This was the third day after An Moxue called Wu Sicheng, the day they had agreed he would come. Since no specific time had been set, An Moxue had no choice but to stay at home, reading and waiting for him.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, there was a knock on An Moxue's door. The two little ones cried out a few times when they heard the sound, and only stopped crying when An Moxue responded. When she went out to see what was going on, it was none other than Wu Sicheng. He was carrying a large bag on his back and two large bags in each of his hands.

She opened the door, let him in, and asked, "What are you doing with all these bags?"

As the two walked into the house, Wu Sicheng said, "I took two months off this time. If Grandpa Li Guangshou agrees to teach me martial arts, I'll have to stay here, so I took a bit too much."

"It's this late, have you eaten yet?" An Moxue asked.

"No, I was afraid of causing you trouble, so I took the mountain path."

Upon entering the kitchen, the two little ones saw Wu Sicheng and started howling. An Moxue had no choice but to release them from the cage.

After the two little ones came out, they kept circling around the two people. Wu Sicheng noticed that the cage containing the two little ones was a bit small, so he said, "I'll make you a new cage after I've settled them in. This one is a bit small."

"Okay, thank you in advance."

The two went inside. Wu Sicheng handed the other bag to An Moxue, but she didn't take it. She looked at him with a puzzled expression. He said, "This is from a comrade I was on a mission with. He asked me to give it to you to thank you for the medicine. Zhao Gang and Huang Zhong had the most, and they both said that without you, their lives would be in danger! They asked me to tell you to accept it. It's just to express our gratitude."

An Moxue asked, "How is Huang Zhong?"

"This kid has resumed training, but he can't go on missions for a while and needs to rest for some time."

"That's good."

"You rest for a bit. I don't know when you'll arrive, so I brought your portion of the meal. I'll heat it up for you, it'll be ready in a little while."

An Moxue was heating up food in the kitchen when Wu Sicheng started taking things out.

After An Moxue heated up the food, Wu Sicheng also packed up his things, leaving a large pile of An Moxue's belongings on the kang (heated brick bed).

As An Moxue entered the room, Wu Sicheng said, "Moxue, these things are all for you, so put them away quickly."

An Moxue asked in surprise, "How did you pack so much stuff?"

On the kang (a heated brick bed) was a piece of military green khaki cloth, a bag of flour, a bag of rice, five bars of soap, two bags of milk powder, two bottles of malted milk powder, a bag of White Rabbit milk candy, a bag of orange-flavored milk candy, a dozen apples, and a pair of suede women's big-toed shoes.

Wu Sicheng said, "This is a thank you gift for saving me last time. Don't think it's too little, it's just a small token of my appreciation. The rice, flour, and cloth are in the backpack, and the rest are in this bag."

Looking at this pile of things, An Moxue thought to herself, "If I could save more people like you every time, I might as well save a few more."

On the surface, however, he seemed indifferent: "It's a small matter, don't worry about it. I'll accept the gifts this time."

As he spoke, he gathered his belongings and put them in the closet. Finally, only the shoes remained. Wu Sicheng looked at them and said to An Moxue, "Try them on and see the size. It's best if they're a little big so you can wear wool socks inside in winter. These shoes are the warmest; I guarantee your feet won't get cold in winter." But in his heart, he thought, "I bought them a size larger than your usual size. They'll fit perfectly, and you can even wear thick socks in winter."

An Moxue also had a pair, but they were old.

She picked up the new shoes, took off her old ones, and put them on. Her feet immediately felt soft and warm. They were the right size and very comfortable to wear, although they were a bit heavy.

Both of them were very satisfied with the shoes she was wearing.

An Moxue took off her shoes and said to Wu Sicheng, "Thank you, I really like them. I have a pair too, but they don't feel as thick as these."

Seeing that An Moxue liked the gift he gave her, Wu Sicheng was also happy and said, "It's cold here, so the clothes and shoes we wear in winter are the thickest and warmest. Kyoto is warmer in winter than here, so the clothes and shoes we wear are probably a bit thinner."

She put away the shoes and then picked up Wu Sicheng's bowl and served him his meal.

Wu Sicheng sat at the table, eating as he spoke to An Moxue: "Moxue, when are we going to Grandpa Li Guangshou's house?"

"After you finish eating, we'll go together. We'll take the mountain path; it's shorter."

After Wu Sicheng finished eating, he took his luggage and gifts. An Moxue led the two children from the back mountain to Grandpa Li's house. Along the way, Wu Sicheng noticed that An Moxue's steps were lighter and faster.

Even after descending the mountain, An Moxue's breathing remained even and gentle, and his face showed no signs of the heat from the mountain journey. A big question mark appeared in his mind—could practicing ancient martial arts lead to such rapid progress?

At Old Man Li's house, the gate was open. An Moxue led Wu Sicheng into Old Man Li's house and called out as soon as they entered the yard, "Uncle Li, Aunt Li, are you home?"

All that could be heard from inside the house was Aunt Li's voice: "Yes, come in."

The two entered the house, and An Moxue spoke first: "Aunt Li, are you home alone?"

Aunt Li didn't answer her question. Instead, she looked at the two of them and said, "Quickly invite the guests in. Don't you see your Uncle Li outside?"

An Moxue replied, "No, the gate was open, so we came in. Auntie, this is the friend I was talking about with Uncle Li a few days ago."

Wu Sicheng bowed to Aunt Li with a junior's greeting. Aunt Li said gently, "No need for formalities, please sit down." She poured a bowl of water for each of them. After they were both seated, Aunt Li said, "Mo Xue, you sit with the guests for a while. I'll go find some water and come back in a bit. If you don't have enough, please get some yourself."

Aunt Li turned and left.

After Aunt Li left, An Moxue whispered to Wu Sicheng, "That old man is a bit serious and fierce. Look how gentle Aunt Li is. Let me tell you, Aunt Li is still the one who calls the shots at home. Whatever Aunt Li says goes, and Uncle Li never argues."

Wu Sicheng nodded and said, "This Aunt Li seems so gentle. I unconsciously want to speak softly in front of her. She's clearly very well-mannered."

“That’s right.” An Moxue couldn’t be as gentle as Aunt Li, but she liked Aunt Li’s personality very much. She was just like her grandmother. Sometimes she could see her grandmother’s shadow in Aunt Li. It wasn’t that they looked alike, but that their personalities were very similar. No matter what, they were always gentle and calm, which was very soothing.

“Let me tell you, if things don’t go smoothly with Uncle Li later, we’ll switch to trying to win over Aunt Li. As long as Aunt Li is willing to talk, there shouldn’t be any major problems,” An Moxue said confidently to Wu Sicheng.

Although Wu Sicheng didn't know what An Moxue meant by "strategy," it didn't stop him from understanding what she meant: if Uncle Li was unwilling to teach, he could ask Aunt Li to intercede on his behalf.