After dinner, she simply went to wait at the intersection near Bai Zhengqian’s house.

—Song Zhi would definitely take this road when he returned.

As she waited and waited, she realized it had already gotten dark. When night fell, Yan Naqian felt scared and wanted to leave, but she was unwilling to give up. After all, what happened with the people at the Educated Youth Station today was inexplicable. Because of this, she was even more determined not to leave.

Yan Naqian calmed down and thought things over carefully. She felt that Jiang Hongzhi’s attitude toward her was far too strange, so she had to find a new backup plan as soon as possible.

Besides, if she could chat with Song Zhi for a bit, maybe he would casually give her something after coming back from town. Then she could show off at the Educated Youth Station and regain her reputation as a fairy!

So, she suppressed her fear and continued to wait.

Finally, someone came panting toward her. Under the faint light of the stars and moon, she saw clearly that it was Song Zhi—and he was carrying an enormous bundle?!

Yan Naqian became excited. She quickly took a deep breath, adjusted her tone, and called out in the sweetest and softest voice, “Brother Song Zhi—”

But Song Zhi acted as if he hadn’t seen her and walked past, still carrying the bundle.

Yan Naqian: ???

—Was he deaf or blind?!

Fixing her eyes on the large bundle he was carrying, Yan Naqian hurried to catch up and called his name more than ten times in a row!

He completely ignored her, acting like she didn’t exist, and walked faster and farther away?

Yan Naqian panicked. She tried to chase after him but stepped on a small stone and fell!

“Brother Song Zhi! Help me, help me—”

She thought she saw Song Zhi run even faster?

Yan Naqian was dumbfounded!

—What was going on? How could Song Zhi be this kind of person? Back when he first arrived in Ruyi Village, he had bravely saved her from Bai Shiping’s harassment. Now she had fallen too and needed his help. How could he just… run away as if he hadn’t seen anything?

Yan Naqian lay on the ground and cried for a long time, but no one came to save her from her misery.

In the end, she could only crawl up by herself and cry as she limped back to the Educated Youth Station.

No one at the station paid her any attention.

The women’s dorm housed several girls, including Jia Xiaohong, but none of them acknowledged Yan Naqian. At the moment, Jia Xiaohong was sitting on her bed, mending a man’s shirt that, judging by the style, looked like it belonged to Jiang Hongzhi.

Yan Naqian glanced a few more times, and Jia Xiaohong snapped at her, “What are you looking at?! What’s so interesting to see?!”

Another girl in the dorm knocked on her bedframe and said, “Xiaohong, keep your voice down. I’m trying to sleep.”

Jia Xiaohong immediately apologized. “Sorry, Sister Liqin.” Her tone was unusually gentle and sincere. Then, she turned back around and shot another fierce glare at Yan Naqian.

Yan Naqian cursed her as a lunatic under her breath, turned around to wash up, and then sat at the desk. She took out her key, opened the lock on the drawer, and prepared to apply some vanishing cream before getting a good night’s sleep.

Suddenly, she saw a piece of letter paper in the drawer?

Taking a closer look—wait, wasn’t this the letter she had written to Song Sui? How did it end up here?!

Yan Naqian panicked slightly. She had just picked up the letter when—

“Naqian, what’s wrong? Why… why did you come back so late? Your hair’s messy, and your clothes are dirty. Who did you meet? Did you sneak off to the cornfield?” Jia Xiaohong suddenly asked.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Yan Naqian snapped and quickly stashed the letter away. She randomly applied a bit of vanishing cream, locked the drawer, and climbed into bed.

She lay there for a long time without falling asleep.

One moment, she worried if Bai Xingxing had messed up sending her letter. The next, she wondered if the letter paper was just a draft she had written when composing the letter to Song Sui. But since there were too many people in the dorm, she didn’t dare to open the drawer and check again. After all, the letter mentioned a lot of bad things about Jiang Hongzhi. If someone saw it, it would be disastrous.

Little did she know that Jia Xiaohong had been watching her every move.

—Earlier that evening, Jiang Hongzhi had asked Jia Xiaohong to help mend his shirt. He had also instructed her to pay attention to Yan Naqian’s reaction after opening her drawer.

Was she angry? Or guilty?

Jia Xiaohong observed carefully and concluded that Yan Naqian was guilty! And given how late she came back, there was definitely something fishy going on! Jia Xiaohong decided that she would report everything to Jiang Hongzhi the next day.

Late at night, Yan Naqian was still wide awake.

One moment, she thought about Jiang Hongzhi mocking her today and the disdainful looks the others at the station had given her. The next, she thought about Song Zhi’s letter. She wondered who might be helping him return to the capital. Finally, she made up her mind—

Within a month, she had to win Song Zhi over!

But pursuing Song Zhi wasn’t going to be easy.

The next day, Yan Naqian took Song Zhi’s letter and went to find him. “Brother Song Zhi, this is your letter.”

Song Zhi glanced at the handwriting on the envelope and immediately knew it was from Professor Huang. After checking the postmark date, he didn’t even need to read it. He already knew it was the usual: Come back quickly, you’re indispensable to these projects.

Since he had spoken to Professor Huang on the phone the day before, Song Zhi wasn’t interested in the letter’s contents. He simply thanked Yan Naqian politely but distantly and stuffed the letter into his pocket.

Yan Naqian: Why was he so indifferent about returning to the city? Did this mean he was so capable that he could go back anytime he wanted?

Yan Naqian’s gaze toward Song Zhi grew even more eager.

Before she could figure out how to get closer to him and learn more about his interests, she suddenly heard that Song Zhi was going to become a blacksmith?! And it was his own idea?!

Yan Naqian was shocked—wasn’t Song Zhi supposed to return to the city soon? Why was he becoming a blacksmith? And for a scholar, an intellectual, it was bad enough to be forced to farm. But becoming a blacksmith? How embarrassing! And he volunteered for it?

The villagers of Ruyi were just as surprised.

There was a reason why Ruyi Village and the neighboring Jixiang Village had a combined population of seven or eight hundred people, yet only Bai Zhengqian was a blacksmith.

—Not everyone could swing a hammer.
—Not everyone could endure the heat and fire.
—Not everyone could bear such hardship.

But when the Educated Youth Song Zhi took off his white shirt, donned a leather apron, and stood there bare-chested, the crowd saw something unexpected—this refined and handsome young man actually had a muscular, well-built body!

Bai Zhengqian also came, sitting on a chair and teaching Song Zhi how to repair damaged farm tools in front of everyone.

Song Zhi nodded, following the instructions to light the furnace, fetch water to cool the tools, then heat the broken ones in the fire until they glowed red before hammering them on the anvil with loud clangs.

His movements were, of course, clumsy and unskilled.

By the time half the afternoon had passed, he had still managed to repair a hoe head.

Bai Zhengqian and the villagers watched together.

“Zhengqian, I think Educated Youth Song’s skills are pretty good!”
“For a first time forging, of course he’s good!”
“Educated Youth Song is a scholar, but who would’ve thought he’d be so strong!”
“He’s really great. Our team’s hoes have been broken for a long time—finally, we can have them fixed!”
“Educated Youth Song, please work a little faster and help us repair the farming tools!”

Everyone couldn’t stop praising Song Zhi’s work.

Yan Naqian felt conflicted.

She wanted to find an excuse to get close to Song Zhi, but there were always people going to the blacksmith shop to see him. She simply couldn’t find the time. Lately, Jiang Hongzhi had been acting strangely—he no longer showed her any tenderness. He even canceled the shared work points and forced her to labor every day. Now, if Yan Naqian refused to work, she wouldn’t even have food to eat!

Finally, she found an opportunity and hurried to the blacksmith shop, only to see Bai Zhengqian’s foolish daughter, Bai Taotao, walk in with a small basket.

Song Zhi smiled and said something to the little fool, then pointed to the side. After seeing her nod, he set down his hammer, picked her up, and placed her on a tall cabinet?!

Yan Naqian was utterly shocked!

Song Zhi! Was there really something going on between him and that silly girl? But she’s a fool!

Then, Yan Naqian saw the little fool sitting on the tall cabinet, swinging her legs while taking things out of the basket to eat. From time to time, she even fed a few pieces to Song Zhi?!

Song Zhi simply kept forging.

The two of them smiled and chatted, one sentence after another…

About ten minutes later, the little fool started kicking her legs and asked Song Zhi to bring her down.

This time, Song Zhi didn’t even put down his hammer. He picked her up with one hand. The little fool fed him a few more pieces of whatever it was—wild fruits or something—before leaving.

Just as she ran out of the blacksmith shop, the little fool seemed to remember something and ran back, pointing at her head.

Song Zhi laughed uncontrollably and reached out to pat the little fool’s head and spoke to her very gently.

The silly girl then left happily, carrying her basket.

Yan Naqian felt like she had been struck by lightning!

—Was the person she had just seen really Song Zhi?

So he could smile? He wasn’t cold and silent. He was even… gentle and patient? Was it because the girl was Bai Taotao? Because Bai Taotao was a fool? He treated Bai Taotao like a three-year-old child, right?

Yes! That must be it!!!

Yan Naqian repeatedly told herself this.

After thinking about it, she still decided to approach him. In a soft, sweet voice, she called out, “Brother Song Zhi—”

Song Zhi’s face darkened, and he ignored her.

It was as if the man who had just been laughing and joking with Bai Taotao wasn’t him at all.

Yan Naqian felt awkward.

She comforted herself, thinking he must be more familiar with the little fool because he was staying at her house. So, she had to find more chances to interact with him…

“Brother Song Zhi, why didn’t you answer me that night when I called you?” Yan Naqian asked pitifully.

Song Zhi didn’t even look at her.

Yan Naqian: …

It seemed like he didn’t like that topic?

Yan Naqian immediately switched to what she thought was a safer subject. “Brother Song Zhi, have you written to Uncle Song or Ah Sui?”

Song Zhi’s expression grew even darker, and he remained silent.

In fact, Yan Naqian didn’t know much about the relationship between the Song father and sons. She only knew that Song Zhi had always lived in the capital. Compared to the better material conditions and living environment of Nandu, Yan Naqian believed Song Xi must have wanted to provide his biological son with better opportunities, so he let Song Zhi stay in the capital.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Yan Naqian continued, “Brother Song Zhi, do you know? Song Sui often talks about you. He said…”