"Yes," Xu Yuehua explained to Xu Dalan, apologetically, "Aunt, this is what happened. Aunt Lu once went to the market in our village, and my second brother knocked her down. Although I have apologized, I still feel very sorry when I think about it afterwards."

Xu Dalan exclaimed, "Oh my!" "Is there such a thing? This is really fate."

Lu Nong just smiled and said nothing, which could be taken as a tacit agreement, or as "I don't agree, but I won't refute you to avoid embarrassing you."

Xu Dalan didn't understand the whole story, so she naturally thought it was the former and was happy about this fate in her heart. However, Xu Yuehua and Xu Yao, who knew the whole truth, had to think carefully about it. Xu Yao was taking pleasure in the misfortune, and Xu Yuehua frowned slightly when she saw this.

At this time, Hu Mei suddenly said, "Comrade Lu, why don't you come over to my house? My daughter is cooking today, and my husband is not at home at noon. It's just us mother and son at home. If you come, I'll ask Qingqing to make some delicious food."

Lu Nong quickly declined.

Just kidding. Not to mention that everyone had a fixed amount of food at that time, if she went to visit someone, Hu Mei would definitely cook some delicious food, which might consume the whole family's food for several days.

Besides, Qingqing was the one cooking and Qingqing was in the kitchen. From what Hu Mei said, it sounded like she wanted Qingqing to show off her cooking skills to her "future mother-in-law". If she really went, it would become a show, which would send the wrong signal to Hu Mei.

She doesn't want to be a "mother-in-law", so she won't go, she is determined not to go.

Lu Nong's refusal disappointed Hu Mei. Xu Dalan took the initiative and proposed to make up for Lu Nong on behalf of Xu Yuehua's second brother and invite Lu Nong home for a simple meal.

Hu Mei stared blankly at the side, afraid that Lu Nong would agree. She finally understood that Xu Dalan had the same idea and wanted to become relatives with Deputy Commander Pei's family. Xu Dalan had no concubines of her own, so she asked her niece to make up the number.

Lu Nong also refused. After parting with Hu Mei and Xu Dalan, he hurried home. It was not suitable to go out today, so he decided to go home and have some free time.

If I don’t go back, I might “accidentally run into” Xu Yuehua and Xu Yao in a while.

When he reached the door of his house, Lu Nong ran into another acquaintance, "Comrade Cheng Hua? Why are you standing at the door? Why don't you go in?"

Cheng Hua was very surprised to see Lu Nong coming back, but he immediately reacted and said, "Comrade Lu Nong, I heard from Aunt Wu that you were not at home, so I did not go in to disturb you. I thought I would just wait for you at the door."

Lu Nong looked surprised, "What does Comrade Cheng Hua want to talk to me about?"

"Well," Cheng Hua bit his lip and finished speaking in one breath, "Comrade Lu Nong, I want to ask you a few words..."

As he spoke, Cheng Hua took out a small notebook from his pocket and showed it to Lu Nong. Lu Nong took it and looked at it carefully. He saw a lot of words written on it with pencil, and there were also poems. The handwriting was crooked and it was obvious that it was written by a beginner, but the person who wrote it had a sincere attitude.

"...Comrade Lu Nong, just don't laugh at me. I know I'm a rough guy, and others make fun of me for having a pig's nose with a scallion stuck in it, especially that Liu Erniu. But I have observed that you are the only one who didn't show a mocking expression after hearing my story, and you didn't treat my story as a joke." Cheng Hua said sincerely.

"There's nothing funny about it," Lu Nong said solemnly. "Anyone is qualified to learn and improve at any time. And those who are willing to improve are always worthy of respect."

Of course Lu Nong didn't think it was funny. She even thought of Xiangling learning poetry in Dream of the Red Chamber. The same was true for Cheng Hua. No matter how others laughed at her, Cheng Hua still insisted on being herself and kept learning and improving. This spirit has been respected from ancient times to the present.

Cheng Hua didn't expect Lu Nong to say that, and a look of encouragement appeared on his face.

"Well, you are right."

Lu Nong corrected the wrong words and pronunciations in Cheng Hua's notebook, explained the meanings to her in detail, and told her that she could ask her if she had any questions in the future.

Cheng Hua happily agreed and said she had to hurry home to cook for the children.

After saying goodbye to Cheng Hua at the door of her house, Lu Nong quietly entered the yard without disturbing others, intending to play on the swing in the garden for a while. It can be seen that she did not want to face that old pervert Pei Ji'an at all.

Lu Nong swallowed all the words that were meant to make Pei Jianan look bad. Pei Jianan now was no longer the ignorant Pei Jian when he just woke up. She should retain her strength and avoid the sharp edge for the time being.

When I walked to the swing, I found Xiao Huai sitting on it and playing, and the little white dog was chasing Xiao Huai back and forth.

Lu Nong sat down on the other swing. Xiao Huai stopped in surprise when he saw Lu Nong, jumped off the swing and hugged Lu Nong's thighs, "Wow, mommy plays with me."

Xiao Huai is a very independent child who knows how to enjoy himself. He is of course happy when others play with him, but he can also have fun with the little white dog even if others don't.

He also has strong self-control. Lu Nong plans his study and play time every day, and he can strictly follow the schedule without being urged or shouted at.

"Tsk..." Lu Nong winked at Xiao Huai, picked him up and sat him on a swing, then started swinging. The mother and son played happily. Lu Nong's long hair was blown by the wind and slid in the air as the swing swayed.

Xiao Huai chuckled. The little white dog shook its head energetically and stood aside with its tongue out. It must have been very tired from chasing Xiao Huai just now.

The swing was still swinging, and a straight figure was standing not far away.

Pei Zheng walked home with his head down and a sad face. Shen Jiming, standing beside him, looked calm and composed, not at all like someone who had been driven back from the army.

"Do you think it was my dad who asked Captain Wang to kick us out?" Pei Zheng couldn't help but turn around and ask Shen Jiming.

"Maybe." Shen Jiming said absentmindedly.

"What do you think he means? Why didn't he rush over earlier or later, but had to wait until we had been in the army for two or three days before scrambling over?" Pei Zheng asked in great confusion.

Shen Jiming: "Maybe it's meaningless."

"You said... No, why were you daydreaming when I asked you a question? You were even chased out, but you don't care or get angry at all?" Pei Zheng was holding his breath and was very dissatisfied with Shen Jiming's indifferent look.

Shen Jiming held a piece of grass in his mouth, showing his carefree side that he had never shown in front of others, and said righteously, "Don't get angry. Joining the army was not my choice. I came to Qingcheng to avoid the limelight. If I wanted to be a soldier, I could be one anywhere."

Pei Zheng choked. Fortunately, this guy didn't mean to irritate him, otherwise he would have been so angry that he would die.

Jealousy tore Pei Zheng apart. He wanted to join the army but couldn't find a way, while Shen Jiming had the ability to join the army but chose not to.

Speaking of hiding from the limelight, Shen Jiming looked around to see if there was anyone around, then lowered his head and said to Pei Zheng, "I'm telling you, Beijing is in chaos."

"Stop talking," Pei Zheng frowned and looked in one direction, "There's someone."

Shen Jiming's eyes changed, and he stabbed at the corner of the wall sharply, "Come out."

I saw a young girl with a braided hair and wearing a green skirt limping out from behind the wall. It was Xu Yao.

Xu Yao saw a flash of surprise on Pei Zheng's face. She pursed her lips and said, "I didn't eavesdrop. You came here on your own."

The implication is that she arrived here before Pei Zheng and Shen Jiming.

Pei Zheng did not miss the surprise that flashed across Xu Yao's face when she saw him just now, and asked solemnly: "Do you know me?"

Xu Yao shook her head and nodded.

"We don't know each other, but I have seen you, donkey cart. I was sitting on the donkey cart."

Pei Zheng suddenly realized when Xu Yao mentioned the donkey cart that this girl must be one of the female educated youth in the donkey cart at that time. However, his expression did not ease, and he continued to interrogate her, "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"My family and I came to visit relatives. I was pushed down and sprained my foot. We also lost our way, so we are resting here."

"Visiting relatives? Whose relatives are you visiting?"

Xu Yao opened her mouth and was about to answer when she heard a reproachful voice behind her, "Sister Xu Yao, why are you running around? My aunt and I have been looking for you everywhere."

The man trotted over, and when he arrived in front of the three people, he took Xu Yao's hand and said, "I finally found you. Fortunately, you are okay. Don't run around anymore in the future."

After saying that, she turned around and asked Pei and Shen in confusion, with an innocent and naive look on her face, which could easily attract the favor of others: "Excuse me, who are you..."

Xu Yao watched Xu Yuehua's performance silently, with a sarcastic expression on her face. It was obvious that she had deliberately pushed herself down on a rock, spraining her ankle and unable to walk, but now that she met Pei Zheng, her expression changed quickly.

Speaking of which, Lu Nong was also bumped into by Xu Yuehua's second brother. Although the brother and sister are not related by blood, their styles of behavior are very similar.

I don’t know if Pei Zheng will be fooled by her kind and sweet appearance.

Pei Zheng and Shen Jiming were tall, which had the advantage that they could see through the expressions and eyes of the two young girls clearly.

Pei Zheng did not answer Xu Yuehua's question, but asked coldly: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Xu Yuehua pursed her lips slightly. Why didn't this man play by the rules? Did Xu Yao say something bad about her before she came?

Xu Yao smiled slightly. Comrade Lu's family was indeed extraordinary.

Xu Yuehua happened to see the smile on Xu Yao's face that didn't disappear in time, which was very dazzling. She believed that Xu Yao was slandering her in front of Pei Zheng. After thinking for a while, she said softly:

"My name is Xu Yuehua, and my aunt is Xu Dalan. My sister Xu Yao and I came to my aunt's house to visit relatives. On the way, we met Aunt Lu Nong from Deputy Commander Pei's family and chatted for a few words. Who knew that my sister disappeared after the chat. My aunt and I looked for my sister everywhere..."

Pei Zheng: “…”

Shen Jiming: “…”

"Your name is Lu Nong...what?" Pei Zheng asked again, not believing his ears.

"Aunt Lu." Xu Yuehua was confused and didn't understand why Pei Zheng's focus was here.

Shen Jiming coughed lightly, "It's okay, it's okay, just continue talking."

"...My aunt and I have been looking for my sister everywhere. Luckily, we found her. May I ask who you are? Why are you with my sister?"

Pei Zheng nodded after listening to this and said in a businesslike manner, "We are residents living here. We asked a few more questions because we saw that you two were strangers. Sorry, you can leave now."

As for the other questions asked by Xu Yuehua, Pei Zheng did not answer, nor did he comment on the inconsistency between Xu Yao and Xu Yuehua.

Xu Yuehua bit her lip unwillingly, but she knew she couldn't be impatient, so she had to say goodbye and leave.

And Xu Yao looked at the two men with higher regard.

After the two left, Pei Zheng shook off the goose bumps on his body. Shen Jiming laughed at him, "What's wrong with you? Do you have lice?"

"Although it's not nice to say that," Pei Zheng said speechlessly, "When that girl named Xu Yuehua talks, I feel really uncomfortable."

Shen Jiming laughed, "This is incredible. Our Pei Zheng can actually tell when a woman is pretending."

"I'm not stupid," Pei Zheng rolled his eyes, then pursed his lips and said, "The tone of her voice is too similar to when Lu Nong was cheating on people, but Lu Nong was cheating on me, and she was cheating on another girl."

Pei Zheng was also scared of Lu Nong's tricks. Whenever Lu Nong spoke in this tone, he felt creepy all over, causing his green-detection radar to become abnormally sensitive.

Sigh.

"I see that girl named Xu Yuehua glances at you from time to time. Brother, you are going to have good luck in love." Shen Jiming said saccharinely.

Shen Jiming is not only smart but also very sensitive. Although Xu Yuehua concealed it very well, acted appropriately and did not get entangled, she was obviously not smart enough in front of Shen Jiming's level and her little thoughts were seen through at a glance.

On the other hand, the other girl had clear eyes and looked at the two of them with an indifferent attitude, even a little disdainful. It was only when Pei Zheng did not fall into Xu Yuehua's trap that she changed her attitude.

However, this girl's obsession must be on Xu Yuehua. There is hatred in her eyes when she looks at Xu Yuehua. These two girls will have a hard time in the future.

Pei Zheng waved his hands and said sadly, "How can I settle down if the Xiongnu is not destroyed? It's useless to have any luck in love. Let me try my career luck instead."

Besides, even if he wants to find a partner, he can't choose a woman with bad intentions. He is not stupid. Just now, these two women had inconsistent words, and one of them must be lying.

Since Pei Zheng helped his father catch Zhao Xin and Zhong Daren last time, he also watched the uncles in a certain department demonstrate interrogation techniques first-hand and learned a lot, one of which was how to distinguish truth from lies.

His judgment was that Xu Yuehua lied, but Xu Yao did not lie.

Since Xu Yao did not lie, and Xu Yao said that she was lost after being pushed down, I am afraid that the person who pushed Xu Yao down was most likely closely related to Xu Yuehua, and it is even very likely that Xu Yuehua did it herself.

No matter what the conflict between Xu Yuehua and Xu Yao was, he clearly pushed someone away and walked away, but later turned the tables and shirked responsibility. Pei Zheng didn't want to have anything to do with such a person.

He really shouldn't have compared this kind of person with Lu Nong before.

Pei Zheng did not explain his inner thoughts to Shen Jiming. He just said, "I want to join the army!"

Shen Jiming patted Pei Zheng's shoulder sympathetically, but Pei Zheng grabbed both of his hands. "Old Shen, you always have a lot of ideas. Help me analyze how I can join the army?"

Shen Jiming: "...No one stopped you from joining the army, right?"

Pei Zheng: "How come there is no one? Look, I stayed in the camp peacefully, but after two days, the company commander kicked us out. Isn't this an act of obstruction?"

"I don't think Uncle Pei is the kind of patriarch who would forcibly interfere with his children's wishes. Maybe you are overthinking it. Didn't the company commander tell us when he drove us away? They received a mission to go out and asked you to go home first." Shen Jiming said.

Pei Zheng sighed, "You can take us with you on missions. I'm not bragging, our skills and physiques are no worse than those of elite soldiers."

Shen Jiming sneered rudely: "...You are daydreaming. You haven't even joined the army yet. How can we take you on a secret mission?"

Pei Zheng had no reason to refute and lost interest.

"But I have an idea," Shen Jiming waved at Pei Zheng, "You try to please Lu Nong and ask her to find out your father's feelings. If your father doesn't want you to join the army, then you try to please Lu Nong and let her speak well of you in front of your father until he agrees to let you join the army."

Pei Zheng's face was filled with mixed emotions. "Although I don't want to admit it, Lu Nong is indeed my father's weak spot, no matter before or after he lost his memory."

But when he thought about asking the Lu Nong Society to sign various bereavement treaties, he felt sad.

"Okay, I've decided. In order to be able to join the army, as long as Lu Nong doesn't ask for too much, I will agree to any condition she asks." Pei Zheng clenched his fists sadly.