Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

The day Aygul returned, it rained lightly in Jiangcheng.

Ye Chen was playing chess with He Jianping in the security department when he received the call.

The signal was poor on the other end of the phone, and Aygul's voice was intermittent; she only managed to say a few words: "I've arrived at the airport."

Ye Chen threw down the chess piece, stood up, and walked out. He Jianping shouted after him, "I win this game!"

Ye Chen didn't even turn his head: "You win, I'll beat you again later."

When Ye Chen arrived at the airport, the rain had already stopped.

A few people were scattered around the international arrivals exit.

When Aygul came out, Ye Chen almost didn't recognize her.

She's lost some weight, but she looks more relaxed than before.

Her hair was still braided, and she wore a light gray thin jacket and carried the old backpack that He Jianping had bought for her.

She was carrying a small wicker basket, the lid of which was covered with a blue cloth.

Upon seeing Ye Chen, she stopped, her lips twitching as if searching for the right expression.

Finally, she simply nodded and said, "You're back."

Ye Chen stepped forward, took the wicker basket from her hand, weighed it in his hand, and said, "What are you carrying? It's so heavy."

Aygul said, "These are dried apricots, my cousin dried them. I also have a few packets of seeds. The soil here is more fertile than over there, so I want to try and see if they can grow."

Ye Chen said, "Do you think customs is your private property?"

Aygul ignored him and walked straight to the parking lot.

Ye Chen followed behind, carrying the basket, finding it amusing.

This girl is still the same as before after going out: quiet, impolite, and friendly with everyone.

When he returned to the villa, Jiang Ruoxi was already waiting at home.

She left work early and simmered a pot of pork rib soup in the kitchen.

As Aygul entered the room, Dahuang was the first to rush up, circling her three times with its tail swishing loudly.

The ghost servant stood up from his usual spot in the courtyard, glanced at her, and said, "You're back."

Aygul hummed in agreement, put down her backpack, took out a paper package from it, and handed it to the ghost servant.

The ghost servant took it, opened it, and saw that it was a packet of locally produced tobacco.

His lips twitched slightly, and he said, "I've given up this stuff."

Despite saying that, she still put the paper package into her pocket. Jiang Ruoxi came out of the kitchen, saw Ayiguli, and said with a smile, "You've lost weight, but you look more energetic."

Aygul said, "The food there is light, and we work every day."

Jiang Ruoxi said, "It's good that you're back. Let's eat first, and then we'll talk."

At the dinner table, Aygul ate one and a half bowls of rice and drank two bowls of soup.

She didn't eat quickly, but her chopsticks never stopped.

Jiang Ruoxi looked at her and felt at ease.

You can tell how well someone is doing by how they eat when they're away from home.

After Aygul finished eating, she put down her chopsticks and took the items out of the wicker basket one by one.

Dried apricots, seeds, a small packet of locally produced spices, and a photograph.

The photo shows a lush green medicinal herb field, with an apricot tree in the distance, its branches laden with green fruit.

Two people stood beside the medicinal herb field: Ayiguli and her cousin. They were wearing the same aprons and each held a handful of freshly dug angelica roots.

Aygul pointed to the photo and said, "This was taken in spring. It had just rained then, and the soil was especially fertile."

Jiang Ruoxi looked at the photo again and again, and said, "Your cousin looks a bit like you."

Aygul said, "She's fatter than me."

Ye Chen chuckled beside him and said, "What kind of evaluation is that?"

Aygul didn't say anything more. She lowered her head, carefully packed the seeds into packets, and put them into the refrigerator's crisper drawer.

That evening, Ye Chen rearranged the bedding in Ayiguli's room.

That room had been empty for more than half a year, but Jiang Ruoxi had never touched anything inside.

On the windowsill sits the whetstone Ayiguli left behind before she left, and in the drawer is a half-empty pack of Band-Aids.

After airing out the bedding, Ye Chen fluffed it up and opened the window to let in some fresh air.

Aygul stood at the door, looking at the room, for a long while.

Ye Chen asked, "Are you getting used to it?"

Aygul said, "I've basically gotten used to it. They live in mud houses over there, and it's colder than here."

Ye Chen said, "Then go to sleep early. Tomorrow I'll take you to Baizhi Valley. They've opened up a new plot of land on the south slope and planted angelica. It's growing quite well."

Aygul nodded and said nothing more.

The next day, Ye Chen took Ayiguli to Baizhi Valley.

Seventh Uncle was busy in the fields when he saw them from afar. He waved his hoe and called out, "Guli'er is back?"

Aygul walked over, and her seventh uncle looked her up and down, saying, "You've lost weight, but your eyes are brighter. It seems the outside world is still a good place to live."

Aygul handed a small packet of seeds she had brought back from there to her seventh uncle.

Seventh Uncle opened it, took a bite, and asked, "What's this?"

Aygul said, "There's a local herb called 'Moon Flower.' My cousin said it can be used in medicine to treat coughs."

Seventh Uncle became interested and said, "Let's go to the nursery and see if we can cultivate it."

The two walked towards the nursery one after the other. Ayiguli was more talkative than usual, telling her seventh uncle about the methods of planting medicinal herbs there.

Ye Chen stood on the edge of the field, watching, and felt that Ayiguli seemed to have brought something back. Not dried apricots, not seeds.

It was something she had never had before.

That afternoon, Ye Chen sat in front of the medicine hut and talked to Su Qinghan.

Su Qinghan was cutting herbs, her knife moving quickly and evenly.

She said, "Guli is much more composed this time than before."

Ye Chen said, "She farmed there for half a year."

Su Qinghan said, "Farming sustains people."

Ye Chen showed Su Qinghan the seeds that Ayiguli had brought back.

Su Qinghan picked up a seed, smelled it, and said, "This is good stuff. Let Seventh Uncle try to cultivate it first. If it survives, we'll expand the planting next year."

Ye Chen agreed.

In the evening, Ayiguli sat on the steps in the courtyard, wiping her knife.

She had taken that dagger with her for six months, and the blade had become somewhat dull.

She ground slowly, her movements as steady as ever.

Ye Chen walked over and sat down next to him.

Neither of them spoke.

After a while, Aygul suddenly said, "My cousin told me to thank you."

Ye Chen asked, "What are you thanking me for?"

Aygul said, "Thank you for letting her write to me, thank you for sending the seeds, thank you for not making me feel like an outsider."

Ye Chen leaned against the door frame, looking at the sycamore tree in the yard.

The shadows of the leaves swayed gently in the evening breeze.

He said, "You're not an outsider. This courtyard has your house, and Baizhi Valley has your fields. No matter where you go, you'll always have a place to stay when you come back."

Aygul didn't say anything more, but her hand, which was sharpening the knife, paused for a moment.

Then she continued grinding.

The blade reflected the light of the setting sun, shining like a thin line of water.

That night, Jiang Ruoxi made sweet and sour pork ribs, which Ayiguli loved.

Aygul ate a lot, half a bowl more rice than usual.

The ghost servant made an exception and poured her a small glass of wine.

He Jianping also came, bringing a bag of peanuts, saying it was "to welcome Guli".

Everyone sat around in the courtyard, eating, drinking, chatting and laughing.

Aygul sat in the middle, still not saying much, but the expression on her face was much gentler than before.

Looking at the people filling the courtyard, Ye Chen suddenly felt that the courtyard was finally complete again.

If any one is missing, it feels empty; if any one is added, it feels more complete.

Now that Aygul has returned, the empty space has been filled in.

That's life; people come and go, and then they come back again.

But as long as the roots are still there, nothing can be scattered.