In the new building by the vegetable garden, because Han Qingyu had been hurried away before they could actually greet him, the group had returned. They were now seated around a table, their gazes converging on a dog-eared little notebook lying on the tabletop.
Despite looking like nothing more than a tattered little booklet, the debts and wealth recorded inside amounted to at least tens of thousands of source energy blocks.
In today's world, where source energy was public knowledge, it was practically a super-treasure.
Moreover, the debtors listed within were almost all names currently celebrated across the globe. Were it not for staying in this remote mountain village where no one dared disturb them, the place would have been in an unimaginable uproar long ago.
"Can you believe he even recorded Tu Zi's seven blocks?"
Rusty Sister closed the booklet, withdrew her hands, and fumed indignantly. She looked like she was standing up for Tu Zi, but in truth, she was venting for herself—she was the biggest debtor in the entire ledger.
They had ganged up to snatch the little ledger from Wen Jifei not long ago—though Wen Jifei hadn't put up much resistance, either.
"So what do we do now? Once he recovers, he's definitely going to remember and come looking to get it back." He Tangtang pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Why don't we just burn it?"
At his words, everyone around the table slowly turned toward him.
"Tangtang, you really have a death wish," Zhe Qiuhong remarked.
Then Zhu Jiaming nodded. "Mhm."
These two were special: one never joined in reckless antics, while the other had originally been an ally but now appeared to be feigning detachment. He Tangtang's face fell as he thought, *Right. If he remembers to look for the booklet when he recovers, wouldn't he also remember what I did?*
At this thought, He Tangtang threw his hands up, mimed snapping a rebar stake in two, and said in utter resignation, "Whatever, I'm already in this deep anyway. I'm a lost cause..."
Just then, a rapid pitter-patter of footsteps came rushing in. A Stream Vanguard warrior tasked with standing guard in stealth bolted into the room, halted, and looked at everyone in shock.
"What's wrong?" Wen Jifei asked, hurriedly getting up and grabbing his gun.
"A blind date!" the soldier blurted out.
"What?"
"Major Qing is getting ready for a blind date!"
"...You're kidding, right?"
"No, it's true! He's already changed his clothes—a suit." The soldier didn't dare let his gaze linger on any single person for too long, lest they think his urgent report held some pointed insinuation.
Truth be told, given Major Qing's current condition, with the memories of an inexperienced nineteen-year-old in a twenty-four-year-old body, pressed by his own mother, he might actually hit it off with just about anyone.
That would be massive news—an event that might send all of Azure into an absolute frenzy.
Silence fell over the table...
"Why is Auntie in such a sudden hurry?" Rusty Sister muttered softly.
The soldier couldn't answer that. Wen Jifei, Wu Xu, and Yang Qingbai remained silent, merely turning their heads in unison to stare at He Tangtang.
They stared for several seconds.
"The 'dead-iron-straight' thing—you told Auntie about that too, didn't you?"
"You're a dead man for sure."
"Even if Qingzi doesn't kill you when he recovers, there are others who'd love to tear you apart. You believe me, Tangtang?" Lowering his voice, Yang Qingbai muttered indistinctly, "There might even be someone right here in this room."
"..." He Tangtang sputtered, "How could I have known this would happen? Sigh, but the problem is, out here, who could he even go on a blind date with?"
Right at that moment, another sentry rushed in anxiously. "She's here! She's here!"
He Tangtang turned around. "Who's here?"
"Major Qing's blind date!"
***
"Whoa!" Living in the neighboring village, Ye Wanfen hadn't ridden a bicycle, coming on foot by herself. But the moment she reached the village entrance, she saw two rows of legendary human source energy warriors flanking the roadside.
*They... I think they're called Stream Vanguard, the guys with Qingzi.* The girl felt a bit nervous, giving a tiny, timid wave before ducking her head and hurrying through the middle.
Once she had walked away into the distance, the warriors lining the road exchanged glances. They had originally planned to scare her off or talk her out of it, but one look at this village girl showed she was simple and innocent. Besides, none of this was her fault, so in the end, they did nothing at all.
It had looked more like an honor guard welcoming her.
"What do we do now?" He Tangtang asked.
"Let's go watch first," Wen Jifei said, sounding a little thrilled.
By the time the crowd rushed back to the Han family house and looked down from the second-floor window of the new building, the girl was already standing before Han Qingyu.
Since the girl hadn't brought anyone with her, Zhang Jiexia couldn't very well stay behind, so she awkwardly exchanged a greeting and stepped outside.
Truth be told, if Qingzi had peacefully stayed home after the gaokao that year, the daughter-in-law Zhang Jiexia would have chosen in her heart was Ye Wanfen.
Across all the neighboring towns and villages, Ye Wanfen was by far the most outstanding young woman. And in her family, her mother had taken a liking to Qingzi long ago, dropping hints both openly and secretly on several occasions.
"According to what the soldiers just found out, her name is Ye Wanfen. She was Qingzi's elementary school classmate, went to the same middle school in a different class, and stopped schooling after that."
"So, childhood sweethearts?"
Upstairs, they gathered intelligence while discussing and observing.
Twin braids, slightly tousled bangs across her forehead—while the girl couldn't be called exceptionally gorgeous, she was healthy and radiant, radiating a simple, wholesome charm.
Her eyes blinked. "Qingzi?"
Han Qingyu nodded, smiling at a loss. On his first blind date in his life, he didn't even know whether he was Major Qing or nineteen-year-old Han Qingyu right now.
"It really is you! You know, when I saw you on TV and in the news before, I couldn't believe it." Ye Wanfen beamed with an excited smile. She glanced sideways at the door, then suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Though let's get something straight first—don't be nervous. I didn't actually come here for a blind date. I just seized the chance to come see you."
"Huh?" Han Qingyu was taken aback. "Why?"
"Because it's impossible, and it's not fitting." Ye Wanfen tilted her head, her braids gently swaying, and smiled. "I just took the opportunity to see Major The Qing in person! Tee-hee, my cousins were begging to tag along, but I wouldn't let them."
The girl's meaning was clear: she didn't believe she was suited to marry Major Qing. In today's world, that would be absurd. In the words of the outside world, the man standing before her was someone who guarded the stars.
Hearing this, Han Qingyu immediately thought: *Seems like Mom was right...*
"Hey." Ye Wanfen sat down on her own. After waiting a moment with no reaction, she waved her hand in front of Han Qingyu's face. Having gotten those words off her chest, she had visibly relaxed.
Han Qingyu snapped out of his daze. "Hm?"
"Should I call you Qingzi or Major Qing?"
"Just stick with Qingzi."
"Okay." Ye Wanfen bit her lower lip, hesitating for a moment. "Then... can I touch you?"
"Huh?"
"Just a touch, to see what humanity's strongest warrior feels like, and whether you're still made of flesh and blood. Can I? We're all so curious."
"...All right." Han Qingyu nodded, thinking, *I'm curious too.*
Within view of the window, Ye Wanfen stood up and leaned forward...
Upstairs in the new building, chaos instantly erupted.
"Holy shit!" "Already?!" "How indecent! Someone's being utterly shameless." "Yeah, out of line." "..."
With neat, clean fingertips, Ye Wanfen hesitated for a few seconds, gritted her teeth, and lightly poked Han Qingyu's right cheek. Letting out a soft "Whoa!", she sat back down.
Han Qingyu looked at her in confusion. "What? Is it strange?"
Ye Wanfen shook her head and chuckled. "No, just like a living person."
Han Qingyu: "..."
"I feel so much less flustered now. Still, seeing you back and staying around here feels pretty strange," Ye Wanfen said. "You'll definitely be leaving again, won't you? By the way, Qingzi, can you tell me what happened to you over these years? So I can brag about it when I go back."
"Uh, I can't. I don't remember," Han Qingyu replied honestly.
"All right, then." Being brisk and straightforward by nature, Ye Wanfen didn't press him. As if conducting an interview, she continued enthusiastically, "Then do you still remember me?"
"Yeah, I remember," Han Qingyu nodded.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement at actually being remembered by Major Qing. She pressed on, "Then what do you remember about me?"
"I remember when we were little, you tried to pee standing up like us boys, got it all over yourself, and your mom chased you around with a beating," Han Qingyu said.
Ye Wanfen: "..."
"Also, I remember one year you had a ton of lice, so your mom shaved your head bald. After that, we all started calling you Little Nun," Han Qingyu continued.
"..." Ye Wanfen took a deep breath to steady herself. "Sigh, looks like Auntie was right to tell me to be understanding. Qingzi, if I were really here on a blind date with you, I'd probably have died of anger by now."
She couldn't help laughing even as she fumed.
"Still, there's one thing I should warn you about," she added.
"What?"
"If you don't actually like blind dates—uh, if you don't want to be put on display like a tourist attraction—you'd better hurry up. Hurry and get Auntie to tell the matchmakers that the whole thing is called off," Ye Wanfen said seriously.
"Why?"
"Because right now, in our entire county, the doors of every matchmaker's house have probably already burst."
Chapter 707