The next afternoon, An Moxue and Wu Sicheng parked their car at the entrance of the military base.
Wu Sicheng said somewhat reluctantly, "Mo Xue, why don't you stay a couple more days? We have plenty of time this time, is that alright?"
"No, if we drive now, we'll be home by nightfall. In a couple of days, I'll decide when I want to go back to Kyoto, then I'll call you and we'll drive back together."
He held her hand and stroked it repeatedly, saying, "It's so hard to see you, and after just one day, I have to leave again."
"I came to see you as soon as I got back! It's just that if I stayed for two more days, some clueless people would definitely come up to me, and I don't want the hassle. Okay, go now! I'm leaving. Remember to drink the milk powder on time; I went all the way over mountains to bring it back for you."
"How about we have dinner before you leave?"
"No, you should just say it's getting late and it's not safe to travel there, let's leave tomorrow!"
"Alright! Your little trick has been seen through, and you're not falling for it. Now you can go! Be careful on the road!" Wu Sicheng said, reluctantly getting out of the car.
An Moxue turned her car around and drove off, leaving Wu Sicheng with only a trail of dust. He watched her car disappear from sight before turning back to his unit.
An Moxue drove at a moderate pace, as the roads outside the city were mostly dirt roads. Although the roads were maintained every year, they were still inevitably full of potholes. By the time she reached Anping County, it was already dark. An Moxue did not stop and drove directly to Anle Village.
As she looked at the familiar scenery along the way, it felt like it was just yesterday. However, she hadn't been back for several years. With a sense of trepidation as she approached home, the journey seemed increasingly long.
Finally, when the moon was already hanging above the treetops, she drove her car into the village.
It was summer, and the sounds of frogs in the fields, the chirping of silkworms in the trees, and the fragrance of trees and flowers filling the air—every sound and every scent made her nostalgic and reluctant to leave. She parked her car in front of Old Ma's house.
There was still a faint light inside the house. The old couple hadn't gone to sleep yet. Hearing the car, Old Ma came out and saw a familiar figure jump in and open the door.
"Old woman, Mo Xue is back!" The joy in her voice was obvious to everyone.
"Really!" came the surprised and delighted voice, followed by the clattering sound of shoes being put on.
An Moxue stopped opening the door, ran to Old Ma, and hugged him. "Uncle Ma, I'm back!"
Old Ma gently patted her back, his voice choked with emotion, "It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!"
As they were talking, Aunt Ma came out. An Moxue let go of Old Ma's head and hugged Aunt Ma again: "Auntie, I missed you so much!"
Aunt Ma hugged her, tears streaming down her face and onto An Moxue's body. An Moxue felt it, immediately stood up straight, and reached out to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed.
Helpless, An Moxue looked to Old Ma for help, "What should I do, old man?"
"Old woman, Mo Xue is coming back at this hour, and she's driving. She must be starving! What should we get her to eat?"
After Old Ma finished speaking, Aunt Ma immediately changed the subject, "Girl, is there anything you want to eat?"
Aunt Ma stopped crying and secretly gave Old Ma a thumbs-up. Old Ma smiled smugly.
"I want to eat anything Auntie makes. Auntie, I just had lunch! I've been thinking about your delicious cooking all the way here!"
"Yes, yes! I'll do it right now. You and your Uncle Ma open the door and drive the car in." Aunt Ma said, turning around and going back into the kitchen.
Old Ma opened the door, and An Moxue drove the car into the yard. Then, she started carrying things into the house, one trip after another.
As Aunt Ma cooked, she noticed An Moxue was constantly making trips back and forth. "How did we bring back so much stuff? How much money did it cost? Why aren't we done yet?"
"Auntie, it's not much. It's not easy for me to come back, so I have to bring something back for the villagers!"
Half of the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room was piled with things. When Aunt Ma came in after cooking, she saw that besides the bedding for the two people, the kang next to her was piled full, and Old Ma was still tidying it up.
"Old man, roll up the quilt and put it on the table so she can eat."
After Aunt Ma finished speaking, Uncle Ma rolled up the bedding, Aunt Ma put down the table and picked up the bowls and chopsticks. At this moment, An Moxue also came in after washing her face outside. She was carrying a towel and walking into the house while wiping her face and hair.
"Auntie, what delicious food have you made for me? I can smell the aroma!" An Moxue said as she sat down at the table.
"Egg noodles and a few side dishes, that'll do. It's too late, noodles are easy to digest. I'll make you what you want to eat tomorrow."
"Auntie, this is what I want to eat," An Moxue said, picking up her chopsticks and stirring the noodles.
She picked up a mouthful of noodles, then a bite of side dish. The elderly couple watched her eat with relish, and it made them feel hungry too.
"Eat slowly. Is this big bowl enough? If not, I'll make some more."
"That's enough, Auntie."
The three of them ate like that, one buried in his food while the other two watched with wide smiles, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Seeing that she had almost finished eating, Aunt Ma made her another cup of milk powder and placed it next to her, saying, "Drink some milk powder, and you'll sleep better tonight."
"Yes, yes, but they have to finish drinking them all," Old Ma agreed.
As Aunt Ma spoke, she got off the ground again and said as she walked out, "Clean up the west room. You can sleep in the west room first, and go back to your own home tomorrow. After you finish eating, leave the food there and let your Uncle Ma pick up the bowls. Don't touch them, understand?"
"I heard you, Auntie." An Moxue replied, then continued eating the noodles in her bowl, muttering, "Auntie's noodles are the best, so sweet and delicious."
"Eat first, then we can talk."
An Moxue said with a grin, "Okay, I'll listen to you, you old man!"
"You're not even behaving properly while eating, you're asking for a beating." Saying this, he pretended to pick up his pipe to hit An Moxue, who quickly stood up and hid on the ground, still holding the bowl in her hand.
"You're lucky you ran fast," Old Ma said with a laugh.
An Moxue glanced at him, then didn't dare to say anything more. She took her bowl and sat back down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), eating her meal obediently.
"You haven't been injured in the past few years, have you?" Old Ma stared intently at her, afraid of missing a single expression.
"No, Uncle Ma, don't worry! Tomorrow morning, I'll demonstrate a few moves for you, and you'll see how much my martial arts have improved. You'll be amazed and know whether I'm lying or not."
Old Ma thought to himself, "Humans are made of flesh and blood. Sometimes when doing missions, they are fighting against cold weapons. No matter how good a person is, they will make mistakes. How can you guarantee that you won't get hurt?" He didn't believe it. He wasn't an ignorant villager. Don't try to fool him.
"Okay, I'll check tomorrow morning."
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