Song Yanzhou followed Jiang Zhiyu toward the cowshed, but when they were almost at the door, he suddenly grabbed her and said, "Let me tidy up my clothes."

Jiang Zhiyu gave him a strange look and couldn't help but laugh—this grown man, is he nervous about meeting the parents?

Song Yanzhou coughed lightly, straightened his military cap, smoothed out the wrinkles in his uniform, and tugged at his cuffs to make sure everything was in order before gesturing for her to knock on the door.

Before Jiang Zhiyu's hand even touched the door, it creaked open. Jiang's father immediately spotted the two people in the doorway. He first glared at Jiang Zhiyu, his eyes clearly saying, "This young lady has no shame." Then he looked up at Song Yanzhou, his brows gradually relaxing—the young man stood upright, with well-defined features, and looked quite spirited.

"Xiao Song, right? Come in." Father Jiang stepped aside and said to Jiang Zhiyu, "Go next door and call your godparents over."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't think much of it and turned to walk next door. Song Yanzhou entered the cowshed and gently placed the official document on the table. Jiang's mother was sizing him up and, seeing that the young man was tall and had a good temperament, she was already somewhat satisfied. When her gaze fell on the official document on the table, she picked it up and looked at it with suspicion.

She had only scanned two lines when tears streamed down her face. Just as Mr. Jiang closed the door, he saw his wife crying and rushed over. He was about to ask what was wrong when he saw her looking at a document and weeping. He casually took the document, and the more he looked at it, the more his hand trembled. When he looked up again, his gaze towards Song Yanzhou held a new warmth—he had initially been very unhappy that this young man had stolen his daughter away, but now he finally seemed a little more agreeable.

"Did you ask someone to arrange this?" Father Jiang's voice was still trembling slightly.

Song Yanzhou quickly waved his hand: "Uncle, it's not all my doing. Zhiyu saved me in Gangchengjiang and delivered important documents; this time, he discovered spies and found a batch of important supplies, helping the army a lot both times. It was Commander Li who worked on things in Shanghai. My grandfather only gave a little hint, and that's how we changed your class status. But the situation in Beijing is still unclear, and we can't go back to Shanghai for the time being. Those people are eyeing your family's ancestral property, so we can only ask you to stay here for now."

Mr. Jiang nodded knowingly, put down the documents, and then looked Song Yanzhou up and down—he was handsome and had a composed demeanor, but no matter how he looked at him, he didn't seem to be a good match for his daughter. He suddenly asked, "Are you from Beijing?"

Song Yanzhou paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes, my family lives in the military compound in Beijing."

A hint of surprise flashed in Mr. Jiang's eyes before he allowed Song Yanzhou to properly introduce his family background. Song Yanzhou recounted the family history he had told Jiang Zhiyu. Mr. Jiang listened in silence for a moment, thinking to himself, "This boy comes from such a good family; what if he treats his daughter badly in the future?" Mrs. Jiang's hand, which had brought over brown sugar water, froze as she gently placed it in front of him: "Little Song, have some water."

"Thank you, Auntie." Song Yanzhou accepted the enamel cup with both hands, his fingers tightening slightly as he held it.

"Do your family members know about you and my daughter?" Mr. Jiang finally asked the crucial question.

"Only Grandpa knows right now that I've already reported our relationship." Song Yanzhou sat up straight. "Zhiyu is young, and I don't want to rush things. There are many people in my family in Beijing, and I'm afraid they'll come and bother Grandpa and Zhiyu. My grandpa is quite satisfied with her; if I hadn't stopped him, he would have come himself."

Having heard of Song Bingzheng's name, Jiang's father knew he was a decisive and efficient senior leader. He secretly thought his daughter was lucky, but he didn't say it aloud: "Young people dating should follow certain rules."

Seeing that the two had finished chatting, Jiang's mother went next door to call the remaining three. As soon as Jiang's mother entered the room, she saw Jiang Zhiyu sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), with melon seeds and candies on the small square table, looking just like a big shot.

"And you, you let your godparents serve you?" Jiang's mother glared at her angrily.

"The kids have come all this way, what's wrong with them having something to eat?" Liu Hong said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. She then winked at Jiang's mother, "Have you finished interviewing the new son-in-law? Let us take a look too."

Jiang Zhiyu tossed the melon seeds back onto the plate: "So it turned out to be an interrogation. I thought it was something serious."

"You're almost 18, can't you be more careful?" Jiang's mother poked her forehead. "You started dating someone without knowing their family background. Luckily, it's a good person, otherwise..."

"Just dump the bad ones." Jiang Zhiyu said nonchalantly. "I only like him because he's good-looking. He's rich, good-looking, and has good genes. With such good genes, I have to find someone with even better genes so our kids will be beautiful. Look how good-looking my dad is, that's why I'm so handsome."

Jiang's mother was amused by her, while Liu Hong laughed heartily beside her. 0047 popped into her mind: [The host is becoming more and more down-to-earth! I want to see what it's like when Commander Song meets the parents.]

Thinking about Song Yanzhou's little tricks just now, Jiang Zhiyu couldn't help but smile.

When the four entered the cowshed, Jiang's father was discussing national affairs with Song Yanzhou. Seeing that the food had gone cold, Jiang's mother and Liu Hong quickly went to reheat it. As Liu Hong was busy, she remarked, "This young man is handsome; his appearance reflects his character." Jiang's mother quietly told Liu Hong about Song Yanzhou's family background, and Liu Hong was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth—she had lived in Beijing and knew of the old leader Song's reputation, and felt even more that her goddaughter was very fortunate.

The heated dishes were served: the braised pork belly glistened with oil, the steamed fish exuded a fresh aroma, and ginseng slices floated in the chicken soup. Seeing the four elderly people's unsurprised expressions, Song Yanzhou knew that Jiang Zhiyu had often given them good things.

Uncle Qi and Liu Hong observed him, noticing that he always added food to Jiang Zhiyu's bowl when he picked up food, and that he spoke and behaved politely. They nodded in approval. Liu Hong gave Jiang Zhiyu a thumbs up, and Jiang Zhiyu raised her chin: "I'm excellent too, okay?"

Song Yanzhou was amused by her childishness. He recalled their first meeting in Hong Kong; she was prickly, with cold eyes, like a stone that could never be warmed. Now she could laugh and joke, and her eyes had a light in them; this change softened his heart.

The five men clinked glasses, and Mr. Jiang and Uncle Qi, who rarely drank Moutai, couldn't stop smiling. Uncle Qi, emboldened by the alcohol, asked, "Are your family members easy to get along with?"

"They're easy to get along with," Song Yanzhou quickly said. "My grandparents live in Beijing, and my parents also live in a military region in Beijing. My uncle's family lives in a military region in Northeast China, not in Beijing, but it's quite close to us, just a day's drive away."

Father Jiang handed the official document to Uncle Qi, whose eyes welled up with tears after reading it: "Great! The clouds have parted and the moon is shining!" He finally saw hope.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't tell them that she could only stay for a little over a year at most—the day the college entrance examination would be reinstated was approaching, and the darkness before dawn wouldn't last long. Seeing the excitement on her elders' faces, her heart felt warm.

Seeing that it was getting late, it was time to go to the brigade leader's house. Jiang Zhiyu went back to the courtyard and got two bottles of Moutai, a carton of cigarettes, a bowl of braised pork, and four apples. Song Yanzhou naturally took the basket and carried it. Jiang Zhiyu raised an eyebrow and didn't refuse—who wouldn't love a man with such a good eye?

Upon knocking on the brigade leader's door, Chen Dazhu grinned and shouted, "Dad! Little Jiang, the educated youth, and her officer boyfriend are here!"

"How dare you talk like that?" The brigade leader kicked him in the butt, then greeted him with a smile, "Young Jiang, Commander Song, please come in."

Song Yanzhou put down the basket and took out the official document. The brigade leader squinted at it under the kerosene lamp, his eyes widening in surprise: "This... the Jiang couple from the cowshed?"

"They are my parents," Jiang Zhiyu said frankly.

Everyone in the main room was stunned—the usually quiet cowshed couple were actually Xiao Jiang's parents! The brigade leader slapped his thigh: "You little rascal, you kept it a secret so well! How come I didn't realize you were both surnamed Jiang?" He thought to himself that he was glad he hadn't mistreated the people in the cowshed like they did in other villages.

"I'll bring them to my yard tomorrow," Jiang Zhiyu said. "I'll trouble the brigade leader to announce it at the assembly tomorrow. I've become godparents to Uncle Qi and Aunt Liu, so I'll have to trouble the village to take good care of them."

"Don't worry! Nothing will happen in our village!" the brigade leader assured him, patting his chest.

Leaving the brigade leader's house, Jiang Zhiyu let out a long sigh of relief. Nearly half a year after her transmigration, this was the first time she felt truly relaxed, both physically and mentally. Suddenly, she felt her psychic abilities seem to have strengthened, as if a warm current was flowing through her mind.

[Congratulations, host!] 0047 exclaimed excitedly, [Psychic abilities are linked to one's state of mind. You've let go of your inner conflicts, and your positive energy is growing!]

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at the moon, her steps light. Song Yanzhou walked beside her, and seeing her relaxed expression, couldn't help but ask, "Happy?"

"Mm." Jiang Zhiyu nodded, turning her head to look at him. "Thank you."

Song Yanzhou stopped and looked at her face in the moonlight, then said earnestly, "What are you thanking me for? You're my boyfriend, if I'm not good to you, who else should I be good to?"

The evening breeze carried the chill of the snow, but it couldn't cool the warmth in their eyes. Jiang Zhiyu didn't speak again, but her heart felt as sweet as if she had a piece of candy inside.

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