Bonnie, her mother, and her sister-in-law took a boat off the island the next day; they had so many things to buy!
"The department stores in the city are much more impressive; they have everything, unlike the ones on our island." Sister-in-law Lin sighed every time she visited the department store, without fail.
"What's the use of grandeur if you have no money or tickets? You can only look on helplessly." Lin's mother was tired of hearing her eldest daughter-in-law's nagging. She would say it every time she came, without ever getting annoyed.
"Mom, you tell me what to buy. Grandma wants us to go home early." Bao Ni quickly interrupted her mother, who was about to say something, otherwise she and her sister-in-law would start nagging endlessly.
"Okay, okay, I got it. We need to buy a pair of enamel basins with the character '囍' (double happiness) on them, and two quilt covers with peony patterns, for a festive look. We also need to buy red fabric, because the wedding dress must be red..."
Lin's mother muttered to herself as she directed her eldest daughter-in-law to go and buy it.
"A peony-patterned quilt cover?" Bonnie exclaimed in surprise. Was it the kind she had in mind?
“What’s wrong? Peonies are so festive, you have to buy peonies for a wedding!” Lin’s mother said firmly, leaving no room for compromise.
Fine, peony flowers it is. At worst, I'll just make a few more plain-colored duvet covers to cover them up, so I don't have to keep taking the duvet apart. She doesn't even know how to sew duvets.
Bonnie was puzzled. She had been trained by Old Jiang and hadn't had the opportunity or time to learn these things. But Bonnie, who could wield a sledgehammer, couldn't handle a tiny embroidery needle. She would get pricked and cry out in pain, eventually having to give up.
Shopping is a woman's nature, regardless of the era.
Lin's mother led the way, with Lin's sister-in-law bringing up the rear. They were having a great time shopping, and Bao Ni became their little helper, carrying the bags.
Okay, whatever makes you happy. It's a rare opportunity to sell a lot of tickets. Don't worry about how many tickets you have left.
The money Gu Ye gave me was alright, but the tickets were really plentiful!
Actually, despite the large entourage Lin's mother made, she only bought daily necessities. Frugality is something ingrained in the bones of this generation.
When Bonnie's hands were full, Lin's mother finally announced that they had bought everything and could go home.
"Mom, there's still time. Let's go to the state-run restaurant and get something to eat. I'm starving!" Bonnie thought to herself, having left home so early in the morning, she was already hungry.
Her sister-in-law was too embarrassed to suggest going out for dinner, so Bonnie quickly suggested it.
Although Lin's mother was reluctant to spend the money, her daughter was watching her longingly, and her eldest daughter-in-law had been running around with her all morning. So she gritted her teeth, stomped her feet, and ate.
Bonnie led Lin's mother and the others into the state-run restaurant, familiar with the place, and glanced at today's menu.
"Mom, there's braised pork, let's have some!" Bonnie hadn't had a proper meat meal in days, except for seafood.
"Okay, one serving, please." Lin's mother gritted her teeth and ordered one serving. The others were not acceptable; they were just ordinary home-style dishes, enough for the three of them.
Sister-in-law Lin was also very happy, as she was able to eat meat with Bao Ni.
The three of them enjoyed a hearty meal and found the meat delicious!
When Grandma Lin saw the three of them enter with large and small bags, she busied herself checking to see if they had bought everything.
Bonnie didn't care about any of that and went off to share some delicious food with her eldest child.
Meanwhile, Brother Gu arrived at the dock. He had a lot of stuff, so he asked a comrade he knew to help him carry it onto the ship.
"Thanks, see you later." Brother Gu waved goodbye to his comrade.
When Gu Ye saw his older brother, he was also surprised. What were all these things? Why did he bring so many things?
"What are you standing there for? Come and help me move it!" Brother Gu shouted at his dumbfounded younger brother.
Gu Ye and Xiao Chaoyang rushed over to help. Good heavens, a bicycle, a sewing machine, a radio—all the three essentials and one essential item were there. They didn't see the watch, which must be in the luggage.
It took several people a lot of effort to move and carry everything onto the truck.
After the supplies were moved to the family compound, they were all unloaded. Brother Gu gave each soldier a pack of cigarettes from Beijing, which made the soldiers happy, and they ran off happily.
"Brother Gu, I'm heading back first." Xiao Chaoyang said goodbye and left ahead of time, leaving Gu Ye and his brother alone to talk.
"You're getting married, how does it feel? Your sister-in-law keeps asking what Comrade Lin looks like, whether he's easy to get along with, she keeps nagging." Gu Ze didn't notice any change in Gu Ye, and didn't know whether he liked him or not.
"I don't know. Sometimes I feel annoyed because there are too many things to do. Other times I think she's quite interesting. She's round and chubby, like a meatball." Gu Ye couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Lin Baoni's wide, round eyes.
Looking at his younger brother, who unconsciously smiled as he spoke, Gu Ze felt that Comrade Lin could cure his brother's illness.
"Why describe a woman like that? If your sister-in-law heard you, she'd criticize you too." Women all want to be praised for their looks. Meatball, it's not easy to gain weight these days.
Because of Gu Ye's description of meatballs, Gu Ze pictured Lin Baoni as a round and chubby figure.
The two brothers tidied up their things. They were both soldiers, so there was no need to worry about their personal belongings.
"I'm going to visit the Lin family tomorrow to meet with my in-laws and discuss the wedding date. I won't be able to stay for more than a few days." Brother Gu's job is special, so he can't leave for too long.
That evening, Gu Ye and his elder brother visited Commander Yang's home again. Commander Yang inquired about the old leader's health and praised Gu Ye's excellence, saying that he had made another contribution.
Finally, when talking about Gu Ye's marriage, Commander Yang said, "The Lin family has lived on the island for over a hundred years and has ancestral skills in building houses, especially seaweed houses."
"Moreover, the Lin family produced three martyrs across two generations. Comrade Lin's second uncle sacrificed his life during the War of Resistance Against Japan." Commander Yang reviewed this information during the political review. The Lin family is quite good.
After leaving Commander Yang's house, the Gu brothers agreed to visit the Lin family first the next morning.
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