The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Where is the person you're talking about? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?

Zhang Xiangqian stopped not far from Wang Xiao and asked Lin Chuxue, "We've walked for so long, and I haven't seen anyone in front of me. Could it be that Lin Chuxue is mistaken, or has that person already run away?"

"I clearly saw someone come in just now, could it be that they didn't take this route?"

The path they came on was worn smooth by frequent footsteps; there were no paths anywhere else. The open space in front of them was also uneven.

Lin Chuxue was confused and anxious. It was such a pity that Lin Baoya had missed such a good opportunity.

As I was looking around, I wasn't paying attention and slipped.

"what!"

As Lin Chuxue fell forward, Zhang Xiangqian caught her with lightning speed, but he caught her in the wrong place. His palm landed on the soft flesh of her waist, and his fingertips even brushed against a bit of skin exposed under the hem of her clothes.

The weather was warm now, and Lin Chuxue was dressed lightly, but that touch felt like it was on fire, making her shiver all over.

She was already flustered, and now her mind went completely blank. She pressed herself against Zhang Xiangqian's chest, her nose bumping against his hard chest, smelling a faint scent of sweat mixed with the refreshing aroma of soap.

"You, let go!" Lin Chuxue was both ashamed and anxious. She raised her hand to push Zhang Xiangqian's arm away, her voice trembling slightly.

Zhang Xiangqian was also stunned. He had only been thinking about saving people and hadn't thought about etiquette at all. Now, after being pushed by Lin Chuxue, he realized where his hand was. His ears turned bright red instantly. He hurriedly let go, but afraid that she would lose her balance, he could only reach out to support her elbow and stammered an apology:

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you alright?"

Lin Chuxue steadied herself, quickly took two steps back, lowered her head and adjusted her clothes, her cheeks burning hot enough to fry an egg.

"What are you doing?"

The sound exploded like thunder in their ears, startling the two so much that they almost fell together again.

Bao Ya's eyes widened like saucers, and her sisters-in-law behind her covered their mouths, winking and exchanging knowing glances; their eyes practically brimming with gossip.

Lin Chuxue's heart skipped a beat. In this era, reputation is of utmost importance. If word got out about what had just happened, who knows what people would say about her.

Suddenly noticing Lin Baoya in front of him, a surge of anger flared up instantly—where had that brat run off to? And why did she choose this moment to appear, along with all the people who came with her?

He was there to catch them in the act, and looking at Zhang Xiangqian beside him, the way they looked...

"Peach Blossom, it's you?"

Bao Ya's eyes widened even more, filled with schadenfreude. She knew Lin Chuxue didn't like being called Peach Blossom, so she deliberately disgusted her like this.

"What's going on here? No way, Peach Blossom, how could you be so confused?"

"Yes, Qi family's daughter-in-law, how could you do such a foolish thing? And Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang, even if this old house catches fire, you can't let it burn down someone else's house."

Sister-in-law Zhang looked at Zhang Xiangqian with pity for his lack of ambition. She had introduced him to two potential partners before, but his mother always said he wasn't in a hurry. Now he's in such a hurry that he's come to the grove.

Zhang Xiangqian was previously so ashamed he couldn't lift his head, but now he's so angry he can't speak. Heavens above, can anyone teach him what to do when he encounters these old women?

Seeing Zhang Xiangqian, Bao Ya felt a little guilty. They say it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester, but not only had their feud not been resolved, it had now escalated to two more. No, she couldn't stay here any longer; she was making more and more enemies.

As her sisters-in-law's words became increasingly absurd, Lin Chuxue realized that she had been tricked by Lin Baoya. No longer caring about anything else, she decided to drag her down with her.

"I followed Bao Ya into the grove. When did you run off to the back? You deliberately framed me."

When Bao Ya saw her clinging to her, she naturally didn't want to, so she pretended to be surprised:

"I?"

Then he looked at his sisters-in-law around him, and then at Zhang Xiangqian.

"Why are you following me? Did I tell you to? And what's with him? Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang, did you come in to arrest me?"

When asked, Zhang Xiangqian shook his head blankly. Lin Chuxue had only said that someone had entered the grove, but hadn't said who.

"You... you're the one who framed me on purpose."

Lin Chuxue was truly speechless. Now she understood: Lin Baoya had deliberately lured her here, and Zhang Xiangqian had only met her by chance at the intersection. Lin Baoya had been nearby at the time? She had been set up by Lin Baoya.

"Why would I frame you? We have no grudge against each other. In fact, we're cousins. Peach Blossom, how could you think of me like that?"

Bao Ya's eyes were innocent, her voice choked with sobs, as if she had suffered a terrible injustice. This "green tea" act was something she learned from her toxic best friend in her past life; she never thought it would come in handy now.

The time to showcase her acting skills has come. She harbors ill intentions towards him, so he has no reason to hold back.

Seeing the situation before him, Wang Xiao, perched in the tree, gritted his teeth. He could vouch for the two men, but explaining why he was up in the tree was difficult.

Lin Chuxue was speechless. What did she say? That she had followed Qi Jianjun yesterday and discovered that the two of them had entered the woods?

"Bao Ya didn't frame you on purpose, I saw everything."

Qi Jianjun's sudden appearance startled everyone, and they all moved aside to make way for him.

When the real culprit who should have caught them in the act arrived, the sisters-in-law all shut up and obediently watched from the sidelines, knowing that a fight might break out at any moment.

Qi Jianjun remembered that Bao Ya said yesterday that someone was following her, and now he could confirm that it was Lin Chuxue.

He had seen what happened when she came in, and with the rumors circulating in the military region, what else didn't he understand?

She clearly wanted to come in and catch Bao Ya cheating, and the so-called adulterer was herself.

Ultimately, they were just a couple brought together by their parents.

He felt no romantic feelings for her whatsoever, and Lin Chuxue's gaze towards him was always clear and unwavering, devoid of any wifely affection for her husband. Therefore, she never considered her own feelings when doing things.

Meeting Qi Jianjun's gaze, Lin Chuxue's face drained of all color, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time:

"I... I was..."

Only then did she suddenly realize that the other person she had caught cheating was Qi Jianjun. If there really was something between them, Qi Jianjun was finished too.

Lin Chuxue looked at Lin Baoya, then at Qi Jianjun, feeling extremely annoyed that she had acted too impulsively.

Seeing the two of them, Bao Ya's eyes lit up, and she quickly interjected:

"No way, Peach Blossom, you don't suspect me and Brother Qi, do you? Brother Qi is such a good person, how could you think of him like that? You'll ruin his future if you do that."

Bao Ya clutched her chest, feigning surprise, and stared at Lin Chuxue with disbelief.

"Don't talk nonsense. I didn't. You clearly lured me here on purpose. You arranged all of this."

Lin Chuxue was furious at what she said and blamed Bao Ya for everything. But apart from saying that Bao Ya had led her there, she couldn't say anything else.