An Moxue arrived at Old Ma's house carrying a basket. The door was already locked. An Moxue stood at the door and called out, "Uncle Ma! Open the door! Uncle Ma!"
"Hey! Just a moment, I'll be right there!" came Old Ma's voice from inside the house.
After a while, Old Ma opened the door and asked, "Girl, where have you been today? I went to your house twice and the door was locked both times. Come in."
An Moxue stood at the gate without moving, handed over the basket in her hand, and whispered, "Uncle Ma, I'm not going in. I'm going to pay respects to my ancestors. What do you need me for? This is a roe deer I hunted. Don't be reluctant to eat it. Wait for me tomorrow morning. I have to go to the county."
Old Ma took the basket, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Good! Good! Good! It's time to go! Let's have dinner together. Today is the Little New Year! Why did you take so much? It's almost half full! Your aunt and I are old and can't eat this much. Take some back with you."
As he was about to take the meat out of the basket, An Moxue quickly stopped him, saying, "Uncle Ma, don't take it out. I have more. I'm not short of food. You keep these. I'm going back." Without waiting for Old Ma's reply, An Moxue turned around and waved to him.
Old Ma looked at her silhouette, barely visible in the snowy night, smiled, locked the door, and carried the basket into the house.
"Old woman, look at these, what should we do with them?" Old Ma said to Aunt Ma, putting the basket on the ground.
"Where is Mo Xueren?" Aunt Ma asked as she put on her clothes.
"They're gone."
What are you carrying?
Roe deer meat.
"Why is she up the mountain again in this cold weather?"
"You're asking me? I don't know either! Since you've already gone, don't bring it up in front of her."
"Alright! Alright! I'll remember. Don't you think this is Miss Ma's child? If it is, how wonderful that would be! Every time I see her eyes, I think of Miss Ma," Aunt Ma said sadly.
"Then just treat her like a young lady! Just keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone, especially after the children come back, understand? To avoid causing her unnecessary trouble."
"I know, you're so cautious," Aunt Ma said, getting off the ground and lifting the cloth on the basket in surprise. "How did we bring so much? No, you should send some back. We'll keep only a little."
"There's nothing wrong with being cautious. Keep it! She left as soon as she put her things down, just in case I didn't accept it all. It's better to treat the child well and think more about her than anything else."
Aunt Ma brought a knife and a cutting board and placed them on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). She cut the meat into small pieces and said, "Old man, Mo Xue has brought you all the internal organs."
"You know I love braised offal!" Old Ma said with a broad smile.
"Look at you, so smug. You're never this happy when your children treat you so well," Aunt Ma teased him.
"That's right, it's only natural for children to be filial. I'm happy that Mo Xue gave it to me!" Old Ma said proudly.
A moment later, he added, "Don't tell anyone that Mo Xue gave us wild game to eat. Don't tell the children when they come back either. Remember, if they ask, just say we secretly swapped it with someone else. Got it?"
"Why can't we talk about it? We took their things, so we should let the kids know. Shouldn't we be grateful? How can we accept something for nothing?"
"Are you stupid, old woman? If you tell your children, can you guarantee they won't tell their daughters-in-law and sons-in-law? If they tell too much, who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong? Besides, you can explain where this roe deer came from! Aren't you just causing her trouble?"
"Well, I really hadn't thought about that. Luckily you reminded me. I was originally planning to have her come to our house for the New Year! Now, do you think we can even let the child come?"
"I'll ask her then! If she doesn't want to, we shouldn't force her. We can just bring her some food. This child is so well-mannered, she probably won't come."
"We don't care about that."
"And what about your son and daughter-in-law?"
“That’s true. In my younger days, I even abstained from meat for three years during the mourning period! It’s better if you don’t come. The three of us can eat whenever we want. Let’s not make things unpleasant during the New Year. There’s no need for that.”
......
The next day, An Moxue carried a large basket covered with a cloth, and then covered the cloth with a layer of straw, and went out.
The old horseman's mule cart was replaced by a mule-pulled sled.
As the year draws to a close, the weather is still cold, and very few people are going out.
When it was time to depart, there were only five people on the bus.
It was too cold, and no one had the desire to talk. They just greeted each other and huddled together, sitting with their backs to the ponytail.
This was An Moxue's first time riding in a mule-drawn sled. It was faster than a horse-drawn carriage, and if you ignored the cold weather, it was quite a thrill.
Upon arriving in the county town, An Moxue got off the vehicle but did not leave immediately. Instead, she circled the sled twice.
Then he quietly asked Old Ma, "Uncle Ma, is it difficult to make a sled like this?"
"what?"
"My two wolves grew up around the New Year, so I'm thinking of getting a smaller one with a shed. What do you think?"
"Sure, the fur around the edges is lightweight and warm, you don't need any more fur, do you?"
"We don't lack anything."
"But even if you make it, you'll still use it secretly, you know?"
"knew."
Having asked all the questions she needed to, An Moxue picked up her basket and left.
An Moxue went to the police station first. When Director Li saw An Moxue arrive, he thought something had happened again and asked, "Moxue, what happened?"
"It's nothing! It's the New Year, so I'm bringing you some New Year's gifts. I wish you a Happy New Year in advance!" As he spoke, he raised the large basket slung over his arm.
Hearing her say that, Director Li breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes crinkling into a smile, and said, "I'm starting to get scared of you. It's mainly because your accident rate is too high. Tell me, how many of the cases I've handled this year are related to you? It's good that nothing's wrong."
An Moxue didn't mind. She put the basket aside, sat down on the stool, and said, "Uncle Li, I've already divided everything here. In a bit, you can give each person a piece of meat, so everyone in our bureau will get some. The rest is all for you. You've all worked so hard for me these past six months, this is just a small token of my appreciation."
"What kind of meat?" Director Li asked with interest.
"We only caught one roe deer, which is a bit too few. We've given them all away as New Year's gifts. There's also a pheasant and a rabbit in the basket, which are just for you."
"Good job! But you'd better be careful in the future, so you don't get caught."
"I'm being careful! Don't worry! Uncle Li, I have other things to take care of, so I won't bother you any longer. I'll be going now."
Director Li waved his hand and said, "Go ahead! And I wish you a Happy New Year in advance!"
After he finished speaking, An Moxue left the director's office.
............
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