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

Lin Qingqing nodded: "Hmm, that seems to make sense."

Two days later in the fields

Seeing her working in the field, Zhang Jing came over and asked curiously, "Qingqing, where have you been these past two days? Why haven't you been at the educated youth compound or working in the fields?"

Lin Qingqing kept her head down as she worked, her tone as usual: "Oh, I went to town to be with my parents. They were worried that I would suffer in the countryside, so they came to check on me."

"I missed them too, so I stayed in town with them. They left yesterday afternoon, so I came back."

"Oh, I see. That's great. Your parents still care about you and come to visit. My parents haven't even sent me a single letter."

She felt a pang of sadness, but then she thought, even if Lin Qingqing's parents came to see her, what difference would it make? No matter how reluctant they were, they still sent their daughter to the countryside.

Pretending to care about his daughter now is just hypocrisy; there's nothing to be sad about.

Lin Qingqing worked for a while, then secretly glanced at the supervisor. After walking a little further away, she started to slack off. Anyway, there were only so many work points a day, so it didn't make much difference whether she did more or less work.

She looked around and said, "Jingjing, where's Jiang Lie? Didn't he come to work today?"

"Hmm, he didn't come. He's a hunter, and he only needs to hand over a fixed amount of meat each year. Working in the fields isn't mandatory; he can choose to do it or not."

"Not to mention that he's newly married, of course he wants to spend more time with his wife, so why would he want to work in the fields to earn those few work points? Half a month or a month of hard work is not as good as one trip into the mountains."

After Zhang Jing finished speaking, she realized what she meant and asked curiously, "Qingqing, didn't you dislike Jiang Lie? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Lin Qingqing's heart tightened, and she quickly laughed it off: "No, how could I dislike someone who is capable? I was just asking casually. You said he could finish work earlier if he were here."

"That man works like an animal, doing the work of several people. Naturally, I hope he can work in the fields, which would make things much easier for us."

"Of course, it's okay if you don't come. I was just saying it casually."

Zhang Jing nodded and said, "What you said makes sense, but unfortunately he's only thinking about his wife and doesn't want to get out of bed. Let's hurry up and get to work so we can finish early and go back to rest."

*

In the courtyard

Jiang Lie was chopping wood when he sneezed twice in a row.

Wen Yao brought out a palm-leaf fan containing medicinal herbs and placed it on the shelf. Hearing him sneeze, she subconsciously looked over, somewhat surprised. This man was as strong as an ox, so why was he sneezing?

"Why are you shirtless again? It's still a bit chilly in the morning. Don't catch a cold and suffer."

"It's nothing, my nose is just a little itchy."

Jiang Lie looked at her with gentle eyes: "It's alright. You know my body, I don't get sick so easily. Don't worry. Where would you like to go to dig for herbs today?"

"I'll go with you. Didn't you say there were a lot of medicinal herbs in the forest? Do you want to go dig them up together?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yao's heart stirred. She did miss her family a bit, so she thought it would be good to go to the forest farm to take a look and dig up some medicinal herbs while she was there.

"Okay, let's go over there and dig up some medicinal herbs to cool us down. I plan to make some cooling pills so that I can prepare some for Dad when the weather gets hot."

"If someone in the team suffers from heatstroke, they can be given medicine in time to save them. Severe heatstroke can be very dangerous."

Jiang Lie had no objections; whatever his wife said went. He really didn't know anything about these medicinal herbs; to him, they were all just like grass, indistinguishable from each other.

Wen Yao remembered something else and asked softly, "Did you learn how to write your own name when I taught you before?"

"No, it's too difficult. Why didn't my dad name me Jiang Yi? Yi is so easy to write, just one stroke."

Hearing his complaint, Wen Yao couldn't help but laugh: "You're such a chatterbox. If Dad knew you said that, he would definitely beat you again. The word 'hunting' is so much better."

"In their time, there was constant warfare and a lack of food and drink. Giving you this name was a way of hoping that you would be able to hunt in the future and not go hungry. It's such a good wish."

Jiang Lie nodded and said, "I'll practice a lot when I get back. You can use my hand to teach me how to write. I think I'm doing pretty well with the pinyin letters."

Wen Yao noticed the anxiety in his eyes, felt a pang of sympathy, and gave him a thumbs-up to encourage him: "Great job! You're learning pretty fast. I wasn't being mean to you."

"Let's take it one step at a time, there's no rush."

"I guarantee you'll be able to read a newspaper within a year, and I'll also buy you a Xinhua Dictionary. Once you have a solid foundation, you can look up any unfamiliar characters in the dictionary."

"With little accumulation, you will understand the meaning of those words and vocabulary. I believe in you."

Jiang Lie didn't see any disgust in her eyes, which made him feel much more relaxed. It was really because of the way Lin Fengjiao used to curse him that he wondered if he was really as stupid as a pig.

The two packed their things quickly and went to the forest farm, where they stood next to a patch of honeysuckle and began picking.

"Ah Lie, I only want honeysuckle that's half-open like this. I don't want the fully open ones; there are too many little bugs in them."

"Okay, I understand. I'll be careful."

Seeing that he had picked the right ones, Wen Yao carried her basket to other places to find honeysuckle bushes with more buds. Not long after, she saw her second brother walking over, and her expression immediately changed.

He glanced at him with a warning look. Why was it his impulsive second brother who came? Where was his eldest brother?

Gu Chong rolled his eyes at his sister. He was a bit impatient, but he wasn't so oblivious to the bigger picture. Even if he was dissatisfied with Jiang Lie at this moment, he wouldn't make a scene openly.

Wouldn't that drag their sister into this? Given their current status, it wouldn't do them any good to involve their sister.

He coughed lightly and said, "Dr. Wen, the head doctor asked me to come and help you gather herbs. He said I'm literate, clever, and obedient, so I'll gather herbs exactly as you tell me how."

Wen Yao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him say that.

Her complexion improved, and she glanced back at Jiang Lie, who was focused on picking honeysuckle buds with his back to them. Then she looked at her second brother and said, "I only want the buds."

"Okay, I understand."

The two moved closer, and Gu Chong lowered his voice: "Little sister, is he treating you well? He looks like a wild beast, it's really scary. His arms are as thick as my thighs."

"I said you've always been brave since you were little, and you've become even braver as you've grown up. How could you fall for someone like that? Most girls would be scared to tears if they saw someone like that. What were you thinking?"

Wen Yao whispered, "Second Brother, don't judge a book by its cover. Some people may look good, but their hearts are dirty and black, just like... that person. But Jiang Lie is different from him."

"He may look fierce, but he is very gentle, considerate and thoughtful towards me. He always knows to prepare things for me even if I don't want them, and he has never wronged me."

"As for your question about bullying people, that's even less likely. He's just cold on the outside but warm on the inside. I prefer to be with him like this; he's straightforward and makes me feel at ease."

Gu Chong looked at his younger sister carefully and saw that she didn't seem to be lying. He sighed and muttered to himself, "But she looks so fierce, it's embarrassing to take her out."