The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

Looking up at his profile, I saw that he was looking out the window with no sign of tension on his face. He was simply watching the rolling clouds outside the window calmly, as if the turbulence he had just experienced was nothing to him.

"Okay," she replied softly, her voice still trembling slightly, but much better than before. Her fingers slowly relaxed in his palm, softening from stiffness.

Suddenly she noticed that his hands were very beautiful, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. When he held her, the pressure was just right, neither making her feel uncomfortable nor making her feel like he might let go at any moment.

She let him hold her hand as she leaned back in her seat, looking at the clouds outside the window. Her heartbeat gradually calmed down, and she was completely unaware that he was still holding her hand.

The plane quickly passed through the turbulence area and stabilized again. After the seatbelt indicator lights in the cabin went out, the flight attendants began pushing food carts to distribute drinks and snacks.

Lin Feng then released Ma Qingqing's hand, naturally picked up the airplane meal menu on the small table in front of him, flipped through it, and asked her if she wanted anything to drink.

Ma Qingqing quickly placed the hand he had held on her knee, gently rubbing her fingers against the hem of her skirt, feeling the lingering warmth of his fingertips in her palm, and said, "Anything is fine."

She felt she should say thank you, but then thought it would be too deliberate and awkward. So she quietly savored the feeling of security she had when he held her hand.

After getting off the plane, Lin Feng searched on his phone and took her to the most famous hand-pulled mutton restaurant in Sichuan City.

The shop is small, located in an old alley. A large iron pot is set up at the entrance, with mutton simmering in it. The soup is milky white, steaming hot, and the aroma wafts across half the street.

The owner was a Hui man in his fifties. When he saw the guests arrive, he warmly invited them to sit down and introduced in a thick Northwestern accent that his mutton was freshly slaughtered and stewed that morning, and was very tender.

Ma Qingqing carefully picked up a piece of mutton with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

The mutton was stewed until tender and melted in her mouth. The seasoning perfectly neutralized the mutton's gamey smell, leaving only a savory and delicious flavor. She couldn't help but nod repeatedly, saying that it was so delicious, better than any mutton she had ever eaten at Hohhot.

Lin Feng smiled and put several more pieces on her plate, saying that the sheep here ate grass along the Yellow River and that the meat was different from that of other places, so she should eat more.

He then prepared the dipping sauce for her, placed the mutton in her bowl, and refilled her teacup, doing each little thing naturally. As Ma Qingqing ate her mutton, she secretly glanced at Lin Feng's profile as he prepared the dipping sauce for her, a warm feeling welling up inside her.

He didn't seem like a boss at all; he seemed more like a considerate boyfriend, making her feel a little dazed, as if this wasn't a business trip but a vacation for the two of them.

After finishing his meal, Lin Feng went to the car rental shop and picked up a Tank 400.

With its black body, sharp lines, and high chassis, it's clearly designed for mountain roads.

He opened the passenger door and let Ma Qingqing get in. Then he put their suitcases in the trunk, started the car, and set the destination on the navigation system to Ning County.

After the car drove out of the city of Sichuan, the scenery outside the window gradually changed from high-rise buildings to rolling loess hills.

On both sides of the highway stretched an endless expanse of Gobi Desert, with only a few lone poplar trees occasionally visible on the horizon. Ma Qingqing leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the rapidly receding loess gullies outside the window, her initial tension gradually turning into anticipation.

Ning County is the hometown of goji berries, and it's also where her third uncle's family lives.

Her third uncle had been growing goji berries there for many years. When the procurement department first contacted black goji berry growers, it was through her third uncle who made the connection. This time, Lin Feng's personal visit was not only a major work event for her, but also a rare opportunity to go home and visit family.

More importantly, from now on, it would just be her and President Lin on the road. She glanced at Lin Feng; he was wearing sunglasses and focused on driving, his profile looking exceptionally clean and handsome in the sunlight streaming in through the car window.

Ma Qingqing suddenly realized that this business trip might be the most special journey of her life.

……

Ning County is even more remote than Ma Qingqing described.

After exiting the highway, the car drove for more than an hour along the winding county road between the loess hills, and the scenery on both sides gradually changed from the Gobi Desert to fields of goji berries.

Rows of short goji berry bushes stretched to the foot of the distant mountains, their branches laden with bright red berries. Occasionally, one could see a few women wearing headscarves bending over to pick them in the fields.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ma Qingqing pointed to the goji berry field outside the window, her tone tinged with undisguised pride. "Mr. Lin, look, that's my third uncle's land. He's been growing goji berries for almost twenty years, ever since I was a little girl. Back then, the roads here weren't even finished, so he had to ride his bicycle for hours every time he went to town to sell goji berries. He'd leave before dawn and come back when it was completely dark."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Lin Feng, a slight smile playing on her lips. "My third uncle isn't my dad's biological brother; he's a distant relative, but the two families are very close. When I was little, I loved coming here to play during summer vacation. I'd go with Brother Zhiping—my third uncle's son—to catch grasshoppers in the fields and mudfish in the irrigation ditches. Back then, I thought this was the most fun place in the world."

"So you grew up running around on these paddy field ridges?"

"Yes, it's this field. Back then, the ridges between the fields were dirt roads. Every time I came here, I would slip and fall until my knees were covered in mud. My third aunt would wash my pants while scolding me for being a crazy girl."

Lin Feng smiled but didn't say anything.

As the car turned into the village, Lin Feng saw a group of people standing under a large locust tree in the distance, waiting.

Standing at the front was a dark-skinned, lean middle-aged man, Ma Qingqing's third uncle. Next to him stood her third aunt, a round-faced woman wearing a floral shirt, holding an enamel mug, waving incessantly as the car approached.

Behind Uncle San stood a young man who bore a resemblance to Ma Qingqing. He was not tall but sturdy, wearing a blue T-shirt and smiling憨憨地. He was probably Uncle San's son, Zhiping.

There were several barefoot children and a few young wives holding babies around them. They seemed to be relatives and neighbors. They had all come to see what was going on after hearing that Old Ma's niece had brought her boss back.

Lin Feng got out of the car, and his third uncle quickly came up to him. He rubbed his rough hands on his trousers before shaking hands with Lin Feng. "Boss Lin, you must be tired from the journey! I've heard from Qingqing that you've taken special care of her, and I've been wanting to thank you in person. I'm so glad to have you here today!" His Mandarin had a heavy Northwestern accent, but he spoke each word loudly, as if afraid that Lin Feng wouldn't understand.