An Moxue pinched Wu Sicheng's face hard. He hissed, and then she looked at the red mark she had left on his face and said very seriously, "It really hurts. It feels like a dream, so unreal."
He was amused by her. "Hey! Shouldn't you be pinching yourself? Why are you pinching me?"
"How can that be? If I pinch myself lightly, I won't feel anything, and if I pinch myself hard, it will hurt. Would you really do that?" she asked matter-of-factly.
Wu Sicheng shook his head. "You might as well pinch me!"
An Moxue turned to look at him and asked, "Then what is the status of the man in your uncle's family?"
"You mean Ah Zhao? That's my uncle's third disciple, named Na Zhao, and he lives there now. You'd better watch out for him. Don't be fooled by his harmless appearance and decent manners; he's actually full of bad intentions. Don't mistake him for a good person."
An Moxue suspected that he was smearing her, but she had only met Na Zhao once and had no evidence.
An Mo slapped his arm and complained, "You should have told me earlier that he was your uncle. This was a disguised meeting with the parents. I was so scared. It was such a surprise. I wasn't prepared at all."
Wu Sicheng thought to himself, "That's why I didn't dare tell you about his identity beforehand, afraid you wouldn't go." But he said, "I told you I'd give you a surprise! How about it? Your identity and skills are impressive, right? After you become his apprentice in a few days, you'll have a master to protect you, so you won't be bullied by some fool when I'm not around."
They all grew up in Kyoto, and they knew all too well the way some people bullied others, especially since An Moxue was so outstanding in appearance.
"I'm not some weak woman who's easy to bully, are you overthinking this?" An Moxue doubted how thick his filter was.
"It's better to be prepared, isn't it? Who knows what kind of people we'll meet in the future. Do you think we're still in Anping County? A mere title can fool people, but this is the capital. If a brick falls on your head, you might have some powerful relatives or friends involved. By the way, should we invite Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma to the apprenticeship ceremony?" Wu Sicheng asked casually at the end.
“Of course.” An Moxue blurted out without thinking, and Wu Sicheng felt their importance increase even more in his mind.
"What should we eat for lunch? We can go collect the keys to the house after we eat, okay?"
"We're very close to the Old Kyoto Noodle Shop, let's go get some jajangmyeon! I haven't had it in ages!"
"Okay, I haven't had this for years. Let's have this today, and order a few side dishes as well."
As the two talked, the car made several turns and stopped in front of an old-fashioned gate.
The two went inside. There was still some time before the restaurant opened. A few people were sitting scattered around the room. The two chose a corner to sit in, where they could see the whole room but also hide themselves well. This was something they were used to because of their profession.
An Moxue sat down, and Wu Sicheng went to order food.
He returned shortly after, carrying a pot of barley tea and two cups, and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
Before long, the noodles with soybean paste were ready, and the side dishes were served one after another.
An Moxue took a bite and said, "It tastes just like I remember. I'll bring Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma over to eat sometime. Maybe after eating it once or twice, Aunt Ma will be able to make zhajiangmian that's about 80-90% the same as this. Then I can ask Aunt Ma to make it whenever I want to eat it."
Wu Sicheng praised, "Aunt Ma is amazing! She can cook so many dishes, and they taste so good! Even her clothes are exquisite. She doesn't seem like someone from the countryside at all."
An Moxue looked up at him, her dark eyes holding a depth he couldn't fathom: "He's just a country bumpkin, except Uncle Ma is an old revolutionary! He's got a bit of experience, that's all. What else could he be?"
He looked at her with a doting smile and said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, you're right, a capable country person, alright!"
“That’s more like it,” she replied to him like an innocent girl.
The two understood each other without saying a word, but Wu Sicheng's doubts only grew stronger.
"Mo Xue, how do you plan to decorate the house?"
"I'll draw up a plan when I get back, and people can follow it. By the way, can you get some remittance certificates? I have some, but not enough."
What do you want to buy?
"Washing machine, refrigerator, and water heater."
"Adding these appliances will require rewiring the house during renovations. Leave that to me, it's a piece of cake." He decided to go home and ask his grandfather and parents for help; he figured he could scrape together enough, or at least exchange some for other things.
The two women talked about the house while eating. Just as they finished their meal and were leaving, two other people came in. An Moxue and one of the men made eye contact and felt a sense of familiarity. The man excitedly walked up to her first, wanting to pat her on the shoulder, but An Moxue and Wu Sicheng defended him at the same time.
The man paused, looking at An Moxue with some sadness, and asked, "Moxue, you haven't seen me for almost ten years and don't recognize Brother Wentao anymore, have you?" He seemed to be saying, "If you don't recognize me, I'll never let you off the hook."
An Moxue looked at the person in front of her awkwardly. No wonder the person in front of her seemed familiar.
She hadn't seen Wentao since her rebirth, only kept in touch through correspondence. In recent years, she had received more letters than she had sent because of him.
An Moxue smiled awkwardly and replied, "How could that be? It's just that so many years have passed since I last saw you, Brother Wentao. When I first saw you, I was a little unsure, after all, you've become much more mature and handsome."
Wen Tao didn't call her out on it, and went along with her, saying, "Okay, you're back without even saying a word. If we hadn't run into each other today, when were you planning to come back to see us?"
"I just got back and I'll come find you guys as soon as I'm settled in."
"Okay, come in and tell me the details. You don't have anything urgent to do, are you in a hurry?"
"No."
The four people went inside and sat back in the seats where the other two had been sitting.
Wentao introduced: "The lady next to me is your sister-in-law. She's going to study at the First Medical University when school starts. Her name is Liu Xiaobei."
An Moxue greeted her with a smile, "Hello, sister-in-law. Brother Wentao never forgets to praise you in every letter. He is so lucky to have married you! I am Brother Wentao's childhood friend. My name is An Moxue. You can just call me Moxue, just like Brother Wentao."
Wen Tao smiled at her and said, "I'll just watch you make things up. Keep making things up."
Liu Xiaobei was surprised that Wen Tao had mentioned her in his letter to his childhood friend. Hearing An Moxue's words, she blushed and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Moxue, don't listen to his nonsense. If you need anything in the future, come to the First Medical University to find me."
"Okay, thank you in advance, sister-in-law. If I need anything in the future, I'll ask you instead of Brother Wentao."
Wentao gave her a knowing look, and then asked, "Who is this person next to you?"
"My boyfriend, Wu Sicheng."
Wen Tao looked at Wu Sicheng with undisguised scrutiny in his eyes and asked, "What does Comrade Wu do?"
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