Heaven's Will

At that very moment, the words Lu Yu once spoke flashed through her mind: *Next time you see 'Jiang Nian', don't talk to her.*

Jiang Nian instinctively pursed her lips. Seeing that 'Jiang Nian' suddenly close the door, a familiar voice came from outside: "Jiang Nian, what's wrong?"

It was Xu Cheng’s voice.

"Jiang Nian, why did you lock Xiao Cheng out?" Her mother hurriedly stood up and walked over.

The other 'Jiang Nian' gripped the door handle tightly, her eyes fixed intently on Jiang Nian, filled with a desperate plea for her to hide. Understanding the intent, Jiang Nian turned and ran up to the second floor. Her own room was locked, so she rushed into her parents' room and shut the door. Through the door, she heard the sound of the downstairs door opening, followed by her mother's scolding: "You girl, how can you be so thoughtless? This is Xiao Cheng’s second visit to our house, and you lock him out? What kind of behavior is that?"

Jiang Nian leaned against the door, feeling as though everything was too surreal. Xu Cheng and the other 'Jiang Nian' had appeared together in the new century world; not only had they met, but they seemed to be in a relationship.

Jiang Nian resisted the urge to open the door. A moment later, she felt a tightening around her waist and a sharp sensation on her lips. The scene before her eyes instantly transformed into the layout of Du Jiang’s house. Lu Yu’s low voice sounded in her ear: "Dreaming of Xu Cheng again?"

Jiang Nian was dazed for a moment until Lu Yu’s cold face came into focus. She recounted the dream truthfully to him. The man raised an eyebrow slightly. "She brought Xu Cheng home?"

Jiang Nian nodded. "Mhm. It felt like they were close to getting married."

Lu Yu smiled and pulled Jiang Nian into his arms. She asked, "How do you think they managed to get to my world?"

She was full of questions. Since Lu Yu knew all her secrets and was intelligent, asking him might yield some clues.

Lu Yu said, "Perhaps it is heaven's will."

Jiang Nian: "???"

Lu Yu continued, "If it weren't for heaven's will, I wouldn't have met you."

Jiang Nian fell silent, but she couldn't deny that his words were moving. She pursed her lips and smiled, looking up to plant a light kiss on Lu Yu’s chin. She continued, "Then why do I keep dreaming of going back home?"

Lu Yu gripped Jiang Nian’s shoulders, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. Jiang Nian’s frequent dreams of home were likely related to his rebirth. Because he had been reborn five years into the past, the world within the book had restarted. As long as the time of his previous death hadn't arrived, Jiang Nian would maintain a connection to that side. Now, they only had to wait two more years. If the trajectory no longer matched his previous life by then, perhaps Jiang Nian would completely lose the connection.

Lu Yu looked down at Jiang Nian. He knew she was smart and understood things with just a hint, but in this matter, he didn't want her to make any mistakes. One wrong step could lead to irreversible suffering.

"Nian Nian." Lu Yu kissed her lips, his voice carrying a rare seriousness. "There is an invisible magnetic field binding you and her. In the future, if you dream of her and Xu Cheng again, you must do as I say. Don't talk to them. If you can hide, then hide. Avoid them at all costs."

Seeing that Lu Yu wasn't joking, Jiang Nian began to feel anxious. Recalling the previous dreams where anomalies occurred when she answered Xu Cheng’s calls, she nodded quickly. "I understand."

As dawn broke, faint voices could be heard outside. It was Du Jiang and Shen Ai, discussing what delicious food to cook for Lu Yu and her today.

Du Liang’s sleepy voice interrupted them: "Dad, we just asked the production team for a leg of lamb the day before yesterday. Are we getting another one today? That's two legs of lamb—that's worth three months of my work points. If they stay here for a year or two, will our family have to go begging?"

Du Jiang gave Du Liang a light smack on the back of his head. "If I don't hit you for a day, you start talking nonsense!"

Du Liang pulled the covers up and lay back down. "I'll stop talking." After a pause, he threw off the covers and looked at Shen Ai. "Mom, you were crying again last night, weren't you? I heard you. I see his attitude toward you is neither hot nor cold, not close at all. Don't be too heartbroken. If you cry until you're sick, you'll be the only one suffering."

Shen Ai sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to stroke Du Liang’s head, teasing, "Only Xiao Liang cares about his mother the most."

Du Jiang said, "Xiao Ai, go cook first. I'll head to the brigade."

Shen Ai looked at Du Liang, hesitated, and then said, "Da Jiang, maybe don't go. There's still some meat soup left from yesterday. I'll go buy some fine flour later and make noodles for the kids."

As she spoke, she coughed a few times, her complexion looking poor. Seeing this, Du Jiang went over to pat her back. "Is the old illness acting up again?"

Shen Ai shook her head. "I'm fine."

For her, these were old ailments from years ago when she left Yun City and went to Xinjiang alone, suffering through hardships that left lasting damage. It made her unable to withstand cold winds; whenever she caught a draft, she would cough, and she couldn't perform heavy labor. Du Jiang’s parents had passed away early, and the burden of the family fell on his shoulders. He relied on his own work points to support everyone. Later, when Xiao Liang grew up and helped out, the family's life became a bit easier.

The outside gradually grew quiet. Jiang Nian blinked and looked at Lu Yu. The man was staring out the window, lost in thought. She knew Lu Yu probably hadn't slept all night. Jiang Nian got up to dress, and Lu Yu stood up as well. He dressed quickly and said to Jiang Nian as he put on his shoes, "We'll leave tomorrow."

Jiang Nian nodded. "Alright."

She didn't want Lu Yu to stay here long either. Although Shen Ai was his biological mother, she was the mother who had abandoned him, and they had been apart for over a decade. This family was one Shen Ai had built anew; she had a husband and another son, and they had lived together for many years. It wasn't a place where Lu Yu could easily fit in. Staying here only made Lu Yu’s heart heavier.

When the two went out, Du Liang had just woken up. He was folding his blankets. Seeing Lu Yu and Jiang Nian, he smiled and said, "You're up."

Lu Yu nodded. "Mhm, we're up."

Hearing the movement, Shen Ai ran out from the kitchen carrying a thermos of hot water. "There's warm water here. You two wash up and get ready for breakfast."

After they finished washing, Du Jiang returned from outside carrying a leg of lamb. Jiang Nian was slightly stunned; she hadn't expected Uncle Du to actually buy it. Lu Yu seemed to have anticipated this and didn't look surprised. He greeted him, "Uncle Du."

"Did you sleep well last night?" Du Jiang asked.

Lu Yu nodded. "It was fine."

Du Jiang took the leg of lamb to the yard to wash it before bringing it into the kitchen. By then, breakfast was ready. Du Liang looked at Lu Yu and Jiang Nian standing in the yard, then went into the kitchen and whispered to Shen Ai, "Mom, look at him. Since he entered this house, he hasn't called you 'Mother' once. Is he really your son?"

Shen Ai’s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened, and her eyes stung again. She smiled bitterly. "I'm fine. Help me bring the food out."

Breakfast consisted of the salty milk tea Jiang Nian liked, the mutton soup from last night, cornbread, and two plates of stir-fried vegetables. Du Jiang took off his coat and hung it behind the door, saying to Lu Yu and Jiang Nian, "Tomorrow I'll take you two to catch fish. The fish over there are fat and big, very delicious."

Du Liang took a sip of milk tea and looked up at Lu Yu. Shen Ai also smiled and said, "That's right. Let Uncle Du take you tomorrow."

Lu Yu scooped a bowl of milk tea for Jiang Nian, then finally looked up at Du Jiang and Shen Ai sitting across from him. "Uncle Du, we're leaving tomorrow."

As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table suddenly grew heavy. Du Jiang instinctively looked at Shen Ai and saw her face turn pale and stiff. He rubbed his hands on his trousers, turned to Lu Yu, and forced a smile. "Why so soon? Stay a few more days so I can take you around."

Lu Yu said, "My leave is up. It wouldn't be convenient to return late."

"Ah, I see..." Shen Ai lowered her head, her eyes red. She wasn't unaware of Lu Yu’s cold attitude. she had intended to use these few days to find opportunities to talk more and bridge the gap between mother and son, but she hadn't expected him to want to leave so quickly.

Du Liang looked at Shen Ai and asked Lu Yu, "Can't you ask for a few more days of leave?"

Lu Yu replied, "I've already used all my annual leave for these ten days. I can't ask for more."

Since he put it that way, even if Du Liang didn't understand, Du Jiang and Shen Ai did. Shen Ai put down her chopsticks and stood up. "Everyone, keep eating. I just remembered I haven't fed the chickens and ducks." After saying that, she hurried out, her back looking lonely and sad.

Du Jiang gave a strained laugh. "Then come back and visit when you have time at the end of the year."

Lu Yu lowered his eyes. "Mhm."

Du Liang opened his mouth to say something but stopped. Finally, he put down his chopsticks and stood up. "I'll go sweep the yard."

Breakfast passed in a rather unpleasant atmosphere. Jiang Nian didn't say a word the whole time. Du Jiang cleared the dishes into the kitchen, and Lu Yu helped wipe the table. Jiang Nian stood by the window, watching Shen Ai’s back by the chicken coop. She had been standing there for a long time. After Du Liang finished sweeping the yard, he went out. Du Jiang was in the kitchen chopping the leg of lamb. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Lu Yu putting a coat on Jiang Nian. "Going out for a walk?"

Jiang Nian smiled. "Yes."

Seeing them heading out, Du Jiang asked, "Where are you going?"

Lu Yu replied, "We're just going for a walk."

Du Jiang nodded with a smile. "Alright. Go for a walk and come back early. I'll stew the leg of lamb for you."

Jiang Nian smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Du."

Outside, Shen Ai heard the voices and turned around. Seeing Lu Yu and Jiang Nian heading toward the gate, she lowered her head to quickly wipe her tears. Her voice was still a bit raspy. "Are you two going out?"

Jiang Nian replied, "Yes, we'll be back soon."

Lu Yu took Jiang Nian’s hand, gave a slight nod to Shen Ai, and walked away. Watching their retreating backs, Shen Ai couldn't help but chase after them, calling out from the gate, "Xiao Yu, can Mother have a few words with you in private?"