Chapter 41 Farewell
Molly made sixty dumplings and cooked ten steamed buns.
She gave Ji Hefeng thirty dumplings and four steamed buns, while she ate thirty dumplings herself. She packed the remaining six steamed buns and freshly fried pancakes for Ji Hefeng to take on the road.
After the two finished eating the dumplings, Ji Hefeng quietly went to wash the dishes, while Molly packed him buns and pancakes. There were twelve pancakes in total, and she gave them all to Ji Hefeng.
"The bread can be kept for three or four days. If you're hungry, eat the steamed buns first," Molly instructed him.
Ji Hefeng hummed in agreement, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I haven't even thanked you for sending me a stipend every month. I also prepared some dried meat and cured wild boar meat for you. Would it be convenient for you to take them with you?" The dried meat and wild boar meat were things she had originally planned to send to Ji Hefeng.
"I'm not going back to the barracks." Ji Hefeng wanted to refuse, but changed his words to, "It's inconvenient to cook outside, so I won't bring the cured meat, but I can bring some dried meat."
In the wild, hunger is the norm; before, he could just endure it by not eating. But now, he wants to accept her feelings.
Molly smiled. "I've already packed it. I'll go get it for you now. There are three flavors: original, five-spice, and spicy. Which one do you like? I'll make more of your favorite flavor next time."
"Both five-spice and spicy are fine." He's been eating bland food for the past few months and really wants to try something with a strong flavor.
"Okay, I'll prepare these two flavors for you next time."
There were no suitable bags at home, so Ji Hefeng carried a burlap sack on his back. Molly saw him to the door, watching his figure disappear into the darkness until he was completely out of sight, before she turned and went back into the house.
Ji Hefeng knew she was looking at him, her calm, unwavering gaze showing no emotion when it fell upon him. If she showed no reluctance, no words of advice, why did she still come out to see him off?
But when she came to see him off, even just standing at the door made him happy. Having witnessed too much life and death, whether it was family members scattered to different places or comrades parting forever, his heart was already riddled with holes. He was often awakened at night by the sight of bloodied and mangled faces, and then he would remain sleepless until dawn. But these past few nights with Molly, he slept unusually well.
He felt safe and secure when she was by his side.
For a fleeting moment, he thought about staying instead of leaving.
But he knew he had to leave. He had to earn merit; as long as he remained useful, his family would be safe.
Things are getting increasingly chaotic outside. The college entrance exam has been suspended for several years with no sign of resuming. Students aren't attending classes; they're constantly fighting over this or that—it's complete chaos.
Once he stops and leaves the military, not to mention his family, he will likely become a target of those people's attacks.
Ji Hefeng looked up at the dark sky. When would the clouds part and the sun shine again?
Will he live to see that day?
After seeing Ji Hefeng off, Molly went back to sleep for a while.
She didn't open her eyes until it was fully light, feeling utterly bored.
"Xiao An, let's study today," she said, drawing out her words.
Mo An was taken aback. "Learn what?"
“School starts in two weeks, so you need to familiarize yourself with your textbooks. Your brother Xiaoyong graduated from junior high, right? Go ask if he still has his books, and borrow them so we can study together,” Molly said.
Mo An naturally agreed. He braved the cold wind to borrow the book, and as a result, he not only brought back the book, but also Zhao Xiaoyong.
When Zhao Xiaoyong saw Molly, he bowed and wished her a Happy New Year. Molly was taken aback by this gesture. After regaining her senses, she rummaged in her pocket and pulled out two one-cent coins. She gave one to Zhao Xiaoyong and one to Mo An.
"It was my oversight, I forgot about the custom of giving New Year's money," Molly said apologetically.
Zhao Xiaoyong happily took the money, saying, "Sister-in-law, you're so generous. My mom only gave me one cent."
Zhao Xiaoyong was a year older than Molly, and he wasn't embarrassed at all when he received the New Year's money from Molly. He knew very well that Brother Ji sent money back to his wife every month, and his wife was rich and didn't need a penny or two.
Besides, he came here today to teach his sister-in-law, so this penny can be considered tuition from her.
Mo An also had his own pocket money, all given to him by Molly. He hadn't spent a single penny; he had saved it all, and now he had more than ten yuan. Seeing Zhao Xiaoyong grinning foolishly over a dime, Mo An felt extremely proud. His sister was truly wonderful.
Zhao Xiaoyong's grades were only average in school, but he was still a junior high school graduate, so teaching Mo An, an elementary school student, was no problem. As for Molly, who had never been to school, she became Zhao Xiaoyong's main focus.
However, it wasn't long before Zhao Xiaoyong discovered that Molly, this "student," was exceptionally gifted, possessing an astonishing memory—a photographic memory indeed. Most remarkably, she could apply what she learned to new situations, and her questions often stumped even Zhao Xiaoyong.
Zhao Xiaoyong was somewhat frustrated. After visiting Molly's house for two days, he stopped coming on the third day. He didn't want to be pestered with questions by Molly, and he didn't want to appear clueless in front of Mo An, making him look like an idiot.
After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Molly began to tidy up her vegetable garden.
To Molly's surprise, after the snow, the melon seedlings in the corners of the vegetable garden did not die, but they were bare and looked rather pitiful.
It seems that soon her family will be able to enjoy all sorts of gossip.
Molly was hoeing the ground, and Moan wanted to help, but Molly refused, telling him to stay home and cook pig feed. The cold wind howled, chilling to the bone. Moan had grown much taller and stronger, but she was still a little worried.
After a whole morning, Molly, like a tireless old ox, huffed and puffed as she finished hoeing the entire vegetable garden.
After lunch, she divided the vegetable garden into plots and leveled the land. She also went to the foot of the mountain to get some dry grass. After sowing the seeds, she would cover them with the dry grass, which would keep them warm and retain moisture.
On the other side, Ji Hefeng led his team to raid a spy hideout, and the tension he had been feeling for the past few days finally eased.
"Meet at the station at 6 p.m. tomorrow. You are free to do whatever you want in between," he said to his men.
"Boss, wanna grab a drink?" someone suggested.
The others were somewhat tempted.
Ji Hefeng shook his head, "You guys go ahead, I have some things to take care of."
Ji Hefeng went to the bus station, changed buses once, and walked for more than half an hour before arriving at Xu Xia'an's home. It was already dark by then.
"Company Commander!"
Xu Xia'an's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She took a few quick steps and hugged Ji Hefeng tightly.
Ji Hefeng hugged him back, smiling helplessly, "How old are you, still crying?"
“I didn’t cry,” Xu Xia’an retorted in a muffled voice. “I was worried because you hadn’t contacted me for so long.”
"I know, thank you for your hard work." Ji Hefeng's voice deepened. "How is my family?"
“Yes, they’re doing very well. With their younger siblings providing a steady stream of supplies, they’re living a very comfortable life.” Mentioning this, Xu Xia’an thought of Molly’s hunting skills and felt full of admiration. “You’ve married a good wife.”
Ji Hefeng only heard from Mo An that Molly had gone to visit his grandfather, but Mo An knew nothing about what Molly had done there. Now, judging from Xu Xia'an's words, it seems that Molly had done quite a lot.
Before Ji Hefeng could ask, Xu Xia'an began to recount everything, starting from when he went to Xiaonan Village to ask Molly to visit the old man, and continuing until Molly mailed them some things recently, leaving no detail out.
"Thanks to my younger brother and sister-in-law, my meals have improved a lot."
Ji Hefeng: "......."
His emotions were too complicated, a mixture of worry, shock, emotion, and heartache, his chest felt swollen, as if something was about to burst forth from the ground.
At this moment, he was extremely grateful that he had agreed to marry Molly. If it weren't for Molly, his grandfather might not have made it through the ordeal.
Having personally witnessed Molly's abilities, Ji Hefeng had no doubt that she had healed his grandfather. Moreover, whether it was his imagination or not, his speed and reaction time seemed to have improved after recovering from his injury.
“I’m going to the farm to see my family tonight,” Ji Hefeng said.
"Hmm, would you like me to go with you?"
"Need not."
"They still live in the same place, so don't go to the wrong place."
"Don't worry, my memory isn't that bad."
Before it got dark, Ji Hefeng left the Xu family. By the time he got outside the farm, it was completely dark.
Ji Hefeng climbed over the wall, following his memory, and found the thatched hut next to the cowshed.
"Thanks to the blankets Molly brought, otherwise we would have frozen to death in this cold weather." It was Aunt who spoke.
Grandma Ji sighed, "I wonder how that child is doing now. I told her not to come to see us before the New Year, but I don't know if she will come after the New Year. I made two little outfits for her, so she can try them on when she comes, and I can alter them if they don't fit."
"With spring approaching, we'll be busy weeding and turning the soil, so she probably won't have time. Next time Xia comes over, have her mail the clothes, socks, and shoes we made for Molly to her. Let the child alter any parts that don't fit; she's very skilled at needlework." As she finished speaking, Mrs. Ji's tone couldn't hide her pride.
Ji Hefeng's expression was complicated. He hadn't expected Molly to get along so well with his family. His family was clearly very satisfied with Molly.
Ji Hefeng rubbed his slightly frozen face and gently knocked on the door. "Grandpa and Grandma, it's me, Xiaofeng."
The Ji family members, who were having dinner, suddenly stopped, as if they had been paused. They stared wide-eyed, wondering if they had misheard.
"Mom and Dad, I've come to see you," Ji Hefeng said again.
"It's Xiaofeng." Tears welled up in Ji's mother's eyes instantly. She staggered to open the door, and before she could even see who was outside, she pulled him inside and hugged him tightly.
Ji Liangyou also came to the door. He closed the door and then carefully examined his son. In just one year, his son had become much more mature.
“You’ve lost weight, gotten darker, and your face has become rough,” Ji Liangyou said.
He had barely finished speaking when Grandpa and Grandma Ji pushed him away. The two old people, one on each side, grabbed Ji Hefeng's hands, laughing and crying at the same time.
Only after Ji's mother let go of Ji Hefeng did Ji Hefeng turn around, hug Grandma Ji and Grandpa Ji, and lead the two elderly people back to the fire.
“Xiao Feng.” Ji Herun looked at her cousin with red eyes, her voice choked with emotion.
Aunt handed Ji Hefeng a full bowl of mixed grain rice, her eyes reddening. "Sit down and eat. You must be freezing after the long journey."
Ji Hefeng accepted the food. "Thank you, Auntie. I'm young and not afraid of the cold. But I'm really hungry; I haven't had dinner yet."
Upon hearing that he hadn't eaten, his aunt was about to get up, but Ji Herun stopped her, saying, "Mom, please sit down. I'll go cut some meat and wash some vegetables."
Ji Hefeng nodded to Ji Herun, "Thank you for your hard work, cousin."
Ji Herun laughed, "It's not hard work. Eating the meat and vegetables your wife mails to us, this little bit of hard work is nothing."
Ji Hefeng then looked into the pot. Smoked wild boar meat was served with cabbage and radish. It was a very simple meal. At this time, many families couldn't even cook a dish with oil. It was already very rare for his family to be able to eat meat.
There was also a mixed grain rice in his bowl, dry, containing rice, corn, sorghum and potatoes, all of which were filling grains.
“These foods—” He wanted to confirm with his family again.
“Some of them were exchanged for us by Molly a few months ago, and some were mailed to us by Molly,” Ji Liangyou said.
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