Back home, An Moxue went to the back room, took out a saw, and cut the bamboo in half. Then she buried the bamboo pieces, tip by tip, at the base of the inner courtyard wall. Anyone who dared to jump over the wall was guaranteed to get stuck on the bamboo tip.
Life went on uneventfully, and another month passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Mo Xue practiced martial arts for two hours every day and clearly felt that her health had improved a lot. The most noticeable improvement was her appetite; she used to be full after one bowl of rice, but now she needed three. Her determination to practice martial arts also became even stronger.
An Moxue spent all her spare time reading, mostly about traditional Chinese medicine. She memorized herbs, recited herbal formulas, and studied simple ailments and treatments. The more she read, the more she realized how profound and extensive traditional Chinese medicine was, especially acupuncture—it seemed so amazing. An Moxue was in a state of intense learning, her schedule completely packed.
But in the last few days, something strange has been going on. Whenever An Moxue goes out, she always runs into a few young men. Some are neighbors she knows, some are strangers, and two of them are quite good-looking. One is over 1.7 meters tall, wears glasses, and has a pen clipped to his shirt; he's very refined. The other is over 1.8 meters tall, a typical strong man with a square face. They are both the kind of ideal son-in-law that people like the most these days.
At first, An Moxue didn't think much of it, but she couldn't help but run into him whenever she went out. Some of them would even greet her first, making strangers feel like they were old friends. And it got worse and worse, with some well-meaning old neighbors even asking Moxue if she was dating.
These days, many people get married after only one or two meetings following a successful blind date. If you date someone but don't marry them, you could be charged with indecent assault, and in serious cases, you could be shot. Even married couples need to maintain a certain distance when walking together; holding hands is not allowed.
When they met again, An Moxue gave him a cold shoulder. Her firm refusal was useless; he was determined to cling to An Moxue.
As long as she continues to live here and doesn't get married, this problem can't be stopped. She can always find another place! This thought grew wildly in An Moxue's mind like a weed.
My situation isn't a job transfer; I can only go to the countryside. Besides, I have a feeling that it would be dangerous if I didn't leave.
Since I was thinking about it, I went to the neighborhood committee and asked. They said that people like her who volunteered to go to the countryside could choose their own places, but it was limited to places provided by the organization. I asked what would happen to my child support if I went to the countryside, and they said it could be transferred to the local county and I could pick it up at the post office. I also asked what specific places were available for going to the countryside, and it just so happened that one of them was the ancestral home of Mo Xue's mother.
Mo Xue, worried that she hadn't thought things through, went to the military base again to explain the situation to Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang was very angry but had no better solution. He could only suggest renting her a place in another part of Kyoto, but he knew that a girl living alone for a long time would inevitably encounter these problems. In the end, An Mo Xue decided to go to the countryside. Uncle Zhang then pointed out that the house couldn't be left empty; with housing so scarce these days, leaving such a large, bright house empty would only attract unwanted attention.
An Moxue said she didn't want to hire any unsuitable people. She didn't know when she would be able to return, and she didn't know what kind of people the residents were. What if they ruined the house? What if she came back and they refused to move out, saying they had nowhere else to stay and refusing to leave? It would be troublesome to deal with, as there's no shortage of deadbeats.
Uncle Zhang made several phone calls to Kyoto. In the last call, he said that a food factory near An Moxue's house was building a guesthouse and suggested she contact them to take a look.
Uncle Zhang found the factory manager's phone number and called him, telling him about An Moxue's situation and the house information. They immediately decided to view the house the next day.
I was very satisfied with the house the next day, so I signed a rental contract on the spot. The rent was 500 yuan per year, and the annual rent would be mailed to me. I reserved the east wing room for furniture. I took possession of the house a week later.
With the house settled, An Moxue took her household registration booklet to register for rural service, choosing her mother's ancestral home as the location.
One night, An Moxue was awakened by a piercing scream. Afraid to fall back asleep, she took out pepper spray and a triangular military dagger from her spatial storage.
I carefully opened the window a crack and listened intently, but I didn't hear any other sounds for a long time.
I dared not sleep any longer, and when it was fully light, I glanced at my watch and it was almost 4:30.
He gripped his military dagger and went outside to inspect the yard. Finding nothing amiss, he continued his search along the wall. When he reached the southwest corner, he discovered fallen bamboo with bloodstains on the tips. A small section of a trap was also visible nearby, but the animal snare remained intact.
An Moxue quickly rode her bicycle to the police station to report the case.
After taking notes, the on-duty police officer went to her home to inspect the scene.
When An Moxue saw the police officer off, a neighbor asked her why the police had come to her house. She explained the situation, emphasizing the bloodstains on the bamboo tip. The neighbors' expressions varied.
These past few days I've spent all my coupons on supplies, keeping only military ration coupons and meat coupons. I've also packed up all the clothes I need to take with me and plan to mail them all, leaving only a quilt and a set of clothes for temporary use at home.
The day before departure, An Moxue hired a three-wheeled vehicle to take her packed luggage, including her bicycle, to the station for onboard transport. Her luggage arrived as soon as she arrived, which was relatively expensive, so people tried to carry it with them and rarely checked it in.
All the furniture was moved to the east wing, and she slept on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the bedroom that night.
I got up early in the morning to pack my luggage: a suitcase, a backpack, and a mesh bag to hold some food.
Store the animal traps around the perimeter of the courtyard wall in the space.
I went to the state-run restaurant and bought thirty meat buns, ten vegetable buns, and ten steamed buns.
Five vegetable buns and five steamed buns were put into a mesh bag. A few cornbread buns, a few hard-boiled eggs, and a jar of pickled cucumbers were also taken from the space and put into the mesh bag. The rest were put into the space when no one was around. The gate key was left with the food factory gatekeeper.
When An Moxue arrived at the station, the ticket check had just begun. She picked up her ticket from the educated youth clerk and then the ticket check started.
On the platform, some passionate young people were shouting slogans, while others were embracing and crying bitterly at parting. None of this mattered to An Moxue, who simply followed the flow of people onto the train.
After finding a seat and sitting down, she realized that her shoes had been trampled beyond recognition. She wondered if they were leather shoes, they might have been flattened.
An Moxue's seat was a two-seater by the window. Although the window was open, the July weather and the crowded carriage meant everyone was sweating profusely, and she wasn't much better off.
The train whistle sounded.
Clang, clang... The train pulled out of the station, its speed increasing, bringing with it a breeze that blew into the carriage through the windows, relieving the heat and stirring up the young people's boundless longing for a new life.
This carriage was full of educated youth who had gone to the countryside. Someone started introducing themselves, and some even spoke of their ambition to build the motherland. When it came to An Moxue, she also gave a brief introduction.
However, her beauty still attracted the attention of some people. In particular, her clothes clearly indicated that she came from a well-off family.
Beside her was a cute-looking, round-faced girl who smiled sweetly whenever she spoke. Across from them were two thin, sallow-skinned girls with patches on their clothes. They looked at people timidly, and after introducing themselves, they lowered their heads and remained silent.
At this moment, An Moxue was whispering with the round-faced girl when the girl said, "Comrade An Moxue, you are so beautiful!"
An Moxue replied, "You're cute too."
The round-faced girl said, "Mo Xue, may I call you that?"
An Moxue: "Okay, then I'll call you Yuan Yuan."
Yuan Yuan whispered even softer as she leaned closer to her, "Mo Xue, I heard it's very cold in the North. They say that if you go to the toilet outside in winter, you'll freeze solid and your butt will go numb. Is that true?"
An Moxue replied, "I've never been there either, so I don't know. I heard it's very cold."
Yuan Yuan: "Then what should we do?"
An Moxue: "We'll ask the local people more questions then. If they can survive, so can we."
...
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