When An Moxue returned home, she heard laughter coming from the yard before she even entered the house. She turned around and asked, "Why did you disturb Auntie and Aunt Qing?"
“They insisted on coming when they heard you were back, and I couldn’t stop them!” Wu Sicheng said, taking An Moxue’s hand and leading her into the house.
She struggled against his arm, "There are elders here! They'll think I'm not mature enough. Let go of me!"
"Alright!" Wu Sicheng said, reluctantly letting go of her hand, but still walked into the courtyard side by side with her.
Old Ma was the first to notice her return. He stood there without moving, and just one glance was enough to tell her she was safe and sound, putting his mind at ease.
An Moxue saw his gaze, gave him a reassuring smile, and then started calling out, "Auntie, Aunt Qing, Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, I'm back." Several people came out of the kitchen upon hearing her voice and surrounded her. Poor Wu Sicheng was pushed to the side, weak and helpless, but unfortunately no one paid him any attention.
Old Ma went over, patted his arm, and the two went to the side to talk.
When guests arrived, An Moxue didn't dare ask Aunt Ma what she was having for dinner. Aunt Ma, however, knew An Moxue well and offered, "I didn't know Xiuyu and Aqing would be coming. I steamed some sticky rice dumplings. You and Comrade Wu are back now, so go buy some groceries and let's celebrate and get rid of any bad luck for you."
"Okay, I'll go inside and get some tickets."
An Moxue took the tickets and drove out with Wu Sicheng to buy groceries.
Although it was afternoon and some families had already eaten, the market was still very crowded.
An Moxue said, "Let's buy them separately to save time. I'm a little hungry. I'll go pick out a fish I want to eat, and you can go to the vegetable and pork stall and see what else you can buy."
Wu Sicheng didn't want to be separated from her, but when she said she was hungry, he didn't object and said, "Then let's hurry up and buy it, and then go back and cook."
“Okay!” An Moxue said, picking out some tickets and handing them to him.
After the two parted ways, An Moxue headed straight for the seafood section and immediately spotted a carp in the pool. She estimated it to weigh at least five or six pounds.
"Comrade, I want that carp, the biggest one," An Moxue said, pointing to the carp.
The man glanced at the fish but didn't grab it. Instead, he asked, "Comrade, this fish weighs several pounds. Do you have a receipt?"
An Moxue didn't say anything and handed over the ticket.
As the man collected the tickets, An Moxue noticed that the calluses on his hands were unusual, and she also found sulfur and saltpeter powder between his fingers. She took it seriously and started chatting with the man, "Comrade, your fish is really fresh. Where did you catch it?"
The man smiled a little embarrassedly: "Comrade, I don't know either, I'm just in charge of selling."
An Moxue said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I was just asking casually. I just love eating fish, and I was thinking how great it would be if we could always have fish this big." It was as if she really was just asking casually.
"Comrade, you look unfamiliar. Are you new here? I didn't see you last time I came to buy groceries."
"Hmm, I've only been here for a week." The man replied, his hands still moving, deftly catching and weighing the fish. "Comrade, this fish weighs six pounds and two ounces. You still have three ounces of fish coupons left."
"Alright! Thank you for your help, Master! It's not easy to find a job these days, Master is so lucky! And this place for buying and selling food and drinks is even better."
"Sigh! Yes! I was just lucky."
The man strung the fish together with straw rope and handed it to An Moxue, saying, "Comrade, take this carefully, don't get water on yourself, it's fishy."
At the same time, An Moxue handed over the money, took back the fish ticket as change, and then stole a glance at his hand. She then casually left the stall to buy some ginger and meet up with Wu Sicheng.
Once in the car, An Moxue said, "We'll turn around in a bit and go to the post office; I have something to do."
Wu Sicheng turned his head to look at her and asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"
An Moxue said, "That fishmonger is interesting. Let's give him a call and check him out."
"good."
An Moxue came out of the post office with a furious, gritting look on her face. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was about to start a fight.
Wu Sicheng looked at her with amusement, wondering who had the ability to make her so angry.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
An Moxue still had that murderous look on her face. "Nothing much? Some of them are getting old, some are disrespectful to their elders, they need to be taught a lesson." She even brought him back some nice things from abroad, making him watch them but not be able to eat them, making him drool with envy.
Wu Sicheng didn't ask any more questions. Some things and people, even if they got married in the future, were not his concern.
"Alright, stop being angry. How do you want to eat the fish? I'll have Aunt Qing cook it later." Wu Sicheng found it amusing; it was rare to see her like this.
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? This is Aunt Qing's first time visiting my home." But her cooking is really delicious.
"You wait here, I'm going back to find my mom," Wu Sicheng said with a mysterious smile.
"That's not a good idea!" But the desire in her eyes betrayed her honesty.
“Then… I won’t… look for it anymore,” Wu Sicheng said hesitantly.
"Go ahead and look! I'll pretend I don't know anything. I'm going to take a shower when I get back to get rid of the bad luck, then have dinner. Perfect timing!"
"Fine! I'll listen to you." She's quite shrewd; he was the one who suggested it, but in the end, she got to listen to her, which is only because she didn't hold it against him.
An Moxue glared at him, looked at the scenery outside, and asked, "What am I going to do when I go back to school tomorrow? We forgot to ask the police at headquarters."
"It's alright, Director Shen will definitely take care of things for you. By the way, when were he and your father comrades-in-arms? Why is he so considerate of you?"
An Moxue recalled the memories in her mind, "Once, the two of them went on a mission together. My father risked being hit by three bullets to carry him back, and my mother snatched him back from the brink of death. Later, he was left with aftereffects and was no longer suitable for missions. So he chose to retire from the army and join the public security system. If I hadn't met him this time, I really wouldn't have known that he became the director of the General Administration."
Wu Sicheng exclaimed, "A friendship that transcends life and death! No wonder."
An Moxue said, "You can't calculate it like that! My mother saved countless people over the years."
"Therefore, they have left you with a valuable network of connections, which may come to your aid at any time."
"It's a pity they died so young." These were An Moxue's heartfelt words. She knew from her memories that the couple were both very talented and virtuous people, and she truly regretted their sacrifice, even though she had never met them.
Wu Sicheng really didn't know what to say, so he said, "I'll go with you to pay respects on the next anniversary of your death."
"Okay," she replied casually.
Little did he know that these two simple words would excite him greatly: "Mo Xue, you can't go back on your word once you've agreed."
She looked at him, puzzled. "It's just a memorial service, what's there to back out about!"
He didn't give her a chance to back out, saying, "Then it's a deal, I'll go with you next time."
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