The heavy snow fell for a day and a night, blocking the roads in the village.
In the afternoon, when it was already dark, the village loudspeaker came on. An Moxue stood at the door and listened carefully. It was an announcement to the villagers to shovel snow the next morning, and it was specifically emphasized that all the educated youth had to participate and bring their snow-shoveling tools.
The next morning, An Moxue got ready, dressed neatly, and carried a broom into the village. In the village, it was customary for each household to sweep the roads in front of their own house. Even the main road was swept by diligent people. Today, they were sweeping the road to the town and county, and they wouldn't be back until dark, so they all brought dry food.
This was the first time in so many days that An Moxue had appeared in front of the villagers.
"An Zhiqing, off to shovel snow?"
"Yes, Auntie, you're going too?"
"yes."
"An Zhiqing, sweep the snow!"
"Yes."
"Let's go together, An Zhiqing!"
......
As she walked, people kept greeting her, and An Moxue's smile became stiff until she reached the road by the drying ground, where everyone stopped.
The team leaders are drawing lots to assign their respective road sections.
The group of educated youth was assigned to a place far outside the village. Some of them carried brooms, while others carried shovels. They walked towards the edge of the village, step by step, leaving snowdrifts in their wake.
Yesterday it snowed and was windy. In some places the snow was above the calves, and in others it was just a thin layer on the road.
They walked slowly. This was the first time the group of educated youth had met An Moxue after she asked him for money. An Moxue faced it calmly, not taking the initiative to speak, and did not feel embarrassed. She just walked on the road with ease and composure.
It was alright if no one blocked An Moxue that day, but those who did, especially the ones who said nasty things, were in an awkward situation. They all looked at a loss and didn't know what to do.
An Moxue looked at those people and found it amusing. What, after doing such a thing, they still expect me to be magnanimous and pretend nothing happened?
How could that be!
Dream on!
The two sisters, Qi Hehua and Qi Taohua, looked at the educated youth in the educated youth compound, then at An Moxue, looking as if they wanted to go forward but were afraid of upsetting her, which amused her.
So she waved to them as she walked forward.
Upon seeing this, the two sisters jogged a few steps to An Moxue and called out in a clear voice, "Sister Moxue."
An Moxue smiled at the two of them and asked, "What's wrong? You look like a wronged little wife. I don't think I bullied either of you!"
Qi Taohua tentatively asked, "Sister Moxue, you're not angry?"
An Moxue retorted, "Do you two also have such thoughts?"
They both shook their heads like rattles.
"That's settled then. What does that have to do with the two of you?"
"We still feel embarrassed," the two sisters answered in unison, both somewhat shy and bashful.
"Did anyone say that doing this was wrong? Or that they objected?"
"Yes," Peach Blossom replied.
"Who are they?" An Moxue had some guesses in her mind, but she didn't know if they were accurate.
"Captain Xu, Ge Jiaguo, Hu Dong."
"That's settled then. Just focus on doing your own thing. You can't control others, so what's the point of worrying about it? Alright, let's go."
The three of them stopped talking and walked forward, mainly because cold air would blow into their mouths as soon as they opened their mouths, which was very uncomfortable.
They didn't stop until they reached the section of road assigned to the educated youth team.
The team leader, Xu Guoqing, divided this section of the road into several segments according to the number of educated youth, with one person in each segment.
Looking at the long road, An Moxue was filled with emotion. No wonder she brought dry food!
If we work slowly, we might not finish before nightfall.
An Moxue had no choice but to lower her head and get to work, and soon she was covered in sweat.
Looking back at their record, they continued to work, but the pace slowed down.
Looking at the snow covering the mountains and fields, and then at the people who were far away but had not slacked off, An Moxue marveled at the greatness of the times.
During the lunch break, Zhang Xiu, who was sitting next to her, came over, looking embarrassed. She walked awkwardly to An Moxue and said, "Moxue, I'm sorry! I was wrong that day. I apologize to you."
Once you start talking, it's easier to say the rest.
"Can you forgive me? I didn't know you had already donated the money back then."
An Moxue interrupted her, saying, "It doesn't matter whether I forgive or not. We weren't that close to begin with, and we haven't known each other for very long. I can understand. After all, everyone looks out for themselves. If we get along, we'll stay together; if we don't, we won't. It's nothing. I can accept it."
Zhang Xiu froze on the spot after An Moxue said this; she never expected An Moxue to say such a thing.
She thought that even if she said a few harsh words, people would forgive her out of politeness.
How was she supposed to respond to that?
An Moxue didn't care what she did; she was prepared to just let it be.
Zhang Xiu watched as An Moxue walked a distance and stopped, then helplessly returned to her own section of the road. She sighed inwardly, realizing that she probably wouldn't be able to get any more benefits from An Moxue in the future. This time, she had truly lost more than she gained.
In fact, An Moxue had long seen through her true nature. In her opinion, she would rather bicker with Ma Li than spend time with her.
Ma Li is straightforward and honest; she's a hypocrite who hides a kind heart, and it's exhausting to be around people like that.
She already has a lot of troubles, so she doesn't have time to deal with such trivial matters. She should just keep them all away.
The Qi Hehua sisters watched from afar as An Moxue and Zhang Xiu gathered together and then separated.
Neither of them went to the village entrance that day, and they didn't know exactly what had happened, but they did hear Zhang Xiu's complaints to An Moxue when she returned to the educated youth compound.
Intuitively sensing that the two had parted on bad terms, Qi Hehua said to her younger sister Taohua, "We must be wary of Zhang Xiu in the future. Don't be fooled by her easygoing nature; it's all on the condition that her interests aren't harmed. Sister Moxue is usually quiet, but if you need her help, she'll do everything she can. She's much better than Zhang Xiu, who's always trying to smooth things over. She's willing to play the good guy, and it doesn't harm her interests. She's a typical example of someone who talks without understanding the situation."
"I still prefer Sister Moxue. Sister, I wish we could be like her someday."
"Alright, stop dreaming. We're nowhere near as good as them. Let's get on with the snow! Otherwise, we won't finish before nightfall, and then you'll be crying!"
"Sister, it's snowing so heavily and so cold now, what are we going to do this winter? Let's hang in there this winter, and next year we'll work hard and move out after next autumn! I've had enough of living in this educated youth compound. Look how good it is that Sister Moxue moves out. Then we can gather more firewood, and it won't be cold in winter."
"Moving out costs money! We don't have much money, how are we going to move?"
"But I'm afraid..."
"Alright, shut up, stop talking. You've forgotten what your mother told you before you left."
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