Huo Jingrui looked at her, his expression a mixture of indulgence and helplessness. "Of course, I’m incredibly jealous. If our relationship wasn’t still unofficial, I would’ve rushed in to stake my claim long ago. But I don’t dare, nor can I." Yunyi hugged him and buried her face in his chest, sighing, "It’s so good that we’ve found each other." Although Huo Jingrui still didn’t quite understand what Yunyi meant, the little girl had said before that when the time was right, he would naturally understand, so he wasn’t in a hurry. Now he was the little girl’s official partner, and he couldn’t be happier. He patted Yunyi’s back gently and whispered, "I’ll come over first thing tomorrow to bring you breakfast, and then I’ll accompany you for a walk." This update is available on ɴovelfire.net This ’walk’ was, of course, his way of staking his claim with the people at the Agricultural Reclamation Group. Yunyi didn’t expose his intentions. "Okay, then I’ll sleep in until I wake up naturally tomorrow." Huo Jingrui stroked her hair and said softly, "Alright." After being affectionate for a while longer, Huo Jingrui finally prepared to leave. The upturned corners of his mouth and the bright gleam in his eyes clearly signaled his excellent mood. After checking that the front gate bolt was secured and ensuring everything in the courtyard was in order, he agilely vaulted onto the wall in a single leap. Glancing back at the light in the house one last time, his face was filled with triumphant pleasure. In Songling Village, when Deng Xiaojie learned that Yunyi had left, her eyes blazed with intense hatred. Why could she, another educated youth sent to the countryside, live so comfortably and freely, while I’ve sunk into this quagmire, becoming a promiscuous woman reviled by everyone? Just as she was lost in thought, the door was kicked open. "You damn woman, your man is home! Aren’t you going to come and serve me?" Deng Xiaojie looked at Zhang Mazzi, who reeked of alcohol, her eyes filled with disgust. Terrified from past beatings, she instinctively stood up to leave. But she had only taken a few steps before Zhang Mazzi grabbed her. "Who are you scowling at?" As he spoke, he shoved her. "So unlucky!" Deng Xiaojie lost her balance and stumbled against the door frame. The old door frame had several cracks. As fate would have it, Deng Xiaojie’s face struck one of them, and a sharp pain made her scream, "AH! My face!" The scream startled Zhang Mazzi so much he nearly fell off the edge of the kang. "Damn you, are you looking for a beating?" But as soon as he finished cursing and turned his head, he saw Deng Xiaojie turn towards him, her face covered in blood. He was scared out of his wits. "Damn it, are you trying to scare me to death?" Deng Xiaojie cared most about her face. Now, ignoring everything else, she dashed forward, flipped over the mat at the head of the kang, and grabbed a small cloth packet from underneath. Covering her bleeding face, she rushed out the door. It took Zhang Mazzi a moment to react. He then yelled towards the doorway, "You wasteful woman! It’s nothing a little wood ash can’t fix! Where the hell do you think you’re going?" However, feeling a twinge of guilt, he didn’t dare chase after her. He staggered back to the kang and lay down immediately, indifferent to the severity of Deng Xiaojie’s injuries. He muttered, "That money would be better spent on buying me alcohol." When Deng Xiaojie reached the health clinic, the door was locked. Furious, she kicked it. With no other choice, she ran to Doctor Gong’s house, not far from the clinic, and pounded on the door loud enough to wake the dead. "Open up, Doctor Gong! Hurry and open up!" Most of the Gong Family had already gone to bed. Hearing the insistent banging, Gong’s eldest daughter-in-law, Ma Huihui, shouted irritably from inside, "Who is it?" Deng Xiaojie didn’t lessen the force of her pounding in the slightest. "Doctor Gong, help me!"