Ling Huanwu stared at Song Panmei's hand that was gripping her wrist, and when she looked up again, her eyes were full of determination. "Panmei, what is your dream? I remember that when you were little, your dream was to design a lot of beautiful clothes, but why did you change your dream and become a pilot?"
"No one and nothing is more important than your dream, so my dream will not change because of anyone or anything!"
Song Panmei slowly released Ling Huanwu's hand, staring at the woman in front of her with astonishment in her eyes, as if she were seeing her for the first time.
He thought that if he changed his ideals, she would be moved and would hug him and explain his feelings.
But she said everything he did was wrong.
Ling Huanwu ignored the changing expressions on his face and turned to go to the tent to look for Xiao Lü.
In her previous life, she didn't know Song Panmei's thoughts. After all these things in this life, how could she not understand his thoughts?
At this moment, Song Panmei probably couldn't believe that Ling Huanwu would so easily peel off this veil of shame.
He might have thought that her care for him recently meant that she had some feelings for him too.
Or perhaps she didn't want to break the bond they had built over many years.
Once that bond is broken, you might not even be able to remain friends.
But today, Ling Huanwu personally shattered the last vestige of decorum between the two of them.
Song Panmei's eyes reddened as she watched Ling Huanwu's departing figure, which gradually blurred with tears.
It was as if, through the vast expanse of time, he saw many of her figures carrying him away...
The crowd moved about.
The two figures were particularly jarring to Zhou Jiuzhen's eyes.
Zhou Jiuzhen ripped the little green dog off his shoulder and stroked its fur wildly. "Look at that little vixen, isn't she shameless? Acting like a prostitute every day, who is she trying to impress? Luckily, my wife didn't turn around..."
Little Green looked utterly hopeless, and painful hissing sounds escaped from its sharp mouth.
Zhou Jiuzhen was completely unaware of this, and just as he was about to smile, he saw Ling Huanwu turn around and look at him, then run towards him with her hands on her hips.
"Zhou Jiuzhen, let go right now!"
Zhou Jiuzhen was so frightened that he quickly let go of Xiao Lü's hand and stood at attention obediently.
Little Green lost its footing and fell to the ground, letting out a painful cry of "Ouch, ouch!"
Ling Huanwu picked up the pitiful little green dog and anxiously checked on it. She couldn't help but glare at Zhou Jiuzhen, "This is our God of Wealth, don't break him."
After scolding Zhou Jiuzhen, she turned around and kissed, hugged and lifted Xiao Lü high in the air, saying, "Xiao Lü, take us to the place where you turned into a crow last time, and we'll get revenge for you!"
"Revenge! Revenge!"
Little Green, who was dizzy and disoriented from the fall, immediately opened its eyes wide and its eyes shone brightly. Excitedly, it flapped its wings and broke free from Ling Huanwu's embrace, flying away.
Ling Huanwu quickly grabbed Zhou Jiuzhen, who was still in a daze, and hurriedly chased after him.
Song Panmei, leaning on his crutch, tried to catch up, but with only one leg, he couldn't outrun them. In the blink of an eye, they had all disappeared.
Sunlight streamed over the island's rocks as Ling Huanwu clutched the compass she had taken from her spatial storage, with Zhou Jiuzhen close behind.
Both of their eyes were fixed on the green parrot flapping its wings in front of them.
The intelligent little creature finally stopped in front of a dark brown mountain wall in the winding, dense forest.
Ling Huanwu stepped forward first, her fingertips brushing against the rock face, instantly staining her nails black. She turned back in surprise and exclaimed, "It's coal! It really is coal!"
Zhou Jiuzhen immediately took out his geological hammer and knocked off a piece. The fragments fell into his palm, their black, shiny luster dazzling to the eye.
Ignoring the coal dust covering their faces and bodies, the two embraced each other excitedly, tears streaming down their faces mixed with the coal ash.
The island lacks coal, so people rely on firewood for heating in winter, and fishing boats need repairs due to fuel shortages.
Even houses destroyed by storm surges have been unable to be rebuilt due to a lack of energy.
Now that we have this illegal coal mine, in the future we can not only earn work points by operating the mine, but also receive dividends from the coal we sell.
This coal mine is simply the legendary treasure, the hope of the entire island!
They filled a sack with coal and hurried briskly toward the village.
As soon as the two arrived at the threshing ground, the news spread like wildfire, and the villagers all gathered around.
The village chief of Stone Village tremblingly touched the coal in the cloth bag, his eyes reddening as he murmured, "With this, the children won't have to suffer from frozen hands and feet in winter! If we have a lot of coal, we can even transport it to the city to make money."
Aunt Liu smiled through her tears, "With the house rebuilt, we'll never have to live in that makeshift shack again!"
The crowd was filled with laughter, and everyone's eyes shone with anticipation for the future, as if they could already see the brand-new brick houses and the steaming stoves.
Back at their lodgings, Ling Huanwu and Zhou Jiuzhen didn't even have time to rest; they stayed up all night drawing maps on a wooden table.
Under the kerosene lamp.
Ling Huanwu carefully marked the latitude and longitude of the coal mine and the route into the mountains.
Zhou Jiuzhen placed the compass, geological hammer, and other equipment on the table and checked them repeatedly, fearing that the exploration might reveal even the slightest mistake the next day.
The sound of the waves outside the wooden shed, along with the scratching of pens on paper, filled the air with anticipation for tomorrow.
But they didn't notice that when the crowd dispersed during the day, a woman wrapped in a gray headscarf and with her face smeared with yellow mud was staring intently in their direction from a corner.
It was Song Yaoyao who should have been sent to the city prison!
She managed to steal a fishing boat from a kind fisherman, stripped him of his old clothes, and made her way back to the island.
Hearing Ling Huanwu and the others cheering in the crowd, his fingernails almost dug into his palms, his eyes filled with jealousy and hatred.
Why were they able to find a coal mine and gain the favor of the entire village?
And all she could do was go to prison.
If she's not having a good time, nobody else will either!
The night was deep, and the waves crashed against the island, making a loud noise.
In the quiet night, Ling Huanwu was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Zhou Liuzhen had hesitated several times, wanting to ask her whether she liked Song Panmei or her.
Before he could even ask, Ling Huanwu, who was telling stories to the children, fell asleep.
Helpless, Zhou Jiuzhen could only carry her back to their bed while she was fast asleep, hold her in his arms, kiss her forehead, and then close his eyes tightly.
The sound of even breathing filled the wooden shed. They had gone to bed early, eagerly anticipating bringing new life to the island in preparation for tomorrow's coal exploration.
However, a conspiracy is quietly unfolding.
At this moment, Song Yaoyao was crouching low and tiptoeing closer to the wooden shed, like a ghost.
Her face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with resentment and malice.
The moonlight shone on her, casting her distorted silhouette.
She gently pushed open the dilapidated door of the wooden shed. The hinges creaked softly, startling her. She stopped abruptly and peered inside warily.
Seeing that the two people inside were still fast asleep, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued her destructive activities.
She first picked up the compass, ran her fingers over it, and then suddenly snapped the needle in two.
The "snap" sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night.
Next, she set her sights on the geological hammer, picked it up, and smashed it hard against the wooden stool. The hammer handle broke instantly, and wood chips flew everywhere.
After doing all this, she smiled with satisfaction, her laughter low and eerie.
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