In the guesthouse room, An Moxue took out two apples and a box of cookies from her backpack, placed them between the two people, and said, "Eat up!"
Seeing this, Li Aidang picked up an apple, took a bite, and said, "As expected of you, this apple is great! It looks delicious, and it tastes even better. I still have to follow you. I've figured it out; you haven't lowered your standard of living since you went to the countryside. On the contrary, you're doing very well. Look at your face; it's even prettier than before."
An Moxue looked at her and teased, "What, didn't your Comrade Jiang Wenhua buy you any good food? That doesn't seem like it! Tell me, you didn't mention it in your letter!"
"We weren't officially dating back then! How could I tell you all?" Li Aidang's voice was much softer, clearly a little guilty.
"Hey! You've been eating so much food off me since you were a kid, and I've never seen you feel guilty. What are you feeling guilty about now?" An Moxue continued to tease.
"That's enough. All I did was not tell you right away! Back then, you moved out of the compound without telling us, and you went to the countryside without telling us either. We haven't even held you accountable yet! And you're bringing this up again? We need to be able to contact you, you busy man."
An Moxue suddenly fell silent and said, "It's my fault, it's my fault. Comrade Li Aidang, you're too kind to hold a grudge. Here, have another biscuit."
An Moxue handed over a cookie, which Li Aidang accepted with a haughty air, saying, "I'll forgive you for now, since it's delicious."
After saying that, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Keep your voice down, the waiter will be here soon." An Moxue clutched her stomach, and Li Aidang covered her mouth.
"Mo Xue, how many days have you been back?"
"Leaving the day after tomorrow."
"Any plans?"
"I plan to visit my parents' graves tomorrow, then go back to my troupe in the afternoon, and then go to the hospital the day after tomorrow to see my uncles and aunts. What about you? Are you back for the New Year?"
"Yes, we'll get married after the New Year. The date is set for the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, and then I'll go to join your unit. It's a pity you can't stay until then, but I'll be very happy to see you." Li Aidang said with some regret.
"Aidang, how long have you two known each other? Do you understand each other well?"
"We've met a few times in two months, and I think he's alright. Most importantly, he's willing to spend money to buy me food." As she said this, Li Aidang blushed, looking like a shy young girl.
Seeing her like this, I wanted to ask, "Have you thought this through?" This is a major life event like marriage, but I didn't ask. Instead, I asked, "What's his family like? Have you met his mother? Is she easy to get along with?"
Li Aidang thought for a moment and said, "He has seven siblings and he is the fourth oldest. His parents met once when the two families were discussing the marriage. As for whether his mother is easy to get along with, I don't know. They only met once, and she is no different from most parents."
"You can join the army; you've reached the company level."
"Yes, deputy platoon leader."
"What wedding gift do you want? Let's buy it together the day after tomorrow. I'll be free then."
"I'll have to think about it carefully."
"Did you meet this person through an introduction, or did you know them on your own?"
"It was introduced by my dad's former comrade-in-arms."
"Mo Xue, aren't you going back to the compound to take a look?"
"No need! I'll just go to the regiment."
Li Aidang paused for a moment and said, "Mo Xue, you don't know, several families in our compound have been sent to the countryside, and a few others have moved away. Tell me, what a mess life is! Our friends are scattered all over the country now, and we don't know when we'll be able to get together again."
"There will always be an opportunity. What about you? Where will you be going with the army?"
"It's right here in our Kyoto Artillery Regiment."
"Okay! You haven't left the Kyoto area yet, that's good! You're even close to your parents."
The two sat on the bed, munching on large apples. Li Aidang asked, "Mo Xue, what about you? What are your plans?"
"I?"
"Yes, for your partner." Li Aidang stared at her, as if he wouldn't give up until she gave a clear answer.
“My mother wrote in her will that I should not marry young, so I won’t be getting married in the next few years.”
"What if you meet someone you like? Would you get married?"
"No." An Moxue was very certain of this. As long as all dangers remained, An Moxue did not plan to get married. Firstly, she was not in the mood for it, and secondly, she did not want to implicate others.
"It would be a pity to miss out on the right one."
"Meeting the right person at the right time leads to a good outcome, and there's no need to regret it whether it's sooner or later."
"What if you like that person too?" Li Aidang persisted.
"How much love can be given up?" An Moxue asked Li Aidang.
Li Aidang thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. She felt that An Moxue's words seemed to make sense, so she asked her, "Don't you think you've changed a lot?"
“Aren’t we all changing? It’s just that I might be changing more.” After saying that, An Moxue winked at Li Aidang.
......
That evening, Li Aidang went home, and the two agreed to go shopping early the day after tomorrow.
An Moxue was pleasantly surprised to run into her childhood friend during her trip back to Kyoto.
The next morning, she got up early, took the first bus, and went to the Kyoto Martyrs Cemetery.
An Moxue stood in front of the tombstone, placing fruit and pastries on it, and poured a bottle of wine. In her heart, she asked, "Have the three of you been reunited? Do you know how many secrets and enemies the An and Nalan families have? Can you give me some clues in my dreams so that I can live well and live a long and healthy life? Life is full of unexpected events and unpredictable changes."
After paying respects to her parents, An Moxue took a car to the Lion Independent Regiment.
As An Moxue walked through the training ground of the Independent Regiment, she saw a group of new recruits training and shouting slogans loudly. She thought of a saying: "The camp remains, but the soldiers come and go."
The place is still the same, but things are different now; everything has changed.
An Moxue, carrying a handbag, knocked on Zhang Jing's office door. "Come in."
An Moxue pushed open the door and entered. Zhang Jing looked up and saw the dashing An Moxue. An Moxue was going to sweep the tombs today and had specially worn a green military uniform.
"Come in quickly, you look great!" Zhang Jing stood up and poured a glass of water for An Moxue. "Take this and warm your hands first."
An Moxue put down her bag, took the water, and said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang. You're still so energetic." Then she sat down on the stool.
Zhang Jing asked, "Is there something you need to do after you came back this time?"
"No, I just missed my parents and came back to pay my respects."
"Did you go? If not, I'll go with you."
"I went there, and the soldiers outside all looked quite spirited!"
"Interested in going down there and showing off a bit?" Zhang Jing asked. He really wanted to give the young soldiers a hard time and show them what it meant to be outmatched.
"Oh! That's not good!" Why is it getting physical?
"It's settled then. You sit here, I'll make a few calls and then come downstairs." Zhang Jing said, already picking up the phone and dialing.
......
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