Family compound.
The salty sea breeze, carrying moisture, slammed against the stone wall, making even the stars in the night sky feel sticky.
Zhou Jiuzhen braced one hand against the mottled wooden door, his knuckles grinding against the wooden frame etched with fine marks by the sea breeze, while his other hand loosely embraced Ling Huanwu's waist, the force not heavy, yet leaving her with nowhere to retreat.
"I'll sleep on the floor, please let me stay."
Zhou Jiuzhen's voice was low and slightly hoarse, as if it had been brushed by sea sand, and his breath brushed against her forehead, "The wind is going to pick up in the middle of the night, and I'm afraid the door will be blown away, so I have to keep an eye on it."
Ling Huanwu tightened her grip on the door latch, her fingertips brushing against the rough wood splinters, and her ears felt like they were about to be perforated by his scorching breath.
That greedy brat did it on purpose, blowing her up like a deflated balloon.
"Now is the crucial moment to earn merit. Many eyes are watching. You'd better go back to your barracks and sleep. I'm locking the door!"
Ling Huanwu turned her head away from his gaze and immediately tried to close the door.
“The barracks are drafty.” Zhou Jiuzhen quickly pressed himself against the door frame, his nose almost touching the top of her head. He smelled the scent of sun-dried soap in her hair, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “I’m afraid you’ll get cold. If you get cold, will that space freeze?”
He blinked his big, wet eyes, and the door remained firmly shut despite his presence.
"Oh, okay, then you'll sleep on the floor."
Ling Huan loosened her grip on the door and gestured for him to come in.
"Really?"
Zhou Jiuzhen didn't expect happiness to come so suddenly. His hand had just left the door when, with a "smack," Ling Huanwu slammed the door shut with lightning speed.
The neighbor, who was getting up at the door in the middle of the night, saw Zhou Jiuzhen standing there looking aggrieved, covered her mouth and chuckled before hurrying back inside to gossip with her husband...
*
For several days in a row.
Ling Huanwu led the villagers in need to take turns going to Zhao Jingxiang and Zhao Ergou, crying and begging for help.
The two self-proclaimed "fiancés," who claimed to have inherited their grandfather's helpfulness, also reluctantly helped villagers repair houses, catch fishing nets, chop wood, deliver sheep, and even teach illiterate children their homework. This made the once spirited young men look several years older.
The last day of the one-week verification period.
When Qin Jinshen was teaching a villager's first-grade son pinyin as usual, he taught him several times, but the chubby-faced little boy, with his bowl-cut hair, still looked bewildered and misspelled the words again.
At this point, Qin Jinshen completely broke down, clutching his chest and nearly fainting.
He had taught this little brat pinyin hundreds of times throughout the day, but the brat seemed to have a hole in his head and couldn't hold any knowledge; he hadn't spelled a single pinyin correctly.
He had been hiding his violent nature for several days, even doing jobs like repairing public toilets, and pretending to be a great person every day. But at this moment, he almost revealed his true colors and erupted like a volcano!
Finally, night fell. Qin Jinshen felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He glanced at his watch and ran away as if his feet were greased.
He's going to take the radio to the threshing ground tonight to broadcast the news. Su Haiting and the reporter had spoken with him about it last time, and the interview will definitely be broadcast tonight.
Tonight will be the night when Zhou Jiuzhen and Zhao Jingxiang are utterly disgraced!
Thinking about all this, Qin Jinshen didn't look back and immediately went home to get the radio.
In the villager's courtyard.
As soon as Ling Huanwu entered the door, she saw the little brat sitting on a small stool, looking aggrieved.
She crouched down and patted the little one's head, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong? You've been studying all day and still don't understand?"
The little brat pouted and cried even harder, "That Uncle Zhao must not have graduated from elementary school. I clearly spelled it correctly, but he kept saying I was wrong, waaaaah..."
Seeing the little boy's face all wrinkled from crying, Ling Huanwu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and picked up the notebook that Qin Jinshen had just used to teach pinyin.
Sure enough, the pinyin on the notebook was arranged differently from the pinyin in their textbooks; it was the pinyin from the port city!
A figure flashed through Ling Huanwu's mind, startling her so much that she dropped the notebook in her hand.
She had been troubled these past few days by how Zhao Ergou could be so patient and not leave any trace to escape.
Unexpectedly, the simple pinyin brought her a pleasant surprise.
This Zhao Ergou is very likely from Gangcheng, or more likely Qin Jinshen!
Ling Huanwu quickly picked up the notebook and ran towards the family compound.
On the other end.
Qin Jinshen picked up the radio he had secretly hidden under the bed, tuned to the local channel, turned the volume up to the maximum, and set off on a grand tour with his bodyguard, Ma, who was carrying a blade of grass in his mouth.
As the setting sun painted the sky, villagers gathered under the locust trees and by the walls, bowls in hand.
Sweet potato porridge mingled with the aroma of pickled vegetables, and laughter was mixed with casual conversation about farm work.
The stars are gradually brightening, and the evening breeze carries the warm, cozy atmosphere of home cooking.
The villagers were chatting about how many points their daughters and sons scored on their exams when they heard the sound of a radio coming from not far away.
They all craned their necks to look at the rare item in Qin Jinshen's hand, and gathered around him and the guard, chattering amongst themselves.
"Hey, Brother Er Gou, this must be really expensive! I heard your future wife gave all your stuff to the villagers, how come you still have a radio?"
"Yes, everyone in our village can see that you like Comrade Ling, but even if you prove you're a great philanthropist and that you were betrothed to her as children, it won't help. Commander Zhou and she are the real couple. You should save your money and find another wife..."
Qin Jin glared at the gossipy villagers with displeasure, while Guard Ma tore off the foxtail grass he was holding in his mouth and jumped out to act as his master's mouth muzzle, "My nephew's things belong to Comrade Ling. She can give my nephew's things to whomever she wants. It's none of your business!"
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