In truth, when it came to men sizing up other men, they were usually spot on.
The moment Gong Guodong saw Lu Shi’an, he felt a sense of danger.
Still, he clung to a sliver of hope—perhaps the two of them were siblings who had come to the countryside together.
Lu Shi’an had no intention of giving him that chance to misunderstand.
After quietly explaining to Wen Ranran that he had been delayed because his bicycle chain had come off halfway, he immediately extended his hand toward Gong Guodong.
“Hello. I’m Ranran’s boyfriend, Lu Shi’an. May I ask your name?”
Her what? Boyfriend?
The light in Gong Guodong’s eyes dimmed instantly.
Relying on the last remnants of his composure, he reached out and shook Lu Shi’an’s hand, forcing a smile.
“Hello. I’m Gong Guodong.”
The moment their hands met, Lu Shi’an secretly tightened his grip, nearly crushing Gong Guodong’s hand blue.
Meanwhile, Wen Ranran had heard that Lu Shi’an even knew how to repair bicycles and curiously examined his sturdy bicycle several times.
“Comrade Gong is a police officer from the county. He happened to be coming to our Qingshui Brigade on official business. It’s a good thing I ran into him, otherwise I wouldn’t have known what to do with all these things.”
Lu Shi’an smiled politely.
“Thank you, Comrade Gong, for helping Ranran. I’ll personally visit the Public Security Bureau another day to express my gratitude.”
Another sharp pain shot through Gong Guodong’s hand.
He almost laughed from irritation.
Lu Shi’an looked like a reasonable, upright man, but his jealousy was truly impressive.
“No need, no need. It was just a small favor. Um… Comrade Lu, my hand hurts a little. Maybe you could let go first?”
Among rivals, some things required no explanation.
Gong Guodong’s response was an admission of defeat and withdrawal.
Seeing that he understood the situation, Lu Shi’an finally released his hand and patted him on the shoulder.
“Sorry, brother. I’ve been serving in the military for years. Sometimes I don’t realize how much strength I’m using. Don’t take it personally.”
At those words, Gong Guodong’s eyes lit up.
Defending the country was the dream of almost every man.
Years earlier, he had wanted to enlist as well, but unfortunately he had fractured his arm during the physical examination period and lost the opportunity.
Learning that Lu Shi’an was a soldier immediately sparked his interest.
Police officers and soldiers shared certain similarities in their training.
After chatting with Lu Shi’an for a while, Gong Guodong discovered that he was an exceptionally sincere and straightforward person.
If they hadn’t become rivals in love first, he would have gladly considered Lu Shi’an a good friend.
Wen Ranran, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious to the undercurrents flowing between the two men.
She only noticed that the police officer seemed far more talkative around Lu Shi’an than he had been around her.
The entire journey back to Qingshui Brigade was filled with Gong Guodong asking Lu Shi’an questions and Lu Shi’an answering them.
Wen Ranran couldn’t help thinking that the speed at which men became friends was truly terrifying.
The two men rode their bicycles while talking.
Wen Ranran sat on the back seat of Lu Shi’an’s bicycle, sucking on a sweet fruit candy and feeling none of the bumps in the road.
Lu Shi’an rode very steadily.
He had even somehow acquired a soft cushion and tied it to the rear seat for her.
As a result, although she was merely riding a bicycle, Wen Ranran felt as though she were traveling in one of the luxury cars she used in her previous life.
More importantly, Lu Shi’an had thoughtfully reminded her:
“Ranran, move a little farther forward later. The sun is strong and uncomfortable. If you’re in my shadow, it’ll be much cooler.”
How could she stay annoyed over his slight delay after he put so much thought into her comfort?
Her displeasure vanished immediately.
If Gong Guodong hadn’t been riding beside them, Wen Ranran would have loved to show Lu Shi’an exactly what sweet words and affection looked like.
Before long, the three of them arrived at Qingshui Brigade.
Lu Shi’an brought Gong Guodong directly to the brigade office, while Wen Ranran went to fetch the brigade leader’s wife.
When the brigade leader’s wife saw a police officer in uniform, she quickly brewed a pot of tea and asked nervously,
“Officer, what brings you to our brigade? My husband went to a commune meeting and won’t be back until this afternoon. He… he hasn’t done anything wrong, has he?”
Although people in this era greatly admired soldiers, few were eager to deal with anyone in uniform.
If there wasn’t a problem, why would a police officer come all the way to the brigade?
Liu Cuihua’s heart was in turmoil.
She was terrified that her husband had secretly made some serious mistake.
A few years ago, a brigade leader from a neighboring commune had been arrested for accepting bribes and embezzling grain belonging to the collective. Liu Cuihua still vividly remembered seeing him executed by firing squad.
One person’s crime could bring suffering upon the entire family.
Her husband wasn’t that bold… was he?
Outside, people had already gathered to watch the excitement and were whispering among themselves.
Wang Dafen eagerly leaned toward those beside her and whispered,
“A police officer suddenly showing up? He’s definitely here to investigate the brigade leader.
“If you ask me, Tian Yougen has never been fair. He must’ve accepted favors from certain people and kept protecting them. He should’ve been removed from his position long ago!”
Just thinking about how Tian Yougen had punished her family yesterday and might now be facing retribution made Wang Dafen so happy that she covered her mouth to hide her grin.
Inside, Gong Guodong immediately waved his hands.
“You’ve misunderstood, Auntie. Team Leader Tian is fine.
“I came to ask about something. You can answer just as well.
“Does your brigade have a female educated youth named Jiang Yue who went to the county a few days ago and hasn’t returned?”
Jiang Yue?
Everyone exchanged glances.
It was true that Jiang Yue hadn’t shown up for work in the fields during the past two days.
Could it be that something had happened to her?
Liu Cuihua quickly nodded.
“That’s right. She has relatives in another brigade, so we all assumed she’d gone to visit them. Officer, what happened to her?”
Gong Guodong replied,
“Don’t worry, Auntie. Jiang Yue is perfectly fine. She’s been staying at the Public Security Bureau these past two days.
“She tried to enter a pharmaceutical factory without a letter of introduction and was mistaken for a pig thief, so she was arrested.
“Now that we’ve confirmed her identity, we’ll need Team Leader Tian to come to the bureau, leave his fingerprint, and take Jiang Yue back.”
The moment those words were spoken, the crowd exploded like water dropped into hot oil.
“What was Jiang Yue doing at the pharmaceutical factory? And getting arrested as a pig thief? If word gets out, how will she ever show her face again?”
“Her eyes were swollen nearly shut that day. She was probably trying to buy medicine. But if she got arrested, she must’ve been sneaking in through some improper route. How did she even know you could get into the factory through the pig pens?”
“You can buy medicine at a hospital. Why insist on going to the factory? I heard the pharmaceutical factory had a social mixer a few days ago. If you ask me, Jiang Yue couldn’t handle farm work and went there specifically to find herself a husband!”
“Tsk, tsk. Who would’ve thought Educated Youth Jiang, who always seemed so quiet and well-behaved, was actually so calculating behind the scenes?”
One comment led to another.
Before long, Jiang Yue’s entire ordeal had spread throughout Qingshui Brigade.
When Tian Yougen returned from the commune meeting and heard what had happened, he let out a long sigh.
Without wasting any time, he accompanied Gong Guodong back to the county town.