Song Huaizhi seemed to leave very quickly, and Jiang Mian never saw him again after returning to school.

Some people seem to be like that—they appear suddenly and leave just as suddenly.

Since Jiang Mian had given the reason of "going home" before, the other people in the dormitory didn't ask him much about his leave during this period.

However, out of politeness, He Yubai inquired about the reason privately.

But Jiang Mian simply brushed it off with a sentence that something had happened at home.

I thought life would continue like this, peaceful and uneventful.

Little did they expect that the casual excuse would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Jiang Mian returned to her dormitory that afternoon and received a call from Uncle Wen.

His dad is injured!

"What's wrong with my dad?!"

In her haste, Jiang Mian knocked over the thermos she had just unscrewed.

The boiling water that had just been fetched from downstairs poured out instantly, soaking his pants and shoes while also scalding his feet.

Jiang Mian didn't have time to pay attention to any of that. She just grabbed a few sheets of paper from the table and wiped it off for the time being.

Although Uncle Wen was old, he spoke calmly and recounted the whole story in detail.

The town's tourism industry is thriving, and the area is nestled between mountains and water.

The entertainment facilities are less than halfway developed. Many developers have seen the business opportunities and profits and are thinking of acquiring more land to seize the opportunity and develop the area.

Since the land is to be acquired, it is natural to discuss the terms with the original residents.

After all, the mountains in this area all have names, surnames, and owners.

However, some residents did not have a smooth discussion.

After all, the town is the root of many people, the place where their ancestors have lived for generations. For the sake of their descendants, the older generation even chose the best feng shui sites for their burial.

Whether viewed on a grand scale or a small scale, this is a blessing for future generations. What kind of ridiculous and shoddy project is this? Buying land is one thing, but now they even want to relocate graves??

Originally, I thought that if I moved the grave, I could move it to a more auspicious location, but when I heard that the other party was going to carry out some kind of development project and build a large-scale construction, I was disappointed.

Doing this means taking up all the good feng shui locations around here, which is outrageous.

You can do business, but why won't you even give the locals a chance to make a living?

So, what was originally something that could be discussed was rejected outright by the older generation without even a second thought.

Uncle Wen said on the other end of the phone, "It's hard to say whether land requisition is good or bad, but we were just a little unlucky. Your orchard just happened to be included in the requisition area."

Jiang Mian understood why Uncle Wen said that his family's orchard had been less fortunate after it was allocated to the new orchard.

On the bright side, development projects can boost the local economy.

But if such large-scale construction causes the older generation to lose their aspirations, then it is indeed a difficult situation.

But what makes it even more difficult is that his father is very stubborn...

Sure enough, the next second Uncle Wen sighed and continued, "The other party was quite sincere and offered a good price. It's one thing for your dad not to agree, but he's also very stubborn. After angrily driving them away, he was afraid that they would take advantage of the dark to drive a bulldozer to destroy the orchard, so he drove up the mountain to patrol every night."

Upon hearing that her father drove up the mountain every night, Jiang Mian's heart clenched, and countless bad thoughts flashed through her mind.

Even Jiang Mian himself probably didn't notice that his voice was trembling: "Is my dad alright?"

"Don't worry, he's so stupid, he's just incredibly tough and lucky," Uncle Wen said irritably. "He patrolled around but didn't see anything, so he was about to go down the mountain when his tire blew out halfway down. When he got out to check, because it was dark and there were potholes on the road, he slipped and rolled all the way down, and suffered a comminuted fracture of his pelvis."

Jiang Mian didn't know whether to feel fortunate or heartbroken.

Fortunately, his father was not seriously injured, but it was still heartbreaking to see him suffer a comminuted fracture at such a young age.

“Neither your mother nor I can persuade your father. It’s just a run-down orchard. Your father has been guarding it for half his life and hasn’t gotten any benefit from it. Now he’s almost ruined himself. It’s really not worth it.”

“Mianmian, you’re an adult now. Try to persuade your dad,” Uncle Wen said earnestly. “You young people are all settling down outside now. If your dad keeps guarding that orchard, he’ll only be making trouble for himself. He didn’t even let us tell you about his injury, and your mom had a fight with him about it.”

Hearing Uncle Wen's words, Jiang Mian nodded, but when she spoke again, she found her voice was a little hoarse: "Okay, I'll ask my counselor for leave and buy a ticket back right away."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Mian looked in a small mirror on the table and realized that her eyes were red.

His friends' fathers were all traditional, strict fathers, but his own father was like a sleepy, confused fool.

He was afraid of his wife at home. When he left his hometown to go to university in another city, he pretended to be calm and indifferent on the surface, but he would secretly put money in his suitcase.

Thinking about what Uncle Wen had just said, he could almost picture his father, even though he was forced to lie in bed, still with a stubborn expression on his face.

Like someone who has lost everything, clinging desperately to the only thing left.

Thinking of this scene, Jiang Mian couldn't help but twitch her lips again, finding it somewhat amusing.

When the dormitory door was pushed open, he turned around and secretly wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes.

That night, he asked his counselor for leave and bought a ticket back to his small town.

Looking out the car window at the pitch-black scenery, Jiang Mian felt a sense of peace.

His phone was also quiet.

This time, He Yubai didn't call again.

Life is full of irony. Last time, he lied to the other party, making up an excuse that something had happened at home.

This time, there was a real problem at home, and he felt that if he told the truth, it would still be the same as lying.

Fortunately, He Yubai did not call to ask.

He was secretly hiding a secret, and the other person, being so intelligent, must have already figured it out.

How should I deal with this?

Hopefully, a good opportunity will arise in the future.

Jiang Mian slowly exhaled a long breath, which quickly condensed into a layer of white mist on the car window.

The face that was originally reflected in the car window was now so blurry that one could not see their own reflection.

It was as if there was something thinner than cloth and gauze between her and He Yubai, which could be wiped away with a gentle touch.

The only question is, who will take the first step? Will it be myself?

Jiang Mian arrived at the station the next morning. Because she had called ahead, the uncle had his tricycle waiting outside the station.

They went to the hospital together, and that was the moment he saw his father.

Jiang Mian seemed to finally have an outlet for the pressure in her heart, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.