Arriving at the village chief’s house, Qin Jianguo and the chief stood under the camphor tree.
Seeing Lin Fengxia, Qin Jianguo waved to her and bid the chief farewell.
The chief glanced at Lin Fengxia, their eyes met, and he smiled kindly. Then, leaning on his cane, he shakily walked away.
Qin Jianguo was about to leave when suddenly a small, thin figure dashed out from the side.
Lin Fengxia frowned slightly.
The newcomer was small and slender, with braided pigtails, a pointed chin, and a pure, cute face.
Seeing her, Lin Fengxia’s expression darkened.
This person was her friend—Lin Lanzhi.
Of course, a friend she once considered close.
Had it not been for her experiences in her past life, Lin Fengxia would probably still be easily manipulated by Lin Lanzhi.
In her previous life, she had suffered terribly at the hands of Wang Dazhuang; half of the blame lay with Lin Huan and Zhang Landi, and the other half with Lin Lanzhi.
Back then, she never understood why Lin Lanzhi, her so-called best friend, was always targeting her.
Now, she no longer cared about the reasons—she only wanted Lin Lanzhi to pay.
Lin Lanzhi, looking a little shy, was chatting with Qin Jianguo. Suddenly, she glanced at Lin Fengxia, met her gaze, and smiled knowingly.
After a brief conversation, Qin Jianguo and Lin Lanzhi approached.
Lin Lanzhi reached out, attempting to hold Lin Fengxia’s arm.
Lin Fengxia stepped back, avoiding her touch, and blankly said, “I’m a little dirty right now.”
Lin Lanzhi didn’t suspect anything and smiled, pressing her lips together. “Fengxia, I heard from Brother Qin that you’ll be staying at the base from now on. Will you get used to it?”
She playfully winked and spoke in a familiar tone, “Do you want me to come with you?”
Hearing her words and seeing her face, Lin Fengxia felt disgusted.
Suppressing the urge to retch, she clenched her fists, forcing a fake smile. “If you come with me, your parents would worry.”
“You should just stay here in the village.”
Lin Fengxia looked at Qin Jianguo. “Commander Qin, let’s go back; my things are packed.”
Lin Lanzhi frowned and studied Lin Fengxia suspiciously.
She felt Lin Fengxia was being unusually distant toward her.
Following the two, she looked at Lin Fengxia for a moment before asking, “Fengxia, did I do something wrong?”
“Why are you acting so cold toward me?”
Lin Fengxia feigned surprise. “What? Not at all, you’re overthinking.”
“Just… so much has happened these past few days, I’m exhausted. Don’t take it personally.”
Lin Lanzhi responded with an “Oh, okay.”
“Your family is truly terrible.”
Seeing Lin Lanzhi’s righteous indignation, Lin Fengxia sneered inwardly.
Lin Huan and Zhang Landi had insisted on marrying her off to Wang Dazhuang—wasn’t that at Lin Lanzhi’s instigation?
And Wang Dazhuang’s insistence on marrying her was also because Lin Lanzhi often praised her in front of him, saying how beautiful she was, how perfect she was for bearing children.
Previously, Lin Fengxia might have thought Lin Lanzhi was complimenting her in front of others.
After narrowly escaping death once, she realized Lin Lanzhi wasn’t praising her at all—she was pushing her into the spotlight, making her a target for those with ill intentions.
At the village entrance, Qin Jianguo said, “Comrade Lin Lanzhi, you may return now.”
Lin Lanzhi pouted, reluctantly looking at Lin Fengxia.
Tears glimmered in her eyes as she held Lin Fengxia’s hand. “Fengxia, without you in the village, I have no friends.”
“The base isn’t far from the village; can I visit often?”
Lin Fengxia: “No. Not everyone can enter the base.”
“And I have work to do; if you come often, you’ll disturb me.”
Lin Lanzhi’s little face drooped.
She looked at Qin Jianguo pitifully. “Brother Qin, you don’t want me to go either?”
Hearing the address, Qin Jianguo frowned. “Comrade Lin Lanzhi, that form of address is presumptuous. I don’t like it.”
“Also, the base is private. If you really miss Fengxia, you can wait outside the base.”
Lin Lanzhi’s face went pale, her eyes red, tears welling up uncontrollably.
Biting her lip, she said in a pitiful voice, “Okay.”
Seeing Lin Lanzhi’s defeated expression, Lin Fengxia felt a secret satisfaction.
After loading the luggage onto the ox cart, Qin Jianguo helped Lin Fengxia sit on the cart, which slowly started moving.
When the village was too small to see, Qin Jianguo suddenly asked, “You really dislike Lin Lanzhi, don’t you?”
Lin Fengxia nodded. “Yes, I do.”
She chuckled lightly. “You noticed, huh?”
Qin Jianguo said, “She stopped me to ask about you. I just gave her a brief update; it won’t affect you, right?”
Lin Fengxia: “No, and I have to thank you for helping me so much.”
Without Qin Jianguo’s assistance, she wouldn’t have escaped the Lin family so quickly.
Back at the base, Qin Jianguo had already arranged a room for Lin Fengxia to rest.
The room was small but fully functional and very clean.
After tidying up, Lin Fengxia prepared to help in the kitchen.
Upon stepping out, she noticed many soldiers surrounding a small patch of vegetables near her door.
They whispered among themselves, occasionally scratching their heads.
Qin Jianguo walked over and talked with them.
Curious, Lin Fengxia approached to see what was happening.
She saw the soldiers inspecting a bag of seeds.
They shook their heads, sighing occasionally.
“What a shame.”
“These seeds won’t work.”
Qin Jianguo frowned at the purchased seeds.
Lin Fengxia came closer. “What’s going on?”
Qin Jianguo explained, “The seeds we bought in the village seem useless—too poor in quality.”
Lin Fengxia took the seeds, examined them, and said, “The village only has seeds like these. There are no better ones.”
“But the germination rate is okay.”
Then, an idea suddenly struck her. “I can farm. Why don’t you leave the seeds and this field to me?”
The soldiers exchanged glances. Qin Jianguo nodded without hesitation.
Lin Fengxia was surprised. “You trust me that much?”
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Qin Jianguo said firmly, “I trust you.”
The soldiers’ expressions became unreadable.
Qin Jianguo glanced at them, and they immediately straightened up.
Lin Fengxia didn’t notice anything unusual. She took the seeds, patted her chest, and said, “I won’t let you down.”
She returned to her room and tossed the seeds into her space.
The moment the seeds entered, a cold, mechanical voice sounded unexpectedly.
Lin Fengxia jumped. “Who’s there?!”
【Space Level 0/1. Please continue your efforts.】
At the same time, a progress bar appeared in her mind.
It was about 60% full.
Meaning, once the bar is full, the space could level up!
A strange gleam lit up Lin Fengxia’s eyes.
What luck!
She rubbed her bracelet and grinned from ear to ear.
A knock sounded at the door, and Qin Jianguo’s voice came: “Are you okay?!”