Bao Ni's mother went to Beijing with lots of bags and packages. Bao Ni said that there were too many things, so she suggested sending them by post, but her mother thought it would be too expensive.
Bao Ni's mother brought over twenty catties of flour, about ten catties of soybean oil, clothes from when Sanqi and Liujiu were little, and various dried seafood, totaling about fifty or sixty catties. Bao Ni was glad that Xiao Mizi had sent it beforehand, otherwise it would have been even more.
Bao Ni's mother arrived in Beijing safely. Fortunately, Bao Ni's second brother was not on a mission and went to the station to pick her up.
"Mom, why are you carrying so much stuff? It's so heavy. Didn't you say your back was bothering you before?"
“It’s alright. Your brother brought me the car, and you came to pick me up from the station, so I don’t need to carry anything. Everything is useful. It’s too much trouble for you to eat; you have to buy everything with ration coupons.”
Lin Tao carried the things and walked ahead, with Bao Ni's mother following behind. It was her first time stepping onto the soil of Beijing, and she felt a bit of awe, as this was the most important place in the country.
They walked and looked around, and when they arrived at the family compound, Bao Ni's mother was quite familiar with it; she often went to Bao Ni's place and knew the routine very well. Hao Mei hadn't finished get off work yet, and Bao Ni's mother started getting busy, but Lin Tao stopped her, telling her to rest for a while.
When Hao Mei returned, she was very friendly to her mother-in-law. Her own mother hadn't even asked how she was recovering after childbirth, nor had she sent a single piece of cloth to her unborn child. Oh well, she was already gone; why think about such things?
When Sister-in-law Gu heard that Bao Ni's mother had arrived, she came over to visit and even treated them to a meal. Xuan Yu and Xuan Yi loved the homemade snacks that Bao Ni's mother gave them, and they would often come over for a meal—they were so delicious!
Bao Ni's mother is doing well in Beijing and quickly figured out the surrounding area. Hao Mei, well-fed by her mother-in-law's cooking, has become quite plump and healthy; she really doesn't want her mother-in-law to go back—how wonderful it would be if she could stay with them forever!
Without Bonnie's mother on the island, something always feels missing. Before, as soon as I entered the courtyard, I'd habitually call out, "Mother, I'm home!"
Even when her mother wasn't in the yard, she would still call out, but now...
Bao Ni goes back to her parents' home almost every day, making sure she's well-covered. There's also a second child at home, and her grandparents help take care of the children and cook. This time, Sister-in-law Lin is also busy; she has to take over some of the housework, after all, her grandmother is getting on in years.
Previously, Bao Ni's mother mainly took care of Da Bao and Er Bao, taking care of their every need, from eating and drinking to toileting. This time, Lin Da Sao has to take care of everything herself. When Bao Ni goes back to her parents' home, she only helps her grandmother wash the clothes of the two elderly people and her father; she doesn't care about other people's clothes.
"Dad, I need to talk to you about something."
Gu Ye is off work today and is taking care of the child at home. Since Sanqi weaned, he is no longer as clingy to his mother.
"What is it? Where is the child?"
“Gu Ye is at home keeping an eye on things. I’m here on serious business. I tried growing kelp before, and now I want to cooperate with the team to set up a kelp farming cooperative. You can go to the commune to pull some strings. If it works out, we’ll have an extra source of income.”
Bonnie knew that private business was no longer allowed, but she could open a collective cooperative in the name of the production brigade.
"Didn't you say you failed last time?"
"That's not a failure. If there hadn't been a super typhoon, it would have been a success. The remaining gains were also considerable, weren't they? In the future, we should be more careful when choosing locations. Besides, we can't always encounter such a big typhoon."
Bonnie's father thought for a while. What his daughter said made sense, and most importantly, apart from manpower, the other investments wouldn't be too much, and the team didn't have much money. If it worked out, every household in their team would be much better off.
"Okay, I understand. I'll discuss it with the team leaders and then hold a big meeting to see how the other team members react. This isn't something your dad can decide on his own."
"It's okay, no rush. It won't start until next year at the earliest."
After talking to her father about raising livestock, Bonnie went to see her grandmother to see if there was anything she could help with.
In the courtyard, her grandmother was washing clothes.
"Grandma, didn't I wash you yesterday? Is there still so much left?"
A whole basin of water was soaking in, and Bonnie couldn't tell what was in it. She thought her grandma had taken the blanket apart.
"No, it's your older brother and his group. They've been soaking in it all morning. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I thought I'd wash them out."
The old lady was observant and loved cleanliness. Seeing the clothes soaking in the water all morning, she was really annoyed and thought, "I might as well wash them."
"Honestly, how old are you? How can you even scrub such big clothes?"
Bonnie wouldn't interfere in her brother and sister-in-law's affairs, but her grandmother was getting on in years, so she couldn't let her get too tired. The main concern was that her grandmother might strain her back, which was no joke.
"Alright, if you can't stand it, then don't watch. How old are you? Is this something you can do? What if you hurt your back or strain your leg?"
"What's wrong?"
Bonnie's dad came into the yard at this moment and saw Bonnie saying something; he seemed quite excited.
"My grandma wants to help my older brother and his family wash clothes. It's such a big basin of clothes, is she healthy enough to handle it?"
Where are your older brother and the others?
It's so noisy in the yard, but I haven't seen the eldest couple come out. Are they not home or...?
"I don't know, I was just admitted to the hospital too."
Bonnie carried a basin of clothes to her older brother's window and pulled Grandma inside. The old lady's hands were freezing; in this weather, she couldn't stand it without hot water.
The old lady got into bed. She knew she shouldn't be stubborn, but ever since Bao Ni's mother left, she really couldn't get used to the messy house.
"Mother, where are the eldest son and the others?"
"He went out this morning, I don't know where he went."
Bonnie's father didn't say anything more, telling his mother not to worry about these things anymore. They were young and strong, why couldn't they do things themselves? They were used to being waited on.
Back at the team headquarters, Bonnie's father thought a lot. Ever since his second and third children joined the army one after another, his eldest son's mentality had changed. He wasn't as enthusiastic about work as before, and he wasn't as concerned about team matters.
The eldest son's wife is the same. Ever since Bao Ni's mother stopped working, she hasn't lifted a finger to help with anything at home, not even the children. Bao Ni's mother does all the work. This time, she went to help the second son's wife during her postpartum period, bringing a lot of things. He could tell she was a little unhappy.
Not to mention that Bao Ni's mother was looking after their two older children, those things were all brought back by Bao Ni, not by the older siblings. What was there to be unhappy about? He didn't get angry at the time, afraid that Bao Ni's mother would worry.
If things continue like this, the eldest son's family will gradually fall out with his siblings. It's time to consider dividing the family property; there's some truth to the saying "a large tree branches out." Originally, we planned to wait until Linbo got married before dividing the property, but we can't wait that long.
Bonnie was unaware that her father was planning something big. She made her grandmother some brown sugar ginger water and made her drink a big bowl of it to sweat it out, in case her grandmother caught a cold.
As you get older, even a cold can be a hurdle.
Seeing that her grandmother had fallen asleep, Bonnie took the bowl out and gently closed the door.
Where is your grandmother?
"Grandpa is back. Grandma is asleep. Keep an eye on her. If she gets a fever, take her to the hospital."
Grandpa said he knew and told Bonnie to go back quickly.
Before Bonnie went home, she told her father again to be more careful at night.
Sigh, the lady of the house isn't home, things are going to get chaotic!
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