Chapter 1578 - 1560: Atan’s Decision

Atan looked around and didn’t go far; the countryside night was different from the city. Every household had turned off their lights, leaving it nearly pitch dark, with only faint light coming from the stars in the sky.

Atan was originally supposed to watch the house, but ended up staring at the starlit sky from the porch. At this moment, everything was silent, with the night breeze sweeping through the valley and the cicadas chirping intermittently.

When Marcus Quinn came out, he saw Atan sitting on the porch, resting her head on her hand and gazing at the sky. The man went inside to light some mosquito coils and brought out a fan. He placed the mosquito coils by his feet, sat next to Atan, and helped fan her.

"It’s really nice here. I feel my heart calming down," Atan said softly.

"Yes." Marcus nodded. In the village, mostly only the old and children remained. Young people, who loved excitement, had mostly left. Such tranquility was not something everyone could enjoy.

"You never mentioned you were a soldier before. Was Chester Walker who visited before also a soldier?" Atan tilted her head, her voice very light, her water-like starry eyes looking at him. The light in the corridor was dim, but her face was fair and gentle, like the crescent moon in January.

"Yes, I retired about four years ago. There wasn’t much worth celebrating in the past, so I didn’t mention it. If you want to know something, feel free to ask, and I’ll tell you everything." Marcus’s voice was slightly low and deep in the night.

"Don’t retired soldiers receive subsidies? Why did you stay in Fountain City and do manual labor?" This was what Atan couldn’t understand. She originally thought he was a poor local with neither education nor skills, only able to do the hardest work. But later, she learned he wasn’t from Fountain City, he was smart, and his culinary skills were exceptional, enhanced by his military experience. How had he ended up like this?

Marcus was silent for a moment, truly not wanting to say much about the past. He just said softly, "When I retired, I gave all my savings and retirement money to the families of my fallen comrades. They followed me, but I couldn’t protect them. It’s just something within my power to do."

Atan was slightly shocked. So Marcus gave all his money to his comrades’ families? Sacrifice? The word sent shivers through Atan’s heart inexplicably. In this era of peace, the use of the word "sacrifice" showed how perilous Marcus’s past life had been.

Seeing the man’s face darker than ever before, Atan couldn’t help but feel a bit of heartache. She soothingly held his arm and said softly, "The country won’t fail the families of the fallen. Since we’re retired now, let’s live an ordinary life and slowly save up."

Marcus saw she didn’t ask further and instead comforted him, and he couldn’t help but sigh slightly, his heart inexplicably filled with joy, finding his affection for Atan growing day by day.

The man reached out to stroke her hair and said in a low voice, "The water in the bathroom will get cold if you leave it any longer. Go take a bath and sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the mountains."

Sure enough, the bathtub was full, the temperature just right. Atan lay in the tub, exhaling comfortably, closing her eyes to relax and soak in the bath, thinking it would be nice if there were wildflowers in the mountains to pick petals for a petal bath.

The farmhouse had many rooms, especially the inner courtyard which only Marcus and Atan occupied. At night, Atan had thought Marcus, who had been sleeping on the sofa for several days, would sleep in a bed upon returning to the farmhouse. Yet the man still laid out a makeshift bed on the spacious room floor, leaving the night light on, and as usual, they slept in the same room.

Atan, new to such a place, found the room large and was a bit timid. Seeing Marcus still sleeping in her room, she inexplicably felt a sense of intimacy, and she slept exceptionally well that night.

Early the next morning, Atan was awakened by the birds on the tree outside. Marcus was already up. She got up to wash, then saw Marcus returning from outside with Uncle Shui and Irving Spencer. Uncle Shui was the most excited and said, "In all these years, the fruits in the mountains have never run out. Selling just these fruits is enough to cover my family’s expenses for a year."

The man turned to see Atan awake, his dark eyes brightening slightly, a hint of a smile on his lips, appearing much softer than he was in Fountain City.

Atan returned a sweet smile, and Aunty Shui quickly called everyone to breakfast when she saw the men had returned.

Breakfast was congee, soy milk, and pickles. Aunty Shui also specially made pan-fried buns stuffed with tofu and vermicelli, fried until golden in an oil pan, a labor of love. Several small dishes were also stir-fried in the morning. Although all homemade, it was exceptionally abundant.