Old Ma opened the door, saw An Moxue, paused for a moment, and then quickly pulled An Moxue into the house.
Aunt Ma was already dressed. When she saw a middle-aged woman come in, she was stunned for a moment. She looked towards the door and asked Old Ma, "Old man, where is Mo Xue?" An Mo Xue, with the face of a middle-aged woman, looked at Aunt Ma and chuckled.
Aunt Ma turned around and looked at her. Hearing the familiar voice, she hesitated for a moment before looking at An Moxue. "Old man? This is—Moxue?"
“Aunt Ma,” An Moxue said, reaching out her arms to hug Aunt Ma.
"Hey! Hey!" Aunt Ma hugged An Moxue with both hands, patted her back, and then pulled her to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). She reached out to take off An Moxue's shoes, but An Moxue quickly took off her shoes herself, put her feet under the quilt, and said, "It's so warm under the quilt."
Old Ma's eyes also reddened as he stood to the side.
Aunt Ma said, "You sit down and chat with your Uncle Ma for a bit, I'll go cook for you."
"Auntie, whatever you have, just a bite is fine. It's too late, don't bother. I'll be staying a few more days this time, and I'm really looking forward to your cooking. You can't refuse to cook for me from tomorrow onwards."
"Alright, alright, you're in charge," Aunt Ma said, and went to the kitchen to start cooking.
Uncle Ma made her a cup of malted milk powder and asked, "What brings you back this time?"
"take a vacation."
"Then don't think about anything, just rest well. It's rare for you to come back. In a couple of days, the two of us will go together to give you the things your grandfather left you, and that will be the end of our mission."
"Huh? What's wrong, old man? This isn't like you! I just got back and you're already rushing to tell me about your assets. What's going on?" An Moxue looked at Old Ma, wanting to know why.
“Now that you can handle things on your own, your aunt and I can finally relax. We’re getting on in years, can’t you let us relax and live a few more years without any worries? Do you still have to worry about your assets?” After saying that, Old Ma glared at her.
As they were talking, Aunt Ma brought in a basin of warm water, placed it on a stool, and then pushed it to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), asking, "Can you wash the stains off your face?"
"Yes, Auntie."
"Then hurry up and wash up."
"An Moxue wanted to get out of bed, but Aunt Ma stopped her, saying, 'Just wash on the kang!' After saying that, she took out a new towel from the cabinet."
An Moxue looked at it and said, "Auntie, I have a towel and a face wash in my bag. It's in that bag, there's a small bag. Can you hand it to me?"
As An Moxue instructed, Aunt Ma took out a small bag and placed it next to her. Then she said to An Moxue, "I'll make you some noodles in a bit, and also some egg sauce and some pickled vegetables. Just have a bite to eat. Tomorrow, Auntie will make you something delicious."
"Auntie, anything is fine with me, as long as it's made by you, I'll love it." Aunt Ma said with a smile as she went back to work.
Old Ma said, "I'll go and light a fire in the west room. You can sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, tidy up your house and light more fires. You can go back home tonight."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
After saying that, Old Ma went out, leaving only An Moxue in the room. She started washing her face and then washed her feet.
Just as I was about to put on my shoes to get some water, Old Ma came into the house and said, "Sit there, don't move, I'll get the water."
As Old Ma spoke, he carried the water out. An Moxue said to his back, "Uncle Ma, I feel like your hearing is not only not deaf or hard, but also very sensitive! You and my aunt were busy in the kitchen, and you could still hear me washing my feet. Amazing!"
Old Ma laughed and scolded, "Stop flattering me. I haven't seen any improvement in your other skills, but I've certainly gotten better at flattering people."
An Moxue watched the old couple bustling about inside and outside the house, her heart filled with emotion. She couldn't help but retort, "Uncle Ma, you're wronging me. I'm just an honest and good girl. Don't slander me, or I'll trick Aunt Ma into coming to my house and making me delicious food, but not for you. You'll be left eating ice cream from outside."
"Hmph! Your aunt is my husband, what are you dreaming about!"
Aunt Ma listened to the old man and An Moxue's energetic banter and felt indescribably happy. She felt that because of her return, the house had become lively and no longer dull and gloomy, but full of vitality, and even the air was filled with laughter.
The food was prepared quickly. Uncle Ma set the table, and Aunt Ma served the food, the two of them making trip after trip.
An Moxue looked at the things on the table and asked with a smile, "You didn't bring out all the things for the New Year, did you?"
Old Ma retorted, "Just eat yours, aren't you hungry?"
Looking at her clean face, Aunt Ma smiled and said, "Eat up! It's always nice to look at your own face." The two elderly people looked at her earnestly, their eyes filled with undisguised joy and eagerness.
An Moxue picked up her chopsticks, added some egg sauce to the noodles, and mixed it all together. "Auntie, it looks delicious. I can already smell the aroma after mixing it. It tastes just like I remember."
"Eat quickly," Aunt Ma urged.
"Uncle Ma, Auntie, would you like something to eat?"
"No, you should eat. You're too old to eat at night, or you won't be able to sleep. You should eat." Aunt Ma looked at her and urged her to eat again.
An Moxue took a bite, then said to the elderly couple, "Uncle Ma, Auntie, that bag is full of things for you. Open it and take a look, then quickly put it away so that no outsiders can see it."
As soon as she said that, the elderly couple knew it must be a rare item.
An Moxue ate with a great appetite, while the elderly couple hesitated to take out anything they could find, feeling a pang of regret.
Aunt Ma looked at the piece of green woolen fabric in her hand and said with heartache, "This fabric looks like pure wool, it's so thick, it must be very expensive. Isn't this just wasting money? And it's such a big piece."
An Moxue smiled but didn't say anything. This was enough for the old couple to make a set of clothes for each of them.
She took out the fabric, revealing bags of milk powder underneath. Aunt Ma felt even more distressed: "How much did all this milk powder cost?"
"Yes, yes, he's just wasting money." Even Old Ma felt sorry for him now.
Finally, when the dried meat was revealed, the elderly couple were dumbfounded. What had they brought back? Each item was rarer than the last. The key question was, was there too much of it? The dried meat must have weighed more than ten pounds, as well as the milk powder.
"Mo Xue, my girl..."
Before Aunt Ma could finish speaking, An Moxue interrupted her, saying, "Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, this is nothing. Just don't skimp on your food and drink. I own a ranch abroad, and this milk powder and dried meat are all from my own ranch. It didn't cost me much. Besides, I have money."
Upon hearing this, Old Ma said with dissatisfaction, "Don't even mention it, what if the information is leaked? How did you learn the confidentiality regulations? You can't tell us anything, not even the slightest clue."
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