Bonnie didn't want to run into those gossipy old women asking each other what they had found, so she didn't rush home.
After lying on the flat rocks and basking in the sun for a while, and waiting for her clothes to dry under the combined effects of the sea breeze and sunshine, Bonnie picked up her bucket and basket and headed back.
Bonnie was careful and put the precious eels, crabs, sea cucumbers, and abalone in a bucket, covered it, and made sure no one could come and lift the lid to look.
The basket contained large oysters, sea snails, and some common razor clams. On top was a beautiful sea snail that Bonnie had found, bigger than a man's fist.
"You're finally back! We were all about to come looking for you." The sudden voice startled Bonnie.
She wasn't paying attention; she was thinking about how many dishes to cook tomorrow.
"Aren't you sisters-in-law back yet? I'm sorry, I was thinking about something and didn't notice you." Bonnie looked at the several unfamiliar sisters-in-law, none of whom she had seen before.
“It’s alright, we were just worried that you hadn’t come back for half a day and that something might have happened to you,” said the younger sister-in-law.
"Ah, thank you, sisters-in-law. I'm Lin Baoni, I came from the village on the island after marrying into this family. I'm a good swimmer and quite brave, I'm sorry to have worried you all." Baoni hadn't expected that several people would wait specifically for her.
"We all know you're Battalion Commander Gu's new wife," Hu Lantou's sister-in-law said readily.
"Ah, everyone knows about this!" Bonnie joked to herself.
"That's because Battalion Commander Gu is a hot commodity; everyone's eyeing him!" said the eldest of the three, the woman, with a smile.
"Haha...that's right, every family has a niece or grandniece!" The three of them laughed heartily.
"Looks like my Gu Ye is quite the catch!" Bonnie had no idea that the usually serious Gu Ye was so popular.
"What do you think? Battalion Commander Gu graduated from a regular military academy, is highly skilled, and his family lives in a military compound in Beijing. It's said he has a lot of power."
"The most important thing is that I have no family burdens and don't need to send living expenses home."
"He's also quite good-looking; many members of the performing arts troupes are interested in him!"
The sisters-in-law chatted amongst themselves, allowing Bao Ni to learn about a different side of Gu Ye, a side she had never known before.
The group chatted and laughed, and Bao Ni learned that the oldest was Zhang Guixiang, the daughter of Deputy Regiment Commander Kong of the Third Regiment; Hu Lantou's daughter was Zhou Meili, the daughter of Battalion Commander Zheng of the Third Regiment, and she was quite pretty. The youngest was Fu Anran, the daughter of Deputy Regiment Commander Zhao of the First Regiment.
The group got to know each other and felt they clicked, so they plan to stay in touch often.
Bonnie mentioned that they were treating everyone to a meal tomorrow, which is why she went to the reef to find some good stuff.
The women also shared the dishes they prepared when hosting guests, outlining the number of dishes and the balance of meat and vegetables. They further reminded the soldiers that they had large appetites and that the food should be plentiful…
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the family compound. The group told each other where they lived, agreed to visit each other often, and then went their separate ways.
"You're back. What did you find?"
Gu Ye pushed open the courtyard gate and took the bucket and basket from Bao Ni's hands; they were quite heavy.
"You caught quite a few this time. Take them to the kitchen, put them in a basin to keep them alive, and they'll be ready to eat tomorrow." Bonnie took the clothes to the bathroom, leaving the task to Gu Ye.
Gu Ye carried the things to the kitchen, found the large wooden barrel in the house, lifted the lid, and poured them in. Wow, there was quite a lot.
Two eels, a large crab, a sea cucumber, abalone, and an octopus.
They poured the contents of the basket into the bucket as well, filling the half-meter-high wooden tub almost to the brim.
Gu Ye quickly covered it with the lid, leaving a small gap.
"How many people are coming? Has it been decided?"
Bonnie, having finished her shower, changed into clean clothes and came out while drying her hair.
"Six or seven, plus their families and children, it must be at least a dozen." Gu Ye calculated in his mind, and this was just for their group.
"Okay, I got it. I'll go early tomorrow to queue up for meat, and I need to buy mackerel too, since I didn't see any today while beachcombing." Bonnie was talking to Gu Ye about treating everyone tomorrow, and she also mentioned the new sisters-in-law she had met.
“Deputy Regiment Commander Zhao and I are both from Beijing, as is his wife. You can get to know the other two wives more. I don’t know much about them, but their husbands are both good people.” Gu Ye didn’t know much about the wives in the family compound, but he did know about his comrades-in-arms, as they had all been on missions together.
“I understand. I can’t always be alone. I need to make some friends.” Bonnie has some playmates in her group, but they are all married, so she sees them less often. The same goes for her sisters from her own family; they all have their own lives.
“Okay, having a friend will keep you company and make you less bored.” Gu Ye had heard from his grandmother that Bonnie had been going out to sea to fish with his father-in-law for the past two years, but he hadn’t let her go this year because she was bored.
"Let's eat now. I got it from the cafeteria; I was afraid it wouldn't be ready in time if I made it fresh."
Gu Ye ordered two dishes, more than ten steamed buns made from two kinds of dough, and also picked up a bowl of the side dishes that his grandmother had given him.
"Now that you mention it, my stomach is growling. I'm starving." Bonnie sat down at the table and started eating. Gu Ye had to go to the military base when it was time for him to leave.
The next day, after Bonnie finished her morning exercise, she went to the small market and bought two pounds of pork belly, a large hen, vermicelli, eggs... After that, she went to pick up her grandmother. She was so busy that she didn't have time to pay attention to the gossiping trio. She was practically pedaling her bike into the air.
Grandma arrived, and the two of them started getting busy again.
Grandma gave the instructions, and Bonnie assisted. Bonnie remembered how to clean the seafood and quickly got the hang of it, so Grandma stopped paying attention to her and busied herself preparing the filling.
After a whole afternoon of hard work by Bonnie and Grandma, dinner was ready.
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