Gratitude

Although she was extremely embarrassed at the time, she couldn’t deny that the man’s embrace was solid and reassuring, giving her a strong sense of security. At that moment, Ye Ling did feel a sense of dependency.

Ye Ling patted her cheeks, forcing herself to dismiss those unwarranted thoughts.

Since she didn’t dare to go back to the mountain for now, Ye Ling decided to visit Stone Village to express her gratitude to Yun Jie.

If it wasn’t for Yun Jie notifying Dai Wei, she might not have been able to leave the police station so easily after being falsely accused by Du Juan.

Ye Ling brought a bag of fresh fruit and arrived back at Stone Village. As she saw the familiar roads and houses on both sides, Ye Ling felt a slight wave of depression.

Her memories of Stone Village were far from pleasant, and her mind immediately developed a sense of aversion.

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Ye Ling took a deep breath, calming her emotions, and proceeded to inquire until she reached Yun Jie’s residence.

Yun Jie lived near the pig farm in Stone Village. Two years ago, in response to the government’s call, Stone Village purchased a large number of piglets from outside the village. They chanted slogans such as “Raising pigs for progress” and “Raising pigs to overcome poverty”. A group of educated youth was assigned to manage the pig-raising affairs.

“Yun Jie, I want to thank you for your help last time. This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you’ll accept it.” Upon seeing Yun Jie, Ye Ling handed over the bag of fruit.

Yun Jie looked at the fruit and then at Ye Ling. She accepted the fruit and turned around to enter the dormitory.

After about a minute, Yun Jie came out with two washed apples in her hand. She handed one to Ye Ling and pointed at a haystack outside the pig farm.

Yun Jie had something to say to her? Ye Ling’s instinct told her that Yun Jie might bring up the matter concerning Du Juan.

The two of them walked over to the haystack and sat on the dry straw.

Yun Jie took a bite of her apple and asked, “What did the police station say?”

Ye Ling briefly shared the outcome of the police station’s investigation into Du Juan. Yun Jie nodded in response and, with her grape-like eyes fixed on Ye Ling, asked straightforwardly, “Who do you think might want to harm you?”

Ye Ling’s gaze flickered, meeting Yun Jie’s. “I’m not sure yet. Did you notice something?”

“Not really, but sometimes I feel that your friend doesn’t look too friendly when she gazes at you,” Yun Jie voiced her observations. She added, “Although there’s no evidence at the moment, it’s still better to be cautious.”

Given that Ye Ling was often praised by the middle-aged man during her training, Yun Jie paid more attention to her and couldn’t help but notice Liu Lin, who often hovered around Ye Ling.

“Thank you for your reminder. I’ll be careful,” Ye Ling replied with a friendly smile, expressing her gratitude.

After bidding farewell to Yun Jie, Ye Ling returned to Willow Village and spotted a middle-aged man with an average build and a slight paunch at the entrance of the dormitory building. As soon as the man saw Ye Ling, his eyes lit up, and he approached her.

“You must be Little Ye?” As soon as the man spoke, he gave Ye Ling the feeling of a leader.

Ye Ling nodded. “And you are?”

“Oh, my name is Wang Gang. I’m in charge of the production team of all the forest farms in Willow Village.”

When he introduced his position, the man’s tone was a little proud and boastful.

Seeing Ye Ling’s gaze on him, Wang Gang straightened his beer belly and said with an even brighter smile, “I came to ask you if you want to work at our forest farm. I can arrange for you to do a more relaxed job. You don’t have to go out all day. Look at the weather now. It’s so sunny. The young girl’s skin is fair and tender. It won’t be good if she gets tanned.”

As he spoke, Wang Gang’s gaze fell on Ye Ling’s skin that wasn’t covered by clothes. His eyes were sticky.

Ye Ling felt a wave of uneasiness and immediately became vigilant. She forced a smile and said, “Thank you, but I can’t decide where I go to work. I’ll listen to the production team’s arrangements.”

“No need, no need. I have a good relationship with the captain, and he often listens to me during meetings. You can trust me on this matter.” Wang Gang thought that Ye Ling was questioning his authority within the production team, so his tone became more authoritative.

Ye Ling was at a loss for words, unsure of how to reject him.

Considering the man’s high position, she couldn’t afford to offend him. She couldn’t directly say that she didn’t want to go, right?

“Well, you see, I have no knowledge or experience in working at a forest farm. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be competent for such a role.” Ye Ling tried to express her refusal in a manner that wouldn’t irritate Wang Gang.