"Wow, that's impressive! You've improved." Uncle Ma returned from outside and overheard their conversation, so he continued.

An Moxue stood up and looked towards the door. "Uncle Ma, you're back."

"How's it going? Any progress these past few days?"

"Yes, we killed several wild dogs. We still need real combat experience, including reconnaissance. I'd like to go to the mountains again in a few days."

"Okay, just let me know before you leave, so that we can find you if anything happens. The brigade headquarters will keep track of you."

"Yes, my aunt told me. Uncle, does Li Guangshou know kung fu? He seems really good at it."

"Why did you suddenly ask him?"

“I rescued a soldier yesterday. I went down the mountain to ask him to help me take him to the hospital. I happened to see him practicing martial arts in the yard.”

"He had a master when he was young, and he's the strongest fighter among us old guys. I'm the scout. What? Want to learn?"

"Yes, the old man has already agreed. I can go whenever I have time. I wanted to ask you, is there anything I should be aware of when I go?"

"Wow! Not bad, you have a good eye. If you could have even a fraction of his fighting skills, you'd be able to protect yourself. Learn from him. He just loves to drink, but his drinking habits are different from most people's. He likes all kinds of good wine, unlike many drinkers who only like a few or one type. His family is simple, just the two of them, like ours, and their children are all working. We're all in the same situation; we all moved out after our children got married. It was Zhuge who suggested it back then, but sadly, he's no longer here." Old Ma's mood became somewhat somber as he spoke of his deceased old friend.

"Zhuge, just hearing that name tells you he's a smart person."

"That's right, he's our strategist, he has the most ideas, he's the most insightful, and he's the most ruthless when it comes to force. Back then, he said that when the children grow up, get married, and have their own families, it's okay for the son, but not necessarily for the daughter-in-law. Even we parents can't always treat them all equally, because ten fingers aren't all the same length. Later, the children grew up and got married one by one. We saw the benefits of dividing the family property, so we divided it up one by one. The village chief's family saw that our family was more peaceful after dividing it up, so they followed suit."

"If the distribution is so small, many elderly people will cling to it. The favored ones don't want to receive a share, while the unfavored ones suffer and are mistreated. Over time, conflicts will increase, and it will be difficult for the family to be harmonious."

Aunt Ma said, "That makes sense, but how many people can understand it?"

Old Ma said, "Some people see through it all, but they're clinging to those small benefits and unwilling to let go, trying to show off their magnanimity! Bullshit, they're nothing special."

"Uncle Ma, are there wild horses in these mountains?"

"Yes, they are mostly in groups, deep in the mountains and forests, not in the outer areas."

"Uncle, I heard that some forests are right next to the border. Is that true? If someone crosses the border through the forest, no one will know."

"What are you thinking about all day? There are patrols on the border, and even if there aren't, it's deep in the mountains and forests, not a place that ordinary people can pass through. Getting lost, wild animals, it's no joke."

"I've never seen such big mountains before, since I've been here all my life. I don't know much, so I'm asking questions. Uncle, do you remember that movie projectionist? I felt like I recognized him, and I had a feeling he wasn't simple, but I couldn't find any useful clues, not a single trace. I went with him a few times, and to his house twice. Yes, it was too clean. My impression of him was that his home, his relationships, were all too clean, unrealistically clean, that's the feeling. Uncle, do you understand what I mean?"

“It seems he might really have a problem. Next time I go to the county, I'll go to the Public Security Bureau and talk to them, asking them to pay more attention to this person. Sometimes intuition is more accurate than what you see; what you see might be what he wants you to see.”

"What about the educated youth? Were the male educated youth all well-behaved?"

"No problems have been found so far."

"Isn't it better to just live a normal life? You're always causing trouble, it's so annoying. Auntie, what are you doing? It looks really nice."

"I made this for my granddaughter. It's a little tiger that can be used as a toy or a pillow. Now that it's finished, she'll have something to play with when she comes back for Chinese New Year. It's been two years since I've been back."

Will you be able to come back this year?

"The letter says it's about the same."

"That's wonderful. Family reunion is the happiest thing. Uncle Ma, is anyone at the brigade headquarters right now?"

"have."

"Okay, Uncle Ma, Auntie, I'll go get the letter. I wonder who sent it to me." An Moxue said, standing up and walking out.

"Go ahead, there are several letters."

After An Moxue left, Aunt Ma said, "That girl probably misses her parents; she's acting a bit strange."

Uncle Ma nodded in agreement: "Yes, she's only been a few months, there's still time for her to recover. I heard from Comrade Zhang from Beijing that her parents are both exceptionally talented and remarkable people. You can tell how outstanding her parents are just by looking at her. It's a pity, such talent is often envied by heaven."

"She was remembered even after death, and her children were affected. You can imagine what kind of person she was. She was no ordinary person; she was destined for greatness."

...

An Moxue walked leisurely on her way to the brigade headquarters, unable to think of who would write to her.

She chatted with a woman she met, and a child came over to invite her to catch toads the next day. The toads had red bellies and yellow bellies, and were said to be the last batch of the year. If she wanted to eat them, she would have to wait until next year. An Moxue had never eaten or caught toads before, but she readily agreed. These were all revolutionary sentiments she had gained during the autumn harvest, exchanged for sugar.

A 20-minute journey took her more than an hour.

In the brigade headquarters, the village chief and the accountant were both there. An Moxue knocked on the door and went in. "Uncle Guo, Uncle Chen, where are you? I've come to get the letter."

"Mo Xue, come, sit for a while. How was your trip to the mountain these past few days? Did you find anything?"

"Uncle Guo, yes, if I run into the people from the movie day, I can catch them on the spot without having to go deep into the mountains. I'd like to go in again in a few days to practice. Is there anything going on in our village lately? Do you need me? If not, I'll hold off for now."

Village Chief Guo took a stack of letters out of his drawer and handed them to An Moxue. “It’s nothing, just let us know where you are when you go up the mountain.”

An Moxue took the letter and said to Village Chief Guo, "Uncle Guo, don't worry, I definitely won't run around."

Accountant Chen said, "Wow, you're amazing! Even the strongest militiaman in our village might not be a match for you. You've improved so quickly!"

An Moxue continued, "Yes, you have to be vigilant at all times when you're training in the mountains. I even encountered some wild dogs and killed several of them!"

"Mo Xue, where's the dog?" Accountant Chen asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I was only focused on escaping at the time, I didn't care about anything else. I ran for half a day and didn't stop until it got dark. The wild dogs were too troublesome."

Accountant Chen kept saying, "What a pity, what a pity."

Village Chief Guo said, "Mo Xue, don't pay any attention to him, he just loves to eat dog meat."

"Oh, I see. Uncle Chen, don't worry, I'll definitely get you a dog next time I have the chance."