It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Jiang Wang has lived to this age, and although he spends most of his time in the remote Dongshan Village, the experiences passed down from his ancestors tell him that things are not so optimistic.

External conflicts will never go according to the wishes of ordinary people; it's only a matter of time.

He remained silent, and then, as Jiang Yan had to leave, he gave her a somewhat melancholy warning: "There are fewer and fewer people in the village. Everyone is going to work for the Fu family or pursue their own futures, and it will only become more and more difficult for us to get together in the future."

Jiang Yan wanted to speak, but Jiang Wang stopped her.

"I'm not asking you to promise how often you'll come back to Dongshan Village. I know that when you're working for the master, you don't have any control over your schedule. I'm just thinking about how you're all alone. When do you plan to settle down?"

……

Jiang Yan returned to the Fu residence, her mind still replaying Jiang Wang's last words to her.

He said it was fine if she didn't want to get married, but she absolutely had to go back to Dongshan Village in the end. Her relatives and her roots were there. Even if all the old folks were gone, they would tell the younger generation to remember her.

But the younger generation in Dongshan Village all know him and get along well with him, so why would he need to make a special exception and ask him to stay?

Jiang Yan didn't want to think about it too much, but for the first time, she didn't linger after returning home as she usually did. This time, she plunged into various tedious tasks in less than a quarter of an hour, leaving Cao Jishi, who was slowly stretching his body by the window, dumbfounded.

Arriving early and leaving late, aside from occasionally taking a short nap at the desk, he rarely moved around, or ate snacks, brewed flower tea, or even spaced out. This state lasted for several days.

Cao Jishi's initial surprise and satisfaction had been replaced by worry. He couldn't help but ask with concern, "Jiang Shuzuo, did you encounter anything during your business trip?"

After being asked twice, Jiang Yan suddenly realized that her eyes were still a little out of focus when she looked away from the text.

Unsure whether Cao Jishi's question had any other implications, she pondered for a moment and simply replied, "This trip has been quite eventful."

No wonder, recalling the mess and cries of despair that followed each operation... Cao Jishi lightly tapped his leg twice with his bent hand, he must have been shocked and was only now realizing the impact, unable to bear it for a moment, which is why his personality changed so drastically.

He comforted me, saying, "That's just how the world is. Those deaths and injuries are inevitable. Even if it wasn't us, it would have been someone else. It's impossible for them to never exist. Speaking of which, you must have seen some before when you were traveling. It's just a matter of how many there are now. As you see them more frequently in the future, you'll naturally get used to it."

These implicit words silenced Jiang Yan instantly. After a moment, she corrected her with a disgusted and stubborn tone: "This is not a habit, it's numbness."

Cao Jishi clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking that even someone in this state still had to pay attention to such minor differences, but when he saw Jiang Yan's already red eyes and nose, he inexplicably felt uncomfortable as well.

He racked his brains for a few words of comfort, then quickly slipped back to his desk. Sigh, why bother talking? It's best to just keep your head down and get to work.

……

After that brief conversation, and after spending the rest of the night sobbing in bed after her shift, Jiang Yan reappeared in public as if she had returned to normal.

During work, he would occasionally have long rants with Cao Jishi about some unbelievable things to relieve his mental and physical fatigue. During his rest days, he would find Chunying and Tian Jiu, and then go to call Jiang Ying, and the whole group would go back to Dongshan Village to improve their meals.

The only regret is that Jiang Yuan, Jiang Nian, and Jiang An have been transferred somewhere, and I have tried to find them many times but have been unable to.