been punished for a few days. That should be enough, right? If we let him continue to carry the burden, everyone will think he's committed some terrible crime, which will be bad for his reputation."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiang's lips curled into a cold smile, but it vanished in an instant, quickly returning to his previous gentle demeanor. "The forest farm has its own rules. Those who make mistakes should carry timber. How many days has it been? According to the rules, they should carry timber for at least a month before the punishment is lifted."
"A month?" Xu Xinghe's heart skipped a beat, and she was so angry that she almost clenched her fists.
Even if Jiang Linchuan's shoulders were made of iron, they would be worn raw after carrying heavy objects every day for a month!
Zhang Qiang is clearly making things difficult for Jiang Linchuan on purpose, trying to force him to compromise!
But she dared not show it on her face, maintaining her delicate appearance. "But Liu Hu also did something wrong. Why doesn't he have to carry the wood? Why should only my cousin suffer like this?"
“Liu Hu’s mistake is different from your cousin’s.” Zhang Qiang chuckled. “It was a private matter between him and Wang Lili. Now that Wang Lili has forgiven him and is even willing to marry him, the matter is over and he doesn’t need to be punished. Your cousin got into a fight with an old educated youth and disrupted the order of the forest farm. Can the nature of the offense be the same?”
This absurd logic almost made Xu Xinghe laugh in anger.
So right and wrong are determined entirely by his words!
But she knew she couldn't confront Zhang Qiang directly now, so she could only suppress her anger and continue to plead, "But...but a month is really too long. My cousin's shoulders are already chafed. If he keeps carrying that much wood, he might suffer long-term consequences. Captain Zhang, please, have some mercy and make an exception? How can we stop him from carrying wood?"
Zhang Qiang glanced at her, a calculating glint in his eyes, and said slowly, "You can cancel the punishment if you want, but it depends on whether your cousin realizes his mistake. If he comes to his senses and comes to me to apologize sincerely, I might consider canceling the punishment ahead of schedule."
His words were clearly an attempt to force Jiang Linchuan to back down and agree to date Zhang Qianqian.
Xu Xinghe cursed inwardly, but could only pretend to be helpless. Just as she was about to say something to stall for time, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Jiang Linchuan's figure flashing past at the corner of the road not far away.
He's back!
Xu Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief and immediately put away her aggrieved expression. "I understand, Captain Zhang. I'll talk to my cousin. You go ahead with your work, I won't bother you anymore."
Zhang Qiang didn't think much of it, nodded, and turned to walk towards the office.
He walked slowly. Xu Xinghe stood there, watching his back until she was sure that Jiang Linchuan had safely returned to the direction of the educated youth settlement before she turned and left with peace of mind.
As soon as she reached a secluded spot, Xu Xinghe quickened her pace, chasing after Jiang Linchuan in the direction he had left. She was filled with urgency.
I wonder if Jiang Linchuan found the remaining top-secret documents when he went to the office this time, or if he encountered any danger.
Meanwhile, Jiang Linchuan had already returned to the educated youth dormitory.
He closed the door, took a piece of paper from his inner pocket, and unfolded it to read.
Above is a document he had just found in another hidden compartment in the office, which records the specific time of the guest's visit and the detailed location of the abandoned mine.
He looked at the contents of the paper, his expression turning serious.
Not long after, Zhang Guoming knocked on the dormitory door. "Guowei, your sister is here to see you."
"Understood." Jiang Linchuan opened the door, gave Xu Xinghe a wink, and the two went together to a secluded spot in the woods behind the house. Only then did he take out the documents. "Found them."
Xu Xinghe took the document and quickly glanced through it. "Great! We've found another clue. It seems like we won't have to wait long to complete the mission. So what should we do next? How do we get this information out?"
Jiang Linchuan glanced at the situation outside the woods and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't rush, it's not the right time yet. Zhang Qiang is keeping a close eye on us, and the matter of Liu Hu and Wang Lili has just been resolved, so the forest farm is definitely still very sensitive. We need to wait for a suitable opportunity before trying to send the information out. Also, there should be some other documents."
Xu Xinghe nodded, looking at the gauze faintly visible on Jiang Linchuan's shoulder, and felt a pang of pain in her heart again. "By the way, Zhang Qiang said you have to carry logs for at least a month unless you take the initiative to apologize to him. He is clearly still forcing you to date Zhang Qianqian."
Jiang Linchuan smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "It's alright, it's only a month, I can handle it. As long as we can complete the mission, this little bit of hardship is nothing. Besides, maybe we'll find a chance to leave here before a month is up."
...
Xu Xinghe returned to the female educated youth dormitory.
Wang Lili was squatting on the ground tidying up her things.
Several old cloth bags were laid out, containing a few pieces of clothing and an enamel basin, clearly indicating that they were packing items to take to their new home.
Zhao Xiaoyan stood to the side, holding a folded piece of floral fabric in her hand, looking at Wang Lili with some helplessness.
Seeing Xu Xinghe return, she felt like she had found a savior and waved hurriedly, "Li Juan, you're back!"
When Wang Lili heard the voice, she looked up. Her face no longer showed the previous despair and resentment, but instead carried a hint of anticipation for the future.
She looked at Zhao Xiaoyan and said in a light tone, "Xiaoyan, could you come with me to the new house later? Help me tidy up. We're getting married this weekend, so we need to get the house clean."
Zhao Xiaoyan paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Xu Xinghe, somewhat hesitant.
She was still hesitant to be alone with Wang Lili, especially after what happened with Liu Hu.
I feel like the other person is being a bit too extreme...
Wang Lili followed her gaze to Xu Xinghe, hesitated for a moment, and then invited, "Li Juan, would you like to come along? The more people there are, the faster we can pack up."
Xu Xinghe was somewhat surprised and raised an eyebrow. "You actually called me?"
She thought that after what had happened before, even if Wang Lili didn't hold a grudge against her, she wouldn't take the initiative to associate with her again.
Wang Lili tossed her hair, her tone a little unnatural, "Why didn't I call you? In the end, I should thank you for this. If you hadn't reminded me, I might still be foolishly being played by Liu Hu, and I wouldn't have had the chance to marry him. Let's live a good life together from now on, and when the opportunity arises, we'll go back to the city together."
Xu Xinghe looked at the longing in her eyes and understood.
Wang Lili's expectations for this marriage stemmed more from her longing for a home.
Life at the educated youth settlement was lonely and oppressive. Having a small home of my own was like escaping from a life of wandering and finally having a place to settle down.
However, this marriage, which was forced into marriage, had no emotional foundation whatsoever.
Liu Hu is full of disdain for Wang Lili, so it will be difficult for them to be truly happy.
She didn't say these words aloud, but just smiled. Just as she was about to refuse, she saw Zhao Xiaoyan tug at her sleeve, her eyes full of pleading, "Li Juan, come with me. I'm a little afraid of those male educated youth... We might run into Liu Hu and the others when we go to the new house later."
Seeing Zhao Xiaoyan's timid appearance, Xu Xinghe finally softened and nodded, "Okay, I'll go with you."
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