80 village women marry military officers; it was supposed to be a fake marriage.

When Chang Jingxiang was getting ready for bed, he realized that his bedding was next to Lin Yue's, and Lin Yue was already asleep. He didn't move it and just lay down like that.

With the lights off, the surroundings were so quiet that Lin Yue could hear her steady breathing. She decided that she would go to the team tomorrow to find the secretary and discuss going down the mountain.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt the person next to him roll over, and then a soft body leaned in, with their feet resting on his waist.

He could clearly feel his body's reaction and couldn't help wanting to hold the person in his arms. But when he thought about their agreement, he felt that his behavior was immoral.

So he lifted Lin Yue's legs with his hands, covered her with her quilt again, and moved his own bedding to the other side of the kang (heated brick bed).

The next day, when Chang Jingxiang got up, the bedding beside him was already folded up, and Lin Yue was still outside boiling water and cooking as usual.

He folded his own bedding and then piled Lin Yue's bedding on top of it.

Lin Yue saw that he was still very polite when he came out, and invited him to wash his hands and eat. Then she went inside to call Chang's parents to eat.

Chang Jingxiang saw that the pheasants and medicinal herbs he brought back yesterday had been cleaned up. Lin Yue said that her leg was fine today, and she really wasn't being dramatic.

Chang Jingxiang felt a little bitter and uncomfortable. He actually hoped that Lin Yue could stay in bed today and coax him to help him clean the pheasants.

No one mentioned what happened last night while eating breakfast. Chang's mother just told Lin Yue not to go out to collect herbs today and to rest at home.

Lin Yue readily agreed. She didn't want to go out and face the aftermath of yesterday's events, so it was better to avoid it.

After dinner, Lin Yue went back to her room. She was cutting shoe soles and figuring out how to make shoes. She looked at the stack of quilts and started to daydream.

Chang Jingxiang told his parents about his idea of ​​going down the mountain, and they both agreed and were very happy.

"You should come back and spend more time with Yue'er. Newlyweds shouldn't be separated for too long, otherwise people outside won't have anything to say."

You can help with some chores, so Yue'er won't have to work so hard. Your dad and I are very worried about her going out alone at night.

Yue'er is a hard-working child. If you want her to rely on you, you'll have to work harder.

Chang Jingxiang went straight to the brigade without saying goodbye to Lin Yue. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Niu's eldest brother squatting at the door, and Niu Erdan's mother standing aside wiping away tears.

When Niu Erdan's mother saw Chang Jingxiang, she rushed over and tried to grab his sleeve, but Chang Jingxiang nimbly dodged her and walked into the secretary's office.

The Party Secretary was smoking his pipe with a troubled expression. "You've come at the right time. What exactly happened? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"

Niu Erdan beat Shen Rong so badly he couldn't get out of bed, and he was arrested. Meanwhile, Niu's wife is threatening suicide at home. What kind of mess is this?

Chang Jingxiang recounted how Lin Yue encountered Shen Rong and Niu's wife having an affair while gathering herbs in the mountains, omitting, of course, the part about catching wild game.

"Yue'er didn't know what to do. She originally planned to keep it a secret, but then the Niu family's wife came to our door in the middle of the night with her people. They even tried to pull my wife out of bed and smashed all our things."

Shen Rong even wants to take Yue'er away. What are they up to? My wife is too scared to go out now, and she even injured her leg.

The old secretary hadn't heard that Lin Yue was injured. How did she get hurt?

There were instructions from above, so the secretary was quite lenient with the Chang family. He knew they were going back to Beijing and were only staying temporarily, so he couldn't afford to offend them.

Now that Chang Jingxiang has said this, it's clear he's trying to exonerate his wife and demand an explanation.

The old Party Secretary glanced at the two people outside the door, sighed, and said, "I will report this to the relevant departments in the provincial capital. They will definitely investigate the whole story and reward those who have done good deeds and punish those who have done wrong."

Seeing that Chang Jingxiang was still standing there after he finished speaking, the old secretary assumed that he was not satisfied. "Let's leave it at that for now and see the results of the investigation. If your wife did nothing wrong, we will definitely not wrong her."

Chang Jingxiang expressed his thoughts: "I'm not staying on the mountain anymore. I have to come back and watch over the house. If someone is jealous and retaliates against me, at least I'll have someone to take care of me."

The old Party Secretary was completely bewildered; should he agree, or should he agree?

“Okay, since Shen Rong’s injury won’t heal anytime soon, you can come back and take over his work.”

After receiving a positive answer, Chang Jingxiang hurried back up the mountain to retrieve his belongings, moving swiftly and without delay.

Before he left, the old man at the pig farm said to him, "Xiaoyue is a poor child, you should treat her well."

Chang Jingxiang nodded solemnly and left all his dry rations to the old master.

Lin Yue assumed Chang Jingxiang had gone back to the mountain, so she didn't ask or say anything. She stewed the pheasant, stir-fried two plates of green vegetables, and made a cold salad of bean sprouts and cucumber.

The main dish was fried dough cakes, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, which looked very appetizing. As soon as they were made, Chang's mother broke off a piece and ate it.

Just as they finished packing up and were about to eat, Chang Jingxiang returned with his luggage on his back. Lin Yue was stunned, wondering what he was up to.

Chang's mother explained, "Jingxiang was worried about you, so he decided to stay in the village instead of going up the mountain. That way, our family can be together every day."

Lin Yue was overjoyed, and it showed on her face. "Yes, that's great. He can spend more time with Mom and Dad."

During the meal, Lin Yue served food to Chang's parents and a large chicken leg to Chang Jingxiang. She spoke much less than usual, but the atmosphere was very pleasant.

After finishing his meal, Chang Jingxiang went to report to the brigade. Lin Yue thought she would unpack his luggage, wash it, and air it in the sun. While unpacking, she didn't notice that a black and white photo and a thick stack of postcards fell out of the quilt.

The girl in the photo has delicate features, beautiful long straight hair, and wears a pink dress with a ruffled collar. Her smile is so beautiful it's etched into your heart.

The words "Su Qingya" were written in fountain pen at the back, and they had turned white, probably from frequent rubbing.

It seems the owner of the photo often takes it out to look at, as does the thick stack of postcards with elegant and refined handwriting, just like the owner's name.

Unlike my own handwriting, which I practiced for months but still couldn't write properly, this one is crooked and messy.

The events of her previous life resurfaced before her eyes: the things she had done to please Chang Jingxiang, how Chang Jingxiang and her beloved were enjoying romantic moments together, while she herself had always seemed like a joke.

When she left the Chang family, no one saw her off. The door that closed wasn't just a courtyard, but another world.

It was a world that Lin Yue could never reach no matter how hard she tried, but all the joy of Chang Jingxiang's return vanished without a trace.

Lin Yue composed herself and calmly began to work. Since she couldn't get through it, she would stay in her own world and guard her heart.