Chapter 731 - 727: Living Expenses

Jiang Baishu had initially signed up in secret, behind his parents’ backs. The old couple only found out when the recruiters came to pick him up.

Back then, a fresh-faced Jiang Baishu had waved goodbye, promising to make his parents proud and bring home a medal of honor.

Chen JianShe had thought the man would be back soon.

Who would have thought things would change so drastically? The Jiang family’s parents passed away one after another. Word was sent to Jiang Baishu, but no reply ever came. His younger sister and brother were living in squalor, yet Jiang Baishu never appeared.

After two or three years had passed like that, everyone said Jiang Baishu had died out there.

Even Chen JianShe had come to believe it.

Now, he had suddenly reappeared. Seeing the tragic changes to his family, ’if it weren’t for his sister and brother, he might have gone mad.’

On the first night of his return, Jiang Baishu went up the mountain to the cemetery and knelt before his parents’ graves for the entire night.

He only came down the next day.

No one knew the despair Jiang Baishu felt seeing his parents’ graves. When he left, his parents were alive, and his siblings were healthy and happy. When he returned, his parents were dead, and his siblings had been taken in by others.

’If he hadn’t stubbornly chased his dream back then, maybe his parents would still be alive, and his siblings wouldn’t have been bullied.’

’He had paid such a heavy price and finally made a name for himself. Was he really willing to give up everything he had worked for at a time like this?’

’How could he possibly be willing?’

Jiang Baishu’s eyes reddened, his heart filled with guilt toward his parents and his siblings.

’This was all his fault.’

’If he hadn’t insisted on his own ideas back then, if he had listened to his parents, stayed in the village to farm, and taken care of them and his siblings, he would still have a complete family.’

’His family’s suffering was all because of him.’

The truth was, the matter with the human traffickers had been resolved long ago. He just hadn’t dared to return to the village, afraid his parents would be angry.

So, he had someone ask around about his family’s situation.

The moment he learned the news, Jiang Baishu completely broke down.

His parents were dead. His younger brother and sister had nearly starved to death, were later adopted, and then were almost sold off.

He had nearly fainted right then and there.

Afterward, he silently licked his wounds for a few days before finally mustering the courage to set foot in the village.

In those few days, he had figured it out. He had to come back.

In fact, his report had been submitted a while ago. It was probably already in his mentor’s hands by now.

Seeing Chen JianShe’s worried expression, Jiang Baishu suppressed the remorse in his heart and spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone.

"It’s nothing, really. The past few years have been tough. You don’t know what it’s like until you’ve been there, but it’s exhausting. It’s good to be back. Farming isn’t bad either. Not only can you eat your fill, but you have a bit more freedom."

Chen JianShe said nothing.

If Jiang Baishu hadn’t sounded so nonchalant when he said it, Chen JianShe might have believed him.

The guy had been like that since they were kids. The more pain he was in, the more nonchalant he appeared, as if he didn’t care at all.

「At that moment.」

And what do you know, even he was being praised because of him.

’And it was true. That kid, Jiang Baishu, was really something. He had a great future ahead of him, a real natural. How old was the kid, to have already been promoted to his current position? He was much better than he himself had been back in the day.’

’Looks like I should really focus on training him. My body hasn’t been as sturdy these past two years, and my old injuries are acting up more frequently. It’s time to consider training a successor.’

The mentor felt that Jiang Baishu was a promising talent. With proper training, he was sure to accomplish great things in the future.

As he was thinking this, his eyes fell upon an envelope on his desk. He picked it up, puzzled. It was a resignation letter. A strange look on his face, the mentor opened it and read through it once.

The more he read, the darker his expression became; the more he read, the angrier he grew.

By the time he finished reading, he was seething with uncontrollable fury.

The mentor slammed his hand on the desk and shot to his feet.

"You little bastard! You dare try to quit on me!"