The next morning, An Moxue ran into Xiaohuzi's mother as soon as she stepped out of the house.
"Mo Xue, are you going to work?"
"Yes, sister-in-law."
"Come on, let's go together. I've always had your door locked the whole time I went to your place. You haven't been home these past couple of days?"
"No, I just got back and went out to take care of some things."
"It's been half a year since I last saw you, and you've changed so much. If I hadn't seen you coming out of your house, I wouldn't have recognized you," Tiger's mother exclaimed.
"Really? Thank you for the compliment, sister-in-law. You're still as beautiful as ever."
"Oh my! You still have such a silver tongue."
The two walked and talked until they reached the village, encountering many villagers on their way to work.
"An Zhiqing, are you going to work?"
"Yes, Aunt Huaihua."
"Is this An Zhiqing?"
"It's me."
"I almost couldn't recognize it, it's changed a lot."
......
Once inside the village, Xiaohuzi's mother had no chance to speak to An Moxue again; everyone along the way greeted An Moxue.
Finally arriving at the drying ground, Little Tiger's mother jokingly asked, "Aren't the people in our village hospitable?" She even winked at him after asking.
"As enthusiastic as ever, my face is practically frozen from smiling." An Moxue said, rubbing her face.
"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going over there." After saying that, Xiaohuzi's mother parted ways with An Moxue.
"Sister-in-law, let's chat sometime!" An Moxue said, then walked towards the educated youth.
On the other side of the educated youth, Lotus poked her younger sister with her finger and said, "Peach Blossom, look, isn't that Sister Mo Xue?"
Peach Blossom raised her head and looked in the direction Lotus Blossom was looking; it was An Moxue.
She jogged a few steps to An Moxue, took her arm, and said, "Sister Moxue, you're back?" Her words were full of joy.
"Hmm, it's been half a year. Peach Blossom has grown taller and looks much better. Not bad at all." An Moxue praised sincerely. She was no longer the sallow and thin girl she had been when they first met, but rather rosy and healthy.
"Of course, at least we can eat our fill."
"Really? You could still get a full meal from the communal meals at the educated youth settlement?" An Moxue didn't believe it!
"No, my sister and I cook for ourselves now," Peach Blossom said in a low voice.
"What happened?" An Moxue asked curiously.
"Sister Moxue, I'll tell you about it when I have time."
"OK."
As they were talking, the two arrived at the place where the educated youth lived. An Moxue greeted the station leader, Xu Guoqing, and said, "Comrade Xu, I'm back to work starting today."
Xu Guoqing said with a smile, "Welcome back, Comrade An."
After Xu Guoqing finished speaking, An Moxue greeted the educated youth and said, "Hello everyone!"
"Comrade An, welcome back." Everyone said in unison.
There were a few people that An Moxue didn't recognize. She thought these must be the new educated youth. A few of them were gathered together, talking quietly.
It was time to assign tasks. After An Moxue finished assigning tasks, she walked towards the field with the Peach Blossom sisters.
The task for the past few days has been weeding, especially the wasteland reclaimed by educated youth last year. It's new land planted with corn, and the weeds grow particularly fast.
An Moxue, dressed in long sleeves and trousers, wearing a hat and gloves, began to pull weeds.
In August, the corn was taller than a person and had formed ears. People could only squat in the furrows and pull it forward little by little. If they were not careful, the corn leaves would easily prick their faces. An Moxue found a thin mask in her space and put it on.
I worked for a whole morning. After not working for half a year, my hands were still a little red and swollen, even though I was wearing gloves.
Fortunately, An Moxue was physically strong and used her internal energy to pull weeds. At the beginning, she pulled weeds like everyone else at the edge of the field. Once she got to the field, where no one could see her, she would pull weeds quickly for a while, then sit on the ridge to rest for a bit. By the time she finished work, she had just pulled half of the weeds. She carried the weeds to the wasteland at the edge of the field, and that was considered the job done. She would pull the remaining half in the afternoon.
And so, An Moxue began her workday, still strictly adhering to her work hours, never arriving late or leaving early, and taking every opportunity to slack off during work hours.
In the evening, after finishing work and returning home, Mo Xue ate dinner and then went out with half a bag of biscuits and a few pieces of candy in her pocket.
"Aunt Meihua, are you home?" An Moxue called out at Aunt Meihua's door.
"Yes, come in quickly."
As An Moxue entered the courtyard, Aunt Meihua came out to greet her. "Oh my, I knew it was you as soon as I heard your voice. You've become even more beautiful since I last saw you in half a year." With that, she pulled An Moxue into the house.
"First day back at work, aren't you tired? Take a good rest after work, why are you coming here? Let's chat sometime when we're both free!"
"Auntie, I just missed you so much! I can't wait to see you!"
"Why are you still so sweet-talking! You wait here, I'll go to the garden and pick some food for you. Sit down! Don't move." With that, she rushed out.
An Moxue smiled helplessly, took out the candy and biscuits, and placed them on the kang (a heated brick bed).
A little while later, the person returned, carrying a small basin containing the same fruit as Uncle Ma's, along with a few tomatoes.
"Here, have a taste, it's very sweet." Aunt Meihua handed a fruit to An Moxue. The fruit still had water droplets on it, so it looked like it had just been washed.
An Moxue took the fruit and handed one to Aunt Meihua, saying, "Auntie, let's eat together."
Aunt Meihua took the fruit that An Moxue handed her, took a bite, and sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed).
An Moxue pushed the candy and biscuits over, saying, "Auntie, I brought you some food, don't think it's not enough!"
"You silly child, it's enough that you came back to see me, why bring food? You can take it back later and keep it for yourself."
"It's just a small token of my appreciation." An Moxue held up the fruit in her hand and said, "Auntie, I've eaten everything you've given me, you can't refuse to accept it."
"Fine, I can't argue with you. Take some fruit back with you later. Do you have any vegetables? If not, take some too."
"Yes, my Uncle Ma planted everything for me in the garden. I have everything I need."
"That's good. You just got back. If you need anything, just come to my house. I'll get you whatever I have. Don't be shy."
"When have I ever been polite with you, Auntie? Where's my Uncle Mi?"
"Who knows where they went after dinner. How was their first day on the job?"
"It's alright, my hand is a little sore, it should be fine after a few days."
When Aunt Mei heard her say that, she took her hand and saw that it was indeed a little red and swollen. She said with heartache, "Go back and soak it in well water. Fill a basin with freshly drawn water. That will help a little."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Auntie. I'll get it done when I get back."
"Oh dear, it's no fun picking vegetables in the mountains this spring without you. Can you stay for a while? Let's go mushroom picking together in a few days." Aunt Meihua slapped her thigh.
"Yes, I can go with you, Auntie."
"That's great."
"Let me tell you, it's so boring without you around, there's not one person to chat with."
"Of course, I miss home too. Life without Auntie is so boring. There aren't many people as interesting as Auntie."
"It's because my daughter and I get along so well!"
......
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