When Old Ma arrived home, Aunt Ma was cooking, and An Moxue was tending the fire. The two women chatted as they cooked, both busy and happy, enjoying each other's company.

"Mo Xue, come here for a moment, I need to talk to you about something."

"Auntie, check the fire yourself. I'll be back after I talk to Uncle Ma."

"Go ahead! You two talk it out! You don't need to start the fire." Aunt Ma said while stir-frying the vegetables.

The two men went inside. Old Ma said, "Someone broke into your house a couple of days ago. When you get home, check if anything is missing. I can't tell from the surface that anything is missing, but it doesn't look like petty theft. It looks more like someone is looking for something."

"How was it discovered?"

“Your aunt and I go there every few days, right? Last time I went, there were signs of someone searching the place. Although the other party tried their best to restore it, I still found it. If your aunt went, she might not have noticed it.”

"It's alright. There's nothing important in the house. They can search it from top to bottom, but they won't find anything. Don't worry, I've put away all the valuables. They won't find them even if they work themselves to death. Don't pay too much attention if anyone searches again."

"That's fine. I haven't told anyone about this. First, we haven't caught anyone, and second, it wouldn't do any good to tell anyone. You must be extra careful out there."

"Don't worry, old man! I have good news for you. I've joined the National Security Bureau. I've officially joined this time since I came back." An Moxue said this with great enthusiasm.

"Really! That's great! Does that mean your whereabouts will be unpredictable from now on?"

"Yes, this time I'm going abroad, and the return date is uncertain, so don't worry."

"When you're living alone away from home, you must act within your capabilities. Nothing is more important than your life, you know?"

"Okay, I understand."

"You must also keep practicing martial arts. Nothing can save your life without your own skills. You must be wary of everyone."

"Don't worry! I've been practicing all along, and I haven't slacked off."

"That's good."

"Old man, Mo Xue, dinner's ready." Aunt Ma said, already setting the table and picking up the bowls and chopsticks.

An Moxue washed her hands and served the food with Aunt Ma.

An Moxue thoroughly enjoyed the meal, saying, "Auntie, your cooking is still the best."

Old Ma and Aunt Ma both looked at her with smiles.

After finishing her meal, An Moxue didn't linger. Carrying a bottle of wine and a box of pastries, she went to Village Chief Guo's house.

Aunt Guo saw her in the yard, took her hand and led her into the house. An Moxue asked, "Auntie, isn't Uncle Guo home?"

"He's not here. He went to talk to those old men about spring planting. What's up? Do you need something from him?"

"It's nothing. I just came back to see you two. Are you both doing well?"

"I'm doing great! Are you leaving again this time?"

"Let's go."

"Are you leaving again? It's so boring without you at home, there's no one to talk to!"

"Really? Auntie, has anything interesting happened in the village lately?" An Moxue asked as she took out some wine and pastries.

Aunt Guo saw her taking things out and quickly stopped her, saying, "You always come back to get things, but you can't take them this time."

"Auntie, you really have to take it this time. I heard from my Aunt Ma that Uncle Guo has gone through a lot of trouble because of my friend's matter." The two of them argued for a while over the bottle of wine and the bag of pastries. In the end, Aunt Guo did not say anything to An Moxue and still left the things.

"Let me tell you, our village doesn't have one, but the next village does."

"What's wrong?" An Moxue looked at Aunt Guo with shining eyes.

"Mo Xue, let me tell you, girls must always cherish and respect themselves, otherwise they'll suffer. Take the girl from the next village, for example! She got engaged to a young man from the same village, but she also secretly started an affair with an educated youth. Now she's pregnant, and somehow, they've said she had relations with both of them. They're not even sure who the father is, and neither of them will admit it. They haven't gotten any results yet!"

"My God! Is it really that open-minded?"

"It's quite a commotion. The two men somehow found out the girl had entanglements with both of them, and now neither is admitting anything. The girl herself doesn't even know who the father of the child is. It's said she had relations with both men on the same day, which happened to coincide with her pregnancy. The father of the child is now a mystery."

"Her family must be furious." An Moxue was stunned; this girl was no ordinary person.

"It's more than that! The villagers are so particular that they can drive them crazy. How can her family face anyone in the future? If she has siblings, it will be difficult for them to get married! In our rural areas, there's a saying that you should look at the pen when buying a pig and the yard when choosing a wife. This will not only ruin her siblings, but also affect the children of her uncles, aunts, and cousins. It's very harmful. She won't get any benefit from it herself, and she will drag a whole bunch of people down with her."

"Indeed, what was she thinking?"

"Who knows!" Aunt Guo pursed her lips.

"The cabinet committee didn't go? They couldn't possibly be unaware of such a commotion, could they? They can definitely squeeze some benefits out of this!"

"It is said that one of the squad leader's sons works in the town's committee."

"Then why weren't the two men arrested?"

"They both have connections, which is why they're at a stalemate and still bickering!"

"The two sides are evenly matched! It's hard to say what the outcome will be."

"That's right. But the impact on boys is less than that on girls. In the end, no matter how it's resolved, the girl is bound to suffer. This bad reputation will stay with her for life, and even her children will be looked down upon."

"She must regret it now."

"What's the use of regretting it? You brought this on yourself, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Now that this has happened, families in our village with girls are going to be much stricter with their children. Tsk tsk, what a tragedy!"

"This is quite a show. If the girl's parents are narrow-minded, they'll be in big trouble."

"It's said that the girl's mother was so angry she couldn't get out of bed. Parents think obedient children are born to repay kindness, but this kind of child must have come for revenge!"

Raising children is not easy! You have to endure whatever comes your way.

"Of course."

"However, Auntie, you and Uncle Guo are among the lucky ones. Your sons are all successful and filial. Sometimes, I think that this is inseparable from the education you received from your parents."

“I agree with what you said. That’s why there’s the concept of family tradition, and the saying that if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too.”

The two chatted like this for over an hour. An Moxue stayed at Aunt Guo's house, but Village Chief Guo didn't go home. An Moxue said, "Auntie, I have to go home now. I still need to tidy up the house! I'll come back to chat with you again when I have time."

And so, An Moxue left Aunt Guo's house with her empty schoolbag on her back.

When she went out, it was getting dark and there were hardly any people around. An Moxue returned home and first checked the area around the house, then went inside to check again. Nothing was missing, but there were definitely signs that things had been ransacked, especially in hidden places. An Moxue knew that this was not an ordinary theft.