Chapter 77: The Sun That Tomorrow Will Not See

Fortunately, just as someone had said, nothing happened while he was out; he didn’t get into trouble hunting wild boars, nor did he come back injured. The only marks on his body were old scars, and he had grown much thinner from not eating or sleeping well during his time away.

Tang Xin ran her hands over her husband’s lean frame, her heart twisting with pain. She knew he had suffered plenty out there, but he would never tell them about it upon returning.

And then—well, perhaps it was because they had been apart for so long—things nearly got out of hand between the two of them. If it hadn’t been for her mother-in-law’s call for dinner from outside, they might have crossed a line. Had their younger siblings caught them, it would have been mortifying.

In truth, Li Sheng’s feelings were much the same as Tang Xin’s. When he had been alone, he saw life merely as a responsibility. As the eldest son and brother, he felt duty-bound to bear the weight of the family. Work, driving the truck—he’d grown numb to it all.

But ever since he married his wife, everything had changed. Now this was living: life was full of flavor. Especially when he looked at the petite woman nestled in his arms, his heart brimmed with joy.

Though life was still hard, and he toiled to make ends meet, he was now filled with energy and purpose. No matter how hard or exhausting it was, as long as she greeted him with a sweet smile, it was all worth it.

They strolled and chatted at their leisure, and Li Sheng recounted to Tang Xin the incident that happened just half a month ago when he was nearly at his destination.

“Luckily, you’d told me more than once that the most important thing is to know clearly what you need to do. So I didn’t join in the commotion; instead, I made sure to drive the truck away first. Otherwise, if something had happened to the whole convoy, we would’ve been caught up in it too,” Li Sheng said, still feeling a lingering fear.

Then he smiled at Tang Xin and added, “Wife, I’m sorry. I used to think you were too nagging.”

Tang Xin let out a huge sigh of relief. Was this the crisis Li Sheng faced in the novel? If so, had her advice and his caution already seen them through the danger? Would they not face such perils again?

Still, Tang Xin was not one for blind optimism. Whether or not the bandits Li Sheng spoke of were the same as those in the book, the current times were not exactly safe, especially on the routes they took outside the city. Trouble was hard to avoid.

So while she praised her husband’s judgment, she also couldn’t help but nag him a little more, cautioning him not to become complacent or arrogant.

At this time, being a driver in the transport team was indeed a good job—earning a monthly wage was far better than farming. But it came with greater risks; every responsibility had its price.

Hearing his wife’s undisguised concern was as sweet as honey to Li Sheng. He’d never been treated this way at home before. Whenever he returned from a trip, his parents would show concern, but he never wanted them to worry. He would only share the good news, keeping all hardship and trouble to himself. His siblings cared for him too, but were more interested in the gifts he brought back.

Truly, a man’s life is different after marrying; things he couldn’t say to his parents could now be shared. And having someone by his side who cared for his every comfort—wasn’t that wonderful?

Li Sheng was usually a man of few words, partly by nature, but also shaped by life’s hardships and his family environment. With no one to confide in, he’d grown reserved over time.

Now, listening to his wife chatter at his side—always about things relevant to his work and life—he felt wholly content. He couldn’t help but pull her into a tight embrace, overflowing with happiness.

After all, they were newlyweds separated for a month; it was true what they said—absence makes the heart grow fonder. Especially with Fang-shi, the epitome of a considerate mother-in-law, who’d shooed the younger siblings off to their rooms early and reminded them not to disturb their elder brother and sister-in-law.

Thus, with nothing to distract them, the couple spent most of the night together, until Tang Xin fell asleep almost instantly the moment her head hit the pillow. Li Sheng, on the other hand, was reluctant to sleep. Knowing how fastidious his wife was about cleanliness, he thought she’d be uncomfortable in the morning if she slept like this.

So he went to the kitchen to fetch hot water, gently wiped her down, and only then climbed into bed, holding her close as he drifted off, perfectly content.

Tang Xin slept so soundly that she never even stirred through all this—she truly was exhausted.

Li Sheng hadn’t expected much when he went to fetch water; it was late, and the stove had long been cold. He planned to light a fire to heat up some water. But when he arrived with his wife’s washbasin, he found a pot of hot water already there. No doubt, his mother had prepared it.

He knew his mother liked his wife, and the two got along very well. As a man, both son and husband, he couldn’t be happier. He worked so hard outside for the sake of his family, and a happy home had always been his greatest wish.

But that was before. Now, while family remained important, the most important person in his heart had become his wife.

All in all, it had been a hundred days since Tang Xin had arrived here, and more than two months since she married into the Li family. She recalled that on her first night here, it was still late autumn, and now the New Year was fast approaching.

She had, more or less, gotten used to life in the countryside. When she used to read about rural living, Tang Xin found it intriguing, a refreshing contrast to the stifling confines of the city. Back then, she envied the wide-open skies.

But now that she was truly here, she realized how naïve she had been. Life was nothing like a novel or a TV show. The reality for most country folk was to rise with the sun and toil in the fields all day, working hard just to get by. Even then, a full belly was a struggle, and so-called spiritual needs or entertainment simply didn’t exist.

Tang Xin was deeply grateful, then, that fate had brought her into this story with a good family background. She never had to worry about making ends meet. Even more, she was blessed with the miraculous space farm—what better stroke of luck could there be in these times, when not going hungry was everyone’s highest aspiration?

If she had to go out every day, hoe in hand, to work the fields—she might as well admit she’d never live to see the next sunrise.