Ningzhong City's strawberry base is located in a valley surrounded by mountains.
The environment here is different from Daolin Village where Huo Rou had stayed before. Even though winter has arrived, the layered peaks and verdant mountains remain unchanged.
"Hey, do those dark-clothed people still come to your distant relative's house?" Some locals were working in the strawberry fields for extra income, and a few farm women chatting about daily life inadvertently caught Huo Rou's attention.
"Oh, don't even mention it, we're really unlucky." The person asked, holding a dark purple headscarf, put down a bucket of strawberries and rested, speaking with great earnestness, "Their family is the unluckiest I've ever seen."
"Her husband is honest and strong, but he can't stay anywhere for long; someone always comes to cause trouble."
It was clear that everyone had heard this gossip before. Someone, already familiar with the story, began to chime in, "Last year when we were picking strawberries together, you said the same thing. Didn't you say her family seemed to have offended some gangsters?"
"That's not right. The last time I attended a feast in your village, didn't you tell me their family found work and were doing quite well?"
The woman with the dark purple headscarf waved her hand, a look of pity on her face, "They were doing well, and the pay was good. When their son came home during the holidays, they could even afford chicken. But, just a few months later, it was back to how it was before."
"What bad luck!"
Everyone sighed. They had never encountered such a situation in the countryside. Others' difficulties were like stories to them.
Someone asked, "What do you mean by those dark-clothed people? Has there been a new development? Have the people they offended finally shown up?"
The woman with the dark purple headscarf smiled, a mysterious expression on her dark face, "You weren't there last time, so you wouldn't know, would you?"
"Hurry up and tell us!"
The woman shoved her hands into her pockets and said mysteriously, "My relative somehow heard the address of the other party, borrowed money, and bought a plane ticket to go find the person who's been bothering them."
"Good heavens, aren't they suspected of being gangsters? She dared to go? Is she still alive?"
Everyone's hearts clenched.
Zhao Hengyu listened with great interest, wishing he had a handful of melon seeds to munch on. "Auntie, you have gangsters around here?"
He couldn't help but interject, "What do gangsters usually do? Did they call the police about your relative's situation?"
The farm women were startled by his sudden outburst. These city folks, not only had they never seen strawberries in the field, but now they were eavesdropping on their private conversations.
It seemed city people were indeed quite bored.
"They reported it a few years ago, but nothing came of it. Later, her husband told them not to call the police anymore."
This was very interesting. Zhao Hengyu hadn't expected rural stories to be so colorful; he had never heard anything like it.
The farm women listening to the story rolled their eyes at Zhao Hengyu. They were eager to hear the rest.
"Quick, continue, what happened next?"
The woman with the dark purple headscarf cleared her throat, picked up a strawberry to moisten her mouth, and continued, "Later, she was brought back."
"It seems those people knew she was going to confront their leader. They intercepted her at the airport and brought her back. A group of them guarded my relative at home. In the end, it was her husband who negotiated, and only then did they leave."
Zou Xiaoxiao looked at Zhao Hengyu, who was engrossed in conversation with the aunties, feeling a bit speechless.
"Huo Rou, look at him, isn't he a bit effeminate?" Zou Xiaoxiao expressed her disdain. She wasn't that gossipy.
Huo Rou looked at the rolling mountains without a word.
They were not far from the road, and she could hear the aunties' conversation. Connecting the dots, this matter actually had something to do with her.
The reason those people left was because Wang Haozhuo had consulted her.
It was almost the weekend, and that family's child was coming home. High school life was not easy, and she couldn't bear to let their child pay the price for this.
"Hey, Huo Rou?" Zou Xiaoxiao, not getting a response, turned to look at Huo Rou. "What are you looking at?"
Following Huo Rou's gaze, she could only see Qin Ningyi walking around in the field with a small basket.
Zou Xiaoxiao immediately fell silent.
The year Qin Ningyi's uncle took office, she had visited this place with Qin Ningyi's family. At that time, while she was running around wildly in the fields, Qin Ningyi stood by the roadside with a stern expression, looking out of place.
She picked a strawberry, the reddest one, and offered it to Qin Ningyi's lips, only to be met with a simple, "Go wash your hands."
So today, when she learned that Qin Ningyi was bringing Huo Rou to Ningzhong City, she agreed to Zhao Hengyu's plan and came here.
She thought Qin Ningyi certainly wouldn't go into the fields. Rather than let Huo Rou be awkward alone, she would keep her company.
As it turned out, she had worried too much.
While she was lost in memories, Qin Ningyi had already walked up to Huo Rou. He took the reddest strawberry from the basket, blew off the dust, and offered it to Huo Rou's lips. "A Rou, have a taste."
As he said this, he exuded an aura of seeking praise.
Huo Rou finally came back to her senses and looked at him.
The man before her was sincere and pure, and the strawberry in his hand was incredibly tempting in its redness.
Huo Rou was still thinking about the farm women's conversation. If it were Qin Ningyi, he probably wouldn't have done that, right? He would probably trust any decision made by higher authorities. Unlike her, who stubbornly sought her own fairness.
She glanced at the mud on Qin Ningyi's shoes, as if reminding her that she was not as calm and serene as she appeared.
"Your shoes are dirty," Huo Rou said, reminding him.
Such a man, stained with mud because of her.
If it weren't for her, Qin Ningyi would have remained forever clean…
Qin Ningyi moved the strawberry closer to her lips. "I'll just wash them when we get back. A Rou, try it, is this strawberry sweet?"
This was the first time he had done something like this. He had carefully picked this small basket, and he was a little anxious.
Huo Rou followed his lead and bit into the strawberry.
Juice burst in her mouth, and a sweet and sour taste filled her palate.
"Is it delicious?" Qin Ningyi asked, smiling at her.
"Mmm," Huo Rou nodded with a bit too much force. She sniffled, "It's delicious."
This was the best strawberry she had ever eaten, and the man before her was the best man she had ever met.
Looking at the doting affection in Qin Ningyi's eyes, and hearing the story from the aunties, she felt an inexpressible complexity in her heart.
She didn't want Qin Ningyi to know about this. A feeling called timidity inexplicably arose within her.
"Qin Ningyi," Huo Rou called out softly.
"Let's go." She didn't want to stay here anymore. She was afraid of encountering something that would make her lose control of her emotions. Ningzhong, this place, was too special.