Late at night on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, there was a knock on An Moxue's door, and two little ones kept barking "Awoo, Awoo".
In the middle of the night, An Moxue didn't know who was knocking on the door. She carefully dressed herself, took out a silenced gun from her spatial storage, loaded it, and led the two little ones out of the house.
Outside the gate, Wu Sicheng heard the voices of the two little ones and An Moxue's footsteps from inside the courtyard, and stopped knocking.
When An Moxue reached the middle of the courtyard, she called out softly, "Moxue, it's me, Wu Sicheng."
Upon hearing Wu Sicheng's voice, An Moxue lowered her guard and put away her silenced gun.
Upon hearing Wu Sicheng's voice, the two children quickened their pace and arrived at the gate first, their voices filled with excitement. Wu Sicheng said happily to the two children through the gate, "It wasn't for nothing that I spoiled you; you still remember me!"
At this moment, An Moxue arrived at the gate and opened it.
Wu Sicheng entered the courtyard carrying a large handbag, looked at An Moxue, and asked, "Did I disturb your rest?"
An Moxue closed and locked the door behind her, saying, "No, I'm not asleep yet. Come inside quickly."
Wu Sicheng put down his handbag, set up the tripping stakes, then picked up his handbag again and walked into the house with An Moxue.
An Moxue entered the house and asked, "Why are you so late?"
The two little ones followed Wu Sicheng into the house, circling around his feet.
"I was in a hurry, and something came up that delayed me."
As she spoke, she opened her bag, took out one of the pouches, grabbed a few candies, peeled them, and tossed them to the two little ones. The two little ones were even happier after eating the candies.
An Moxue asked, "You haven't eaten, have you?"
"No, is there anything to eat? Just something to eat will do."
"I made these buns tonight. Wait a moment, I'll go heat them up. There's hot water in the pot, you can scoop it out yourself. And while you're at it, put them back in the steamer."
After An Moxue finished speaking, she went to the kitchen.
Wu Sicheng started taking things out of his bag inside the house. After he finished, he took a large piece of pork, which weighed about ten pounds, into the kitchen. "Mo Xue, here, put the meat away."
An Moxue took the meat, took down a basket hanging from the rafters, put the meat in, and asked, "What, are you really going to spend the New Year here with me?"
"Is it okay? If you don't take me in, I'll have to live on the mountain."
"Sure, let's go after we finish eating."
"Seriously, I have a secret mission this time, and it just happens to be around here. I'm counting on you to take me in, and maybe we can spend the New Year together, okay?"
"Is it okay or not? You're here too."
"Thank you, Mo Xue, otherwise I really would have had to stay outside for the next couple of days." After saying that, she took a basin, scooped up some water, and began to wash her hands and face.
After washing her face, An Moxue put the two little ones into the cage. She was cutting roe deer meat while Wu Sicheng sat on a small stool watching the fire.
An Moxue said, "I heated up some steamed buns and rice porridge for you, and cut some roe deer meat. Would you like some pickled vegetables?"
"A little bit is fine too."
"You're really not being polite," An Moxue teased.
Wu Sicheng smiled and didn't say anything, just watched An Moxue busy herself.
After a while, the steamed buns were heated up, and the two of them carried the food into the house.
Seeing that the quilts on the kang (a heated brick bed) weren't made up, Wu Sicheng asked, "It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I'm reading." If you hadn't come, I would have been having sweet dreams in my virtual space right now.
Wu Sicheng saw the thick stack of books on the cabinet, but didn't ask anything else. He sat down at the table on the kang (a heated brick bed) and started eating.
An Moxue said, "I made the buns in the dark, and then braised the meat after the buns were done. It's all for you. You're really lucky to have such good food."
As she spoke, An Moxue took out spare bedding from the cabinet and spread it on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Wu Sicheng swallowed the bun in his mouth and said, "Tomorrow I'll go up the mountain and hunt some more wild game to make up for it. I also took some flour; you can keep it and use it as my food for the next two days. Look, that whole pile is for you. I'll cook for you when I have time, as compensation, okay?"
Wu Sicheng pointed to a pile of sorted food and said, "Is there anything else you want to eat? I'll get it for you tomorrow."
"You have a mission, right? No need, I don't need anything, the most important thing is for you to do your mission well."
"When I came last time, you were out. How are your girlfriends? Did nothing happen to them?"
"Did the village chief tell you that?"
"Um."
"You don't know, I'm so glad I went. The village accountant not only embezzled the educated youth's packages and remittances, but also the village's money and grain. If I hadn't gone, I don't know if we would have found out."
"You arrived just in time! You've done another good deed for the people."
"Of course."
"How many days did you go?"
"It only took a few days, and I had to beg and plead with Uncle Village Chief to finally agree, but it was just enough to solve the problem, so it's good."
"How was it? Did you enjoy meeting your girlfriends?"
"Of course, the village officials there are not as easy to get along with as those here, and the village is still ruled by a few big families. Who knows how much dirty business goes on behind the scenes!"
"There aren't only good people in this world, there are bad people too! This village is fortunate that the village chief manages it well, otherwise, who knows how many wicked thoughts would emerge!"
An Moxue also agreed, "Indeed, the essence of human nature is self-interest. Not doing something doesn't mean you don't have the idea; it's possible that other factors have held you back."
"How is it? Is there enough to eat?" An Moxue asked, looking at the food on the table.
"That's enough, I can't eat it all. These buns are really delicious. What kind of meat is in them?"
"Pickled cabbage with pork and cabbage with venison."
"Let's try to hunt a deer tomorrow."
"Are you really going to go up the mountain?"
"Yeah. I'll basically be free during the day tomorrow, and I probably won't be back until after dark. If nothing unexpected happens, I won't need to go out on New Year's Eve."
"Why are there still tasks during the Chinese New Year?"
"There's nothing we can do, we made it in time."
"Why are you all so busy? It seems like you've been on a mission or on your way to a mission ever since I met you."
"I've been doing this for the past few years, I'm used to it. What? You don't like it?"
"What business is it of mine whether I like it or not? Aren't you overthinking it? Besides, it's just a job, respect is all that matters."
Hearing her say that, Wu Sicheng felt a little disappointed. He knew she was just a clueless girl, so what was she hoping for?
"It's not always this busy. It's mainly because I'm young and don't have family to worry about, so I have more assignments. After getting married and starting a family, especially after joining the military, the army will take that factor into account when assigning missions."
"Yes, as a soldier, you must obey orders and put the country first. Home, country, and the world—without the country, there is no home."
"But some people just don't understand. They are blinded by immediate interests and do things that betray their country for personal gain, foolishly unaware of their own stupidity. Little do they know that they are hated by their own people and despised by foreigners."
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