Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

"Qingqing, why are you saying this..." Zheng Yunzhou felt a pang of displeasure upon hearing Lin Qingqing's words. He frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He gently tugged at Lin Qingqing's sleeve, trying to calm her down.

However, Lin Qingqing pouted, looking completely unconcerned: "That's right, I'm not making things up!" Although her voice wasn't loud, it was enough for everyone present to hear, and the scene became somewhat quiet and the atmosphere a little awkward.

Long Lifan stood to the side, unable to bear Lin Qingqing's slightly affected tone any longer. Did she really think everyone treated Zheng Yunzhou like a treasure? She gently shook her head, not wanting to get involved in this pointless argument.

So she stepped aside, handed the things she had brought to Xiang Fang and the others, then rolled up her sleeves and joined them in preparing the meal. With Long Lifan taking the lead, Lin Yue and the others naturally followed closely behind to help.

After half an hour of busy work, a sumptuous dinner was finally presented to everyone. The table was laden with all sorts of delicacies, their aroma filling the air and making mouths water. This was mainly thanks to everyone generously bringing out their most prized possessions; even the usually frugal male educated youths didn't hesitate to pull out their treasured items.

Since Long Lifan became the village party secretary, she has become the focus of everyone's attention. Chen Hongjie and a group of other male educated youths had always wanted to get closer to her, but they usually lacked the opportunity and excuse. This time, the arrival of new educated youths in the countryside undoubtedly provided them with an excellent opportunity.

Therefore, this welcome party, ostensibly to welcome several new educated youth, was in reality a carefully planned dinner by Chen Hongjie and others to "build relationships."

They all brought out things they usually couldn't bear to eat, hoping to leave a good impression on Long Zhiqing and improve their relationship.

"Long, why didn't you stay at the educated youth settlement?" During the meal, Zheng Yunzhou finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked. He keenly noticed that these people's attitude towards Long Lifan seemed completely different from their attitude towards the other educated youth, filled with respect and awe.

Lin Qingqing had obviously noticed this as well, and upon hearing Zheng Yunzhou's question, she immediately interjected, "Yes, Sister Long, why aren't you staying at the educated youth settlement? Is there some special reason?"

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan frowned slightly. She couldn't stand Lin Qingqing's distorted pronunciation of "sister," which gave her goosebumps all over.

“Lin Zhiqing, you can just call me Long Zhiqing or Comrade Long. I’m not used to you calling me ‘sister’ all the time. Besides, I’m not even 17 yet, so I can’t be your sister.” Long Lifan’s tone was serious, but not lacking in politeness.

"Ah... Sister Long, oh no, Long Zhiqing, you're not even 17 years old yet!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing's eyes widened in surprise. She had assumed Long Lifan was older than her, but it turned out she was younger. "Then why do I hear them all calling you 'Sister Fan'?" Lin Qingqing asked, puzzled.

“We’re happy to call her that, so what!” Hu Lili retorted without any politeness. She keenly sensed that Lin Qingqing had been harboring inexplicable hostility towards her ever since the group arrived, which made her feel both confused and somewhat annoyed, hence her somewhat impolite words.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing seemed to have suffered a great injustice, her eyes instantly turning red. She pretended to weakly reply from the side, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious and that's why I asked..." She looked as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

Seeing this, Chen Hongjie quickly stood up to smooth things over. Knowing the situation of Long Lifan and the others, he explained, "It's like this, Long and the other educated youths paid for their own houses, so they didn't live in the educated youth settlement. It's actually quite good; they have their own space and are more free."

After saying that, he glanced at the two new male educated youths and secretly hoped that they could also build their own houses and move out, since the five male educated youths in one room did seem a bit crowded.

"Oh, is that so!" Zheng Yunzhou replied indifferently, and then said nothing more. Chen Hongjie couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

After dinner, everyone got up and left. Long Lifan also got up, tidied up, and prepared to return to her residence.

For her, maintaining superficial relationships with the other educated youth was enough; she didn't expect to develop deep friendships with them. After all, in this complex environment, everyone had their own ulterior motives and calculations, and she just wanted to quietly do her own thing and avoid getting involved in those pointless conflicts.

…………

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous bungalow in the capital, several figures gathered again under dim lighting, the atmosphere unusually tense and solemn.

"Old Li, why did you call us over in such a hurry? Is there some new development?" one of them asked first, his eyes flashing with anticipation and anxiety.

The elderly man, addressed as Old Li, nodded slightly and said solemnly, "The rat has already come out. This time, we absolutely cannot let it escape again. Now, it's up to you, Old Fu!"

Upon hearing this, Old Fu immediately straightened his back and said firmly, "No problem, I'll go back and make arrangements right away, and I guarantee everything will be perfect."

Old Li added, "Remember, we must be extremely careful. The other side has only just begun to show its strength, so we must not alert them, understand? This operation must succeed, failure is not an option! If they escape this time, it will be incredibly difficult to find them again." Everyone nodded solemnly upon hearing this.

In the Northwest during summer, the sun blazes fiercely, and heat waves roll in.

On this vast and boundless desert, Jiang Chen is leading the soldiers in his battalion in a grueling 10-kilometer cross-country running training session.

Under the blazing sun, the earth was mercilessly baked, and so was the will of every soldier. Their vests were already soaked with sweat, but their steps never faltered, each step demonstrating the tenacity and indomitable spirit of soldiers.

Just then, a guard rushed over and shouted anxiously, "Battalion Commander Jiang, the regimental commander urgently needs to see you. Please report to the regimental headquarters immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure. He gave a firm military salute, indicating that he had received the order, then briefly instructed the deputy battalion commander to continue leading the soldiers in training. He then turned and followed his guard, striding towards the regimental headquarters, his back revealing an undeniable sense of decisiveness and responsibility.

"Commander, you wanted to see me!"

Stepping into the regimental headquarters, Jiang Chen stood tall and respectfully gave a standard military salute. His eyes were full of respect and admiration; he regarded the regimental commander before him not only as a superior, but also as a "benefactor."

The regimental commander had helped him when he needed it most, finding out where his grandparents had been sent to the countryside. He had always remembered this kindness and was deeply grateful. Now, facing the regimental commander, Jiang Chen was filled with respect.

"It's not me looking for you, it's someone who wants to see you!" Wu Zhiguo was very satisfied with Jiang Chen and shook his head with a smile.