"Bonnie, thank you!" Dr. Yang had a lot to say, but she didn't know what to say at the moment.
Bonnie somewhat understood what Dr. Yang meant; their arrival on this island was somewhat like an exile. Former relatives and friends had largely severed ties to avoid suspicion, making Bonnie's arrival all the more precious.
Bonnie didn't want to stay in that atmosphere, so she brought up another topic, "Dr. Yang, your children are in school now. How many children do you have?"
When Dr. Yang heard Bonnie mention the children, her expression improved noticeably, and she said with a smile, "They're both in school now, one in first grade and the other in fourth grade. They're still the same two children. After coming here, we haven't dared to have any more children; it's just too difficult."
"I already have two kids, the younger one is only two years old and has a very sharp tongue. Gu Ye and I don't plan to have a third one, we're afraid we won't be able to take care of them. We'll be grateful if we can raise these two well."
When it comes to children, every mother has a lot to say, both happy and unhappy, enough to fill a book.
"That's true. Look at it now, which family doesn't have three or five children? But they can barely keep them from starving. If you have so many children, and you don't have enough resources to raise them properly, it's better to have fewer children."
Dr. Yang thought of the children on the island. The older children had to take care of the younger ones, and sometimes the five- or six-year-olds would run around naked because there wasn't enough fabric to make clothes. They were all pale, thin, and malnourished; they were pitiful.
"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. Everyone thinks that having many children brings good fortune, but have we really enjoyed that?" Dr. Yang felt very confused. They hadn't done anything wrong, had they? They were exiled to this small island, and their children suffered along with them.
Seeing Dr. Yang's increasingly gloomy expression, Bonnie, who wasn't very good at comforting people, still said a few words: "Dr. Yang, our country is like a large ship sailing on the sea. The sea is vast and it's easy to lose your way. Right now, we're just lost. You have to believe that we will adjust our course and reach our destination smoothly."
Dr. Yang had never heard of such a claim before, and muttered to himself, "Really? Can it really change direction?"
Bonnie held Dr. Yang's hand. "Yes, it will happen. We just need to do what we're supposed to do and wait patiently."
"Yes, I believe you!"
Dr. Yang's smile returned, revealing her vulnerable side as she saw an old friend.
Bonnie talked for a while, then got thirsty, picked up her water glass, took a sip, and frowned slightly.
"You probably don't like the taste. I didn't like it at first either, but I got used to it later."
"Why does this water taste a little bitter?" Bonnie asked, swallowing the water in her mouth.
"I don't know. I heard it's always been like this, and the people on the island are used to it."
Bonnie felt helpless after hearing Dr. Yang's words. She had heard that conditions on the island were harsh, but she didn't really know just how harsh they were.
"Dr. Yang, how many military dependents and fishermen are there on the island?"
Dr. Yang thought for a moment, “There is a regiment of soldiers on the island, but not many family members accompany them. Some are not of high enough rank, and some cannot stand the conditions on the island. There are more than ten families in the family compound now, and there are quite a few fishermen on the island, so there are probably a hundred or so families.”
Bonnie didn't expect so few people to come with the army. It makes sense, though, as typhoons frequently hit the island, there's not much land suitable for growing crops, and leaving the island isn't easy.
Bonnie wanted to wander around the island, so she told Dr. Yang. Dr. Yang got up and took Bonnie out of the house.
“This is a residential area for families, with only about a dozen households. Two of the women teach at the school, one works as a nurse in the clinic, and the rest are unemployed. That small patch of land in the yard is their stage.”
Leaving the residential compound, a short walk leads to the school: a row of brick buildings and an empty courtyard, devoid of any sports equipment, not even a basketball hoop. A lone flagpole stands conspicuously there.
“There is a shortage of teachers here. There is only primary school. Students have to go elsewhere for junior high school. There are four teachers in total, teaching grades one through five. Two grades share one classroom, and the fifth grade is the graduating class, so it has a separate classroom. In fact, very few children can actually complete five years of schooling; they all drop out early.”
Dr. Yang's tone was filled with helplessness. The children don't go to school, generation after generation, and it's too difficult for them to leave.
"If the children don't go to school, they can't do any work either?" On the island where Bonnie lives, there are junior high schools, and more than half of the families can afford to let their children finish junior high school.
"If they can't work, they stay home to take care of the children. The older children take care of the younger ones, while the adults are busy earning work points and going out to sea to fish. When I tried to promote eugenics and family planning to give them some family planning supplies, they almost kicked me out of the house. The poorer they are, the more children they have, and the more children they have, the poorer they become. They're trapped in a vicious cycle."
Dr. Yang still feels lingering fear when she thinks about what happened before. It was terrifying, as if she had dug up someone's ancestral grave.
Bonnie understands that deeply ingrained ideas of having many children and valuing sons over daughters are not so easy to change.
Dr. Yang felt sorry for the children on the island, especially the girls, who were truly born to suffer. "Look, that little girl looks like she's five or six years old, but she's actually eight. She's not getting enough to eat, she's malnourished, and she helps with housework and takes care of children every day. Her life is bleak. Many girls on the island are sixteen or seventeen and haven't started menstruating yet."
Bonnie looked in the direction Dr. Yang pointed and saw a little girl with sparse, yellowish hair, a large head and a small body, carrying a large basket on her back, which bent her small body. Her face was numb, lacking the innocence that should be present at her age.
"What about the children in the family compound? Do they all go to school?"
Bonnie felt powerless; there were just too many cases like this, beyond her control. These deeply ingrained ideas, passed down through generations, meant that even decades from now, some remote areas might still be severely patriarchal!
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