Chapter 804 - 800: Going Up the Mountain Together

Leng Yuan had originally intended to take Gu Jiaojiao up the mountain with him, and she had planned to go as well. However, they had been a little too wild the night before; her legs were completely giving out, so she had no choice but to stay home.

All morning, Gu Jiaojiao busied herself with processing medicinal herbs.

Her home was now fully stocked with medical supplies. If a medicinal herb could be found on the mountain, she had a stash of it. She had also prepared plenty of medicinal ointments and powders, storing them safely away for emergencies.

If anyone in the village needed cough medicine or a cold remedy, they could come to Gu Jiaojiao for a dose. She never charged them a dime, but those who sought her help always made sure to bring something in return—if not fresh eggs, then homegrown vegetables or freshly picked fruit.

Gu Jiaojiao was becoming increasingly popular within the Qingshan Team. Whenever she stepped outside, she was greeted continuously along the way. Occasionally, if a family got their hands on something delicious, they would rather go without than fail to send a portion over to her. If she tried to refuse, they would simply drop the goods and run off, leaving her utterly exasperated but unable to be mad.

Usually, Leng Yuan didn’t return until noon. Sometimes, he wouldn’t even come back for lunch, choosing instead to feed the two kids on the mountain and returning just before dinner.

Gu Jiaojiao had barely finished organizing the herbs and hadn’t even found the time to take off her apron when a knock sounded at the door. She glanced at the time—it was only ten-thirty in the morning.

Feeling a bit suspicious, she walked over and opened the door, only to find several officials standing outside with Chen Beiguo trailing behind them.

She looked at Chen Beiguo first. "Team Leader, is something the matter?"

Chen Beiguo shook his head. "These comrades are staff from the commune. They said they were looking for you, but they didn’t say what it was about!"

He had actually tried to pry, but they had remained tight-lipped. Secretly, he suspected it had something to do with the machinery.

Gu Jiaojiao turned her gaze to the staff members.

One of them spoke up in a cold voice. "Gu Jiaojiao. Sent-down educated youth, from Jiang City. Is that correct?"

The tone of the question instantly alerted everyone present that something was wrong. This was especially true for the team leader; having dealt extensively with commune officials, he recognized that this line of questioning sounded suspiciously like a criminal interrogation.

Gu Jiaojiao, however, remained composed. "Yes, that is me."

In the entire Qingshan Team, she was the only educated youth from Jiang City.

"Then we have the right person. We have some matters to ask you about. Come with us."

Before Gu Jiaojiao could even react, Chen Beiguo grew anxious. "Comrades, you can’t just take her away like this! I need to know exactly why you’re detaining her! Otherwise, I won’t have any way to explain this to her family."

He absolutely could not let them drag Gu Jiaojiao off under such murky circumstances.

Because Chen Beiguo frequently attended meetings at the commune, he was actually acquainted with these officials. However, the contents of the letter they had received also implicated him, which was why they hadn’t informed him beforehand. But now that they were face-to-face with the person in question, they decided to tell the truth.

Hearing that someone had reported Gu Jiaojiao, Chen Beiguo felt lightheaded.

"Comrades, this is definitely utter nonsense! If you don’t believe me, just ask anyone in our village. Everyone here sees clearly exactly what kind of person Gu Zhiqing is. You cannot just blindly believe the words of some malicious individual!"

The staff members exchanged a glance and looked at the team leader. They still hadn’t mentioned that this report also involved him, but his fiercely protective attitude certainly seemed somewhat unusual to them.

They didn’t waste any more words.

"Don’t worry, Team Leader. We are merely investigating the situation. If Gu Zhiqing is innocent, we definitely won’t frame her as a bad element. You can rest assured on that point!"

With that said, they ordered Gu Jiaojiao to follow them.