An Moxue was unaware of and did not want to know about the Tang family's troubles. At this moment, she had already gotten off the train and arrived in Kyoto.
As the year drew to a close, the streets of Kyoto were bustling with people, much more so than usual. An Moxue walked a long way before finding a secluded and deserted spot, entered her spatial dimension, and changed back into women's clothing.
Upon exiting the space, An Moxue carried a large backpack and a large bag in her hand, filled with prepared gifts. Checking the time, An Moxue decided to treat herself to a good meal.
On such a cold day, having a hot pot meal is quite nice. Kyoto Lao Ba Hot Pot is a time-honored brand, said to have been around since the Manchus entered the pass, hundreds of years ago. The taste is absolutely amazing. An Moxue ate there twice before she moved out of the family compound and before she went to the countryside. Now, more than a year and a half has passed.
An Moxue entered the restaurant and saw two empty tables. She quickly walked to the counter and began ordering: "Waiter, one serving of hot pot base, and..."
Before she could finish speaking, a girl interrupted her, her voice filled with delight, "Mo Xue!"
An Moxue turned around and saw a cute girl with big eyes standing up in the corner, smiling and waving at her as she walked over. When she saw that An Moxue was looking at her, she lowered her hand and quickly ran towards her.
When An Moxue entered the store, she was so focused on ordering quickly that she didn't notice who was in the corner.
Upon seeing the person who had arrived, she was pleasantly surprised and replied, "I love the Party!"
Li Aidang rushed towards her, and the two embraced. An Moxue teased, "Wow! Li Aidang! You've gained weight!"
After saying that, they laughed and parted ways.
Li Aidang was not ashamed, but rather proud, saying, "That's right."
An Moxue said, "Wait a moment, let me order, then we can talk."
An Moxue turned around to order more food from the waiter, but was stopped by Li Aidang. She said to the waiter, "Second Sister, one clear broth hot pot base, one dipping sauce, one serving each of pork and mutton, and one serving of everything else. I'll come and get them in a bit."
He then pulled An Moxue back to her table. Once there, Li Aidang became shy. An Moxue looked at the man who stood up and asked Li Aidang with her eyes, "Who is this?"
Li Aidang, with his eyes half-closed and half-opened, put on a righteous and awe-inspiring look: "Mo Xue, this is my fiancé, Comrade Jiang Wenhua." After saying that, his face turned bright red, and he didn't look at An Mo Xue.
An Moxue nodded slightly to Jiang Wenhua and said, "Hello, Comrade Jiang, I am An Moxue, Li Aidang's childhood friend."
"Hello, Comrade An." Wen Hua greeted An Moxue, then looked at Li Aidang, his smile barely concealed. He added, "Let's sit down and talk."
Then Li Aidang was pulled to sit on a stool by An Moxue. An Moxue leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Alright, what's there to be shy about? This isn't like you at all. Snap out of it."
Li Aidang's face was still flushed, but she still replied to An Moxue, "I, I am..."
"I understand. Men should marry when they are of age and women should marry when they are of age! If you meet a good man, treat him well." An Moxue said this in a normal volume. After speaking, she glanced at Wen Hua opposite her and Li Aidang next to her, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Li Aidang's face turned even redder, and he growled in a low voice, "An Moxue, are you still not done yet?!"
After yelling like that, his face was still red, but his embarrassment was nowhere to be seen.
"This is so much better, this is the real you." An Moxue looked at her with smiling eyes, making her completely speechless. She muttered, "I'm scared of you! You weren't like this before! Give me back my quiet and lovely An Moxue!"
An Moxue's eyes flickered.
Just then, a waiter brought a copper pot to An Moxue's table. When Li Aidang saw the person, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Second Sister. You're so kind, Second Sister."
The newcomer glared at her irritably, put down the copper pot, turned and left. Li Aidang wasn't annoyed; she was still smiling.
A moment later, the person arrived with a large tray of dishes and dipping sauces, saying, "The dishes are all ready."
An Moxue said thank you. Li Aidang whispered something in her second sister's ear, and the way her second sister looked at An Moxue immediately changed. She clung to her for a while before looking away, which made An Moxue feel uneasy.
A little while later, her second sister came again, handing An Moxue a notebook and a pen, and said, "Comrade An Moxue, could you please write me a message?"
An Moxue didn't answer, and looked at Li Aidang—what's going on?
Li Aidang said, "Oh! Moxue, just write a word of encouragement to my second sister. I've told her everything about you, and she likes you a lot."
The second sister looked at An Moxue expectantly. An Moxue took the notebook and pen and wrote in cursive script: "We should strive to be strong, and women also hold up half the sky."
"Wow! Mo Xue, when did your handwriting become so beautiful!" Li Aidang asked exaggeratedly.
Then, after a pause, she said, "Tell me, were you pretending to be a good girl before? Now that no one's keeping an eye on you, you've shown your true colors! Look at this handwriting, so powerful! No wonder you're my bestie!"
The second sister thanked An Moxue and then left.
An Moxue then shook off the heaviness on the train and said, "Yes, Comrade Li Aidang truly has discerning eyes to see the truth."
“That’s right.” Li Aidang looked at him with an expression that said, “That’s exactly how it is,” and there was no trace of shyness or embarrassment.
"Eat! I'm starving, can we stop talking for now?" This girl seems a bit excited to see me today. If An Moxue doesn't interrupt her, who knows how long she'll keep talking.
“Okay.” Li Aidang knew that An Moxue was probably hungry.
Li Aidang, this foodie, once she starts eating, she doesn't say a word; her eyes are only on the food. If An Moxue hadn't come in and heard her ordering, she might not have even noticed An Moxue until she left.
The three of them remained silent. Li Aidang was focused on eating, while Wen Hua, unfamiliar with An Moxue, felt somewhat restrained in front of his partner's childhood friend and dared not say much, nor did he glance at An Moxue.
While rinsing the hot pot, An Moxue observed Jiang Wenhua. After the meal, An Moxue only came to one conclusion: this person had very upright eyes; nothing else was known.
Jiang Wenhua finished eating first, went to the service desk to ask for three glasses of water, and also paid for An Moxue's meal.
After dinner, Li Aidang asked An Moxue, "Moxue, did you just get back?"
"Um."
"You got a vacation before the end of your term, that's impressive! Sister, you're doing pretty well!" Li Aidang said in a low voice.
"That's right, I mainly wanted to come back to pay respects to my parents. The village chief in my village is a good person, so he granted me leave." An Moxue winked at her, conveying the tacit understanding that only they, her group of friends, had.
"Come on, let's go stay at my house." Li Aidang picked up An Moxue's bag, grabbed her, and tried to lead her home.
An Moxue quickly stopped her, saying, "Aidang, why don't you stay at the guesthouse with me instead? We'll be more comfortable there, and we can have a long talk by candlelight." An Moxue really didn't want Uncle Li's family to spend money, especially since they had many children and were already burdened with heavy responsibilities.
"Okay, let's go." An Moxue sighed and rubbed her forehead, realizing her friend had left her boyfriend hanging.
"Comrade Jiang Wenhua, I'm so sorry!"
Jiang Wenhua smiled gently and said, "It's alright, I don't mind. It's rare for you two to reunite after so long, you must have a lot to talk about."
Then he said to Li Aidang, "Aidang, I'm leaving now. I'll find you again next time. The bill is paid." After saying that, he walked out of the restaurant.
An Moxue said, "Great! Ai Dang, your boyfriend's got some class. This meal for three must have cost a lot! He only told us after he paid. Come on, let's ask how much it is for me. Next time you see him, you can pay him for me. We can't let our girlfriends down. After we're done, let's go find a guesthouse."
......
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