Today happened to be the day to receive the subsidy, which also happened to be the day that Uncle Ma was going to the county in his mule cart. So the day before, she got a letter of introduction from the village chief, asked for leave, and arranged with Uncle Ma to ride in his mule cart to the county.
The mule cart was parked in a spot that could be seen from the courtyard of the educated youth settlement. Every time Old Ma arrived at the village entrance, he would crack his whip a few times, the crisp sound of which could be heard far and wide.
Hearing the noise, An Moxue came out with her shoulder bag on her back. Today she was smarter and brought a net bag with two lunch boxes inside.
Old Ma knew what she was up to as soon as he saw her posture.
Before An Moxue could even get close to him, she asked, "Girl, have you had breakfast yet?"
"We didn't eat it; the county eats it."
Taking advantage of the moment when it was just the two of them, An Moxue hurriedly asked Old Ma, "Uncle Ma, you don't know, the food at the educated youth ration station is a real mess. If you want to eat something good, everyone's watching with envy. If you don't share, you feel uneasy; if you do share, there's not much to begin with, and by the time it's your turn, there's hardly anything left. And some shameless people just keep eating and never seem to get enough, eating even more than you, and they're not even grateful afterward. Not only is the food bad, but we're also not full. I already eat more than most people because I practice boxing every day. What are we going to do in the long run?"
Old Ma laughed at her worried look: "That's easy. Just move out and live on your own, cook for yourself, and that'll be fine."
An Moxue, looking like a well-behaved child asking a question out of ignorance, asked, "Uncle Ma, would doing this mean I'm alienated from the masses? Besides, no one has moved out yet. Would it be inappropriate for me to move?"
"What nonsense about being detached from the masses! According to you, does moving out after marriage count? There must be some dissatisfied people in your educated youth compound. Over time, those with better family conditions and more subsidies will easily suffer. Those with worse conditions definitely won't want the better ones to move out; they're hoping to benefit from it. If people like you move out, who will they take advantage of? If you want to move, it's best to do so before the autumn harvest. Don't miss the harvest; if you don't have enough to eat, it'll really ruin your health. Do you know why you educated youth formed your own team? At first, you were assigned to different teams like other villages, but you slacked off, frequently took leave, and seduced the young men and women in the village to help them with chores, stealing good food from home. Over time, the conflicts grew. That's why you were separated into a single team, with basic work points assigned, and the work was done separately. Now, under everyone's watchful eyes, who would dare to help with chores? Anyone who did would be the enemy of the whole village. That's much better. You have to say, the village chief is smart!"
"Uncle Ma, are there any vacant houses in our village? Houses that are suitable for me."
Old Ma thought for a moment and said, "There really are some, but they're all on the edge of the village, in rather remote places, and they're quite dilapidated. They all need to be repaired before people can live in them."
An Moxue said, "When we get back, Uncle Ma, come with me to take a look. If we find a house that's suitable, we can go see the village chief. I promised to treat you to a meal last time, but we didn't get to. Let's make it up to you at noon today."
"Didn't we eat it last time?"
"That money wasn't paid by me, so don't worry, Uncle. I have money. My parents get subsidies, double the amount, over thirty yuan a month!"
"You silly child, why do you tell everyone everything? Is this something you can tell others? You're not allowed to say it again."
"Uncle Ma, I'm only saying this because I consider you family and I trust you. You old man! Really."
"Who are you calling an old man!"
"No, no, I didn't say anything, okay?"
The two were bickering happily when a few people from the village walked by. They had all told the villagers in advance that they had something to do, so they would wait a while if they arrived late. Otherwise, they would miss the last bus.
One of them, before even reaching the car, asked, "Old Ma, what time is it?"
Old Ma glanced at his watch: "A few minutes to spare. Let's wait a bit longer. Everyone we contacted yesterday has arrived. If no one shows up by the time we're ready, we'll leave."
A few people approached the mule cart. An Moxue sat on the edge of the cart and said with a smile to the old horseman, "Uncle Ma, could you please introduce these elders to you?"
One of the women, a middle-aged woman with a round face, greeted the audience with a cheerful smile: "No need for introductions, An Zhiqing, just call me Aunt Meihua. This is my son; he works at the county timber processing plant." She then pointed to the man beside her, "You can call him Brother Dazhu." She then pointed to another woman in her twenties, saying, "This is Guixiang, from Wang Dawa's family. You can call her Sister-in-law Dawa, or Sister Guixiang. This old man is from my family; his surname is Mi. You can call him Uncle Mi."
After Aunt Meihua finished speaking, An Moxue greeted everyone in turn. After they got into the car, Aunt Meihua warmly pulled An Moxue to her side, saying, "An Zhiqing, come and sit here with me."
Faced with such a warm and friendly Aunt Meihua, what could An Moxue do but sit down next to her?
"An Zhiqing, what are you going to the county for?"
"Aunt Meihua, I'm going to mail a letter and buy some things while I'm at it."
"An Zhiqing, where are you from? How come your parents gave birth to such a beautiful girl!"
"Hehe, Aunt Meihua, you're making me blush. Just call me Moxue. My family is from Kyoto. What are you doing in the county, Auntie?"
"My husband has back pain. He went for a check-up today. He's been seeing doctors for a while now. We'll be harvesting the crops soon, so we can't delay things. We need to get him treated as soon as possible."
"Auntie, your family's awareness is truly admirable." He said, giving a thumbs-up. This made Aunt Meihua laugh heartily, drawing everyone's attention, but it didn't stop her from laughing.
The two chatted enthusiastically, and after waiting for a while and no one else came, Old Ma cracked his whip and set off.
The mule cart had gone quite a distance, but the laughter could still be heard from afar—it came from Aunt Meihua, Old Ma, and others, but not from An Moxue. Her angry voice could be faintly heard: "Aunt Meihua, Uncle Ma, this isn't fair! This isn't the first time I've seen this, why are you laughing like this!"
It turned out the mule had defecated. After the mule finished, Uncle Ma shoveled the dung and put it in a small basket hanging under the cart.
An Moxue's questioning of what she didn't understand led to a joke.
Crops depend entirely on fertilizer; the meticulous lifestyle of the people at that time was truly admirable, as they did not waste a single bit.
Joking aside, it didn't stop An Moxue from asking what she wanted to know: "Aunt Plum Blossom, it's said that there are wild boars and wolves in our mountains, is that true?"
"Of course it's true, there are bears and tigers further in."
"Does anyone still venture into the deep mountains?"
"There should be, but there are very few these days. In the past, when people went mountain climbing, they would go in teams, and they all had to have some skill to do it."
"According to you, if we had buried the graves deep in the mountains a few years ago, wouldn't we be afraid to visit them? Our mountains are really big; this is the first time I've ever seen such big mountains."
"Even if you go, you should be careful. If the population is small, they might not dare to go. How can they support us mountain people? Once you stay longer, you'll find out there are many good things in the mountains. The mushrooms will be in bloom soon, and we can pick them when the fog clears. Just look for me then, and I'll take you to pick them."
"Aunt Meihua, I will definitely come to find you then."
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