The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

The black bear ran away.

The stone entered its head, threatening its life.

Chen Zhi sat on the ground, took off her shoes, and went to look for the thorns on them.

"Chen Zhi?"

Chen Peng rushed over in a panic.

He was followed by Chen Da and two others.

Chen Zhi looked up at them but didn't say anything. These people had often mocked her in the past.

"Chen Zhi, are you hurt?" The worry in Chen Peng's eyes seemed genuine.

Chen Zhi shook her head, pulled out the thorns from the soles of her shoes one by one, put on her shoes, and was about to leave.

"Chen Zhi, thank you for saving me." Chen Dadao's cheeks were slightly flushed. He used to look down on Chen Zhi and led the mockery of her, but Chen Zhi didn't hold a grudge and saved his life.

At this moment, Chen Da felt that he was not as magnanimous as a woman.

Looking at Chen Zhi now, her skin was fair and tender, her face was small, her eyes were big, her nose was straight and upturned, and her mouth was like a flower petal... She was more beautiful than he had ever seen before.

Is this still the same Chen Zhi who was dark-skinned, dirty, and always gave off a messy vibe since childhood?

Chen Zhi ignored the other person, walked quickly, and didn't turn her head.

"Chen Peng, I feel like Chen Zhi is different," Chen Da murmured.

Chen Xiaoshuai: "It's different now. She's so fair-skinned and looks so young."

Chen Ergou: "You guys are too superficial. You only focus on her appearance. Doesn't anyone focus on her strength like I do? She actually scared the black bear away!"

"The four of us grown men were chased all over the mountain and almost lost our lives!"

"Compared to this, the four of us combined are not as good as her alone?"

Uh--

All four of them fell silent.

Chen Peng's eyes darkened. In fact, it wasn't just Chen Zhi who was powerful; the mysterious Xi Lang was even more formidable. After being warned by Xi Lang that day, he hadn't dared to appear before Chen Zhi. Now, having witnessed Chen Zhi's strength, he felt utterly ashamed in her presence.

But he was not willing to give up.

He wanted Chen Zhi so badly that he was going crazy thinking about her day and night.

Chen Zhi's decision to save Chen Da was impulsive; before her mind could make a decision, her hand moved first.

But she doesn't regret it.

She doesn't need Chen Da's thanks, nor will she forgive the harm Chen Da has caused her over the years.

After the black bear was driven away, Chen Zhi was covered in sweat, feeling both thrilled and exhilarated!

She was amazing today! First she took down the eagle, then she took down the black bear!

Chen Zhi found a place to start a fire and roasted the hen, then put the potatoes Xi Lang had given her into the fire to roast as well. This was the first time Chen Zhi had roasted a chicken herself. Because she was in a hurry, the fire was a bit too big, and the chicken's skin was slightly charred, but Chen Zhi didn't mind. She still thought it was incredibly delicious, and finished the pheasant in less than ten minutes. Afterward, she started eating the potatoes, finishing all of them without wasting a single one.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Chen Zhi continued on her journey.

Throughout the day, Chen Zhi ran up several hills. When she came down the mountain in the evening, her basket contained two more pheasants, as well as half a basket of wild chicken eggs and bird eggs.

She climbed quite a few trees today too.

Spring plowing is coming up, and these eggs will last us for a while.

Chen Zhi first returned to Xi Lang's residence, where Xi Lang was cooking.

"I brought back some pheasants and mushrooms. Let's have some pheasant stew with mushrooms," Chen Zhi said.

Xi Lang paused in his chopping of wild boar meat, turned around and walked towards her. He glanced at her small face first, then looked at her basket. At the top were various kinds of mushrooms, followed by two pheasants, and below that, eggs of different sizes. Xi Lang had filled a wooden basin with the eggs. At the very bottom was an eagle, its broad wings taking up the entire bottom of the basket.

"You shot it?" Xi Lang was extremely surprised. This creature is very alert and has a fast reaction speed, making it generally difficult to hunt.

Chen Zhi nodded, "Yes."

She raised her eyebrows, a smug little expression on her face.

Xi Lang felt a little itchy to rub the fluffy head, but he refrained and praised, "You're amazing."

Chen Zhi became even more smug, her delicate chin slightly raised, "Today I not only shot down an eagle, but also chased away a black bear."

Xi Lang's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "black bear." "Is it injured?"

Chen Zhi shook her head and recounted how Chen Peng and the others were chased by a black bear, and how she used a slingshot to drive it away. She emphasized how she used the slingshot to blind the black bear in both eyes. After finishing, she concluded, "This slingshot you gave me is amazing. Today I shot at a small tree, and it actually pierced through the trunk."

Xi Lang looked at her waist and thought to himself that this was a Taoist magic weapon, not an ordinary thing.

"Next time you see a dangerous wild animal like this, don't fight it head-on, just run away." Xi Lang used to think she was a timid girl, but he was wrong. She was clearly fearless.

"Mmm," Chen Zhi replied absentmindedly. Whether she actually listened or not, only she knew.

"What's in your hat?" Xi Lang asked, noticing that she was still holding her hat with one hand.

"These are mulberries." Chen Zhi handed him the hat. Some of the mulberries were crushed, but most of them were still good.

Chen Zhi poured the mulberries into two plates, saying, "One plate is for you, and I'll take the other to Li Zhou'an."

"Why?" Xi Lang frowned. Why was Li Zhou'an involved as well?

"You want to ask me why I gave Li Zhou'an a plate of mulberries?" Chen Zhi was washing the mulberry juice out of the hat with water and didn't notice Xi Lang's displeasure. She explained, "He lent me clothes that day, and the mulberries were my thank-you gift to him. Oh dear, I got your straw hat dirty, and I can't wash it clean."

Just a thank-you gift?

Xi Lang: "It's dirty, so what? I'll just make a new one."

"You can even weave straw hats? That's amazing!" Chen Zhi praised sincerely, as no one in the Chen family knew how to weave straw hats.

Xi Lang hummed in agreement, his displeasure subsiding.

At the educated youth settlement, everyone was taken aback when they saw the person who suddenly appeared at the door.

"Who are you looking for?" Zhu Yuan asked in an unfriendly tone.

Chen Zhi saw the displeasure in her eyes; in the past, she would have turned and left.

But she has something to do today.

"Is Li Zhou'an there? I'm looking for him."

"Li Zhou'an is taking a bath." Zhu Yuan looked at the mulberries in Chen Zhi's hand. The mulberries were a deep color, very large, and still had water droplets on them, looking very tempting. She couldn't help but swallow, thinking that this country girl was too inconsiderate. She was right here, and the other party didn't even invite her to try some.

Chen Zhi could obviously see that Zhu Yuan wanted to eat it, but what did that have to do with her? She wouldn't be hypocritical and polite, giving something she herself wouldn't even taste to someone who disliked her.

Zhu Yuan waited for two minutes but Chen Zhi didn't speak. She snorted coldly, turned around and left, not forgetting to say as she left, "If you give these mulberries to Li Zhou'an, I can eat them too."

Chen Zhi: "..."

I'm a little angry.

I want to leave.

But she didn't leave after all. Li Zhou'an came out after taking a shower. He looked even cleaner after showering. He walked towards her while drying his hair. The moment he smiled, he was so handsome that Chen Zhi couldn't help but be stunned.

"You were looking for me?" Li Zhou'an asked.

Chen Zhi nodded blankly, "I've brought you mulberries."

Li Zhou'an looked at the plate in her hand, "Did you pick these today?"

"Yes. I saw some on the mountain and picked a few." Chen Zhi paused for a moment, then explained, "I didn't go there specifically to pick them."

Seeing that she seemed a little nervous, Li Zhou'an felt like teasing her for some reason. "So you knew I went to pick mulberries yesterday, and you specially brought them to me today?"

Chen Zhi: "..."

That's true, but something feels a little off.

"It's a thank you gift for lending me the clothes yesterday."

"oh--"

Li Zhou'an reached out to her, "Thank you so much. We couldn't find any mulberries yesterday, but thanks to you, we're able to eat some today."

Li Zhou'an brought the mulberries into the kitchen, and the other educated youth immediately surrounded them. Before Li Zhou'an could speak, Yang Wenyu grabbed one and popped it into his mouth.

"Sweet and juicy, these mulberries are quite good," Yang Wenyu said.

"I'll try some too." Zhao Jinbao squeezed in, grabbed a small handful, and said while eating, "Mulberries are delicious, but Zhou An, you wouldn't let her trick you out of a plate of mulberries, would you?"

Before Li Zhou'an could reply, Yang Wenyu interjected, "You're overthinking it. Zhou'an has everything he could possibly want, let alone a plate of mulberries!"

Zhou Zhengping also said, "There are so many girls who like Zhou An, Chen Zhi doesn't even rank among them."

Zhu Yuan: "Zhou An, what kind of person do you like?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Almost all the girls at the educated youth settlement liked Li Zhou'an, with Zhu Yuan's feelings being the most obvious.

Li Zhou'an grabbed a handful of mulberries, took the empty plate, and turned to leave. "Chen Zhi is still waiting. I'll go return the plate first."

Zhu Yuan stamped her foot, "He's avoiding this question again."

Zhou Zhengping looked towards the doorway. "Putting everything else aside, Chen Zhi and Li Zhou'an look quite well-matched now. They're both good-looking."

Zhu Yuan retorted, "So what if she's pretty? Chen Zhi is illiterate; she only completed first grade."

Zhu Yuan didn't keep her voice down, as if she was deliberately speaking to Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi heard it, and so did Li Zhou'an.

Chen Zhi only attended school for a year and could recognize some characters. Many girls in the village were like that; they went to school to learn some characters and simple arithmetic, and then dropped out to help with chores at home.

Chen Zhi wanted to continue her studies, but her mother said she didn't have the money.

Chen Zhi never thought that studying for only one year was shameful, but looking at Li Zhou'an's surprised expression, she felt inexplicably embarrassed.

Chen Zhi took the plate from Li Zhou'an's hand, lowered her head and said, "I'm leaving now."

After saying that, she left without looking back.

Xi Lang had already prepared the two pheasants, chopped them into pieces, and put them in the pot. He was washing mushrooms when he saw Chen Zhi return. He glanced up at her, then went back to his work.

Chen Zhi: "Xi Lang, what is your educational background?"

Xi Lang: "You didn't even finish elementary school. Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Chen Zhi looked surprised. "You city people don't even finish elementary school?"

Xi Lang: "......."

Chen Zhi: "So, what grade did you go through?"

Xi Lang: "Third grade."

Chen Zhi: "She's a little better off than me; I only finished first grade."

Xi Lang: "If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Chen Zhi: "Forget it. You're only in third grade, and your level isn't much higher than mine."

Xi Lang: "......."

He only completed the third grade, but he read all the books in the Taoist temple's library and could recite them from memory. How come he couldn't teach her?