If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

Wen Yao's heart pounded, and she felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze. She touched her nose and snorted, "Whatever, you've thought it through so thoroughly."

"How could I have any objections? Actually, I also prefer to postpone having children. Right now, I don't have any medicinal herbs on hand, and my reputation hasn't fully spread, so I have very few patients."

"It does take some time to adjust, but will your parents agree? If you don't get pregnant within three months in the countryside, people will gossip about you, especially since you didn't have children before."

"People say behind your back that you can't have children. I'm worried that people will talk about you if you postpone it for six months. It breaks my heart."

Jiang Lie's gaze softened, as if it could melt a person's heart, and he gently stroked the back of her hand: "I don't care. We're the ones living our own lives. As long as we, as husband and wife, have no objections, that's fine."

"Anyway, those gossipers won't dare to say it to my face. I'll deal with them if they do. So let's settle this matter. Don't tell our parents for now."

Wen Yao thought about it and agreed. They were both healthy, so having a child would be easy. They could have a child next spring, and the temperature would be just right during their postpartum period.

The two hit it off immediately, and Jiang Lie's lips curled up in a wide smile, his whole being radiating undisguised joy.

"By the way, is it possible you got pregnant last night?"

"No, I went to the hospital to get some family planning supplies. Although it's not as comfortable as it is, I don't want you to get pregnant too young. Being a mother won't be easy."

Wen Yao raised an eyebrow at him: "You're quite thoughtful, aren't you? You're not honest at all, and you're very cunning."

Jiang Lie touched his nose: "Is your wife angry?"

"No, not really. I just felt you weren't being honest. Anyway, I'm going to sleep now. If you're tired, don't chop wood. There's so much firewood we can't burn it all."

"Okay, since you care about me, let's go and rest together. After I wake up, I'll turn over the vegetable garden, and you can plant whatever you want anytime."

Wen Yao got up and started clearing the dishes: "Okay."

*

At the foot of the other side of the mountain

Several educated youths took advantage of finishing work early to go to the foot of the mountain to dig wild scallions. They would go back and make some scallion pancakes, which were delicious and saved them the cost of vegetables grown in the garden. It was a good deal.

Lin Qingqing unknowingly wandered a little further away, looking around as if searching for something. Soon, a white shadow flashed by. What else could it be but a rabbit? She subconsciously chased after it.

"A rabbit! There's a rabbit here! I'm so lucky today. If I can catch one, I can eat meat when I get home."

They chased after them and soon broke away from the crowd.

Just as he was about to pounce on the white rabbit in the distance, a cold glint flashed before his eyes. A knife was stuck in the rabbit's neck. After struggling for a moment, the rabbit stopped moving.

Lin Qingqing froze on the spot when she saw the knife stuck in the rabbit's body. She looked to her right in disbelief and saw a man standing behind a big tree, staring at her with a sinister look in his eyes.

A faint smell of blood wafted over; it was unclear whether it came from the rabbit or somewhere else.

Realizing the man was no good, she quickly raised her hands: "No, don't kill me! I didn't see anything, really! Brother, I'm going back now, I'm going back."

She turned to run, but the man's voice came from behind her: "Wait, I told you to leave. Come over here now, I have something to ask you."

"Don't try any tricks. I have more than one knife on me. You can't outrun my blades."

Lin Qingqing was on the verge of tears, filled with regret. How could she have carelessly wandered over here? She should never have chased that damned rabbit.

She turned around stiffly, cautiously took a few steps closer to the man, and said in a trembling voice, "Big brother, please don't be impulsive. I'm really a coward and won't tell anyone."

The man ignored her words and said coldly, "I want to talk business with you. Get me some gauze, hemostatic medicine, and fever reducers, and I'll give you fifty yuan."

"After it's done, keep your mouth shut and don't say anything out of line, or I'll show you what it means to die a horrible death."

Lin Qingqing turned pale with fright: "Yes, yes, but that medicine is hard to get. How can a perfectly healthy person like me get medicine? The hospital won't give it to me."

"What's the rush? Since I asked you, it's something you can do. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, wait for me in the bamboo forest outside your brigade. I need you to come with me to the hospital with someone."

"No matter what you see, don't ask questions or guess, and definitely don't tell anyone else. Here's a twenty-dollar deposit, take it."

The man handed her a large bill, and seeing the greed in her eyes, he narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.

Lin Qingqing quickly reached out and took it: "Okay, big brother, don't worry, I will definitely wait for you in the bamboo forest tomorrow morning, and I will take people to the hospital for treatment then."

"Okay, go back. Don't tell anyone about what happened here."

"Okay, I understand."

After the woman's figure disappeared into the distance, another figure staggered out from the shadows, pale-faced, with blood streaming down his thigh. He weakly asked, "Can she really take me to the hospital?"

The gloomy man nodded: "She has to be taken with her. If she isn't, we'll kill her. Your wound is a bullet wound. I'll dig it out for you tomorrow and send you to the hospital for treatment. That way, it won't be easy for anyone to notice anything amiss."

"As for her, she's obviously not from the brigade. A female educated youth is timid, greedy, and easy to control. Let's heal your injuries first and then leave this place."

The injured man nodded weakly: "Okay, then what identity will she take me with her tomorrow?"

"Brother and sister, she helped us. Even though she guessed our identities, she didn't dare to tell anyone. We'll use her again if we ever need her in the future."

"I see, that's why you gave her the money."

The sinister man's eyes were indifferent: "Of course, my money is never so easy to take. Once I take it, I'll squeeze every last drop of value out of you. I'll help you hide in the cave so the people here don't find you."

"That damned commune loudspeaker made that announcement. If someone notices us, they'll definitely suspect our identities and report it to the authorities. Then it'll be hard to get away with it."

"Okay, I understand."

Lin Qingqing dug up some wild onions and hurriedly returned home. She didn't sleep well all night, repeatedly touching the twenty yuan note, feeling very uneasy. That man didn't look like a good person at all.

Their sudden appearance in the woods at the foot of this mountain raises concerns about whether they are dangerous individuals. If we report them, I wonder if their accomplices will hold a grudge and retaliate.

No, she's all alone. She can't do something so risky. It's just helping out at the hospital. She can get money and there's no danger. It's obviously more beneficial for her than reporting it.

Listening to her tossing and turning, Zhang Jing couldn't help but say, "Qingqing, are you having trouble sleeping? Stop tossing and turning, it's really noisy."

Lin Qingqing: "...Okay, I understand. I have a bit of a stomachache and I'm not feeling well. I'll take the day off tomorrow and go to the hospital to get checked out."

"Hmm, then go check it out. Stop flipping around. You're disturbing other people's sleep. Yawn, I'm so sleepy."

"Um."