Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

In the school.

Lin Huaixu bent over his old desk, grading his students' assignments one by one.

Education in Qingya Village is backward, and the children's foundation is relatively weak, with frequent spelling mistakes. He patiently marks and corrects them, and then writes a few encouraging comments at the end.

Before he knew it, most of the morning had passed. After finishing his grading, Lin Huaixu glanced at the time and was about to get up and leave when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

The village chief was carrying a bag of dried bamboo shoots he had sun-dried himself. As soon as he entered the door, he warmly greeted Lin Huaixu, saying "Teacher Lin, you've worked hard" repeatedly, expressing his gratitude for Lin's willingness to come to this remote mountain village to teach, saying that he was a rare talent in the country.

Lin Huaixu couldn't interrupt, so he could only patiently answer each question. After a series of words of comfort and conversation, it was already quite late.

A strange anxiety welled up inside him. The image of Qi Yang struggling to loosen the soil in the field yesterday kept replaying in his mind. He had wanted to go earlier, but he kept getting held up by other things.

After finally seeing the village chief off, it was already afternoon. Lin Huaixu grabbed his medicine kit and immediately greeted the principal, his tone tinged with urgency, "Principal, I have something urgent to attend to and need to go out for a bit."

The principal assumed he was going to the village to buy daily necessities again, and replied, "Go ahead, the mountains are difficult to walk on, be careful."

Lin Huaixu responded, picked up his medicine box, and strode out of the school. The young man walked along the winding, narrow path toward the fields where they had parted ways the day before.

Lin Huaixu clenched the medicine box slightly. He thought he should apologize today and tell her that he didn't mean it yesterday.

But after walking slowly around the entire field, carefully scanning every corner, he didn't see a single person. The faint expectation in his heart gradually sank and was replaced by a sense of disappointment.

Lin Huaixu stood before him and sighed softly.

Did I scare her yesterday?

He slowly prepared to return the way he came, but after taking only a few steps, he heard a series of clear, playful sounds coming from around the corner of the field. Several thin children came running out, and Lin Huaixu recognized them as some of his students.

When the children saw him, their eyes widened, and they pointed at Lin Huaixu's figure, exclaiming, "Look, our teacher is here!"

"Run! Run!"

The group skipped away, one of the mischievous boys tilting his head, "Teacher Lin, did you come here specifically to make us go back and memorize our lessons?"

Lin Huaixu looked at the group of noisy little rascals and his heart softened. He beckoned them over and said, "No memorization test today."

The children breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Huaixu's gaze swept across the crowd, landing on Qi An, who was rather short. He paused, then asked softly, "An'an, did your sister come to the fields today?"

Qi An blinked her clear, bright eyes, and asked in a daze, "Which older sister?"

Lin Huaixu suddenly remembered that Qi Yang seemed to have an older sister, and he quickly said, "It's Sister Yangyang."

Qi An said "Oh," and answered crisply, "My sister went up the mountain."

"Up the mountain?" Lin Huaixu's heart tightened suddenly, and he subconsciously asked, "Is she alone?"

"Yes." Qi An stretched out his thin arm and pointed in a direction: "It's the back mountain."

Lin Huaixu looked in the direction Qi An pointed. The continuous green mountains were shrouded in clouds and mist. The thought of Qi Yang, who was so thin, going up the mountain alone made his heart ache with worry.

He looked down at Qi An and asked softly, "Could An'an tell me about the path into the mountains?"

"Just go around from here, and when you get to the village entrance, just follow the path. The moss there is very slippery. Last time I went in with my sister, I slipped and fell all over my bottom."

Several children nearby chimed in, adding their own opinions. Some said there were snakes lurking in the mountains that might eat people, and that no one dared to go in normally.

The more Lin Huaixu listened, the more anxious he became.

He silently memorized the route and then whispered to them, "You guys can play here, but don't go too far into the mountains. Remember to come home for dinner this afternoon. I'll be checking on you one by one tomorrow, and those who don't follow the rules will have even more homework."

Upon hearing the last sentence, the children nodded obediently, completely believing his words.

Lin Huaixu gripped the medicine box tightly, his pace quickening unconsciously as he followed the route Qi An had given him to the fork in the road at the village entrance.

Meanwhile, halfway up the mountain, Qi Yang carefully shook off the soil from the roots of the herbs and put them into a bamboo basket. The heavy basket of herbs made her back ache slightly. She raised her hand to rub her shoulders and looked up at the sky. The sun was gradually setting in the west. Once it got completely dark in the mountains, it was very easy to slip and fall.

Qi Yang dared not linger any longer and carried the bamboo basket down the mountain path.

Just then, a slight rustling sound came from the bushes beside her. Qi Yang paused, her eyes scanning the layers of vegetation around her warily.

Wild animals often roam the mountains, so she dared not let her guard down. She tentatively took two steps forward, but the sound became even clearer.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took off running. Immediately, a male voice called out behind her, "Hey, don't run! It's me!"

Qi Yang suddenly stopped, her back straightened, and she turned to look at Zhou Shan emerging from the bushes, his clothes covered in grass clippings, looking utterly disheveled.

The moment she saw who it was, Qi Yang's brows furrowed in anger, a hint of impatience in her eyes. Her tone was cold and hard: "What are you doing here?"

Zhou Shan strode up to her, his face somewhat ingratiating: "I went to your house to look for you. Your mother said you went up the mountain, so I followed the mountain path all the way here to find you. I was just worried about you. You've taken my kindness for granted." No one would believe that.

Qi Yang glanced at him, her face still cold. "Then why were you hiding just now?"

Zhou Shan chuckled sheepishly, "I was afraid you were still angry with me. You gave me a good scolding last time, and I was heartbroken for a long time afterward."

Qi Yang said indifferently, "I have nothing to be angry about. Don't follow me. I have nothing to say to you."

After saying that, she turned sideways and walked right past him as she continued down the mountain.

Seeing this, Zhou Shan quickly stepped forward to block her path. He stared at her indifferent little face, feeling a strange itch in his heart.

He showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and coaxed softly, "Yangyang, don't be so cold. I was wrong before. I've neglected you these past few days. I came here today specifically to apologize."

Qi Yang merely glanced at him coldly, her tone full of annoyance, "Don't block my way."

She continued walking down the mountain without stopping.

Zhou Shan was used to being raised at home and had never done any chores. Now, fearing that he would lose Qi Yang and be left alone in the mountains, he followed closely behind her.

"Yangyang, don't walk so fast..."

Qi Yang ignored him completely and quickened her pace. She was more familiar with the mountain path and walked lightly, avoiding the slippery moss.