Chapter 158: If You Marry a Chicken, You Follow the Chicken; If You Marry a Dog, You Follow the Dog

Besides some small recipes given by friends from her past life, there were only three recipes provided by the system.

Before she came, she had refined some Health Pills, thinking of preparing some for each of the elderly people.

Every one of these people had shown her great kindness, and she wanted to provide for their old age.

"Alright." The old woman didn't ask anything and directly fed a pill into her husband's mouth.

An Yinan did not stay too long; before leaving, she took fifty yuan and gave it to the old woman, "Your health is poor, so you must go to the hospital quickly; don't just tough it out."

The old woman pushed it away for a long time, "Girl, you've already helped us too much these past two years; we cannot take this money."

"Auntie, the things you've given me are worth far more than this. Please rest assured and take it; I will come by again in a few days." An Yinan did not allow the old woman to refuse.

The old woman wiped away her tears, watching the child depart.

An Yinan's mood was not good; they were old, and years of accumulated fatigue had ruined their bodies. She truly hoped her Health Pills could be of use.

An Yinan returned to the Xiao Yuan, first tidying up the consumables like white paper and ink, then bringing fifty steamed buns and some rice and flour, and most importantly, ten jin of white liquor and snacks to go with the drink, before heading to the Waste Recycling Station.

"You girl, you're finally willing to come?" The old man gave her a look of feigned annoyance.

It had been over two months since she last came, and there hadn't been a single word.

An Yinan smiled ingratiatingly, "If you keep talking about me, I'm taking the liquor back."

The old man could only hum helplessly; this little girl had found his weak spot.

An Yinan put all the things into the room and then took out the pills, "These are Health Pills; take one every three days, you must persist in taking them."

The old man looked at the Small Silver Pill and then nodded, "Understood."

"You must take them." An Yinan was actually most worried about this old man.

He had a sense of detachment, as if he were just muddling through, and seemed to have no interest in how long he could live or in living on.

"Nagging, I'll take them." The old man directly put away the porcelain bottle.

Thinking about going to join the army, An Yinan was actually very worried about these people; they were getting older and older, and their health was worse than the year before. Now that they had the Health Pills, she didn't know how long they could hold on.

"Grandpa, I might go to join the army next year," An Yinan said.

The old man raised his eyelids and was silent for a long while, "That's good, it saves you from always running over here and keeping me on edge all day."

"You must take good care of your health." She couldn't say anything more.

The old man nodded, "I will."

For a moment, the old man and the young girl were unexpectedly caught in a brief silence.

When An Yinan left the Waste Recycling Station, her heart felt somewhat heavy, but thinking that the Health Pills were produced by the system, she forcibly let go of that part of her worry.

This time she did not go to the State-run Restaurant, but went to the Post Office to write a letter, asking her eldest uncle for many Chinese medicinal herbs.

She had consumed too much recently making Health Pills, and many herbs were running low.

Back in the village, the vacation for Yuanyuan and Xie Shuyang had been approved. The little girl wrinkled her face and said reluctantly to everyone, "I can't spend the New Year with you all this year."

An Yinan said playfully, "Doesn't that mean you can spend the New Year with your little childhood sweetheart?"

Xie Yuanyuan's little face turned red instantly, "You only know how to tease me."

Seeing Xie Yuanyuan's expression, several people laughed one after another.

It was such a good thing to see the little girl they watched over finally get her wish.

Xie Shuyang and Xie Yuanyuan left the next morning. When they left, the little girl insisted on hugging An Yinan and crying for a long time. Even Xie Shuyang's repeated comfort did not change her state, making An Yinan think she was about to pass away soon...

"Are you not coming back next year?" In the end, she couldn't help but ask.

Xie Yuanyuan looked up, stunned, "I'm coming back!"

An Yinan sighed, "Sister, you only have a twenty-day vacation when you go back, and the journey there and back takes ten days. You'll only be at home for ten days, and then you'll be back. What are you crying for?"

Xie Yuanyuan thought about it, and it was true~

"I can't bear to leave you, is that not allowed?" the little girl said stubbornly.

"Allowed! Absolutely allowed." An Yinan looked at the little girl who was embarrassed and angry, what else could she say? Just indulge her!

After sending Xie Yuanyuan away, it felt much colder and quieter instantly. Without the chattering little girl, it felt as if many people were missing from her side.

These days, everyone was preparing New Year's goods. An Yinan joined in the fun and insisted on stir-frying a lot of melon seeds, and also made Northeast frozen pears.

Last year, Zhang Qian was still here, Yuanyuan was still here, Chen Xun had also come, and her own Beibei was there too.

This year, all four of them had left. The few who remained made a sumptuous meal on New Year's Eve, but none of them had any appetite.

"People, you know, once you're used to lively days, it's hard to adapt when it suddenly gets quiet," Zhao Qiu Hua laughed.

If this were in the past, she would have fought to eat such delicious food, and if she were even a little slow, it would have ended up in someone else's bowl. But now? It was just sitting there, and she had no appetite. If she said that out loud, wouldn't she get beaten?

An Yinan also sighed, "It's just because we are all quiet beautiful girls."

"You, you're number one at cracking jokes." Li Xiue and Zhao Qiu Hua were amused by An Yinan.

"Alright, eat up. A new year, a new outlook, let's strive." An Yinan raised her hawthorn juice, her face beaming with a bright smile.

She seemed to be like this forever, full of inexhaustible energy, with an inextinguishable light in her eyes.

Like the sun, but more like the eternal day.

After the New Year, An Yinan translated diligently. During this time, she went to the County once; the old man's health had already improved, which finally allowed her to set her mind at ease.

"Leader, the application to join the army has been approved." On the twenty-seventh of the first lunar month, Yun Shu received the notice from the Military District.

An Yinan looked at the notice in surprise, and it was accompanied by a letter from her second aunt, which mentioned the problem of handover materials. As for the issue of consumables, it seemed she had been overthinking it, because her second aunt had already thought of it and had specifically laid a line to the Northeast Military Region, so there was no need to specially send consumables or translated materials to Beijing.

An Yinan went to the Daduibu. The Daduibu Captain and the Accountant were still sitting by the fire, calm and composed. Seeing An Yinan arrive, the Captain had an idea in his mind, and the Accountant was very tactful this time and picked up his hat, "I'm going to check the pigsty; with such heavy snow, I don't know if the pigs are cold."

The Captain looked at the child who had been in Quanshui Village for less than a year and a half, and who was now someone capable of handling things on her own.

"Applying for an introduction letter?" the Captain asked.

An Yinan nodded, "Yes, if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog. Who told me to fall for a soldier?"

The Captain tapped his Tobacco Pouch; this time he didn't contradict her, "That place is the border, the environment is different from our Quanshui Village. If you need anything, write to Auntie Li, and let Auntie Li mail it to you."