Hearing him say this, An Moxue fell silent. Only those who were in the thick of it knew how luxurious "living" was for them. Every day they walked a tightrope high in the air, and too many nameless heroes sacrificed themselves without anyone knowing.
Even worse, some families don't know what they were doing or why they sacrificed their lives until they died; some family members even harbor resentment and blame.
No flowers;
There was no applause;
No praise;
Only silence.
She let out a long sigh of relief, changed the subject, and asked, "Director Ma, how is the domestic food supply now?"
"It's a little better than in previous years. No one has starved to death, but only a portion of people want to be full. There are still some people who are working hard but are still hungry and can't get enough to eat."
"What do you think if I bring some grain over from over there?" This was something An Moxue had wanted to do for a long time, but she hadn't been able to figure out the border situation. Now that she was much more confident, she naturally wanted to do it.
Director Ma sat up straight, intrigued, and looked at An Moxue: "Are you confident?" The feeling of being hungry is truly unbearable; who wouldn't want to be able to eat their fill!
"Getting a few truckloads a year shouldn't be a problem, but we can't go through the same border line; we have to spread them out so we'll attract less attention. It's best to get in touch with the border guards here and unload the grain directly at their camp, which will save a lot of trouble. As for where the grain goes, you can negotiate with the army, okay?" She didn't raise those little beggars for nothing.
"Okay, that's perfect. The military is always very frugal, and the soldiers train so hard, they can't possibly have too much food." He himself was a soldier, so he knew all too well how tough it was for the military.
"Then you can arrange things here before I leave next time. I'll arrange things over there when I get back."
"Okay, if you want to go back to Anle Village, go to the logistics department and collect some of your tickets. I've already exchanged the tickets I used to give you for cash from the army, and they're in your payroll accounts."
"Then I'll go and collect some later."
"Tell me about your experiences abroad." As a section chief, one must know as much as possible about things abroad in order to better analyze situations.
Where should I begin?
"Let's start with your experience as an exchange student in England. Among all the people who go abroad to infiltrate, there aren't many who have done it as successfully as you." Director Ma's words were filled with undisguised pride.
"Well, can we say that our people are far behind those people? Our people have enough to eat and wear, and they have their own pursuits. In particular, there is one thing that our country does not have, which is related to the progress of science and technology."
"What?"
"Computers. Many countries abroad have started using them in daily office work, especially in scientific research. Our country is far behind in this respect."
"What is it specifically used for?"
"Scientific computing. One machine is equivalent to a dozen to several dozen highly efficient mathematical calculators. Isn't that a staggering number? As computing speed increases, the gap will only widen."
Director Ma gasped, "This is a bit terrifying."
"Yes."
"Is it difficult to get? Let's get one or two back and take a look."
"It's not difficult, just a bit pricey. Transportation is a problem. The item is a bit big and heavy, so it's not easy to transport, especially since we have to do it secretly, which makes it even more difficult. The item is delicate and can be easily bumped or damaged."
"Then you should try to get one or two."
"Okay, I'll figure something out when I get back."
"what else?"
“We consider the things of our ancestors to be dross and garbage, but they value them highly. The prices are much higher than we imagine, and a lot of them are still flowing out of the country. It keeps me up at night and makes me furious.”
"There's no other way; we can't completely eliminate it, so we can only investigate strictly and try to minimize the loss."
"Technology, agriculture, commerce, and so much more."
Director Ma sighed deeply, "What can we do? I hope the country recovers soon! Alright, go to the logistics department to get your work permit and some more tickets. If you don't want to go back today, you can stay overnight and leave tomorrow. Go to the logistics department to get your bedding and dormitory key."
An Moxue glanced at her watch, stood up, and said, "Director Ma, I'll go to logistics to get my things and then I'll leave."
As An Moxue spoke, she opened another bundle and began taking things out, saying, "These are for Captain Xu and Instructor Shen. They can decide how to distribute them. Please send this pile to Xiang Guorong's parents."
After spending a few hours with An Moxue, Director Ma realized that she was a woman who was not short of money and was also generous.
"Okay, they'll all be delivered."
An Moxue left Director Ma's office, went to the logistics department, picked up her receipts and work ID, and then left.
After leaving the military base, she took the last train of the day to Anping County.
It's probably because it's winter, and people here have started to hibernate. There are more people traveling than in the summer, and some former educated youth are also taking the bus home to visit their families.
After getting off the train, An Moxue walked to the outskirts of the county town. She looked around and, finding no one nearby, took out her car and drove towards Anle Village.
On a cold, windy night, she recalled the first time she had traveled to the county town in the dark. Back then, she scolded herself for being stupid for not having a car in her storage space. Now she had a car, but things had changed. She wondered if Uncle Ma would be surprised to see her. Thinking about it, she smiled.
Perhaps preoccupied with something, and not having traveled a long distance, An Moxue arrived at a point not far from the village in the blink of an eye. She parked the car, carried her things, and walked into the village.
Rural people go to bed early, and there are only a few houses with their lights on. The whole village is quiet. The cold wind blows across An Moxue's face, but it also brings a sense of tranquility and peace to her heart. Perhaps this is the feeling of returning home!
The closer An Moxue got to home, the more excited and eager she became. Instead of going back to her own home, she went to Old Ma's house.
Once outside the gate, he put down his things, jumped easily into the yard, stood under the window, gently knocked on the window a few times, and called out, "Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, open the door."
Perhaps because of their age, they were both light sleepers, and when An Moxue called out, they both woke up.
Then Uncle Ma asked, "Old woman, did you hear that? I feel like it's Mo Xue calling me!"
Aunt Ma said uncertainly, "I heard it too. Could it be that we're hallucinating because we've been thinking about it day and night?"
Hearing this, An Moxue felt a warm yet bittersweet feeling in her heart: "Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, you heard me right, it's me, Moxue, I'm back."
Aunt Ma said urgently, "Oh! Old man, open the door quickly."
Uncle Ma said, "We must not light the lamps first."
"No, I have to get up and make something for the girl." Then the sound of someone getting dressed could be heard.
The room lit up, and An Moxue heard footsteps.
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