Bonnie didn't see Liu Jiu until more than half a month after she returned. It had been two or three months since they last met.

"Mom, it feels like we haven't seen each other in ages."

Liu Jiu and Mu Nanfang came back together. After not seeing her for several months, her daughter had gotten even darker.

"Auntie, I'm here. Did everything go smoothly?"

Mu Nanfang was busy applying for an exchange program abroad and hadn't been back to the compound for a long time.

"It's alright, nothing's wrong. How's your application for studying abroad going?"

"Things are going smoothly so far, but we'll have to wait a while for the final result. We've done everything we could; the outcome is up to luck."

Mu Nanfang remained calm and composed. As Liu Jiu had said, he had tried his best and done his utmost, so the final result was no longer important.

"Mom, where's Aunt Xiang?"

“Your aunt had some family matters to attend to and has already left. The house is back to normal now. If your dad has time, we cook together. If not, we eat at your great-uncle’s restaurant.”

Bonnie has gotten used to it now; it's really convenient for them that her uncle runs a restaurant here.

"Won't this be too much work for you? My dad's been quite busy lately, hasn't he?"

"It's alright, I can leave work on time most of the time. What do you guys want to eat? Shall we go to Grandpa's shop tonight?"

"Let's cook at home. I haven't cooked in a long time, and I feel out of touch with life."

Liu Jiu wanted to give her brain a rest; they left early today, so there was enough time to cook.

"Auntie, leave it to me and Liu Jiu. I'm quite good at cooking now."

Mu Nanfang and Liu Jiu went to the kitchen to cook. Bao Ni found everything; they wanted to eat dumplings.

"Then you can leave the kitchen to me. I'll watch TV in the living room. Call me if you need anything."

The TV was bought a while ago. Han Ye took a leave of absence without pay and is now working with a few people to deal in home appliances. They're doing quite well.

There aren't many TV programs available now, and many are reruns. Bonnie found a classic TV series, produced in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which was very well acted.

In the evening, after Gu Ye and Sanqi returned, the family sat down together and ate dumplings. To be honest, they tasted quite good.

"Sigh, Brother Xuanyi is out of luck with this delicious food!"

Sanqi ate another dumpling and lamented his brother's bad luck; the school had organized a visit to a cotton mill for them, and he wouldn't be back this week.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Studying is the priority. I wonder what kind of clothes Xuanyi will design in the future. I'm quite curious."

Bonnie hasn't managed to sew anything successfully yet; her stitches are like a centipede's. Xuanyi, on the other hand, is quite skilled with needlework; he's even reportedly learned embroidery.

"I don't know what clothes he'll design, but my brother's needlework is pretty good now. You'd think he was an apprentice in a tailor shop instead of studying fashion design. He can even embroider!"

Sanqi found it amusing to recall his brother's elegant embroidery, and he himself thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Xuanyi is talented. He had never done needlework before, but he was able to successfully embroider a flower, which is quite good. Besides, he is a fashion designer. As long as he has some understanding of these things, it is enough. We don’t expect him to be an expert. Most people who do embroidery practice from childhood. They have all learned by stitch.”

Bonnie admired them greatly; they could sit and embroider all day long. Even if she were reincarnated ten times, she couldn't do that.

"Xuanyi is really amazing. My friend said that the professors at their art academy also praised Xuanyi. He has a great grasp and skill in using color, and he is better than many professional art students."

Mu Nanfang also started paying attention to Gu Xuanyi, and his affection for Liu Jiu extended to the people and things around her.

"As long as he genuinely likes it, things won't be too bad. By the way, how's Jiaojiao's studying? Did she take her exams?"

Nanfang sighed helplessly when talking about her troublesome younger sister, who was just too lazy.

"Thanks to Sanqi's summary of the formulas and their applicable ranges for each subject, her grades have improved a lot in these exams. If nothing unexpected happens, she should be able to get into high school, even if she's at the bottom of the class."

"That's good. You still need to study more. It's worrying to see someone enter society at such a young age."

Bonnie thought of the children of later generations—those who didn't do well in school or couldn't keep up, unable to stay in school and entering society early. In the fiercely competitive realities of life, their discernment and willpower were insufficient, making them easily led astray.

"My parents were also afraid that would happen, so they tried every means to help her improve her grades."

Sanqi, you need to think about what reward you want now. My dad will definitely keep his promise. This is the reward for your mental labor, so don't be shy.

Mu Nanfang practically spilled his father's entire fortune, his favoritism was all too obvious. If Commander Mu knew, he'd have to admit he'd raised a good son.

"I haven't thought about it yet, and I don't really need anything. I'll wait until Mu Jiaojiao's results come out. If she gets lucky and does very well, then I can ask her for help."

Sanqi wasn't embarrassed at all; he had carefully summarized it for Mu Jiaojiao.

"That makes sense!"

After dinner, Mu Nanfang left the Gu family and returned to his own home.

Liu Jiu hadn't seen her mother in a long time. Leaning against Bao Ni, she asked if her mother and grandmother had passed away peacefully, how her maternal grandmother and maternal grandmother were doing, and about Er Bao, who was about to take the college entrance exam and how her grades were going...

Bonnie hugged her daughter, who was taller than her. At that moment, she realized that no matter how old her child got, she would still depend on her mother.

I returned to school on the second day of the 69th day of the month, arriving before roll call that evening.

"Mom, it's my great-aunt on the phone."

Sanqi called out from the living room. His mother was a little down because his sister was going back to school. He thought it was great that junior and senior high school were changed to a three-year system. His mother seemed strong, but she still needed companionship most of the time. His father was often tied up with work, so only he, as her son, could be there for her.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!