The two chatted idly, and time passed by unnoticed. It was time for dinner, but An Moxue didn't rush to take out her food.
When he saw that some people had taken white steamed buns, some had taken dumplings, some had taken cornbread, and the two girls opposite him had taken multigrain pancakes, he took out his own steamed bun, broke it open, put in some salted cucumber and ate it. He had already finished his vegetable buns for lunch.
So, every time she ate, she would first observe what others were eating, and then she would just follow the crowd, neither shabby nor outstanding.
Two days and two nights passed just like that, and the train was about to arrive at the station.
An Moxue was washing up at the washbasin in the carriage when a man suddenly ran past and bumped into her. She managed to stay upright by holding onto the washbasin.
Before she could even stand up straight, another person came running up, shouting as he ran, "Stop! Don't run!"
She was bumped again, and the man hurriedly stepped aside to steady her, turning back to say, "I'm sorry, comrade." Before she could reply, he quickly chased after her.
An Moxue felt astonished by his beauty, frozen in time. The man's eyes seemed to be filled with stars and the sea, and his features were handsome and refined. When he helped her up, she only felt that he was very tall.
Little did she know that while others were amazed by her, she was also stirring ripples in their hearts.
But at that moment, neither of them knew that this was only the beginning of their lives intersecting.
After washing up, I returned to my seat, packed my things, and prepared to get off the train.
With a whistle, the train began to slow down, and passengers quickly put on their backpacks and picked up their luggage.
With a clatter, the train stopped, and people began to move. Some said, "Don't push, don't push," while others grumbled and cried out in pain. An Moxue was passively disembarked with the crowd. Once off the platform, she took out the glasses she had prepared beforehand, put them on, and instantly transformed into a quiet young woman, completely different from before.
On the station square, someone shouted, "Educated youth, report here! Educated youth, report here!" Young people carried their luggage, big bags and small bags, making quite a scene.
An Moxue went to sign in and register, and then found the registration office of her village. There was a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty years old, with dark skin, bright eyes, and a strong physique.
An Moxue walked up to the uncle and said, "Uncle, hello. I am An Moxue, an educated youth who came to our brigade to work in the countryside."
The man replied, "Hello, I am Guo Xiwang, the village chief of Anle Village. Welcome to Anle Village."
An Moxue asked again, "Uncle Guo, how are we going to get back later? I still have luggage to collect. I have quite a lot of luggage." Then she smiled apologetically.
The village chief replied, "It's nothing serious, go ahead and take it. Just be quick, we'll take the mule cart back in a bit. You're the first one here, there are still four others."
"Okay! Thank you, Uncle. I'll go right away. Could you please keep an eye on this bag for me?" He grabbed a handful of orange candies from his bag and shoved them into the village chief's hand without a word. "Have some candy to sweeten your mouth," he said, then turned and ran off.
There were a lot of people at the train station today because we were picking up educated youth.
After searching around, An Moxue finally found the baggage check-in area next to the train station. Just as she was about to turn in, she was stopped by a neatly dressed middle-aged man and woman.
Then the woman said, "Girl, why are you running around like this? You'll get lost. We don't know anyone here. Where will your mother find you?"
As they spoke, the two men surrounded her from both sides, and the woman reached out to grab her arm.
An Moxue had a sudden thought. She grabbed the chili water and sprayed it forcefully at the man. The man cried out "Ah!" and covered his eyes with his hands.
At this moment, the woman's hand had already grabbed her arm. She sprayed the woman with her own hand and before she could react, she slid the woman into the pickup room along her arm, shouting at the same time, "Comrade, quick, hold these two down, they are human traffickers."
Because of the two screams, everyone inside and outside the house noticed what was happening.
As soon as An Moxue finished speaking, several people rushed over and apprehended the two men. An Moxue then showed the crowd her household registration booklet and proof of her rural resettlement, explaining that she had only come to collect her checked luggage and had been targeted because she was alone. The woman had even called her "girl," so she produced a martyr's child certificate to prove she didn't know the two men. Within minutes, the human traffickers were pinned to death.
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted around her, with everyone praising her for her skill.
When the police arrived, they took her statement and praised the young woman for her courage and resourcefulness.
When An Moxue returned with her luggage, the other four people had already arrived: two men and two women. The two women were the same two girls who had been sitting opposite her on the train. One of the men was 1.7 meters tall and looked quite friendly, while the other was a little shorter than him and had darting eyes.
She was pushing her bicycle, with two large suitcases on either side of the back seat. The village chief helped her put her luggage from the ground onto the back seat.
The five of them followed the village chief to where the mule carts were parked. After putting their luggage away, An Moxue wanted to ride her bicycle and follow the village chief, but the village chief said, "Comrade An Moxue, tie your bicycle to the mule cart. You ride the cart. Once we get out of this county, the mule cart will go fast and you probably won't be able to keep up on your bicycle. We still have to walk for about two hours."
An Moxue readily agreed, tied up her bicycle, and got into the mule cart.
"Giddy up!" The mule cart carried them away into the distance.
On the bus—
"Comrade An Moxue, you even brought a bicycle with you when you went to the countryside. Your family must be quite well-off." This was said by the educated youth, Li Weiguo, whose eyes were darting around.
“Indeed, I’ve never heard of anyone bringing a bicycle to the countryside.” This was the kind-looking male educated youth named Hu Dong.
“I didn’t want to either, but my parents recently passed away. This bicycle holds so many memories for our family, and I don’t want to abandon it.” An Moxue said, lowering her head and falling silent.
Several people were a little embarrassed, especially the two boys. "Sorry, Comrade An Moxue."
An Moxue kept her head down and remained silent.
The two girls looked over, hesitated, and ultimately remained silent.
The village chief said, "Mo Xue, don't be sad. Now that you're in our Anle Village, live well. Your parents are amazing, so you can't be a bad person either."
"Uncle Guo, you're right. I definitely won't let my parents down. Now that I've come to Anle Village, this is my second home."
Once outside the county, the road was lined with lush green crops, and in the distance, the rolling mountains stretched out in a vast, open expanse. The road wound its way towards the distant mountains.
Hu Dong said, "Uncle Guo, this mountain is really big!" Several people echoed, "This is the first time I've ever seen such a big mountain in my life!" "Me too."
The village chief replied, "There are plenty of mountains and land. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can eat your fill and stay warm."
The sound faded into the distance, and the mule cart also disappeared into the green hills and clear waters.
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