A young man from another world returned to his hometown.

Chapter 30 Human Dignity

Lin Yan held Xier's hand and walked along the gradually forming paved road.

Syl's hair fluttered in the wind, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Since transmigrating, she has gotten used to a life without missions, and every day she drags Lin Yan out for a stroll, exploring every corner of Tian Village.

Lin Yan was pulled along by her, not caring, and just went wherever they ended up.

As she passed Mixue Ice Cream, Xier slowed down.

"Darling, look."

She gently tugged at his hand, gesturing for him to look into the shop window.

"Honey, they're working so hard."

"Um."

Lin Yan lowered his head, glanced at Xier, and then turned his gaze back to the shop window.

He had been a lord in another world for many years and had seen too much prosperity maintained by oppression and favors, but such things were not lasting.

He didn't need to use any mind-altering magic on people; he simply gave them a truly fair reward, treating them as people worthy of respect, not as tools that could be replaced at any time.

They did the rest themselves.

This land has never lacked hardworking and intelligent people.

What they lack is simply a learning opportunity and a place where they are taken seriously.

Once given this, they will spontaneously unleash something truly remarkable.

Lin Yan turned her gaze away from the shop window and turned her head to the side.

"Let's go."

……

When Jiaqing got off work, it wasn't completely dark yet.

She handed the shop keys to Fang's daughter-in-law, gave her a few instructions for tomorrow, and then rode her electric bike to the market.

In the past, she would go straight to her uncle's house at this time, but today is different.

She was going home; her village was two villages away from Tian Village.

She started a big shopping spree, buying meat, eggs, dairy products, candy, biscuits, and daily necessities.

Jiaqing didn't calculate the price with the same heartache as before.

She had her salary, more than 20,000 yuan, in her pocket.

She then went to a pharmacy and bought some liniment, bone pain patches, and some herbal plasters that are good for rheumatism in the elderly.

The electric vehicles were piled high with items.

As she drove along the national highway, the self-built houses and rice paddies on both sides receded into the distance, and she suddenly remembered the day she cried and hid at her uncle's house.

She came from this road that day too.

The wind blew from the ridges of the fields, carrying the scent of newly sprouted rice seedlings.

She unconsciously sat up straighter.

When Jiaqing pushed open the gate to her own yard, her mother was squatting in the yard picking vegetables.

My mother is fifty years old this year, but she looks older than a sixty-year-old.

She looked up and saw the large bag of things hanging on her daughter's car, and the vegetables in her hand fell into the basin with a thud.

"What are you going to do with all this?"

The mother's first words were reproachful. She stood up, her knees thudded, and she swayed, only managing to steady herself by grabbing the door frame.

"What a waste of money!"

"Mom, I got my salary."

Jiaqing parked the car and unloaded the bags.

"You can't waste your paycheck like this! Do you even know how much pork costs per pound? Are you sure you can eat all this? And this too!"

The mother grabbed the box of herbal paste and glared at her.

"What is this? This box must cost tens of dollars!"

"Jiaqing, are you crazy! How much do you even earn a month? How dare you spend like this? Do you even want to get married? With your extravagant spending, who would want you?!"

Jiaqing didn't reply.

She slapped the wad of cash from her pocket onto the table.

A soft snap.

The mother's words caught in her throat.

She stared at the stack of money, her eyes slowly widening.

That was an instinctive reaction that only someone who had experienced hardship would have; upon seeing so much cash, she first couldn't believe it, and then she was afraid.

"...Jiaqing".

Her voice has changed.

"Where did you get this money... this money?"

Jiaqing sat down at the table.

"The salary Ah Yan pays is from the most popular Mixue Ice Cream shop at the entrance of Tiancun Village. You've probably heard of it from the villagers, right? That's where I work!"

The mother opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She stretched out her hand, her finger joints were swollen.

A muffled cough came from outside the courtyard gate.

Jiaqing looked up and saw her father standing in the yard.

My father's name is Lin Guozhu. We share the same surname but are from different clans. He is one year younger than my mother, but he looks older than her.

He injured his back while working in a quarry when he was young, and has been unable to do heavy work ever since.

My father was carrying a hookah made from a mineral water bottle.

He glanced at the stack of money on the table, then at his daughter, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

In the end, he simply squatted down on the threshold, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

The smoke slowly dissipated from his mouth.

Jiaqing took the meat into the kitchen.

Her mother followed her in and stood behind her, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

"Mom, please sit down. I'll cook today."

"I...I'll help you start the fire."

The mother sat on a small stool in front of the stove and put firewood inside.

The firelight illuminated half of her face, making it glow red, and every wrinkle on her face was clearly visible.

Jiaqing started stewing the meat, then turned around, squatted down, and looked at her mother.

"mom."

"Um?"

"I know you didn't want me to marry someone for their money."

The mother's hand, which was tending the fire, paused.

"You're afraid that when I get old, I'll end up like you."

Jiaqing's voice was very soft.

"Transplanting rice seedlings, rushing to harvest them, we were soaked in mud and water every day."

The mother lowered her head and didn't say anything.

The firelight flickered on her face.

"You want me to get married early so that I won't have to work in the fields anymore."

"..."

"But Mom, we don't need to anymore."

"In my current job, we employees get a share of the profits, and we have social security and housing provident fund. When I get old, I will receive a monthly pension, and I can also go to the doctor if I get sick."

"I can cover my own expenses."

"From now on, the family won't have to farm anymore, and you won't have to work in the fields anymore."

The mother's shoulders slowly began to tremble, one sob after another.

The firewood crackled in the stove.

Outside the courtyard gate, the man who had been squatting there stood up and silently carried the things Jiaqing had bought to the refrigerator.

"It's good that you're back."

The next morning, when Jiaqing woke up, she found her mother already in the yard getting ready to go to the fields.

"Mom, I'm not going to the fields today."

"what?"

"There are still a few rows of rice seedlings that haven't been planted in that field..."

"I'm not planting anymore. Don't worry about those few rows."

"Today I'm taking you and Dad to the city hospital."

The mother's expression changed.

"Why go to the hospital? I'm not sick."

"Seeing your and Dad's rheumatism and bone pain."

"I've had this leg for decades, it's fine."

"mom."

Jiaqing interrupted her.

"If we don't go today, I'll take you tomorrow; if we don't go tomorrow, we'll go the day after."

The mother opened her mouth.

The father, who was squatting by the well washing his face, heard the mother and daughter talking and slowly began to speak.

"Go."

Just two words.

The mother wanted to say something more, but after glancing at her husband and then at her daughter, she remained silent.

Jiaqing had arranged a ride-sharing service the night before.

When Jiaqing helped her mother out, there were already several people sitting idly in the rice paddies near the village entrance.