Chapter 291

"I don't agree! Making the widows of the sacrificed officers move out of the Jiashuyuan within two weeks—this is too cruel!"

"Political Commissar Ji, mind your position. You are a Political Commissar; you should understand what the big picture is!"

"Big picture, big picture! The sacrificed officers—whose sons were they, whose fathers, whose husbands?

They are military wives! How long have they been newly married? To encounter such a thing—how can you expect me to have the heart to drive them away!"

"Then what better solution do you have? If they don't leave the Jiashuyuan, are they supposed to stay here forever? How will it be managed in the future?"

The meeting room was brightly lit.

A group of people in key positions from various departments of the army were arguing endlessly, all of them red-faced and thick-necked. Among them, Political Commissar Ji was debating against the crowd, not losing any ground.

Jiang Ye didn't say a word. Holding an iron box, he sat silently in the corner, emptying his mind and stripping the tragic scenes of this mission from his thoughts.

War could not avoid bloodshed. When every one of them signed up, they all signed military orders, knowing the dangers involved; regardless of life or death, they all participated voluntarily.

Before they left, they all wrote a final letter to leave for their loved ones.

Actually, there was no need to argue or quarrel; it was unnecessary.

On the roof outside the window, a pair of mandarin duck pupils flickered, flashing with a ghostly light.

Shen Man wasn't sleepy. She held her daughter and waited until past two in the morning before there was the sound of the front courtyard gate opening.

Because of Tangyuan's "tip-off," she knew that only half of the officers who went on this mission had returned, which meant 50% of the officers had sacrificed their lives.

For the military wives in the Jiashuyuan waiting for their husbands to return, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

No wonder her husband and brother were in such a strange state when they returned this time.

Having transmigrated into this book world for over a year, this was the first time she had faced real death head-on and experienced the feeling of being worried sick.

In her heart, the people around her were not paper cutouts; they were living, breathing people of flesh and blood.

She felt sad, let alone her husband and brother—among the sacrificed were comrades they had spent every day with!

Jiang Ye tiptoed back home, afraid of waking the people inside, but when he pushed open the courtyard gate, he found the room brightly lit.

So he quickly adjusted the expression on his face, then walked into the room with light steps, and asked as if nothing had happened:

"Huh? Why aren't you asleep so late? Is the child acting up again?"

"No, it's just that I slept too long in the afternoon, so I'm in good spirits right now and not sleepy at all!"

Shen Man shook her head. While answering, she got out of bed, stepped into her cloth slippers, and walked toward the table by the window, intending to pour a glass of water for her husband.

"Look at you, your lips are peeling, and you didn't—"

Just as she picked up the kettle, she suddenly felt a pair of strong and powerful arms wrap tightly around her from behind.

The man's voice rang in her ear: "Let me hold you for a while."

This voice sounded slightly hoarse, as if polished by sandpaper, and was mixed with an unconcealable, thick weariness.

"Mm."

After Shen Man responded softly, she slowly put down the kettle in her hand and silently covered the man's palms with her own.

At this moment, there was no need for words between the two, nor was there any need to ask anything. They just quietly enjoyed this rare, warm moment, using their hearts to feel the warmth radiating from each other's bodies and that familiar rhythm of breathing.

Outside the window, the bright moon seemed to be draped in a flawless, white, sheer veil, making the originally bright moonlight much dimmer.

However, in stark contrast, the brilliant Big Dipper hung high in the night sky, like sparkling, eye-catching gems embedded in it, constantly flashing with a faint but charming light, illuminating the way home for travelers.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

When Gu Tingchen checked out the next day and prepared to go say goodbye to Old Master Lu, he passed by the Jiashuyuan and clearly felt that the atmosphere today was not right.

From time to time, he could hear women crying.

White wreaths were placed in one area, and many military wives were holding their children, kneeling in the corner and crying bitterly.

What was going on?

Filled with doubt and confusion, he arrived at his destination and raised his hand to knock on the door—

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Grandpa Lu, I am Gu Tingchen. I've come to say goodbye to you..."

In the courtyard, sunlight spilled through the dense coconut leaves, casting mottled light and shadows. Jiang Ye was skillfully chopping firewood in the yard.

Hmm, the person he hated had arrived.

But he didn't stop the movement in his hands; he just said indifferently:

"The door isn't locked; just push it open."

Jiang Ye felt disgust in his heart for this uninvited guest.

Although it had never been explicitly stated, both sides knew clearly that they would never be friends in this lifetime.

Therefore, he couldn't be bothered to hide his disgust for the other party.

Plus, his wife had gotten up early this morning to go to the hospital for her shift.

His grandfather and Old Master Pei had taken the children to the retirement home to play, and as for his brother-in-law, he had accompanied his sister-in-law to the Sea Island's health center to participate in a free clinic activity and wouldn't be home until evening at the earliest.

This meant that at this moment, he was the only one left at home. There was no need to pretend to be welcoming; he had laid his cards on the table—he just hated this person.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ye continued to swing his axe and said without lifting his head:

"If you have anything to say, you can leave a message. When Grandpa returns, I will naturally pass it on to him."

After Gu Tingchen walked into the courtyard, he found that the yard was quiet and there was no one else around.

Seeing that Jiang Ye's attitude was full of hostility, he stopped pretending too. Changing the subject, his tone even carried a hint of provocation:

"Nothing special, just came to say goodbye to Grandpa Lu and Manman.

If there's a chance in the future, I will come back to the Sea Island to visit Grandpa Lu and Manman."

"Manman is not someone you can call by name. Mr. Gu, please address my wife as Mrs. Jiang."

"If it weren't for a twist of fate, Manman should have been my wife. You just happened to pick up the scraps and luckily became her husband."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye threw the axe in his hand onto the woodpile, stepped forward, his tone chilling:

"Gu Tingchen, can't you understand human speech? Hmm?"

For a moment, the air was filled with a tense atmosphere, and a silent contest was unfolding.

The two men's gazes met, like two sharp needles, and also like two sharp swords; neither was willing to show the slightest bit of weakness...