Bonnie had been looking forward to seeing her younger brother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, but to her surprise, he hadn't returned yet.
"Grandma, has Lin Bo not returned yet?"
“He hasn’t come back yet. Your dad said he might be busy, but he’ll be back when he’s done.”
"I was wondering if this kid had gotten fatter or thinner?"
Bonnie is also very busy every day. She has to repair the boat in a few days. She will need the boat soon, and she can't just give up halfway through, or it will be a problem.
"Grandpa, I need him to check the boat for me now."
"Didn't your grandpa organize those older folks to braid ropes and make bamboo rafts for you?"
Bonnie slapped her forehead; she'd completely forgotten. No, she needed to carry a notebook with her. A bad pen is worse than a good memory; she needed to write things down more often, otherwise, with even more things to deal with later, she might need to find someone to help her.
Bonnie took Sanqi home. Gu Ye won't be back tonight, so she has to cook. Liu Jiu and Sanqi will have to be patient again; consider it a period of self-cultivation.
With the arrival of new people on the island, all sorts of gossip has followed, enough to keep things lively for several days.
"Bonnie, how have you been lately? Is everything going well?"
Aunt Zhang was peering over the wall. She hadn't seen Bao Ni for several days; she left early and returned late, and she was nowhere to be seen.
"It's alright. Things are a bit messy and hectic, but everything else is fine. Everything is ready, and we're just waiting for the spring breeze to turn the earth green and the seeds to be sown. Then there will be hope, won't there?"
"That's true, aren't we all like that? From spring to autumn, we look forward to our children growing up quickly, and when they grow up and leave home, we hope they can come back a few more times. That's how we live our whole lives."
Zhang's wife got married at a young age, with a husband who left home and a child she raised alone. Her life revolved around her husband and child, and she herself was almost forgotten.
Many of the wives in the residential compound envied Bao Ni, not only because she had a loving husband and a caring family, but also because they admired her as a person: capable, thoughtful, independent, and always willing to do what she wanted.
"Alright, you just got back, so I won't keep nagging you. We'll talk after you're done with your work."
"Okay, sister-in-law, I'll talk to you again when I have time."
Bonnie entered the yard, where Sanqi had already washed her hands and was eating peach shortbread.
"Sanqi, are you hungry? Mom will cook right away. Eat less peach shortbread, or you'll get cavities."
Eat more, eat less rice.
Sanqi knew his mother was cooking tonight and was in a bad mood, but he couldn't not eat. Sigh!
Bonnie listened to Sanqi's sighs one after another, and her hands were itching to do the same.
"Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Tiedan's house for dinner today. Aunt Ge made my portion, so I won't be eating at home."
"Sister... wait for me."
Watching her two children run off into the distance, Bao Ni wasn't angry anymore. The children are older now, they have their own ideas, unlike when they were little, when there was nothing she could do even if they didn't like the food, and she couldn't let them go hungry. Lately, whenever Gu Ye doesn't come home at night, Liu Jiu goes to other people's houses for meals.
Alright, let's send some food to Tiedan's family tomorrow. Liujiu's appetite is enough for several people, and he's always following behind.
Bonnie cooked for herself, but she still complained about it. Oh well, she had to eat it. If the cafeteria food wasn't so bad, Bonnie really wouldn't want to cook! Maybe she should suggest to the quartermaster sometime that we change the cook.
A few days later, Bonnie finally saw Lin Bo.
"Sister, you're back?"
"Hey, finally done with your work. You should learn from Yu the Great, who passed by his home three times without entering."
Bonnie washed her hands. Tomorrow she'll start farming on the island. Grandpa and the others have already tidied up the boat.
"Hehe... I went to complete the handover first, then went out again. My brother-in-law came back too. I saw him at the unit. He's completely different from how he is at home. The soldiers in his regiment are very afraid of my brother-in-law."
"Aren't you afraid of your boss? It's the same for everyone."
Although Bonnie had never seen Gu Ye at work, she could imagine it: serious, unsmiling, cold... those were the words to describe him. Bonnie didn't care; at home, Gu Ye belonged to her and the children.
“Baoni, your uncle said he’ll cook dinner tonight and invite Gu Ye back for dinner.”
"Okay, Grandma, is Uncle off today?"
"Yes, I came back last night and will leave tomorrow morning."
Grandma Lin was surprised that her youngest son was doing so well; after working outside for a while, he had matured a lot.
"Sister, what's wrong with my brother and sister-in-law?"
"What's wrong? I don't know."
“I heard that my sister-in-law went back to her parents’ home to help her brother with his shift for more than a month. After her brother recovered, he kicked her out. My older brother went to pick her up before, but he didn’t see her. She came back on her own today. She lost her job on the island and said she’s going to work with my older brother.”
"You're such a know-it-all! You just got back and you know everything."
Yu Yin was really surprised by this. She thought her sister-in-law had gotten her wish and finally moved her parents so they would make it up to her.
"I was just asking Grandma because I found it strange."
"It's unlikely that Grandma told you that, right?"
Yu Yin knew that her grandmother rarely talked about the younger generation, especially not good things.
"No, I heard it from the old lady next door. She heard my older brother and sister-in-law arguing."
Truly, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever!
"Baby, what are you thinking about? Master Ye is still talking about you. It's been so long since you visited him."
"Uncle, you're doing well!"
"Thanks to Bonnie, things are actually going quite well. Most importantly, I've learned a lot. We have several head chefs at our restaurant, and they all have their own special skills that they don't reveal."
Uncle Lin looked regretful. He genuinely loved cooking and understood the concerns of those chefs, who feared that teaching their apprentices would lead to their own downfall. He wouldn't deliberately try to steal their skills; he would first learn what others were willing to teach.
"Would someone just casually share their best skills? Chef Ye is also an excellent cook."
"Chef Ye is a really nice guy, he's taken good care of me. He's taught me a lot, and I'll show you what I can do today. I brought all the ingredients. Try them out tonight and see if you've improved."
Uncle Lin excitedly carried the things into the kitchen, and Sanqi followed him in happily.
"Erbao, why aren't you coming in? What are you doing at the door?"
"Uncle, Aunt, I'm hungry."
Lin Bo brought Erbao in, gave him a peach shortbread, and told him to wash his hands before eating it.
"My brother and sister-in-law are really something. No matter how much they argue, they should at least think about the kids, right?"
Bonnie didn't respond to Lin Bo. She was over thirty years old and didn't need anyone to teach her how to live.
Bonnie possesses all of the original owner's memories and feelings for her family. However, Bonnie also has twenty years of life belonging to Jiang Jiaojiao. Accustomed to the lifestyle of the future, it's difficult for her to be as passionate about certain things as people in this era.
The neighborhood relations are very good now. If a couple in the neighborhood quarrels, someone will always step in to mediate. Bonnie can't do that and doesn't know how to handle it.
She had no desire to get involved in things like what happened between Brother Lin and his wife.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
