In the afternoon, An Moxue returned home. Wu Sicheng was already sitting at the foot of the courtyard wall of An Moxue's house, with a large bag beside him. An Moxue opened the door and went in. Wu Sicheng stood up and called out, "Moxue."
She didn't expect anyone to be under the courtyard wall. She was startled when she was suddenly called.
"Oh dear, you scared me!" An Moxue patted her chest and said.
Wu Sicheng smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Mo Xue. I was just planning to get you some food to celebrate, but I didn't mean to scare you."
An Moxue waved her hand dismissively and said, "It's nothing. What are you doing here?"
"Since you weren't back and it would be too conspicuous for me to stand outside, I jumped in."
"It seems this gate isn't secure enough. Do you have any ideas?"
Wu Sicheng looked at it and said, "We can make those movable hitching posts, which can be moved over at night and moved away during the day."
"This method works, I'll do it whenever I have time."
"Let me do it for you."
An Moxue locked the courtyard gate, and Wu Sicheng picked up the bag and the two of them went into the house together.
Wu Sicheng stopped in the kitchen and said, "Mo Xue, you're the hero today. I'll cook today, so just wait to eat."
“Okay!” An Moxue went inside, put down her schoolbag, and changed into a pair of slippers.
When I came out, I saw that Wu Sicheng had already taken the things out of the bag and put them in a basin: a piece of pork tenderloin, two pig's trotters, a sea fish, and another basin containing steamed buns and mantou.
Wu Sicheng looked at An Moxue and asked, "Is there any way you'd like it cooked?"
An Moxue thought for a moment and said, "No, please do as you please."
"Then I'll just do my own thing."
Wu Si skillfully added firewood and started the fire, while An Moxue took a small stool and sat down in front of the stove, saying, "I'll tend the fire."
Wu Sicheng smiled and began preparing the ingredients.
One person tended the fire, the other cooked, and they chatted all the while.
"Mo Xue, are you happy?"
"It's alright, not bad. I didn't expect life in the countryside to be so wonderful. I thought it would just be working at sunrise and resting at sunset. It's better than I imagined."
"If you didn't go to the countryside and stayed in the city, which life would you prefer?"
"I don't know. If I don't go to the countryside, I'll have to find a job, but I don't like a monotonous life or a job where I can see the end from the beginning. I can't stand it. I like challenging, free work, and most importantly, something new and exciting. These kinds of jobs are hard to find now. So going to the countryside is still a pretty good option right now."
She silently added to herself, "The main thing is that we've collected so much treasure, but there's still one map without any clues. This map is the most important one, and there might be something I don't know about it. Just thinking about it makes me happy."
With a sizzle, the pig's trotter hit the pot, interrupting An Moxue's thoughts. She looked at Wu Sicheng and thought to herself, "Good-looking people always make cooking so pleasing to the eye."
Wu Sicheng had no idea that cooking a meal could increase An Moxue's affection for him. If he had known, he would have made sure to arrange An Moxue's meals perfectly every day for the foreseeable future.
He missed the chance to win her favor, and An Moxue missed out on a free babysitter.
As Wu Sicheng put the vegetables into the pot, he talked to An Moxue, "Actually, no matter where you live, I think as long as you are happy, everything else is secondary."
"Yes, so although I can't accept those educated youth who would do anything to return to the city, I can understand it."
"What about you? Do you want to go back to the city? Or find a job in the city?" Wu Sicheng asked tentatively. Actually, he wanted to find her an easier job in the city, but he didn't know if she would be willing.
"I don't want to right now. I'm quite happy staying here."
"You're special too. Everyone wants to move to the city, but you're the opposite, you seem to be enjoying yourself so much you don't want to leave."
"There's nothing we can do, people have different aspirations."
Wu Sicheng put the fish stew in the pot, heated the steamed buns and mantou on top, and asked, "Can the pork tenderloin be made into crispy pork tenderloin?"
"Sure! I'd like it sweet and sour."
"no problem."
An Moxue added two more pieces of firewood to the stove and said, "Let's cook the pork tenderloin in the stove! I'll light the fire."
He then lit the stove.
While frying the pork tenderloin, Wu Sicheng asked, "Do you still have kimchi?"
Yes, it's in the jar.
"Then I'll cut a plate of it."
"Sure, cut more if you like."
"How did you make this kimchi? It's so delicious."
"If you put in plenty of ingredients, it will naturally taste good. Want to learn how?"
"Should I teach?"
"Sure! I'll write down an ingredient list, and you can just follow the steps. The taste should be about the same. It's very simple; the only problem is that most people are hesitant to use the ingredients."
"What is it that you would be reluctant to part with?"
"Apples, pears, honey, sugar, fish sauce, how about that?"
"really."
Do you need the order slip again?
"Yes, I want it!"
The meal was prepared amidst the laughter and conversation of the two of them.
After the meal, An Moxue touched her bulging belly and asked Wu Sicheng, "Why do I feel like your cooking skills have improved?"
Wu Sicheng smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll make it for you when I have time." He thought to himself, "Looks like this trick still works."
Aunt Qing is still somewhat useful. Oh dear, should I tell her where Uncle Wen is?
But if I tell her, how will I explain this to Uncle Wen?
After dinner, An Moxue read a book on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Wu Sicheng picked up the bowls and chopsticks and washed them.
An Moxue hesitated for only a second. Thinking of how she had treated and taken care of Wu Sicheng when he was injured, she decided to consider it repayment. With that thought, she felt more at ease and relieved.
...
The next morning, An Moxue got up early, locked the door, went into the back mountain, found a spot where people could see her house, and started practicing martial arts.
Even though it was already broad daylight, she saw the villagers lingering outside her yard. She was glad that she had left early, otherwise she would have been blocked again.
After finishing her martial arts practice, she sat on a rock eating while watching the people coming and going in front of her house. She immediately decided that she would not go home until it got dark.
After finishing her meal, An Moxue walked a distance into the woods, found a secluded spot, and released the two little ones.
The two little ones had been kept in captivity for several days, and when they were finally released, they kept circling around An Moxue.
What An Moxue didn't know was that there were people constantly coming and going in front of her courtyard that day. Some came alone, some came in groups, some she knew, and some she didn't know. The number of people coming and going in her family was more than that of the village chief's family.
Finally, when they couldn't find her, they went to the homes of Village Chief Guo and Accountant Chen.
For several days in a row, An Moxue left early and returned late, not going home until it was completely dark. Even Wu Sicheng couldn't find her, let alone anyone else.
That morning, when An Moxue woke up, she saw that everything outside was covered in white. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground, and it was still snowing from the sky, with large flakes of snow falling, stretching from the sky to the ground.
This was the heaviest snowfall An Moxue had ever seen in her two lifetimes.
She hurriedly bundled herself up tightly, went outside, and ran wildly in the yard with the two little ones.
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