An Moxue led Chu Dongmei on a tour of the village. When they returned home, An Moxue said, "Dongmei, I'm leaving soon. This is a secret; don't tell anyone."

As soon as An Moxue spoke, Chu Dongmei asked, "The back mountain in the morning?"

"Hmm." The descendants of soldiers are indeed perceptive.

"Is there any danger?" Chu Dongmei asked her worriedly.

"It's just a small thing, I'm so sorry, you came to stay with me for the New Year, but I have to leave first." An Moxue said apologetically, holding Chu Dongmei's hand.

“We are all children of soldiers. We must put the country and our families first. Those sentimentalities are not for us. It’s good that you’re back safe and sound.” Chu Dongmei let go of her hand and hugged her.

An Moxue patted her back gently, and the two separated. An Moxue said, "I'm leaving, but don't leave either. Eat and drink well here, and stay until the sixth day of the new year. Take some food you need when you leave. I was going to make you some pork jerky, but I have to break my promise now."

"Business is important. As for the food, you can eat it when you come back! You're leaving now, so I'll go back tomorrow too!" Chu Dongmei was too embarrassed to eat and take anything at the same time.

“Take some! Uncle Ma will take the rest. There are vegetables in the cellar in the backyard. Help yourself to whatever you want to eat. Eat whatever you can find in this house. Just treat it like your own home. I don’t know when I’ll be back, so there’s no need to leave any food. Besides, having you here can help me cover up my itinerary.”

Chu Dongmei said, "Okay! Then I'll leave on the sixth day of the new year. Should I pack my bags?"

An Moxue said, "There's not much to pack, a backpack is enough."

As An Moxue spoke, she began packing her things.

As Chu Dongmei watched An Moxue pack her things, she realized for the first time the gap between her and An Moxue. An Moxue was already on the path of striving for her ideals, and it seemed to be highly confidential, with even her whereabouts having to be hidden.

She, however, was still lost, unsure of what to do, and had no goals.

After An Moxue finished packing her things, she said to Chu Dongmei, "Dongmei, if my two wolves come back tonight, tell them I've left and to go back to the mountains. They won't come back. Don't be afraid, they are very intelligent and won't hurt you."

"Can they understand me?"

"Don't worry, I can do it. Come on, let's go to the kitchen and heat up some food together." Chu Dongmei saw that An Moxue was relaxed and showed no signs of the anxiety or tension that one would expect when going on a secret mission.

In the kitchen, An Moxue was packing braised meat when she said to Chu Dongmei, "Dongmei, when you leave, take more of the food that's hanging on the kitchen beam that you like. Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma don't need any more of that food. If you don't take it, those rats will get it for free."

Chu Dongmei knew that An Moxue was subsidizing her! These days, who would complain about having too much food?

"Also, when you leave, go find Uncle Ma, he'll see you off. He's the village's cart driver, don't be shy. This cart service helps the village generate revenue, we just need to pay the fee." An Moxue gave these instructions whenever she thought of something.

"When you leave, just give the key to Uncle Ma. The elderly couple usually look after the house for me when I'm not home."

As Chu Dongmei listened to An Moxue's detailed explanation, she felt for the first time that she was inferior to An Moxue and far worse than her. This was not inferiority or jealousy, but a recognition, a correct and clear recognition of herself.

After heating up the food, An Moxue quickly finished eating, slung her backpack over her shoulder, grabbed her lunchbox, and in a few leaps, she reached the back mountain. Standing halfway up the mountain, she waved to Chu Dongmei in the courtyard.

Chu Dongmei stood in the courtyard, watching An Moxue leave through the gate, head to the back mountain, and disappear from her sight. For the first time, she began to seriously consider her future and what she should do.

She thought that as a childhood friend, she couldn't let herself fall too far behind; otherwise, wouldn't that be too lame?

Even if we can't fight side by side, we should still take her as our role model and forge ahead bravely!

A green military vehicle was parked on the road not far outside the village.

Xu Qingfeng was eating the food An Moxue had brought for him. As he ate, he said, "Comrade An Moxue, quickly memorize the information I gave you. You can't take this with you; you can only keep it in your mind. Also, your mission this time is to hand over the documents and materials. Once you have them, you must return to China as quickly as possible. Don't worry about anything else."

"The comrade who's in contact with you has been there for a while now. You'll be in single-line communication, so make sure you remember his contact information. I'll send you your code name when I get back. Have you decided on a code name yet?"

"Hummingbird, how about this?" An Moxue asked. It's just a code name; as long as it works, it's fine.

"Okay, Hummingbird will be your codename from now on. The radio is in the back seat. Remember the communication bands for the other side and for me. When you return, hand it over to me. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

After finishing his meal, Xu Qingfeng wiped his mouth and asked, "Comrade An Moxue, who made this meal? It was delicious! Thank you for the meal."

"Don't mention it, it's just a simple meal." An Moxue didn't say who cooked it. If he thought it was delicious, what if he made her cook for him later?

She doesn't like cooking, so she has no choice but to eat alone.

Xu Qingfeng started the military vehicle and said, "I can only take you to the county; the rest is up to you."

"Hmm." An Moxue looked at the information in her hand very seriously. This was her first time carrying out a mission alone, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous. This was her first time in both her lives.

However, she concealed her nervousness well, preventing Xu Qingfeng from noticing.

"Captain, what about my allowance?" An Moxue suddenly realized that she would have to wait for the money after she left.

"It'll only be a few months. I'll send you all the money when you get back."

"What about the funding for this mission? What should I do? This crosses borders, so the expenses must be high."

"Don't worry, I'll give it to you along with your documents when you get off the bus."

"How much?" This is the key question. It won't be a small amount; we'll probably have to pay out of our own pockets! We need to do the math.

"Basic living is possible, but if you want something better, that's impossible. You'll have to find your own way." The country is poor, not wealthy at all!

An Moxue memorized all the information, then opened her backpack and began applying makeup.

Xu Qingfeng glanced at her as he drove.

While applying makeup, An Moxue said to Xu Qingfeng, "Captain, slow down, it's too bumpy and it's affecting my touch."

"Are you planning to hide as soon as you get off the car?" Xu Qingfeng was even more satisfied with her after seeing her like this.

"Okay, Captain, just drop me off outside the county town in a bit."

He watched her for a moment, and she transformed herself into a disheveled middle-aged woman, even cleaning her hands. He asked, "Is this your identity before crossing the border?"

"So, how is it right now?"

"It's alright, but the identity I prepared for you doesn't match this outfit." Xu Qingfeng kindly reminded her, didn't he even ask about her identity arrangements in China?

"It's okay, I'll figure it out myself."

Great idea!