When Brother Lin and his wife returned, it was almost dark. Bao Ni's father was standing in the yard, and Brother Lin was startled when he entered.
"Dad, why are you standing here? Aren't you cold?"
"I'm not cold, I'm thinking about something."
Bonnie's dad didn't say anything else. Some things need time to ferment, and only when the time comes will they erupt.
"Grandpa, I'm hungry."
Erbao hugged his grandfather's leg, wanting some food.
"I'm hungry. Wait a bit, we haven't cooked yet."
"Haven't you cooked yet?"
Song Xiaolan called out subconsciously. She hadn't expected that there was no food at home. Subconsciously, she always thought that the meals at home were prepared on time.
“Your grandmother isn’t feeling well, eldest daughter-in-law. Let’s cook some millet porridge for her later, stew some fish, and make some flatbread.”
"I also want to drink millet porridge and eat eggs."
Erbao quickly explained that he hadn't eaten well at noon.
"The millet porridge is for my wife to nourish her body, there's no share for you."
"I ate pancakes for lunch, and I don't want to eat them anymore, Mom. Didn't you say that Auntie's family has a lot of wheat flour and millet? You even gave some to Grandma."
Erbao completely betrayed his mother, forgetting what she had told him to do.
Seeing her father-in-law's face darken, Song Xiaolan regretted it. She shouldn't have brought back the fine grains to her parents' home to show off just to spite him.
"You took the millet meant to nourish Grandma?"
"Father, I only took a little, two or three pounds, not much. Xiaolan went to see her mother and sent a message saying that she is sick."
Lin Yu didn't think too much about it at the time; he had plenty more at home, so he didn't pay much attention. However, he forgot that those things weren't earned by him; they were given to his grandparents by Bao Ni.
"You don't know your own limitations. You only took two or three pounds, and you make it sound so easy. Is that yours? What are you thinking? After you finish eating, have Bonnie bring it over. Does Bonnie owe you something? Or do you think that Bonnie is obligated to bring things back?"
Inside the house, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin sighed. It really proved her words true: a little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment.
"Father, that's not what I thought."
Lin Yu said it, but Bao Ni's father knew that he was dissatisfied. He was probably thinking that Bao Ni had gotten Lin Tao and Lin Bo into the army, but he had nothing, and he felt uncomfortable about it.
“I can’t crack open your head to see what you’re thinking. From now on, you’re not allowed to touch a single grain of wheat in the house except for the ones we’ll divide up.”
Bonnie's dad ignored their thoughts, turned around and left. This family had to be divided.
For dinner, Song Xiaolan made stewed fish with cornbread, but it was a little burnt. It's been a long time since I cooked, so I'm a bit rusty.
Fortunately, Grandma Lin did not have a fever that night, but she felt a little weak and had a stuffy nose.
The next day, when Bonnie brought Sanqi, her grandmother wouldn't let her bring Sanqi into her room, fearing that she would catch the illness.
Bonnie touched it and thankfully it wasn't hot, otherwise she would have had to be taken to the hospital.
At the beginning of the year, a comprehensive hospital was built on the island. Now, some doctors, nurses, and equipment have arrived, and the hospital is ready to treat patients.
Seeing that her grandmother had a poor appetite, Bonnie asked her uncle to come over and cook some lean meat porridge for her grandmother.
I must say, her uncle's cooking skills are really good, the taste is so good, Sanqi smelled the aroma and looked on longingly.
"Don't worry, everyone gets a share."
"Really? Auntie, my grandfather said it's for my wife to improve her health."
Bonnie immediately realized something was wrong.
"It's alright, Grandpa made a bit too much. You and Sanqi can try some today. From now on, listen to your grandpa. It's for Madam to nourish her body."
"well……"
Bonnie took the porridge to Grandma, and then served a bowl to Sanqi and Erbao each. She let it cool outside before letting them eat it themselves.
"Bonnie, I have a secret to tell you."
My uncle, like a secret agent making a rendezvous, looked around before getting close enough to speak.
"Your father is going to divide the family property!"
"What? My dad... Waaah..."
Bonnie's mouth was covered by her uncle, forcing her to swallow the words she was about to shout.
"Uncle, if you weren't my uncle, you'd be lying on the ground right now."
"I'm sorry, Uncle was in a hurry and forgot about your fighting skills. Please forgive me, my dear niece."
Bonnie hadn't realized her uncle was quite talkative; it seems they haven't been in contact with each other much.
"What happened?"
Bonnie lowered her voice, understanding that her uncle was afraid her grandmother would hear.
“I don’t know either. Yesterday I saw your father go to see your third and fourth grandfathers. I was curious, so I overheard a bit and all I know is that they’re going to split up the family. I don’t know anything else.”
"You couldn't understand even if you were eavesdropping, and the worst part is that you didn't understand but still told me. Isn't that doing it on purpose, Uncle?"
The two people were whispering in the yard, and the person in charge of the matter was also talking about it.
"Separate the family? Why do we need to separate the family?"
In the team headquarters, Lin Yu asked incredulously, "Why did my father want to split up the family property?"
"Why, don't you know yourself? Ever since Bonnie got married, she's been taking things back to her parents' house every now and then. Your appetites have grown, and you think it's your right. You just take hundreds of pounds of wheat home when we tell you to."
"Wasn't that Bonnie's gift to you? She said there was a good harvest..."
Bonnie's father raised his hand to stop his eldest son from speaking, without listening to his explanation.
“Baoni got Lin Tao, Lin Bo, and even Lin Hui into the military. Don’t tell me you don’t have any ideas. You haven’t been very proactive in the military these past two years. What, you still want Baoni to get you a formal job outside the island?”
"I didn't think that way."
Lin Yu was actually quite resentful. His two younger brothers had joined the army and were receiving government-subsidized rations, and even his uncle's younger brother had been given a chance. Why didn't they think about their own eldest brother? He had already had enough of the hardships he had endured while fishing at sea.
“Bonnie owes you nothing, she owes no one anything. You all take it all for granted. Your mother is not in good health and doesn’t work anymore, but she’s doing even more work. The four of you don’t care about anything except eating. Sometimes your mother even has to wash your clothes.”
Thinking about that basin of clothes from yesterday, Bonnie's dad felt like hitting someone; he really didn't know what he was talking about.
“I didn’t discuss it with you. I’m just informing you that the household will be divided tomorrow. Apart from the food rations, there’s not much else to divide. Your wife’s salary and the money ration coupons you received in the team have always been yours to keep.”
"Father, is this really how it has to be? We made a mistake, shouldn't we be allowed to do it?"
Lin Yu didn't want to separate the family. He was the only son left on the island, and if they separated the family, it would make them a laughing stock!
"The house you're living in now will be yours. We'll build a wall in the middle and you can open another door on one side. Or, if there are any vacant houses on the island, I'll pay for one for you."
"That's settled then. You don't need to say anything more. Go home and discuss it with your wife about how to decide on the house. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Lin Yu left the team headquarters dejectedly, feeling empty inside. Why did they have to split up?
Bonnie's dad has already discussed it with the old man. From now on, the four of them will live together, which will make things easier for Bonnie's mom. They don't know how to be grateful, so there's no use keeping them around.
Tomorrow, we'll split up.
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