As Xu Ning was heading back with her basket when she encountered Aunt Dashuan, who was carrying her grandson while also holding a large basket. It seemed she was also delivering food to her family.

Getting off her bicycle, Xu Ning noticed Aunt Dashuan looking at her basket and smiling. “Xu Zhiqing, are you delivering food to your boyfriend and Xiao An?” she said.

Xu Ning was taken aback. She had only informed her parents about her relationship last night; how did the villagers know about it so quickly?

Feeling a bit shy, she asked, “Aunt, how did you find out?”

Aunt Dashuan laughed and said, “Xu Zhiqing, there’s no reason to feel embarrassed. Your boyfriend already informed us. You two were betrothed since childhood, and you probably didn’t mention it before because you thought you were too young and might feel shy.”

Xu Ning forced a smile, feeling awkward. What a storyteller! A betrothal from childhood? When he was a child, she hadn’t even known where he was.

Trying to shift the topic, Xu Ning said with a smile, “Aunt, are you free this afternoon? If you’re not busy, I’d like to come by and pick up the cabbage seedlings we talked about. I want to plant them as soon as possible.”

“If you’re free, you can come home with me now. I’ll help you pick them, and you can plant them this afternoon,” Aunt Dashuan replied.

When Lu Xiaotang and Xu An returned from work, Xu Ning was washing vegetables. She had already planted the cabbage seedlings from the field and had watered them.

Seeing them come back, she said, “I just picked a watermelon; it’s on the table. You two can go cut it and eat.”

Xu An immediately went to wash his hands and cut the watermelon, while Lu Xiaotang stayed put, watching her.

Xu Ning glanced at him and asked, “Is there anyone who doesn’t know about us anymore?”

Lu Xiaotang cleared his throat lightly and replied with a smile, “I happened to run into the village head’s wife today. I was worried you might feel shy explaining it later, so I casually mentioned it.”

Xu Ning looked at him again but didn’t respond. She thought to herself, she never realized he had the potential to become a gossipmonger.

Meanwhile, in the county town, Zhao Jianshe was having dinner while talking to his wife. “The verdict for Xiao Ning’s case has come down. I’ll go to Yushu Village tomorrow.”

Su Hongmei asked, “How long was the sentence?”

“Ten years for those two men, and eight years for that female zhiqing. They’ll serve their sentences in the forest farm,” Zhao Jianshe replied.

Su Hongmei was taken aback. “Why is it so long? Didn’t you say last time that there wasn’t any substantial harm caused? They should’ve gotten five or six years at most.”

Zhao Jianshe finished his porridge and said, “Xiao Ning’s partner has arrived. He’s with the Nanshi Military District, so Xiao Ning is now considered a military family member. That means they can’t be judged the same way as before.”

Su Hongmei asked, “Her partner is a soldier? She never mentioned him before. Have you met him? What do you think of him?”

Zhao Jianshe praised, “He’s quite an impressive individual, both talented and good-looking. He’s only been in the army for a few years and has already become a battalion commander. The head of the Nanshi Military District even personally called our bureau chief, requesting severe punishment for those who harmed military families.”

Su Hongmei asked in amazement, “He’s that impressive? What’s his background?”

Zhao Jianshe replied, “I’m not sure about his background, but he must have strong capabilities. From his demeanor, it’s clear he’s not someone to underestimate. Given time, he’ll definitely rise above the ordinary.”

He then laughed and added, “Our bureau chief knows I have such a relative now, and he’s been very polite to me.”

Su Hongmei chuckled, “I didn’t expect you to benefit from Xiao Ning’s connections.”

After dinner, Xu An took the initiative to wash the dishes. Lu Xiaotang turned to Xu Ning and said, “It’s still not dark. How about we go for a walk?”

With that, he took Xu Ning’s hand and headed outside. Xu Ning initially tried to pull her hand away, but he held on tightly. Then she thought that since their relationship was already public, she might as well go along with it.

When Xu An finished washing the dishes and came out, he noticed the house and courtyard were empty. He sighed and grabbed a book, sitting down in the courtyard to read.

As Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang strolled hand in hand toward the main road, Father Xu, Mother Xu, Uncle Lu, and Aunt Lu were returning home from work. Upon seeing their hands intertwined, the expressions of the four adults shifted dramatically.

Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu looked pleased, while Father Xu wore a stern expression, glaring at their joined hands. Mother Xu’s face also showed displeasure.

Xu Ning hurriedly pulled her hand away, and this time Lu Xiaotang didn’t hold on tightly. Just then, a few other zhiqing returned from work, chattering away.

Father Xu scoffed darkly and headed toward the cattle shed, while Uncle Lu and the others fell silent, following him without a word.

Xu Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Lu Xiaotang’s calm demeanor beside her, she playfully pinched him hard at the waist. He winced slightly but then reached out to hold her hand again as they continued walking.

Chunhua, Jiaohua, Wang Juanjuan, and Gu Wenjing, who were nearby, stopped in their tracks, astonished at the sight of the couple holding hands as they strolled.

Wang Juanjuan asked, “Chunhua, didn’t you say that was Xu Ning’s cousin? Why are they holding hands?”

Chunhua was also taken aback and snapped back to reality. “Last time, Xu Ning told us he was her cousin!”

Weilanlan, who was carrying a basin of water outside, overheard their conversation and chimed in with a smile, “That’s Xu Ning’s boyfriend. They were betrothed since childhood. Back then, they were too young, and Xu Ning felt shy, so she just said he was her cousin.”

After pouring out the water, she headed inside. She had previously thought Chunhua was quite straightforward, but now she found her to be rather opportunistic and a bit of a flatterer.

Once inside, Wang Juanjuan casually asked, “Wenjing, didn’t you say that guy is your classmate’s cousin?”

Gu Wenjing replied, “Yeah! I saw him before, but then his family had some troubles, and I didn’t see him again. I only recognized him when he came here looking for Xu Ning a couple of years ago. I heard he joined the army.”

“Is your classmate still in Beijing?” Wang Juanjuan asked.

Gu Wenjing shook her head. “No, her entire family faced trouble. I think they’re now in some farm in the northwest.”

After washing her face, Wang Juanjuan hung up her towel and said with a smile, “It seems like this guy should be quite capable. Do you know what his rank is now?”

Gu Wenjing replied, “I haven’t asked. He’s really hard to get along with. Juanjuan, why are you so curious about him? It’s best to keep your distance from people like him, or you might get dragged into trouble later.”

Wang Juanjuan chuckled and said, “I’m just bored, so I was asking out of curiosity.”

The two walked hand in hand along the stream at the foot of the mountain. Lu Xiaotang said, “I heard from Xiao An today that you’ve been earning ten work points every day. Don’t do that anymore. I can support you all now. The cattle shed is a different story, but you can work less. If you’re tired in the future, just take a break at home instead of going to work.”

Xu Ning squeezed his hand in response, watching the little fish swimming back and forth in the stream. She smiled and nodded, “Okay, I understand.”

Then she recalled his trip to the city yesterday and asked, “Did you see Brother Jianshe while you were there? When will those people be sentenced?”

Hearing her mention those individuals, Lu Xiaotang’s expression darkened. “The verdict should come down in the next couple of days. They’ll definitely get ten or eight years at the least. Tomorrow after work, Xiao An and I will go up the mountain to gather some thorn saplings to reinforce the walls and strengthen the gate.” ^[1]Thorn saplings are a type of plant commonly found on the mountain, known for their hard thorns. They are also called iron fences.