An Moxue suppressed her playful smile and responded with a faint "Oh!" Her expression was also indifferent.

Old Ma got even angrier when he saw her like that, and yelled, "Why are you talking to me? What does that kid mean? Why isn't he leaving for the New Year?" His voice was so loud that it could be heard clearly outside the house.

"Just think of him as a comrade's nephew or younger relative who's here to spend the New Year with you and Aunt Ma," An Moxue said, gently shaking Old Ma's arm.

Old Ma glared at her and asked in a low voice, "What are you planning to do? There are plenty of shrewd people in this village. Don't you care about your reputation? When it comes to matters between men and women, it's always the woman who suffers."

An Moxue pressed Old Ma down onto the kang (a heated brick bed): "Calm down, he's just a suitor! It's just a test period."

"Mo Xue, it's not that Uncle Ma is meddling, but you're not an ordinary girl. Your family background means that you have to consider many factors when choosing a marriage partner. People's hearts are the most complicated things. Sometimes, love alone isn't enough. Especially for you, safety comes first, understand?"

An Moxue was grateful for Old Ma's earnest advice. A person who didn't genuinely care for you wouldn't say such things.

"Know."

"When two people are together, they should also be careful not to let others take advantage of them. You are a girl and he is a man, so you need to protect yourself." Old Ma felt embarrassed to say this, and his expression was a little awkward. But as a man, he understood men best. He was afraid that his little darling would suffer if he didn't say it, but An Moxue still listened to him.

He glanced at An Moxue sideways, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he realized she had her head down and hadn't seen him.

"Um."

Seeing her so humbly listening to his advice, he felt angry but couldn't vent it, and was quite helpless: "Tell me, how far have things progressed between you two?"

“He’s pursuing me! Look!” An Moxue stretched out her hand. “See? It’s a New Year’s gift, and the clothes are too.”

Old Ma noticed the watch on An Moxue's wrist. "It's a foreign brand." He then glared at her. "What do you care about a cheap watch or a tattered outfit?"

An Moxue's voice was also weak, "Aren't there still those two big bags of food!"

"Are you short of food or am I short of food?" Old Ma suddenly raised his voice again, startling Aunt Ma in the kitchen. Aunt Ma looked at the young man in front of her but didn't say anything, focusing only on the things in her hands, preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

"Tell me! What impressed you?" He didn't believe any talk of suitors! Details were key; you couldn't fool this veteran with decades of investigative experience.

No way!

snort!

“I told him that my job might be out of the public eye for eight or ten years or even longer, so I don’t want to settle down. He agreed. The most important thing is that I said if we have children in the future, one should take my father’s surname and the other should take my mother’s surname. His parents didn’t object when we talked on the phone yesterday.”

Old Ma fell silent. He knew about Wu Sicheng's family background and some things about his parents. As long as they spoke, it was only natural. But the fact that a child would have the surname Nalan in the future would have a big impact on him. Did that mean that the surname Nalan would not disappear and that the Nalan clan could continue? He automatically ignored the An family, since he wasn't a member of the An family.

Seeing his long silence, An Moxue also remained silent, and the two sat there in silence.

After a long while, just when An Moxue thought Old Ma was about to say something about Wu Sicheng again, Old Ma changed the subject: "Will you be abroad for so long?"

"I'm not sure, but I need to eliminate all the hidden dangers before I dare to live a peaceful life in China. Right now, I'm investigating and accumulating strength. I'm not strong enough to fight back yet."

"Do you think your aunt and I still need to take any medicine given our current health?"

"Ah!" An Moxue was a little confused. Was this a big leap?

"We both have to try to live as long as possible so we can help you with your kids! It seems like this thing of yours has been going on for eight or ten years with no result yet, it's so worrying!"

An Moxue chuckled, then snuggled up to him and said sweetly, "Uncle Ma, you're so good to me!"

Then I took one of his hands and started taking his pulse. After I finished with one hand, I took the other. After I finished, I put his hand down and said, "You're doing well now! You don't need to take any medicine, but I'll leave some for you before I leave. I think you'll need to take some health supplements, but you should mainly rely on food. Don't forget to eat the things I brought back for you."

Then she paused, gestured with her chin towards the kitchen, and tentatively asked, "You don't object anymore?"

"If it's not him, it will be someone else, but the test is still necessary," Old Ma said proudly.

An Moxue shrugged: "You and your aunt can test me as you please, I won't interfere."

Old Ma laughed and cursed, "You brat!"

An Moxue asked cautiously, "Uncle Ma, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Old Ma glared at her again: "That's all."

An Moxue silently complained in her heart, "How many eye rolls have you made? We're almost out of the village!"

"Then I'll go out and help my aunt make something delicious?"

"Okay, go ahead! Call that brat inside."

"Okay!" An Moxue happily left the house.

Seeing Wu Sicheng helping Aunt Ma, he said to him, "Uncle Ma wants you to come in."

After Wu Sicheng entered the house, Aunt Ma whispered to An Moxue, "Is your uncle acting strangely? Don't pay any attention to him. It's the New Year, I'll deal with him tonight. But, Comrade Wu, what's going on between you two? Are you planning to spend the New Year at home?"

"I agreed to be his girlfriend yesterday, and I won't be leaving during the Chinese New Year."

"Don't let yourself get taken advantage of, girl. Protecting yourself is the most important thing."

You have to admit, they're a perfect couple! They think alike.

“Auntie, boys can suffer losses too,” An Moxue interrupted.

“You’re both grown men, what’s the point of him being taken advantage of? First, he’s not a girl, and second, is he as rich as you?” Aunt Ma looked at her and asked with a hint of resentment.

An Moxue thought for a moment, shook her head, and then asked Aunt Ma, "Auntie, why do you and Uncle Ma not seem to think much of him?"

“It’s not that we don’t think highly of him; we just want to be vigilant and ensure your safety from the very beginning, so you don’t let love cloud your judgment and lead you into danger. These days, the enemy’s sugar-coated bullets are so dangerous; we must always be on high alert.”

"Yes, yes, Auntie is right. She is indeed an old revolutionary with high ideological awareness."

Aunt Ma laughed and scolded, "Stop with the nice talk, look at the dishes I made, is there anything else you want to eat?"

"Chicken stew with mushrooms, tofu with scallions, a plate of venison, a plate of roe deer meat, a plate of stir-fried liver, a stew of sauerkraut and pork ribs, and a seafood soup—that's lunch. For dinner, we'll add fish and some other dishes, making it eight dishes and a soup, plus dumplings. For lunch, we'll just have steamed buns and dumplings. Is that okay?"

"OK."