TIPS – Chapter 115

“Alright, take them all away!” the soldier shouted. Then he led a few men toward a nearby assembly point. They had to arrive before nightfall.

Perhaps today was the final deadline. After returning to the assembly point, they spent one night there. Very soon, they set out with the main troops again, continuing their journey—it seemed they were headed to some gathering location.

Throughout the way, Song Jingwei remained quiet and inconspicuous, trying his best not to draw attention. He was thankful that the soldiers were only fulfilling a task; they hadn’t harmed them or stolen their belongings. At this point, the only thing Song Jingwei could rely on was the valuables he carried with him. He was waiting for a chance to break away from the group.

That opportunity might come, or it might not. All he could do was wait patiently.

After walking for a long time, Song Jingwei’s brows began to knit. It wasn’t that he couldn’t endure the hardship of the journey, but that he hadn’t found any opportunity to escape. This naturally made him anxious.

A few more days passed before the large troop finally stopped. It seemed they had arrived at a camp.

All along the way, Song Jingwei paid attention to their direction. He noticed they had passed by Lihua Town. The location might be slightly off, but it definitely wasn’t far from Lihua Town.

On the day they arrived at the camp, the group of able-bodied men who had just been captured were placed together in a large military tent.

The soldier who had captured them said, “Stay put and behave yourselves. Tomorrow, you’ll be issued military uniforms and start training!”

As he was about to leave, Song Jingwei called out, “Sir, may we have some hot water to take a bath?”

The soldier looked at him and replied, “There’s no hot water. There’s a river nearby—if you want to wash, go to the river.” Realizing they were newcomers and might try to escape, he added impatiently, “Just wait here. I’ll go get someone to take you.”

Not long after, two soldiers who looked like new recruits entered the tent and asked, “Who wants to take a bath? Hurry up.”

“I do,” Song Jingwei replied. He still carried his bundle, which contained a change of clothes. As for the others, he didn’t pay them any mind and followed the soldiers out.

“We want to go too…” The rest, seeing Song Jingwei step out, followed as well. After traveling so long, they also wanted a bath.

“Alright, hurry up. It’s almost mealtime—come back quickly to eat!” the soldiers said. They seemed to be new recruits too, and their tone was much gentler compared to the previous soldier’s harshness.

At the river, everyone washed quickly and then were taken back to the camp.

“Soon someone will bring food. Line up at the tent entrance to receive it. Don’t cause trouble, got it? This is a military camp. If you mess up, you’ll be beaten,” the two soldiers warned before leaving.

Hungry and waiting inside the tent for a long time, they finally saw the cook arrive at the entrance with a large pot of food. It looked far from appetizing. But they were all starving, and no one cared what the food was—as long as it was hot and cooked, they just needed to fill their stomachs.

Each person received a large porcelain bowl and a pair of chopsticks. After getting their food, they found a spot to squat down and eat in a hurry.

Song Jingwei was near the end of the line. Seeing what others were eating made him slightly uncomfortable, but he had already finished the dry rations in his bundle. With no other choice, he forced himself to eat.

The next morning, a soldier they hadn’t seen before came to distribute military uniforms and led them to the drill field for training.

“You better train hard. Those who perform well may get assigned under the general’s command, and the treatment there is excellent. But if you don’t perform well, don’t think you’ll get out of going to war! The first to be sent to the battlefield will be you!” barked the young officer in charge of the recruits.

For soldiers like them, being sent to the battlefield meant only one thing—death. They were cannon fodder and had no hope of returning.

Everyone understood what he meant. Fear appeared on each of their faces. Though they hadn’t been to war, they all knew what a battlefield entailed.

Because of this warning, the new recruits gritted their teeth and tried their hardest to become the best among them.

With competition came motivation. Even Song Jingwei, who had planned to go through the motions, had to pull himself together. While training hard, he also continued to look for a way to escape the camp.

Originally, when he set out for home, it was already late July. Counting on his fingers, his original plan had been to return to Chashan Village by early August. But he had been intercepted midway and brought to this place. Judging by the days, it was almost August now.

Song Jingwei grew increasingly anxious. He thought of his son and the youth’s family still waiting for him at home, but he was temporarily powerless to do anything.

At that moment, in the main room of the Shen family household, they too were counting the days. With August arriving, their daughter-in-law still hadn’t returned home.

Shen Dongming and Yang Shi counted the days every day. The more they counted, the more uncertain they felt, but they dared not show any signs of worry in front of their son. In early July, the family would often bring up Song Jingwei, saying he’d likely return by the end of the month, and that everything was going well.

But as the days passed and August was now upon them, there was still no sign of their daughter-in-law. Naturally, their anxiety deepened.

“Sigh…” Yang Shi looked at the sky outside. Suddenly, it had gone dark again. Their daughter-in-law clearly wouldn’t be coming home today. She said to her husband, “Tomorrow is the first day of August. When will that Jingwei child come home?”

Shen Dongming mumbled, “Maybe he’s still on the road. It’s not like he promised he’d be back before August.”

Yang Shi replied, “But he said himself he’d make it back in time to harvest the lotus roots. Now most of the lotus flowers have already wilted, and we’ve eaten lotus seeds a few times, yet there’s still no sign of him.” She added, “Benben can crawl now—give it a few more months and he’ll be walking. Doesn’t he miss Benben?” Since it was just the two of them at home, she let herself complain openly.

She really didn’t understand her daughter-in-law. If it were her, with a husband and child waiting at home, she wouldn’t go anywhere no matter what. What place in the world could possibly be better than where her husband and child were?

Maybe it was because her daughter-in-law was a man, and men just thought differently from women. That was the only explanation she could come up with.

“Alright, no use going on about it,” Shen Dongming stood up and started toward the house, but remembering that their son was inside with Benben, he turned around and sat back down at the kitchen door. He didn’t want to see his son’s increasingly quiet expression. He felt deep down that all this might be their fault.

If he, as a father, had been more capable, maybe his son wouldn’t have lost his voice. If his son had continued with his studies, maybe by now he’d be a magistrate or an official. Even if his daughter-in-law had high standards, she’d still have to acknowledge that. After all, a mute farmer’s son could never compare to a healthy scholar.

“What are you sitting here for?” Yang Shi came out and saw her husband sitting on the doorstep. She asked softly.

“Nothing. Just sitting,” Shen Dongming rubbed his hands. He was feeling the urge to smoke and drink again. But he’d quit both for a while now—he couldn’t let all that effort go to waste.

“Feeling frustrated?” Yang Shi asked, sighing. How could she not understand her husband’s feelings? She was feeling the same way. “Now what are we going to do about Xi’er?”

“What are you talking about, acting like our daughter-in-law isn’t coming back? Just wait a little longer—maybe tomorrow or the next day he’ll be back,” he said. That was what he hoped, and if it came true, it’d be the best outcome.

Yang Shi glanced at her husband and sighed again, then went back to finish cooking.

That evening, the family of four ate dinner together. Shen Junxi was feeding porridge to Benben while eating himself. He looked busy and focused. Only he knew that his mind was elsewhere—his heart felt empty, and he couldn’t summon any enthusiasm for anything.

He didn’t know what else he could do. Every day, he earnestly did this and that, carefully taking care of his son. He watched Benben grow stronger and more energetic day by day. That made him happy, of course, but the missing piece remained unfilled. It still felt hollow.

Even when he saw Benben’s first baby teeth coming in, and he was thrilled and wanted to share the moment with someone, he found no one beside him.

Sure, he could share it with his parents, and they’d be just as happy—but Benben’s other father wasn’t there. He was the one Shen Junxi truly needed. He missed him so much, he was practically obsessed. These past two months felt like two years—each day dragged on endlessly. It felt like the man had been gone forever, long enough to make anyone uneasy.

If not for the lingering scent on the bed, the pillow, and the bedding, Shen Junxi might have believed that person had never existed at all.

“Tomorrow’s market day,” Yang Shi cautiously brought up the subject with her son, softly suggesting, “Why don’t you go to town and walk around? Maybe buy something?”

Shen Junxi looked up at his mother. It took him a while to understand what she meant. Then he shook his head and refused. He put down the bowl he’d been using to feed Benben and signed, “We don’t need anything at home. I’ll go in a few days.” He had gone out once in mid-July and didn’t dare leave again. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from searching. How could he abandon his son and his parents? So he stayed home, unwilling to go out again until Song Jingwei returned.

“Alright, if you want to wait a few more days, wait a few more days. We’re not lacking anything for now,” Yang Shi nodded, not pressing him.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi responded, picked up the bowl, and continued feeding Benben. Tonight’s porridge was made with eel—it tasted great, but because it was for the baby, very little salt had been used, making it hard for the adults to enjoy.

“Listen, don’t let your mind spiral about Jingwei. He never said he’d definitely be back before August. Maybe he got delayed on the road,” Yang Shi said gently.

“She’s right, don’t worry so much,” Shen Dongming chimed in, always ready to vouch for Song Jingwei’s reliability. He said to his son, “Your wife is the kind of person who always keeps his word. If he said he’ll come back, he definitely will. Everyone in the village trusts him—he’s never lied or let anyone down.” Whatever he said, that was how it would be. He never went back on his word.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi understood all of that, but hearing it from his parents made him feel a bit better. He had great faith in Song Jingwei, too—he knew he wouldn’t lie, wouldn’t break his promise.

“So let’s just wait a little longer, yeah? We just have to be patient,” Shen Dongming said, trying to comfort both his son and himself. If their daughter-in-law really did come back this time, it would be the best news imaginable. Their whole family would come back to life. He sincerely prayed—please, let her come back.

Before August, they had all looked forward to it arriving.

After August arrived, everyone in the Shen family’s main house just hoped the days wouldn’t pass too quickly—because the faster time went, the more it meant… Song Jingwei might really not come back.

When no one returned by the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, the entire Shen family’s main household sank into gloom.

With no word from him, nothing at home felt right. Even as the lotus roots in the field ripened for harvest, they only served as painful reminders of his absence.

“Sigh, no matter what…” Shen Dongming couldn’t bear the silence at home anymore and finally spoke up, “Let’s start by collecting the fish and shrimp. Sell the big ones, and transfer the small ones to another pond for raising. Then we’ll begin harvesting the lotus roots slowly — it’ll take until the end of the year anyway. Even if our daughter-in-law isn’t home, life still has to go on. The lotus pond and tea garden he left behind, we must take up the responsibility. We can’t rely on him for everything.” Even if Song Jingwei never came back, they would still manage the lotus pond and tea garden well. After all, he left them behind.

“…That’s true. I don’t know much about this stuff. You all figure it out. No matter what, the fields still need to be worked.” Yang Shi sighed softly. If the men had the will and were willing to work, that was for the best. As for her daughter-in-law… perhaps, with time, the memories would fade.

“…” Shen Junxi nodded and signed to his father, “You go and lead the hired workers to start clearing the pond. I’ll contact the boats.”

“You want to sell the fish and shrimp to them?” Shen Dongming was referring to Yuan Guanlin’s boat crew.

“Yes.” Shen Junxi responded. This deal had already been discussed beforehand — his wife arranged it. How could he change it now?

“Isn’t that too much trouble? There probably isn’t much fish and shrimp anyway. We could just sell it ourselves,” Shen Dongming said. He didn’t want to bother the others.

“It’s fine. They’ll come on the twentieth. Let’s just get things ready.” After Shen Junxi finished signing, he fell into a daze. Once the fish and shrimp were sold, if his wife still didn’t return, it would be almost September.

And once September arrived… would it mean that they really wouldn’t see each other again? That they’d live the rest of their lives apart?

If that were the case, what did all those days before mean? Was their Běnběn still the same Běnběn that person had loved…

On the twelfth day of the eighth lunar month, three days prior — just a few days into military training — there was finally a breakthrough on Song Jingwei’s end.

He finally saw Yuan Qingsui in the military camp and let out a long sigh of relief.

When Yuan Qingsui was called over, he froze for a long time, completely shocked. He immediately asked, “Why are you here? Who brought you here? What happened to your young master Shen?”

It was a long story, but at last, it could end. Song Jingwei exhaled heavily and said, “Don’t even ask. I ran into a troop of soldiers while I was out. They probably dragged me here to meet their quota.”

“…You’re seriously unlucky.” Yuan Qingsui patted his shoulder. Knowing Song Jingwei’s identity, he couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

“I’ve been here for days. If you hadn’t shown up, I was about to desert.” Song Jingwei asked, “Is there a way to get me out of here?”

“Of course, with your identity, it won’t be a problem,” Yuan Qingsui chuckled. “Write a letter back to Lihua Town — that’s where your household registration is, right? Have someone from your family come retrieve you.”

“That’s it?” Song Jingwei was dumbfounded. Had he wasted all these days for nothing? Was this all just one big joke?

“I’m making a special exception for you. It’s not that easy for others to leave once they’re in the military.” Yuan Qingsui could see what he was thinking and laughed. The camp was strict by nature, and especially now with the court placing great emphasis on conscription, there were eyes watching from all levels. Even Yuan Qingsui felt the pressure.

“Alright. But you’ll have to help me write the letter — my handwriting’s ugly,” Song Jingwei said honestly. It wasn’t just that it looked bad; he was worried it wouldn’t be legible and would delay things.

“Fine, fine, I’ll write it.” Yuan Qingsui told the officer training the new recruits and then led Song Jingwei to his own tent. He helped him write the letter and arranged for it to be sent out quickly.

“How long will it take to arrive? Lihua Town isn’t too far from here, is it?”

“It’s alright,” Yuan Qingsui said. “Should take about five days for the town to receive it. Your family should get the message within ten days.”

After listening, Song Jingwei nodded. Five days to reach Lihua Town — it was farther than he’d expected. And it would take up to ten days to notify his village. Counting the days, that would land around the fifteenth of the eighth month. He’d promised he would return “around August,” and now he didn’t know how things were at home — were they anxious?

And the lotus roots in the pond — even though it wasn’t too late to dig them up after he got back…

The more he thought, the more overwhelmed he became. Song Jingwei furrowed his brows, frustrated that he couldn’t leave the camp immediately.

“Where exactly were you conscripted from? That’s outrageous,” Yuan Qingsui asked. By rights, someone of Song Jingwei’s status should never have been conscripted.

“It’s a long story,” Song Jingwei replied with a rare bitter smile. “I had some matters to attend to, so I went out. I was dressed like an ordinary person — nothing unusual. Everything was fine until I stopped to restock in a small town near home… and that’s when they grabbed me.”

“So that’s what happened,” Yuan Qingsui nodded in understanding. Most likely, when his friend went out, he didn’t have his usual “male wife” appearance. The soldiers must’ve misunderstood. He had probably explained, but soldiers hear too many excuses like that and didn’t believe him.