Time flies by when you're busy. Before you know it, summer vacation is coming to an end.
When An Moxue came out after finishing her last exam, she felt completely relaxed.
She walked briskly towards home, and just as she reached the front gate, she heard Old Ma say, "Why are you packing so early? Don't you need to? Mo Xue said she'll pack tomorrow. She'll finish her exams tomorrow, and once it's packed, we can just take it away. We can sleep in our own home tomorrow night. Besides, there's no rush. Comrade Wu also said that this yard isn't for rent, so we should keep the key here so he can keep an eye on it."
"What do you know, old man? Now that Mo Xue is back, do you think we'll be the ones cleaning up all this stuff? If she doesn't do it, won't she be the one who gets exhausted? She has to go to school every day and learn appraisal from Master Wu. You haven't seen how many books she reads during the week. She finally has a holiday, so we should let her rest as much as possible. Let's treat this chores as exercise for both of us!"
"You're absolutely right, everything you say is correct. Mo Xue will be back soon! Why don't you go cook first, and I'll clean up? What if she gets back before the food is ready and she's hungry?"
"I prepared the dough this morning. We'll make steamed sugar pancakes and a few side dishes later. I'll go cook, you can take care of your own business."
An Moxue smiled warmly and called out as soon as she entered the courtyard, "Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, I'm back! Is dinner ready? I'm a little hungry!"
Aunt Ma's voice came from the kitchen, "Wait a minute, we'll have dinner in less than half an hour. Grab a biscuit to tide you over."
As she entered the house, she saw package after package of pre-packaged goods.
When Old Ma saw her come in, he asked in a low voice, "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation at the door? Why didn't you just come in and rescue me? Luckily, I was quick-witted and changed the subject."
An Moxue smiled maliciously, "How could that be? Please don't wrong me, I just got back and didn't hear anything."
"No way." Old Ma didn't believe her at all! He asked again, "We're leaving the day after tomorrow! We still don't have time to pack all this stuff! Can't we stay another day?"
"It can be done. We'll come to help tomorrow. You two just need to take charge. Don't worry about anything else. The restaurant will deliver the food at noon."
"Fine, whatever you say. You're the owner, so you decide. It's better to move to your own place; it'll feel more prestigious and you can do whatever you want there."
An Moxue complained, "I didn't see anything wrong with you living here! On the contrary, you seemed quite casual."
Old Ma rolled his eyes: "How can that be the same? Living in your own house and living in someone else's house are completely different feelings, okay?" Why can't she understand the old couple's good intentions? Living in someone else's house always makes you feel inferior in front of them. It's not like we don't have a house or can't afford to buy one. There's no need for that!
An Moxue leaned closer to him and asked, "Hey, old man, do you want to visit your daughter this time you go to Shanghai? It's a rare opportunity, didn't you say you haven't seen your daughter for years?"
Old Ma asked, "Is the timing okay? Don't you have other plans?"
"It's okay, I've already informed them. School has started, so it's fine to come back a few days late."
"Then let's go. Don't tell your aunt; we'll surprise her. It's just a pity it's so hot now, we can't bring any Kyoto specialties." Old Ma said as he gathered his things.
"That's no problem. I already gave you and your aunt a savings account! When the weather cools down and you come back, just buy whatever you like and mail it to us. Besides, we can buy it in Shanghai. The things there are just as good as in Kyoto, especially the imported goods, which are even more complete than in Kyoto."
"Spend your own money! That's not a good idea!"
An Moxue saw his grin that stretched to his ears and bluntly exposed him, "No, you're shameless enough to do that. I'd feel uncomfortable if I didn't spend money."
"Grand and imposing, with the style of his ancestors."
Just then, Aunt Ma came in and asked, "What are you two whispering about? Dinner's ready, you can clean up after you finish eating."
“Auntie, my Uncle Ma—” An Moxue said, pausing deliberately, when she saw Old Ma glaring at her.
She ignored him and continued, "He said he'd take you to the Bund for a Western meal for two when he gets to Shanghai, and that I should be sensible and stay as far away as possible. Auntie, is my Uncle Ma rich? How come he's saving up money on the side?"
After hearing this, Aunt Ma completely forgot about the romantic Western-style dinner for two. She looked at Old Ma and loudly questioned, "Where did you get the money? Tell me! Have you been doing something behind my back again? Otherwise, how would you have money?"
Old Ma said anxiously, "Keep your voice down, keep your voice down! You old woman, aren't you afraid the neighbors will hear and cause trouble for Mo Xue?"
Aunt Ma immediately shut up, while An Moxue cheered from the side, "Auntie, what has Uncle Ma been doing behind our backs? I don't know, fine, but you don't know either? This old man can't be let off the hook."
Aunt Ma lowered her voice and questioned, "Yes, tell me, what have you been doing behind our backs? Otherwise, you can't be so guilty."
“What did I do? I just went to the cotton mill to help repair some vehicles. Their mechanic happened to be on leave a few days ago. It wasn't much money, but I was saving it to treat you to a nice meal! I was thinking of borrowing some more from her if it wasn't enough! After all, I'm treating you to a meal, so I can't ask you for money again, right? Don't you think so?”
"A cotton mill? Uncle Ma, you got in? That's impressive!" An Moxue said, giving a thumbs up.
Old Ma glared at her again and said irritably, "What do you mean 'okay'? You love watching the drama and never mind making things worse. You're the one who stirred things up. I don't have that ability. Someone else introduced me to you."
Before An Moxue could speak, Aunt Ma said, "Alright, why are you talking to her! You think you're right? Keep your money! I'm waiting for a big meal. I bet you don't have enough money, so I won't order anything cheap. Let's go eat."
After Aunt Ma finished speaking, she was the first to leave the house. Old Ma stopped An Moxue, who was about to slip away, and said coldly, "Wait, you even betrayed me. See if I'll cover for you next time your aunt picks a fight with you. We both work under her, how can you be so self-righteous! Can our revolutionary friendship last? You have no loyalty."
After saying that, Old Ma ignored her and stepped out of the room.
An Moxue watched the old man's retreating figure and then left the house as well, her eyes and brows full of smiles. It was so rare to be able to amuse this old man, given that she had both time and things to do. How delightful!
Standing on the aunt's side and agreeing with him is perfectly reasonable.
You're hiding money? I'm not going to let you get away with that.
Aunt Ma called from the kitchen, "Mo Xue, come out quickly, aren't you hungry?"
"Oh! Coming, coming! Auntie, I'm coming right away." An Moxue said, stepping into the kitchen.
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