Chapter 109: The Hoodlum

The Qingming Festival happened to fall on a weekend, and Song Yi’s suggestion to go countryside for a spring outing and pick wormwood was unanimously approved.

Chen Xin had a heavy workload; when she went out, she carried a large bag containing two original texts and a notebook. Upon arriving at the rural farmhouse, she didn’t have time to play but found a quiet spot to bury herself in study, so diligently that even Grandma Liu thought she was being too hard on herself.

Zhang Xiaopang and Song Xiaoya, two mischievous kids, were taken to dig for wild vegetables by the field ridges, while the others went into the wild to look for wormwood.

This time, Bai Mengqing didn’t come along—she was working on a project, conducting field surveys in the mountains, and likely wouldn’t return for another half month. Yi Bai and Zhou Hao had to work, but Yi Bai’s mother came with them. Recently, she had grown close to Old Lady Song; the two elderly women hit it off immediately and often arranged walks together.

“Last time you mentioned Miss Bai, right? What happened between her and Yi Bai afterward?” Old Lady Song asked slowly, plucking wild vegetables in her basket but mainly focused on chatting with Yi Bai’s mother.

“Ah, I don’t think there’s much hope. Yi Bai’s so busy he’s hardly home, and I heard Miss Bai also goes out frequently, sometimes gone for ten days or more,” Yi Bai’s mother sighed repeatedly, worried the two were ill-suited—both neglectful of home life. How would they manage in the future?

Meanwhile, Grandma Liu, Liu Chunyan, and Cheng Jie watched the children and discussed Yi Bai and Bai Mengqing.

“Miss Bai is quite headstrong. I think they’re compatible, but it depends on them. Also, I worry Miss Bai won’t get along with Officer Yi’s mother,” Liu Chunyan whispered to Cheng Jie, saying she had overheard Officer Yi’s mother complaining to Cheng Jie’s mother-in-law about a girl running off to the mountains for half a month or more, clearly unsettled about settling down.

“How can that old lady be like this? She used to think Bai Mengqing was fine, insisting on matching them up, and now she’s complaining about her being busy and neglecting family. It’s all just her talking, and it makes me uncomfortable to listen to,” Cheng Jie said.

“Exactly, and Miss Bai hasn’t even agreed yet, but they’re already discussing married life, child care, and education. It’s overwhelming,” Cheng Jie added. At home, her mother-in-law had also complained—first about Bai Mengqing’s pride, now about her work, as if only Officer Yi was suitable.

“That’s enough. It’s none of your business. Miss Bai knows what she wants, and her parents wouldn’t let her be treated unfairly. They’re not worried; why should you be?” Grandma Liu patted her daughter’s head. “Don’t talk behind their backs. Officer Yi’s mother is just worried about her son. When it was your turn to marry, your mother was the same—worried the other party would mistreat you.”

Liu Chunyan stuck out her tongue and fell silent, then led the two lively children away.

This time, Liu Chunyan’s husband went to the factory, so only Song Yi and Teacher Song, the two younger men, accompanied them. They immediately found a good fishing spot and confidently proclaimed they would catch lunch.

Chen Xin had been reading in the farmhouse for over an hour. When her eyes grew tired, she stood up to stretch and saw several cars pull in at the entrance.

She was standing in a relatively secluded corner, where few people looked, and those who got out took gear from their trunks, apparently planning to park and hike up the mountain.

There was a mountain nearby—not very tall but with steep ridges—popular among outdoor enthusiasts for hiking and camping. Although the area had since been developed with mobile signal coverage, Chen Xin often heard news of hikers getting into trouble there.

Just as she was about to approach and ask if they intended to hike, she saw a girl get out of another car—it was Tao Min.

Her heart tightened. She pulled out her phone and discreetly called Song Yi.

“What’s up? Are you hungry? We’re coming back soon, don’t worry. Why don’t you call the aunties back first?” Song Yi’s voice sounded like he was on the road.

Chen Xin hurriedly said Tao Min was there and asked Song Yi to return later. But the call was a bit late. From here, she could just see the path from the river pond, and Tao Min was facing that direction. Song Yi’s voice was loud enough that she could already see his head appearing.

Chen Xin hung up and wiped her face, not wanting to watch what was about to unfold.

“Song Yi, what are you doing here?” Tao Min saw him and immediately dropped her things, rushing over.

Fortunately, Song Yi had already known Tao Min was here and, being agile, dodged her in time.

“Miss Tao, please behave yourself,” Song Yi frowned, switching the fish bucket to his other hand to keep some distance between them. “I have things to do. I’m leaving now.”

He hurried towards the kitchen with the bucket. Tao Min tried to follow but was stopped by her friend.

“Ah Min, what are you doing? Come on, if we dawdle any longer, we won’t have enough time,” another girl, dressed like Tao Min, wore a backpack and frowned, urging her on.

“You guys go ahead. I’m not going. I have things to do.” Tao Min rolled her eyes and left her friends behind, knowing there were plenty of them; one less wouldn’t matter.

“What’s the matter? Did you run into someone? Want to come play with us?” another driver, sitting in the driver’s seat wearing sunglasses, turned to look at Song Yi. “But your friend didn’t bring gear, so he can only keep watch at night.”

“That’s perfect—we can sleep soundly in the tent,” replied a guy with dyed blond hair, sporting a classic salon-cut and outdoor gear that looked like it had been stolen.

He emphasized “sleep” heavily. Chen Xin immediately realized this group wasn’t genuine hikers or outdoor enthusiasts—they were the so-called “group party lovers.” She looked down on Tao Min even more.

How long had it been since her boyfriend died? Already she was chasing after men and leading a scandalous life. Poor Song Yi—he really had bad luck being targeted by her.

After Song Yi put the bucket in the kitchen, he came out and hung the net to dry on the wire near the courtyard. He heard the group’s lewd remarks but chose to ignore them.

Seeing his indifference only encouraged them more, their crude talk drawing frowns from other guests.

Chen Xin finished packing and came out, spotting Tao Min and her girlfriends standing together. Their eyes kept drifting toward Song Yi, but they didn’t approach, merely giggling among themselves. When Tao Min saw Chen Xin, her expression instantly darkened.