In the courtyard, Old Ma and An Moxue each sat on a small stool. Old Ma was sharpening a hoe in his hand and said, "Looks pretty good, quite a change. Looks much better without that broken mirror. Will you be able to stay for a while this time?"

"Yes, Uncle Ma, how have you and my aunt been these past six months? How are you feeling?"

"She's doing great! Your aunt has been taking the medicine you prescribed, and she hasn't felt this good in all these years. My leg is too."

"That's good. I'll show it to you after we finish eating."

"Are you very tired? You look thinner! What do you want to eat? Since you're at home these days, I'll have your aunt make it for you."

An Moxue thought to herself, there's a kind of thinness that only your mother thinks you're thin. But for me, it's Uncle Ma who thinks I'm thin. I'm actually two pounds heavier than when I left.

I learned all sorts of miscellaneous things at the base, which reduced my physical exertion and helped me gain a little weight.

"Great! There are so many things I want to eat, I don't know what to choose right now."

Old Ma was sharpening his hoe with his head down. An Moxue couldn't see his expression, but she could sense his good mood.

"Uncle Ma, why are there so many cantaloupes and watermelons in my garden? Aren't you afraid of being discovered and accused of being feudal, capitalist, and revisionist? Why don't you grow some potatoes or sweet potatoes to eat?"

"What, you're short of food? You're not home, who's going to get it? Besides, those people have already gone over the wall, they won't go. Your house is surrounded by high walls, who would see it? I go there every day. I've planted some in the corner of the backyard, it's not much, but it's enough for you. Don't be so generous. After you left this year, two groups of educated youth came. There are a lot of people involved, so be careful."

"Okay, I know. If I don't come back, let's see who you feed!"

“I’ll eat with your aunt.” Old Ma glared at her irritably.

"Hey! You old man, you've been gone for half a year, and you seem much more energetic than before!"

"You also think I look better? It seems your medicine works! Not only do your aunt and I feel better, but the villagers also say we look better."

"Eat well, don't stop, and I guarantee you'll live to be a hundred. Then I'll take you and your aunt to see the outside world, so you can see the peaceful and prosperous world you fought so hard for."

"I'll definitely eat well, but don't forget to take me with you. Don't complain that I'm old and have bad eyesight and can't walk properly."

“No problem, pinky promise.” An Moxue grabbed Old Ma’s rough hand and hooked her little finger with his. At that moment, Old Ma seemed to see Miss Dieyi leaving, making a pinky promise with him that she would come back when she grew up.

An Moxue looked at Old Ma, who was clearly looking at their hands but not at their hands, as if he were traveling through time to reminisce and recall.

"Uncle Ma?" An Moxue called softly.

"Hmm?" Old Ma came back to his senses and said, "As you get older, it's easy to get distracted."

An Moxue didn't call him out on his words; she guessed that he might have been recalling his past with his mother.

"What's new in the village during the six months I've been gone?" An Moxue asked curiously.

"There are quite a few, enough to put on an opera! It's alright, you'll hear them all eventually, mostly from educated youth. There are quite a few letters and packages for you, as well as your provincial outstanding educated youth certificate and awards. The village chief brought them back for you; they're at home. You can take them all after dinner."

"Has the package been opened?"

"Don't worry! It's been opened."

"Just take it apart. I'm worried that if you don't take it apart, what if there's food inside that's gone bad?"

“Yes, there really is. I’ve written it all down so you can give them a return gift later. Your aunt and I ate the food. By the way, what’s going on with that Wu Sicheng? He’s mailed you so many things in the last six months.”

"Really? Don't worry about it. I've saved his life several times, this little thing is nothing. Besides, I gave her a return gift too," An Moxue said nonchalantly.

"Is that what I asked? Stop trying to dodge my questions and tell me properly. What exactly happened? Don't think I didn't see through his wolfish ambitions." Old Ma glared at her fiercely.

"You noticed it all, yet you still asked me. You have such keen eyesight, old man."

"I'm asking you, do you have any plans? I don't care what he thinks." Saying this, she put the sharpened hoe aside, looked up at him.

"I have no plans. I won't consider personal matters until all the enemies lurking in the shadows are eliminated. Besides, I've told him that my mother left a will that I shouldn't get married before the age of twenty."

"What if they wait until you're twenty?"

"I'll just say my dad left a will that I can get married, but the children must have one surname (my mom's) and one surname (my dad's). After all, I'm the only one left in both families! Sigh! It's so pitiful to be an only child." An Moxue even sighed dramatically.

"Your parents are so grateful to have such a filial daughter! What terrible ideas you came up with!" Old Ma said, exasperated.

"Go, go! Just looking at you makes me angry. Go find your aunt! Don't make me angry anymore." Old Ma said, getting up and walking towards the garden.

"This old man has clearly been sitting for too long and wants to move around, but he's still clinging to me," An Moxue muttered to herself, then got up and went into the kitchen.

"Auntie, what delicious food are you making? Let me give you a hand." An Moxue entered the kitchen with a smile.

"Why aren't you chatting with your uncle? What are you doing here? It's almost ready, you don't need to come in. Just wait to eat," Aunt Ma said with a smile.

“I’m not going to talk to her anymore. I want to talk to you, Auntie. Auntie, has my uncle made you suffer these past six months? If he has, then I won’t let him drink the wine in that basket. I’ll take it back and give it to Uncle Guo.”

"You little rascal, you've even learned to make fun of your uncle and aunt. Go, put it on the table, put it outside, it's cooler outside, you won't get hot while eating." Aunt Ma assigned her tasks.

"Alright! I'll follow your arrangements, sir." With that, he went inside, picked up the kang table, and headed out to the courtyard.

Aunt Ma looked up and said, "Put it under the eaves, that piece is flat."

"I understand, Auntie," An Moxue replied softly from the courtyard.

Old Ma returned with a few fruits in his hands, handed them to An Moxue, and said, "Try them, see if you like them. If you like them, pick some to take back later, and come back to pick more when you've finished them. These fruits are sweet; we ate them all when you came last year, they're out of season now."

An Moxue reached out and took one. The fruit was small and light green, and it looked delicious. She took a bite, and it was very sweet and crunchy. She then ate the whole fruit in a few bites.

Seeing that she was enjoying her food, Old Ma put all the fruit on the table and said, "Help yourself. Or you can pick some to take home and eat while you're still eating."

"No, these are enough. I'll come back to pick more when I want some. Besides, I thought it would be a while before these kinds of fruits are available again!"

"This is a Fuguo, which ripens specifically during the hottest days of summer; it's an early fruit."

"Oh! You went to pick fruit for me especially, old man! Thank you, Uncle Ma."

Looking at An Moxue's quirky and clever appearance, Old Ma smiled knowingly and suddenly felt relieved. The young lady was gone, but there was still the little young lady!