The day after An Moxue was discharged from the hospital, people came to visit her in an endless stream. Some didn't bring anything; they were just there to see what was going on. Some brought three or five eggs. An Moxue found a notebook and wrote down the names of everyone who brought something, so that she could return the favor if they needed anything in return.
Aunt Ma had just seen off Aunt Meihua, Aunt Dagui, and Sister-in-law Guixiang, and finally there were no more guests. When she returned to the house, she said to An Moxue, "Moxue, are you tired? We've been welcoming and seeing off guests, which is more tiring than doing manual labor."
An Moxue chuckled and said, "Auntie, it's nothing, it's just a small matter. I can handle it. It's not tiring. It's just that you've worked hard, Auntie. Let's make something nice to eat tonight to help you recover."
An Moxue thought to herself that this was the same as meeting clients in the past. Dealing with people was something she was very familiar with, so there was nothing tiring about it.
Just as Aunt Ma was about to say something, the voice of the educated youth rang out from outside, "Comrade An, are you home?"
Aunt Ma went out of the house again to open the door and welcome in a group of educated youth. An Moxue saw that most of the people in the educated youth compound had arrived, and there was not enough room for everyone to stand in the house, so she decisively went out of the house and waited for them under the eaves.
When the educated youth saw An Moxue waiting for them under the eaves, Xu Guoqing took the lead and said, "Comrade An, why did you come out? Are you alright?" Then he handed her the basket and said, "This is a small token of our appreciation."
An Moxue didn't even look at what was in the basket, which was covered with leaves. She took it and placed it at her feet, smiling as she said, "Thank you everyone. The room is too small to fit all of us, so please make yourselves outside for a while."
Everyone said it was alright, they came to see her, not to cause trouble.
Aunt Ma saw this, walked over to her, glared at her, and whispered, "I'll go in and get you a stool to sit on. Don't be stubborn." Aunt Ma turned around and went into the house to get a stool for An Moxue.
"Sister Moxue, I heard you hurt your leg. Are you really alright?" Qi Taohua walked up to her and asked with concern.
"It's nothing serious, just needs time to recover." An Moxue sat on a stool, looking at the educated youth, and asked, "Did you just get off work?"
"Hmm, Sister Moxue, your face still hasn't fully healed after all this time. Did it hurt a lot back then?"
"Fortunately, it's inevitable for martial artists to get bumps and bruises; these are all minor injuries."
Since the loan scandal last year, the educated youth in the educated youth compound, apart from the two sisters Qi Hehua and Qi Taohua, have become somewhat distant from An Moxue. Some people didn't ask for money but felt ashamed, while others didn't ask but heard that An Moxue's money had been donated. They felt resentful for not getting any benefit and treated An Moxue badly, even being sarcastic. An Moxue didn't tolerate them, so this was the first time everyone had come to An Moxue's house since that incident.
"Auntie, could you please go to the garden and pick some tomatoes and cucumbers for them to eat?"
"No need, no need." Everyone was very polite, but there was a hint of rudeness mixed in with that politeness.
"An Moxue, you're not going to serve us just some rotten tomatoes and cucumbers, are you?" Ma Li's barbed voice rang out.
“Yeah, Ma Li, you don’t have to eat if you don’t want to! Or if you don’t like me, you don’t have to come!” An Moxue wasn’t going to put up with her.
"I came to check on your two wolves. I'm afraid they'll bite innocent people." Ma Li looked like a righteous messenger.
“Ma Li, besides those five new educated youths this year, who has my wolf ever scared or bitten? Who has it scared or bitten? Why did it have to scare those five of you? Have you thought about it? I’m not angry with you at all now, and I even feel sorry for you. I don’t know who said anything to you, after all, you’ve been together day and night, but you should be more careful!” An Moxue shook her head after saying that.
Ma Li wanted to say something, but Liu Jie pulled her back, so she stopped talking.
Liu Jie said to the two of them, "We are destined to be together as educated youth. Let's be more tolerant of each other. It's not easy for either of us. Why make things difficult?"
An Moxue looked at Liu Jie and said, "Liu Jie, it's not that I'm intolerant. I was so happy that you all came to see me after I came back, but look at this..."
An Moxue didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood.
Xu Guoqing said, "Comrade An, you know Ma Li, she's a big-headed idiot, don't take her seriously."
Ma Li glared, about to say something, but Liu Jie tugged at her again, and she fell silent. But everyone could tell from her sullen expression that she was unhappy.
There were two other new educated youths here, not among the five. Both of them looked unwell. Zhang Xiu hadn't spoken to An Moxue alone since she arrived, and no one knew what she was thinking.
The atmosphere was a little tense when Aunt Ma came back with a basket of cucumbers and tomatoes and said, "Here, they're washed, everyone take some and eat."
Everyone picked one item and held it in their hands. Then, only An Moxue and Qi Taohua talked while the others listened.
Later, they didn't stay long before going back.
After they left, Aunt Ma took off her shoes, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and counted the eggs in the basket that the educated youth had brought. After counting, she said to An Moxue, "Moxue, there are a total of twenty-two eggs in this basket. There were exactly eleven people here today."
"Yes, Auntie, I've written down the names. I'll give you this list when I leave. If any of you need help, please return the favor by referring to this list."
Aunt Ma said, "Okay. You know, people are all young, and they all have a lot on their minds. When nothing's going on, you can't tell if they're human or a monster, but when trouble comes, it's like a magic mirror that reveals all the demons and monsters."
"Auntie's words are truly a philosophy of life! But then again, there are all sorts of people, and those who walk different paths cannot make plans together! There's no need to take it to heart. Getting upset and sad over them is just a waste of your own feelings and energy, which is neither worthwhile nor necessary. Just like Aunt Meihua, since I met her, she has helped me a lot and is always so warm and welcoming. So, there are always some people who are sincere to you, and you must reciprocate with sincerity."
"I don't know where you get your open-mindedness from at such a young age. You're quite optimistic."
"Auntie, shouldn't we cook? I'm a little hungry. Hosting guests is hard work and uses up a lot of food," An Moxue said coquettishly.
"Okay, I'll go make it now." Aunt Ma smiled and put on her shoes before heading to the kitchen.
Just as dinner was ready, Old Ma returned. As soon as he entered the house, he said, "Mo Xue, I received a remittance slip from you today. It says Kyoto Friendship Food Factory on it." Then he took out a remittance slip from his pocket and handed it to An Mo Xue.
"Really? That's great! More money in the bank. This is the rent money."
"How big is your house? How can the rent be so high?" Old Ma asked in surprise.
"Hmm, let me count. There are three main rooms, two side rooms, three east and west wing rooms each, and four rear rooms. It's just a small courtyard house, not very big."
"Your house is quite big, but you can rent it out for such a high amount of money?"
"The smallest room is 30 square meters, and the largest is over 60 square meters. On average, it only costs a little over two yuan per room per month. In Beijing, even a 12-square-meter room would cost two yuan. My house is well-preserved, and it's rented out to a food factory as a guesthouse. This is on an annual basis. Is it still expensive?"
"It's just that this old man is ignorant," Old Ma shook his head.
"No, Uncle Ma, to be honest, you have to believe that the rich and poor will always exist. Ordinary people can't see the lives of the top, so some people and things seem unbelievable to them, but they do exist, it's just that some people don't know it. This house isn't the An family's ancestral home either. It's said that the ancestral home was donated to the country, and that used to be the standard of a prince's mansion."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com