Aunt Guo and An Moxue hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they had so much to talk about, from the educated youth at the village entrance to the passing of the widowed old lady Ni at the village committee. "Moxue, when Old Lady Ni was dying, she told me that when I saw you again, I must tell you to thank you for the grain you gave me. Good people are rewarded, and you are very fortunate! Your whole family of good people will bless you, and you will surely live to be a hundred years old."
An Moxue thought to herself that Grandma Ni probably guessed her background. There is no shortage of smart people in this world, but those who know their limits and know when to advance and retreat are the ones who are truly intelligent.
"Did she suffer when she went there?"
"No, she was seriously ill those days. I went to see her, and she was talking to me when she passed away with a smile. It was a perfect ending."
"Auntie, who else in our village has passed away?"
"Besides her, there's only Erga's dad, no one else. There are quite a few newborns, and seven or eight couples have gotten married."
As the two were talking, the door opened, and Village Chief Guo entered the house. Upon seeing An Moxue, his stern face softened considerably. "Moxue, you're back."
"Yes, Uncle Guo, you're back!"
"Hmm." After sitting down, Village Chief Guo said to An Moxue, "Moxue, there have been wolves appearing in the village recently. Now that you're back, could you go to the militia company to help with training for a couple of days and catch some wolves while you're at it?"
Aunt Guo immediately retorted, "Old man, Mo Xue only came back last night. Can't you let her rest properly? Is there no one left in our village, or are there no men left?"
After saying that, Aunt Guo rolled her eyes and turned to An Moxue, gently advising her: "Moxue, don't listen to your Uncle Guo. There are so many men and militiamen in the village. You're just a young girl. Stay put and don't go."
Village Chief Guo was furious. This old woman was something else. Whenever it came to Mo Xue, she would always distance herself from him. He spoke to Aunt Guo in a gentle tone, saying, "Is Mo Xue an ordinary person? Even if our entire militia company went up against her, they probably wouldn't be a match for her alone."
Aunt Guo retorted, "I was just being kind to the girl. She finally got to come back for a few days, and on the very first day, you're already assigning her chores. Even landlords don't treat their people like this."
Seeing that the elderly couple was about to start arguing because of her, An Moxue quickly stopped them, saying, "Uncle Guo, Auntie, I'll go up the mountain to take a look tomorrow. We can talk about it when I get back, okay?"
“Okay,” Aunt Guo said, and Village Chief Guo nodded as well.
Both of them understood An Moxue's meaning: to go into the mountains to see why the wolves were coming down and whether it was related to the two wolves she kept.
With the matter resolved, Village Chief Guo inquired about other things, "Mo Xue, the village is organizing a hunting activity in a few days. Would you like to participate?"
"Uncle Guo, were there no hunting trips organized this winter?"
"We organized an operation, but the wild animals seem to be more active than usual this year. Wolves and wild boars have also come down from the mountains in other villages, and people in several villages have been injured. Fortunately, no one has died. So, the higher-ups have issued an order to organize another operation before the new year, hoping to prevent wild animals from coming down from the mountains and injuring people again."
"Okay, if I'm free then, I'll go. Uncle, how's the harvest in our village these past two years?"
Speaking of this, Village Chief Guo became very excited: "Mo Xue, you don't know, our village ranked first in the whole town in delivering grain this year. We delivered it quickly and well. In addition to the grain rations we received, we have the most grain left over from the unified grain distribution this year. Except for a few lazy people, everyone who received grain can eat their fill. And today we were also named an advanced model village."
"It's all thanks to your excellent leadership, Uncle." An Moxue genuinely felt that Village Chief Guo was a good official who had no selfish motives when it came to village affairs.
Village Chief Guo waved his hand and said, "Everyone deserves credit for this." But the smile on his face betrayed him.
"Uncle, has anyone come looking for me while I've been away?"
"No, there's nothing on the surface. I didn't notice anything. Since you're here today, why don't you eat here this afternoon? Let your aunt make your favorite dishes."
"No, I'll eat at Uncle Ma's house. But I promised Aunt Guo I'd come for dinner tomorrow afternoon. But I've changed my mind. I'm going up the mountain tomorrow. Aunt Guo, then wait until I come back from the mountain. Maybe I'll even catch some wild game then," An Moxue said, looking at Aunt Guo.
Hearing her say that, Aunt Guo glared at Village Chief Guo again and said, "Alright, be careful going up the mountain and come down as soon as possible."
"Okay! I'll listen to my aunt."
After An Moxue finished speaking, she picked up the empty basket and said, "Uncle Guo, Auntie, I'm going home first. I still need to heat up the kang (heated brick bed) before going to Uncle Ma's house for dinner!"
"Okay." The old couple agreed and left the house. Duoduo saw An Moxue was about to leave and escorted her a long way to the gate before returning home.
An Moxue walked home, and before she even reached the house, she saw smoke rising from the chimney. She quickened her pace and went inside. Old Ma was sitting in front of the stove, watching the fire inside, and his hands were busy weaving a delicate little basket, very similar to Duoduo's.
"Uncle Ma, when did you get back?"
"I've been back for a while now."
An Moxue also took a small stool and sat not far from Old Ma. Looking at his hair, which was now grayer than before, she suggested, "Uncle Ma, you know, you already have old injuries to your back and legs, and you're getting older every year. Driving to the town and county in the winter is hard work. Why don't you quit? I'll give you and your wife ten or twenty yuan a month, plus the coupons from your work unit. That should be enough for you two. What do you think?"
Old Ma continued what he was doing, without even looking up: "Not good? I have a pension, I don't need you to support me. Besides, I still have sons! I've raised them all from childhood. If I were to expect you to support me in my old age, wouldn't that be letting them off easy? There's no such thing as a free lunch. I can't do it. Besides, I still have to live to be a hundred! I'm waiting for you to take me and your aunt to see the beautiful landscapes of our motherland, so I need to be in good health. Keeping busy will keep you healthy. If you're too idle, your health will collapse, and I can't stay idle."
An Moxue was both amused and exasperated. "Uncle Ma, alright, you're right. I'll take your and Aunt's pulses again before I leave and prepare some more medicine. But you two have to eat the food I brought back for you properly."
"Yes, I will. Look inside, do you like the basket I wove for you?"
When An Moxue entered the room, she saw dozens of baskets of different sizes, all of which were like works of art, exquisite and practical, and none of them were the same. An Moxue's eyes immediately reddened.
She stood by the door and said to Old Ma, "Uncle Ma, I heard from Uncle Guo that wolves have come down from the mountain into the village. I want to go into the mountains tomorrow to see what's going on, whether it's the Lightning and Gale wolf pack. Can I take all these baskets to the ancestral graves and hide them? I'm afraid that if someone comes in and damages them while I'm at home, I'll be heartbroken."
"Okay, be careful going up the mountain. I wove the basket for you, so you can decide what to do. Let's go out tonight, as we agreed last night."
"Okay. Thank you, Uncle Ma, you're so kind!"
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