Life in Kaoshantun went by at a leisurely pace. Aside from the occasional gossip in the village that Jiang Zhiyu was "the daughter of a stinking intellectual," she paid no attention. Half a month passed quietly when the brigade leader suddenly came to her door: "Little Jiang, there's a phone number for you at the brigade headquarters. It's a call from Shanghai."

Jiang Zhiyu was taken aback—Shanghai Stock Exchange? Who could it be?

She followed the battalion commander towards the battalion headquarters, her heart skipping a beat. Just as she reached the door, the phone rang. She answered, and Commander Li's voice came through: "Zhiyu, how have you been lately?"

"Very good, Commander Li."

"We received your package. You're too kind, sending so many nice things." Commander Li smiled. "Your aunt and I sent you some Shanghai specialties, they should arrive soon. Remember to pick them up in town. How are your parents?"

After a few pleasantries, Commander Li's tone turned serious: "Zhiyu, do you have anyone with you?"

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the brigade leader in the yard and said, "It's convenient, please tell me."

"It's about Song Yanzhou." Division Commander Li paused. "He went abroad on a mission, you know. Everything went smoothly at first, but he suddenly went missing last week. The embassy and our undercover agents have both searched, but there's no news. The entire team of seven... we can't get in touch with any of them."

Jiang Zhiyu's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips instantly turned icy cold.

"Don't panic, host!" 0047 hurriedly spoke up. "Song Yanzhou is a person of great fortune; at most, he'll be trapped, but he won't die!"

She took a deep breath, suppressing her panic, and asked in a low voice, "What do you need me to do?"

"I know you're capable, and I'd like to ask you..." Commander Li actually knew that there were some people with special abilities in the country, and he wouldn't seek help from higher-ups unless absolutely necessary. In fact, he also vaguely suspected that Jiang Zhiyu also had special abilities. Moreover, given their current relationship, it would be very suitable for her to go.

"I'll go." Jiang Zhiyu interrupted him. "You should talk to the county armed forces department and arrange an assignment for me so I can take leave easily. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain to the captain."

"Yes, okay!" Commander Li quickly agreed, "I'll take care of it right away."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Zhiyu took two yuan out of her pocket and placed it on the table. She said to the captain, "I might need to take some time off, maybe a month or two. The Armed Forces Department will send you a notice. Please take good care of my parents, and also my godparents..."

The brigade leader's eyes widened—this educated youth, Xiao Jiang, actually managed to get the county's armed forces department to personally assign him a task? He quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything here."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't explain further and turned to walk home. The snow crunched under her feet, which actually calmed her down. Song Yanzhou had the spiritual spring water to save his life, so he was most likely trapped, but his life was not in danger.

When she got home, she didn't tell her parents the truth, only saying that Grandpa Song in Beijing needed her. She also told them to remember to pick up the package in town. Her parents didn't suspect anything, only reminding her to be careful on the road.

Jiang Zhiyu went into the kitchen and started carrying things out of the space—two baskets of hairy crabs, two baskets of apples, two baskets of shrimp, several baskets of fresh vegetables, and dried goods she had stocked up in Hong Kong. "This should be enough for you to eat for a while. Don't skimp on it after I leave."

Her parents were used to her "mystery" and would eat whatever she took out without asking any questions.

After packing, Jiang Zhiyu slung the backpack she had prepared beforehand over her shoulder (it was empty; everything was in her spatial storage), said goodbye to her parents, and rode her bicycle towards town. When she was almost in town, she found a secluded corner, stored her bicycle in her spatial storage, and teleported to Anxian Railway Station. She bought a ticket for the next train to Shanghai, departing at 8 PM.

With some time before departure, she planned to eat at a state-run restaurant and get some takeout. Just as she finished ordering, whispers began to circulate around her.

"That little slut eats so well, she'll never get married!" an older woman sneered. "She's obviously a vixen, her money came from shady sources."

"Whose is this? She's so beautiful, they don't even blink when they spend money on her." Another woman with an ordinary appearance said sourly, "We can't even afford a meat dish, but she's eating all that fish and meat."

"I've never seen that style of clothing she's wearing before. Where did she buy it?"

"Tch, what's so interesting about it? It's just so-so." Someone retorted stubbornly, but couldn't hide their sourness.

In the corner, an old woman with slanted eyes stood with a little boy, both wearing patched clothes. The old woman stared at Jiang Zhiyu, a calculating glint in her eyes, muttering, "Dressed so provocatively, my eldest son still doesn't have a wife. With that face, if I could bring her home and have my son force himself on her, let's see if she can run away then? Women, a few beatings will make them behave."

The little boy swallowed timidly, his eyes fixed on the braised pork on the table.

Jiang Zhiyu frowned upon hearing this—the train station was indeed a mixed bag. She ignored it and focused on her food.

Seeing that she ignored her, the old woman simply plopped down opposite her and struck up a conversation as if they were old friends: "Young lady, you look unfamiliar? Where are you from? I have a son, he's very handsome, but he doesn't have a girlfriend yet..."

Jiang Zhiyu looked up, staring coldly at her, without saying a word.

The old woman felt humiliated, and her voice suddenly became shrill: "What's wrong with you, woman? Are you mute? I'm talking to you! Didn't your mother teach you to respect elders? You have no manners!"

"Do I even know you?" Jiang Zhiyu put down her chopsticks and sneered. "What are you pretending to be, an elder? Who do you think you are? Randomly striking up conversations in public, is this what your mother taught you? My elders are lying in the ground, why don't you go and try lying there too?"

Several middle-aged women nearby immediately chimed in, "How dare you speak to an elderly person like that?"

Even if she's wrong, you should still be more accommodating.

"Back in our day, someone with your temper would have been beaten to death!"

"Girls need to be gentle, otherwise who would want to marry them?"

"Did you drink some glycerin suppositories?" Jiang Zhiyu glanced at them. "You're so talkative, you should eat less salt, you're just wasting your time. If you like talking so much, go to the village and grind pig feed, you can put your skills to good use."

A few men eating nearby chuckled, "This girl knows how to talk!"

"Some people just take advantage of their age and can't stand seeing others do well," one man chimed in. "They didn't provoke you, but they went looking for trouble, and you won't even let them talk back? What kind of logic is that?"

"Exactly!" someone echoed. "Does being pretty cost you anything? Does it eat your rice? Does it spend your money?"

The old woman was speechless, her face turning a deep purplish-red. The little boy next to her was still swallowing hard, staring at the last few pieces of braised pork.

Jiang Zhiyu stuffed the rest of the meat into her mouth, looked at the old woman and said, "It's none of your business. Talking too much will make you mute."

She got up to pay the bill, and before leaving, she subtly glanced at the most gossipy people, employing a little trick—liked to talk nonsense? Then they'd experience being unable to speak for three days. She was already in a bad mood today, and was just looking for trouble.

Sure enough, a few minutes after she left, the old woman and the two women who had chimed in suddenly found themselves unable to speak. Their mouths moved, making "abba aba" sounds, but no sound came out. The three women looked at each other in horror, suddenly remembering Jiang Zhiyu's last words, and their faces turned pale with fright.

"Witch! She's a witch!" the old woman screamed in her heart, but no sound came out. In the end, the three of them could only rush to the hospital in a panic. After a long examination, nothing was wrong, and they had wasted several dollars. They were heartbroken and trembling.

Jiang Zhiyu arrived at the train station, with 40 minutes to spare before departure. She went to the restroom, took out a canvas backpack from her storage space, and slung it over her shoulder—in the past two years, everyone traveling has been carrying large and small bags, and she would stand out too much if she went empty-handed.

Once on the train, she leaned against the window, watching the scenery rush by outside, her mind racing: Song Yanzhou, please make sure nothing happens to you.

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