It was a rare moment of leisure. No need to go to work, no need to think about what to eat next, living a life where food was practically served to you and clothes were put on your back. Bonnie stretched and felt a little sorry for her brother, who couldn't enjoy the holiday with her.

"Mom and Dad, I'm going to the beach to get some seafood. We don't have much dried seafood left at home."

Bonnie carried one basket on her back and another on her shoulder, and set off.

Bonnie knew this sea area very well; she even felt that every single reef hadn't changed much.

"Fortunately, the cave is still there."

Bonnie muttered to herself as she sprinkled some of the prepared powder into the cave and then used a long bamboo pole to beat it to make sure there were no other living creatures. Only then did Bonnie put the powder into the cave and stretch her body in preparation for going into the water.

It had been a long time since she'd been in the water, so Bonnie didn't take it easy. She warmed up her body thoroughly, knowing she had to cherish her life; she hadn't lived enough yet.

Bonnie followed the route she remembered and quickly arrived at her secret base. She hadn't been back for two or three years, and nothing had changed much.

The seawater here is still clear, the reefs are still solid, and the natural caves formed over countless years provide Bonnie with many conveniences.

Bonnie rested for a while and wondered if she hadn't been exercising enough, as she felt her stamina wasn't what it used to be.

Even after several years away, the seafood here still didn't disappoint Bonnie. Three-headed abalone, two-headed abalone, and sea cucumbers as thick as a thumb—Bonnie specifically picked out the biggest ones and put them in her bag.

After filling a bag, Bonnie swam back and emptied it into her basket inside the cave. After several trips back and forth, both of Bonnie's baskets were full. She picked some wild vegetables and put them on top, then decided to go home.

These days, things aren't like they were back then, where doing anything would get you labeled as "undermining socialism" or "profiting from socialism." After the land was distributed to individual households, everyone was thinking about how to line their own pockets, and nobody cared.

However, human nature has its weaknesses, and Bonnie didn't want to hear those sarcastic remarks, so she decided to cover it up a bit.

The basket was full of wet seafood, quite heavy, and Bonnie struggled to carry it.

"Dad, is the place ready? I've poured it in."

Bonnie took the basket off her back and moved it to the area in her house where they kept seafood.

"Just dump it out. Everything's ready. Your third uncle will come over in a bit and help with the drying."

Bonnie's father never asked where his daughter got all these top-quality seafood; that was Bonnie's secret.

“Okay, I still have another basket. I’ll rest for a bit and then go get it. Lin Bo and the others haven’t come back yet, and my Liu Jiu is going to get tanned again.”

"Sanqi was covered up tightly and even wore a straw hat. He also gave one to his sister. I wonder if Liujiu will wear it."

Bonnie's dad couldn't help but chuckle when he thought of his eldest grandson. He was so persistent about not getting a tan; he'd known since he was little to wear a straw hat before going out. And it did have an effect—his skin was much fairer than before.

Bonnie drank a tub of water and then went to get her other basket of seafood.

When Bonnie returned, her third uncle and aunt were already there, helping to dry the seafood.

"Baoni, take a break. You're so capable. This basket is so heavy. Let's wait for Lin Bo and the other young men to come back before we move it."

Auntie Bao Ni lent a hand; she envied her sister-in-law for having such a sweet and caring daughter like Bao Ni. From a young age, Bao Ni had always been good at bringing things home; she was strong and daring.

"Third Aunt, those young men aren't as strong as me."

Bonnie is telling the truth. Even if it's Lin Bo, despite his many years of military training, he might not be as strong as her.

"That's true. From a young age, there weren't many kids on the island who could beat you."

Auntie Bonnie laughed as she thought about Bonnie's achievements from childhood to adulthood.

At noon, Lin Bo returned with the children.

"Oh dear, Liu Jiu, your face is all sunburned. Go wash it off and put on some face cream."

Bonnie was worried that Liu Jiu's face would get sunburned and peel, so she quickly grabbed her daughter and applied face cream.

"Mom, I don't want to put it on, it's greasy and smells too good."

Liu Jiu's voice of resistance rang out, and San Qi muttered, "I told you to wear a straw hat, but you wouldn't listen. You didn't listen to your brother, and now you're suffering the consequences. Grandma, do you have any aloe vera at home?"

Sanqi ignored his sister and wouldn't listen to advice.

“We don’t have any at home, but your great-grandfather has some in his yard. Ask your Uncle Lin Feng to get you some.”

Bonnie's mother didn't plant aloe vera in her yard; she was too lazy to bother. At her age, what was the point of being pretty? Unlike Bonnie's aunt, who loved beauty when she was young and had many flowers and plants in her home.

“I’ll go by myself. I heard that there are a lot of good things in my little aunt’s yard.”

Sanqi knew the way, so he got up and left, taking with him a small bamboo basket woven by his great-grandfather.

Lin Feng saw that Sanqi didn't need him, so he didn't move and helped sort the seafood.

"Grandma, let's make braised sea cucumber with scallions tonight. Sea cucumbers this big don't taste quite the same when they're dried."

Liu Jiu had a layer of face cream applied to her by her mother. The cream smelled wonderful, and she kept wanting to wipe it off with her hands. But her mother was watching, so she decided to just bear with it.

"What about Panax notoginseng?"

Bonnie didn't see her son, which was quite strange. Didn't he say he was tired and went to sleep?

"He went to your aunt's house to pick aloe vera. You know, how come Sanqi, a little boy, is more concerned about his appearance than Liujiu, a girl? He's always wearing a straw hat on his head since he was little."

Aunt Bao Ni chatted as she worked. Since the land was distributed to individual households, they no longer had to work day and night. After finishing their own land, they even had time to rest.

"Personality is a matter of personalities and has nothing to do with whether you're a boy or a girl. Now that living conditions are better, everyone has the leisure to dress themselves up."

Bonnie noticed this more clearly when she was in Beijing. This summer, more people were wearing skirts, and the colors of clothes were also more diverse, no longer limited to black, white, and gray.

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