Bonnie served herself a bowl of noodles with the sauce and ate it with relish.

"Bonnie, I want to talk to you about something."

Looking at her older sister, Bao Ni finished eating and then spoke hesitantly.

"What is it? Why are you hesitating?"

Bonnie thought something had happened to Xiang's family, but it didn't seem like it.

"Bonnie, I want to resign."

"Resigning? Is something the matter? Something at home?"

Bonnie couldn't think of any other reason; the salary she received was not low, and she didn't have many family matters to attend to.

"Sigh, my eldest daughter-in-law's and youngest daughter's factories are not doing well. They were just small factories set up by the neighborhood committee."

Now that the government is supporting trade, those small factories are struggling. They can't get any work and haven't paid wages for months. I recently heard that the factories are going to close down, and they might lose their jobs.

My eldest daughter-in-law doesn't plan to remarry; she wants to stay home and take care of the children. I can't just stand by and watch, so I was thinking of having her and my youngest daughter open a delicatessen together.

Sister Xiang felt very embarrassed. She had done a good job at Bao Ni's house and they got along very well. But what could she do? When their child was in trouble, how could parents just stand by and watch?

"That's great. Sister Xiang, you're very skilled. You can give them the recipes and let them do the cooking. Make sure the quality is good, and it should sell well. Running your own business is harder, but the income will be higher."

"When are you planning to leave? I need to let logistics know. Sister Xiang, don't feel burdened. It's unavoidable; as parents, we can't just watch our children face difficulties and ignore them."

Bonnie didn't expect that things would start to show signs of this at this time; she thought the wave of layoffs began in the 1990s.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry, I don't even know what to say. My sudden decision to quit caught you off guard. I should have waited until you found someone else before leaving, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, there aren't many people eating at home right now. If it doesn't work out, I'll just go to my uncle's restaurant."

Bao Ni apologized to Sister Xiang repeatedly, feeling embarrassed. She went to the logistics department to settle Sister Xiang's wages. Sister Xiang packed her things, left her home address, and reluctantly left the military compound where she had lived for several years.

Bonnie didn't expect to encounter such a thing as soon as she came back, but there was nothing she could do about it.

No one can say for sure how long the bond between people will last.