Chapter 48 is sweet.
"Wenchang, was there a educated youth named Xu Qingfeng among those who caused trouble last night?" Jiang Wanqiu asked.
Zhao Wenchang was slowly putting on his undergarments when he heard the name, and his movements paused.
He looked up at her: "You two know each other?"
Jiang Wanqiu nodded: "He is Su Huai's girlfriend in the city. It was him who came to our house time and time again, saying that he had connections 'outside' and could take our whole family out to live a better life. My parents ignored him, but he just wouldn't give up."
She added with a hint of uncertainty, "He must have come with Su Huai on this trip to the countryside. Last night's commotion was probably instigated by him!"
Zhao Wenchang's expression also became serious.
He buttoned up his clothes one by one and said in a deep voice, "I understand. I will investigate this matter."
However, when Zhao Wenchang returned from the "study and education class" where the rioting educated youth were detained that afternoon, he brought back some unexpected news.
He shook his head and said to Jiang Wanqiu, who looked on expectantly, "I went through everyone's files and asked them one by one. There was no one named Xu Qingfeng."
"Impossible!" Jiang Wanqiu exclaimed in surprise.
Fragments of memories from her past life surged through her mind. The report stated in black and white that Su Huai had fled with her boyfriend surnamed Xu and died tragically, while Xu Qingfeng, the prime suspect, had completely vanished without a trace.
Jiang Wanqiu bit her lip. No, she had to go and see for herself!
The "study and education class" for the educated youth was set up in an unused ancestral hall in the village. When Jiang Wanqiu arrived, a dozen or so young people were sitting listlessly on small stools, listening to the village cadres read the newspaper.
Her gaze swept quickly across the crowd.
Soon, she saw a familiar face.
In the corner, there was a man with a refined and fair complexion, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
Even in his drab work clothes, he couldn't hide his "cultured" air that made him stand out from the crowd.
It's him! Even if he were ashes, Jiang Wanqiu would still recognize him!
Sure enough, when the village officials called roll, they called out, "Xu Wei, come and talk about your thoughts and understanding!"
Xu Qingfeng, Xu Wei, it turns out they just changed their names!
The man named Xu Wei looked up and saw Jiang Wanqiu standing at the door.
As soon as the village officials announced the break, he immediately came over, his face beaming with a warm yet innocent smile.
"Comrade Jiang, you've finally arrived! You have to talk to Cadre Zhao for me. I was just joining in the fun, I didn't do anything!"
As he spoke, he tried to move closer to Jiang Wanqiu.
Jiang Wanqiu took a step back without making a sound, creating some distance between them.
Just then, a sharp female voice suddenly rang out from behind.
"Jiang Wanqiu! Have you no shame?!"
When Su Huai returned from work at noon, she had just reached the entrance of the ancestral hall when she saw the man she had been longing for fawning over Jiang Wanqiu.
She rushed over, pointed at Jiang Wanqiu's nose, and yelled, "You vixen! You seduced my boyfriend in the city, and you still won't let him go now that we're in the countryside! Can't you live without a man?!"
Her curses were loud and offensive, drawing everyone's attention in the ancestral hall.
Before Jiang Wanqiu could speak, a cold voice rang out behind Su Huai.
"Su Huai".
Zhao Wenchang walked over at some point. He stood tall and straight, exuding an imposing aura of authority.
He looked at Su Huai with cold eyes, a mocking smile curving his lips: "It seems your self-criticism last time wasn't deep enough. Do you want to read it aloud in public again?"
Su Huai's cursing stopped abruptly, like a chicken being choked.
She was completely subdued by the man in one go, and now, no matter how arrogant she is, she dares not be presumptuous in front of Zhao Wenchang.
Zhao Wenchang stopped looking at her and turned his gaze to Jiang Wanqiu, his voice softening: "You go back first, leave this to me."
He glanced deeply at Xu Wei, whose face had turned pale, and sneered inwardly.
Once the person has been identified, the interrogation becomes much simpler.
On her way home, Jiang Wanqiu was stopped by a clear female voice.
Jiang Wanqiu turned around and saw the female educated youth she had met at the train station a few days ago.
The girl quickly caught up, a cheerful smile on her face: "It was too chaotic that day, we didn't have a chance to get to know each other properly. My name is Liu Shengnan."
Jiang Wanqiu had a good impression of her and smiled, saying, "My name is Jiang Wanqiu."
Liu Shengnan walked alongside her and asked casually, "By the way, Comrade Jiang, you should be a military dependent by now, so why aren't you in the army? Staying in the village all the time, there's too much gossip from those long-tongued women."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu looked at the other person.
She knew Liu Shengnan meant well, but the situation was complicated, and she couldn't tell the truth.
She lowered her eyes, looking somewhat weak, and said softly, "I...I'm not feeling well. I'm having trouble adjusting to the new environment. Wenchang applied to his superiors and asked me to stay in the village to recuperate before going back."
Liu Shengtian nodded in sudden realization: "So that's how it is! That makes sense. Southern girls are delicate, and it's easy for them to get sick from the change in climate when they come to our cold north. You'd better take good care of yourself."
When Zhao Wenchang returned in the evening, it was already completely dark.
As soon as he entered the room, Jiang Wanqiu smelled a faint odor of blood.
Her heart tightened suddenly. She rushed over like a nervous little animal, grabbing his arm and checking him up and down: "Are you hurt? Where are you hurt? Let me see!"
Her anxious look warmed Zhao Wenchang's heart, and a smile appeared in his eyes.
He let her examine the area before grabbing her fidgeting hand and whispering, "Stop looking, it's not my blood."
Jiang Wanqiu was stunned. When she met the man's smiling eyes, she realized that she had been tricked, and her cheeks immediately became hot.
Seeing her puffed-up face, Zhao Wenchang's smile deepened: "Since someone refused to speak, I used a little trick."
He told her the results of the interrogation: "Thanks to you. That kid really is Xu Qingfeng. He was exposed in the south, so he took advantage of the opportunity to go to the countryside, changed his name and came to the north to continue causing trouble."
He paused, then said, "However, he was very stubborn. He only admitted to his own identity, but he refused to say anything about the other spy hidden among the educated youth. These people are very cunning; the spies may not even know each other."
Just then, Zhao Xiaohua walked in carrying an enamel basin.
"Late autumn, Wenchang, come and try this, it's a great product from Northeast China!"
There were two dark, hard fruits in the basin, looking like lumps of stone.
"These are frozen pears," the old woman explained with a smile. "Now that winter is here, there are more delicious foods available here."
Jiang Wanqiu picked one up out of curiosity and opened her mouth to take a bite, but Zhao Wenchang held her down.
"Do you think this is an apple? You'll break your teeth!" He was amused by her silly expression.
He took the frozen pear from her hand, cupped it in his large palm, and kneaded it vigorously like dough. The hard frozen pear slowly softened in his hands, and the frost on its skin melted into water.
A moment later, he handed her the limp pear: "Here, just like this, suck it out with your mouth."
Jiang Wanqiu leaned closer with some skepticism, took a sip from the top of the pear, and a burst of cool, sweet juice instantly flooded her mouth, making her squint her eyes in sweetness.
Just as she was sucking on the pear with gusto, Zhao Wenchang suddenly gave her hand, which was holding the pear, a hard squeeze.
With a "plop," pear juice was squeezed out, causing Jiang Wanqiu to cough several times.
She was both angry and annoyed, glaring at him fiercely with her large, watery almond-shaped eyes.
Zhao Wenchang chuckled softly. He reached out and gently wiped a drop of pear juice from her cheek. Then, to Jiang Wanqiu's astonishment, he brought his thumb, still covered in pear juice, to his lips and tasted it.
He looked at her face, which flushed instantly, and said in a low, ambiguous voice, "Mmm, sweet."
As night fell, the two had just lain down when someone banged on the courtyard gate.
"Wenchang! Wenchang! Something terrible has happened!"
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