Chapter 111 - Chapter111: Changes
“I don’t know if it’s convenient for you today. If it’s convenient, I’ll get someone to go to the Shen residence to inform them. Officer Wang said that they’ll be in town these few days and asked me to contact them whenever possible.”
The short man’s eyes gleaming with opportunity, much like a wolf spying a juicy piece of meat. It seemed their absence in the mountain these days had frustrated the short man. Unable to find Jiang Xia’s family to bridge relations with the Shens family, and lacking an excuse to approach such influential people, he had to patiently wait until today.
“There’s nothing inconvenient about it.” Jiang Chuan laughed.
He knew that this matter might be related to the autumn harvest policy, so even if it was inconvenient, it would be made convenient.
Hearing Jiang Chuan’s response, the short man repeatedly expressed his agreement. After a moment’s consideration, Jiang Chuan decided to accompany the short man to the Shen residence. After all, the inspection was meant to benefit the farmers. The willingness to conduct an inspection was a sign of understanding the people’s livelihood and serving them. It wasn’t as if they had to go out of their way to meet them.
Although Jiang Chuan didn’t say anything, Jiang Xia naturally followed him.
When they knocked on the Shen’s front door, a young soldier around his twenties opened the door. Upon hearing they were from Tong Shan village, the Jiang Chuan family was allowed to enter.
The Shen family’s residence had an ancient charm, reminiscent of an aristocratic courtyard from the past. It would have been hard to maintain such a residence if it weren’t for the two generations of the Shen family who had contributed greatly to the nation’s construction through their military service.
Once seated in the front hall, the young soldier served them tea. As it happened, Jiang Xia was thirsty, so she took a sip. The tea was so fragrant it immediately filled her mouth.
At first, Jiang Xia hadn’t noticed, but now, with a twitch of her nose, she realized that no matter the era, life had its highs and lows.
They didn’t wait long before Young Master Shen walked in, looking dashing in his military uniform, with Wang Wen, the officer following behind.
Without waiting for Young Master Shen’s family to speak, Officer Wang greeted Jiang Xia with a smile, “It’s been a while, little miss. I heard you’ve been in the mountains recently, what have you been busy with?”
“I wonder if you’re free today. If so, I can inform the Shen residence. Chief of Staff Wang mentioned that they’ve been in town these days and asked me to contact them whenever possible,” Xiaoge said, his eyes gleaming with opportunity, much like a wolf spying a juicy piece of meat. This sight twitched Jiang Xia’s lips. It seemed their absence in the mountain these days had frustrated Xiaoge. Unable to find Jiang Xia’s family to bridge relations with the Shens, and lacking an excuse to approach such influential people, he had to patiently wait until today.
“There’s no inconvenience,” Jiangchuan said, grinning. He was aware that this issue could be tied to the harvest policy, hence, even if it was inconvenient, it would be made convenient.
Hearing Jiangchuan’s response, Xiaoge repeatedly expressed his agreement. After a moment’s consideration, Jiangchuan decided to accompany Xiaoge to the Shen residence. After all, the inspection was meant to benefit the farmers. The willingness to conduct an inspection was a sign of understanding the people’s livelihood and serving them. It wasn’t as if they had to go out of their way to meet them.
Despite Jiangchuan’s silence, Jiang Xia naturally followed.
When they knocked on the Shen’s front door, a young soldier around his twenties opened it. Upon hearing they were from Tongshan village, the Jiangchuan family was allowed to enter.
The Shen residence had an ancient charm, reminiscent of an aristocratic courtyard from the past. It would have been hard to maintain such a residence if it weren’t for the two generations of the Shen family who had contributed greatly to the nation’s construction through their military service.
Once seated in the front hall, the young soldier served them tea. As it happened, Jiang Xia was thirsty, so she took a sip. The tea was so fragrant it immediately filled her mouth.
At first, Jiang Xia hadn’t noticed, but now, with a twitch of her nose, she realized that no matter the era, life had its highs and lows.
They didn’t wait long before Shen’s young master walked in, looking dashing in his military uniform, with Wang Wen, the chief of staff, following.
Without waiting for the young master of Shen’s family to speak, Chief of Staff Wang greeted Jiang Xia with a smile, “It’s been a while, little miss. I heard you’ve been in the mountains recently, what have you been busy with?”
Jiang Xia returned his smile, “Uncle Wang, as you know, harvest season is approaching. My parents feared we wouldn’t have enough food for the winter, so they took my sister and me up the mountain to gather more food for storage.”
As Wang Wen’s attention had been attracted by Jiang Xia’s words from the beginning, Jiang Chuan and the short man didn’t find anything amiss with their conversation.
On the other side, as Officer Wang was speaking with Jiang Xia, Young Master Shen was observing her. The little girl had changed quite a bit since he last saw her, most noticeably her appearance.
The last time he saw her in a restaurant, she was thin and small, yet bright-eyed and full of spirit. But she now seemed to have blossomed into a healthier, more vibrant version of herself.
Having not seen her in about half a month, her previously thin face had filled out, her yellow hair had mostly turned black, and her skin had become much fairer. Perhaps due to less sunlight in the mountains. All these changes made her look much more pleasing to the eye.
It wasn’t that Shen Mo valued appearance above all else, but it’s undeniable that a person’s first impression often comes from their looks. Isn’t that why cosmetic surgery has become so popular in modern times? Everyone appreciates beauty, and Shen Mo was no exception.
Shen Mo maintained a cold and aloof demeanor the entire time, and let let Officer Wang do the talking.
“Since you both are available, lead the way. Let’s first visit the fields in each village,” Wang Wen proposed.
“Sure,” Jiang Chuan nodded in agreement.
Once the itinerary was finalized, Wang Wen instructed his men to prepare the horse carriage. Although they could have taken a car, they chose the less conspicuous option to blend in and avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
As Wang Wen and his team were making preparations, Jiang Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Her gaze constantly moved between the men, studying them.
Jiang Xia was paying attention to Wang Wen and the others, while Shen Mo was observing Jiang Xia.
He was a little curious as to what exactly was in Mt. Tong Shan that could raise a skinny little girl so well in half a month. Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Jiang Xia suddenly stood up and startled him, but he remained calm on the surface..