The autumn harvest is over, and Bonnie's daily task is to research how to cook. However, the ideal is often far from reality, and no matter how hard she tries, she can only manage to cook to that level.
Bonnie was having a blast, but the other three in the family couldn't take it anymore. They finally had a better supply of refined grains this year, and they couldn't let them eat such bland food!
As a result, Bonnie was deprived of the right to cook dinner.
With nothing else to do, Bonnie took out her seaweed farming materials and looked at them again.
Gu Ye wasn't busy lately, and he came home promptly to cook dinner. Sanqi was the happiest because he had lunch with his mother, so he got to eat one more meal cooked by his mother than his father and sister.
It's been over a week since the 37th day of the third lunar month, and I can now speak short sentences and express myself clearly.
The temperature outside is getting lower and lower, and Bao Ni doesn't go back to her parents' home much anymore, for fear that Sanqi will catch a cold.
"Mom, the sun is too strong, let's go, let's go to your parents' house."
Sanqi wasn't very good at saying "maternal grandmother," but after trying harder, she mostly said "maternal home."
"Sanqi, do you miss your grandma?"
"dumpling."
He wanted to eat the dumplings his grandma made. He didn't even think about his grandma. You are such a filial grandson.
Bonnie filled a cloth bag halfway with millet, which she had ground the day before yesterday. She had planted two acres of millet and harvested nearly four hundred pounds of it. After grinding the millet, Bonnie also sent some to her sister-in-law and second brother—a fine grain!
"What did you bring back this time? Are you done living your life?"
As soon as Bao Ni's mother saw her daughter come in carrying a half-full bag of things, she couldn't help but say a few words.
"Millet for Grandpa and Grandma, millet porridge is good for their stomachs."
Grandma came out of the house. She had been eating well lately, and her health had recovered well; she was healthy again.
"Grandma is so lucky to have my baby. Here, keep this for you. You can wear it sometime."
Grandma pulled a jade bracelet from her pocket. Bao Ni didn't know if it was Hetian jade or jadeite, but she did. However, she knew that this bracelet was a gift from her grandmother. It was said that even during the most difficult times, Grandma couldn't bear to sell it.
"I don't want it. You can keep it yourself, or leave it for my brother and the others."
"No, there are so many people, how can we divide it? Grandma left this bracelet for you. Take it and don't let them see it, no one will know."
Bonnie glanced at her mother, who glared at her. "Why are you looking at me? Your grandma gave it to you, so put it away quickly. I don't have anything, so don't expect me to leave you anything good. Your mother has nothing."
Bonnie took the bracelet. She knew that her grandmother felt sorry for her and was making up for her because she always brought things back to her parents' home.
"Mother, when are you going to visit my second brother? When is my sister-in-law giving birth?"
I've put the bracelet on my wrist, and since I'm wearing thick clothes now, no one will notice. I'll put it away when I get home.
"I'll be born after the New Year, but they didn't say the exact time. I'll go in a few days."
My second daughter-in-law's mother isn't very capable, so she has to go and help take care of her during her postpartum period and also look after the baby for a while. The baby needs to be a bit older before she can be sent to daycare; it'll be too much of a burden for her if she's too young.
"Okay, let's go early. It's inconvenient with a big belly. My second brother is like Gu Ye; he might be on a mission again at any time."
As a military wife, Bao Ni still feels sorry for her second sister-in-law. She has her own family nearby, which makes everything convenient for her, but her second sister-in-law's mother, it is said, has never made any decisions in her life and always listens to her second sister-in-law's father.
This time, my second sister-in-law got pregnant and told her family the good news. Her mother didn't say anything, nor did she offer to help with postpartum care.
“That’s what I was thinking too. I’m just worried that your second brother might have to go on a mission, and your second sister-in-law is quite pregnant. It would be dangerous if there’s no one at home. After I leave, come back a few more times to help your grandma with chores like washing clothes.”
"You don't need to explain that, I know. There's nothing much going on now, and I can come back for a walk every day."
At noon, Sanqi ate the dumplings made by his maternal grandmother. He smacked his lips with delight, praising them repeatedly, "Delicious, fragrant, Mom's cooking is delicious."
This guy is from a different generation.
When Bonnie left, she filled a basin with dumplings, giving them to Gu Ye and Liu Jiu.
Bonnie walked back, still thinking about frying some vegetarian meatballs when Gu Ye had a day off. This year's soybean harvest was also plentiful, so Bonnie no longer had to worry about running out of oil.
Holding Sanqi in one arm and carrying a basin in the other, Bonnie vaguely saw a familiar face, but couldn't quite place who it was.
This is another round of being sent down to the countryside. The year 1970 is almost over. Let's hold on for a few more years, things will get better.
Bonnie walked along, trying to remember who this person was, but she couldn't recall.
That evening, Gu Ye and Liu Jiu ate delicious dumplings, while Bao Ni ate the braised fish Gu Ye had made. This meal was a bit too much. Since the autumn harvest, their family had become a little too arrogant; they needed to bring it down, or they might stumble.
That evening, Bonnie recounted what had happened during the day.
"I just can't remember who it is. It must be someone I know, someone who should be very important. Why can't I remember?"
"Is it Professor Gao? My brother said that Professor Gao was also demoted and asked us to take care of him. He should have arrived by now, but we've been busy with the competition these past few days and forgot about him."
Bonnie was also confused. Professor Gao? Which Professor Gao? She didn't remember knowing any professors!
"Which Professor Gao?"
"That biologist who taught you how to cultivate seaweed, how to grow spores or something."
"Oh! I didn't know his surname was Gao, and he's a professor? Isn't he a biologist?"
Gu Ye was speechless. He didn't even know the other person's surname, yet he asked his older brother to take care of him. He really had a big heart.
The next day, Bonnie took Sanqi back to her parents' home.
"Mom, I need to see my father. Could you watch the children for me?"
Bonnie put down Sanqi and hurriedly went out. She had seen that most of the people who had walked together yesterday were in the same group, so they must have been assigned to the same group.
"Dad, are you busy?"
"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Bonnie's dad was looking at documents at the team headquarters. Several more educated youths had been sent down to the island this year, one to their team. More educated youths were coming next year. Where would they get their food? They couldn't let them go hungry.
The few educated youth in the designated settlement were able to barely make ends meet thanks to Han Weidong's guidance, while the other teams were in complete chaos.
"Dad, I have a question for you. Have any more people been sent down to our team? Is there one from Beijing named Gao Cheng?"
"There seems to be one, let me take a look."
Bonnie's dad pulled out the documents and found a man named Gao Cheng from Beijing.
"There's one you know?"
"Yes, I've met him a few times. Father, secretly help look after him. I still need to ask him for some advice. If it works out, you won't have to worry about not having enough food."
Bonnie's dad was a little skeptical. There's only so much land on the island, and there won't be another island that can be cultivated, so how will they have food?
"Really? You're not exaggerating, are you?"
"You underestimate me, huh? Just you wait, next year you'll see that your daughter isn't just strong. Hmph..."
Bonnie's dad patted his daughter on the shoulder and said, "This child, who are you grumbling to? No respect for elders!"
Bonnie stopped caring about her father and went to see Professor Gao to say hello and see if there was anything she could do to help.
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