Around three or four o'clock in the afternoon, Gu Ze returned with the children.

"Mom, let's not cook dinner tonight. Uncle said he'll treat us to hot pot."

Sanqi went out with him for a short day and witnessed his uncle's aura firsthand; he had a smile on his face and spoke with great authority.

"Alright then, you guys will eat half a sheep for one hot pot meal."

Bonnie complained about the kids, saying they really can eat meat!

“These kids are all in good physical condition, Bonnie has put in a lot of effort.”

Gu Ze was sincerely grateful. He knew what had happened during this time and truly didn't know what to say to his father-in-law's family. From now on, he'd keep his distance. After the two elders passed away, things would be fine. At least, he wouldn't leave any problems for the next generation.

That evening, the three adults took the five children out for hot pot, and they ate quite a lot. Xuanhao, in particular, was really craving it.

"It's so delicious, really so delicious, I don't want to leave, just for the hot pot."

Gu Xuanhao ate while sighing, knowing that this was impossible.

"Alright, it's not like we're not coming back. We'll eat later."

Sister-in-law Gu picked up a piece of cooked mutton for her youngest son; he's such a little foodie.

I don't know how much mutton we ate in one meal, and in the end we were all stuffed.

A group of people took the bus home.

At night, Liu Jiu and Bao Ni slept in one room, Gu Ze and his wife slept in Liu Jiu's room, and Xuan Hao and his brothers slept in another room. The bunk beds were just the right size for them to sleep in.

"Mom, it's been so long since I slept with you."

Liu Jiu hugged her mother's arm. She was about the same height as her mother, and even a little stronger.

"Yes, my Liu Jiu has grown into a young lady. Time flies."

The mother and daughter lay in bed whispering to each other, finding it all quite novel. Mainly because Liu Jiu was very independent and rarely relied on her parents.

In room 69, Bonnie had already changed the bedding, but Gu Ze and his wife were still not asleep.

"Gu Ye hasn't sent any news yet, and Bao Ni is extremely worried, but she can't let the children know. Today, since you weren't here, she had a really good cry. It's been so tough for her. We haven't been able to come back for the past few years, and Bao Ni has been taking care of both children."

My family couldn't offer much help and were always a hindrance. Thankfully, Bonnie isn't petty; otherwise, we would have become estranged.

Sister-in-law Gu and Gu Ze kept nagging, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Bonnie knows that this will cause her to distance herself from you. However, we won't get too involved in your family's affairs anymore.

Xuanyu and I will both be working in government departments from now on, so we must maintain high moral standards and not abuse our power. As for my parents-in-law, we will be filial to them, but we will not use their connections to seek personal gain.

Gu Ze made things clear, so that his wife would understand where his bottom line was.

“I understand that those who are capable will forge their own path, while those who are not will not be able to improve no matter what they do. I have also spoken to my parents, and they understand my stance.”

Sister-in-law Gu felt a mix of emotions, unsure of what to feel. She didn't say anything more and lay down to go to sleep.

Gu Ze came back for a meeting. He had two days off, so he took his child to visit his parents-in-law and his grandmother at the retirement home. He had to go through the proper procedures to avoid giving anyone cause for gossip.

After Gu Ze finished his meeting, they would head back, as he still had a lot of work to do.

Sister-in-law Gu was reluctant to leave her child, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't let Gu Ze go to work there alone; a long-term separation was unrealistic.

"Xuanyu, Xuanyi, listen to your second uncle and aunt, take care of your health, and exercise more..."

Sister-in-law Gu poked her head out of the window and kept giving the two children instructions. Although she had said it many times before, she still wanted to say it one last time.

The train departed, taking with it a mother's heartfelt words.

"Let's go back."

Bonnie watched the departing train. Her older brother and sister-in-law had come and gone in a hurry, staying only a few days and being busy the whole time. This kind of life would continue until they were transferred back, and she didn't know how many more years that would take.

Watching the trains pull into and depart from the station, Bonnie wondered if Gu Ye might suddenly get off one of them.

Bonnie took the children back to the family compound. The fifth day of the Lunar New Year was over, and the children would continue their foreign language lessons at Teacher Zhai's house. After school started, Liu Jiu and Xuan Yi would be even busier.

"Lin Baoni, where's Gu Ze? Where is Gu Ze?"

At the entrance of the family compound, Bao Ni was stopped by Xu Fang. She looked anxious, and one of her clothes was buttoned incorrectly.

"My older brother has left; we just got back from the station."

Bonnie didn't know what was wrong with Gu Bei again. The only person who could make Xu Fang panic was Gu Bei.

"He's gone. Why did he just leave? Why is he always gone whenever we need him?"

Xu Fang's eyes were glazed over, and she kept rambling on and on.

Bonnie didn't want to have anything to do with him. No matter what happened to Gu Bei, he didn't care. It was already good enough that he didn't buy firecrackers to celebrate.

"Lin Baoni, don't go. Help me find Gu Ye. Yes, find Gu Ye and ask him to save Gu Bei. After all, he's his brother."

Xu Fang grabbed Lin Baoni, preventing her from leaving.

Bonnie couldn't easily shake her off, otherwise, if she bumped into something, she might be blamed. People always sympathize with the weak, and things could get complicated later.

"Xuanyu, go call the retirement home and see if Gu Xiangdong is there. Tell him to come back and handle it."

"I know, Second Aunt, don't confront her head-on, it's not worth it." Xuan Yu knew her quite well, after all, they had lived together for a while.

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