It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Jiang Yan tossed and turned all night, and got up at dawn the next day to weed and loosen the soil in the vegetable garden.

The vegetable patch was only three centimeters in size, and Jiang Yan had a lot of farm work to do, so he could clean it up in less than half an hour.

After waking up, Jiang Ying heard some noise coming from the yard next door. Worried about Jiang Yan's condition, she climbed over the wall shared by the two families and sat down, watching Jiang Yan mechanically finish his work. Then he stood there motionless, leaning on his hoe, staring blankly towards the east.

Is there anything to see over there except the rapidly whitening sky?

Jiang Ying jumped off the wall, walked to Jiang Yan's side, and looked a few more times in the direction of her sight, but still saw nothing.

"What are you looking at?"

"The sun..." Jiang Yan's voice was a little vague, perhaps because his mind was empty or he was too focused.

"The sun hasn't come out yet." Jiang Ying didn't know what was so interesting about the sun that looked the same every day. She just pushed Jiang Yan into the kitchen and said, "Wash up first, then have breakfast. I'll keep an eye on you."

Jiang Yan had lost her appetite after hearing the news last night, and barely touched the food she had prepared. She stuffed the steamed buns with finely chopped mushrooms and pickles, then gave one to each of Jiang Ying.

"Wait, let's climb the wall. It's high here and we can see more clearly." Jiang Ying saw that Jiang Yan's actions were filled with some indescribable eagerness and desire. Without saying anything more, he pushed himself up the wall with a rope and reached out to pull Jiang Yan up.

Jiang Yan no longer paid attention to hand hygiene as before. He simply ignored the dust on Jiang Ying's hands that had not yet been wiped clean and handed over two steamed buns with pickles. "You take the food, I can do it myself."

The two of them sat on the wall for nearly two quarters of an hour, eating steamed buns, feeling the morning breeze, watching the sun jump out of the horizon, and then bathing in the warm light...

"Okay, Jiang Yan, you and Jiang Ying were sitting on the wall playing and didn't even remember to bring me with you. I woke up early in the morning and ran out of the house to comfort you." Before Jiang Nian even reached the gate of Jiang Ying's house, he saw the two of them sitting on the wall from a distance, their legs swinging.

Li Yue heard the sound and went out to see that both of them were climbing up the wall.

"Jiang Ying, bring Yanyan down quickly." Li Yue was a little angry. The walls that were damaged by water before were left as they were and not rebuilt. This wall could not be damaged again.

"I know, Mom—" Jiang Ying responded very quickly, turning her head and making a strange expression towards Jiang Yan and Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian stood aside, covering his mouth and laughing secretly.

……

Jiang Ying and Jiang Nian stayed at Jiang Yan's house for a while before leaving.

Jiang Yan was wandering around the house aimlessly, and suddenly ran to the kitchen to get a basin of water, remembering the moment very carefully.

His skin was tanned from constant work, and after a sleepless night, he could already see a noticeable dark blue tint around his eyes. His eyelids were still swollen, and red bloodshot was spreading through the whites of his eyes. His lips were slightly cracked and bloodless...

I can't worry any more, or my body will be ruined. Jiang Yan decided not to do anything this morning and just catch up on some sleep first.

……

The villagers of Dongshan Village were busy with the farm work that had been delayed in the past few days. It was not until they gathered in the ancestral hall for a break in the afternoon that they had time to think about what happened last night.

Perhaps it was because I had suffered too many blows over the years that I felt a little fortunate that I would not lose my life and would not have to endure separation from my family.

After a long silence, Jiang Xing said to Yu Qian, "Take Jiang Yuan and Jiang Nian back to the county town. Jiang Fu paid someone to change your ID so that Jiang Yuan could study. You are no longer from Dongshan Village and it is not appropriate for you to stay here."

"Uncle Xing!" Yu Qian was a little annoyed.

"Be obedient and take them back today... Someone has to worship the ancestors properly during the holidays..." Jiang Xing comforted him.

"If you feel bad, let Jiang Yuan and Jiang Nian work hard to help us escape slavery one day."