An Moxue walked through the village carrying her things, stopping to chat with people whenever she saw them. She strolled along, stopping frequently, enjoying a leisurely and carefree pace.
Finally, they arrived at Aunt Guo's house. Before they could even open the door and enter the yard, they heard someone inside shout with delight, "Mo Xue, you're back! Come in quickly!"
An Moxue looked into the yard and saw Aunt Guo jogging towards the gate, wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife. She was saying, "I just heard you were back this morning, and I haven't even had a chance to see you yet, but you're here first!"
"Auntie, you're still so quick and efficient, not old at all. You look healthy and have a good life!" An Moxue said, quickening her pace as she entered the courtyard. At this moment, Aunt Guo also came to greet her.
"Look how busy your auntie is! She's all dirty. Come inside with me, let's have a good chat."
The two went into the house together. Aunt Guo stopped in the kitchen and called out to An Moxue, "Moxue, you come in first. I'll wash my hands and then come in." As she spoke, Aunt Guo put down the knife, took off her apron, and reached for the basin to wash her hands.
“Okay, Auntie. Take your time.” An Moxue said, entering the house and putting down the things she was carrying. The house was as clean and tidy as ever.
She had just sat down when Aunt Guo returned to the house, still wiping her hands with a towel. She approached An Moxue, put down the towel, took An Moxue's hand, and held it in hers, smiling affectionately, "You've become even more beautiful. I don't know how your parents managed to give birth to such a lovely child! Have you been doing well these past few years?"
An Moxue smiled and replied, "Auntie, I'm fine. I just miss you all so much. I was happiest and most carefree when I was in our village!"
Aunt Guo got up, poured her another cup of brown sugar water, handed it to her, and then sat down next to her, sighing, "In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. I still vaguely remember the first time I met you. You were still so young, while your Uncle Guo and I are both over sixty years old, truly old men and women. We're getting old!"
“Auntie, you haven’t aged at all. You look exactly the same as when I last came back. Here, look, this is a gift I specially prepared for you and Uncle Guo. Do you like it?” An Moxue said, pushing the gift next to Aunt Guo.
"It's good that you're back! What else do you need? Earning money outside isn't easy. Save it up. Money is a person's foundation. With money, you can solve any difficulties you encounter. Even if you find a husband, your money will make him look at you more favorably and treat you differently."
"Auntie, it's just a small token of my appreciation, it won't cost much. Besides, I haven't forgotten how good you and Uncle Guo have been to me, so what's a little bit?"
Aunt Guo grumbled, "She's just wasting money," but the smile on her lips betrayed her good mood.
An Moxue opened the bag and said, item by item, "Auntie, this is for you. I saw this piece of cloth at first glance and thought it would suit you. Make a dress for me. We have an agreement, you can't give it to anyone else. It has to be worn by you so I can see it. If you give it to someone else, I'll come back to you."
Aunt Guo laughed and scolded, "You're getting more and more shrewish! You should be one of the people from Anle Village! I'll listen to you and make it for myself, okay? I'm scared of you!"
"That's right, this is my home, of course I'm from Anle Village. Auntie, these are cigarettes and alcohol for Uncle Guo, whether you give them to him or not is up to you!"
Aunt Guo slapped An Moxue on the shoulder with a loud "smack." An Moxue pretended to be in pain, "Auntie, you still say you're old? Look at that slap, it hurts so much! You're not old at all, you're very strong!"
"Go away, go away! I didn't hit you hard, I just gave you a light tap, don't try to scam me!"
"Auntie, you're still so hard to fool."
"That's right," Aunt Guo said proudly. "Mo Xue, you really understand me."
"That's right, Auntie understands my Uncle Guo." She knows how to manipulate him, and she always gets it right.
After saying that, the two burst into laughter.
When the two people, young and old, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, met again, they couldn't help but joke around, showing no signs of awkwardness.
An Moxue stayed at Aunt Guo's house for a while, and Aunt Guo repeatedly urged her to stay, "Are you really not going to have lunch at home?" She held An Moxue's hand reluctantly.
“Auntie, I’ll be able to stay home peacefully for a few days this time. You can come to my house to see me when you have time, and I’ll come to see you too. I was just thinking of going to the brigade headquarters to see the village cadres! They’ve all taken good care of me, so I have to go and see them when I get back.”
"Okay! I won't keep you from your business. Come whenever you have time!"
"good."
Reluctantly, she let go of An Moxue's hand and stood at the gate watching An Moxue's figure walk further and further away.
An Moxue turned around and saw that she was still standing at the door looking at her. She waved her hand and said loudly, "Auntie, go back! I will come to see you again when I have time."
"Okay. Go quickly!" Aunt Guo replied, and seeing that An Moxue didn't move, she turned around and went into the courtyard.
After seeing Aunt Guo return home, An Moxue went back to Old Ma's house. This time, she brought a large basket filled with cigarettes and alcohol. The village officials distributed one bottle of alcohol, two packs of cigarettes, and two boxes of fruit to each person.
Upon arriving at the brigade headquarters, as soon as An Moxue entered, Village Chief Guo said, "Look, we were just talking about Cao Cao, and here he is."
An Moxue called out to everyone in turn: "Uncle Guo (village chief), Uncle Chen (village accountant), Brother Wang (militia company commander). Are you all here? Are you busy?" All the cadres in the brigade were present, except for the women's director.
"Not busy. These are just things I'm used to handling, nothing much," Guo Xiwang said.
An Moxue walked over, put the basket on the table, and said, "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't think it's too little! One bottle of wine, two packs of cigarettes, and two boxes of fruit for each person. Oh, and since the women's director isn't here, I'll trouble Uncle Guo to give her the fruit for me."
"So there's nothing for me here!" Village Chief Guo asked with a stern face. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was angry, but only those who knew him well understood that he was indirectly asking, "Where did mine go?"
"No, I went to your house first and gave it to your aunt!" An Moxue answered quickly.
Village Chief Guo still looked serious, but everyone inside the house guessed that he was thinking about how to get the things back from his wife.
"Your aunt didn't invite you to stay for dinner? That can't be! You're more popular with her than her grandchildren," Village Chief Guo asked.
"I stayed! But I have to see a lot of people, I'm busy! Otherwise, if I hadn't come, I wouldn't know what you guys are talking about me about! What are you saying about me!"
Village Chief Guo coughed, glanced at Accountant Chen and Company Commander Wang, and said, "It's nothing, we were just talking about the Wei family and Qi Hehua! We were just saying, if you had stayed in the village all this time, that woman from the Wei family might not have dared to treat Qi Hehua like this. It's outrageous, unreasonable, and she's throwing a tantrum. You know, we're a bunch of grown men, we really don't know what to do. Qi Taohua has already caused a scene several times."
"What happened?"
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